Chapter 7: Fiercely Protective!

Ji Shichu and Ying Zhiyao returned to the classroom together. Along the way, the young girl was pouting in frustration. He spent a long time coaxing her, yet all he felt inside was a sense of warmth.

"Buddy, you're quite the legend," Dong Rui, the class sports representative, draped an arm around Ji Shichu’s shoulder like an old friend. "Wanna spar sometime?"

"Dong Rui, I think you’re just a masochist," said class monitor He Miao, adjusting the black-rimmed glasses on her face. She looked at Ying Zhiyao. "Little one, you’ve got quite a temper too, don't you?"

Ying Zhiyao pointed at herself and tilted her head at Ji Shichu: Little one? Me?

Ji Shichu understood the meaning in her eyes and was amused by the girl's adorably dazed expression. He reached out and patted her fluffy head, nodding: Yes, little one, that’s you. Who told you to be so well-behaved?

"What are you two whispering about?" Dong Rui, watching the pair communicate with their eyes, couldn't help but interrupt. He stroked his chin, looking Ji Shichu up and down. "Study God, you aren't actually that cold, are you? You can smile after all. I like this version of you."

Ji Shichu: "..."

Liked by a guy? That’s really unnecessary.

In reality, at Xingyun High, it wasn't that everyone disliked or ostracized Ji Shichu, especially his classmates. It was just that the boy was always so icy, laconic, and aloof, never initiating conversation—let alone smiling. Coupled with the "Study God" halo, it created an immediate sense of distance. Some even wondered if it was because they were too dull and the Study God didn't like hanging out with "idiots."

But they were all the top-tier students in the advanced class; even the last-ranked student in their class could outperform the best student in any other class. By any measure, they could be called high-achievers. But there was a Study God and there were high-achievers—a "God" and an "achiever"—and the gap was indeed significant. How else could he get nearly perfect scores in every single subject on every exam? They couldn't.

Conclusion: They were still "dull," the Study God didn't like dull kids, and they were too afraid to get close, fearing his disdain. *Sigh.* Dong Rui was just one of those who thought this way.

"Chuchu is the best," Ying Zhiyao said with a sweet smile. "The best in the whole world."

The usually stern He Miao couldn't help but laugh. "Ji Shichu, do you know why your classmates haven't dared to talk to you? That’s right, they were afraid of being looked down upon as dull or stupid."

The whole class, ears pricked to eavesdrop, cried silently in their hearts: The class monitor has finally voiced their inner thoughts! And then? What was the Study God’s answer?

"Dull?" Ji Shichu swept his gaze across the classroom, seemingly confused. "If the only advanced class in the senior year is considered dull, are there any smart people left in the world?"

Wow! Oh my god! The Study God just called them smart! How happy they were! Those who were often mocked for being "bookworms" who only knew how to study by rote felt their eyes prick with tears. Look, even the Study God acknowledged them. So what if they were bookworms? So what if they studied by rote? If you’re so capable, you get into the advanced class then!

They were so touched they wanted to cry.

He Miao watched everyone's reactions. She realized that from this moment on, this class had truly become an unbreakable entity, completely united. Perhaps every class monitor harbors such an obsession: their own class must be the strongest. Especially since they were the only advanced class!

Thinking this, He Miao turned her gaze to Ying Zhiyao. All this change was due to the arrival of this girl. She was the little lucky star of Class One!

Ying Zhiyao didn't understand why the class monitor's gaze was becoming increasingly... intense. She blinked her apricot-shaped eyes, meeting the monitor's stare. He Miao fought hard to keep her stern persona from crumbling; otherwise, she would have loved to rush over and give the little cutie a big hug and a squeeze! Oh my, where did this little darling come from? Class One—no, Ji Shichu—had really found a treasure! The eternal iceberg had indeed been melted by this little cutie.

Wait! Could it be... Behind her lenses, He Miao’s eyes darted rapidly between Ji Shichu and Ying Zhiyao. Heavens, could she have discovered something incredible? However, it was unlikely they had reached that stage yet. When the little darling looked at Ji Shichu, her eyes were too clear—it was just pure, innocent affection. But Ji Shichu... that wasn't right! Ji Shichu’s gaze was blatantly doting! Yet, it also seemed to hold a trace of restraint? Helplessness? Huh? What exactly was going on?

No one would ever know that their serious, upright class monitor was actually a girl with a very active inner monologue. And just as He Miao had thought, the students of Class One had fully awakened. Especially when they heard other classes bad-mouthing Ji Shichu, they became united against the outsiders! They were fiercely protective.

"Bad-mouthing the Study God? Have you no shame?"
"You're just jealous that he gets first place every time! Oh my, jealousy really makes people look ugly!"
"Do you live by the sea? Why are you so nosy? So what if he collects recyclables? So what if he’s poor? He’s earning his own money at such a young age—everything you parasites are spending right now comes from your parents!"
"A bunch of immature brats!"

Consequently, the students at Xingyun High discovered that Class One was worthy of being the advanced class; not only were their grades top-notch, but their eloquence was first-class, and they could curse people without even using a single dirty word!

The happiest person was Ying Zhiyao. Because Chuchu was so good, why should he be looked down upon? Why should he be mocked for his family's circumstances? Anyone who bullied Chuchu was a big villain!

Ji Shichu and Ying Zhiyao were inseparable, going to school and coming home together every day. Wearing the same blue and white uniforms, the handsome boy and beautiful girl were exceptionally eye-catching. They ate lunch at school, but Ying Zhiyao, whose anorexia had been cured, never ate from the school cafeteria—she was simply a picky eater. She only ate the food Ji Shichu brought from home, so he had to prepare two portions.

Aunt He naturally couldn't bear for her young mistress to live on simple fare, so she would always use that as an excuse to give Ji Shichu high-quality ingredients. Ultimately, as long as it was made by the boy's hands, the young mistress would eat it with great appetite. Thanks to this, Ji Shichu and his mother, Ji Nuan, also saw their once-modest table become quite lavish. The Ji family knew this was Aunt He’s kindness, and because the kind-hearted aunt always sent so much, both mother and son treated Ying Zhiyao with double the affection.

Yet, even now, apart from Aunt He, Ji Shichu had never met Ying Zhiyao’s family. Aunt He often visited Ji Nuan to chat, but other than the passing of Song Yushu due to illness, she never mentioned Ying Zhiyao’s family affairs. Even so, Ji Shichu sometimes wondered: a little princess pampered by her family, now living in this barren small town with only Aunt He—why hadn't her family shown up?

Curiosity was curiosity, but Ji Shichu didn't ask. It was like a silent agreement; from the beginning, neither he nor Ying Zhiyao would take the initiative to ask about the other's past.

Catching the tail end of summer, Ji Shichu took Ying Zhiyao to see the most beautiful starry sky in Ping Town. The girl tilted her small head upward, and in that moment, the vast sky of stars seemed to fall into her eyes. The girl smiled, her two dimples deepening, looking incomparably beautiful.

And so Ji Shichu thought: as long as Ying Zhiyao was by his side, all he needed to do was protect this smile of hers.