After My Rebirth, I Stole Away the School Genius - Chapter 6

When Lu Shinian returned to the classroom, a boy in the back row grinned at her. “Heard you scored a 66. Thanks for cushioning my rank.”

Lu Shinian shot him a glance and replied, “I sacrifice myself for others, no need to thank me.”

At their seats, Yu Jingjing wore a stern expression, while Xu Man, sitting in front, looked on the verge of tears. The tension between them was palpable.

Seeing Lu Shinian return, Yu Jingjing said indignantly, “Lu Shinian, Xu Man took out your test paper and showed your score to the whole class. I couldn’t stop her.”

Xu Man sniffled, “Xiao Lu, I really didn’t mean to. I just wanted to tidy up your messy desk and accidentally found your test. But I never meant to tell anyone your score.”

Yu Jingjing scoffed, “You were practically shouting. Like you wanted everyone to hear.”

“If you hadn’t tried to snatch the paper and made such a scene, no one would’ve noticed. And you even tore Xiao Lu’s test!” Xu Man’s tears began to fall.

Yu Jingjing’s face flushed with anger. “So now it’s my fault?”

The commotion drew the attention of their classmates, and soon, all eyes were on Lu Shinian, the person at the center of it all.

Silently, Lu Shinian walked over, picked up the torn test paper from the floor, and tossed it onto the desk.

Xu Man whimpered, “Xiao Lu, I’m sorry. I knew you wouldn’t blame me.”

Lu Shinian countered, “Who said I wouldn’t? What exactly are you crying for?”

Xu Man froze at the sudden sharpness in her tone before murmuring, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were still upset. It really was an accident.”

What kind of innocent act was this?

Lu Shinian almost laughed. If there was a prize for playing the victim, Xu Man would take first place, no contest. Her crying act was far more convincing than the one Lu Shinian had pulled in the office earlier.

In her past life, seeing Xu Man cry would’ve made her soften instantly. She would’ve comforted or forgiven her, swallowed her own feelings, and within days, happily linked arms with Xu Man again as if nothing had happened.

But now, reborn, her thoughts were clear: You messed up, so why should I, the victim, be the one suffering?

Lu Shinian said, “Of course I blame you. Shouldn’t I? You went through my things without permission, and now you’re the one acting wronged? I’m the one who should be crying. Now the whole class knows I scored a 66, my dignity’s gone. Since I’m upset too, why don’t we cry together and see who’s louder?”

Her eyes were still slightly red from crying in the office earlier.

Xu Man’s expression twisted with disbelief at Lu Shinian’s refusal to back down. Abruptly, she stood up and ran out of the classroom in tears.

“Guess she won,” Lu Shinian said, turning to the onlookers. “Show’s over, everyone. Focus on class or I might just outscore you all.”

The class burst into laughter.

About three minutes into the lesson, Xu Man returned on her own, shooting Lu Shinian a glare full of resentment.

Lu Shinian shrugged and scribbled a note to Yu Jingjing on a scrap of paper:

Thanks for having my back.

After reading it, Yu Jingjing smiled and added a line below:

No need to thank me. We’re friends.

Wasn’t this second chance meant for letting go of the wrong people and embracing those who were truly worth it?

Friend. Lu Shinian silently mouthed the two words, the corners of her lips curling slightly upwards.

The last class on Wednesday afternoon was P.E. After being cooped up in the classroom all day, everyone was restless and eagerly ran to the playground, waiting for the class to start.

Most of the girls waited in the shade of trees. When the bell rang, the P.E. teacher walked over, blowing his whistle and shouting, “Class Five, assemble here!”

The class slowly meandered over to line up. The P.E. teacher was a young man, the easygoing type. Usually, after having them run a few laps around the field, he’d let them have free time.

“Hurry up and line up properly. It’s sunny this afternoon, we’ll just run two laps before free time.”

Lu Shinian had long forgotten where she was supposed to stand in the P.E. class formation. As she shuffled around, Yu Jingjing noticed and pulled her over. “I know you don’t want to stand next to Xu Man. Just stand by me.”

Lu Shinian smiled. “Oh, you know me so well.”

The P.E. teacher said, “We’ll warm up first, then everyone runs three laps together.”

A girl in the line whined, “Teacher, we’re girls. Can’t we just run two laps?”

“Equal treatment for everyone,” the teacher replied, blowing his whistle. “Follow me for warm-ups.”

Before the run started, a few girls left the line, giggling as they went to sit in the shade, waiting for the others to finish running.

Yu Jingjing glanced at them and said to Lu Shinian, “Zhai Wei has been claiming ‘that time of the month’ for two weeks straight. Should we say the same and take a break?”

Lu Shinian stretched her legs. “It’s just three laps, no need. Sitting too long without moving is terrible for hemorrhoids and your spine.”

In her past life, her job had kept her sitting in an office all day without exercise. Over time, she developed a herniated disc, needing pain relief patches on her back every few days. Any sudden movement would send sharp pains shooting through her waist.

Yu Jingjing said, “Didn’t expect you to be so health-conscious.”

It was a clear, scorching day, the track emitting a pungent plastic smell under the blazing sun.

Before Lu Shinian had even run half a lap, her forehead was drenched in sweat.

The line started out orderly, but due to varying speeds and stamina, by the end of the first lap, everyone had scattered some ahead, some lagging behind. A few boys in the class, eager to play basketball, sped through all three laps and waved boastfully at the girls before leaving.

After finishing her run, Lu Shinian bent over, hands on her knees, catching her breath. She planned to go to the convenience store with Yu Jingjing to buy water. As she straightened up after picking her discarded school jacket off the ground, she caught sight of Yu He running past her.

Wearing her school uniform, Yu He jogged slowly with her head down, sweat trickling down her hair. Her face was pale, lips colorless. Upon reaching the finish, she slowed to a walk, heading toward the school building.

The top student didn’t seem to be feeling well.

Just then, Yu Jingjing ran up from behind. “Come on, let’s go to the store.”

“Oh, right.” Lu Shinian averted her gaze.

During the break, the store wasn’t too crowded. Lu Shinian grabbed a bottle of water. At the checkout, she paused and turned back. “Boss, do you have brown sugar here?”

The path back to the school building passed the basketball court, where many girls sat on benches chatting and watching the boys play.

Not far away, under the basketball hoop, a group of boys were gathered. One of them glanced sideways before calling out to the others, “Li Jingming, your girlfriend is here to bring you water again. What a lucky guy.”

“I’ve told you so many times, she’s not my girlfriend,” Li Jingming paused his shot and couldn’t help but follow the boy’s gaze.

Another teased, “When a girl chases a guy, it’s like a thin veil, hard to resist. Isn’t it just a matter of time before she becomes your girlfriend?”

“Shut up. Lu Shinian is annoying,” Li Jingming turned his head and shot the ball into the hoop.

She really was annoying and stupid. She had deliberately put on an act, holding back for days without coming to see him. Yet here she was, unable to resist, obediently bringing him water.

He’d decide whether to accept it based on her attitude later.

“Hey, wait, looks like she’s not here to bring you water after all.”

Hearing this, Li Jingming turned his head and saw Lu Shinian walk straight past the edge of the basketball court without the slightest intention of coming over.

“Hahaha, turns out your girlfriend wasn’t here for you after all.”

Li Jingming frowned. What was Lu Shinian up to now?

Could she actually be angry because he hadn’t accepted her letter last time?

“You guys keep playing.” Li Jingming tossed the ball to someone nearby and hurried off in the direction Lu Shinian had gone.

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