After My Rebirth, I Stole Away the School Genius - Chapter 7

Yu Jingjing looked at the square piece of brown sugar in Lu Shinian’s hand and asked, “Who’s that brown sugar for?”

“Yu He. She doesn’t seem to be feeling well,” Lu Shinian replied.

Yu Jingjing let out an “Oh,” then added, “But given Yu He’s personality, I doubt she’ll accept it.”

“I’ll try anyway. I’ve got thick skin,” Lu Shinian said. She had a feeling Yu He wouldn’t take it, so she needed to figure out a way to make her feel comfortable accepting the gesture.

Up ahead was a crossroads. Just as they were about to turn, Li Jingming suddenly blocked their path.

Ever since the day she was reborn, Lu Shinian had resolved to never interact with Li Jingming again. She never expected him to seek her out first.

Just seeing this scumbag made her hands itch.

Li Jingming was panting as he stretched out his hand. “Give me the water.”

“……”

Lu Shinian looked at him like he was an idiot. “Are you out of your mind?”

Li Jingming frowned. “You’re the one who’s crazy. If you wanted to give me water, you could’ve just come over directly. Why play hard to get?”

Lu Shinian laughed in disbelief and shook the half-empty water bottle in her hand. “Take a good look. This is my water. If you’re thirsty, go buy your own.”

Seeing how cold Lu Shinian was acting, Li Jingming was puzzled. “Are you still mad about me not accepting your love letter on Friday?”

When Lu Shinian continued to glare at him with disdain, he was genuinely shocked. In the past, she would’ve been over the moon if he came looking for her. Her current attitude must really be because of that incident. “Fine, give it to me. I’ll take it now, okay?”

Lu Shinian couldn’t be bothered with him. “Move.”

Seeing that she was about to leave, Li Jingming grabbed her wrist. “Why are you leaving? You’re acting so weird. If it weren’t for pitying you, do you think I’d even bother coming to find you?”

Yu Jingjing couldn’t hold back anymore. “Let go. You’re going too far.”

Lu Shinian took a deep breath. Li Jingming was seriously out of his damn mind.

Fine. Since he insisted on being a jerk, she couldn’t be blamed for what came next.

“You said you wanted water, right?” Lu Shinian sneered as she twisted open the bottle cap and flung the water straight into Li Jingming’s face.

Li Jingming’s pupils dilated in shock. He hadn’t expected Lu Shinian to suddenly splash him and couldn’t dodge in time. The water drenched him from head to toe, turning him into a literal drowned rat.

He froze for a second before exploding in rage. “You crazy b—”

Before he could finish, Lu Shinian snatched the milk tea from Yu Jingjing’s hands and dumped it over his head.

Not a single drop was spared.

Li Jingming had no time to react before he was drenched again. The tea dripped down his face, staining his white shirt a muddy brown. He looked utterly pathetic.

But the worse he looked, the happier Lu Shinian felt.

“Watch your mouth. Stay the hell away from me.”

After delivering her parting words, Lu Shinian grabbed Yu Jingjing and quickly walked away. If she weren’t afraid Li Jingming might retaliate, she would’ve loved to slap him on top of everything else.

Wiping his face, Li Jingming glared at Lu Shinian’s retreating figure and gritted his teeth. “Lu Shinian, just you wait.”

Only after putting some distance between them and the basketball court did Yu Jingjing cover her mouth and say, “Shinian, you’re amazing. He totally deserved that.”

Lu Shinian tossed the two empty bottles into a nearby trash can. “Sorry about that. I’ll buy you another one later.”

“It’s fine. My milk tea fulfilled its purpose,” Yu Jingjing said. “It made a great contribution to freeing you from your love-struck delusions.”

Lu Shinian chuckled. “Was my love-struck phase really that obvious?”

“It’s pretty obvious the whole grade knows you’re lovestruck… Can I say it?” Yu Jingjing hesitated, knowing what followed wasn’t exactly complimentary.

Lu Shinian nodded, “It’s fine, go ahead.”

Yu Jingjing continued, “People say you’ve been desperately clinging to Li Jingming, throwing yourself at him while he couldn’t be bothered with you. After sitting beside you, I realized they were right, you really did revolve around him. But these past few days, it seems you’ve finally come to your senses. Congratulations.”

“Oh, and actually most of these rumors were spread by Xu Man. I never mentioned it before since you two seemed so close, didn’t want you thinking I was trying to drive a wedge between you.”

Lu Shinian lowered her gaze. Though she’d already learned about Xu Man’s true nature from future events and had moved past the pain, hearing that the backstabbing had started as early as freshman year still left a dull ache in her chest.

All betrayals leave traces.

High school had been their closest three years. Back then, no matter how much she liked Li Jingming, she’d always felt her friendship with Xu Man was more important.

What a shame…

But people must look forward.

Lu Shinian spoke slowly, “I’ll clarify those rumors when I get the chance. That scumbag isn’t worth my time.”

“Let’s skip the cafeteria today. Last time I found a hair in the greens.”

“Ew, that’s disgusting.”

“Right?”

“Let’s try that new rice noodle place instead…”

Two girls walked arm-in-arm down the hallway, chatting. As they passed Class Five, they glanced inside, the classroom was empty except for one girl sitting alone.

They turned the corner and descended the stairs, their voices fading away.

Yu He lay weakly across her desk, pale from menstrual cramps. Her uniform back was soaked with sweat, yet her hands and feet remained icy cold.

The pain came every month, and she usually endured it. But this time was worse, the dragging ache in her lower abdomen was impossible to ignore, only slightly relieved by pressing down hard.

The ceiling fan creaked overhead. Burying her face in her arms, the sound gradually lulled her into drowsiness.

After some time, the fan stopped. Footsteps approached, then paused beside her.

“Yu, can I ask you about a problem?”

Yu He lifted her head, suppressing irritation from the abdominal pain. “Ask me later.”

“It’s really simple, you’ll get it at a glance.” Lu Shinian cheerfully pushed the textbook toward her.

Yu He frowned at the problem, it was indeed basic.

“First derive f(x), then substitute the X value…” The cramps left her breathless. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she pressed her pale lips together, forcing out the simplest explanation. “Plug the final result back into the original formula for the answer.”

Lu Shinian nodded eagerly. “Got it! You explain so well, thanks a ton!”

Just as Yu He was about to rest again, Lu Shinian called out, “Wait, Yu!”

Her dark eyes now showed traces of impatience, lips pressed into a thin line. “Could you stay away from me?”

The classroom was eerily quiet at that moment.

Lu Shinian’s expression froze the instant those words were spoken.

It seemed she’d really angered the top student this time. What should she do now?

Yu He’s fingers curled slightly on the desk surface. After this, Lu Shinian probably wouldn’t dare approach her again.

But had she been too harsh? The girl looked genuinely upset. She could have phrased it more gently.

A pang of regret suddenly hit her for those impulsive words.

Both girls stood frozen, lost in their own thoughts while staring at each other.

The wind rushed through the open window, lifting the yellow curtains. When noisy chatter echoed from the stairwell, Lu Shinian finally snapped out of it. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“Sorry,” Yu He said simultaneously.

Both froze again at the overlapping apologies.

Lu Shinian lowered her gaze, hiding the amusement in her eyes, and pulled a thermos from her bag. She placed it gently on the desk. “Well… sorry for bothering you. I noticed you seemed uncomfortable, and I happened to make some brown sugar water. Consider it thanks for helping me with the problems.”

Yu He blinked, responding stiffly, “Unnecessary.”

“My cramps aren’t bad today, so I don’t need it. Besides,” Lu Shinian chuckled, “with grades as terrible as mine, I’ll probably need to bother you again later. If you accept this, I won’t feel as bad about asking.”

The tension around Yu He’s pressed lips gradually eased. Confusion flickered in her eyes as she asked uncertainly, “What do you want?”

Lu Shinian smiled, revealing a small canine tooth. “I like you. I want to be friends.”

Silence fell again as Yu He remained wordless.

The classroom door burst open as several students entered, shattering the quiet with their chatter.

“Remember to drink it and rest well.” Lu Shinian’s gaze lingered on Yu He’s ear before she turned back to her seat.

Yu He kept staring at the thermos, shoulders slowly relaxing from their stiff posture after a long moment.

What had the girl just said?

Liked her?

Yu He carefully replayed the words in her mind.

No mistake. But what was there to like?

In their first week of school, she’d heard countless things about Lu Shinian not that she’d sought the information, but the girl constantly became the center of campus gossip.

Wealthy family. Poor grades. Hopeless romantic. Beautiful but spoiled. Arrogant yet surprisingly gullible… These labels formed her impression of Lu Shinian, a pampered zoo tiger with sharp teeth but no real threat.

That perception shifted when she witnessed Lu Shinian confronting Xu Man in class. Even zoo tigers could scratch when provoked.

So why would someone who’d learned to fight back suddenly sheathe her claws and extend repeated kindness? Yu He couldn’t help doubting her motives. Was friendship truly the only goal?

From their first meeting, she’d known this girl belonged to a completely different world.

Waves of abdominal pain gradually clouded her thoughts.

Yu He reached for the thermos and whispered, “Thank you.”

The words vanished instantly beneath the classroom’s rising laughter.

In the back row, Lu Shinian noticed Yu He picking up the thermos and couldn’t help but smile.

She’d just caught the top student’s ears turning red again.

So different from her usual aloof demeanor.

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