A Real Heiress Quits (GL) - Chapter 12

The “little beauty” was, of course, Yu Xinyue.

She looked straight ahead, ignoring the stunned gazes of the crowd, and walked directly to the back corner to sit by the window. Outside the glass, the green fir trees were lush with emerald needles. As the sun climbed higher, the morning mist dissipated, and the early rays filtered through the haze, plating the girl’s profile in a soft, ethereal glow.

Her small hand, white to the point of being translucent, propped up her pointed chin, while her long, ink-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. She was as beautiful as a painting.

For a moment, the classroom fell into a dead silence. No one spoke, for fear of disturbing the person in the frame.

After a while, Shu Ziyu curled his lips slightly into a smile of genuine interest. “Classmate, did you walk into the wrong room?”

Yu Xinyue had been staring at the emerald trees outside, but upon hearing this, she turned her head slightly. The morning light, mingled with the white mist, was behind her, making her gaze appear cold and distant. After just one look, Xinyue withdrew her eyes and returned to watching the window.

“Who is this? Which class is she from? She’s gorgeous.”

“So pretty… even a bit more beautiful than the school belle.”

“I’ve never heard of a beauty like this in any of the classes. Is she a new transfer?”

Zheng Pin whispered to Yin Jianghan, “She’s not even that good-looking. These men act like they’ve lost their souls. Look how much makeup she’s wearing; you can tell at a glance she’s a tramp.”

Yin Jianghan’s face was ashen. Hearing this, her expression grew even uglier.

“Wait,” Zheng Pin said as if realizing something. “Why is she sitting in the ‘Ugly Freak’s’ seat?”

There was one other person in the room who recognized Yu Xinyue.

When Jin Xue first saw the face that had haunted his dreams, the book in his hand fell to the floor with a thud. He remembered that face perfectly!

The girl he had seen that day—with her exquisite features and captivating eyes—had been incomparably dazzling among the sea of plain students. On the playground, amidst the bustling crowds and the dust, she alone had been clean, as if she were radiating light.

Jin Xue would never forget that scene. He had rushed up to confess, and even after being rejected, he felt it was only natural, even regretting his own impulsiveness. A girl that radiant surely had the capital to be proud. Jin Xue came from a wealthy family and usually acted the part of a suave young master, but standing before her, he had felt a sense of inferiority, becoming flustered and red-faced.

He understood then: that was love!

Later, he searched for his “goddess” for a long time, his secret crush fermenting in silence—until he discovered the goddess of his heart was actually the unremarkable “ugly duckling” of the class. And the ugly duckling had dared to reject him a second time.

The fragile heart of the teenage boy had shattered into dust. Jin Xue turned from a fan to a hater; the more he looked at Yu Xinyue, the more he despised her.

But now, Jin Xue held his breath, his heart thumping against his chest. The girl had washed away the heavy makeup, revealing the face she had been hiding. She was bare-faced, without a trace of powder, yet she appeared more brilliant than ever before. Her eyes were clear and bright, shockingly beautiful.

She seemed to have been reborn from the ashes. Her aura was calm and confident; she was no longer the shrinking, self-conscious girl who always kept her head down. Her brows were sharp, and her phoenix eyes carried a hint of noble disdain that somehow wasn’t offensive.

She’s this beautiful—what’s wrong with being a little proud?

Jin Xue felt as though the goddess of his dreams had returned. He could love again!

“Yu… Yu Xinyue?” he murmured.

As soon as the words left his mouth, a commotion broke out in the class.

“Holy crap?!”

“Are you blind? How could that be the Ugly Fre—”

“Wait, her features really are similar. Could it be real?”

“If she’s this pretty, why the hell did she make herself look like that before?”

“Is our class belle about to change? Is it too late to start calling her ‘Goddess’?”

Zheng Pin was incredulous. “Hanhan, this… is Yu Xinyue?”

Yin Jianghan’s face was grim, her voice sounding like it was squeezed through gritted teeth. “Yes.”

Seeing the massive reaction from the boys, Zheng Pin was also unhappy. She cursed, “Scheming bitch. Dressing up like this just to seduce men?”

Yu Xinyue couldn’t care less about the storm behind her. Outside the window, the milky white mist was slowly dispersing. Sunlight danced through the ethereal haze and between the verdant leaves. Early-rising birds returned to their nests, every feather shimmering.

Suddenly, a hand blocked her view.

“Is the outside world really that interesting?” Shu Ziyu’s voice carried the lazy rasp of someone who hadn’t quite woken up.

Yu Xinyue remained silent. She was suppressing the urge to hit someone.

Of course she remembered Shu Ziyu. During their school days, he had bullied her more than a little. In the future, Yin Jianghan would marry into the Shu family, but when the Yin family eventually fell into ruin, Shu Ziyu wouldn’t lift a finger to help.

Shu Ziyu wore a lazy smirk, assuming Yu Xinyue was still that same “clown” who could be manipulated at will. Seeing that the girl hadn’t spoken for a long time, he frowned and looked down at her.

Sunlight filtered through the window, plating the girl’s small, porcelain face in a layer of pale gold. Her eyelashes were long and curled, casting a faint shadow beneath them. Her light-colored pupils were illuminated with a hint of gold, like fine amber.

How did I never notice she was this beautiful before?

Shu Ziyu’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Feeling a bit out of control, his fingers slowly moved closer, seemingly about to touch that delicate, porcelain skin.

The crowd gasped. Everyone knew Shu Ziyu and Yin Jianghan had been engaged since childhood; his current actions were essentially grinding Yin Jianghan’s face into the dirt. Everyone used to think the “ugly duckling” was shamelessly throwing herself at Shu Ziyu, but now…

It looked like the situation had reversed.

Yin Jianghan felt many eyes on her. Just moments ago, everyone had been watching Yu Xinyue with stunned admiration, but now they were looking at her with mockery and ridicule. It was as if they were laughing at her for not being able to control her own man.

Yin Jianghan bit her lip until it turned white; she was about to lose her composure. She knew Shu Ziyu didn’t love her that much, but she truly loved him. That was why she usually didn’t interfere in his business; he was surrounded by “social butterflies” anyway, and he’d just move on to the next once he got bored. He had never been serious about anyone.

All she had to do was play the role of the virtuous “first wife”—a good marriage prospect who didn’t annoy him—and she could remain by his side and successfully marry into the Shu family. No matter how favored those little tramps were, they would eventually be dumped.

Her strategy had been successful. Shu Ziyu had always given her “face,” at least cooperating with her in class to maintain the appearance of a loving couple.

Until today.

When Yin Jianghan saw Shu Ziyu walk over, a sudden sense of unease and alarm gripped her heart. As the boy moved closer to that girl, her heart constricted. She couldn’t help but cry out shrilly: “Shu Ziyu!”

Shu Ziyu’s fingertips paused. He shot a half-smiling glance at his fiancée.

Yin Jianghan’s face turned pale. “Come back here.”

The boy’s smile remained lazy. Ignoring his fiancée, he raised his hand, wanting to feel those fan-like eyelashes. They must be very soft.

His hand met empty air.

Yu Xinyue finally raised her eyes to look him in the face. In the sunlight, her palm-sized face was as clean as porcelain, her eyes holding a pool of cold, clear water. Her lips, red and full like flower petals, moved—but the words that came out were ice-cold, the chill in her tone overflowing and sharp.

“Get lost.”

Shu Ziyu stood there, dumbfounded.