Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 23

Jian Chun didn’t know that the “original heroine” of her world was no longer the fragile, pitiful creature she once thought. But frankly, whether she was or wasn’t, Jian Chun didn’t much care.

September brought a lingering heat. Inside the quiet classroom, the only sounds were the hum of the air conditioners and the frantic scratching of pens against paper during a pop quiz. The school had invested heavily in comfort; air conditioning was the standard during lectures, supplemented by fans at other times.

The curriculum moved fast. By senior year, most students had already finished the high school syllabus and were deep into the review phase. Even if a few stray lessons remained, they didn’t stop the relentless cycle of testing. Today, they had already faced two exams: Chinese and English.

Chinese progress was slower—a few classical prose pieces hadn’t been covered yet—but the students were already memorizing the highlighted key passages on their own. Jian Chun was giving it her all. Her memory had always been good, but since transmigrating, it seemed to have sharpened. She could scan a paragraph and memorize it in minutes, her brain acting like a high-speed scanner.

She recalled that the “future” Yu Siyi had noticed this when teaching her physics, but at the time, Jian Chun had dismissed it as a fluke. Now, the advantage was undeniable. Her confidence grew. While there were still questions she couldn’t answer—mostly involving concepts she hadn’t studied yet—she refused to lose a single point on material she had seen.

When the Chinese exam ended, she breathed a sigh of relief. Two multiple-choice questions about pinyin had tripped her up; she’d need to check her books later. She considered memorizing the dictionary, but with English vocabulary already filling her head, she feared her mental capacity might hit a limit.

The class remained calm after the test. For the elite students in Class 1, exams were as routine as breathing. Only the final mock exams truly rattled their nerves.

After class, Jing Ge approached Jian Chun to head to the restroom, offering her a bag of “Mimi” prawn crackers.

“I’m going to the office to ask questions, not the bathroom,” Jian Chun said, declining the snack. “Go find Li Ying.”

Jing Ge’s face soured at the mention of Li Ying. She tore open the snack and followed Jian Chun anyway. “Why go to the office? The teachers didn’t summon you.”

“What else would I be doing? I’m going to ask questions,” Jian Chun replied.

“Aren’t you afraid of looking at those teachers and feeling annoyed?” Jing Ge muttered.

“Why would I be annoyed? They’re teachers.” Jian Chun patted Jing Ge’s shoulder and walked toward the office.

The moment she stepped out of the classroom, her face fell into a cold, expressionless mask. She projected an aura that said, I have plenty of patience, but if you cross me, you’re getting hit.

She knew Jing Ge’s secret. Despite her “delinquent” persona, Jing Ge’s grades were actually quite good—usually ranking in the top thirty or forty. This was likely why she was so popular among the students. Jian Chun couldn’t quite put her finger on why that bothered her, but it left a bad taste in her mouth. The “original” Jian Chun probably thought she was lucky to have such a smart, “loyal” friend, but the new Jian Chun saw through the act.

In the original novel, the “vicious female supporting character” was just a footnote, and minor characters like Jing Ge were barely described. Jian Chun had no idea what these people were truly thinking.

Luck was on her side; the Chemistry teacher, Ms. Zhang, was in. Her desk was always surrounded by students—either those making up homework or those being forced to rewrite sloppy assignments. Jian Chun pulled up a chair next to a boy and began to write.

Ms. Zhang’s attitude toward Jian Chun was decent. Seeing her working quietly, Ms. Zhang complained to a colleague: “Can you believe these kids are seniors and still haven’t mastered the Periodic Table? I don’t know what they do all day.”

“That’s nothing, Ms. Zhang,” another teacher chimed in. “The English teacher for Class 15 said some of her students still haven’t memorized the twenty-six letters of the alphabet!”

Jian Chun listened with amusement as she transcribed chemical formulas. Just a few days ago, her memory of the Periodic Table was a blur; now, after a few scans, it was etched into her mind.

When she finished, she handed her work to Ms. Zhang. She received a perfect score and a satisfied nod of praise. She left the office under the envious glares of the boys who had been there much longer.

As she stepped out and turned to close the door, a hand caught the frame. It was a slender, fair hand with soft fingertips. Jian Chun looked up into the face of Yu Siyi.

Yu Siyi was slightly taller. To avoid an awkward standoff (and to keep from losing her nerve), Jian Chun focused on the tip of Yu Siyi’s nose. It was elegant and straight, her skin flawless even without a hint of makeup.

Yu Siyi blinked, her lashes casting a shadow. She looked at Jian Chun with an expression of total, utter perfunctoriness.

The “future” Yu Siyi was unreadable. The “current” Yu Siyi was even worse—she looked like a robot whose “expression system” had crashed.

“Move,” Yu Siyi said in her usual cool tone.

“Oh.”

Jian Chun stepped back. As the door swung shut, Yu Siyi’s calm gaze remained fixed on her until the gap vanished. Jian Chun felt a sudden chill, like a prey animal being watched by a hunter. She shook her head. Why am I the one feeling intimidated? I’m the one with the upper hand here… right?

The Clashing of “Heroines”

After school, the usual mad dash for the cafeteria began. Those who didn’t want to waste time rushed for the first batch of food, while others waited for the crowds to thin. Jian Chun decided to eat outside the gates. The thought of spicy cold noodles and porridge in this heat made her mouth water.

Briefly, she missed the cooking of the two aunts at Yu Siyi’s future house. She’d probably never taste that again—noodles that weren’t just spicy, but had a lingering tang of pickled greens.

“Look at that,” Jing Ge sneered, nodding toward the back. “Someone is already trying to hug Yu Siyi’s thigh.”

Jian Chun looked back. It was Feng Xue.

Feng Xue was walking with Zhu Feifei, the two of them chatting and laughing like best friends. Yu Siyi walked beside them, seemingly ignoring Feng Xue entirely. As Jian Chun turned her head, she once again collided with Yu Siyi’s icy gaze.

Zhu Feifei was busy comforting Feng Xue. “It’s all my fault,” Feng Xue’s voice drifted over, weak and trembling. “I know Jian Chun means well… I just wanted to be her friend… I…”

She bit her lip pitifully, her eyes darting toward Yu Siyi to gauge her reaction. But Yu Siyi showed nothing. Feng Xue then spotted Jian Chun’s group and acted appropriately shocked, looking at Zhu Feifei as if seeking protection.

Feng Xue wasn’t actually flustered. Her “System” had notified her that Jian Chun was nearby. She needed a “villain” to clash with Yu Siyi to trigger the plot. If she could get Jian Chun to attack her, she could play the victim and spark Yu Siyi’s protective interest. After all, everyone wants what someone else is fighting for.

“Siyi,” Feng Xue said, bypassing Zhu Feifei to address Yu Siyi directly. “Do you have plans for the National Day holiday? I heard the botanical garden we visited as kids has been expanded… It’s been so many years.”

She kept a close eye on Jian Chun, expecting an outburst. But Jian Chun didn’t react. She had seen Feng Xue suck up to Yu Siyi before; it wasn’t news.

However, Zhu Feifei looked annoyed. She didn’t like Feng Xue trying to touch Yu Siyi.

“Don’t touch me,” Yu Siyi said coldly.

Jian Chun, Jing Ge, and Li Ying couldn’t help but snicker from the sidelines. Feng Xue froze, her eyes immediately welling up with tears. “Is it… is it because my family went bankrupt that you don’t want to talk to me?” she sobbed.

Yu Siyi turned to look at her. Jian Chun watched the scene, her mockery fading into a neutral stare.

“Siyi, don’t let Xue-xue misunderstand,” Zhu Feifei said, trying to play peacemaker.

Feng Xue looked at Yu Siyi with desperate longing. Surely, she would offer a soft word of denial?

“I just simply don’t want to talk to you,” Yu Siyi said bluntly.

The tears in Feng Xue’s eyes seemed to hit a physical barrier. She looked at Jian Chun in disbelief. Jian Chun, meanwhile, was highly satisfied with the answer. Yep, that’s the Yu Siyi I know.

“Let’s go,” Jian Chun told her friends. “Before the porridge sells out.”

As they hurried off, Feng Xue’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Why is she leaving?! She’s supposed to stay here and argue with Yu Siyi for my sake!

She was fuming. This Yu Siyi was too hard to “conquer.” No wonder the original novel didn’t have a solid romance line for her.

Zhu Feifei, thinking the tension was purely about Yu Siyi’s bluntness, sighed. “She’s already so pitiful, Siyi. You didn’t have to say it like that.”

Yu Siyi watched Feng Xue for a moment, then turned to Zhu Feifei. “You can be friends with her if you like. You don’t need my permission.” Then she added, “Let’s go.”

The Confusion of the “Crush”

Jian Chun was waiting at a street stall for her cold noodles. Five yuan for a bowl of noodles and porridge—a bargain.

Yu Siyi and Zhu Feifei happened to walk past. This time, Yu Siyi didn’t ignore her. She looked at Jian Chun for a long time, her beautiful eyes moving from Jian Chun to the large bowl of cheap noodles the vendor was preparing. Her expression was a mix of… sympathy and disgust.

Jian Chun felt her face go numb. Is she seriously pitying me for eating street noodles?

As they passed, Jian Chun finally called out, “Hey! You actually look… somewhat tolerable today.”

Yu Siyi stopped and looked back at her. Before Jian Chun’s skin could start crawling from the intensity of the gaze, Yu Siyi replied calmly, “You, however, do not.”

“??”

Jian Chun stared at her. Was she telling the truth?

If this was the truth, then the “future” Yu Siyi had been lying through her teeth about liking her. But if she was lying now… did “You do not look tolerable” actually mean “Chun-bao, you’re so cute, I like you so much it hurts but I have to play it cool”?

Jian Chun’s brain felt like it had just short-circuited.