"Is he good-looking?"
Ji Nian inserted a straw into a bottle of sparkling water and sat next to Shen Qingtang by the vending machine outside the field. The sound of horse hooves occasionally echoed in the background.
Shen Qingtang thought about it objectively.
"He's a boy, skinny, dark, and small. He's not even as tall as me. My deskmate said he looks malnourished."
"Ren Jiahao said his shoes look like they were dug out of a trash can. I heard he was specially admitted to our school because he's really smart."
"Jia Jia's uncle works in the education bureau. She said the school recruits a few special students from all over the country every year."
Shen Qingtang rambled on about the gossip she had heard.
Ji Nian, however, didn’t seem very interested in these rumors. The kids in her class seemed to be afraid of her, which made it hard for her to get close to them, let alone the new transfer student.
"Oh, I see~"
"That makes him a genius, then."
"We’re lucky to meet a genius."
Ji Nian said casually.
Shen Qingtang was taken aback.
Her attention had been completely absorbed by the classmates' comments about the boy’s appearance, clothing, and other trivial matters.
"Yeah, in math class this morning, the teacher gave us a really hard problem, and he solved it just by looking at it."
Ji Nian finished the last sip of her sparkling water, and her burp carried the faint scent of white peach.
"That’s impressive. Looks like I’ll have some competition in future math exams."
Shen Qingtang immediately chimed in, "Ji Nian will definitely take first place."
Ji Nian: "………"
She felt like Shen Qingtang was giving her too much credit. In reality, her math skills were just average. It was only because of her knowledge from her past life that she seemed more advanced than the other kids.
It was only the first grade now, but in the future, she probably wouldn’t be able to compete with a true math genius.
The two girls tossed their empty bottles into the trash and walked back side by side.
Neither of them noticed that, just after they left, a skinny little figure emerged from behind the vending machine.
Just as Shen Qingtang had described, he was extremely thin, looking more like a kindergartener than an elementary school student. His dark skin contrasted with the slightly oversized summer uniform he wore.
He held a cloth-made schoolbag in his hand, its color faded but clean.
The boy walked over to the trash can, picked up the empty bottles they had just thrown away, and placed them into a plastic bag. The clinking sound of the bottles echoed as they collided with others already in the bag.
He should have left quickly, but for some reason, he stood frozen in place, his thin, dark face filled with confusion.
The words he had overheard echoed in his mind.
The boy looked down at his worn-out shoes, his bright black eyes filled with doubt.
Was he… really that impressive?
...
Completely unaware that her words had been heard by the very person they were about, Ji Nian returned to the classroom and saw the pile of snacks on her desk, some even spilling onto the windowsill. She pinched the bridge of her nose.
She needed to have a talk with Yang Xinyu.
[If the princess finds out, she’ll think I’m collecting protection money at school.]
System: [He’d probably be thrilled to add another line to your growth record: “Ji Nian, troublemaker.”]
Ji Nian: [………Growth record?]
Realizing it had slipped up, the system fell silent.
There weren’t many classes in the afternoon, and soon it was time to go home. Ji Nian finally caught a glimpse of the transfer student Shen Qingtang had mentioned, the one who stood out from the rest.
He was a small boy, shorter than Ji Nian, with closely cropped hair and dark skin. She didn’t get a good look at his face, but she noticed his unusually bright eyes, like two glowing light bulbs.
Thanks to Shen Qingtang, Ji Nian took a second glance at him, but soon averted her gaze.
She thought to herself, *He’s not as exaggerated as they made him out to be. His shoes might be old, but they’re clean. He’s just an ordinary kid.*
As she walked out with the crowd, she didn’t notice how the boy’s stiff posture relaxed the moment she looked away.
He tried to search for Ji Nian’s figure, but the rush of students leaving school quickly swallowed her up.
The boy lowered his head, a hint of disappointment on his face.
There were many cars parked outside, but Ji Nian spotted her family’s nanny car immediately.
After all, Wei Yang, standing next to it, was impossible to miss. Towering over everyone else, his tall and muscular frame made him look like a human-shaped giant.
Carrying Shen Qingtang’s backpack (the overachiever was heading to her extracurricular classes), Ji Nian walked over.
Wei Yang quickly strode forward, lifting his child effortlessly from the crowd of little ones.
"Tired? Hungry? Need to use the bathroom?"
The three questions Ji Nian heard every day after school.
"Not tired, a little hungry, and no, I don’t need to use the bathroom."
Once in the car, Wei Yang handed her a snack he had brought—oden.
Wei Yang loved the juicy daikon radish in the oden, so Ji Nian gave hers to him.
The two sat in the backseat, munching away contentedly.
"By the way, the family head said Chen Mo is coming over later."
Ji Nian dropped the fishcake she was holding, and it plopped back into the broth, splashing a bit onto her face.
"Huh?"
It had only been a day. He probably hadn’t even recovered yet. Why was he coming over already?
"I heard he’s coming to apologize in person."
Wei Yang grabbed a tissue and wiped the broth off her face, his tone tinged with pride.
Thanks to Ji Nian, Wei Yang had experienced something new. In all his years, whenever he got into a conflict, it usually ended with him smashing the other person’s face until they were bleeding and crying for forgiveness.
While that was satisfying, it had gotten a bit old over the years.
This time, however, the other party was willingly coming to apologize, and it felt refreshing.
Especially since it was that seemingly aloof Chen Mo. Hahaha.
Without Ji Nian, who would even care if anyone apologized to him? Wuwuwu.
Seeing his cheerful expression, Ji Nian smiled slightly, but the thought of Chen Mo’s health quickly dampened her mood.
The antidote wasn’t a magic potion. It could only remove the toxins, not repair the damage done to his body. Chen Mo had been poisoned for too long, and his body had suffered too much. It wasn’t enough to just neutralize the poison; he would need years of recovery.
Otherwise, his lifespan wouldn’t be long.
Fortunately, Chen Mo was wealthy.
If it were an ordinary person, it would have been a tragedy for the entire family.
Ji Nian sighed.
[Although I love my creations, I don’t want them to cause harm in the world.]
[I wonder who created the poison in Chen Mo’s body. I’d kind of like to meet them.]
...
It seemed like Chen Mo had perfect timing. Ji Nian had just stepped inside when she heard the news of his arrival.
No one from the Ji family would go out to greet Chen Mo.
When Ji Nian had first learned of Chen Mo’s identity, she had been furious. But after thinking about how he had been victimized, she genuinely felt sorry for what she had done.
Besides… he was still the big, fluffy rabbit she had spent so much time with.
After some hesitation, Ji Nian decided to go out and meet him.
Seeing Chen Mo sitting in a wheelchair, wrapped in a blanket despite the summer heat, his face pale and weak, Ji Nian knew she had made the right decision.
