Chapter 36

When Wen Yu woke up in the morning, he felt a bit confused.

The scenes from his dream quickly became blurry, but the painful and uncomfortable feeling in his heart remained. He rubbed his temples, feeling a bit better, and then uncovered the blanket and got out of bed.

On the first day back to work and school after the holiday, everyone seemed listless. Even the teacher’s voice during class was lacking energy.

Wen Yu was relatively fine. He had spent the entire holiday with Wen Guoan, accompanying a group of elderly people on the island for health preservation, forcing him to spend the entire holiday engaging in a healthy lifestyle.

After sending Ji Anning home yesterday, he went to bed early, so he felt refreshed today.

Chen Hao looked completely withered, lying on the desk for the whole morning. When it was lunchtime, Wen Yu kicked him and said, “Let’s eat!”

Chen Hao groggily opened his eyes.

“What’s wrong with you? Did you exhaust yourself? What were you doing last night?” Wen Yu grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up, unable to help but ask.

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Ubld Tys zlv swv y ckt uyod. “R rzyule tyxlp yzz dktbv ewakdt vbl ldvkal bszkeyu. Rv oyp talyv.”

“Nssj yv usw,” Eld Zw pyke prllnbzlppzu. “Zsw zssj zkjl usw’al yeeknvle vs nktyalvvlp.”

Pwakdt vbl zypv vos nzypplp sd Mwlpeyu xsadkdt, vblu olal kd vbl pyxl cwkzekdt yp Kk Gddkdt’p nzyppassx. Gzvbswtb vblu jdlo Kk Gddkdt bye yzalyeu zlqv lyazu, vblu nswzed’v blzr cwv tzydnl vsoyaep bla nzyppassx.

Pakhld cu bwdtla, y taswr sq ldlatlvkn csup awpble kdvs vbl byzzoyu qasx vbl nzyppassx. Eld Zw pzsole esod bkp rynl yde oyp cwxrle kdvs cu psxlsdl.

Mbl csu obs cwxrle kdvs Eld Zw oyp pbsavla vbyd bkx yde bye y pzldela cseu. Tl bye clld oyzjkdt vss qypv yde ynnkeldvyzzu ayd kdvs Eld Zw. Tl bypvkzu pyke, “Fsaau!” yde iwknjzu ayd sqq. Gv vbkp vkxl, dsvbkdt oyp xsal kxrsavydv vbyd awpbkdt vs lyv.

“Eyvnb oblal usw’al tskdt,” Ubld Tys tawxczle.

Eld Zw vwadle bkp blye yde pyo vbyv bkp tygl oyp qkmyvle sd vbl csu’p alvalyvkdt qktwal.

“Nlv’p ts,” Ubld Tys nyzzle swv. “Twaau wr, ol’zz cl zyvl kq ol esd’v tlv kd zkdl.”

But Wen Yu held him back and asked, “Do you know him?”

“Huh? Who?” Chen Hao was confused.

“The guy who just bumped into me,” Wen Yu stared at Chen Hao and asked, “Have we seen him before?”

Chen Hao couldn’t remember what the person looked like just now. It wasn’t a beautiful girl, just another guy. It was probably an ordinary face that you would quickly forget after just one glance.

That made sense.

But Wen Yu’s expression darkened while eating.

“What’s wrong? Did someone owe you money or something?” Chen Hao couldn’t help but ask.

Even after Chen Hao asked, Wen Yu didn’t say anything, his mood remained low.

After finishing their meal, Chen Hao said he would go back to the dormitory. Wen Yu said, “You go ahead, I’ll join you later.”

Chen Hao knew he was waiting for Ji Anning, so he left alone.

Wen Yu sat at the table without moving.

The boy who bumped into him came out of the classroom where Ji Anning had class. He should be a classmate of Ji Anning.

Wen Yu was absolutely certain that he had never seen this boy before. But at the moment when he clearly saw the boy’s face, a scene from his dream last night flashed through his mind—

Worth it. If I had the money, I’d gladly pay three thousand yuan. But I don’t have the money.

The dream that had already become blurry suddenly became clear again when he saw that boy. He was the boy who sang and flirted with Sun Yaxian in the classroom in the dream.

What’s going on? It was just a dream.

Wen Yu felt confused, but what was even stronger than confusion was a hidden anger pressing on his heart. Compared to that, this confusion was unimportant.

He lifted his head and happened to see Ji Anning entering the cafeteria through the entrance.

Ji Anning didn’t notice Wen Yu. She went straight to buy her meal. Out of habit, she ordered a cheap dish. Auntie Li asked, “Do you want anything else?”

Ji Anning hesitated for a moment while holding her meal card.

She wanted to change.

In this lifetime, she must change!

She would start by treating herself better!

Ji Anning took a deep breath and said, “Another portion of that.”

Auntie Li was preparing the dishes while muttering, “Exactly! How can you just eat one dish per meal? Your nutrition is imbalanced, look how skinny you are. Let me tell you, your body is the capital for revolution. If your body is starving, what great things can you accomplish? You don’t understand this logic, I see that you all have wasted your time going to college.”

Ji Anning took the tray and nodded, saying, “You’re right.”

Auntie Li was very satisfied. Middle-aged and elderly women liked children who listened to them.

Ji Anning had just taken a few bites when Wen Yu approached.

“Hey, today’s not bad, two dishes,” he teased.

Ji Anning glanced at him and said, “You even deposited a thousand yuan into my card under the guise of club benefits. I’m not a masochist.”

Wen Yu laughed, feeling that Ji Anning wasn’t being overly dramatic anymore.

He liked that she had a clear mind.

It was so much better without the drama.

As an attacking player, every step Ji Anning retreated, Wen Yu would take a step forward. He said, “Stop doing that meal delivery job. It’s not only making you hungry but also affecting your classes. This kind of purely physical labor is not rewarding at all. If you get sick because of it, like getting stomach ulcers or something, the cost-effectiveness is simply not worth it. It’s better to eat your meals properly every day.”

Wen Yu had been unhappy about this matter for a long time. He couldn’t earn much money, and it also prevented Ji Anning from having meals with him.

Wen Yu thought Ji Anning would refuse, or at least they would have a debate about it.

Little did he know that Ji Anning paused with her chopsticks, pondered for two seconds, and then lowered her gaze, saying, “… You’re right.”

“…” Wen Yu felt a bit uneasy.

“What’s wrong with you?” He reached out to touch Ji Anning’s forehead.

Ji Anning swatted his hand away and glared at him, saying, “What are you doing?”

“Just checking if you have a fever. Why are you so agreeable today?” Wen Yu clicked his tongue.

Ji Anning hesitated for a moment and asked, “Am I… usually difficult to deal with?”

“Well, you look petite and delicate, giving off an air of being a little rebellious,” Wen Yu thought for a moment and said, “like you have a bit of a contrary nature.”

Suddenly, he realized something and stared at Ji Anning, asking, “Do you behave like this towards everyone, or just me?”

“Probably just you,” Ji Anning sighed, “After all, no one else would think that just because they have money, I should willingly be their girlfriend.”

Wen Yu looked into the distance, pretending he didn’t hear anything.

Ji Anning ignored him and lowered her head to continue eating.

Wen Yu suddenly spoke up, asking, “Is that girl in the same class as you?”

Ji Anning was startled and looked in the direction he was pointing, saying, “Which one?” But as soon as she finished speaking, she saw Sun Yaxian.

“That one, quite skinny and fair, what’s her name again?” Wen Yu asked.

Ji Anning replied, “Sun Yaxian?”

Wen Yu said, “Yes, that’s her.”

Ji Anning remained silent for a moment and asked in return, “Why are you asking about her?”

Wen Yu sensed that her tone was off and turned to look at her, his eyes shining. “Oh, are you jealous?”

Ji Anning glanced at him, lowered her head and poked at the dish with her chopsticks. “She has interacted with you, right? Did she go to the fighting club?”

“She’s quite annoying, I didn’t pay attention to her,” Wen Yu raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have a good relationship with her, do you?”

Ji Anning responded with a soft “Hmm” and admitted, “She came back to the class and said that the fighting club doesn’t accept girls, claiming that I got close to you, playing ambiguous games with you, stringing you along.”

Wen Yu chuckled, “Anyone who thinks they can string me along probably hasn’t been born yet.”

This person was so narcissistic and arrogant.

But as Wen Yu squinted his eyes and looked at Sun Yaxian in the distance, he couldn’t help but find her displeasing.

“Do you want me to help vent your anger?” he asked.

“No need,” Ji Anning’s mouth curved up. “I’ve already fought back.”

Her eyes also curved, revealing a hint of cunning.

Wen Yu laughed.

Ji Anning looked at Sun Yaxian, who seemed calm and easy to bully. But Wen Yu had seen how she dealt with perverts and weirdos. When she fought back, she was merciless, especially to Wen Yu’s taste.

That sense of ruthlessness filled Ji Anning with vitality.

It was different from the indifferent and apathetic girl in his dream, standing outside the door, listening to classmates shamelessly defame her.

Thinking of the Ji Anning in his dream, a faint sourness reemerged in Wen Yu’s heart.

Although Wen Yu kept telling himself that it was just a dream, he couldn’t help but feel a growing resentment as he stared at Sun Yaxian in the distance.

Ji Anning swallowed her food and as soon as she lifted her eyes, she saw Wen Yu’s eyes as dark as an abyss.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she called out to him, staring at him, “What’s wrong with you?”

Wen Yu was somewhat surprised that Ji Anning could sense his emotional fluctuations. He considered himself someone who could keep his composure, perhaps because he was too relaxed at school?

Indeed, he wasn’t very formal or restrained at school.

“It’s nothing,” Wen Yu smiled and brushed it off.

Ji Anning glanced at Sun Yaxian and said to Wen Yu, “You don’t need to worry about my affairs. I can handle it myself.”

In this life, she had the upper hand from the beginning and controlled the public opinion around her.

What exactly was public opinion?

Ji Anning realized that it was essentially an unconscious force, depending on how people used it and where they directed it.

The people who mocked Sun Yaxian this time were actually the same ones who defamed her in her past life. But this time, they all stood on her side.

In fact, in her past life, no one held any grudges against her, and no one had malicious intentions to defame her. It was just casual gossip, back and forth. How long does a sentence last? Five seconds? Ten seconds? Twenty seconds? Less than half a minute. It didn’t require any thought, just a few words thrown out, then lower your head, continue taking notes, reading, and studying.

Thus, everyone became a “crowd.”

And in this life, Ji Anning wanted to be the one who took the lead, guiding the direction of public opinion.

She could do it; she didn’t need Wen Yu to intervene in this matter.

Ji Anning’s eyes were filled with vitality and determination, completely different from the girl in Wen Yu’s dreams. Wen Yu stared at her, feeling the slight restlessness and irritability in his heart calming down.

“Look at what you’ve accomplished,” he laughed at her.

Wen Yu noticed Sun Yaxian next to Ji Anning, which reminded Ji Anning of Yang Bo, who was with Wen Yu.

In fact, she had been thinking about Yang Bo these past few days, but she didn’t have a good opportunity to bring up the subject with Wen Yu.

Her lips moved slightly, still unsure how to bring up Yang Bo with Wen Yu.

It seemed that she needed to get closer to Wen Yu, have more contact, in order to have a chance to gather information about Yang Bo, she thought as she lowered her gaze.

In the distance, Sun Yaxian glanced over and angrily said to her roommate, “Look, they act all high and mighty, but aren’t they hanging out with each other again during meals?”

The roommates exchanged glances, and one of them said, “Really? I saw Ji Anning come after delivering the food, she prepared her own meal and sat down, and then Wen Yu went over to sit with her.”

It was obvious that Wen Yu was pursuing Ji Anning.

And that Wen Yu, he’s really handsome, and I heard he’s especially rich?

Oh my, being pursued by such a senior, Ji Anning must be so happy. No wonder Sun Yaxian is actively making moves, if they had enough looks, they would probably be interested too. Unfortunately, they don’t.

For a handsome guy of Wen Yu’s caliber, girls wouldn’t dare to express their interest unless they are as good as Ji Anning and Sun Yaxian, they thought.

But speaking of it, looking at them from a distance, Wen Yu and Ji Anning…really make a good match.

“Let’s not mind her, anyway, the two of you don’t have good chemistry,” a roommate said.

Having two beauties in the same class is really troublesome. Actually, it seems like Ji Anning doesn’t have any intention to compete for attention, but Sun Yaxian is always so active. But since Sun Yaxian is their roommate and they’re together all the time, they couldn’t openly speak up for Ji Anning, so they could only remain indifferent in their hearts.

Another roommate changed the topic and said, “You look really nice in that outfit today.”

“Oh, really?” Sun Yaxian’s face brightened. “I also think it looks good.”

The temperature in the cafeteria was high, so Sun Yaxian took off her outer garment and was wearing a tight-fitting inner shirt. The shirt had some elasticity and clung tightly to her body, making her appear more seductive than her usual style.

The roommates smiled and exchanged discreet glances.

This dressing style… is she imitating Ji Anning?

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Sansukini: There’s no cure for envy.

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