"You cried this morning?"
"No, I haven't cried in over ten years."
"Then why did I hear you sobbing so miserably over the phone?"
"I said I didn't cry!"
From the hallway, Li Wanyi heard the girl's voice cracking from agitation. She looked up and saw Chen Cheng and An Yuan arriving at school together, just like the previous day, playfully bickering along the way.
Chen Cheng used to be quiet, barely interacting with male classmates. Why was she suddenly so close to An Yuan?
Li Wanyi frowned slightly in displeasure. But the moment An Yuan stepped into the classroom, she immediately straightened her posture, put on a sweet smile, and delicately tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her slender fingers.
However, An Yuan didn't even glance at her. Instead, he followed behind Chen Cheng like a devoted puppy.
"Wanyi, Wanyi~ Do you think those two are dating?" The girl in the front row turned around, eager to gossip. "Yesterday, they left together too, right? Someone even saw them out eating fried skewers on a date~"
"How would I know?"
Li Wanyi's expression darkened as she lowered her head to continue her homework.
After a moment, the light around her dimmed as a tall figure cast a shadow over her desk. She looked up with a bright, expectant smile.
"Morning~"
"Mm, morning."
An Yuan sat down beside her, his expression complicated. He pulled a Huanggang practice book from his bag, hoping that solving math problems would take his mind off things.
Like Chen Cheng, he had forgotten most of his high school knowledge after graduating college. But his young brain was still sharp—going through a few exercises was enough to jog his memory.
Still, he couldn't stop himself from sneaking glances at Li Wanyi.
"You and Chen Cheng are really close, huh?"
Li Wanyi's sudden question made An Yuan instinctively happy. He grinned. "We've been in the same class since kindergarten. We used to walk to school together all the time."
"Oh~ So you're like siblings?"
"More like brothers than siblings."
"Brothers? Pfft!"
Li Wanyi covered her mouth, laughing. Her delicate brows arched, and the morning sunlight streaming through the window bathed her dark hair in a golden halo, making her look ethereal.
An Yuan was momentarily mesmerized.
Seven or eight years of knowing each other—if he counted the crush he had in high school, their connection stretched to a full decade.
But this was a parallel world. Strictly speaking, she was a completely different person.
The future from his original world wouldn't necessarily happen here. There was no need to let his past affect the Li Wanyi in front of him.
But as soon as he snapped back to reality, memories of his fiancée—who had cheated and still acted self-righteous—flashed through his mind. That cold, twisted, disgusting expression of hers made his stomach churn.
He grew restless, suddenly unsure of how to face Li Wanyi. After hesitating for a while, he decided to grab his Huanggang book and some paper, then stood up.
"Pan Jie, can I switch seats with you for morning reading?"
Pan Jie was stunned. "Huh? But the teacher doesn't allow that, right?"
Chen Cheng, busy copying yesterday's homework, didn't even look up before chiming in, "Just let him. The morning reading teacher won't care."
"Fine..." Pan Jie grumbled but got up reluctantly.
A few classmates who loved gossip noticed the exchange and began whispering among themselves. But An Yuan didn't care at all. Even if rumors spread, he'd just find them amusing.
His bond with Chen Cheng was pure, a true brotherhood. They had traveled through time together, faced life-and-death situations together—a camaraderie far deeper than silly high school crushes.
Unlike certain people, who could only think about relationships.
The moment An Yuan sat down, Chen Cheng wordlessly shoved her math workbook toward him.
"Copy my math homework for me. Mess it up a bit so they don't notice."
"You should really do it yourself."
Even though An Yuan said otherwise, he still helped copy the homework while asking, "Does your stomach still hurt?"
"It's a bit better now. This morning, it hurt so bad I wanted to die—I almost passed out..." Chen Cheng stubbornly added, "But I didn't cry. That was wailing."
"Right, right."
After just a few casual exchanges, the chaotic emotions An Yuan had because of Li Wanyi settled down.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose with a bitter smile and sighed. "Brother Chen, do you think I'm sick in the head?"
"I'm already feeling miserable. Don't come and bother me." Chen Cheng lifted her hips slightly, resisting the urge to scratch, then wiggled uncomfortably in her seat with a frown. "It's so hot today, and I have an extra pad stuck to my butt. It's unbearable..."
It felt like the pad was suffocating her skin.
"Periods can make you irritable. You'll feel better in a few days." An Yuan had more knowledge about women's health than she did. "You should try tampons sometime—Wanyi likes using them."
"Oh, listen to you, dropping Wanyi's name every other sentence?"
Chen Cheng could already guess what was bothering An Yuan. After knowing him for so many years, she understood that he was extremely sentimental—even overly soft when it came to relationships.
If no one interfered, he'd most likely cling to a sliver of hope and end up with Li Wanyi again in this lifetime.
But Chen Cheng couldn't stand that woman! And she definitely wouldn't watch her brother get played by a wicked woman again.
"You're seriously messed up in the head. Why are you so hung up on one tree?" Chen Cheng raged. "You make so much money every month, yet you hesitate over spending two or three hundred on a game. And for what? Just so she can cheat on you again?"
"It's just a woman, An Yuan. We're in high school! Everyone's a sucker for good looks, and you're tall, handsome, and fit. You think you'll ever run out of pretty girls? Every other transmigrator out there is living it up, getting revenge left and right. We're already being merciful by not going after Li Wanyi!"
An Yuan continued copying English homework, pretending not to hear her, staying completely silent.
'He's hopeless.'
Chen Cheng rolled her eyes. She was already irritated from her period, and now An Yuan's pathetic attitude was making her even more pissed off.
Being loyal was nice and all, but this was just excessive!
It was clear she couldn't count on An Yuan to take action himself.
Chen Cheng narrowed her eyes, pushing up her glasses with her index finger as a few sinister thoughts surfaced in her mind.
Maybe she should just force Li Wanyi to stay away from her brother?
For the sake of her brother, she didn't mind being mistaken for a jealous rival.
Or perhaps she should dig up some dirt on Li Wanyi to make An Yuan give up completely? There was no way that woman had suddenly turned bad after ten years. Maybe the signs were already there.
"I think I'll ask the homeroom teacher to change my seat." After much internal struggle, An Yuan finally made a decision. "At least that way, I'll be farther from her."
"Now that sounds more reasonable~"
Chen Cheng instantly felt a little better. Her brother wasn't completely beyond saving.
The morning reading bell rang, and any other thoughts immediately vanished from her mind as she hurried to finish copying her homework.
Most of their class assignments were practice books and worksheets. They weren't required to turn them in—teachers would go over the answers in class and explain difficult problems. But a few assignments did need to be submitted, and skipping them could lead to a dreaded call to their parents.
Today's morning reading session was led by the English teacher—a woman with wavy hair, appearing just past thirty, exuding an alluring, mature charm. Even without trying, she captivated the hormone-driven male students, making their imaginations run wild.
Chen Cheng glanced up at her twice before pursing her lips in frustration.
Logically, a beautiful older woman like this should be extremely attractive to a high school boy. But all she felt was a sense of admiration—she couldn't summon even a trace of desire.
Not being into girls was one thing.
But she was starting to worry that one day... she might start having feelings for boys instead.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 57: Breaktime Exercise[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/128679946?collection=1362427[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/128679946?collection=1362427
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/128679946?collection=1362427
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed