Dedicated to studying, yet forced into a chaotic situation.

Chapter 83 I don't want our relationship to be just simple friendship.

When she returned, Shi Sui had a suitcase full of new clothes.

As soon as she boarded the bullet train, Shi Sui felt so tired that she wanted to sleep.

She hadn't expected the day to be so tiring.

Upon seeing her, the young girls in the shop acted like demons seeing Tang Sanzang's flesh, styling all the new clothes on her.

Layering, layering, and layering again: wigs, hats, bags, necklaces, earrings...

Finally, they posed in various ways, took photos, recorded short videos, and posted them on various platforms for promotion.

I'm so tired. Just wearing one set of clothes is exhausting.

She was like an obedient doll, exhausted after a day of being tormented, and her face was stiff from smiling.

Damn it, taking photos of outfits is more tiring than fighting.

Shi Sui was just about to take a nap when her phone vibrated. Needless to say, it was a message from Chi Yan.

She couldn't understand what had gotten into Chi Yan last night and today. He wanted to make video calls at night and sent a lot of messages during the day, reporting everything in detail, from what he ate in the morning to what he ate and did at noon.

Who wants to know about the lives of rich people?!

Faced with the lives of the wealthy, Shi Sui could only say: "Wow, that's awesome! I'm so envious! It looks so good! It tastes so good! You're so handsome!"

Fine, fine, I'll just send him two photos taken by the girls in the shop to appease him.

Shi Sui: [Going to buy supplies.]

Chi Yan saved a photo: [You look good in everything???]

Chi Yan: [Where is this restaurant? I'll go with you next time.]

Chi Yan: [Where are you now? Have you gone back to your dorm? Do you want me to come pick you up?]

Chi Yan: [Maybe I should live on campus too. I always feel like it's not safe for you there.]

Chi Yan: [...]

Shi Sui?_? This guy is so annoying.

Pei Shuoxun turned his head and secretly glanced at Shi Sui. His long eyelashes cast shadows, and his fair, slender fingers tapped on the glowing phone screen.

Their appearance is so deceptive.

When Shi Sui is quiet and well-behaved, she is so cute and adorable. Just looking at her makes me feel safe and happy.

Pei Shuoxun suddenly understood why Chi Yan liked her.

he thinks.

The rebellious boy was only attracted to Shi Sui's obedient and cute facade. Once he discovered that beneath the docile exterior lay a rebellious heart, Chi Yan would give up.

But he is different.

He had seen Shi Sui at her most disheveled and insane.

Having witnessed the torrential rain, Shi Sui laughed wildly, ran towards him, jumped and tackled him, cupped his face and said that the man (her adoptive father) was dead.

Her eyes were so bright, like a ball of fire burning wildly.

The fire spread, burning away his reason.

He thought she had killed the man and feared she would go to jail, so he almost blurted out, "Let's elope."

Even after all these years, Pei Shuoxun still can't forget that night.

He didn't understand why he, who was usually so rational, would go along with her madness and say such crazy things.

Now he understands.

That was the purest love in my heart.

Pei Shuoxun looked at her, his gaze lingering on her face, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

He pulled her hand from the armrest: "Shi Sui, I have something to tell you."

"Hmm?" Shi Sui, who was slumped in her seat on the bullet train, perked up a bit.

But she was too tired to pull her hand away from his.

"Shi Sui, actually I didn't plan to tell you all this so soon. I was thinking of picking a better time. I want to gain a foothold in the Pei family, I want to have a better status, I want to make more preparations, and guide you, you clueless fool."

"I'm not a fool," Shi Sui scoffed.

Pei Shuoxun smiled indulgently and patted her head: "Yes, yes, I'm the fool."

He then slowly said, "I have always had clear goals: one is my family, and the other is to become the heir of the Pei family."

"But now I realize that I can't be so greedy."

“I saw that Chi Yan has been sending you messages all day.”

"Although you said you don't like him, I feel uneasy. There are too many stories of childhood sweethearts being defeated by unexpected men, and I can't let that happen to me."

“I remember the night your adoptive father died, I thought you killed him, and asked you if you wanted to elope.”

"You said 'okay,' and then we ran and jumped around in the rainy night, only to find out it was all a misunderstanding, and we didn't have to elope out of guilt."

"We hugged and laughed, lying on the wet ground, and you asked me, 'Won't we die together the next day if we get caught in the rain on such a cold day?'"

“But we didn’t die together, we just had a fever and stayed in bed for another day.”

"I don't want our relationship to be just simple friendship."

"Shi Sui, shall we date?"

Shi Sui had long since lost interest in listening to what he was saying, or rather, she couldn't hear him anymore.

His voice was so gentle and deep, so full of emotion, it was almost hypnotic.

With a thud, something leaned against his shoulder. Pei Shuoxun turned his head to look.

The girl was breathing steadily, her eyes closed, her expression serene, and she was fast asleep, leaning on his shoulder.

Today was definitely not a good day to confess, Pei Shuoxun thought. He wondered if he should wake her up and then confess again—

Shi Sui would punch him without hesitation.

If I walk her to her dorm after she gets off the bus and then confess my feelings—

Shi Sui will probably forget it as soon as she wakes up.

We still need to choose a good time.

*

Chi Yan has been very troubled lately.

He didn't understand whether he was actually dating Shi Sui.

At the aquarium, he heard Shi Sui say that she liked him, and he assured her that it was not a hallucination.

Shi Sui also gave him a notebook as a token of their love.

But the next day, she showed no awareness of being a girl with a boyfriend; she went shopping alone without him.

And also at school, I would bury myself in my work and ignore him.

She wouldn't even hold his hand.

And, oh, he also caught her going to see Xu Chaomu.

Although he was seriously solving the problem, the way that guy looked at Shi Sui was clearly malicious.

Oh well, with exams just around the corner, he also hoped that Shi Sui could get good results. If he wanted to find a top student, he might as well find a top student.

Chi Yan thought for a moment and decided not to let Shi Sui be distracted by matters of the heart. He would ask her after the exam whether they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

A week passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was time for the placement exam.

This was Shi Sui's first exam after transferring schools, and she was a little nervous, having never cared so much about her score before.

System: [Host, relax. With your current learning level, defeating Jiang Tianyao is more than enough.]

[Who cares about Jiang Tianyao? Losing is just a matter of an apology, a few words. It might be embarrassing, but face isn't important. She can just get her revenge.]

System: [Host, your thinking is truly ahead of its time, so—what are you so nervous about?]

"I want to be in the top 20 of the grade," Shi Sui said. "Xu Chaomu checked all the rankings for me last year. The top three are all geniuses; I have no chance. If I don't mess up, I can get into the top 20, and with luck, I might even make it into the top 10."

The system was moved: [I underestimated the host's passion for learning.]

Shi Sui: [No, I'm after the money. You haven't forgotten about the Gu Chenyi Foundation, have you?]

System: [...You're welcome to remind me; this system always remembers.]

Shi Sui: [The school also provides scholarships.]

The school randomly assigned students from each class to different exam rooms, meaning that students from regular classes, advanced classes, and international classes would appear in the same exam room.

Shi Sui took her admission ticket to exam room 18 and was looking at the seating chart posted on the door when she was gently patted on the shoulder.

Turning around, she was both surprised and delighted: "Xu Chaomu!"

The weather has been consistently hot lately, and Xu Chaomu was only wearing a white shirt and black pants, looking fresh and youthful.

Shi Sui asked, "Are you also in exam room 18?"

Xu Chaomu shook her head: "I saw you next door, so I came over to say hello."

He took a pen out of his pencil case: "Here you go, good luck on your exam."

His voice was very pleasant, just like him. He seemed like a cold, aloof flower, but once you got to know him, he was as calm and gentle as a flowing stream.

The pen cap read "Possessed by the God of Exams," and Shi Sui naturally accepted the pen without hesitation.

This pen was a gift from a top student! If you use this pen to write on the exam, you're bound to get everything right by guessing.

When facing an exam, some people may become somewhat superstitious.

"Thank you for your blessing, God of Learning." Shi Sui felt a surge of joy in her heart.

"What about mine?" Xu Chaomu leaned slightly to look at her. "Shi Sui, I'm out of pens for the test. Can you give me one too?"

"Okay." Shi Sui looked down and rummaged through her pencil case, found a new pen, and looked up to tell him, "This pen is for you, it's very good."

Wishing you good health and a long life.

Xu Chaomu didn't pick up the other end of the pen; instead, his fingertips touched her hand, as if it were an unintentional gesture.

It was brief, yet I could clearly feel her presence.

Only after the girl's finger moved back a little did Xu Chaomu take the pen and smile slightly: "After the exam, don't wander off. I'll come find you."

His smile softened his aloof appearance, making him look very gentle.

*

When Jiang's parents asked Jiang Chenjin, he explained that he and Jiang Tianyao had not done anything out of line, but had simply blurred the lines between kinship and love.

Jiang Chenjin, who had always refused arranged marriages with her family, compromised and agreed to participate in a matchmaking event for the wealthy elite.

The Gu family did not back out of the engagement because of the scandal. Gu Chenyi only had eyes for Jiang Tianyao and made a bold statement in front of Jiang's husband and mother that he would not marry anyone but Jiang Tianyao in this life.

To maintain a business partnership with the Gu family, Jiang Tianyao must be brought back.

After all, she was the daughter they had raised themselves. Sending her away was an impulsive act. After calming down, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang quickly made a decision.

Since Jiang Chenjin was hospitalized, Jiang Tianyao has been taking care of him every day after school.

Not long after, Jiang Tianyao was taken back to the Jiang family.

Since that night, Shi Sui has never appeared at the Jiang family again.

The Jiang family knew she was living at school.

Jiang Keshan: "That brat is so shameless to do something as ridiculous as beating her own brother into the hospital, she has no face to go home!"

"Living at school is good, it saves me from making a mess of the house."

Jiang Shu: "It's strange, he was fine when we first brought him home, but how come he became so crazy after only a month at school?"

"She's always been like this. Don't forget what she was doing when we went to the countryside to pick her up."

Jiang Shu recalled that the first time they met in the countryside, they happened to see Shi Sui killing a chicken.

Feathers scattered everywhere, a knife slashed down, blood splattered on his face, flowing down the cutting board to the ground, leaving a bloody mess.

Jiang Shu was born into wealth and lived a life of luxury. She had never even been to a vegetable market, so naturally she had never seen a chicken being slaughtered.

At first glance, she felt that Shi Sui was a person with bloody and violent tendencies.

"By the way, did you give her the money?" Jiang Keshan asked her.

"My living expenses are all with Tian Tian."

Jiang Keshan pondered for a moment: "In a few days, once the money is gone, she will definitely come back and apologize."

Even if someone is stubborn, they won't be stubborn for long.

*

With exams approaching, Jiang Tianyao has been studying exceptionally hard these past few days.

It wasn't just because of the bet; she also wanted to prove to her father, mother, and brother that she was the outstanding daughter of the Jiang family through her achievements.

Shi Sui must apologize to those she has hurt, and she must record a video of it so that the whole school can see her apology!

With more than half an hour to go before the exam, many students had already gotten up, grabbed their pencil cases and admission tickets, and headed to the exam room.

A group of girlfriends came to see Jiang Tianyao.

"Let's go, Sweetie, shall we go to the exam hall together?"

"Once the exam is over and you win the bet, let's see how long Sui can be so smug then."

"But I heard she's very diligent in the international class."

"She's just putting on an act. If she were really studying hard, she wouldn't have time to flirt with men. Haven't you heard? She often goes to see Xu Chaomu after class and has hooked up with a new man."

"Holy crap, the academic genius is even talking to her?"

"Everyone upstairs knows, and they've also heard that Xu Chaomu smiles when he talks to her. Xu Chaomu never smiles, it's really unbelievable."

"How despicable! He must have failed to win over Chi Yan, so he switched to another target."

"Hahaha, I'm a huge fan of Chi Yan's looks, I've been reborn!"

"Waaaaah, I'm a huge fan of the academic genius's looks and grades, and I'm totally overwhelmed..."

"I like Pei Shuoxun. God help me, I'm willing to live a balanced life, please beg her not to have anything to do with Pei Shuoxun."

The gossip among the girls went further and further away. These past few days, Jiang Tianyao had been busy studying and hadn't been browsing the campus forum much, so she naturally didn't know that so much had happened.

Jiang Tianyao's expression changed slightly.

She knew Chi Yan; after all, the country bumpkin had cleverly chosen to be his deskmate right after the start of the semester.

But what about morning and evening?

How did the country bumpkin meet Xu Chaomu?

From the very first exam after entering Xinghua High School, Xu Chaomu consistently ranked first in her grade, always leaving the second-place student by at least ten points.

Girls often admire those who are strong, especially in school where grades are very important.

Moreover, the boy who ranked first in the grade was refined and otherworldly, a flower unattainable on a high mountain.

His gaze was always detached and aloof, cold and distant, giving people a sense of unapproachability and estrangement.

Everyone wants to bring down this aloof beauty from her pedestal, but every girl who gets close to him ends up being rejected.

Jiang Tianyao always thought she was different. She was beautiful, did well in school, and was popular on campus. Both boys and girls loved to surround her.

She tried to get close to him under the pretext of asking him questions, but she couldn't say a word and was met with a cold shoulder.

Jiang Tianyao opened her phone and went to the campus forum.

There haven't been any trending posts on the forum lately, so she scrolled through a bit and found the keywords.

I ran into a genius and a goddess at the library!

The main building was photographed secretly, yet the image quality is remarkably clear.

It's a photo of Xu Chaomu and Shi Sui sitting together, pointing at a book. Their eyes are lowered to the book, but their bodies are very close, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

There were quite a few people in the library, but these two seemed to be naturally isolated from everyone else; at first glance, you could only see these two.

It doesn't look like a candid shot; it looks more like a couple's photoshoot.

"Sweetie, you saw this photo too?" A friend next to me looked over.

"This photo really captures the genius's handsomeness. It would be even better if the woman next to him were photoshopped out."

Another person looked over: "Shi Sui is so cunning. She used the problem to strike up a conversation with the academic genius. I don't know why the academic genius would explain the problem to her, but Tian Tian, ​​you don't need to worry."

"Even if she has a top student to help her, with her single-minded focus on seducing men, her grades will still be terrible. She can't beat you."

Hearing these words, Jiang Tianyao smiled sweetly. Thinking of the bet, she clicked into the forum and found the voting post from a few weeks ago.

Upon opening it, his expression changed drastically.

Shi Sui won more votes than her!

Jiang Tianyao asked in surprise, "What's going on? Is there another bug?"

"I reported it to the administrator, but they said there were no violations or bugs." A girl next to me muttered, "Someone must have been rigging the votes for her."

"There's also the school beauty pageant; someone boosted her ranking..."

Jiang Tianyao's vision went black for a moment. She scrolled to the top of the forum and voted for herself first. Then she saw the real-time vote count.

Shi Sui's votes have far surpassed hers, and she is now second only to Shangguan Ying.

And she didn't even make it into the top 20!

Jiang Tianyao's face turned very pale, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her eyes reddened.

"Sweetie, don't worry. Those people are just watching the show out of rebellion. Once Shi Sui's results come out after this exam, the show will get even more exciting."

"And there's the school beauty pageant. She got to the top by rigging votes. When the whole school dances, is she supposed to be a country bumpkin doing square dancing? That would be truly embarrassing."

Just imagining that scene makes one laugh uncontrollably, and the girls giggled and laughed.

With her friends' comforting words, Jiang Tianyao felt much better and started to smile.

Yes, the exam is coming up soon, and once the rankings are released, Shi Sui will have to apologize to her.

There's also a school beauty pageant. Don't worry, there's still voting time. Just tell Gu Chenyi and ask his group of underlings to help vote.

There will be no more surprises; she will definitely be the school beauty.