"Lin Xuan! Have you lost your mind?!"
Yu Jiaxin finally lost her temper, shouting angrily at Lin Xuan.
Instantly, everyone in the classroom froze in shock.
They had never seen Yu Jiaxin fly into such a rage, let alone over Lin Xuan.
"Xuanzi, what did you do to her? Why is Yu Jiaxin so furious with you?"
Zhao Tianxiang was completely baffled; he had never seen Yu Jiaxin lose her composure like this.
"I have no idea. I didn't do anything at all."
Lin Xuan looked just as bewildered. He hadn't provoked her and had no clue what was wrong with her.
"Excuse me, campus belle Yu, did I do something?"
Lin Xuan looked at Yu Jiaxin and asked coldly.
Yu Jiaxin froze when she saw his cold gaze.
That's right, he hadn't done anything. What on earth was she so angry about?
At that moment, she felt as though she had been abandoned by someone important.
In the past, she could throw temper tantrums at Lin Xuan, say things that deeply hurt his self-esteem, and pull all sorts of unreasonable stunts.
But all of that had been built on the foundation of Lin Xuan's affection for her. Now, what right did she have to boss him around?
"Fine, stay like that then! Who wants to care about you anyway!"
With that, Yu Jiaxin stormed out of the classroom in a huff.
"Hey, Jiaxin, wait for me!"
Zhou Lin, the ultimate simp, hurried after her.
"Xuanzi, are you sure you don't want to go and coax her? I think Yu Jiaxin is genuinely angry!"
Although he strongly agreed with Lin Xuan's decision not to chase after her, he was even more terrified that once Yu Jiaxin stopped paying attention to him, Lin Xuan would fall back into self-destruction.
"What? Tianxiang, do you want me to go play the simp again?"
Lin Xuan retorted, annoyed.
"I'm just afraid you'll go moping and making a fuss over her again. Have you forgotten? Last time she gave you the silent treatment, you camped outside her front door all night, and I stayed up all night trying to talk sense into you. I won't be able to handle another stunt like that!"
Zhao Tianxiang feigned anger and gave Lin Xuan a punch on the shoulder.
"I was clueless before, but I won't be anymore. What right does Yu Jiaxin have to make me lose my mind over her?"
Zhao Tianxiang looked at Lin Xuan, feeling as though he had truly changed.
"I'm taking Yinluo out to lunch. Are you coming?"
"I knew it! You brat have shifted your simping to Yinluo, haven't you? Even though she's gorgeous, she has to actually be willing, you know. It's not like I..."
"Get lost..."
...
"I think I'll pass. If you're treating her to lunch, it'd be way too awkward for me to tag along. I'll go grab something by myself."
"Alright, see you for dinner tonight then!"
"You got it!"
Watching the two of them leave, Zhao Tianxiang was genuinely happy for Lin Xuan.
It seemed he wouldn't need to constantly lecture Lin Xuan anymore. And honestly, if Lin Xuan genuinely liked Ling Yinluo, that wasn't a bad thing at all.
Everyone in the class knew Ling Yinluo's personality: gentle and timid, but warm-hearted, always helping classmates out and getting along well with everyone. Unlike Yu Jiaxin, who always wore a cold expression and acted like she was above everyone else.
Looked at that way, Ling Yinluo and Lin Xuan actually made a great match!
"Jiaxin, wait up! Why are you walking so fast?"
Zhou Lin called out, chasing after Yu Jiaxin.
"Did that brat Lin Xuan do something to you? Just tell me, I'll get someone to beat him up!"
"What business is it of yours?! You are so annoying!"
Yu Jiaxin was burning with anger, her mind entirely consumed by thoughts of Lin Xuan. When Zhou Lin mentioned his name, a sharp pain stabbed at her heart for no apparent reason.
Scolded fiercely, Zhou Lin didn't dare utter another sound and meekly trailed behind her.
*Damn it! It's all Lin Xuan's fault for making Yu Jiaxin mad and taking her anger out on me. I'll have to find a chance to teach him a lesson later!* Zhou Lin thought to himself.
The school cafeteria was packed, a sea of heads as far as the eye could see.
"Yinluo, grab a table. What do you want to eat? I'll go get the food!"
It was peak lunchtime; if they didn't secure a table now, there wouldn't be any left in a minute.
"Get me some scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried pumpkin, and some broccoli. And just half a portion of rice, otherwise I won't be able to finish it."
"You're eating all vegetarian? No meat at all? Don't try to save money for me. We're in our final year of high school, the academic pressure is huge, you need to nourish yourself properly!"
"No, no, I'm on a diet!"
Girls nowadays loved beauty and were terrified of gaining weight.
"What diet? Looking at you, you probably don't even weigh ninety pounds. I feel like a gust of wind could blow you over."
"Then have you forgotten who saved you yesterday?"
Ling Yinluo said, feigning anger.
"Fine, fine! I can't argue with you. I'm off to get the food!"
Lin Xuan darted off to join the queue.
As it happened, Yu Jiaxin was sitting right across from Ling Yinluo.
Zhou Lin had eagerly gone to get food for Yu Jiaxin, but she had zero appetite right now.
Her mind was completely occupied by thoughts of Lin Xuan, driving her crazy with frustration.
Seeing Ling Yinluo sitting alone, Yu Jiaxin felt a spark of joy.
*So much for keeping Ling Yinluo company at lunch—where is he? As expected, he was just putting on an act in front of me to make me jealous!*
*I almost fell for it! He still loves me!*
*If Lin Xuan doesn't apologize to me properly later, I am never forgiving him for this stunt!*
At this thought, the displeasure vanished from Yu Jiaxin's face, and she cast a smug, triumphant glance at Ling Yinluo.
*How pathetic, turning into a tool for Lin Xuan to make me jealous!*
Ling Yinluo was resting her cheek in her hand, waiting for Lin Xuan's return, when she inadvertently caught Yu Jiaxin's look.
*Why does it feel like she's looking at a love rival? Did I see things?*
"Food's here!"
Lin Xuan arrived carrying two trays and sat down next to Ling Yinluo.
Yu Jiaxin froze at the sight of Lin Xuan holding two trays.
All her thoughts from just moments ago turned out to be pure wishful thinking!
For some reason, the previously smug Yu Jiaxin now felt a twinge of envy toward the girl sitting beside Lin Xuan.
That seat should have belonged to her...
And now someone else had taken her place.
Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. *Hold back! I must hold back! I can't let anyone see me cry!*
Ling Yinluo looked down at her plate. Alongside the vegetarian dishes she had requested, there were two large chicken drumsticks and braised pork belly.
"Ah? Why did you give me so much meat?"
"Eat up! It's no good if you get too skinny from hunger! Besides, you need a balance of meat and vegetables for complete nutrition! Only with good fuel can you study well!"
"You..."
Ling Yinluo thought about it and realized Lin Xuan wasn't wrong; she couldn't find a single flaw in his logic.
"Even so, I can't finish all this! Help me eat some."
"I've got my own. You're responsible for clearing everything on your tray!"
"No way, I really can't finish it! Lin Xuan, help me eat a drumstick!"
With that, Ling Yinluo picked up a drumstick and placed it on Lin Xuan's tray.
The sound of the two of them chatting and laughing reached Yu Jiaxin's ears, sounding gratingly harsh.
In the past, whenever they ate lunch together, Lin Xuan would thoughtfully buy her food, wipe down the table and chairs, and then go sit at another table to eat.
After finishing her meal, Yu Jiaxin wouldn't even spare Lin Xuan a glance before turning and walking away, leaving him all by himself.
Because deep down, she felt it was beneath her to sit and eat with a loser like Lin Xuan, fearing other students would laugh at her if they saw them.
So why was she feeling so upset now that Lin Xuan stopped trailing after her?