AIBBFSCITMLA Chapter 2

The physics teacher was stunned. He picked up the test paper to check, and sure enough, the answer was C. A torrent of reproachful words got stuck in his throat, almost choking him.

This was a bit embarrassing! He had stormed down in a fury, only for He Tang to get the answer right. What was he supposed to do now?

He Tang watched the physics teacher’s stunned expression and calmly put her own paper away. Her gaze swept over the books on her desk that had been deliberately knocked down onto the floor, while the other half were piled on Lin Min’s desk.

Then she glanced at Lin Min’s test paper. It was completely blank, only the first three multiple-choice questions had answers written on them.

He Tang deliberately tilted her head and looked down at Lin Min’s paper.

The physics teacher followed her line of sight, and his attention naturally landed on Lin Min as well. To ease the embarrassment of having all those scolding words stuck in his throat, he had no choice but to shift his target.

“Lin Min, why don’t you tell us why the answer is C?”

Lin Min was immediately stunned. She hadn’t done the work at all—how would she know why the answer was C?

She slowly stood up, panicking as she looked at the question. Her flustered expression immediately caught the physics teacher’s attention.

“Lin Min, let me see your test paper!” the teacher shouted.

Before she could react, he reached past the two students sitting beside her and snatched Lin Min’s paper, only to see that it was completely blank.

The physics teacher had finally found the perfect target for criticism. He immediately unleashed the speech he had been about to give He Tang onto Lin Min.

“Lin Min! You didn’t even do your homework! Do you have any idea of your own standing? Do you even want to get into college? This attitude of yours is utterly unacceptable!”

Then, turning to the entire class, he slapped the paper against the desk. “Look! Look at this! I knew it! There are always students who don’t do their homework! Lazy! Arrogant! Stupid beyond belief!”

With that, he ripped the paper in half with a sharp rip.

Lin Min’s face flushed bright red in an instant.

Her grades had always been good, and no teacher had ever singled her out before. Even when she occasionally slacked off, the teachers generally trusted her enough not to check her homework. Having her paper torn up in front of the entire class was utterly humiliating!

The more Lin Min thought about it, the more resentment welled up inside her toward He Tang. Those harsh words were supposed to have been directed at He Tang! The paper that should have been torn up was He Tang’s!

He Tang definitely hadn’t done the homework! She must have just guessed blindly!

“Teacher, He Tang also—”

“What else do you have to say? Get to the back and stand there to listen!” The physics teacher had always had a bad temper and liked to yell. Students in the class with poor grades were often scolded by him, so everyone was used to it but Lin Min being the target was a novelty.

Lin Min had decent grades and always acted obediently in front of the teachers. Who would have thought she would have a fall from grace today? And come to think of it, if Lin Min hadn’t deliberately coughed so loudly, the physics teacher wouldn’t have checked her homework. She really shot herself in the foot.

Lin Min was on the verge of tears. First, she had been hit by He Tang and lost face. Now, she had her paper torn up in front of everyone and was being made to stand as punishment. This was mortifying!

She glanced at the physics teacher’s expression, pressed her lips tightly together, and didn’t dare say another word for fear of provoking him further. In silence, she left her seat, gathered the torn pieces of her test paper, and made her way to the back of the classroom to stand.

She had always looked down on those struggling students who were punished by being made to stand at the back of the room. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that one day she would become the one everyone laughed at.

It felt like a slap to the face, burning with pain.

Having successfully carried out his usual routine of stepping down from the podium to discipline a student, the physics teacher was quite satisfied. Although his intended target had changed at the last moment, he had still managed to establish his authority as always. Content with the outcome, he returned to the podium and continued reviewing the test paper.

The students below, however, were anything but calm. Whispers spread through the classroom as they exchanged comments in hushed voices. Some even exaggerated what had happened and posted about it on the school forum.

[Haha, what a great show today. Lin Min deliberately coughed to try and get He Tang in trouble, but ended up screwing herself over, hahaha.]

[Isn’t she the one who looks down on students who get scolded by the teacher? Didn’t she get scolded today too? She always used to call others stupid, but today she was the stupid one.]

[Haha, here’s a photo for you. She’s standing in the back, studying hard with her torn-up paper.]

[Good! Serves her right for always looking down on the rest of us!]

He Tang couldn’t be bothered to listen to the whispers around her nor did she know that the school even had a campus forum. She simply sat down and began picking up all the books that Lin Min had deliberately knocked off her desk.

As she flipped through the textbooks, she was pleasantly surprised to discover that they were the same editions she had studied in her previous life and that she was also in the science stream.

This saved her a great deal of trouble. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to waste time catching up on unfamiliar coursework. Although she had been admitted through a recommendation program in her previous life and hadn’t taken the college entrance examination, her academic performance had always been strong. Keeping up with her studies here shouldn’t be much of a problem.

He Tang had no idea why she had transmigrated into a novel, nor did she know whether it was possible to return. But considering the car that had come hurtling toward her, the version of herself in the real world was most likely already dead.

Keeping her movements hidden beneath the desk, she pulled out her phone and began browsing through text messages, WeChat conversations, and other records, hoping to piece together information about the original owner’s life.

When she opened her text messages, one contact name immediately caught her attention: Aunt Pei. There was also a message she had sent a few days earlier.

[Tangtang, I’ll have the driver come pick you up today. You can move in here starting today. Everything is ready. I’ll send you the address.]

Right after that came the address: Huajing Villa No. 2.

He Tang rested her chin on one hand and thought for a moment. In the original novel, it was only mentioned that the original owner was temporarily living with the Pei family, but the reason was never explained. After all, she was nothing more than a minor supporting character. Once she had served her purpose in the early-stage crush storyline, she would end up committing suicide.

It was actually quite tragic.

Pushing the thought aside, He Tang pulled out her report card. She knew the original owner had terrible grades and ranked last in the entire year, but she had no idea just how bad things really were. The moment she unfolded the report card and looked at it, she nearly coughed up blood.

Chinese 65, Math 18, English 23, Science Comprehensive 29.

No way, right? Even guessing on all the multiple-choice questions wouldn’t get scores that low, would it?

The original book also stated that Huacheng No. 1 High School was a key school, with over ninety percent of its students admitted to top-tier universities. With grades like these, how had the original owner even managed to get in? Through the back door?

The author really must have been insane, just to forcefully establish the original owner’s character profile.

He Tang had roughly pieced together the original owner’s background, and the only thing left was to return to the Pei family in the evening and figure out her living situation there.

The afternoon passed quickly. Since it was Friday, there was no evening self-study session. When the dismissal bell rang, He Tang received a message from the driver saying he was stuck in traffic and would be a little late, so she packed up her things and sat at her desk to wait.

The other students left in a hurry. Since it was only the beginning of senior year, no one felt much academic pressure yet, they were all busy making plans to go out and have fun, and before long, the classroom had emptied out.

Except for the few people around her.

Lin Min, who was sitting next to her, had already returned to her seat. For some reason, she had dragged Xia Lian and Xia Lian’s deskmate into discussing a math problem, putting on a show of being studious.

She completely ignored He Tang, using her body to block the aisle on purpose. Then she deliberately raised her voice as she read the problem aloud. After finishing, she analyzed it in a confident tone: “For this question, it definitely can’t be A—that’s obviously wrong. If we eliminate C, then we’re left with B and D. I’m not too sure… which one do you think it is?”

With that, she shot a smug glance at He Tang.

Lin Min wanted to put He Tang in her place. She planned to trap He Tang in her seat for a while. If He Tang got angry, she would seize the opportunity to lecture her. This was how they had always disciplined He Tang in the past. After a few rounds, she would finally behave.

Today, however, He Tang had been acting strangely. They had quietly discussed it and concluded that something must have gone wrong during the confession. Perhaps He Tang had chickened out, thinking Gu Jingfeng would never like her. Humiliated and insecure, she must have snapped under pressure. As long as they bullied her a few more times, then occasionally threw her a small kindness, she would go back to being obedient, just like before.

See? She was still the same as always—trapped, silent, too afraid to speak up. Whatever had happened during the day was just a moment of impulse. People didn’t change their nature.

Xia Lian’s deskmate, unaware of all these hidden motives, thought Lin Min genuinely wanted to discuss the problem and joined in earnestly: “Why eliminate A first?”

“Are you stupid? It’s obviously not A. You can’t even see something that clear?” Lin Min’s tone unconsciously carried a hint of mockery.

Xia Lian’s deskmate’s grades were far below hers , and Lin Min didn’t even consider her someone worth seriously discussing problems with.

Just then, the driver sent another message. He Tang stood up, ready to leave.

“Move aside. I need to get out.” He Tang looked coldly at Lin Min, her bag in hand.

Lin Min curled her lips into a smile. So, she finally couldn’t hold back anymore—she just needed to be suppressed a little more!

She ignored He Tang’s words and continued discussing the problem.

He Tang gave Lin Min’s chair a light kick. It wasn’t heavy, but Lin Min’s body still swayed slightly. “Do you hear me now? Move.”

Lin Min immediately flared up. She looked up at He Tang with a sharp glare. “Move? Wait until we finish discussing the problem! You just stay there!”

Lin Min had always been domineering toward the original He Tang and never bothered to restrain herself. In her eyes, the original was nothing more than a convenient, disposable servant. Now that her temper had flared, she showed even less intention of holding back.

He Tang’s eyes darkened abruptly as she stared straight at Lin Min without blinking.

How had the original owner been living, to be bullied like this? What kind of personality did she have to make these people show her no respect, no restraint whatsoever?

In the original novel, the original owner was only a little naive and stubborn in her pursuit of the male lead; she had never done anything truly unforgivable.

Truthfully, it was probably just that these people preyed on the weak and feared the strong. They saw the original owner as easy to bully, so they pushed her around as they pleased.

The atmosphere in the classroom instantly turned tense. Xia Lian’s deskmate, who had never been involved in their schemes before, felt a little frightened and could only sit quietly to the side, not daring to speak up for He Tang.

After all, Lin Min and the others were not easy to deal with; going against them would only bring trouble.

“Oh, Tangtang, don’t be so anxious. And Minmin, why are you getting so angry? Tangtang, just sit for a while. Wait until we finish discussing the problem, then we can all leave together.” Xia Lian, sitting nearby, quickly put on her usual gentle expression again, pretending to mediate.

He Tang suddenly smiled, as if she found it amusing. She turned to Xia Lian and followed her words casually, “But the driver is waiting for me. I can’t keep someone waiting, can I? You know I’m staying in someone else’s house right now. I can’t afford to offend them.”

The moment Xia Lian heard this, the corner of her lips curled almost imperceptibly. As expected, as long as they switched between harshness and softness, the old He Tang would come back.

Speaking of the driver, Xia Lian was genuinely envious. Not of He Tang having a driver—people like them all had drivers—but of the Pei family’s driver.

Who would have thought that after He Tang’s family went bankrupt, she would be taken in by the Pei family? She had heard it was because He Tang’s grandfather had some connection with the Pei family patriarch. If He Tang really managed to cling to that connection and end up better off than them, how could they possibly accept it?

And today, the person He Tang had stuffed her confession letter into was none other than the Pei family’s son, Pei Yubai. No one knew what kind of scheme she was plotting.

Xia Lian was eager for the driver to develop a bad impression of He Tang, to report back or spread rumors, cutting off any possible connection He Tang had with the Pei family.

“It’s fine, just make him wait a little. He’s just a driver anyway, no need to be so polite with him,” Xia Lian said to He Tang with a smile.

The corner of He Tang’s mouth curled into a faint smirk. “Oh? Really? I didn’t expect the Xia family’s daughter to have such manners. Noted.”

Xia Lian’s face flushed briefly. She forcibly suppressed the discomfort in her heart, telling herself that He Tang probably hadn’t seen through her intentions and that she was definitely overthinking it.

He Tang then turned back to Lin Min and said in a slightly mocking tone, “Are you moving or not?”

Lin Min froze for a moment. So after all that talk, it had all been useless? Were they being played?

Her anger flared instantly, and she raised her voice. “No!”

Without hesitation, He Tang smiled. Using the chair as a stepping stone, she stepped directly onto Lin Min’s desk and walked across her books.

Lin Min shot to her feet, fury rushing to her head. She pointed at He Tang, who was walking across her desk, and shouted in disbelief, “He Tang, what do you think you’re doing?!”

After stepping across Lin Min’s desk, He Tang jumped down and landed steadily on the ground. Without even glancing at Lin Min, she continued walking toward the back door of the classroom, casually tossing out a remark as she went, “I thought since you were blocking the aisle, you were offering me your desk as a walkway. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”

Lin Min was furious. She grabbed a book and slammed it hard onto the desk in frustration. “I said I was discussing a problem! You’re talking nonsense! You—you—you did that on purpose!”

He Tang had just reached the back door, which was half open. She hooked it lightly with her foot and pushed it open a little more. “With your IQs, you’re discussing problems?”

“What do you mean by that?!” Lin Min’s hands trembled with rage, yet she still forced herself to keep her finger pointed at He Tang’s back, refusing to lose face.

He Tang paused at the doorway. She flicked her hand lightly, swinging her backpack onto her shoulder, then turned her head slightly with a faint smile. “That problem just now? The answer is A, you idiot.”