When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36.2

“I’m the lesbian! Look! I’ll let you all see to your hearts’ content!”

That punch startled the girls. They had all been watching the show, but seeing the anger on Fanyi’s face, they dared not cause any more trouble. They exchanged glances and moved to a corner nearby.

Fanyi’s hand was bleeding, but she ignored it, just glaring at the girls. Then she said to the girl at the head of the group, “Liu Ting, I know you. Do you think you’re hot stuff just because you’re the leader of the art troupe? Don’t forget how you climbed into that position. If my leg hadn’t been injured by accident during the selection, do you think you could have been chosen, looking like that? If you want everyone to know your true colors, then go ahead and keep causing trouble with these lackeys. I have plenty of ways to deal with you.”

The girl named Liu Ting’s face changed drastically, but she still feigned composure in front of her supporters and stiffly retorted, “Don’t slander me. I’m pure and honest and not afraid of your rumors.”

Fanyi sneered, her tone sharp, “Are you sure? Pure and honest?”

Liu Ting felt a prickling sensation on her scalp under Fanyi’s intense stare. She finally led the girls behind her away.

Yan had intended to go out and face them herself, but Yuzhi had held her back the entire time, preventing her from showing her face.

Those girls were not good people. They had gotten into A University based on art scores despite poor grades and had brought their old bad habits with them to college, forming cliques, excluding others, and spreading false rumors wherever they went.

If Yan went out, it would likely turn into a drawn-out argument, but Fanyi was different. She was good at fighting fire with fire. If words didn’t work, only force would solve it.

The facts proved that it worked very well.

Yan took off the hair tie on her head to bandage Fanyi’s wound.

“Why are you so foolish? You could have just scared them a little. Why did you hurt yourself?”

Fanyi was still very angry, pounding the table with her other hand. “Liu Ting’s face makes me mad. She tripped me up during the troupe leader selection, and now she even dares to provoke me in front of everyone. I guess she hasn’t experienced the harshness of the real world yet.”

Yuzhi handed her a hamburger, saying, “Well done. Here’s a reward—a fish fillet burger.”

Fanyi immediately stopped being angry and happily accepted the burger. “Hehe, I’m hungry. I need to replenish my energy.”

The happiness of a devoted eater was that simple.

The next day, Yan was called to the office by the class teacher, where she ran into Chu Qinghan, who had been avoiding her for days.

When Chu Qinghan’s eyes swept over her, Yan instinctively looked away. She walked nonchalantly to Zhao Lili and asked what was the matter.

“It’s like this. Many students have reported to me that your mental state isn’t very good and you may need psychological counseling. I called you here to ask for your opinion.”

Yan secretly scoffed, her hands slowly clenching.

What those people were referring to probably wasn’t a bad mental state, but that they considered her preference for the same sex a psychological disorder. That’s why they reported it to Zhao Lili, hoping that the class teacher would step in and make her seek “treatment.”

Zhao Lili was being polite by phrasing it this way.

Chu Qinghan walked over at some point and said to Zhao Lili, “Teacher Zhao, I don’t think Junior Yan Jiang has any problems.”

Saying this was also a psychological comfort for herself: there was nothing abnormal about liking the same sex.

Yan’s words of refusal were at the tip of her tongue but were swallowed back. She said to Zhao Lili, “Teacher, I’ll go. I also feel like I might be ill. There’s no harm in seeing a psychologist.”

She said this almost with a sense of revenge. After saying it, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Chu Qinghan. Sure enough, her expression was troubled.

That was enough. She asked for nothing more.

Yan spent the whole day in the counseling office. When she returned to the dorm at night, she immediately fell asleep. Yuzhi and Fanyi didn’t disturb her. They did everything carefully, afraid of making a sound.

Yan woke up the next day around noon. She sprang up with her hair looking like a bird’s nest and said, “The final exams are coming up. Time to study.”

Yuzhi and Fanyi exchanged looks, then each gave her a copy of their printed study notes. The three began their “happy” path to review.

Near the summer break, Chu Qinghan came to look for Yan again, but Yuzhi blocked her at the door, refusing to let her in.

“Didn’t I tell you not to bother Yan Yan anymore? Are you deaf?”

Chu Qinghan’s face was cold, her tone ominous. “Yuzhi Xia, you’ve gone too far. Do you know who you’re talking to? Don’t think I’ll tolerate you just because you’re my cousin.”

Yuzhi got worked up whenever Yan was involved. She didn’t care who the other person was. She absolutely would not allow Chu Qinghan to get near Yan again.

“No matter who you are, I only have one sentence: I won’t allow you to get close to Yan Yan again.”

Yuzhi simply didn’t want her to enter the dorm. In reality, Yan and Fanyi had gone out to eat and hadn’t returned yet. Yuzhi, who had overslept, had asked them to bring food back for her.

Chu Qinghan’s face darkened further, and she spoke with thinly veiled contempt, “Do you think you’re any more morally superior than I am? You’re also approaching Yan Jiang with an agenda, aren’t you? If she knew that all your kindness toward her was just to compete with me, would she still care about you?”

This was actually what Yuzhi had been worried about all along. But she figured as long as Yan didn’t know the secret, she wouldn’t hate her, and they could be together forever.

“I don’t need you to remind me. I know what I’m doing. It’s you, you said you don’t like her, so why are you constantly trying to be around her? Just trying to make your presence known? Or did you suddenly realize one day that you actually love Yan Jiang?”

Yuzhi finished with a taunt and then added sarcastically, “There shouldn’t be such a possibility, right? Our Miss Chu has always received elite education, and her family rules are strict. How could she possibly like the same sex?”

With every sentence Yuzhi spoke, Chu Qinghan’s face grew colder, until finally, it could be described as sullen and terrifying.

Yuzhi was actually a little afraid, but she was trying to maintain her composure. She couldn’t show weakness in front of Chu Qinghan and let her think she was a pushover.

Fanyi glanced at Yan, her mind occupied by only one word:

Damn it!

What kind of terrible luck was this? When they came back with the food, Chu Qinghan was saying that Yuzhi was approaching Yan with an agenda. The rest of their conversation was heard by them, and Yuzhi hadn’t even refuted it.

Does that mean what Chu Qinghan said was true?

What a disaster. What did Yan Jiang do wrong to encounter these two weirdos?

One is more toxic than the other.

Yan showed no reaction on her face, but she felt disappointed inside.

Sure enough, there’s no love or hate without reason. Yuzhi had shown unusual interest in her from the beginning. So, this was the reason.

It would have been better not knowing. Now that she knew, she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. She wouldn’t be able to interact with Yuzhi the way she used to.

Chu Qinghan turned and saw Yan and Fanyi standing a few steps away. She instinctively called out, “Yan Jiang.” Yuzhi was immediately shocked and rushed out.

“Yan Yan, when did you get back?”

She tried her best to remain calm, but her voice still trembled a little, and her hands were tightly clenched, using the pain to force herself to remain rational.

Yan’s face was devoid of expression. She said, “Right when you two were pointing fingers at each other. One humiliated me in front of everyone, and the other approached me with ill intent. Truly worthy of being cousins.”

Chu Qinghan and Yuzhi were stunned simultaneously. Chu Qinghan wanted to say something, but Yan walked straight past her and into the dorm.

Fanyi “hmphed” at Yuzhi, then slammed the food she was holding onto her desk.

“Don’t think I’ll ever get food for you again, you manipulative witch!”

Yuzhi’s heart sank lower and lower, slowly dropping to rock bottom.

I was just thinking about keeping this secret, and now Yan knows. She must be so disappointed in me, right?

Yuzhi dared not think about it. The more she thought, the more flustered she became. When she glanced at Chu Qinghan, she grew even angrier.

If it weren’t for her, how would Yan know?!

She walked into the dorm and heavily slammed the door shut, isolating Chu Qinghan outside.

Chu Qinghan stood there for more than a minute but still couldn’t summon the courage to knock again.

Yan had just suffered so much. She should be given a chance to process it.

Inside the dorm, the three girls sat on their respective beds, each lost in thought.

Yan felt that everything that had happened recently was absurdly ridiculous. After tracing the causes and effects, she found that everything was traceable.

Every time Chu Qinghan was around, Yuzhi would be especially nice to her, either saying something that led to misunderstandings or doing something that sparked imagination. At first, she thought Yuzhi was helping her, deliberately making Chu Qinghan jealous. Now, she realized how naive her thinking had been.

Yuzhi wasn’t helping her at all. She clearly had an ulterior motive.

Perhaps this was a game played by the two cousins, one luring the enemy in, and the other deliberately saying provocative things to make her fall deeper, so they could then laugh at her stupidity together.

As she thought about it, a chill ran through her. In the blazing July heat, Yan wanted to wrap herself in a blanket.

Fanyi was still glaring at Yuzhi. After a long time, she finally spoke. “Yuzhi Xia, I consider you a friend. Tell me honestly, is what Chu Qinghan said true? Did you really approach Yan Yan just to compete with Chu Qinghan?”

She was still a little skeptical. After all, Yuzhi had told her she liked Yan the day after Yan was rejected, which was the day they came down the mountain together.

A person’s eyes couldn’t lie. When Yuzhi said she liked Yan, her eyes had glowed.

Yuzhi wanted to defend herself, but no words came out because it was all true.

She could have flat-out denied it, but she didn’t want to lie to Yan anymore.

It took countless lies to cover one lie. She didn’t believe she could be flawless, so it was better to admit it now.

Maybe if her attitude was sincere, Yan would forgive her?

Fanyi didn’t wait for her explanation, her heart feeling half-frozen. She hit the cabinet twice and sighed. “I’m going to drink with Senior Li Wei. You two talk.”

Her intention was to give them time alone. But Yan didn’t ask any questions. Yuzhi thought of many phrases, but none felt right. Time passed minute by minute.

After sitting in silence for two hours, Yuzhi finally spoke weakly.

“Yan Yan, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you.”

Yan didn’t even have the energy to speak. She just sat there blankly, planning to sleep when it was time and go home tomorrow.

Thankfully, the summer break was tomorrow. She wouldn’t have to face them every day, which lessened the awkwardness.

Yuzhi knew Yan didn’t want to talk to her, but she had to explain, or she would truly lose her.

“Yan Yan, say something. Please don’t ignore me. I really didn’t mean to. I approached you with an intention at first, but after we got close, I really considered you a true friend. My confession of liking you was genuine. I really like you. What can I do to make you believe me?”

Yan turned to look at her, her eyes cold. “Please don’t. I can’t afford your affection.”

The two cousins treated her like a monkey, and now one was saying she liked her. Was the word “like” that cheap in their eyes?

Yuzhi was so anxious she started to cry, tears falling down her face.

“Yan Yan, don’t be like this. Give me a chance. I can prove it to you.”

She grabbed Yan’s hand. Her tearful, delicate appearance would have been very endearing in the past, but now, Yan only felt sickened.

“Don’t touch me! Your pretense is disgusting!”

She violently flung her hand away, pushing Yuzhi to the ground with so much force that Yuzhi’s elbow scraped hard against the tile, leaving a large bruise.

Yan saw it, her eyes momentarily darkening, but she didn’t help her up. Instead, she left the dorm in a fit of irritation.

Yuzhi watched her retreating back, sobbing softly.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have come back with an agenda in the first place. Sure enough, you reap what you sow. This is all my own doing. I can’t blame anyone else.

Yan sat on the sports field, her emotions hard to describe. She looked up at the star-filled sky, only taking her eyes away when they started to sting.

Other people’s college lives were colorful—dating, playing games, drinking, and singing. But hers was this messy, absurd drama.

One after another, it was as if they had a vendetta against her, constantly making her question her life. Before she could recover from the pain of Chu Qinghan’s rejection, Yuzhi delivered another profound lesson.

What was going wrong?

Fanyi and Li Wei were drinking on the sports field when Fanyi looked up and saw a familiar figure.

She crawled over with her beer can and tugged on Yan’s sleeve. “Yan Yan, why are you out here? Didn’t that scoundrel Yuzhi stay with you?”

Yan looked at her blurry eyes and sighed, “Drink less. Your tolerance is low, but you still love drinking. You’re going to get drunk and trouble Senior Li Wei again.”

“Senior wouldn’t mind me!” Fanyi tugged at the standing Li Wei’s trousers and looked up at her, “Right, Senior?”

Li Wei smiled, “Of course not. Never.”

Fanyi was satisfied. She leaned back on Yan’s shoulder and started to complain about Yuzhi. Her words were incoherent, and soon, light snoring sounds followed.

Li Wei squatted down and pinched Fanyi’s cheek, a smile spreading across her face. “Junior, I’ll take her back first. You should go back soon, too. The lights will be turned off soon.”

Yan nodded, watching Li Wei effortlessly pick up Fanyi and walk toward their dorm.

In fact, being carefree like Fanyi was great. At least she wouldn’t suffer from heartache. Even if her admired senior confessed to someone else, Fanyi would only be sad for a moment, and then she’d be back to being fine.

She couldn’t envy such a free-spirited person.

She had planned to sit on the sports field all night, but teachers checked the dorms at night, so Yan returned to the dorm right before the lights-out.

The dorm was empty. Yuzhi was nowhere to be found.

This actually relieved Yan. She lay down comfortably and only fell asleep in the latter half of the night.

The next day, she slept until noon. Yuzhi and Fanyi still hadn’t returned.

Yan quickly packed her luggage and set off on her journey home.

The summer break was spent very dejectedly. Since Yao wasn’t around, she didn’t go out to play. Yao only returned ten days before school started and took her on a trip to Country D.

It was meant to be a reunion with their father, but she barely saw him during those ten days. Yan spent three or four days just adjusting to the time difference, and as soon as she was finally adapted, it was almost time to return.

He Jiang was busy with an important project at the time and couldn’t spend time with his children. He could only make up for it with money. He transferred his last quarter’s bonus to Yao in one go, telling her to take Yan sightseeing, treat her to good food, and buy whatever she wanted.

Yan’s desire for these things was very weak, but when they walked down a street, she instantly spotted a pair of matching rings.

The style wasn’t as rigid as traditional couples’ rings; it was more lively and suitable for female couples to wear.

She bought the matching rings, driven by some unknown feeling. When Yao came over, she casually put them in her bag, pretending nothing had happened.

Yao had always been understanding of his sister’s orientation, so when he learned that Yan had been rejected after confessing, his first reaction was to comfort her.

He was attending an exchange conference at a foreign university with his mentor at the time, but he still took the time to call, counsel, and guide her for a full half-hour.

It wasn’t a big deal for her brother to know, but Yan still felt embarrassed, especially since she had promised him she wouldn’t like Chu Qinghan anymore.

On the last day, He Jiang personally took the siblings to the airport and sincerely apologized to them.

Yao had been independent since childhood, and his relationship with his father was more like a friendship. However, Yan still resented her father a little because of her mother’s death, so her attitude toward him remained indifferent. She felt no particular emotion listening to his apology.

The two landed directly in Shencheng and went to A University to register.

Yao had excellent grades and was often taken by his mentor to exchange programs at universities worldwide. He didn’t spend much time at school. As soon as he arrived on campus, he was called away again.

Yan walked around the campus aimlessly by herself, feeling that time was passing too quickly. She was already a sophomore.

Fanyi arrived the next day, bringing a pile of local specialties for Yan and also sharing some with Yuzhi. After all, they were roommates, and isolating her wouldn’t be right.

But Yuzhi never showed up. Two weeks of classes had passed, and there was still no news of her.

One day, Yan overheard the class teacher, Zhao Lili, talking to another class’s teacher and learned that Yuzhi had taken a leave of absence.

Her feelings at the time were complicated. She told Fanyi, who also found it unbelievable.

“She couldn’t have left because of that, could she? Is she really that sensitive?”

Yan was silent. Whether it was or wasn’t the reason, things were different now.

Chu Qinghan resigned from her position as Student Union President to concentrate on preparing for graduate school entrance exams. The original Vice President became the President. Fanyi, the Secretary-General, was suddenly promoted to Vice President and was busy greeting new students with other members of the subordinate departments.

Nothing had changed, yet everything felt different.

She saw Chu Qinghan again at the library entrance.

Yan had found a long-lost book under her bed. After wiping off the dust, she took it to return it.

If she had known she would run into…