CH 054

TL: Moonlit

After leaving Jiang Tian’s home, Lin Hanchuan originally planned to find a hotel room to rest for the night. However, when he reached the hotel entrance and took out the hard-earned scholarship money saved by Jiang Tian, his steps halted, and he turned towards the adjacent internet cafe.

Lin Hanchuan didn’t see any problem with his decision, but 001 started whining in his mind, [“Chuan Chuan, how can you sleep in an internet cafe?”]

[“Why can’t I sleep in an internet cafe?”] Lin Hanchuan asked amusedly.

[“…,”] 001 muttered softly, [“When have you ever been in such a plight?”]

Lin Hanchuan had always been calm, composed, and strategic. Even during the most difficult periods of his past two lives, 001 had never seen him so desperate.

Currently, Lin Hanchuan could only endure the stuffy atmosphere of the Internet cafe. 001 felt suffocated as well.

Lin Hanchuan smiled faintly, [“It’s just for one night.”]

Still dissatisfied, 001 grumbled quietly.

[“Tomorrow, I’ll go to the school and apply for a dormitory. I’ll stay in the school dormitory from now on,”] Lin Hanchuan reassured in a softer voice.

Lin Hanchuan didn’t expect that 001 would actually worry about him, but he didn’t find it offensive; instead, he found it somewhat comforting.

Having spent a night in the internet cafe, the next day, Lin Hanchuan entered the school under the morning light.

Nanping High School was the best elite high school in Nanping City, where the students were either rich or from prominent families. In order to maintain a high college admission rate and compete for top spots, the school also recruited some top-performing students from other schools.

Most of these transferred students came from average backgrounds, clearly distinguished from the wealthy students of the school. This resulted in two distinct groups, with mutual disdain.

Jiang Tian was one of them.

After transferring to Nanping High School for a month, Jiang Tian had a peaceful first half-month with no conflicts with other students. However, things drastically changed when Zhou Yuntang suddenly showed kindness to Jiang Tian.

Zhou Family was the top aristocratic family in the school. Zhou Yuntang’s four brothers were all outstanding individuals in their respective fields. It was well-known that Zhou Yuntang was a precious treasure of the Zhou family. Regardless of his seemingly docile and harmless personality, he was still one of the last people anyone would want to offend in Nanping High School.

Moreover, most students here had attended the same elite kindergarten and middle school, fostering close relationships since childhood. Among their classmates, Zhou Yuntang was seen as a treasured child by everyone who watched him grow up.

For Jiang Tian, such proactive friendliness from Zhou Yuntang was already infuriating. Yet, Jiang Tian dared to remain indifferent to Zhou Yuntang’s efforts, which could be described as defying public opinion.

Before morning self-study began, Zhou Yuntang and his friends entered the classroom. The classmates who had shown no good attitude towards Jiang Tian now wore smiling faces when interacting with Zhou Yuntang.

“Morning, Tang Tang.”

“Tang Tang, you look super cute today!”

“Do you want some milk, Tang Tang? I brought an extra box of fresh milk air-shipped from Australia…”

Zhou Yuntang blushed from the praise and took the milk, “Thank you, everyone. You all seem to be in high spirits today.”

After responding to the enthusiastic greetings, Zhou Yuntang’s eyes fell on Lin Hanchuan. He paused for a moment, then tugged at the corner of his clothes and greeted Jiang Tian in a low voice, “Good morning, Jiang Tian.”

Lin Hanchuan quickly flipped through his book, as if he hadn’t heard Zhou Yuntang’s greeting. Regardless of the noisy or quiet environment, as though he were unrelated to them, his eyes were fixed only on the book in his hands.

Seeing his attitude, Zhou Yuntang’s friend became unhappy and snatched the textbook from Lin Hanchuan’s hand, tearing out half a page.

It was Jiang Tian’s math book, filled with dense notes and annotations. Lin Hanchuan had been away from school for too long and was flipping through the textbook to regain his high school memories.

To his surprise, Jiang Tian was not only smart but also exceptionally diligent. Every textbook was filled with reflections and study strategies, and the solutions were clear and insightful. Such a book could be sold at a four-figure price if sold to an ordinary student, and any parent would be willing to buy it.

Zhou Yuntang was taken aback and quickly snatched the textbook back from his friend, handing it to Lin Hanchuan with a stuttering apology, “I-I’m sorry, Jiang Tian. Ah Yuan didn’t mean to…”

“I don’t accept your apology,” Lin Hanchuan took the textbook back, placing the torn page back inside coldly.

In the past, whenever someone made a mistake and apologized, they would be forgiven immediately. This was the first time Zhou Yuntang had been rejected so ruthlessly, leaving him stunned.

His friend continued to vent his dissatisfaction, “Why are you apologizing to him? Is he worthy of it? He dares to show you an attitude even when you’re being so humble. He’s given a chance and doesn’t appreciate it.”

Though Li Yuan’s words were rude, they hit a chord in Zhou Yuntang’s heart.

It was just accidentally tearing a page from a textbook. It could easily be replaced with a new one. There was really nothing to fuss about.

Zhou Yuntang glanced timidly at Lin Hanchuan but was scared off by his cold gaze, causing a sense of unease in his heart.

Zhou’s four brothers each had their own talents, gentle personalities, and excellent manners. This person didn’t seem like a member of the Zhou family at all. Zhou Yuntang bit his lip and tugged at Li Yuan’s clothes, whispering, “Yuan, stop it!”

If it weren’t for the Zhou family’s blood running in Jiang Tian’s veins, in order not to be driven out of the family, Zhou Yuntang had to suppress his unhappiness and try to be as tolerant and magnanimous as possible to persuade his friend.

He didn’t want his friend’s petty issues to ruin his efforts all these years.

Though his friend wanted to scold more, Zhou Yuntang looked at him with moist eyes, appearing pitiful and adorable. His friend’s heart softened, and he reluctantly stopped his tirade.

Considering Zhou Yuntang’s feelings, his friend lifted his chin, humming half as advice and half as a threat, “If Tang Tang fancies you, it’s your good fortune from eight lifetimes. Don’t act pretentious here. If Tang Tang is happy, he might give you a little gift that you couldn’t afford in your lifetime…”

Lin Hanchuan looked at them condescendingly, completely unfazed, even finding it amusing.

Suddenly, Lin Hanchuan stood up, surprising his friend who was still talking, “What’s up? Do you want to fight? Do you think I’m afraid of you?”

His friend was about the same size as Zhou Yuntang, and he had no doubt that Lin Hanchuan could knock him down with just one punch.

After witnessing Lin Hanchuan’s ability to take on five people at once the previous night, Zhou Yuntang couldn’t help but feel a little panicked. He looked nervous and didn’t know what Lin Hanchuan was planning to do.

Then he saw Lin Hanchuan walking towards his seat and picking up a book.

Rip—

Zhou Yuntang was dumbfounded, as were everyone else in the class.

The classmates had been secretly observing the commotion, feeling envious of Lin Hanchuan. They couldn’t understand how he managed to gain the favor of Young Master Zhou.

While they were still feeling jealous and resentful, they watched in astonishment as Lin Hanchuan tore up Zhou Yuntang’s textbook, and they couldn’t believe their eyes.

Lin Hanchuan wasn’t satisfied after tearing one page, so he continued to tear page after page, apologizing half-heartedly, “Sorry, it was not intentional.”

Zhou Yuntang didn’t expect Lin Hanchuan to do such a thing. He pursed his lips, his voice trembling as he said, “It was just accidentally tearing a page from your book. Only one page got damaged. Do you need to make such a big deal out of it?”

Lin Hanchuan casually threw the book he was holding aside, and it joined the scattered pages on the ground.

Zhou Yuntang felt wronged; he had never felt this way before. “I’m sorry, Jiang Tian. I didn’t know you would mind so much. If you’re still upset, you can tear my books too, I…”

As he spoke, tears began to well up in Zhou Yuntang’s eyes.

In the Zhou family, whether it was his parents or his four brothers, they all doted on him. Whatever he wanted would appear in his hands the next day.

With just a smile, he could win the affection of everyone around him.

In Zhou Yuntang’s world, there were only sweet candies, warm songs, and radiant smiles. He never expected someone to be so cold and indifferent, no matter how hard he tried to please them.

He remembered how he had never eaten his mother’s cooked meals. He had secretly hidden the sandwiches she made for him but ended up throwing them in the trash. Zhou Yuntang had also given him his favorite necklace and a handmade puzzle, and even his sixteenth birthday gift, yet the other person remained unmoved.

The experiences of being subjected to this emotional abuse for the past half month flooded his mind, and Zhou Yuntang’s nose started to tingle. He clenched his teeth, trying not to cry. His voice choked as he spoke, unable to hold back a few sobs.

It was just a trivial matter, but he made such a fuss. Zhou Yuntang couldn’t understand why such a bad person turned out to be a member of the Zhou family, while he wasn’t.

His parents and brothers were so kind. Clearly, we are a family… Tears streamed down Zhou Yuntang’s flawless cheeks.

A beautiful person crying was like a delicate orchid with dewdrops, exquisitely moving.

“Damn it,” someone cursed, “Jiang Tian, are you still a man? Making such a big deal out of such a small matter, causing such a fuss.”

The spectators stopped watching the spectacle, and the peacemakers stopped trying to mediate. They all crowded around Zhou Yuntang, trying to console him in a fluster.

Lin Hanchuan observed coldly, seeing Zhou Yuntang wipe away his tears and put on a facade of strength.

As Zhou Yuntang walked through the crowd and approached him, nobody said a word. The classroom fell silent, and only Zhou Yuntang’s soft and tender voice could be heard, “Jiang Tian, I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me. I’m not someone who cries easily.”

Zhou Yuntang had made up his mind; he would make Jiang Tian like him!

If this meant Jiang Tian returned to the Zhou family, how much worry would he cause his parents and brothers? He must stay close to them to comfort his parents and brothers! With determination, Zhou Yuntang clenched his fists.

In less than ten minutes, Zhou Yuntang had already forgotten the cause and details of the incident, focusing only on the fear of being disliked by Jiang Tian.

The others stared at Lin Hanchuan with various emotions: jealousy, envy, disgust, and hatred. No one said a word, waiting for his response.

In the midst of silence, Lin Hanchuan’s voice was cold and resolute, “No matter who you are, I can’t have the slightest good impression of you.”

His words were icy, unyielding, and merciless.

Zhou Yuntang curled his lips, and tears streamed down his face again.

His supporters and friends were outraged, “I f*cking…!”

Lin Hanchuan pretended to roll up his sleeves, preparing to ‘educate’ these half-grown teenagers when suddenly, the classroom door burst open, and a blond-haired teenager carrying a schoolbag walked in.

The tense atmosphere, filled with gunpowder, suddenly froze.

The teenager immediately noticed Zhou Yuntang, whose eyes were as red as a rabbit’s, and couldn’t help but laugh in schadenfreude, “Who made our little Master Zhou cry again?”

With a seemingly ordinary sentence, his tone twisted in eighteen different directions, sounding extremely sarcastic and bizarre.

Zhou Yuntang’s face flushed, and he clenched his fists, “It’s none of your business!”

“Our little Master Zhou is so refined, he can’t even say ‘It’s none of your damn business.'” The teenager clicked his tongue and walked forward. The people around quickly made way for him, and he sat down at the back of the classroom.

Lin Hanchuan raised an eyebrow and let go of his rolled-up sleeves.

“We should start class,” the teenager tapped the desk with his knuckles.

The others exchanged glances and reluctantly returned to their seats, including Zhou Yuntang’s friends. Only Lin Hanchuan and Zhou Yuntang were still standing in place.

“Wan Li Shuang!” Everyone scattered, leaving Zhou Yuntang like a person tossed in the air, falling clumsily to the ground. For the first time, he openly showed his disgust.

Wan Li Shuang, the venomous antagonist in the original text.

The Wan family’s influence was not much weaker than the Zhou family’s. Zhou Yuntang had almost grown up together with Wan Li Shuang, attending the same kindergarten, primary school, middle school, and now the same high school.

They could be considered childhood sweethearts, but Wan Li Shuang had a wayward and unlikable personality, the complete opposite of the universally adored Zhou Yuntang. As a result, Wan Li Shuang resented Zhou Yuntang and opposed him at every turn.

In the original text, Wan Li Shuang exposed the relationship between Zhou Yuntang and Jiang Tian, causing turmoil in their feelings for each other. To disgust Zhou Yuntang, Wan Li Shuang even deliberately seduced Jiang Tian, leading to misunderstandings and nearly driving the two apart.

This vicious antagonist had a miserable fate in the sweet romance novel.

The Zhou family set a trap that bankrupted Wan Li Shuang’s family, and his father died suddenly from a heart attack. This malicious antagonist was left alone with his mother, and they disappeared without a trace.

Family shattered, life destroyed.

Thinking of Wan Li Shuang’s ending, Lin Hanchuan raised his eyes and coincidentally met Wan Li Shuang’s gaze. Both of them were stunned for a moment.