Chapter 030: As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.
Noon.
Ye Zhen had just finished reciting a lesson passage, her head feeling heavy and drowsy.
Finally, the bell rang, signaling a much-needed break.
Knock knock knock—
The back door of the classroom was knocked upon.
She turned around in confusion and saw a somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar girl.
"Huh?"
That hairstyle, and the distinctive mole at the corner of her mouth—it looked just like Jiang Nini, Ye Fuli's best friend from the manga!
Oh my, what's she doing here?
Ye Zhen couldn't figure out her purpose right away, so she pretended not to see her, quickly lowering her head to rummage through the lunchbox in her desk drawer.
She was quite curious, though—what kind of feast would Ye Fuli prepare for her today?
Well, even if it was just leftover scraps, it was still a gesture from Feng Aotian. She'd eat it gratefully.
But when Ye Zhen opened the box, she found golden-brown, crispy fried chicken cutlets, perfectly pan-fried eggs, spicy stir-fried noodles, intricately carved carrots, and golden corn cakes…
Wow, look at that presentation!
You told her this was leftovers?
This looks deliberately prepared just for her!
Overwhelmed with emotion, Ye Zhen felt tears welling up… Her efforts to curry favor had finally paid off. With her safety now more assured, a happy life after escape seemed within reach.
"Hello, are you Ye Zhen?"
Just when she was daydreaming, someone had to interrupt.
Ye Zhen reluctantly set down her chopsticks and resumed her act as an innocent, clueless young lady: "Hmm? What's up, classmate? Do you know me?"
"No, no! I just heard you know a lot about Lolita fashion, so I came by to ask for your help picking out a Lolita dress. I need it for my birthday next week."
What a seamless excuse!
No wonder it was exclusive intel she'd dug up after splurging on a few bubble teas.
Jiang Nini, feeling confident she had the other girl wrapped around her finger, wore a smile so flawless it was impossible to refuse.
Too bad she hadn't accounted for one thing…
Ye Zhen wasn't the same Ye Zhen anymore. The current Ye Zhen had no interest in Lolita fashion whatsoever and hated shopping with others.
"Um, I don't like that sort of thing anymore. Sorry, I can't help you."
Hearing this excuse, Jiang Nini's smile froze on her face.
She pursed her lips, hesitating to speak.
At that moment, Ye Zhen swiftly picked up her chopsticks and began shoveling rice into her mouth.
If you don't eat your rice, you're a turtle!
Honestly, the female lead's cooking skills were getting better and better! Just take this corn pancake—sweet without being cloying, cooked to perfection. It was utterly addictive.
Ye Zhen couldn't help but marvel—a top student is a top student. She picked up cooking in no time. Give her a cookbook, and she'd be a master chef!
As for herself…
She could only eat.
"Hey Ye Zhen, there's an idol group concert coming up. Want to go? I got group tickets and have one extra!"
Jiang Nini reacted swiftly, immediately pulling out her backup plan.
The concert tickets she held were absolutely right up Ye Zhen's alley! This girl was a die-hard fan—rumor had it she once camped out overnight just to snag a brass ring once worn by her idol.
That crappy ring? They say it sold for a hundred thousand yuan!
She really couldn't understand these crazy fans.
But that wasn't the point.
To get on Ye Zhen's good side, Jiang Nini had gone all out. These tickets cost her three months' worth of pocket money plus the red envelopes she'd received during last year's Spring Festival.
"Ah, I'm terribly sorry, but I've been too busy with my studies to keep up with celebrities lately."
Ye Zhen waved her off with a sincere look of regret.
What could she do?
With her soul of a six-foot-tall man, she simply couldn't appreciate these heavily made-up male idols. Mainly, she couldn't understand what they were singing when they went "ooh-woo, ooh-woo"!
Maybe her taste was just too old-fashioned.
"Is that so? Haha, right, studies come first!"
Jiang Nini's smile looked more like a grimace than a genuine laugh. Holding the few tickets in her hand, she felt her heart bleeding.
But even after being repeatedly rejected, she still didn't let her guard down.
She immediately thought: Ye Zhen, stuck in a place like Class F, must be terrible at her studies!
But she was an expert at that!
Therefore, she could naturally offer Ye Zhen free tutoring—explaining concepts and correcting mistakes!
Wasn't this an even better opportunity to strengthen their friendship?
"Your class hasn't gone over the test papers from the other day yet, right? Ye Zhen, if you need help, you can come find me in Study Room 1 on the second floor of the library. I may only rank in the top 100 in the grade, but I do excel in a few subjects."
Watching the other person fawn over her, Ye Zhen felt not only puzzled but also a bit weary.
If she kept droning on, her food would get cold…
Why was she clinging to her like this?
She wasn't Ye Fuli, nor was she the original little girl.
"I'm going to eat."
Ye Zhen picked up a piece of chicken cutlet, popped it into her mouth, and took a few hearty bites.
Chicken flavor, crispy crunch~
Watching her cheeks puff out, Jiang Nini couldn't help but curse inwardly: Total foodie!
Such a hopeless case—no wonder she ended up in the make-up class.
As the classroom filled up, Jiang Nini reluctantly resorted to her last-ditch excuse: "Honestly, I didn't mean anything by it! You probably don't know, but Ye Fuli and I grew up together. We're not blood sisters, but we're closer than that. Her best friend is naturally my best friend too."
"Ah, so what?"
"So, friends keeping in touch and strengthening their bond—isn't that only natural?"
Right. At this point, Ye Zhen finally caught on to the problem.
It was obvious that Ye Fuli and this girl weren't close.
How could Ye Fuli ever tell someone, "Ye Zhen and I are good friends"? That was pure nonsense.
She'd only put up with the girl's rambling this long out of consideration for Ye Fuli's feelings!
Now that she was certain they weren't particularly close, Ye Zhen lost all patience for further small talk.
"I'm not the type to make friends casually."
Ye Zhen wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth and shifted her expression.
Leaning closer, she covered her mouth with one hand and said mysteriously:
"Let me tell you the truth—I have a bit of a problem. When strangers talk to me, I get nervous. And when I get nervous, I start yelling and screaming, or even hitting people!"
At the word "hit," her voice suddenly rose, making Jiang Nini's ears hurt and her heart nearly leap out of her chest.
What kind of crazy girl is this?!
Jiang Nini clutched her chest, shot her several disgusted glances, then turned and walked away without looking back.
Watching her retreating figure, Ye Zhen smiled briefly before her expression quickly hardened.
No, no…
Truly, birds of a feather flock together.
Was she always this bad? It seemed like that scheming Feng Aotian had corrupted her, making her more and more like him!