Criticizing Love - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“The shadow veils her face in a mask, secretly, submissively, following Light with the silent footsteps of love.”

During the first week of the new semester, the shadows of autumn had not yet fully enveloped the campus; the cicadas continued their relentless hum.

The tightly closed windows couldn’t block out the final sounds of summer, which drifted in waves toward the very last row of the classroom.

The autumn afternoon carried a lukewarm leisure, which, paired with the Vice Principal’s speech playing on the projection screen, was a perfect recipe for drowsiness.

And Lin Xi did exactly that—she slept.

A newly bought manga sat brazenly open on her desk, smelling strongly of ink under the heat of the sun. On the pages, the hot-blooded male protagonist roared with a distorted expression, looking less like he was declaring war on an enemy and more like he had broken the fourth wall to protest the head resting on top of him.

The desk, piled high with books, was flooded with sunlight, dyeing the girl’s stray hairs a fluffy, golden hue.

She slept without a care in the world.

While the other students leaned forward, staring at the screen, she remained slumped over, facing the open back door as if it were providing a private, sleep-inducing breeze just for her.

“Next, let’s invite Gu Nianyin, the student who ranked first in the opening exams, to share her study methods. We hope this will be helpful for everyone’s senior year.”

On the screen, the Vice Principal concluded his long-winded orientation remarks and turned toward the girl waiting at the side of the stage. The camera remained fixed, waiting alongside the weary, bored students for the next speaker to enter the frame.

“Damn, she’s so beautiful!”

Someone’s sudden exclamation jolted the drowsy students awake, drawing everyone’s attention back to the screen.

It was the same fixed camera angle from the grand auditorium they had seen for two years. The old, fading dark-red backdrop gave off a sense of dampness from poor maintenance, making one feel stifled just looking at it.

But within that frame, there was a splash of pristine white.

The harsh auditorium lighting fell straight down as Gu Nianyin walked unhurriedly to the podium. Wearing the school uniform, the thin fabric of her white shirt caught the light, creating a hazy silhouette—slender, tall, and straight as a pine tree. She was unforgettable at a glance.

Compared to the Vice Principal’s poorly framed presence, Gu Nianyin’s appearance made the entire composition harmonious.

With slender, well-defined fingers, she adjusted the microphone that the Vice Principal had lowered. Her thin lips parted slightly: “Hello teachers and fellow students, I am Gu Nianyin from Class 13, Senior Year…”

“Is that the transfer student?” “It’s one thing to beat Ah Ran by sixty-nine points, but why does she have to crush us in looks too?” “Even though what you’re saying is a fact and I admit it, I’m still hurt…” “Don’t worry. If it were a point or two, we could work hard to catch up, but sixty-nine points? Forget it. Besides, you’ve been rank one for two years; it’s time to take a break.” “Isn’t there a saying? A top student gets a 150 because they worked hard; a legend gets a 150 because the test only goes up to 150.”

The once-quiet classroom suddenly became rowdy, filled with hushed, frantic discussions. With no teacher present, the room was sliding into chaos.

The head buried in the crook of an arm stirred. Golden light cascaded down her long hair as she propped herself up. Lin Xi leaned back against her chair, eyes drooping, finally awake.

Actually, she hadn’t really been asleep.

It wasn’t the Vice Principal’s nagging that had ruined her drowsiness, but rather the fact that today was the day her mother’s medical results were coming out.

Lin Xi’s mother, Xing Xiu, had been diagnosed last year with stage III cervical cancer—only slightly better than the worst-case scenario. It would cost a fortune to treat.

While she was slumped on the desk, Lin Xi had been mentally tallying their meager savings over and over, but no matter how she counted, she couldn’t make the numbers grow.

Before this past summer, Lin Xi wouldn’t have had to worry about money. Her father, Lin Deyuan, was a somewhat famous real estate developer in Nancheng and could easily afford the treatment.

But during the summer, Lin Deyuan had secretly transferred his assets and filed for divorce.

For years, Xing Xiu had devoted herself to her husband, helping him rise from a poor village boy to a famous boss. She never imagined this would happen. Weakened by illness, she was blindsided. After the divorce, she was left with only 720,000 yuan and a villa in the distant suburbs—a drop in the bucket for her medical expenses.

As for Lin Xi, Lin Deyuan had always resented that she was a girl. After promising 10,000 yuan a month in child support, he stopped caring entirely.

Like throwing away trash.

A cool breeze through the back door tossed the stray hairs on Lin Xi’s forehead. A cold sneer touched her dark brows.

As if I actually wanted to stay with him.

Even if the court had awarded her to Lin Deyuan, she would have packed her bags to follow Xing Xiu. That was her unyielding pride. Since childhood, Lin Deyuan had tried every way to make her submit, but she simply never learned how.

Unlike some people…

“Appropriate exercise not only helps maintain a good physical state but also improves learning efficiency…”

A cold, clear voice from the projection screen drifted into Lin Xi’s ears. Her thoughts were interrupted, and she lazily looked up toward the sound.

Gu Nianyin was tall, standing before the camera like a stalk of green bamboo. Despite wearing the same uniform, it looked perfectly tailored on her; even the movement of adjusting the mic didn’t cause a single wrinkle. Her white buttons were fastened perfectly to the top, and the navy ribbon sat against her neck, revealing a pale, elegant throat like that of a proud swan.

“God, I’m never calling you ‘Grandpa’ again. You aren’t biased toward me at all.” “What do you think it would take to date her?” “Stop dreaming. An immortal fairy who doesn’t eat the food of commoners won’t descend to earth so easily.” “But what if! Her grades are so good, she’ll definitely come to our elite class. Then the distance between us will be smaller, right?” “Generally speaking, the more ‘immortal’ they are, the harder they are to catch. You—no chance.”

Does. Not. Eat. Commoner. Food.

Lin Xi chewed over her classmates’ evaluation of Gu Nianyin, then spat it out with a disdainful scoff. “Heh.”

Her desk mate, Zhong Sheng, heard the laugh and thought Lin Xi was interested. She turned around to tease her: “Xi, did you finally see the lig—wait, where are you going?”

Zhong Sheng’s voice spiked as she saw Lin Xi stand up. The chair scraped loudly against the floor. “You’re skipping the assembly?!”

“I’m done,” Lin Xi waved her hand, ignoring the school rules posted on the back wall as she walked straight out the back door.

The breeze in the hallway couldn’t suppress the irritation written all over Lin Xi’s face.

It was an irritation directed at Gu Nianyin.

If it were just a first impression, it wouldn’t be this intense. But this wasn’t the first time Lin Xi had seen her. Their first meeting went back to the second week of summer break.

The day after Lin Deyuan and Xing Xiu divorced, he had led a tall, elegant woman into their home. Gu Nianyin had followed behind them, and Lin Deyuan had obsequiously arranged for her to move into the bedroom he had promised Lin Xi in court.

That night, Lin Xi had stood downstairs for as long as the light stayed on in Gu Nianyin’s—no, her—room. She stayed until the light went out and the whole world turned pitch black.

Unwillingness, loathing, jealousy, hatred.

The girl’s collapsing world was flooded with even more malicious emotions, nearly drowning her.

Lin Deyuan wasn’t just greedy; he was unfaithful. He had reunited with his “white moonlight” (first love) at the hospital—a woman who had just been widowed—and abandoned his wife and daughter to pursue some damn “youthful romance.”

Disgusting!

The early autumn wind held a chill, rustling the rose vines. Lin Xi looked up, moonlight falling on her long, thick lashes. Her clear, bright eyes were filled with resentment.

She felt a powerful urge to retaliate against Lin Deyuan and that woman. But how could she?

The wind blew roses onto the ground, where they were crushed into the asphalt. Lin Xi had nothing, while Lin Deyuan had power and wealth. With a wave of his hand, he had drained the marital assets and was currently withholding the alimony he owed.

Lin Xi leaned against the railing of the corridor. Her vacant eyes reflected the deep blue sky. A flock of birds flew past, their wings spread in a peace that felt miles away from her.

Feeling a sense of longing or perhaps defiance, Lin Xi reached out toward the birds. Her fingers were pale and slender, but only the fleeting wind paused in her palm for a second.

You can’t catch them, after all.

She looked down at her empty hand just as the phone in her pocket vibrated.

It was a message from Xing Xiu’s primary doctor, Dr. Tao. He knew she was in class, so he didn’t call.

Dr. Tao: Xiao Xi, your mother’s results are out. For now, her condition is stable. The cancer cells haven’t shown signs of spreading. You can breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, the tension Lin Xi had carried all morning finally eased. She tapped out a reply: Thank you, Dr. Tao.

Dr. Tao replied with a “You’re welcome,” then added: The medicine I mentioned before is now available at the hospital. However, it’s imported and not covered by insurance. The cost will be higher than the previous ones. Do you want to switch your mother to it?

The events of the summer had mostly happened at the hospital; Lin Xi’s family situation was an open secret in the department. The nurses were both worried and angry for her, and Dr. Tao was trying his best to help, but medicine isn’t free.

The drug Dr. Tao found was the most effective and relatively cheapest option to curb her mother’s illness, and the side effects—dizziness, nausea, anxiety—would be much milder.

Lin Xi could be frugal with everything else, but she was never stingy with her mother’s medicine: Let’s switch.

She even added casually: Don’t worry about the money. I can go work under the table.

It wasn’t the first time she’d made such a “joke.” Last time she said she could do physical fitness tests for university students; the time before that, she mentioned doing “commissioned cosplay” to sell her looks.

Hospitals are full of helplessness regarding money. Dr. Tao was used to sighs and weeping; Lin Xi’s “optimism” should have been a ray of light, but it only made his heart ache more.

She was only seventeen. Not even an adult.

Dr. Tao watched the screen as money was deposited and immediately withdrawn from Xing Xiu’s account. After some thought, he decided to share some news: Xiao Xi, I spoke to the hospital last month about your mother’s situation to apply for a fee reduction. It should be approved this month, which should make things a bit easier for you.

Lin Xi’s eyes lit up. Her dark pupils reflected the sunlight. She was truly grateful: Thank you so much.

It’s nothing, just a small favor, Dr. Tao replied.

Reading those words, Lin Xi felt a warmth she couldn’t describe. She gripped her phone, telling herself: Don’t think about the bad things. See? There are still good people in this world.

As long as she took care of her mom and worked hard after graduating, everything would get better. It had to.

Lin Xi looked up, the sun hitting her face. Beneath her wild brows were eyes that refused to be defeated. Her mother was getting treatment; there was hope. And no matter how bad life gets, you have to keep going. What if things hit rock bottom and then bounce back?

What if Lin Deyuan gets hit by a car tomorrow? She is his first-in-line heir, after all.

At that thought, she let out an “unfilial” laugh. Her naturally red lips curled up boldly. After a second, she felt being that bold wasn’t great and lowered her head—only to see another message from Dr. Tao.

Dr. Tao: Xiao Xi, you’re in your senior year now. You must focus on your studies. We have things handled here. You’re in the elite class, so study hard. Don’t let your mother down.

Lin Xi paused. If this were the past, she would have immediately bragged about her grades to prove she was studying.

But she had failed this opening exam. She had dropped from rank 7 to rank 117—the very bottom of her class. If she did it again, she’d be kicked out of the elite class to make room for… Gu Nianyin.

Lin Xi’s brow furrowed again. Subconsciously, she associated Gu Nianyin with Lin Deyuan, and the thought of giving up her spot to her was infuriating.

Give up my spot to Gu Nianyin? Are you kidding me?

“Go back and prepare; the first mock exam is at the end of the month.” “Okay, I understand.” “Also, about that paper…”

The auditorium doors opened, and the voices of teachers drifted out with the wind. Almost by reflex, Lin Xi shoved her phone into her skirt pocket and peeked around to check the teachers’ movements.

Instead, she unexpectedly crashed into a pair of eyes looking right at her.

The same eyes that had just appeared on the projection screen.

The narrow corners of those eyes released an unintentional chill, radiating a “keep away” vibe. It was exactly what Lin Xi had seen that night through the rose hedge.

Gu Nianyin.

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