The Arrival of the School Belle

You Stand So Far Away On Purpose

The girls obtained the information they desired, satisfying their curiosity, and no longer wished to exchange pleasantries with Jiang You. Yet, they felt a blunt ending to their conversation would be inappropriate. The leading girl invited with a smile, "Xiao You, would you like to join us at the library for self-study this afternoon?"

Jiang You's playful twirling of her hair ceased abruptly. Her hair was of excellent quality, long and soft, but she preferred it to be wavy rather than straight. Her luscious locks were styled into soft waves, looking plush and luxurious, soft as silk.

She stood upright, her smile brightening her face, her eyes glistening and coquettish. One might have expected words of kindness, but she countered, "A genius like me has no need for the library."

"You ordinary folks might find it useful—a way to remedy the lack of talent through hard work."

The girls, thinking they had misheard, expressed their incredulity with an "Ah?" As they came to grips with her words, they found themselves at a loss, their faces alternating between shades of red and white, although they still managed a smile: "Ah… alright then, we'll be moving on, goodbye."

Still wearing a smile, Jiang You replied, "Mhm, goodbye."

As the two girls turned to leave with their backpacks, they exchanged a glance and saw disdain and dumbfoundedness reflected in each other's eyes.

Outside the classroom, Quan Jing saw them leaving and calmly stepped back, retreating to the corner to conceal himself.

Leaning against the wall, he clearly overheard the two girls belittling Jiang You, their tone full of contempt.

"No wonder everyone says she has a sharp tongue. Just because she got one first-class ranking, where does she get off feeling so superior?"

"With her background, you can't expect her to have much quality. I don't believe her luck keeps holding up with perpetual first places. Just wait, once her ranking drops, she'll remember to be humble!"

"Quan Jing is really unlucky to be entangled by someone like her."

"She and her mother are all about climbing up the ladder by hooking up with men."

"I really want to give her a lesson!"

"It's so annoying that Quan Jing kissed her."

Listening to their words, Quan Jing's brow furrowed, a hint of anger surfacing within him. Jiang You had been clinging to him for a month, well-known for her vanity and often making pompously superior remarks that made others speechless. Yet, hearing the girls speak ill of her stirred an inexplicable irritation in him.

Nevertheless, he, too, wished that Jiang You would be more normal—knowing at least what shame is and how to be humble and lowkey.

As the footsteps of the girls faded, Quan Jing stepped out from behind the wall, standing in the corridor to wait for Jiang You.

She had begged him repeatedly, saying she wanted to have lunch with him today.

This, of course, was Quan Jing’s sanitized version of events. The actual scene was more suggestive—inside a car, Jiang You clung tightly to his arm, her entire being pressed against his body, coquettishly pleading, "Please, let's have lunch together after the exam."

"We've been dating for a month and we haven't had a proper date yet."

"Please, Quan Jing."

"Will you agree?"

She even extended the syllables of "husband" in a plea:

"Pretty please?"

Quan Jing’s heart had heated up at that moment, agitated, his immediate impulse was to jerk his arm away and push her far from him, causing her head to hit the car window. Though not hurt, she burst into tearful lament, crying like a fountain, able to shed tears continuously.

She wasn't one to cry silently; she accused him of her pain, the noise grating on Quan Jing until he finally agreed, and had to fetch two chilled beers from the car fridge to soothe her eyes.

Jiang You, however, seemed not to experience much swelling; her eyes had been red and swollen like bug bites, and Quan Jing thought she would choose to hide away until she looked better, given her vanity. But the next day, she appeared as if nothing happened, her beautiful eyes sparkling under her delicate and slender eyelids, fluttering coquettish glances his way and batting her lashes incessantly.

People around teased Quan Jing, whose eyelids and ears heated up, wishing he could disappear, forced to act as if he hadn’t seen her and leave coldly.

Remembering that day, Quan Jing unconsciously smirked at the memory but immediately scowled at the thought of Jiang You’s fabrications in the classroom, claiming they had kissed, marking his kiss as wooden, and insisting that eating jelly was better than kissing him.

Nonsense!

Jiang You constantly pursued him for dates, for rides to school in luxury cars, always craving physical contact—all of which Quan Jing denied. He hadn’t even held her hand, let alone kissed her.

Her lies were effortless, told without a blush.

As Quan Jing pondered, he caught sight of Jiang You carrying her bag out of the classroom. Seeing him, her face lit up with a sweet smile: "Quan Jing, you actually came."

"You kept your promise."

She always aimed to turn heads, insisting on wearing uniforms a size too small to accentuate her figure to the fullest. Petite-framed, her pale, delicate skin would redden with the slightest pinch. She was not simply thin, but instead, imbued with a soft, pampered fullness.

Even her skirt was shorter than others', and her backpack? More decorative than practical, and filled mostly with cosmetics.

Quan Jing started at his own surprise; in just a month, he’d learned so much about Jiang You, despite his aversion to contact with her.

Jiang You’s mother was not well-regarded in high society, whereas Quan Jing’s father was the second son of TK, and his mother the younger daughter of a major conglomerate. His parents’ marriage might have been arranged, but their affection was genuine, untainted by scandals of infidelity, and he detested the unscrupulous and bottomless nature of Jiang You’s mother—the sort of person who’d wreck another's family to climb higher.

By extension, he initially held no good feelings toward Jiang You, preconceived notions painting her as just like her mother: dark-hearted, thoroughly twisted. He even felt insulted by her choosing him for a relationship.

Yet after a month of persistence, Quan Jing had yet to see any malice from her, just extraordinary vanity, a strong sense of entitlement, and a propensity for showiness.

Jiang You waved in front of him, her gentle voice calling him back to the present: "Quan Jing, what are you thinking about? Why are you staring?"

Looking into her eerily clear eyes, Quan Jing didn’t respond, just stared back with a faint smirk. His features were cool and sharp, his eyes dark and intense, unreadable as they looked through someone.

This gaze made Jiang You bristle with discomfort and a tinge of guilt: "What's wrong? Why are you silent, just staring at me?"

While speaking, she suddenly lowered her head to rummage through her bag for a mirror. She examined herself from every angle, eyes twinkling: "Ah, have I become prettier?"

Her pride was palpable.

Jiang You then moved forward abruptly, but she was met with Quan Jing's intent to confront. Instead, she found herself embracing him tightly, his body a testament to an organic diet and disciplined fitness, strong and well-defined.

She clung to him, reluctant to let go, caught by surprise. Quan Jing, however, rapidly removed his arm from her, dislodging her hold.

She tried to burrow back into his arms, feigning innocence: "What's wrong with a hug? You're my boyfriend."

At her feigned pain, Quan Jing glanced at the red marks on her delicate wrists and relented, choosing to nudge her away by pressing against her forehead instead of being rough.

Jiang You reluctantly stood at attention before retreating directly across the corridor, a considerable distance between them. Adopting the air of a servant, hands clasped before her, she bowed and asked with a mocking tone, "Is this far enough, Your Highness?"

A barrage of laughter escaped Quan Jing's lips as irritation bubbled within him: "Just stand there."

Jiang You pouted, eyes downturned, her cheeks flush and tender beneath her fair skin. She was captivating, impossible to overlook.

It took all Quan Jing's resolve not to lose his composure completely, and it was only when she settled down that he managed to speak in a cold voice: "We kissed? I'm as cold as wood, and jelly is better than my kiss?"

"Is that so?"

Jiang You looked up guiltily for a mere second before a bright smile took over: "You heard all that, huh?"

He couldn't fathom her shamelessness. Even if they had kissed, such private matters should be kept secret, let alone the fact they never had.

His look was icy: "Come here, you're standing so far away just to defy me, aren't you!"

Once beside him, Jiang You behaved, her exuberance diminishing.

Quan Jing felt a degree of satisfaction and proceeded, "Jiang You, I warn you to stop spouting nonsense…"

Before he could finish, Jiang You rose on tiptoes with the intent to kiss, her wavy hair tickling his arm. He suppressed a shudder and covered her mouth with his hand.

She gazed at him plaintively through her teary eyes, as Quan Jing felt confused and alarmed by this strange bodily reaction, his tone harsh: "Behave."

Jiang You nodded demurely, and his palm covered her petite face, her large eyes peeking out, seemingly obedient like a silhouette in an ink painting.

Relaxing his hold with a frown, Quan Jing sounded a warning: "If you're not serious, don't cry pain."

She rubbed her cheek with a complaint, "You denied my kiss, and I had no answers to their questions, so I said whatever came to mind."

Quan Jing watched her defend her lies furiously, indignation in his brows: "Lying has become your habit!"

Jiang You suddenly adopted a serious tone, asking, "What have I lied to you about?"

The mood chilled instantly. Quan Jing, accustomed to her flirtatious clinging, was unsettled by her suddenly earnest and aloof questioning.

He hastily changed the subject: "What was that stunt you pulled earlier?"

Her laughter resurfaced, as if her quiet distance was merely his imagination. Her voice cozy and coy, she teased, "Just wanted to test whether your lips are as soft as jelly."

Quan Jing was left headachy and exasperated—no longer able to reproach, his initial ire had dissipated entirely.