Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

Don't think Qin Ruoke doesn't know. Luo Xiaomeng is consistently in the top ten of her class. As a top ten student in the elite class, she is also in the top ten of the entire school. As a top ten student in the prestigious Fenghai No.1 Middle School, she is in the top twenty of the entire city.

Top 20 in the city, you say?

You think you can just barely pass the test?!

These smart people are incomparable... Qin Ruoke felt that she had only managed to get her current grades by relying purely on extraordinary efforts.

A smart person... Yu Zhe...

Obsessed with her thoughts, Qin Ruoke found herself thinking about Yu Zhe again.

However, before she could even get these thoughts out of her head, Luo Xiaomeng, resting her chin on her hand, brought it up herself.

"Sigh... Yu Zhe isn't here. It's so sad." She took a sip of tea and put down the teacup. "I thought I might get lucky and see him. Hmm, I'm a little disappointed. But it's okay. I'll come back in seven days. I'm sure I'll see him then."

Why didn't you send a message to ask?

"He's so busy, I don't want to cause him any trouble."

Although Luo Xiaomeng and she had different ideas, neither of them could send a message to Yu Zhe.

Qin Ruoke, seemingly lost in thought, blurted out, "You really do like Yu Zhe..."

"Yeah, lately I've really started to like you so much that it's scary. It's only been a few days since I last saw you, and I already feel all itchy inside. So, Qin Ruoke, I'll need your help on my love journey when necessary! Please!"

Hmm... Qin Ruoke hid it very well; almost no one could tell that she had feelings for Yu Zhe.

Seeing the silly little girl clasping her hands together above her head and begging for help, Qin Ruoke could only smile bitterly to herself.

You never know if the person in front of you is a wingman or a rival. (laughs)

28. A life mentor!

That being said... Qin Ruoke didn't have the courage to call herself Luo Xiaomeng's love rival.

At least Xiaomeng could openly say that she liked Yuzhe, while Qin Ruoke couldn't say it at all because she felt she wasn't good enough for him.

This wasn't a sign of inferiority; Yu Zhe had long since erased any feelings of inferiority she might have had in her heart during that heavy rain.

This is simply a matter of self-awareness.

She is different from Luo Xiaomeng. Xiaomeng's family bakery is neither big nor small, but it's big enough for her to pursue her love.

Qin Ruoke estimated that she would have to work hard for her future after the college entrance examination.

Even if all of this is different.

Qin Ruoke also fell into deep thought.

"Qin Ruoke?" Xiaomeng tilted her head and asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly stop talking? Oh, I know, you suddenly feel the pressure of the college entrance examination? Me too, hehe, it's okay, how it goes, do your best and leave the rest to fate."

“That’s not what I was thinking about.”

Qin Ruoke looked up at her: "I'm just a little curious, Xiaomeng, when did you start liking Yuzhe? Ah, I don't mean anything by it, it's just that I'm in the classroom every day, and I didn't realize it before."

"Is that what you're thinking about?!"

Xiao Meng was surprised, and her face suddenly turned a little red.

Thinking about it for a moment... yeah, when was it?

She placed her hands on her pink and white stockings at her knees and thought for a long time.

She just got rid of Qin Ruoke's support in her relationship, so it's only right to at least explain this to her...

She spoke slowly.

"How should I put it... it was a gradual process, to be honest, I don't even know exactly when it happened."

She glanced at the ceiling: "At first, I just thought, wow, this boy is so handsome, it feels so amazing. But gradually, I realized... that view is too superficial. Yu Zhe is handsome, not just on the outside, but also on the inside, from his every move, the tone of his voice, the unintentional details..."

"Oh right! Especially that time at the sports meet, Yu Zhe ran hard to come in first place for the sake of the class's last bit of honor, and for... for me... enduring his leg injury... I will always remember this kindness, it is the most precious memory I have ever had since I was born."

“I used to envy the princes and princesses in fairy tales. I always thought that one day I would meet a prince who wouldn’t mind that I was short, who would gently pat my head, hug me, and tell me that I didn’t need to worry about anything… I think I have met him now.”

She doesn't talk much when she doesn't speak, but when she does, she talks on and on.

Qin Ruoke was stunned by what she heard.

Putting everything else aside, during the sports meet...did Yu Zhe actually do anything for the class? And for you no less?

No way... Didn't Yu Zhe say he just thought it would be fun when he signed up?

Forget it... there's no point in telling Xiaomeng this. Her feelings for him are already confirmed and won't change because of some minor changes in the past.

So, regardless of whether she understood or not, Qin Ruoke could feel how pure and beautiful her feelings for Yu Zhe were.

So she asked herself the question: "Even if it's very unrealistic?"

She had asked Xiaomeng a similar question before, and her answer at the time was to take it one step at a time. But... can we really take it one step at a time now?

There's only one semester left... If Yu Zhe suddenly disappears from school one day and returns to his own life, wouldn't all he take with him be the memories of school?

That's right, it's just a memory.

Xiaomeng found the question strange: "Realistic? What's realistic about it? Love is a two-way street. If I try my best, but Yuzhe doesn't like me back, then I..."

"Then you'll just have to give up," Qin Ruoke added to her statement.

"No!" the little girl said, clenching her fists. "Even after graduation, Yu Zhe isn't going to disappear into thin air. He'll still be in Fenghai City. So I'll keep trying until he tells me he likes me."

"Oh my god, I did it!"

"Pfft, why does that sound so shameless? Like you're just being persistent?"

"What else?" Xiaomeng spread her hands cutely. "My understanding of love might be a little different from yours. I think Yuzhe is indeed from a different world than us, but we're not from two different worlds either. As long as I can still find him, it means I always have a chance. And if I have a chance, I'll keep pursuing him no matter what!"

There's always a chance...

Qin Ruoke pondered the sentence repeatedly, and the more she thought about it, the clearer it became, but she still felt that something was missing.

"Qin Ruo...?"

Xiao Meng noticed that she was lost in thought and was about to call out to her when she suddenly turned around and covered Xiao Meng's mouth.

"Don't speak yet, let me think about it for a moment."

"Ugh...ugh..." (Okay! Don't cover my mouth!)

Did I say something that affected your brain circuitry? And what are you thinking?

Qin Ruoke let go of his hand and fell into deep thought.

To be honest... I've always felt that I'm not good enough for them.

When her father went to prison, she felt unworthy to be friends with her classmates.

She didn't have any money back then, so she felt she didn't deserve to eat anything other than steamed buns.

Because it was her father who hit Yu Zhe with his car, she felt she was not worthy to confess her feelings to him.

But...

What now?

With Yu Zhe's help, Dad got out of prison, and although he's not rich now, he's not starving or freezing either.

Renting such a nice house, I can sometimes even buy a small snack.

It has also been proven that Dad helped Yuzhe during his imprisonment.

All the previous feelings of inadequacy have disappeared.

Why should I impose another unworthiness on myself?

Xiaomeng is right. Even if he confesses, Yuzhe might not accept it.

But that's his business.

Qin Ruoke understands that she likes him, and she still has the right to express her love and tell him her feelings, right?

The worst outcome would be the same as those who wrote love letters to Yu Zhe at school—the love letters would simply be thrown away as waste paper.

Even now, Qin Ruoke thinks that those who dared to send love letters were all better than her.

Seriously... what was I thinking before?!

Besides, even if you fail, you can always try again, right?

I'll try my best to get into the same university as Yuzhe; the road ahead is still long.

As long as you keep walking, the road will continue to extend.

"Life mentor".

Qin Ruoke turned to Xiaomeng, gave her a thumbs up, and said this as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Huh?" Xiao Meng was stunned on the spot.

"Oh, no," Qin Ruoke corrected, "I just wanted to say that what you just said makes a lot of sense."

"Hehe, that's for sure! These are conclusions I reached after thinking about them for a long time. I was quite troubled at the time!"

"Yeah..."

Sure enough, Xiaomeng didn't think this through at first. She must have gone through a long internal struggle before arriving at her current conclusion. What a brave little girl!

Even so... I'm sorry, Xiaomeng, because this time I might really become your official love rival.

29. You're not leaving again?

Qin Ruoke made a silent decision in her heart, but that was only a plan for the future.

Right now, I really want to see Yuzhe, but I'll just have to wait for school to start.

Xiao Meng felt the same way; she thought that was the only way, so she got up and prepared to say goodbye.

"Okay, that's all for now. Qin Ruoke, aren't you still packing your study materials? You go ahead and do your thing, I'll be going now."

"Okay, oh right... on what date should I go back to work at the West City Bakery?"

I almost forgot, Xiaomeng is also her own boss.

Xiao Meng thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers and said, "We'll resume work on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, after the Lantern Festival. Until then, we'll all be on paid leave."

"?"

No, logically speaking, shouldn't we be resuming work by around the 5th at the latest? We'll be pretty busy by then.