Chapter 7: Studies

    A night had passed since Tang Yifei began her new life with this family. Last night, she had fallen asleep while applying a warm compress to the bruises Grandma Li had treated, with warmth in her heart. But when she woke up, the compress was gone.

    Grandma Li must have taken it while she slept. When she looked in the bathroom mirror this morning, it seemed the bruises had started to fade a bit. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the care she’d received from her new family or it was just her imagination.

    Her breakfast was simple—plain rice porridge with reheated leftovers from last night’s meal.

    Tang Yifei had never eaten like this before. Every meal she used to have was prepared by a chef, and it never mattered if she finished it or not. She didn’t know what happened to the leftovers afterward—whether they were thrown away or not.

    But now, in this new family, the leftovers were reheated and eaten again at the next meal.

    This must be the way ordinary people live, she thought.

    As she sat at the dining table, Tang Yifei looked around for her parents. Were they not out of their rooms yet?

    Noticing her curiosity, Li Yifeng explained to her that their mother and father had already left for work.

    That meant only three of them were having breakfast together this morning.

    Even though the food was reheated and not as fresh as last night’s dinner, seeing her younger brother and Grandma enjoying it so much made Tang Yifei feel more inclined to eat.

    She finished two bowls of plain rice porridge.

    Her younger brother, dressed in his school uniform, grabbed his bag after finishing breakfast, ready to leave.

    Tang Yifei watched him with curiosity.

    “I’m off,” he said, turning to bid farewell to both her and Grandma Li.

    “Good luck with your study,” Grandma Li replied.

    Afterward, the two remaining—Tang Yifei and Grandma Li—cleared the dishes together. The leftovers from the previous night were now completely gone, though there hadn’t been much to begin with.

    “How are you feeling today?” Grandma Li asked.      

    “I’m feeling better.”

    Grandma Li nodded, not asking further questions. She squeezed dish soap onto a sponge and began washing the dishes, while Tang Yifei rinsed them clean. Although her hands were slippery from washing, nothing got broken.

    Much to Grandma Li’s relief.

    Tang Yifei couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. Next time, she would do even better.

    The rest of the morning and up until noon was spent helping Grandma Li clean the house. Tang Yifei did well in some tasks, not so well in others.

    Grandma Li, seeing how unfamiliar her granddaughter was with housework, felt a slight irritation. But remembering what the doctor and nurses had said, she kept her temper in check, only looking at her granddaughter with sympathy.  

    Even simple tasks were difficult for her.

    Grandma Li could only hope that Heaven would protect Yifei from any more harm.

    Yet, seeing the eagerness to learn in her granddaughter's expression, Grandma Li couldn't help but feel happy. At least, Yifei wasn’t sulking while cleaning the house anymore.

    It seemed that her granddaughter was now willing to learn these things, much like when she was a little girl. But as she grew older, she’d lost interest in such things, spending her days staring at the mirror like a narcissist, obsessed with her own reflection.

    She just had to wait and see.

    Though she worried, Grandma Li also thought it was a good thing that Yifei was like this now.

    Before long, it was time for lunch. Grandma Li made a simple meal of stir-fried vegetables and fried pork, which they ate with more plain rice porridge. Though there were only two dishes, they were delicious.

    Before long, both dishes were gone, and Grandma Li smiled happily, seeing that her granddaughter was eating well.

    Tang Yifei wondered to herself if she would start gaining weight, though considering the meals, it didn’t seem likely. Besides, as a teenager, her metabolism was still strong. Looking at her current figure, it was clear that she needed nourishment.

    She had heard that she had been in the ICU for a week, and after regaining consciousness, she’d spent another week recovering. In total, she had stayed at the hospital for two weeks, causing her to lose quite a bit of weight.

    Seeing Grandma Li’s pleased smile, it seemed that the old woman must be worried about this as well.

    Another day passed, and in the evening, her younger brother returned home, carrying a box of fried chicken.

    “Come have some fried chicken, sis.”

    “Grandma, want some fried chicken?” Tang Yifei asked.

    “You go ahead and eat.” Grandma Li replied.

    “Grandma…”

    In the end, Grandma Li joined them in eating the fried chicken. She only ate one drumstick since there were only five pieces in the box, and it seemed smaller than the box they had yesterday.

    Once the chicken was finished, the younger brother turned his attention to the computer right away.

    Seeing him still in his school uniform, Tang Yifei realized that she was also of school age. Now, apart from the bruising on her face, her body felt completely fine.

    The nurse had once commented,

    ‘You’re really lucky. You got hit by a car, but your body’s fine. Just some internal bruising, and it didn’t even require major surgery. You were just unconscious for too long.’

    Tang Yifei secretly agreed. It was strange how resilient her body seemed.

    But she wasn’t entirely sure if there would be any long-term effects. For now, everything felt normal.

    Around 7PM, her parents returned home with food in hand, though not as much as the day before.

    Her younger brother left his game to help set the table, bringing the rice cooker back to its usual spot.

    Dinner was simple.

    “Everyone... can I go back to school now?” Tang Yifei asked.

    Everyone turned to look at her.

    “Are you really feeling better?” her mother asked, worried.

    “Mom, with Li Ying around, it should be fine,” her younger brother replied on her behalf, then turned to look at his sister.

    “But, sis, are you sure? Your face isn’t healed yet. You’ll definitely get mocked.”

    “It’s fine.”

    Her brother and the others looked doubtful, which was understandable.       

    For her, the bruises on her face weren’t much of an obstacle. Grandma Li’s herbal compress would heal them soon enough.

    More importantly, education was crucial. As Tang Yifei, her academic performance had been good, though not top tier. Now, she wasn’t sure if she could keep up with the lessons of modern students, but she was determined to try.

    Missing so much school might affect her ability to advance to the next grade.

    And in her current circumstances, excelling in her studies was the only thing she could do. The sooner she returned to school, the better.

    “Then you should go.”

    Grandma Li was the one to grant permission.

    “Thank you, Grandma.”

    “A’Feng, make sure to keep an eye on your sister,” their father said.

    “Yes, Dad.”

    After dinner, Tang Yifei opened the wardrobe and took out her school uniform, which had been neatly ironed.

    When Li Yifeng saw this, he couldn’t help but ask,

    “Are you that excited?”

    “Mm-hmm.”

    He didn’t say anything more, just nodded back. He figured she might be eager for one day, but by the next, she might not want to go again. Many girls at school were envious of her beauty, but that wouldn’t be a concern for now.

    Unfortunately, their school buildings were on opposite sides of the campus, so he would only be able to check on her at lunchtime and after school, as their father had asked.

    The next morning, Tang Yifei looked at herself in the mirror, now dressed in her second-year high school uniform. She didn’t feel completely accustomed to it but silently cheered herself on.

    Breakfast was simple yet heartwarming. After finishing, she said goodbye to Grandma Li.

    Then, she left to catch the bus with her younger brother. This was actually the first time Tang Yifei had taken a public bus. In the past, if she didn’t drive herself, she always had a driver.

    This was something else she would have to get used to. Looking around the bus stop, she saw many people waiting as well.

    Everyone else could take the bus, so she should be able to do the same.

    When bus number 7 arrived, Tang Yifei followed her younger brother onto the bus.

    The bus was crowded, likely because it was the time when students were heading to school, and this route seemed to lead to AA High School. The bus was filled with students.

    None of them paid her much attention because her younger brother had made her wear a face mask, which helped cover up her bruises.

    They had arrived at the front gate of the school.

    "Do you remember your classroom?"

    The memories of the original owner of the body resurfaced.

    "I do."

    Just as she answered, a voice called out—it was Li Ying.

    "Yifei, you're back at school?"

    "Yes."  

    "Sister Li Ying’s here now, so I’m off to my own building."       

    "Alright," both she and Li Ying responded in unison.

    "Come on, I’ll take you to our classroom. I don’t know why you’re in such a rush to come back. If it were me, I’d take a long break. School’s so boring."

    As they walked, Li Ying complained about various things while leading Tang Yifei by the hand.

    This feeling—it had been so long since she felt this kind of connection with a close friend.

    Back when Tang Yifei was a student, friendships had always felt distant. She’d been taught to be cautious when forming friendships, and those friends had to be approved of by her grandfather.

    Childhood friends were fun, but as they grew older, those friendships often turned into rivalries.

    Some friends disappeared altogether when their families went bankrupt.

    But now, she was back to living as an ordinary girl, with a close friend who, deep down, she felt truly cared for her. She hoped her instincts were right—that Li Ying’s friendship was genuine.

    When they entered the classroom, many eyes turned to look at them.

    Li Ying stood tall, and Tang Yifei followed suit. Perhaps it was because young girls liked being the center of attention.

    Luckily, Tang Yifei’s desk was right next to Li Ying’s, which gave her a sense of relief. Sitting next to a close friend was definitely the best.

    However, whispers and glances from their classmates soon filled the room, and Tang Yifei could hear some of the murmurs.

    “There’s the class beauty, but she's wearing a mask. Her face must be ruined.”

    “Yeah, no doubt.”

    “She’s not that pretty anymore. Probably rotten by now. Xing Fei’s way prettier and smarter than her.”

    Li Ying suddenly slammed her school bag onto the desk with a loud thud, causing the groups who were talking to fall silent. Though they hadn’t mentioned her directly, it was clear who they were talking about.

    "Oops, my bag slipped," Li Ying said sarcastically, pretending to apologize. "Go on, keep chatting."

    Since it appeared to be an accident, no one said anything.

    “I saw you slam it down,” said a boy in a low voice. Tang Yifei’s memories told her his name was Xu Kai, and he seemed reluctant to expose her.

    “I was just putting it on to get my book,”

    Li Ying made up an excuse. She then whispered to Tang Yifei.

    “These people are so envious. They can’t stand anyone being prettier than them.”

    Tang Yifei found herself smiling. Li Ying was defending her, and she nodded in agreement, acknowledging her friend's words.

    Soon, the bell rang, and the teacher entered the classroom. He paused briefly upon seeing Tang Yifei.

    “Li Yifei, you’re back. Just in time for the midterm exams next week. Good, it’ll be a good warm-up. You can catch up with extra tutoring afterward.”

    As the teacher spoke, some students in the class laughed and whispered among themselves.

    "She’s been in makeup classes since year one. Nothing new."

    "Pretty, but not smart. Not like our Xing Fei."

    Before the conversation could escalate, the teacher raised his voice, cutting off their chatter.

    “Instead of gossiping, why don’t you spend that time studying and getting high marks? I’d be much happier.”

    Because of that, the class fell completely silent.