Chapter 113: From Devoted Fan to Bitter Enemy

By mid-May, the countdown had dwindled from a hundred days to just twenty, and the third mock exam was fast approaching.

The basketball court was deserted of senior students, and the corridors lay quiet.

Teachers tossed exam papers onto the class representatives’ desks, and without a word, the sheets spread like snowflakes throughout the classroom.

The usual students who once played and joked in the halls seemed to vanish into thin air; during breaks, only the sound of flipping pages and the scratching of pens on paper filled the air, punctuated occasionally by small groups huddled together discussing mistakes.

It wasn’t just Tang Yu—everyone was plunged into the chaotic intensity of study.

Yet, Wang Qing’s gossip never ceased.

Even when utterly exhausted, she couldn’t resist sharing the latest juicy tidbits with Tang Yu.

“Do you know why Meng Shirui hasn’t been around much lately?”

“The school belle from the neighboring Beiyuan High confessed to Zhou Xunwen, and they ended up fighting. Turns out the other girl was tough too. Both groups called in a dozen friends for a showdown, even brought knives. Although Meng Shirui had the upper hand, the Beiyuan belle wasn’t to be underestimated—her family has some connections. Meng Shirui injured the girl’s face, and now her family keeps showing up at Meng’s home, causing all sorts of trouble. No one knows how it’s going to end.”

Wang Qing glanced back towards the rear, where Bian Yang was quietly reading, looking quite serious.

Lowering her voice, she leaned in, whispering, “Actually, that Beiyuan belle originally liked Bian Yang and even had someone slip him a love letter. But the very next day, the letter ended up at the school disciplinary office. She was so embarrassed she backed off and shifted her attention to Zhou Xunwen instead…”

At first, there was a line of girls from other classes coming to see Bian Yang. But after his repeat incident, the looks they gave him turned from admiration to utter loathing.

Who sends a love letter straight to the disciplinary office?

The office notified parents, and the girls were horrified, turning from fans into staunch critics.

The gossip on the Qingyuan forum went as far as to claim he preferred boys over girls—something no normal person would do.

When Bian Yang heard this, he just scoffed and showed no intention to clarify.

Wang Qing chuckled remembering the forum drama.

Tang Yu listened to the gossip but kept her pen moving steadily across the exam paper.

“Hey, Xiao Yu, your necklace is really pretty. Which shop did you buy it from?”

Wang Qing’s sharp eyes caught sight of it.

The pendant was a crescent moon encircled by a ring of sparkling tiny stars.

Tang Yu’s pen paused. She quickly tucked the necklace, which had somehow appeared around her neck without her knowing when, back inside her collar.

She had noticed it the morning she woke up but didn’t know when it had been put on. She’d gone to ask Bian Yang.

He was bent over washing clothes, methodically scrubbing away bloodstains. He said it was a reward from heaven for her diligent studying.

Obviously a lie.

When she tried to take it off, he smiled and said it was a belated birthday gift.

Since then, she had worn it continuously.

“I forgot,” she replied with a racing heart, feigning calm. “Probably somewhere nearby, but I can’t remember which shop exactly.”

“It’s really beautiful. After the third mock exam, I’ll ask my dad for some pocket money and buy one too.”

Tang Yu lowered her head and continued writing.

The pendant occasionally brushed against her skin—cool to the touch, yet somehow burning her as if it were hot.

Zhang Jingyu got up to get some water and noticed Bian Yang’s cup was empty. Politely, he offered, “Bian, are you thirsty? I’ll get you some water.”

Bian Yang, half-asleep and lazy, glanced at the time, then nodded slightly towards his cup. “Thanks.”

Zhang Jingyu immediately picked it up and added, “Just hot water, half a cup, right?”

“Hot water alone’s too hot,” Zhang Jingyu said, “I’ll make it warm for you,” especially given the heat that day.

Bian Yang gave him a sidelong look, and Zhang quickly corrected himself, “Okay, okay! Hot water it is!”

Passing Tang Yu, he cheerfully asked, “Yu, are you thirsty? Want me to get you a cup too?”

Since Tang Yu had ranked first in school twice in a row, her reputation had spread widely.

Each time she topped the charts, she did even better than before.

At this critical juncture, improving scores was nearly impossible; everyone was just praying not to lose marks or rank.

Especially since the second mock was a provincial joint exam covering 500 high schools. Tang Yu had ranked second province-wide, only 0.5 points behind the first, who was in the elite class of the provincial capital’s top high school. Given Qingyuan’s mediocre teaching standards, for Tang Yu to come so close was extraordinary—and no wonder the principal of the provincial key school personally wanted to recruit her.

Her name was now well-known across the province.

Anyone who had bought her notes jokingly called her “Sister Yu.”

Tang Yu never quite got used to that and politely declined.

“If you don’t want it, Qing should have it,” Wang Qing said, tossing her cup to Zhang Jingyu.

Without hesitation, Zhang Jingyu threw the cup back. “Wang Qing, come on, if you want it, get it yourself.”

Wang Qing barely caught the cup and jumped up to playfully punch him.

Zhang Jingyu returned with half a cup of hot water. Bian Yang didn’t drink it but pulled out a packet of traditional Chinese medicine from his bag and steeped it in the water.

Turns out it wasn’t just water for drinking—it was for warming the herbal medicine.

The medicine was prepared by the pharmacy, a seven-day supply, taken three times daily, vacuum-sealed. Heating it in hot water made it ready to drink.

After about two minutes, Bian Yang touched the packet with the back of his hand, took it out, wiped off the moisture with a tissue, and tossed it to the front row.

Tang Yu, focused on her exam, suddenly had a packet of herbal medicine land in front of her. She wasn’t surprised but furrowed her brow.

Since her last bout of menstrual pain, Bian Yang had forcibly taken her to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor.

Since then, she had been taking the medicine diligently every morning, noon, and night.

Now, just seeing the herbs made her stomach churn.

Tang Yu turned her head and asked gently, “Can I not take it?”

She actually felt fine now.

Bian Yang glanced up from his book lazily. “What do you think?”

His eyes said no.

Tang Yu pouted, resigned, and turned back to bite a small hole in the packet.

The bitter taste filled her mouth, and her small face twisted in disgust.

Wang Qing, holding her cup two meters away, could already smell the pungent aroma.

By now, she was used to Tang Yu’s herbal medicine habit.

“Not gonna lie, this stuff really wakes you up. Just smelling it chases away any drowsiness.”

More effective than black coffee.

Wang Qing sighed, “No wonder it’s like a Chinese-style hot Americano. I’ll have my dad take me to a TCM doctor to get some too.”

Tang Yu, mouth still holding the medicine packet, was speechless.

Wang Qing wasn’t joking—she went to the doctor right after school that day and started taking the medicine the next day.

Students naturally had little sleep and were often deficient in qi and blood. The TCM doctor prescribed some tonics.

Since Wang Qing joined the herbal medicine brigade, rumors spread that the herbs enhanced memory—people said Tang Yu’s sharp memory was thanks to the medicine. Soon, all the girls in their class started taking it, making it a trend; even some boys quietly joined in.

By noon, Class Two was filled with a strange aroma, like a traditional Chinese medicine clinic.

Bian Yang joked with her, “Thanks to you, Tang Yu, you’re really contributing to Qingcheng’s TCM industry.”

This phenomenon only intensified after the third mock exam.

Tang Yu scored 737 points, surpassing the top provincial high school’s first place by seven points, making her name known throughout the province.

Her study notes had spread from Qingyuan to the senior circles in Beiyuan.

Wang Qing became the top direct seller; Zhang Jingyu the top reseller.

Not only senior students but juniors in grades one and two also started buying her notes.

After subtracting copying costs, her daily income hit as high as 20,000 yuan.

The photocopy machines at the school’s copy shop were practically smoking.

Tang Yu was stunned when she received the thick stack of money.

Wang Qing sighed, “Knowledge truly is wealth.”

The saying “In books, there are houses of gold” was no empty phrase.

Tang Yu insisted on giving Wang Qing half the money. Wang Qing refused but didn’t decline the ten percent commission she earned, pocketing two thousand yuan.

Her eyes sparkled with entrepreneurial ambition as she confidently told Tang Yu she wanted to study marketing in the future, convinced she could become rich off it.

It wasn’t just the notes—after the third mock, the TCM clinic mysteriously became crowded with senior students.

They all came in asking for “Tang Yu’s prescription.”

The herbalist was bewildered.

Not only was Tang Yu’s formula not theirs—it was forbidden to disclose customers’ prescriptions.

Moreover, the formula mainly regulated menstrual cycles and boosted girls’ qi and blood. Girls taking it was one thing, but what about the boys?

In the end, the clinic could only prescribe some mild tonics for nervous exhaustion and memory enhancement…