Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 32

When Jian Chun and Yu Siyi left the school, they hadn’t given a second thought to who might be watching. Jian Chun had figured that the more she tried to hide, the more she’d care; by acting naturally, she actually felt less awkward than before. The current Yu Siyi wasn’t the Yu Siyi of the future, and Jian Chun was the only one who knew the secrets of their “future” together. Therefore, the state of their relationship was her business alone.

Or so she thought.

But high school students are notoriously bored. Within the four walls of the school, even if they can come and go, their souls are shackled by the chains of the College Entrance Examination (Gaokao). Unable to play freely, they survive on the lifeblood of school gossip.

Now, with the National Day holiday beginning, the headteachers had returned their confiscated phones. The “good students” were ecstatic. Finally, they could get online! And that was when they discovered the bombshell of the century.

The post had been uploaded at 6:30 PM.

Original Poster (OP): I saw these two walking together. I thought I was dreaming [Image] [Image]. #LaughCry. Seriously, if I remember correctly, didn’t Jian Chun screw over Yu Siyi not too long ago?

The photos showed the campus shaded by trees, with the sunset’s golden light spilling through the leaves. Two girls walked in the dappled shadows. One had short hair and wore a white dress; the other had long hair tied up high, wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans. Their styles were worlds apart, yet in that fleeting glimpse, they looked remarkably harmonious.

“Forgive my ignorance, but who are these two?” one commenter asked.

“The white dress is the senior top-student, Yu Siyi. The long-haired one is the school’s famous ‘Big Sister’ (Jian Chun).”

Some began educating the uninitiated, detailing how legendary Yu Siyi was. Since she entered the school, she had never relinquished her throne as the rank-one student. She was the reason their school was the most famous in the city! She was a source of pride so great that most people couldn’t even feel jealous—they were simply too far behind her.

“Wait, is this photo photoshopped?” “Someone from Class 1 here—they were definitely both at school today, wearing those exact clothes.” “This is surreal. I regret going to the internet cafe today; I should have stayed at school to watch the drama.” “I even saw Yu Siyi voluntarily give Jian Chun her notebook…” “I saw them eating together at noon!”

The forum exploded. People began imagining the dialogue: Jian Chun: ‘Hey, let me copy your homework or see me outside the gates.’ Yu Siyi: ‘In your dreams.’

Even so, the fact that Jian Chun could even get Yu Siyi to speak to her was a miracle.

Home Sweet Home?

Jian Chun logged out of the forum, feeling numb. While Yu Siyi’s past achievements were being venerated, Jian Chun’s “delinquent” history was being dug up. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she was a mob boss rather than a student.

At home, she hunted for medicine. Her body felt stronger than her previous one; she was only sneezing without other symptoms. Her mother, Yan Shan, poked her head out of the kitchen.

“You’re back. Where did you go today?” Yan Shan asked habitually.

“I went to school,” Jian Chun wiped her sweat. “Mom, I promise I’ll bring home an ‘Improver’s Award’ by the end of this semester.”

In the kitchen, Yan Shan’s anger flared. This brat, she thought. But she forced a smile. “Good, keep it up. We’re having chicken legs tonight.”

Yan Shan didn’t actually want Jian Chun to succeed. She believed Jian Chun was lucky enough to be the daughter of the Jian family and should just settle down and marry someone. Why bother studying? It was a waste of money.

Jian Chun smirked. Happiness was simple: when others were unhappy, she was thrilled.

At dinner, the scent of stewed chicken filled the air. Jian Chun noticed her younger brother, Jian Yanmin, pestering Yan Shan for a chicken leg.

“Mom, where’s the chicken leg? I haven’t had one in ages,” Jian Chun said, fishing one out of the pot. It was fragrant, stewed with mushrooms, red dates, and goji berries.

“I want the chicken leg! Waaaaah!” the little boy wailed.

Jian Chun took a bite and looked at him. “Little brother, you’re already so chubby. If you get any fatter, you’ll never find a girlfriend.”

“Waaaaah!”

“Stop teasing your brother,” Yan Shan snapped, frustrated.

Jian Chun finished her meal with a grin, tucked a bunch of red grapes and a yogurt under her arm, and headed to her room. Behind her, she heard Yan Shan finally lose her patience and scream at the boy to eat. The sound was music to Jian Chun’s ears.

The New Player: Ling Zheng

The next morning, Jian Chun returned to school to study. She ran into her friend Li Ying at the gate.

“I saw you were at school… and my mom was nagging me for being ‘unproductive’ at home,” Li Ying grumbled while eating a meat bun.

They headed to the classroom, but first, Jian Chun led her to the kittens. Li Ying immediately fell in love, kneeling in the dirt to reach for them. “Jian Chun, stand back since you’re allergic,” she warned.

After feeding the cats, they headed to the teaching building. Li Ying started gossiping about celebrities, mentioning a rising star named Yin Weiwei.

“Yin Weiwei?” Jian Chun caught the name. In the future, Yin Weiwei would be a famous star. It felt strange to be witnessing her “origin story.”

As they reached the stairs, a girl suddenly stumbled and nearly tumbled down. Jian Chun instinctively reached out and caught her. When the girl stood up, Jian Chun realized it was Feng Xue.

Jian Chun immediately let go, her good mood vanishing as if she’d swallowed a fly.

Feng Xue, seeing Jian Chun, feigned another stumble, aiming to “fall” into another student nearby who was looking at her phone. However, the other student—a girl with short hair and a tomboyish style—sensed the movement and stepped aside.

Feng Xue hit the floor hard.

The short-haired girl was Ling Zheng from Class 9—Feng Xue’s future girlfriend in the original novel’s plot. In the original story, Ling Zheng would work incredibly hard for Feng Xue, eventually clashing with Yu Siyi out of jealousy while Jian Chun acted as the sacrificial “cannon fodder.”

Ling Zheng looked up and smiled at Jian Chun. “Oh, I know you. Class 1’s Jian Chun?”

Feng Xue started crying on the floor. “Jian Chun… even if you hate me, why did you push me?”

“There are security cameras right there,” Jian Chun said, deadpan. “Go check them yourself.”

Ling Zheng didn’t even look at Feng Xue. When Feng Xue tried to grab her leg for sympathy, Ling Zheng snapped, “Crap, get your hands off me! I’m lucky I didn’t kick you to death.”

Ling Zheng then turned to Jian Chun, asking for a tissue to wipe her “contaminated” hands. She then casually slung an arm around Jian Chun’s shoulder like they were old buddies. “You guys going to eat? Let’s go together.”

Jian Chun was speechless. This girl’s brain isn’t right.

The Encounter

As they walked down the tree-lined path, Li Ying suddenly pointed. “Jian Chun, look.”

In the distance was Yu Siyi.

She was dressed in simple shorts and a top, crouching by the kittens. Jian Chun tried to shake off Ling Zheng’s arm, but Ling Zheng held tighter.

“Hey, Yu Siyi!” Ling Zheng shouted, waving.

Yu Siyi stood up and squinted at the trio. As they got closer, Jian Chun’s heart hammered against her ribs. She wanted no part of this. Yesterday was awkward enough; now, the “Protagonist Attacker” was clinging to her like glue.

“What are you doing? Having a staring contest?” Ling Zheng joked, seeing the silence between Jian Chun and Yu Siyi.

“Ling Zheng, let go,” Jian Chun hissed.

“Why? I know you’re not chasing Yu Siyi anymore. She doesn’t like you anyway—why not chase someone else? Like me?” Ling Zheng laughed.

Jian Chun wanted to strangle her. Are we that close?! We’re supposed to be rivals who stab each other! Why are you messing with my relationship with Yu Siyi?!

Jian Chun looked at Yu Siyi, whose eyes had turned cold and haughty again. Jian Chun could practically read her mind: ‘So you chase me one day, and bring someone else to flirt in front of me the next? You think this will provoke me? Idiot.’

“I… I only just met her,” Jian Chun blurted out, feeling the need to explain.

Yu Siyi curled her lips into a beautiful, yet entirely empty smile.

“And that,” Yu Siyi said calmly, “has what to do with me?