Seven thousand and seven

Page 1/3

Seeing Yu Linghuan laugh scornfully, Li Hongwen, embarrassed and angry, snapped, "What's so funny?"

Yu Linghuan replied, "Sorry, I've never seen anyone with such a face as broad as a basin like yours, couldn't help myself for a moment."

"You!" Li Hongwen stomped his foot. "Don’t change the subject! I looked it up online; this watch is worth at least a hundred thousand yuan even secondhand! How could you possibly afford it? You didn’t buy a fake to show off, did you?"

At this moment, Li Hongwen had lost all reason, only intent on making Yu Linghuan look bad and winning back some face.

Wherever there are people, there is comparison—especially at a private school like Landé High.

Although the college entrance exam classes don’t gather the elite children as the international department does, everyone is still very sensitive to brand names and luxury goods.

If someone wears a pair of expensive brand shoes or dons luxury jewelry, it will attract attention.

For example, when Meng Xin came to school today, many noticed the hairpin from brand C in her hair.

Though unremarkable in appearance, that hairpin cost several thousand yuan.

Now, hearing Li Hongwen firmly claim Yu Linghuan’s watch was fake, everyone began to doubt.

Could it really be a fake?

Was Yu Linghuan ashamed seeing her old friend become wealthy, so she bought a fake just to keep up appearances?

Just as everyone was wondering, someone approached the classroom door.

“This is a gift I gave to Huanhuan,” Meng Xin said coldly. “What else do you want to ask?”

Li Hongwen was dumbfounded.

Boys and girls have separate PE classes; earlier, the boys were in the basketball gym and didn’t witness Yu Linghuan standing up for Meng Xin.

He thought the two girls had already cut ties.

“You... you two—” Li Hongwen said incredulously, “Didn’t you break off your friendship? How come you’re...?”

Before he finished, Yu Linghuan and Meng Xin spoke in unison, “What’s it to you?”

Li Hongwen was speechless.

Someone nearby couldn’t hold back and laughed, and soon everyone burst into laughter.

Only Li Hongwen’s face turned pale and red repeatedly.

“Why didn’t you say sooner that Meng Xin gave you the watch...” Li Hongwen muttered.

Yu Linghuan ignored him and said coldly, “Li Hongwen, you sneaking around with my things isn’t over yet.”

Li Hongwen gritted his teeth, “So what if I did? What are you going to do?”

No matter how he put it, he hadn’t actually stolen anything. Even if Yu Linghuan reported him to the head teacher, he’d only get scolded.

Yu Linghuan raised an eyebrow. “I can’t do much to you, but don’t forget—you took not just my stuff, but a gift from Meng Xin.”

At this, Li Hongwen’s expression changed drastically.

Meng Xin is a member of the Meng family, and her father Meng Renping is one of the school’s board members.

If Meng Xin told Mr. Meng about today’s incident, it would definitely escalate, possibly involving parents.

The thought made Li Hongwen break out in a cold sweat.

If it really led to a parent-teacher meeting, his father might beat him to death.

Honestly, compared to being scolded or punished by teachers, the fear of a severe beating from his dad was much more real to Li Hongwen.

So he immediately softened. “Fine, fine, I’ll apologize to you. That should be enough, right?”

Yu Linghuan said, “The form of your apology will be chosen by me.”

Li Hongwen glared, “What do you want?”

Yu Linghuan thought for two seconds. “Go to the hallway now and loudly repeat ‘I was wrong. I shouldn’t have secretly taken Yu Linghuan’s things’ until the official class bell rings.”

After a pause, she added, “And do the same during the next break.”

For Li Hongwen, this wasn’t a big deal. Even if it got reported to teachers, he’d only be scolded, so Yu Linghuan decided to stop here.

Since Li Hongwen cared most about his face, she would let him lose face in front of the entire senior year as a lesson, so he wouldn’t touch her belongings again.

Bringing up Meng Xin’s identity was just a tactic to scare Li Hongwen.

Meng Xin had just been recognized by the Meng family. If such a small matter reached Mr. Meng, it might be exploited by Meng Mingzhu, which was unnecessary.

Li Hongwen was reluctant at first, but thinking about losing face for just two breaks to avoid a beating from his father made the deal worthwhile.

So after a few seconds’ hesitation, Li Hongwen obediently stood at the classroom door, cleared his throat, and said, “I was wrong...”

Yu Linghuan raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you eat lunch?”

Li Hongwen was speechless.

He endured it!

Amid curious gazes from other classes in the hallway, Li Hongwen loudly declared, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have secretly taken Yu Linghuan’s things!”

Yu Linghuan nodded with satisfaction, “Good, keep going.”

...

The third period in the afternoon was homeroom. When the head teacher entered as the preparation bell rang, he saw Li Hongwen standing at the door, shouting “I was wrong” as if facing death.

Li Hongwen, fearing he might not seem sincere enough, shouted with extra effort so the whole hallway could hear.

The head teacher shook his head, knowing the personalities of the class well.

Yu Linghuan was a bit fierce but reasonable, so it was probably Li Hongwen who caused trouble and was now publicly apologizing.

Senior year is stressful; this small issue didn’t warrant teacher intervention. Letting everyone vent was good.

The first homeroom of the new semester was filled with the head teacher emphasizing the importance of this year.

Basically, the college entrance exam is the most important watershed in life and requires full effort.

He also stressed that there would still be class adjustments during the first semester of senior year, with class assignments finalized only in the second half.

Landé High has five international classes and ten college entrance exam classes. Classes 1 and 2 of the exam track are key classes.

If a student’s rank drops out of the top 100 in two consecutive major tests, they get kicked out of those two classes. Conversely, students in regular classes can transfer in if their ranks are high.

Page 2/3

In the first two years of high school, Yu Linghuan’s grades fluctuated but never fell below the top 50, so she stayed in class 1.

However, last semester’s final exam was a disaster; she ranked over 120th.

The reason was the rumor that Meng Xin would be recognized back into the Meng family, which shattered Yu Linghuan’s mindset.

Yu Linghuan suspected that she had been influenced by the novel’s plot by then.

According to the novel, after entering senior year, Yu Linghuan’s mind was full of rivalry against the female lead Meng Xin, losing focus on studies.

Thus, in the first monthly exam of senior year’s first semester, her rank fell again to 200th, causing her to leave class 1.

Despite her rapid decline, she diligently fulfilled her role as the villainous cannon fodder, constantly sabotaging Meng Xin, ultimately expelled at semester’s end and missing the college entrance exam.

After expulsion, she sank further, drifting through society for years, dating some scumbags, living aimlessly.

Now, having awakened, Yu Linghuan felt she needed not only to help Meng Xin but also to consider her own future.

Finishing senior year smoothly was basic; ideally, she wanted to get into a good university.

While Old Qin lectured endlessly, Yu Linghuan quietly glanced at Song Congqian, the class genius.

Rumor had it he’d already secured a guaranteed spot at Tsinghua University, attending class more as a formality and to help boost the school’s average scores.

Yu Linghuan wasn’t close to Song Congqian and wasn’t sure if the rumor was true.

This morning, when the homeroom teacher announced seating, her mind was full of chaos, so she didn’t notice her new deskmate.

Song Congqian was quiet; they sat together all day like strangers, not exchanging a word.

Now, with the plot awakened and some clarity to plan her future, Yu Linghuan realized she was quite lucky.

Having a genius nearby meant she could easily ask questions—an excellent resource for achieving her goals.

Thinking this, Yu Linghuan looked at Song Congqian as if he were a delicious steamed bun.

Suddenly, Song Congqian slightly turned his head, their eyes met.

Yu Linghuan was speechless.

Song Congqian was also silent.

Their eyes locked; Yu Linghuan smiled slightly to ease the awkwardness.

Oops, staring so intently was impolite.

Song Congqian was momentarily stunned, didn’t return her smile, and quietly turned his head back.

...

The forty minutes of homeroom were spent with the teacher motivating everyone for the college entrance exam.

But for most teenagers, no matter how many grand speeches they heard, it was hard to tense up immediately.

The exam was still over nine months away, seeming distant with many days and nights to waste.

Only as time passed would the pressure become palpable.

The next period was self-study.

During the ten-minute break, Yu Linghuan gave Li Hongwen a look, and he obediently went back to the hallway to continue his public apology.

During the break, Li Hongwen repeated “I shouldn’t have secretly taken Yu Linghuan’s things” seventy or eighty times, nearly hoarsening his voice.

Some students from other floors even came up to the fourth floor to watch Li Hongwen’s humiliation.

“Hahaha, this Li Hongwen is too miserable!”

“Yu Linghuan really is the fiercest girl in our grade, not afraid even of those rich kids in the international department. Why did Li Hongwen have to pick on her stuff?”

...

The last class in the afternoon was self-study. Most students were finishing the homework assigned by the teacher, Yu Linghuan among them.

The first day’s homework wasn’t much, easily done during one self-study period.

In between, Yu Linghuan quietly asked Song Congqian a physics question about whether two methods of solution were both valid; he replied with a “Hmm.”

Other than that, they remained as silent as in the morning.

Landé High didn’t have mandatory evening self-study; after the last class, students could go home or back to the dorm.

Once the head teacher announced dismissal, the class erupted in noise.

Meng Xin was surrounded by several classmates.

“Xin Xin, do you want to go shopping with us? I heard the nearby Tianyue City just opened several new stores!”

“Yeah, and we don’t have much homework today, let’s go together!”

Tianyue City is the shopping center near the school.

Thanks to Li Hongwen’s “publicity,” now everyone knew Meng Xin casually gifted Yu Linghuan an R-brand watch.

This shocked the classmates.

Though they knew Meng Xin was Yu Linghuan’s close friend and only gave such an expensive gift because of that, maybe if they went shopping together, Meng Xin would be generous and buy everyone gifts.

Meng Xin had been introverted with few friends before. Surrounded by so many classmates’ enthusiasm, she looked very flustered.

“I... I won’t go, I...” Meng Xin looked around helplessly, then as if finding a savior, looked at Yu Linghuan.

“I have plans with Huanhuan.”

Yu Linghuan immediately caught the hint and replied, “Yeah, we agreed we have some things to do after school. If you want to invite Meng Xin, wait for another time.”

She raised her chin and said, “Shall we slip away?”

Meng Xin nodded.

Seeing Meng Xin agree, Yu Linghuan grabbed her wrist and squeezed through the crowd to leave.

Watching their backs, everyone felt regretful.

“Already leaving...?”

A cold male voice nearby said, “Of course, she’s hit the jackpot with a rich benefactor, of course she has to leave quickly. Maybe by tomorrow, Yu Linghuan will be covered in gold chains and bracelets from her benefactor. They’re close; you all might as well not get involved.”

It was Li Hongwen speaking.

Page 3/3

Everyone exchanged glances.

Li Hongwen was well-liked among the boys but mostly disliked by the girls.

One girl sneered, “No matter how much trouble we cause, it can’t compare to you outright stealing someone’s watch.”

With that, everyone burst into laughter.

The classroom was filled with cheerful energy.

Li Hongwen’s face turned an iron blue. “Who stole? I said I only looked! Just looked!”

...

Yu Linghuan and Meng Xin both live in dorms and only go home on weekends.

Landé High is well-funded; dorms are double or single rooms, much more luxurious than public schools.

To provide a better study environment for exam students, senior students are all assigned single rooms.

Of course, no matter how luxurious, dorms aren’t the same as living at home; the international department’s wealthy kids definitely wouldn’t settle for this.

The male lead Sheng Han, the fake heiress Meng Mingzhu, and other rich kids all commute.

In the novel, Meng Xin also becomes a commuter in senior year, living at the Meng residence like the fake heiress, which leads to many classic love triangle scenes.

For example, being caught embracing by a third party, and so on.

After leaving the teaching building, Yu Linghuan asked Meng Xin, “Xin Xin, aren’t you going home this semester?”

Meng Xin hesitated, then said after a moment, “My father asked if I wanted to live at home, but I’ve lived in the dorm for so many years, I’m used to it. To strive for Kyoto University, the school’s study atmosphere is better. Besides...”

The girl curved her lips and smiled, “Don’t I have you to keep me company?”

Yu Linghuan’s eyes flickered. “Yeah.”

Actually, it was obvious: if the Meng family truly cared about this long-lost daughter, they’d want to be with her all the time, making up for the lost decade, never letting her live in the dorm.

Clearly, in the Meng family’s hearts, Meng Mingzhu and Meng Xin are treated differently.

Yu Linghuan asked, “Where do you want to go now? Back to the dorm?”

Meng Xin hesitated slightly. “There’s a place I want to go, I don’t know if you want to come with me.”

Yu Linghuan said straightforwardly, “Where? Say it!”

Meng Xin: “Do you want to... go to Tianyue City?”

Yu Linghuan blinked and laughed, “You really bought their talk, huh? Fine!”

Tianyue City is a ten-minute walk from the school.

They returned their bags to the dorm and arrived at the school gate just as a dark green Bentley slowly pulled up.

Luxury cars constantly arrive at Landé High’s gate during school start and dismissal; Yu Linghuan was used to it.

But this Bentley stopped right in front of them, and the door opened as a man stepped out.

Yu Linghuan looked up involuntarily.

Many rich kids’ drivers or servants usually come to pick them up.

But this young man stepping out looked somewhat out of place.

He was tall and slender, looking quite young—Yu Linghuan guessed barely older than herself, just over twenty.

Though young, his face lacked the childishness typical of boys.

Unlike most of Yu Linghuan’s male classmates, who even in suits and ties still showed a certain naïve innocence in their eyes.

Before she could figure out who he was, Meng Xin spoke in surprise, “...Brother? Why are you here?”

The man replied without answering, “First day of school. Want to chat in the car?”

Yu Linghuan suddenly realized: oh, that’s Meng Xin’s brother.

In the novel, Meng Xin’s family includes grandmother, father, stepmother, a half-brother by father, and a full biological brother.

Among them, the others often appear in the story, siding with Meng Mingzhu.

Only the brother is barely mentioned.

According to the novel, Meng Xin’s brother Meng Qichuan was sent abroad for studies at twelve and stayed overseas for ten years.

Ten years apart weakened his familial bonds; after Meng Xin was recognized, Meng Qichuan only briefly met her before returning abroad.

In the book, Meng Qichuan isn’t close to Meng Mingzhu or Meng Xin and mainly serves as an obstacle when opposing Meng Xin and Sheng Han’s relationship after they study abroad.

Because this is a tragic romance, the protagonists’ love must be opposed by everyone around to seem more precious.

Recalling the novel’s plot about Meng Qichuan, Yu Linghuan asked the system: [In the novel, is there a scene where Meng Qichuan comes to the school gate to find Meng Xin?]

System: [There isn’t.]

Yu Linghuan: [Then why is he suddenly here? Has he awakened the system, or been possessed like Meng Mingzhu?]

System: [Unlikely. I detect no abnormal fluctuations.]

Yu Linghuan frowned thoughtfully: “Something unusual is definitely going on. No matter why he returned, I have to keep an eye on him.”

Even if Meng Qichuan is related by blood, it doesn’t mean he won’t hurt Meng Xin. The other Meng family members are living proof.

While Yu Linghuan communicated with the system, Meng Xin was talking with her brother.

Hearing Meng Xin say she already had plans with classmates, Meng Qichuan shifted his gaze from his sister to the girl beside her.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

The girl’s large, round apricot-colored eyes now showed clear vigilance and wariness.

So much so that Meng Qichuan doubted himself for half a second: Do I really look that much like a villain?