Chapter 15: On the Way Home from School

“Li Neng! Stop whispering! If you don’t, I’ll come down and you come up here to speak, and everyone will listen to you!”

“No one’s raising their hand? Fine, if no one volunteers, I’ll call names!”

“Wu Yue, step forward! Don’t ask me why!”

“You guys are the worst class I’ve ever taught!”

“Don’t forget the homework; I’ll be going over it tomorrow. Don’t tell me you forgot it at home—if you don’t bring it, it means you didn’t do it!”

The new day ended, as usual, with the teacher’s relentless psychological pressure.

Zhai Da sighed, thinking that the teachers from before were truly formidable. The post-90s generation could withstand more pressure and manipulation than the post-00s students. The teachers certainly deserved some credit.

They’d won at the starting line.

Today’s campus life ended smoothly as always. Zhai Da had listened attentively all day. Though he hadn’t absorbed much knowledge, at least he had choked on the sea of information a little.

Anyone who’s ever choked on water knows that some of it still manages to go down.

On the way home from school, Zhai Da pondered his next move.

The “Defy Fate Special Project” was already planned, but before it could be launched officially, something was still missing.

Money.

That old big-screen TV... 2,000 yuan was definitely a bit steep; maybe there was room to bargain, but Zhai Da decided to prepare for a 2,000-yuan shortfall just in case.

The problem was, he had no money. Even though Yu Xiaoli gave him 100 yuan every week, he’d have to live like a money-hoarding mythical beast for five months to save up 2,000 yuan. By then, he’d probably have ended up working in a factory.

Thus, he faced a challenge common to countless reincarnators: acquiring his first pot of gold.

So, he decided to borrow.

Earn that 2,000 yuan through hard work? Possible, but unnecessary.

For such a small amount, engaging in low-level hustles like buying and selling, submitting song covers, or selling starch sausages at a stall seemed counterproductive.

Just borrowing 2,000 yuan... Was he afraid he couldn’t repay it?

His family had no relatives except for a distant aunt with whom he had a strained relationship. None of his classmates could cough up that sum either.

He grumbled again about the fact that there were no rich kids in his class—losing out on an excellent resource.

As for asking Ms. Yu, he’d have to explain the purpose clearly, and buying a bulky old TV wouldn’t make for a convincing case.

Lu Wei… had started working, but never mind—let the girl just eat more meals.

For some reason, recalling that tall, slender girl stirred a pang of regret in Zhai Da’s heart.

She was a senior from last year, seemingly not a poor student, yet she ended up as a factory worker.

He laughed bitterly at himself. He had mocked Wu Yue and the others’ cheap “chivalrous” attitudes before, but today he found himself suffering the same ailment.

Why dwell on these thoughts? Hadn’t he better save himself first? Otherwise, he might well become a factory mate.

Along the way home, bursts of cheerful laughter rang out now and then. Every boy and girl was brimming with vitality.

Zhai Da maliciously thought: Given the enrollment rate of Maofang High School and the narrow job market in Dongyang County, maybe these lively youths would one day reunite on the assembly line.

For some reason, his mind drifted back to Teacher Shen Rui’s question…

Zhai Da was deep in thought until the noise behind him interrupted him.

---

Footsteps approached from behind, getting closer. Zhai Da swiftly twisted his well-used backside to the side, dodging Wu Yue’s hand reaching to pat him.

He shot a deadpan glance at the guy. Was Wu Yue really going to America just to wash dishes to buy a restaurant?

Wu Yue looked wistfully at his hand, then simply patted Zhai Da on the shoulder.

“Zhai Da! Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“Wait for what?”

“To walk home together.”

After a few days, Zhai Da already knew how to play the part of a “high school student.”

Just a bit of sharp-tongued banter was enough.

“I’m not interested in walking home with a male classmate. Get lost, homo.”

Sure enough, Wu Yue nodded with satisfaction. This was his true friend.

“I think what you said that day made a lot of sense.”

“Every word I say makes sense. Which one are you talking about?”

“The part where you said that in the future, I’d have my own restaurant.”

His father ran a small eatery, but Wu Yue had always been rebellious and uninterested in the family business.

Even though he’d given up on further studies and planned to help out at the family restaurant after graduation, he only intended to be a waiter temporarily. He was convinced he would someday rise to the top.

Like every high school boy.

Because of limited experience, they believe the road ahead is smooth and that they are destined for greatness.

But Zhai Da’s words had opened his mind: washing dishes and owning a restaurant were entirely different things. Imagining himself as his father, suddenly it didn’t seem so bad.

If he were the boss... the waiters would have to be young and pretty!

How was that any different from running a harem?!

Teenage brains always found a way to circle back to such nonsense.

Zhai Da didn’t comment: “Good luck. You can do it.”

With Wu Yue’s family soon facing demolition, opening a restaurant in the future seemed feasible. Though the best inheritors were those who didn’t start businesses, still...

It was better than wasting the demolition compensation like in his previous life.

Wu Yue walked and talked, enthusiastically sharing his “business plan,” such as all waiters wearing black stockings, with a stylish menu half British, half Indian cuisine.

Zhai Da thought it was a good idea: serve British food to customers, have them dump it straight into the trash, then cycle it through the kitchen and serve it again as Indian food.

Occasionally teasing, mostly listening, they walked on until Zhai Da suddenly spotted a familiar figure ahead.

It seemed to be Lin Shuyao.

He remembered now… their routes home overlapped for a stretch. She probably took a bus after three intersections, while he walked all the way back.

The “high schooler Zhai Da” sometimes lagged behind silently, watching Lin Shuyao’s back, daydreaming.

He hoped she might turn around and say, “Oh, we’re going the same way. Let’s walk home together.”

But he was also too shy to face the possibility that she might actually notice him.

He suddenly recalled an old phrase:

Avoiding eye contact in panic is just to hide that fleeting heartbeat.

How to put it...

Being a shy boy is just pretentious.

Zhai Da glanced back and then lost interest.

Unbeknownst to him, Lin Shuyao had already noticed who was behind her the moment Wu Yue called out Zhai Da’s name.

But she hadn’t turned around, just quietly eavesdropped.

After they left the cold-skin noodle shop that day, she’d spent hours stewing alone at home, upset that Zhai Da had made her lose face in public.

Yet she certainly wouldn’t reflect on whether it was appropriate for Zhai Da to eat her leftovers.

For the past two days, she had been secretly observing Zhai Da, hoping to see something she wanted to see.

For instance, signs of guilt or evasion, or better yet, if he could calmly (and humbly) apologize, all the better.

But there was nothing... the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Because of Zhai Da’s overly indifferent attitude, the previously settled rumors were now showing signs of reversal. Some gossipy girls were already saying Zhai never confessed—that it was Lin Shuyao herself who spread the rumor.

Trapped in her own vicious cycle of thought, she made a decision last night that went against all ancestral teachings.

She would radiate her charm and make Zhai Da fall for her again... only to reject him more formally and publicly!

So that everyone would know: I, Lin Shuyao, am not that kind of girl! Zhai Da is just pretending to be deep!

She believed this was the only way to salvage her pride and prove herself to everyone.

With this little plan in mind, Lin Shuyao’s way of walking became increasingly deliberate.

She had some talent and background in tea arts, with a statuesque figure. Even her silhouette carried a youthful radiance.

But after all, she was just a high school girl...

When it came to execution, reality often deviated from one’s imagined self.

Zhai Da raised an eyebrow behind her.

“Is Lin Shuyao... limping?”

Why was her gait so strange?

Whatever... whether it was limping or slick moves, it wasn’t his concern.

After two intersections, Zhai Da suddenly turned his head in surprise.

He patted Wu Yue’s shoulder. “You go ahead. I have something to take care of.”

Without waiting for a reply, he slipped into a side alley.

He stopped in front of a certain shop.