Author's Note:
Okay, freaking long chapter, around 9500 words to be exact, so you're welcome. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
Things are going to be heating up preeetty soon~ d(*ゝωб*)
Trigger warning: Bullying and Slight molesting involved (spoilers!)
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It was right after school that Alex then realizes she had forgotten to read the information in pertaining towards the original owner of her new body. The rest of the day ended without much fanfare—sure Wen Zhegang tried to haggle her a few times during class, but that was only one class period and Alex is not the type to let one person ruin her entire day so everything else was pretty much smooth sailing from there. She had just escorted Bai Yang to the station so that he could get back home and was just on her way back to Chang Hui's place until she realized that she doesn't know where she is supposed to live.
'Hey Sys, can I get the information on Chang Hui now? I forgot to look it over,' Alex asks, wondering how she's going to read it in the first place considering that the notebook she has originally used to read this world's information packet is filled with notes from her history class, but she didn't really expect an answer from her companion. Since third period until now, when the System has finally given up on convincing its Host to change her mind, Sisay has been sulking for the entire day, barely responding to any of Alex's inquiries to the point that they're just not on speaking terms anymore.
Honestly, it makes her feel a little anxious due to how quiet Sisay is. They have been talking non-stop to each other ever since she died in her last world, so the silence in her head is very unnerving, but Alex is still unwilling to give Wang Wei a chance even if it meant being coldly treated by Sisay for the rest of her time here. Her stubbornness is one of her worse and best traits.
Either way, after five minutes of silence, Alex just shrugs and starts heading towards a random direction, hoping that her new body has some kind of homing device that would lead her back to wherever Chang Hui's place is. But as soon as she starts walking down the street, a screen pops up in front of her face, making her blink in astonishment before grinning. She stops near the side of the street and looks over the floating screen.
Ah, the famous invisible, tactile, screen display. Not really caring for the fact that she's out in the open, Alex starts scrolling through the information with her hand, her other covering her mouth with a contemplating expression on her face.
So far that she had read, the original Chang Hui had nothing to do with this world's main story plot. She had never supported any of the characters, or interfered with them, or even interacted with them. Suffice to say, Chang Hui is a mob character and a very insignificant one at that. Rather, she was never supposed to be in the line of sight for any of the characters, including Bai Yang and Chao Heng (though she would be happy to be able to avoid Chao Heng for as long as she likes. That guy just know how to automatically irritate her).
Of course, that was before Alex had decided discretion took the backburner to adoring her adorable and flustered Bai Yang. Honestly, how can anyone look at her cinnamon bun and not want to rub their cheeks against his soft hair?
Regardless, despite how ordinary and unimportant Chang Hui is supposed to be, her history is nothing to slouch over.
When Chang Hui was seven, her parents died in a fire that was caused by a gas leak in their office building, only leaving her with the family's inheritance and her parent's life insurance. Orphaned, she was shoved into the care of her relatives, who greedily eyed the fortune left by her parents. Over the years, they (mostly her Aunt Cao) had been secretly embezzling Chang Hui's inheritance and tricked her into giving them all the money she got from the life insurance. A kid not even past ten and grieving for her lost parents: Chang Hui had no chance against her scheming and shameless relatives. And once they had full claim to her inheritance and used all of her parent's life insurance for their own selfish desires, her aunt kicked her out into the streets, claiming that she was a waste of space and an unwanted extra mouth.
Fortunately, Chang Hui followed her parent's belief in achieving rewards through hard work, so she had been secretly taking part-time jobs to earn some money for herself since her aunt never gave her an allowance. Luckily, Chang Hui's growth spurt came very early and it was also not difficult for her to look mature also with some change in her wardrobe. Chang Hui was also not picky about her job either, so she didn't mind doing manual labor or other unpopular jobs as long as they're decent and not unsavory. Lifting, cleaning, moving, customer service—Chang Hui had tried them all. She kept this all hidden from her relatives (which wasn't difficult because they never really cared too much about what she did in her free time. They only made sure that she was at least fed and attending school). Because of her work ethic, she has saved up a decent amount of money in her bank account, so despite being disowned by her family, her situation wasn't completely disastrous.
She had also applied to Du Guan Academy as well and was just recently accepted before she was kicked out, on a student scholarship nonetheless, so all she would have to worry about, in terms of expenses, is the rent for her apartment, school supplies, and food. But even so, in order to meet with the school's expectations and stay in the top 30 of her grade, Chang Hui had to quit all of her part-time jobs and devote herself to being a full-time student, which means she would have to be more frugal with her money for the next year and a half.
Despite all the hardships, Chang Hui seemed to be getting right on track with her life and as long as her relatives didn't try to swindle her once again, especially when they found out that she's now a student at the prestigious Du Guan Academy, she could live a comfortable and satisfied life.
But Chang Hui was also tired.
Tired of years of hard labor, tired of school, tired of stress, tired of her scheming relatives, and tired of being alone all the damn time. She was just tired of life, which never gave her time to just sit down and enjoy the weather. Chang Hui couldn't help but wish that she was somewhere else—somewhere less lonely. Somewhere she doesn't have to come back to an empty home, somewhere that could alleviate the exhaustion in her bones, somewhere she could be loved and love in return, not here where her parents are dead, where she's betrayed by her only living family and mocked by her peers for her loveless life.
She just wanted to stop feeling as if she has the weight of the world onto her heart, lungs, chest—she did not want to end her life because she had been so stubborn about living that it felt wasteful to just end it because of her loneliness but sometimes, she wondered. She wondered what it would be like to be anywhere, but here.
Somehow, the heavens responded to her prayers, promising her a different life as long as she didn't mind losing her memories and never returning to her world. As shifty as the offer sounded, Chang Hui agreed because there was nothing in this world that could make her stay in the first place.
So then entered Alex, who took over Chang Hui's body as soon as the girl agreed to have her soul transferred to a different world.
Alex can't help but wonder whether Chang Hui has found what she is looking.
By the time she finishes reading, Alex has a frown on her face. Why are all these characters so young and with such tragic backstories (with the exception of Hong Shufen, who is apparently spoiled by this universe's grace and love for some reason)? Even Wang Wei has it tough, losing his parents when he's barely even an adult and having to resume responsibility over his family's corporation with hardly any time to grieve. Sure, he has the power of being the male lead, so he's probably not as unfortunate as she thinks he is, but Wang Wei is human, not just some silly OP character created for the protagonist's convenience, and she can't imagine him being unaffected by his parent's death.
Nonetheless, despite going through the whole packet, Alex still hasn't found a single address to Chang Hui's apartment. She thought her problem through a little more, before asking the silent Sisay, 'Is it possible for me to look into Chang Hui's memories? Or is her memories tied to her soul, therefore I don't access to it?'
Once again, Sisay doesn't say anything, leaving Alex waiting in the silence. Just as she is about to give up on talking with the System and just try out her body's non-existent homing ability, Sisay speaks up hesitantly:【It is possible... but I'm afraid the memories that Host has access to are just fragments of the original. Unless Host has the necessary soul power to clarify the missing and blurry parts, you can look into it, but...】
'I don't have soul power—at least not yet.'
【If Host finishes the mission, then you can get soul power.】
Ah. Of course, Sisay is not going to let this topic go so easily.
Scratching the back of her head irritably, Alex waves her hand to close the screen in front of her, a frustrated expression on her face. "I'm not going to argue with you about this, Sys," Alex says out loud, not bothering to keep her voice down.
【There wouldn't be anything to argue about if Host wasn't so stubborn.】
"Yeah, well, I'm going to keep being stubborn by telling you that I'm not going to do it."
Sisay makes a frustrated noise, which Alex can also relate to as well.【Why not?】
"'Why not'?" Alex scoffs in disbelief. "You're really asking me 'why not'? I can give you a list."
【They belong with each other!】
"What kind of shit reasoning is that?"
【It's true though! Bai Yang and Wang Wei are meant to be!】
"Was that supposed to convince me? You better try harder Sys, because I still don't see a reason why I should give them the chance of being together."
Somehow, despite the fact Sisay is not a physical entity in any form, she could feel it trembling in anger.【Why is Host so stubborn?!】
"Why are you so stubborn?!" Alex shoots back childishly, agitated by the argument.
【I just want to help Host!】
"Then why don't you help me find Chang Hui's apartment?! Or would you rather that I sleep on the streets instead?!" Alex never claimed to be a good person—she's the type of person that does whatever she wants and if she wanted something, she'll use whatever advantages she has to get them. If that means to use Sisay's kindness to end this irritating topic, then she won't feel too guilty about it.
Though she knows they are bound to each other, that there are a number of things that Sisay could have done to her soul in order to make her compliant, Sisay is just way too nice as a System to do anything to her. Alex finds out very quickly that Sisay doesn't fit the profile of those systems she had read in light novels from her former life. Sisay is not omnipotent, or robotic, or unfeeling, or cruel and uncaring of life. Alex was expecting Sisay to be unresponsive or unemotional in what she says or does. Alex was planning to live her life the way she wanted regardless of what her true mission is, but Sisay was an unexpected factor to her life, one that she had endeared herself to.
Sisay goes silent once again and stays silent for the longest of time.
Huh, maybe Sisay really is angry enough to leave her sleeping without a roof over her head.
Just as she was contemplating whether to find a park bench to sleep on, Sisay speaks up in a soft and exhausted voice: 【Keep going forward down Yunqi Street and then after three blocks down, take a left on JianHong Avenue. Across the street, Host should see a convenience store and around the corner should be Lei Apartments. Second floor, room 205. Keys should be in the bag.】
Alex, without a single hesitation or doubt in Sisay's instructions, follows its direction to the last word. And while the apartments that Sisay directs her to have yellowed and crumbly walls, overgrown weeds in the yard, and look as if it could be the home of many small pests, she doesn't blink as she climbs on the rickety stairs to room 205 and sticks the key into the lock. Without fanfare, she enters the apartment, not even asking for confirmation from the System.
For the rest of the night, they didn't talk with each other.
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Three weeks have passed since then and while Alex puts no effort in accomplishing her mission, it doesn't mean she wasn't busy all the while.
And by busy, she means hanging out and deepening her friendship with Bai Yang, who has finally stopped being awkward or flustered around her by the end of the second week of her transfer. In fact, he now leans and softens against her whenever she dives in for a hug, which she often takes advantage over to allow longer cuddle times causing Sisay to be both amused and exasperated. Alex and Sisay are now tentatively talking, both avoiding the topic of the mission and Bai Yang's intended for as long as possible. For the sake of their truce, Alex doesn't mention anything about the modeling industry to Bai Yang, neither advocating nor discouraging the plot. She just spends her time living as 'Chang Hui'—though if anyone that previous knows the original Chang Hui sees her now, other than by her looks, they'll definitely won't be able to recognize her. And because Alex is not doing anything harmful in concern towards the main task, Sisay doesn't make any comments on her relaxed and carefree days.
In those three weeks, Alex has dutifully attended classes (if only because she would get to see Bai Yang) and the results were rather... mixed.
Of course, math taught under Wen Zhegang just mean more opportunities for the man to try and humiliate her—which is not really going well since Alex is well-versed in calculus up to integrations and derivatives, baffling her homeroom teacher. With Sisay as her calculator (which it still agrees to continue to be, much to her surprise) and her cheat-like knowledge of mathematical subjects due to her degree requirement in taking several courses of math, it's difficult to allow Wen Zhegang to bully her. Eventually, he would have to quit, seeing that he often has to deviate from his actual lecture in order to do so, and with how often he's losing face. Wen Zhegang can only glare at her in frustration during class as she spaces out or occupies her time with something else.
It's pretty much the same thing in biology and chemistry—because of her in-depth knowledge of both subject, being a biochemist with a masters in biochemical studies, Alex has a hard time listening to both lectures with any interest. The repetitiveness of information that she already has a deeper understanding of (honestly, she cannot look at orbitals the same ever again without thinking about harmonic oscillators or rigid rotors) often makes her space out or sleepy, causing the ire of both her chemistry and biology teachers.
They're firmly in the 'I detest Chang Hui' side of the teacher lounge with Wen Zhegang as their president.
History is different though. Considering how a good amount of the historical figures and events that they talked about didn't exist back in her old world, Alex is surprisingly an active participant in discussions. She would often ask for more information or clarification in regards towards certain events or time and finds herself enthralled by the people involved. It made her history teacher, Lin Min, very content with her blatant interest.
Her English teacher, Dong Clinton (though in English, he made sure to have everyone call him either Mr. Dong or just Clint if they're comfortable with it), immediately pointed out her fluency on the first day (because she has no acting ability and had stupidly answered everything Dong Clinton had said in English without a thought because it was her first language and she wasn't used to Mandarin yet). Once he did, he took her outside of class and recommended that she takes another foreign language classes to increase her repertoire, but she had declined without a single hesitating thought, mostly because she's a lazy human being and didn't want to increase her school workload. Fortunately, Dong Clinton respected her wishes and just advised her to then work on her English grammar instead. So while everyone else was following the curriculum as planned, Alex would be in the back doing grammar workbooks in the back at her own pace, allowing her to be occupied and content with her class time.
Geography hadn't changed from her last world, except for the changes in country names and some major cities, which kept her interest in the class and therefore, kept the teacher from singling her out. In physics, they're only going over momentum and mechanics, which Alex couldn't help but be thankful for since she's horrible at understanding how circuits and currents works but just in case, she paid some attention to her physic teacher's lectures and hope to god that they'll never reach that proportion of physics. She'll take organic chemistry over circuitry any day.
Her classes remind her a lot of how college classes are structured—which make sense considering how much this school emphasizes on education and test scores. For Alex to stay in the school, she would have to be in the top 30 of her grade, which is no small feat since there are at least 100 students in her grade and most of them are from well-to-do families that have tutors and other advantages to help keep their scores high and in check. But because of this great importance on grades, despite the social hierarchy or the amount of money in your back pocket, the people who score well tend to be more revered and untouchable.
Though Alex has mix reactions in concern towards the student body and her teachers, it's difficult to deny that she's starting to be more like a prodigy or a genius every single day. There are not many people in her classroom that can match her knowledge and quick-thinking, so most of the enemies that she has made (especially Chao Heng) were not able to deal with her directly. Instead, they decided to try using underhanded methods instead.
On the fifth day after Alex first had started classes, she found her shoe locker painted and marked with vulgar insults like 'bitch' or 'motherfucker' and a lot of things about eggs and her ancestors (???)? Bai Yang and Sisay were so horrified by the defilement while Alex—well, she cackled. In fact, she was able to coax Bai Yang to take a picture for her if only so that she can have a souvenir of her first bullying in this world. Honestly, she's too old to be offended by such childish bullying, not to mention she's not really the type to care what people think of her in the first place.
People can curse at her, spit at her, or try to throw stuff at her face and she wouldn't blink an eye or give them the time of day because their opinion is completely insignificant in comparison to –say– Bai Yang or Sisay. It's because of these cheap bullying tricks that Sisay finally started talking to her again. Worried and apprehensive about her safety, Sisay would try to console her and make sure she's not upset due to the incident.
Honestly, she had thought that Sisay would give her the silent treatment until the end of her life with how unresponsive it was to her previous comments and calls otherwise, but of course, in the case that she might get hurt or bullied, Sisay would come through like the mother hen it is. Silently, while Sisay was busy fussing and fuming about her so-called bullies and their immature artwork on her locker, Alex silently thanked those dumbasses for ending their impasse. The quietness was about to drive her crazy.
Over the next few days, along with having her locker decorated, her antagonists also decided to vandalize her desk with the exact same vulgar language. She also, in amusement, asked Bai Yang to take a picture for her to keep.
Since Alex was untroubled by the desecration of her desk (in fact, whenever she was bored, she would track the marked wood with her pencil lead and silently chuckle whenever the words like 'fuck' or 'bastard' stood out), they also sent her a threatening note soon after.
While Sisay once again fumed over her intimidators' actions (rather loudly; as touched as she feels over the other's concern, the concept of inside voices are lost during this time), Alex once again couldn't help but find their notes rather amusing to read:
Die, Bitch!
Go fuck yourself!
You don't belong here!
Good-for-nothing nobody!
Go kill yourself!
Simple things like that. Shrugging, she stuffed these notes into her bag without bothering to read them twice, secretly hiding them from Bai Yang because the kid would always look really upset whenever he would see the cruel words given to her. No amount of reassurance would make him feel better afterward, so she found it better not to distress the young man with little things like these.
Then, as she was seeing Bai Yang off from his station, Sisay immediately warned her that she was being followed by some suspicious characters. Luckily, due to her habit of wandering around, Alex knew the neighborhood like that back of her hand so it was not difficult to lose them. Even so, Sisay became increasingly attentive towards her and Alex couldn't help but preen under the attention.
So despite her colorful school life, everything stopped when the third week came around, mostly because everyone else was too busy studying for the school-wide exams on Friday to bother with anything else. Of course, that didn't lessen the animosity towards Alex. In fact, because of her casual and free-spirit, and how absolutely stress-free she looks during exam period, she gathered a lot of hate from her classmates who are struggling with their own studies.
Fail, you impudent nobody! We want to see you get kicked out of Du Guan! This was the general opinion of Class 2-A.
They were also aware that once Alex got kicked out, she would be more exposed to the Chao family's influence and seeing how she disrespected their young master, it wouldn't be long until she'll get ruined by them. Not to mention the disgrace of being kicked out from one of the most prestigious schools in the country after only three weeks; no other school will be willing to take her in (especially with the Chao family's interferences) unless it's a low-tier institute.
While her classmates are hoping for her downfall, Alex continues on at her own pace, looking (skimming) over some of the material with a glance while focusing on reviewing her notes over physics, geography, history, and some others subjects that she was not familiar with. Bai Yang never really questioned her casual and rather spontaneous studying habits. They often studied together (or rather, Alex helped tutor Bai Yang) on a lot of the material they have learned during class and he quickly found out that Alex knows a lot more than what their teacher has taught, so he wasn't really concern about how well she'll do on the exams. He's honestly more worried about the people who kept trying to bully Alex, but he doesn't know what to do about it. He hasn't even solved his own problems; how can he solve someone else's?
Either way, Friday finally came around, and without much fanfare from Alex, who was not affected by the tense and stressed atmosphere, did what she had always done when she had an exam: she took a deep breath in and out and focused on her test with the intensity of a leopard hunting its prey. And once she had finished, she went home, slumped onto her bed, and then proceeded to sleep for the next 24 hours without food or water.
Of course, Sisay wouldn't allow that and sometime around noon on Saturday, pestered her to wake up and eat something before she can shrivel up.
Hearing the concern from her System, Alex could only comply grudgingly and make a show of eating her cheap, cardboard-flavor cereal pointedly.
Fortunately, the school gave their students the weekends off (imagine her horror in finding out that she still had to attend class on weekends) to finish grading the exams so that they can have the ranking and the results out by Monday. Therefore, Alex spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and exploring certain things about the original owner of the body—like her bank account, the details of her inheritance and her parent's life insurance, and some other paperwork that Alex took note of. There's no diary or journal, which is not really surprising to Alex since she doubts the original owner's relatives would be respectful enough to not read it. Among some of the few items Chang Hui owns, Alex found an old laptop gathering dust in the corner, which still works but the operating system is a few updates old so it doesn't run as smoothly or as quickly as the new upgraded versions now in the market. Even so, as long as she can use the internet, she's not that too bothered by it.
Monday came quickly after a weekend of doing nothing but surfing the internet reading fanfiction and light novels (for references of course—she had used Sisay to confirm whether some skills or scenarios are within their ability to perform. Sadly, the higher-ups banned the free distribution of heaven-defying 'drugs' after a particular abusive case with them from another candidate they are not allowed to talk about. Also, Systems don't have any authority or reason to hurt or harm their Host's soul. They can't even threaten them with such notion, not even for reasonable restraint. When Alex mentioned it, Sisay sounds amusingly horrified by the suggestion).
As any other school day, Alex met Bai Yang (glomped Bai Yang) at his train station before walking down the road together towards their school. With her arm casually thrown over her kid's shoulders, Bai Yang smiling shyly under her friendly actions, they started their day by talking about what they did during their free weekend. Alex first mentioned a lot about the stories she read over the internet, which Bai Yang gave his undivided attention over since Alex is not the type to talk about anything in concern towards her life, before switching to the incident she had on Sunday where she almost burned her apartment complex down because she had decided it would be a good time to try out her non-existent cooking skills. As she was ending the tale with the beat down she had from her landlady, causing Bai Yang to laugh freely, they saw a crowd of students just past the gates to the academy.
Alex could see a large board in the center, which she had already guessed to be where the results for the exams are posted, but for some reason, as they walked closer, everyone seemed to be staring at them. Especially at Alex with this dumbfounded expression that she found both amusing and curious. They stopped just outside of the crowd and while she was distracted looking around at the other students and their strange glances, Bai Yang insistently pointed her attention back towards the ranking results.
Giving Bai Yang a bewildered look, she looked for her name in the top 30 and blinked when she found Chang Hui's characters under the number 'one'.
...No wonder she's been getting so many stares.
Everyone else finds it hard to believe that their prince and their 'number one' since primary school, Chao Heng, had been usurped by 'the commoner'. Especially her classmates, who had seen her space out and not pay attention during many class periods, to the point that their teachers would often cough blood in anger. How could a person like this be number one of their grade, ah?!
Alex, on the other hand, is not really all that excited about her placement. In fact, she wasn't even trying to score that high on her exams (well, not purposely. Out of habit, because of her years as an undergrad and a graduate student where the majority of the exams are either 'do or die', she took her tests as if she was at gunpoint). Not to mention that there is really no satisfaction in being better in academics against a bunch of high schoolers who have yet to even learn anything about derivatives and integrals. They haven't even touched on molecular orbital theory! Isn't this too much like an adult bullying a ten-year-old kid for not understanding quantum mechanics?!
Well, even if Alex wasn't so thrilled by being crowned number one, Bai Yang and Sisay on the other hand...
"Congratulations, Alex! It's really amazing that you got placed first in our grade!"
【Congratulation, Alex! I didn't think you would place first for your grade!】
Hearing the dual congratulations from her two most important people, Alex can't help but laugh out of embarrassment, a little bit flattered by their genuine and sincere compliments. It's around lunch time and Wen Zhegang, their homeroom teacher, has already passed around their exam scores around first period (with a particular sour expression, especially when Alex had stuffed her results into her bag without even looking over them), and as soon as everyone had left the classroom for lunch, Bai Yang immediately –along with Sisay– jumped her with their eager well-done.
'Thanks, Sys. Really,' Alex first tells her companion wryly before turning towards Bai Yang with a fond expression on her face. "Thank you for the congratulations. I really appreciate it." Though she feels a little bit guilty, knowing that she cheated with her past knowledge to earn his admiration.... Watching how Bai Yang has faintly flushed at her sincere gratitude, she concludes that what the kid doesn't know wouldn't hurt him. "But I think Ah Yang's efforts are more admirable. Being placed 12th in our grade is no small feat."
"No, that's..." Bai Yang turns completely red at the compliment. Though Alex is the type to be unreserved with her praises, she also doesn't give them out freely. The fact that she readily acknowledges his efforts and hard work leaves something warm glowing in his chest. Flustered and happy, Bai Yang quickly change the subject: "I've made lunch a little special today..."
"Really?" Alex chirps, visibly perking up at the thought of eating Bai Yang's homemade food.
Though Alex has an easy school life, they only thing she can complain about is the cafeteria expenses, which is not covered by her scholarship. Rather than a cafeteria, their lunchroom looks like a freaking five-star dining hall! How in the hell can she afford such an expensive lunch?! One plate cost the same as three days' worth of meals!
There is also the fact that she can't cook or use the stove without burning something in the process... well, she was pretty much resigned in going hungry during lunch time or spending what little money she has to buy convenience store lunches every day.
Bai Yang, immediately noticing her lack-of-lunch problem, had surprisingly offered to share his lunch with her. After a while, he then started bringing two lunch boxes instead of one and when Alex had offered to pay for the extra groceries, Bai Yang had always refused.
Either way, who in the hell is going to turn down free food? Especially delicious, homemade food. Not to mention that Bai Yang's lunch boxes always have something different each and every time she gets them. Lunch has been the highlight of her day for a while now.
"Yes, let me get them out," Bai Yang tells her as Alex cheers with her hands thrown in the air. Reaching into his bag, he can't help but smile at her enthusiasm as he gives her a dark-blue container while he takes his own spring-green colored lunch box and sits down right across from her. While their desks are unnecessarily big for class time or notetaking, it's the perfect size for a small dining table.
Drooling, Alex pries open the white-lid on top of her lunch, her eyes shining as she sees the seasoned rice shaped in a perfect dome, the stir-fried chicken mixed with different types of vegetables, some side-greeneries in one of the small pockets, and...
"Is—Is that tempura shrimp?" Alex practically squawks in excitement as she immediately puts one in her mouth. The expression of bliss on her face is so ridiculously exaggerated, that Bai Yang finds it hard not to laugh at the face of it.
"You told me that you missed eating some, so I made some to celebrate getting through our first set of mid-term exams. They should be a little sweeter than normal since I know that you like sweet food." 'Like' is probably putting it mildly. Eating sugary cereal and sweet bread every day for breakfast, dumping three to four packets of sugar into her tea or coffee whenever she is given some, consuming at least one dessert every night—it's a wonder how she hasn't gotten diabetes yet. Not to mention the small carton of strawberry milk she would drink every time she finishes a meal, probably hidden somewhere in her bag to enjoy afterward. "Does... Does it taste okay? It's my first time making tempura shrimp."
"Fif fo foof fehf fi fouf fuf fairfi fou!" (It's so good that I could marry you!) Alex exclaims with the mouthful of food, stuffing her face with all the delicious food her mouth could hold, though it seems that Bai Yang doesn't know what she has said since he only giggled and told her to not talk with her mouth full. If he really did understand her words, she would have seen his blushing face.
'Ah, I want to marry Bai Yang, Sys.'
【Please don't.】Sisay half-heartedly opposed, its tone full of amusement knowing that its Host is just joking around.
'Why not? Bai Yang would make a great wife.'
【No, Alex.】
'You're no fun,' Alex inwardly huffs as she secretly pouts before turning back towards Bai Yang, swallowing her food in one large gulp. "Do you know what else we need for celebration?"
"What do you think we also need?" Bai Yang questions with a small smile, playing along with Alex's excitement.
"Ice cream! How can it be a celebration without ice cream?" Alex argues, completely set on convincing the other to go to an ice cream parlor after classes.
"I believe they sell some flavors in the cafeteria," Bai Yang softly suggests, amused by the other's sweet tooth.
"You know I can't afford that shit," Alex grumbles, grimacing as she remembers some of the heart-attack inducing prices. "I can't even afford the soy sauce there! The soy sauce!"
For some reason, Bai Yang goes quiet at her admittance, suddenly looking down with a contemplative expression on his face. Before Alex can ask anything, he suddenly stands up with a determined glint in his eyes.
"I'll be right back!"
"What—Ah Yang?" Alex sputters as the young man strides out of the classroom and out of her sight, leaving her feeling slightly baffled and surprised. Of course, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what Bai Yang is doing, but Alex knows that he doesn't like going to the cafeteria. When Alex has first suggested eating in the cafeteria (because while she can't afford anything on the menu, the seats are pretty nice to sit in), Bai Yang suddenly stiffened and paled, as if he was on the verge of throwing up, so she settled on eating in class instead and never mentioned it again.
Honestly, she adores that kid too much and he's really only making it worse.
【...Bai Yang really is a good child.】Sisay can't help but voice out, also aware of the fact that the young man is making his way to the cafeteria in order to buy ice cream for Alex.
'He is,' Alex agrees easily as she continues to stuff the rest of her food into her stomach. Though she doesn't like Bai Yang having to pay for anything she can personally get herself (and for a cheaper price as well), she also doesn't want to turn down the kid's good intentions. Ever since they met, rarely is there a time that they would willingly be separate from each other unless it's to the restroom or when they are going back to their own homes for the day, and while Alex will admit to being clingy, it's not like Bai Yang is any less willing to leave her side also. There are times when she found him following her around like a lost baby chick, looking at her with his large and clear eyes and sometimes grabbing into her jacket unconsciously if she walks too fast (Do you understand what you do to my heart?! Do you?! Cries Alex's inner soul).
Because this is the first time Bai Yang has willing went off by himself, she is going to be a good friend and just wait for her kid to come back on his own, and when he does, she's going to be appropriately grateful for the ice cream she is given as well (even if the price is enough to make her wallet wail in despair).
While waiting, Alex quickly finishes off her food in anticipation of the sweet and cold treat she will have later. Once she does, she closes the container and then reaches into her bag to dig out her carton of strawberry milk. Separating the straw and poking it into her drink, Alex stands up from her desk and starts leisurely walking towards the nearby window while drinking her sweet beverage.
From the window, she can see the meticulously designed and extravagant garden outside and while she cringes at the expense it might have taken to maintain it, the view is damn gorgeous. Add the blooming flowers just recently planted, the cerulean sky, and bright noon sun shining above, today turns out to be a beautiful day. Luckily, the classroom windows are the type that can open, so Alex finds herself relaxing as a gentle breeze brush her figure.
Though Sisay does not have a physical presence, Alex likes to think that they're enjoying the peace together. Their days have been rather calm and carefree lately (excluding the attempts of intimidations, of course) and she can't help but savor these moments of tranquility with her System.
【...Alex?】
"Hm?" she answers out loud, her mouth occupied with the straw in her mouth.
【...Are... Are you really not going to complete the mission?】
Alex pauses in mid-sip, surprised by the topic. They have avoided talking about the matchmaking assignment for almost three weeks and while Alex isn't sure when Sisay would bring it up again, she didn't think it would be now.
'... You know my reasons.'
【I know, but...】Sisay sounds nervous as it continues. 【I think it's important to Bai Yang if you complete the mission.】
'Oh? How so?' Alex questions skeptically, raising a dubious eyebrow. 'Does Bai Yang really need to be together with the male lead? Like, he'll really be miserable without him?'
【In... a way...】
'What makes you so sure that they'll be happy together in the first place, much less that they would be miserable without each other? Have you actually seen them together in the future or something? Or do you calculate the probability of attraction based on the compatibility of interests? I can't see what they have in common with each other."
【No, I haven't actually seen them together before—and we do not have that kind of ability really...】
'Then, you don't really know if they're good with each other.'
【B-But they're supposed to be with each other.】
'Isn't that something you guys determined on your own? You make it sound like as if we're just puppets that are supposed to act a certain way.'
【No! Of course not!】Sisay vehemently denies, deeply upset by the accusation. 【It's not like that! It's just...】
'Just what? Whenever we talk about Bai Yang and Wang Wei, you always give me these vague reasons!'
【Host wouldn't understand!】
'Oh?' Alex deadpans, her expression going cold as Sisay immediately regrets its words. 'Right, then you should've asked someone else for this job then.'
【No, Host, I—】Sisay voice cracks, as if it is about to cry, and it irritates Alex how disturbed she feels knowing how upset the System is.
'Sys, I have never been in love before. Of course I don't understand,' Alex agrees even if she feels restless by the direction of the conversation.
【It's—It's not that—】
'Then what else it is, Sisay?'
Sisay quiets at the use of its full name—Alex has always called it by 'Sys' so it shows how frustrated she is over the conversation. And for the next few minutes, Sisay stays silent, and though Alex can't hear anything more than that, she can somehow feel that Sisay is somehow crying without making a single sound.
The strawberry milk in her mouth instantly taste sour, so Alex stops drinking and scratches the back of her head in agitation.
'Look, Bai Yang is a good kid and I don't want to force him into a relationship just because it's convenient for me or for anyone else. I don't know anything about romance, but shouldn't love be something that grows on its own without having to put pressure on it?'
【...You're right.】
'I mean, Bai Yang is still young, and a little bit sheltered, and he still ducks his head into his shell—wait what? I'm right?'
【Yes, you're right. Bai Yang... deserves not to be pushed into a relationship he might not even be ready for or completely comfortable with. Love is... Love should be something patient, something that would form naturally and steadily. I don't—I don't want Bai Yang to be hurt.】
'I know, me too. I know you care for Bai Yang.' It's not hard to see how fond Sisay is over Bai Yang; Alex understands the sentiments very well. 'I'm not saying all of this to be right though. I just... I just want you to talk to me. Help me understand. Don't just close me out like that.'
【I'm sorry Alex, it's... it's not something I can talk freely about.】
'Okay, then it's fine if you don't want to talk about it,' Alex reassures softly since the topic does seem strangely taboo for some reason but she's not a person that likes to pry. Especially when Sisay seems so distressed over it. 'How about... When Bai Yang becomes an adult, I'll rethink about the whole thing?'
Sisay is at first speechless, considering that Alex is not the type to even give an inch to anything she's stubborn about, but soon brightens up at her compromise. 【Really?! Ah, wait, what age is considered 'adult' to you then?】Sisay can't help but ask in suspicion—Alex is quite tricky with her wording if one is not careful.
Alex smiles in response to the other's disbelief with her amusement shown on her face. '20-21 at the very least.'
【That's... reasonable.】Sisay admits with a tone of incredulity.
'Bai Yang graduates at 18 and he would be allowed to go out and explore the world. Three to four years should be enough to let himself open up to other people. Of course, I will be there to help.' Alex is not Bai Yang's keeper or mother by any means, but she wants him to be happy and she thinks that it would be good for him to meet with other people before they can even consider the male lead as an option.
【And then you'll help Bai Yang get together with Wang Wei?】
'I never said that,' Alex instantly denies and if Sisay has a face, it would have immediately droop.
【B-But Host said—!】
'I said I would reconsider it when Bai Yang becomes an adult and I'm actually reconsidering it right now. In the likelihood that Bai Yang and Wang Wei someway, somehow, met each other and someway, somehow, fell in love with each other, I wouldn't tear them apart. But I wouldn't support them either.'
【Host!】Sisay whines, almost making Alex laugh out loud.
'Hey, you're the one that told me that they're fated together, despite the fact that one of them is the male lead that is supposed to be with the protagonist, so the plot itself should make some effort in letting them meet anyway.'
【Well, yes, that's true, but—】
'You're a romantic, aren't you Sys?' Alex teases, successfully changing the topic of the discussion when Sisay starts to sputter in embarrassment. 'You know, that would explain a lot of things that you're trying to explain to me.'
【I'm—I mean, I adore the concept of romance and I do believe it's something entirely precious and amazing—】
'So, you're a romantic. Lifetime movies must be your thing, huh?' Alex asks curiously as Sisay sputters once again, walking towards the nearest trash bin at the corner of the room to throw away her milk carton. 'I guess there is something romantic about our two targets that makes you want to ship them, huh?'
【Not—Not exactly, but I do believe that Bai Yang deserves his own love story.】Sisay stubbornly decides, which Alex can't help but laugh fondly at, but then realize something as she stares at milk carton before moving her gaze towards the classroom doors.
"Hey... Bai Yang is really taking a long time getting a couple of scoops of ice cream," Alex observes out loud, nervously putting her hand onto her mouth.
【Maybe there is a long line?】
"When lunch is halfway over? I can't imagine the line being long enough for him to be gone for almost 25 minutes..." Alex's dark eyes widen, a flash of awareness passes through her gaze as she starts running out of the classroom.
【Alex, what's wrong?!】Sisay asks frantically, not completely understanding its Host's sudden actions.
"Damn cliché high school plots!" Alex explains in one breath, not clarifying her statement as she dashes down the hall towards the stairs that would lead her to the cafeteria.
Her surroundings blur as she speeds past the classrooms, students and teachers stumbling out of her way once they recognize her dark expression. She hears someone yelling at her to slow down and stop running, but she ignores them as she slides to a stop near the stairway. Without hesitation, she jumps down past the steps, causing Sisay to shriek in worry, but Alex easily lands on her feet before jumping over the next set of stairs.
Once she makes it to the first floor, Alex slows down to a stride as soon as she can see the double doors leading to the cafeteria just across from the stairs. Quickly, she enters the room, her sharp eyes panning from left to right, looking for a boy around 180-185 cm in height and with very light-colored hair.
Unfortunately, it seems that she still can't find Bai Yang.
【Maybe we missed him on the way here?】Sisay anxiously suggests.
'Maybe,' Alex agrees as she looks around the dining hall a little more before turning her gaze towards a table that has a clear view of the doors. There are a few girls there enjoying a small lunch of finger sandwiches, their mannerisms that of a well-educated young lady, but Alex isn't worried about the difference in status as she approaches them in a business-like manner.
【Alex? What are you doing?】
'Checking up on something.'
The girls, when they see Alex coming towards them, are a little bit startled by her presence. Sure, while Chang Hui is a commoner without any backing to hold her up, she is also ranked first in her year and the principal now holds her in the highest esteem. Not to mention, when they look upon her, she doesn't carry herself like a commoner, much too confident and self-assured to be someone of lower-class. A couple can't help but blush slightly under her intense gaze.
"I'm sorry to bother you girls, but have you seen a young man? Tall, pass 180 cm with light-colored hair and very pale eyes as well? His skin is also a little bit pale and he tends to slouch when he walks."
"Do you mean Bai Yang?" a girl in pigtails asks curiously, making Alex blink. Now that she thinks about it, it seems that the majority of the student body seems to naturally know Bai Yang's name. Alex finds it suspicious, considering the fact that Bai Yang seems to be the last person who would want to stand out, but she decides to address it for another day.
"Yeah, have you seen him?"
"N-No, we haven't seen him come in," another girl with curly hair shyly informs.
"I mean..." The girl with pigtails fidgets. "He doesn't go to the cafeteria anymore, not since that time—"
A girl with her hair pulled up in a ponytail immediately shushes her, looking at Alex nervously as if she is going to bite them like a rabid animal, but Alex has already said her thanks and turn around to leave the dining hall. She's not really interested in Bai Yang's reason for avoiding the cafeteria, only concentrating on finding the boy himself.
【What now?】Sisay asks nervously as Alex heads back towards the stairs once again.
'Now, we go back to the classroom and start retracing Bai Yang's steps,' she notifies, reaching the stairway and climbing up three steps at a time.
【Where can Bai Yang be?】
'I don't know, but he's not the type to be impulsive, so I doubt he would go off somewhere else without telling me.'
【Maybe he had to go to the bathroom?】
'That's a possibility. Or maybe one of our teachers called him.' There are many possibilities where Bai Yang could have went and she is probably making a big deal out of something small, but whenever her kid is out of her sight, she can't help but be a little anxious. Even though she had told herself that she would wait in the classroom, Alex has been consciously aware of Bai Yang's absent since the beginning of their separation. 'Do you think I'm being a bit too overprotective?'
【Yes.】
The overprotective Alex: "........" Couldn't you hesitate a bit more on your answer?
Just as Alex steps onto the second floor, she sees a couple of male students hanging around near the stairs. She doesn't really give them much thought as she heads towards her classroom until she hears them speak out Bai Yang's name in a mocking tone.
Instantly, she turns around, somehow scaring the poor boys as they saw her suddenly zero in on them like a shark detecting blood. "What did you say?"
"W-What?" one of the boys croaked as she strides towards them. They find themselves looking up at her, considering that she is somehow taller than them by several centimeters and doesn't that make a rather intimidating picture?
"Have you seen Bai Yang?" Alex re-words instead—she doubts what they were saying about Bai Yang is pretty or nice, but she doesn't really have time to focus on it since she wants to see her kid sooner rather than later.
"Um, yeah. He, um, was hanging around with Chao Heng and his buddies..."
Alex expression darkens as she quickly calculates her next move, ignoring the shivering boys who saw her blackening face before walking towards a different direction away from the classroom.
【Chao Heng? Why would Bai Yang be with Chao Heng? Did they know each other?】
'It would be weird if they don't. They might have a history with each other,' Alex easily assesses as she remembers the first day she has met Chao Heng and his blatant disgust with Bai Yang. Sometimes, when Chao Heng has the balls to confront her directly, Bai Yang always hunch into himself next to her, as if afraid to be targeted or seen, so yeah. Alex really does not have a good impression on the spoiled brat. 'If those brats do anything to my kid...'
Sisay can feel Alex's sinister intentions, but doesn't point it out.【Where are we going, Alex?】
'There are very few places in this school that can't be seen by the security cameras.' Sisay also knows those places as well, since it has explored the school along with Alex in the past few weeks they have been here.
The sports club administration building is separate from the main academic building since it was built right after when S country started to promote physical activity due to the sudden increase in obesity around the world, and in between the two buildings are a decent size alleyway that can't be seen into from the security camera. Most people don't go to that part of the school, mostly because the view from the windows there are blocked by an ugly building and rarely is there a need to go to the administration building unless you're looking for a coach, who are more likely to be out in the fields coaching their respective team.
The closer they get to the area, the slower Alex begins to walk. While she wants to charge towards Bai Yang's location, she also feels that it would be a good idea to figure out the situation first.
Since she's on the second floor, Alex can inconspicuously peek through the windows without being seen, her eyes narrowing when she first sees Chao Heng and then the rest of his so-called buddies from above. In between his two minions (which she has labeled minion 1 and minion 2), Bai Yang is forced on his knees, his arms being held by the two minions. He is surrounded by four others of Chao Heng's minions, the mastermind himself hanging back with a rather smug expression on his face though he still somehow maintains his elegant demeanor.
Carefully, Alex opens the window slightly, listening to the non-subtle voices below.
"...What do you say Yang'er? Do we have a deal?" Chao Heng's voice first pops up, instantly aggravating Alex's nerves.
Who says you can act so familiarly with her angel?! Just you wait, pretty boy, this big sister will definitely make sure you will regret being so foolish. No one who dares to lay a hand on her kid will go unpunished.
After a moment of silence, Bai Yang says something softly, his voice too quiet for her to clearly make out, but whatever it is, it's enough to turn Chao Heng's face purple with anger.
His cronies are also not too happy with Bai Yang's defiance (which Alex is really proud of—her boy is growing up!), considering how minion 5 has stepped up with a furious expression on his face. "What did you say faggot? How dare you spit on our Young Master's offer!"
Bai Yang says something again, a little louder and a lot braver, and Alex can't help but feel gratified seeing how steadily red minion 5 is becoming.
'See Sys? I'm a positive influence on Bai Yang.'
Sisay: 【.......】It really doesn't know what to say to that.
"Are you just going to let the faggot talk to you like that, Li Han?" Chao Heng darkly points out, his voice steady and calm despite his malicious expression.
"If I let this freak talk to me like this, I would not dare show my face to my ancestors! I'll teach this bastard a lesson," minion 5 sneers, moving closer to Bai Yang as he grabs onto his white hair. Bai Yang can't help but let out a cry as minion 5 forcefully pulls up his head. Alex quickly finds herself considering homicide, especially when minion 5 unbuckle his belt and starts trying to thrust his crotch near his victim's mouth. "Since you like cocks so much, why not suck on mine?"
Cruel laughter echoes among the rest of the group and Sisay is frankly horrified by the cruel display of dominance and if it has a physical body, it would be trembling in fury. Bai Yang has never gone out of his way to make trouble for anyone, much less for these batch of hooligans who he actively avoids like the plague. Why would anyone do such a thing to sweet and gentle—【Alex, what are you doing?】
Its Host, on the other hand, has opened the window more and suddenly starts climbing over.
'I'm going to teach some brats a lesson. Good thing I'm wearing shorts today.'
【Don't tell me you're going to—wait! Hold on for a minute, Alex!】
'It's only the second floor Sys. Besides.' With both feet on the other side of the window, she starts eyeing her target with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. 'Rather than worry about whether I'll have broken legs, you should probably be more concerned whether I wouldn't break the brat's neck.'
And so, despite Sisay's protest, Alex jumps.
...--------...
Sisay System: How could they?! (｡ŏ﹏ŏ)
Alex: Fight me, you bastards! Q(｀⌒'Q)
Author's Note:
Editor-chan cried seeing the length of this chapter. She told me 'I'm going to write a 20-page chapter so that I can have my revenge!' but as soon as I told her about another chapter is that almost as long as this one, she almost cried once again.
I might be a sadist. She told me to post this chapter along with the next one because the cliffhanger is something fierce, buttt...
I'm posting the next chapter tomorrow instead. ( ＾∇＾) Maybe.
Please hang in the cliffhanger for a while~