Chapter 019: I Won't Learn About Her From Others
Inside the school convenience store.
Ye Zhen darted between the shelves.
Carrying a small basket, she picked up a large pile of sanitary pads from various brands.
Seeing her buy so much, the mini-mart owner's face broke into a huge smile.
"Hey student! Want some heating pads? How about ginger tea? We have ready-made kits here—they work wonders!"
Ye Zhen thought for a moment and said, "I'll take some, but please make sure the ginger tea is pre-brewed for me."
"Sure thing."
…
Half an hour later.
Ye Zhen arrived at the infirmary carrying several large and small bags.
By then, Ye Fuli had her IV drip hooked up, and the doctor was lecturing her incessantly: "Are you trying to kill yourself? Your leg is inflamed now—it's serious. I told you to rest more, but you obviously didn't listen, did you?"
Spotting Ye Zhen, the doctor quickly pulled her over and sat her down beside Ye Fuli.
"You must be her sister?"
Ye Zhen gave a weak "uh" and glanced at Ye Fuli.
In front of Ye Fuli, she always seemed so weak.
Ye Fuli corrected, "We're just classmates."
"Even if you're not sisters, you should be best friends! No offense, but this little sister has been so kind to you—she stayed with you all day yesterday, bringing you tea and water. You can't be completely ungrateful, right?"
Surprisingly, Ye Fuli didn't put on a sour face after being lectured by an outsider, which caught Ye Zhen off guard.
Once the doctor stepped outside to attend to other matters, Ye Zhen finally managed to say weakly, "Don't be angry. I didn't… I didn't think of you as a friend! I mean, I never expected to be your friend."
"What did you buy?"
Ye Fuli ignored her words and instead began rummaging through the items Ye Zhen had bought for her.
Pads of every size—all fancy and useless.
Besides these, there were assorted sweets and items like heating pads.
Ye Fuli sighed. "You really know how to waste money."
As if she were that delicate!
But Ye Zhen wasn't convinced, muttering under her breath.
"You gave me two thousand! Of course I had to buy more! Um, you meant for me to buy more, right…?"
Hearing such blunt honesty, Ye Fuli was almost amused by her own frustration. "Fine, just go. Don't worry about me."
"Then drink this bowl of ginger tea."
Ye Zhen handed over a takeout box pitifully, containing half a bowl of warm ginger tea.
"The boss lady made it for me—and charged me ten extra bucks."
In her previous life, Ye Fuli had received many such tokens.
Various admirers, including Bai Ruoting, would inquire about her preferences. Some even bribed female classmates to find out her menstrual cycle, specifically delivering it to her.
Ye Fuli had grown utterly sick of it!
Yet, this was truly the first time she'd ever received ginger tea from Ye Zhen.
This bowl of ginger tea was plain and simple, containing no expensive herbs, nor was it served in delicate porcelain… Yet, it looked exceptionally pleasing to the eye.
Ye Fuli felt a piece of ice in her heart begin to melt uncontrollably.
This change frightened her a little.
"Want some? If not, I'll just pour it out."
Just as Ye Zhen was about to take it away, Ye Fuli stopped her.
Ye Fuli took it, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp before returning the box: "Alright, go to class. Don't worry about me."
After drinking it, both her mind and body felt much more comfortable.
Seeing her complexion gradually improve, Ye Zhen felt reassured and hurried back to class.
"Call me if you need anything! I'm always here!"
……
…
Back in the classroom, Ye Zhen still felt elated.
She felt the three optional tasks assigned by the survival system held real promise!
After all, her relationship with Ye Fuli was visibly improving.
"The results for yesterday's mini-exam are partially available. Now, students whose names I call, please come up to collect your test papers."
"Ye Zhen?"
"Ye Zhen!"
Ye Zhen had been completely zoned out the entire time. It took her being called twice before she snapped back to reality.
"Ye Zhen, the maximum score for this exam was 150 points. You scored… 111 points!"
Hearing this score, Ye Zhen visibly froze.
This couldn't be a joke, right?
She, of all people, actually passed math?
The students below erupted in a buzz of astonishment.
After all, Ye Zhen's math scores had never exceeded 60 points—she'd consistently ranked near the bottom.
"Well, how should I put this… congratulations,"
From the teacher's tone, which was clearly tinged with sarcasm, Ye Zhen detected a hint of bitterness.
No one would believe she achieved this score through her own ability—it was practically screaming "You cheated!" at her face!
Ye Zhen offered no defense, merely feigning composure as she stepped down from the podium and slipped the paper into the pocket of her notebook.
Who cares!
If they looked down on her, so be it.
Come graduation exam day, they'd find out whether she, Ye Zhen, had cheated or not. Hmph.
Yet it was precisely her silence that fueled the growing whispers.
Wherever Ye Zhen went, she was forced to endure strange stares.
Within half a day, rumors of her cheating reached the elite class and found their way to Ye Fuli's ears.
Ye Fuli rose without a trace of emotion and slipped out the back door of the classroom.
As if compelled by some unseen force, she headed toward the building where Ye Zhen was located. Pretending to be merely passing by, she secretly slowed her pace, her peripheral vision scanning for Ye Zhen's figure.
Ye Zhen was slumped over her desk.
Noisy classmates surrounded her.
No one paid her any attention, as if she didn't exist at all.
This scene inexplicably struck a chord in Ye Fuli's heart. In her final years of the previous life, she had often played the role of an invisible person amidst such noisy crowds.
That desolation—she knew it all too well.
"If she intended to cheat, why would she get up early every day to find me at the library? Why would she stay up late every night working on the practice problems I assigned?"
Ye Fuli knew full well that this time, Ye Zhen was relying on genuine ability.
"Pitiful."
Passing by Ye Zhen's classroom door, she descended the stairs without hesitation.
She had intended to ignore it, but that scene stuck in her mind like a thorn, making the faint ache impossible to dismiss.
After standing under the shade of a tree for a moment, Ye Fuli headed to the academic affairs office.
The best way to debunk this rumor was to have Ye Zhen retake the exam.
How ironic that the victim must prove her own innocence.
However, given Ye Zhen's abilities, she would undoubtedly have earned the earlier portion of the score. The truly challenging, complex problems—widely acknowledged as the most difficult—were the crux of the assessment!
"I request that Ye Zhen retake the second half of the exam. If she passes, you and her homeroom teacher must publicly clear her name and apologize to her during tomorrow's flag-raising ceremony."
Ye Fuli's words carried significant weight.
After all, she was a renowned academic prodigy, a legendary figure in the school.
The Dean of Students and Ye Zhen's homeroom teacher exchanged glances, both seeming uncertain.
"Ye Fuli, why are you so certain she didn't cheat? You might not know her well—she not only performs poorly academically, but also…"
"Sorry, I prefer to form my own opinions," Ye Fuli cut the dean off. "For the school's reputation, I suggest you accept my proposal and resolve this matter promptly."
With that, Ye Fuli walked out expressionless.
Watching her haughty retreat, the expressions of everyone in the office darkened.
"She's way too arrogant!"
"Does she think she's above us all?"
"Maybe it's because they both share the Ye surname that she's so protective."
Of course, none of them would believe the two could actually be related.
The gap between them—whether in stature or academic aptitude—was nothing short of staggering!
The dean had no choice. At this critical juncture, antagonizing such an academic star would be utterly unwise. She could only comply with Ye Fuli's demands.
Soon, Ye Zhen was summoned.
"Huh? I have to redo half this exam?"
She looked thoroughly disgruntled but sat down and picked up her pen.
"Oh well, being wrongly accused is nothing new. I'm used to it."
Though she didn't know who had orchestrated this, if things could be cleared up before tomorrow's parent-teacher conference, her parents would surely offer some consolation!
Whether it was pocket money or expensive clothes or handbags!
Those were her future security guarantees—how could she not care?
A full half hour later.
Ye Zhen slammed the rewritten exam paper onto the homeroom teacher's desk.
"Here. Check it. See if I really cheated!"