Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 24

The highway was a river of endless traffic. Even though honking was prohibited in the city center, the dull roar of engines remained incredibly irritating. It was the rush hour for both students and workers, and the old street near Hanhai High School was packed with people, filling the air with a chaotic din.

Under a stall’s umbrella, Jian Chun poked at the cold noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks. The yellow noodles were coated in a mix of sauces and topped with shredded cucumber, bean sprouts, kelp, and cilantro. The sharp, pungent scent of vinegar was enough to make anyone salivate, but Jian Chun had little appetite. Sometimes, when your mood is sour, eating becomes nothing more than a chore for survival.

She finished her porridge to fill her stomach and let Jing Ge and Li Ying polish off the rest of the noodles. Not in the mood for chatter, she led them into a supermarket and reflexively bought a bag of shrimp crackers. While the school officially banned outside snacks, the bag-searches were mostly for show; everyone knew how to hide treats in their backpacks.

“Chun-jie, I want to go buy some posters,” Jing Ge said excitedly, dragging Jian Chun toward a stationery shop. “Brother Gu Jin is in a new drama! It’s his first role since debuting, even if it’s just a small part…”

Jing Ge was a hardcore fangirl. She loved taping posters to her desk so she could look at her idol for a “power boost” whenever she got tired during class. Jian Chun was indifferent to her hobbies, but Li Ying scoffed. “It’s just a tiny web drama. Rong Zhen just released an album where he wrote all the lyrics and music himself!”

Jing Ge’s face fell, ready to snap back at Li Ying, but Jian Chun’s dark expression shut them both up.

The Wish Wall

Meanwhile, Yu Siyi and Zhu Feifei were finishing their meal at a small restaurant called “Lin’s Eatery.” The owner, Mr. Lin, was a stout man who recognized Yu Siyi as a regular. Before she arrived, she usually sent him a text with her order so she could eat the moment she sat down.

As Yu Siyi wiped her fingers, she noticed the walls had been repainted.

“I followed those milk tea shops and made a ‘Wish Wall,'” Mr. Lin explained happily. “You kids love setting goals. Do you want to write one?”

“No thanks,” Yu Siyi replied. She was a woman of action; she believed in doing, not wishing.

Zhu Feifei, however, was intrigued. The wall was covered in colorful sticky notes with various messages: ‘Hope to get into XX University with XXX’ or ‘I hope that old hag retires early.’

Zhu Feifei grabbed a note and a piece of double-sided tape (at the owner’s suggestion, to ensure it wouldn’t fall off). She wrote: ‘May our friendship last forever—ZFF’ and stuck it high on the wall.

As they walked back to school, Zhu Feifei asked, “Why did you want to eat out today? I thought you liked that new Lanzhou Ramen in the cafeteria.”

Yu Siyi didn’t answer, her gaze scanning the street stalls they passed.

“Do you want something else?” Zhu Feifei asked, surprised. “I thought you hated street food.”

“Have you eaten at those stalls?” Yu Siyi asked unexpectedly.

“A few times,” Zhu Feifei admitted. “The taste is great—they load it with seasoning—but the hygiene… well, that fruit pancake pan probably gets washed once a day. I don’t think your germaphobia could handle it.”

Yu Siyi silently withdrew her gaze.

“Anyway,” Zhu Feifei continued, “why did you talk to her today? When she said you looked ‘tolerable,’ I was so mad. Who does she think she is?”

Yu Siyi’s pale pink lips curved into a faint, enigmatic smile. “Don’t you think she’s… quite fascinating?”

Zhu Feifei froze. Yu Siyi, the perennial rank-one student who was usually detached and cold, thought Jian Chun was fascinating? And she was smiling?

“Is she a magician or something?” Zhu Feifei asked.

Yu Siyi tapped her temple. “Her mind is what’s fascinating.”

Zhu Feifei let out a dry, awkward laugh. She agreed—Jian Chun’s brain was certainly “special” for being the only person brave (or stupid) enough to keep provoking Yu Siyi.

The Public Confession

That evening, Jian Chun struggled to concentrate during Biology self-study. She finished her biology work and then tackled half an English mock paper. She had been grinding vocabulary during meals and bus rides, and her hard work was finally paying off; the pages were no longer a sea of white space.

As the bell rang to end the day, she felt that familiar sensation of being watched. She turned around and caught Zhu Feifei staring at her. Zhu Feifei didn’t look away; she just tossed a disdainful look and rolled her eyes.

Yu Siyi stood beside her, looking as elegant as ever in a white jacket and short skirt. As they walked past Jian Chun’s desk, Yu Siyi’s gaze turned sharp, as if to say: What are you looking at?

Jian Chun didn’t back down. She stood up, hair fluttering, and blocked their path for a moment before heading out with Jing Ge.

When Jian Chun got home, the house was dark. Her stepmother, Yan Shan, was already asleep with the child. Jian Chun showered, did homework until 11:30 PM, and crashed.

But her sleep was restless. She dreamed of the adult Yu Siyi from her “previous life.” In the dream, Jian Chun kept repeating: “I know you like me, I suggest you give up early; there’s no future for us.”

In the dream, the adult Yu Siyi just smiled at her with watery eyes. Then, the face shifted, merging into the face of the teenage Yu Siyi.

Jian Chun woke up in a cold sweat. Who came up with that cringey rejection line? Can I go jump in a river now? —

The “Sea Queen” Exposure

The next morning, Jian Chun’s phone wouldn’t stop vibrating. She ducked into a bathroom stall to check her messages. Jing Ge had sent her several screenshots of the school’s “Confession Wall” (an anonymous social media page).

“Yu Siyi from Class 1, I love you! From childhood playmates to now, you have always been the light in my heart. —Signed, Feng Xue.”

Feng Xue had even included her WeChat ID. The comment section was exploding.

Jian Chun’s brow twitched. In the original book, Feng Xue was shy and insecure; she would never have been this bold. This move was clearly calculated.

When Jian Chun entered the classroom, the atmosphere was electric. A crowd had gathered around Yu Siyi’s desk. Zhu Feifei was whispering to her, “I didn’t know she felt that way. How are we supposed to deal with her now?”

“Stay away from her,” Yu Siyi replied calmly.

Jian Chun, however, was disgusted. Just a few days ago, Feng Xue had been pestering her, and now she was making a public play for Yu Siyi?

Jian Chun tapped out a few words on her phone and hit send.

A few minutes later, a new wave of gossip swept through the room. The focus shifted from Yu Siyi to Jian Chun.

In Class 2, Feng Xue was leaning against her desk, blushing as her friends encouraged her. She was waiting for Jian Chun to come find her privately. She thought this move was brilliant: it forced Yu Siyi to notice her and would make Jian Chun explode with jealousy. She wanted to provoke Jian Chun into a frenzy.

But Jian Chun didn’t come to find her. Instead, two new posts appeared on the Confession Wall.

Post 1: A screenshot of a question: “Feng Xue, you were clinging to me just a few days ago, and now you’re confessing to someone else? Are you trying to be a ‘Sea Queen’ (player)?”

Post 2: A screenshot of recent chat logs where Feng Xue had messaged Jian Chun with incredibly flirtatious, ambiguous language—messages Jian Chun had never bothered to answer.

The student body went wild. “Wait, there’s a third lead in this drama?” “Jian Chun? The big boss sister?” “Is this real? I thought Jian Chun was bullying Feng Xue?”

In Class 2, Feng Xue’s eyes widened in horror. Her vision blurred as she read Jian Chun’s public exposure of her “double-dipping.” She couldn’t hold back anymore and hissed out a curse:

“Motherf—!”