Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

"Okay, I remember."

Yu Minlan nodded in agreement, and then followed Gu Muxue without saying a word.

It was dinnertime, and the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the campus in a golden light. Gu Muxue lowered her head, her strappy sandals crunching on the cracks in the stone slabs with each step, her movements not hurried, but swaying gently with the rhythm of the breeze.

Her skirt swept across the roadside grass, carrying a faint scent of fresh grass. Gu Muxue would occasionally pluck a leaf from the roadside and examine its veins against the setting sun.

Yu Minlan walked very carefully, afraid that her high heels would disturb Gu Muxue's peace of mind.

In fact, Gu Muxue was deliberately avoiding Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi at the school gate by walking and stopping.

Gu Muxue picked out a leaf that she was fairly satisfied with, then turned back and held out her hand to Yu Minlan: "Give me the book in the bag."

"Here you go." Yu Minlan saw what Gu Muxue wanted to do, so she opened a book and presented it to Gu Muxue with both hands.

That's how little girls are; when they see pretty leaves, they always like to press them into their books as souvenirs, thinking that one day when they open the book again, they will remember what happened that day.

It seems that Gu Muxue and Xue Rui had a lot of fun today.

Thinking of this, Yu Minlan felt much relieved.

When Gu Muxue is in a good mood, she is still willing to chat with her for a while.

She tilted her head and looked at the leaf with a strange expression. "Miss Gu, is there anything special about this leaf?"

A grape leaf that is neither asymmetrical nor artistic, with large and rough serrated edges.

"Because it doesn't have curled edges or raised corners, it's perfect for tucking into a book," Gu Muxue explained.

"Ok."

Yu Minlan carefully closed the book, thinking to herself that Gu Muxue was truly capricious.

"It's Linlin's birthday tonight, and she invited us to have dinner together."

"I happen to have a movie I want to see. Shall we go after dinner?"

"I want to watch it too... but won't it be too late?"

"At worst, I'll just sleep outside."

……

Two female students passed by, and Gu Muxue looked on with envy, standing there watching them leave from afar.

"Miss Gu, what brings you back so early? Why don't you hang out with your classmates?" Yu Minlan asked, mustering her courage.

As a servant of three masters, she needed to understand the personality and needs of each master.

Lin Ruoxi is simple and doesn't need to be understood, while Xue Rui's temperament is very stable. Only Gu Muxue is someone she can't see through.

When I'm in a good mood, I sometimes chat with her about student-related topics.

But most of the time, he almost never looked at her directly, as if deliberately keeping his distance.

Gu Muxue's social circle was impeccably clean; aside from her few classmates, there was only Xue Rui...

Her self-discipline was frighteningly strong; when Xue Rui wasn't around, Gu Muxue almost only did one thing: study.

When she was in school, she would occasionally go out shopping and have barbecue with her classmates, or secretly drink some beer in her dormitory.

Yu Minlan felt that Gu Muxue's life was too monotonous.

“I don’t get along with them.” Gu Muxue shook her head.

“Good relationships are built through spending time together. For example, when you go out for a meal, you'll have some topics to discuss and gossip about things…” Yu Minlan explained.

Gu Muxue hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "It's a waste of time. You'd be better off studying for a while."

"By the way, do you still keep in touch with your college classmates?" Gu Muxue asked curiously.

"..." Yu Minlan's breath hitched, and she felt inexplicably suffocated in her chest.

Is this the legendary "other people's child"?
With such good conditions and such hard work, how are ordinary people like us supposed to survive?
“Then…you play with Xue Rui…” Yu Minlan asked tactfully, not daring to continue.

According to Gu Muxue's previous theory, if playing with classmates is a "waste of time," then dating is even more so.

Gu Muxue was somewhat displeased; she and Xue Rui did not allow others to comment on them.

“Xiao Rui will be with me for life. Classmates are just passersby. You need to distinguish between them.”

"Who is more gentle, me or Lin Ruoxi?" Gu Muxue asked.

Yu Minlan's eyes widened in an instant.

No, why are you asking me this kind of potentially disastrous question instead of Xue Rui?
Yu Minlan's mind raced. As a woman, she was thinking of asking others this question later, but now it was her turn to answer it?
Does this need to be said?
Lin Ruoxi would invite her to stay for dinner, while Gu Muxue would only make her stand outside the door.

Personally, she prefers Lin Ruoxi because she feels less pressured when she's with Lin Ruoxi.

Lin Ruoxi is definitely much gentler than Gu Muxue...

Wait, no, that's not right.

Gu Muxue did not say who she was asking.

Actually, if you look at it from Xue Rui's perspective, Gu Muxue is also very gentle. Although she is not as passionate as Lin Ruoxi, she is gentle and subtle.

She silently supported Xue Rui from behind the scenes, but never admitted that she was the one who did it.

The reality is that Xue Rui had no idea about many of the things Gu Muxue did.

Just like before, when I called to comfort Lin Ruoxi and ease Xue Rui's burden...

Previously, Yu Minlan wanted Lin Ruoxi to cause more trouble in order to get Xue Rui's attention.

However, after Yu Minlan actually got to know Gu Muxue, she discovered that Gu Muxue had never actually caused any trouble.

Yu Minlan felt a pang of worry for Lin Ruoxi.

Ruoxi, your rival in love is just too strong...

They've been accommodating you the whole time and have been very kind to you.

Yu Minlan suddenly felt a little jealous; Gu Muxue's gentleness was reserved only for those closest to her.

Xue Rui is, and Lin Ruoxi might be too.

“You are gentler, and I believe that one day, others will see that,” Yu Minlan said earnestly.

"Yes, I really like this answer," Gu Muxue said in a light tone.

"Ding dong~"

The screen in Yu Minlan's hand lit up, and she glanced at it subconsciously. It was a message from someone named Chen Tingting.

[Gu Muxue, don't think I'm afraid of you anymore. I've graduated now, and my homeroom teacher can't control me anymore.]

I'll go to Xue Rui's school in a few months, and I'll definitely steal Xue Rui away from you.

Now, you are the defending champion.

Yu Minlan was sweating profusely, and she cursed Xue Rui in her heart.

No, who are you?

"Who sent the message?" Gu Muxue asked casually.

"Miss Gu... someone is causing trouble."

"Ok?"

……

Hedong City, Hedong No. 2 Middle School.

In front of the school, students gathered in twos and threes outside the school, most of them having just come out of the school to estimate their scores.

The short-haired girl stood in front of the bulletin board displaying outstanding graduates, looking around nervously. She secretly took out a marker from her school uniform pocket and started drawing on the face of the girl in front of her.

A moment later, the pretty girl on the bulletin board had a tuft of black mustache on her lips. The short-haired girl took out her phone, snapped a picture, and revealed a smug smile.

"Chen Tingting! What are you doing again?" A stern voice rang out from behind, making Chen Tingting instinctively shudder. Hearing her friend's familiar voice, Chen Tingting patted her chest and turned around resentfully: "Why did you scare me like that?"

The school security guards all recognize her now, and they chase her away whenever they see her near the bulletin board. She's still wearing her school uniform, so she'd better not be too arrogant.

"Let me ask you what score you estimated," Zhang Jing said expectantly.

In the last few mock exams, Chen Tingting's scores were all in the middle of the class. She knew that Chen Tingting's level was not that bad. She deliberately scored very low for someone named Xue Rui so that her family could prepare them in advance.

She was really afraid that Chen Tingting might act impulsively and do the same thing during the college entrance exam...

It's not worth risking your future for a boy.

"Hmph, about the same height as her, maybe even taller." Chen Tingting pointed to Gu Muxue's name on the bulletin board.

Which school are you planning to attend?

Zhang Jing's eyes lit up. If she was really similar to Gu Muxue, then she could choose any school she wanted.

“Let’s go find him,” Chen Tingting said, pointing to Xue Rui’s photo after taking a few steps.

Zhang Jing pinched the bridge of her nose. She thought Chen Tingting had figured things out. Why was she still so stubborn?

Who can actually help her?!

A cell phone rang, and Chen Tingting glanced at the familiar profile picture, her expression suddenly turning serious.

"You can go now, I have things to do."

My number one rival: [What score did you get?]

Chen Tingting: [Mind your own business!]

My number one rival: [I was just asking casually to see if I scored higher.]

Chen Tingting: [Hmph, a defeated opponent. All he knows is to use underhanded methods to control Xue Rui. You even made him block me on QQ.]

Chen Tingting pressed down hard on her phone, her fingernails making a dull thud on the screen, which then rippled.

Zhang Jing watched from the side, swallowing hard. Chen Tingting almost broke the screen while typing. What kind of deep grudge did they have?
My number one rival: [I didn't do that, Xiao Rui did it himself.]

“He encouraged me before the college entrance exam, but blocked my contact information after the exam? It must have been your idea. I don’t believe he’s that heartless.”

Chen Tingting muttered to herself, her hands trembling with anger, and she made many typos in the chat box.

Chen Tingting simply made a video call to Gu Muxue, wanting to confront her across the internet.

However, Gu Muxue did not answer and directly rejected Chen Tingting's video call.

In fact, deleting Chen Tingting's contact information was indeed a unilateral decision by Xue Rui.

Xue Rui has had very little contact with Chen Tingting over the past year, hoping to use time to fade the relationship between them.

However, considering that it shouldn't affect Chen Tingting's future, he comforted her like an elder comforting a child when she was in the worst mood, and then gave her a few words of encouragement before the college entrance examination.

Once the college entrance exam was over, Xue Rui felt that he had done everything he could for Chen Shen and Chen Tingting, so there was no need to waste any more energy causing trouble. The best way was to stop contacting Chen Tingting to prevent her from having any unrealistic fantasies.

"I'm so angry!" Chen Tingting stomped her feet in frustration.

Chen Tingting: [Coward, if you're so brave, answer the phone!]

Number one rival: [Someone's going to fight you soon, don't worry.]

Chen Tingting: [Who is it? Xue Rui??]

After sending a series of question marks, Gu Muxue simply replied with a smiling emoji.

Chen Tingting was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth, but she couldn't do anything about Gu Muxue.

She thought that she could threaten Gu Muxue after graduation, but Gu Muxue never seemed to take her seriously and always treated her like a child.

In Chen Tingting's eyes, that "smiling" expression was clearly a condescending mockery.

Shortly after, her phone rang. Chen Tingting's eyes lit up at first, but after she looked at who was calling, her gaze turned somewhat blank.

It was a call from my father.

Pressing the answer button, Chen Shen's helpless voice came through the phone: "Tingting, you can't risk your future. You'll regret it later."

"Old Chen, don't mind me, I'm an adult now," Chen Tingting said, pouting, inwardly cursing Gu Muxue.
This petty woman actually complained to her parents.

I hate tattling the most...

"To your dad, no matter how old you are, you're still a child..."

"Hmm..." Chen Tingting's voice softened.

"You should have a good talk with your teacher first. Dad will be there right away."

Then a short beeping sound came from the phone.

"Teacher?" Chen Tingting's gaze was unfocused.

Didn't I already graduate? Where did this teacher come from?

Zhang Jing looked around. The security guards at the school gate were approaching, and several leaders came out from the main building, including the stern female vice principal.

The psychological trauma left over from three years of high school made the girl instinctively want to escape.

She noticed that everyone was staring at Chen Tingting, so she nudged Chen Tingting's arm and said, "They're here for you, I'm leaving now."

Zhang Jing turned and ran without hesitation.

"Wait for me!" Chen Tingting also ran towards the school gate.

"Chen Tingting, don't run away!"

An anxious shout came from behind.

The security guard grabbed Chen Tingting's shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Kid, what did you do wrong this time? How did you manage to attract the principal's attention?"

Chen Tingting glanced at the "Outstanding Student Bulletin Board" and then guiltily looked away.

The principal and vice-principal, along with the grade head, walked over with smiling eyes, as if they had seen some treasure.

"Chen Tingting, what score did you estimate? Higher than Gu Muxue's score last year?"

The principal, a man in his early fifties, was beaming with joy, his lips curving upwards in an uncontrollable smile.

Because the school produced the top scorer last year, a lot of attention has been focused on No. 2 Middle School, so he is under a lot of pressure this year.

But unfortunately, there aren't many students in the school who can hold their own.

However, just now, he received a call from last year's outstanding graduate, saying that the school had produced another high-scoring student, but due to psychological problems, the student planned to apply to an ordinary university, which he absolutely could not allow.

"Tingting, let one of our school's teachers introduce the school to you. What major do you like? The school will help you with your college application this year."

The grade head was afraid that Chen Tingting would follow in Lin Ruoxi's footsteps from last year.

"You...are in cahoots with Gu Muxue?" Faced with the eager and enthusiastic gaze, Chen Tingting subconsciously stepped back.

"What do you mean by 'in cahoots'? We're doing this for your own good," the principal said earnestly.

“I can choose my university major myself, and I can go wherever I want.” Chen Tingting was almost in tears.

"Your parents will be here soon. Let's sit down and have a chat."

"I probably can't get into Tsinghua or Peking University, but Zhejiang University is pretty good too..."

……

"Gu Muxue, is this also part of your plan?" Chen Tingting's gaze was unfocused.

Gu Muxue always used reverse psychology to force Chen Tingting to study, always saying things like, "If Lin Ruoxi can't compare, neither can you," and "What makes you so outstanding? What would Xue Rui see in you?"

Chen Tingting has good talent, but she doesn't like studying much. However, under the pressure of Gu Muxue, and with the idea of ​​"defeating Gu Muxue", Chen Tingting almost pushed her potential to the limit.

Chen Tingting thought that as long as she was rebellious enough, she could get high scores and go to the same school as Xue Rui, after all, that's what Lin Ruoxi did.

However, Chen Tingting never imagined that Gu Muxue would have a trap for her here. (End of Chapter)