chapter 1
Before Qin Ruyu showed up, I thought my high school life was perfect.
Then she came along, and everything went downhill.
On her very first day as a transfer student, the back seat of Fu Shaonian’s bicycle stopped belonging exclusively to me.
“Chenchen, Qin twisted her ankle. I’ll take her home. You can walk.”
Qin Ruyu’s face was pale, her voice faint. “I was stupid enough to twist my ankle. It’s my fault.”
So delicate. So pitiful.
What a fake.
I sneered and shoved Fu Shaonian aside. “Then I’ll take her. You walk.”
As if I would let the two of them be alone together.
I forced myself onto the bicycle, even though I had to stretch my toes just to reach the pedals. “Hey. Get on.”
Qin Ruyu looked troubled.
In the end, I sat on the bicycle, Qin Ruyu sat behind me, and Fu Shaonian walked us along with one hand on the handlebar and the other on the frame.
He kept glancing back.
“Chenchen, why don’t you get off? It’s pretty heavy.”
“Then you go,” I said. “I’ll push.”
He looked at Qin Ruyu. “Never mind. I’m strong.”
Look at that hopeless idiot!
We had grown up together since we were little.
To put it crudely, the second he stuck his butt out, I knew whether he needed to take a dump or let out a fart.
I turned and glared at Qin Ruyu, who was barely leaning against my back.
“Hey. Why did you transfer here?”
Qin Ruyu paused, then answered in a very low voice. “My parents arranged it.”
“What?” I snapped. “Speak up. Didn’t you eat today?”
She shrank back. “I couldn’t keep up with the coursework.”
That made my chest puff out at once.
With one part nonchalance, three parts disdain, and nine parts careless superiority, I said, “Really? I always come first.”
Qin Ruyu lowered her head. “I’m always at the bottom of my class.”
I gave a reserved little oh and shot Fu Shaonian a smug look.
See? I was still the smart one.
But he only looked at Qin Ruyu. “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me.”
I hurried to cut him off. “What use would asking you be? Ask me. I’m first in the whole grade.”
Qin Ruyu looked up gratefully, her huge eyes blinking. “You two are so nice.”
Fu Shaonian grinned like an idiot, his ears bright red.
I rolled my eyes.
But then—
When the final exam results came out, I was not first.
I stood before the bulletin board, my face dark.
Qin Ruyu, who said she could not keep up!
Qin Ruyu, who said she ranked at the bottom!
Her name was above mine!
She had come first!
This was humiliation. Naked humiliation!
A passing teacher tried to comfort me. “Chenchen, don’t be upset. Qin Ruyu used to attend Qingbei University’s gifted youth program. She studied the high school curriculum in advance. You should ask her for advice.”
My vision went black in waves.
Maybe she could not beat the brightest of the brilliant, but she could trample everyone at our little county’s key high school without breaking a sweat.
Very well, Qin Ruyu! You scheming girl!
Pretending you were bad at studying, all so you could slap me in the face like this!
I would hate you forever!