After Transmigrating, I Became the Most Cowardly Kid (GL) - Chapter 9

In the small private study room, Chi Zhihuai took a sip of lemon black tea and secretly glanced at the person opposite her.

Meng Qianwen looked at her book for only two minutes before pulling out her phone to play with it. Chen Qin tried to persuade her twice, and the other girl reluctantly picked up her book again.

She held out for five minutes, then slumped down and went back to sleep.

That is too real. Chi Zhihuai felt like she was looking at her past self.

Chen Qin didn’t know how to manage her, so after holding back for a long time, she nudged her awake and said, “Cheese foam tastes best if you drink it fast.”

“…” Chi Zhihuai looked down, trying to suppress a smile. However, Meng Qianwen was quite nice to her cousin. She wasn’t angry about being woken up. She glanced at Chen Qin, then quickly drank half a cup of the cheese foam tea, completely finishing the cheese foam on top.

After drinking, Meng Qianwen rested her chin on her hand and watched her cousin study. After a while, she unwrapped a lollipop and opened the book in front of her.

High school Mathematics, Compulsory Module 1.

Chi Zhihuai completely understood her psychology of “I can’t catch up, so my efforts are useless.” She thought for a moment and said quietly, “That… it’s not too late for you to study now. Our school finishes modules in about a month, and then we go into general review. We’ll have to study the textbooks from the beginning again then. The intensive review for the college entrance exams only starts after three rounds of general review.”

The lollipop in Meng Qianwen’s mouth shifted twice, her cheeks puffed out, making her already pretty face look a bit cuter.

Chi Zhihuai “plucked up the courage” and continued talking to her: “If you start studying from the beginning now, you can definitely keep up with the third round of general review in the third year of high school. It’s not late at all, don’t worry.”

The other girl suddenly smiled: “Mhm, thank you.” Then, she took an Alps lollipop from her backpack. “Here.”

Chi Zhihuai was slightly surprised. She took the candy and smiled at her: “You got this.”

Chen Qin next to them was stunned. She and her family thought her cousin was just lazy and was becoming increasingly rebellious like her next-door neighbor, a childhood friend. They hadn’t considered that she might be giving up because she couldn’t catch up with the material.

She looked at her deskmate gratefully, then pulled her cousin’s sleeve and said, “Mhm, don’t rush. First, try to find a study method that works. Once you feel comfortable, let Auntie hire a tutor. In the meantime, you can ask me whenever you have a question you don’t understand.”

Chi Zhihuai had originally wanted to join in and say, “And me too,” but then remembered her actual academic level and silently closed her mouth.

The atmosphere that followed was much better than at the start. Meng Qianwen pulled out a corresponding study guide for Compulsory Module 1 and started reading it with a frown, occasionally nudging her cousin to explain examples from the book.

Two hours later, Chi Zhihuai stumbled her way through finishing her Physics workbook.

The answer key for this workbook had been collected by the teacher. She couldn’t check the answers and felt uneasy, so she turned to Chen Qin for help: “Hey, did you finish your Physics workbook?”

Chen Qin shook her head: “Not yet. The electric field chapter is too hard. I can’t wrap my head around it, so I’m saving it for last. Why?”

Chi Zhihuai’s face dropped: “I find it hard too, and I’m not confident. I wanted to check the answers with you.”

“Checking answers, you say…” Chen Qin suddenly gave a mysterious smile. “I know where to find the answers.”

“Huh?” Chi Zhihuai’s mind didn’t immediately follow. “Are we going to sneak into the school to steal the answers?”

The previously silent Meng Qianwen suddenly spoke: “Don’t the bookstores that sell the workbooks have them?”

Chen Qin held up one finger and wagged it: “No! This workbook isn’t sold in bookstores; it’s custom-ordered by our school.”

Meng Qianwen looked surprised, and Chi Zhihuai nodded along.

Seeing the look of eager curiosity in both their eyes, Chen Qin proudly continued, “But! I heard the class president say last time that the Municipal Library has this workbook, and the answer key is still inside.”

“There’s such a thing?” Chi Zhihuai’s eyes lit up. Could she take photos of all the answers and just copy them when doing the Physics workbook in the future?

Of course, this thought lasted only a second before she immediately chased it from her mind.

The system’s erasure was no joke!

Chen Qin nodded: “Yeah, I heard it’s on the third floor. Let’s go look for it.”

“Aren’t you going to do your homework?” Chi Zhihuai asked.

Chen Qin stretched: “I’m exhausted. This counts as a break.”

Meng Qianwen also didn’t want to read. She closed her book and said, “I’m bored. I’ll go with you.”

Chi Zhihuai asked hesitantly, “Are our things safe here?”

“The ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign is out; no one will come in,” Chen Qin said, getting up first. “Come on, let’s go.”

Despite the reassurance, Chi Zhihuai picked up her phone and tucked her wallet into her pants pocket before finally feeling safe enough to leave.

The three walked to the stairwell. Chen Qin noticed Chi Zhihuai’s bulging pants pocket, stopped, and said, “I should take my wallet, too. Just in case we run into a thief.”

Chi Zhihuai nodded: “Go ahead. We’ll wait for you here.”

Chen Qin jogged away. Only two people who had known each other for less than three hours remained at the stairwell, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.

After a moment of silence, Meng Qianwen spoke first: “When I first entered high school, I was too focused on having fun. Later, when I wanted to study, I realized I couldn’t catch up. The teachers couldn’t be bothered with students like us who wouldn’t pass the college entrance exam, so I barely studied in my first year.”

Chi Zhihuai blinked: “It’s okay. You still have two years. Everything is salvageable. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll try hard first,” Meng Qianwen looked down at her white sneakers. “Thank you.”

They were standing close, and Chi Zhihuai suddenly saw a strand of blue hair mixed into her long, straight black hair.

She quietly complimented her: “That deep blue highlight is really pretty.”

Meng Qianwen smiled at her again: “Thank you.”

With a few words, the distance between the two narrowed significantly. This was probably the kind of sympathy that exists between struggling students.

Chi Zhihuai was secretly delighted that she had helped a struggling student. But as she celebrated, her brow suddenly furrowed.

Wait a minute.

Meng Qianwen is a student with poor grades. Shouldn’t Chi Zhihuai be cozying up to Meng Qianwen and letting her own grades slip to save her life?

How did this turn into her motivating Meng Qianwen to study?!

Chi Zhihuai mentally pounded her chest, feeling like a big idiot.

But… Meng Qianwen is her deskmate’s cousin. Her deskmate is the first friend she’s made here, so helping her should be fine, right?

Okay, she decided to temporarily let Target No. 3 off the hook.

As Chi Zhihuai was internally strategizing, she suddenly heard someone calling “Qianwen” from downstairs.

She looked down and was startled.

S-Shang Han?!

And Tang Chen?

She quickly withdrew her gaze, wondering why she was encountering Shang Han even here.

Could this be… the so-called guidance of fate?

Just as the juvenile thought popped up, Meng Qianwen next to her suddenly turned and walked away.

The next second, the tall boy from downstairs rushed up like a little leopard and grabbed Meng Qianwen’s hand.

Unfortunately, it was quickly and mercilessly pulled away.

The little person in Chi Zhihuai’s heart silently picked up half a watermelon and started eating it while watching the drama.

Judging by the current situation, Tang Chen and Meng Qianwen should be good friends… No, no, they were holding hands. They shouldn’t just be friends; they were probably a couple. Analyzing Meng Qianwen’s action of pulling away, it’s clear they must have argued, or the girl broke up with him, and the boy is shamelessly trying to reconcile.

Wow, wow, wow. The guy grabbed the girl’s hand again! His attitude is very aggressive!

Eek—the girl’s strength is comparable to the guy’s, and she successfully shook him off again!

She was enjoying the show when someone suddenly stood beside her.

Shang Han looked at her gossipy expression and couldn’t help but ask: “You know Meng Qianwen?”

Chi Zhihuai suddenly realized she had gotten carried away. She quickly dropped her metaphorical melon, took half a step back, and said timidly, “J-just met her.”

“Wen… Deskmate?”

When Chen Qin rushed back, she saw her cousin and her childhood friend pulling and shoving each other, and her deskmate looked flustered, facing a person holding a helmet in one hand.

What happened here while she was getting her wallet?

Chen Qin took two steps forward. Suddenly, the mysterious person with the helmet turned around.

Chen Qin froze: “…”

S-S-S-Shang Han?!

She stiffly looked at her deskmate, wanting to ask what was going on.

Unfortunately, her deskmate was already scared stiff, standing there helpless and confused, looking weak, pitiful, and utterly defenseless.

The familiar look of fear in her eyes made Shang Han sigh. She turned around and said, “Tang Chen, that’s enough. She doesn’t want you to touch her. Calm down.”

Tang Chen just wanted to pull Meng Qianwen somewhere private upstairs to talk. Being rejected twice made him angry, and he roared at Meng Qianwen: “Can’t you just make things clear! If we have difficulties, we face them together. Do you have to make our relationship so tense!”

The moment he said that, Chi Zhihuai desperately wanted to pick up the melon she had mentally dropped, but Shang Han was present, so she had to hold back.

Meng Qianwen’s hands, hanging by her sides, clenched: “There’s nothing to talk about. Just get lost.”

Tang Chen was furious. His throat bobbed, and he suddenly raised his hand.

Chi Zhihuai thought he was going to hit her and instinctively lunged forward.

So what if she won’t date you! How can you raise a hand to hit a girl!

But just as she lunged, Tang Chen’s palm slammed down heavily onto the railing beside them.

He shouted with great force, “I’m leaving then, I’m leaving!”

Chi Zhihuai’s lunge was too sudden to stop. The moment he finished speaking, she was already standing in front of Meng Qianwen, in a protective posture.

The sight of the small, slender girl rushing out to be a “hero saving the beauty” stunned everyone present.

Shang Han paused for two seconds, then reached out and patted Tang Chen’s back: “That’s enough. Let’s go.”

Chi Zhihuai awkwardly withdrew her hands, carefully stepping aside under the system’s mocking thought of, “You’ve got some nerve, huh?”

She had made a mistake. She shouldn’t have rushed out to be a hero.

Wuwuwu.

She had forgotten just now…

She wasn’t the coolest kid in school anymore!