Rebirth to Save Myself

When Chen Yuan got home, she happily said, "Ye Lingling and I are still in Class 3, but many classmates have been transferred to the back classes, and quite a few people have come to the front classes as well. Xiaxia, how many people from your class went away?"

“Three,” Su Xia said.

"Wow, no wonder it's an experimental class. By the way, is there a boy named Lu Jingnian in your class?" Chen Yuan asked with a gossipy look on her face.

"I don't know, I haven't even gotten to know everyone's names yet." Su Xia shook her head. Apart from the three whose names the homeroom teacher called out today, the others hadn't introduced themselves at all.

"Just this afternoon in the cafeteria, Lu Jingnian was stopped and confessed to by a girl from Class 8. Lu Jingnian replied that he'd wait until she got into the experimental class. So cool! It's like something out of a Mary Sue novel; he's definitely the male lead type." Chen Yuan immediately caught up on the gossip today; it seems she's doing quite well in Class 3.

"Why worry about others? You should focus on your studies first." Chen Chunqi's appearance interrupted their conversation. Chen Chunqi also said to Chen Yuan, "Don't drag Xiaxia into doing anything unrelated to her studies."

"Mom, how can you talk to your own daughter like that!" Chen Yuan jumped up in anger. She had never stopped Su Xia from studying.

"You haven't even started studying yet, what are you talking about novels for?" Chen Chunqi retorted, hands on her hips.

"Waaaaah, Xiaxia, my mom scolded me." Chen Yuan ran up behind Su Xia and said tearfully.

"Hmm, I can't help you either." Su Xia looked serious, and no one could say anything about it.

In the end, Chen Chunqi and Chen Jianguo lectured Chen Yuan, telling her to focus on her studies and not bother Su Xia. Then, that night, Chen Yuan went to Su Xia's room to complain about how her parents could act this way, saying they weren't like this before she started high school.

"My parents are finding me increasingly unpleasant to look at, even though I'm just as outstanding as they seem!"

"Yes, you're excellent."

"It's all because Xiaxia, you're so outstanding. I pale in comparison!"

"No, no, no matter what, you're still your parents' child."

"I wasn't talking about you! On the contrary, I think Xiaxia is excellent and great. You can take over Dad's business and earn money for me to spend, hahaha!"

"Dream on. If I take over Dad's business, I'll cut off your allowance."

"Hehe, Xiaxia definitely won't, you're the most stubborn but soft-hearted one."

"Military training starts tomorrow, are you ready?"

"What do you need to prepare? Just put on your clothes."

Su Xia was speechless. This kid wasn't even that bad at sun protection yet; in a few years, when she's in college, she'll be complaining about why she didn't start using sunscreen sooner. But seeing Chen Yuan healthy and well is good too; not every girl has to be fair-skinned and thin to be beautiful.

The next day, everyone ate breakfast early and arrived at school, where they were taken to the playground. The first thing they had to do was stand at attention. Under the scorching sun, even a slight misstep would result in a reprimand from the instructors. Su Xia felt like her body wasn't her own anymore; her head started to spin. However, many students had previously feigned illness to avoid military training, so the instructors weren't fooled.

Su Xia felt everything go black and collapsed forward. As she lost consciousness, she seemed to hear Chen Yuan calling out. When she woke up, she was already in the infirmary, and two people were talking through the curtain.

"Doctor, why hasn't she woken up yet? We said it was heatstroke, and we've already given her medicine. Should we take her to the hospital to get her checked out?"

"No need, your classmate doesn't need to rush. She might wake up soon."

"What do you mean 'maybe'? My sister's health isn't good to begin with."

It was Chen Yuan and the school doctor, so Su Xia called out, "Yuanyuan!"

"Xiaxia, you're awake." Upon hearing the voice, Chen Yuan immediately pulled back the curtain and rushed to Su Xia's bedside, taking her hand and asking, "Are you still feeling unwell? Is anything bothering you?"

"No, I just feel a little weak."

"You're exhausted. Your health is quite poor, classmate. Have you been to a major hospital for a checkup?" The school doctor followed behind and asked Su Xia.

"I had a check-up during the summer vacation, and it turns out I'm just a little anemic," Su Xia replied.

"Okay, if there's nothing else, you can rest here for a bit." The school doctor said before pushing open the door and leaving.

"You scared me to death! You suddenly fainted. Luckily, our class was right next to you, otherwise I don't know how long it would have taken me to find out you fainted." Chen Yuan looked at Su Xia with a seemingly reproachful expression.

"Okay, I was wrong. I thought I could get through the military training, but it didn't even last a morning."

"If you're not feeling well, just tell the instructor. Honestly, why are you forcing yourself?"

“I told the instructor, but he ignored me and thought I was faking it.”

"It's all the work of those slackers. They make excuses even when they're not feeling unwell, causing the instructors to misunderstand the people who are actually suffering."

A knock suddenly sounded at the door, followed by a voice from outside: "Chen Yuan, Su Xia, are you in there?"

"It's Ye Lingling, we're here."

Ye Lingling pushed open the door and entered, carrying two packed meals in her hands. As she walked, she said, "Because Su Xia suddenly fainted, the teachers and instructors were worried that other students might also have something to do, so they ended the training early. I was worried that you wouldn't be able to go to the cafeteria for a while, so I packed meals for you."

"Thank you, Su Xia just woke up too." Chen Yuan quickly took the food from Ye Lingling's hands and placed it on the bedside table.

"You don't know Su Xia. When Chen Yuan saw you faint, she rushed over in one stride. Before anyone else could react, she was already carrying you and charging forward. I never expected a girl to have so much strength," Ye Lingling said to Su Xia.

"Oh dear, why are you saying this?" Chen Yuan hurriedly came over and covered Ye Lingling's mouth.

"Yuanyuan, the playground is so far from the infirmary. It must have been hard for you to carry her all the way." Su Xia looked at Chen Yuan with heartache.

"No, a boy came to help halfway there. He said the homeroom teacher asked him to come," Chen Yuan said.

"You hugged me first, thank you Yuanyuan." Su Xia held Chen Yuan's hand, her face full of gratitude.

"Alright, you're my sister, no need to thank me. If you want to thank me, then get well soon." Chen Yuan turned her head away shyly from Su Xia and Ye Lingling, making them both laugh.

The three of them ate lunch in the infirmary and then went back to the classroom to rest. Su Xia declined Chen Yuan's offer to see her to the classroom door, feeling that she was much better now and didn't need to be treated like a porcelain doll.

Within the class, everyone had different opinions about Su Xia fainting. Some thought Su Xia did it on purpose to avoid military training; others felt that Su Xia's fainting didn't seem fake, and there was no need to make such a big fuss. If the instructor found out it was fake, she would be in big trouble.

Su Xia stood at the classroom door, listening to the voices discussing her behind the door. Instead of going in, she turned around and went to the flower bed on the first floor, finding a cool spot to rest. However, she didn't see Lu Jingnian on the other side of the flower bed. He had come here to take a nap because the classroom was too noisy, but he hadn't been asleep for long when footsteps sounded.

He thought it was one of his suitors who had followed him over, and was about to leave when he realized that the other person was just sitting next door, probably also there to rest, so he didn't say anything.

"Sigh, why do I have time to discuss other people's affairs instead of reading more books? Kids are so naive. I hope they won't bother me in the future. I have so many things to do," Su Xia muttered to herself.

She genuinely thought that the experimental class was so demanding that students wouldn't have time for things unrelated to studying. But it turns out, gossip and backstabbing among girls are inevitable everywhere. She was an adult, so she didn't want to argue with these students who were still like children. Therefore, she left the classroom instead of entering, afraid of embarrassing those who were discussing her if she went in.

"What's wrong with my body? I was perfectly fine a few years ago, and all my previous full-body checkups showed nothing wrong."

Lu Jingnian was forced to listen to Su Xia's rambling until the lunch break ended and afternoon training began. Because of Su Xia's fainting spell in the morning, the instructors were taking extra care of her, making her rest whenever she seemed unwell. They were afraid that if anything happened, they wouldn't be able to escape responsibility; these kids were all top students in school, so they were bound to have less physical stamina.

Moreover, the homeroom teacher had come to him at noon, asking him to go easy on the students to avoid them falling behind physically. The instructor's actions certainly upset a group of people; why should she get to rest from time to time while everyone else was in military training, and she was just sitting in the shade?

The students, too afraid to defy the instructors, began to ostracize Su Xia, refusing to play with her or speak to her, which Su Xia found somewhat amusing. These kids were clearly in high school, yet they were still resorting to such low-level bullying tactics. But this suited her perfectly; she was happy to be left alone and unbothered.

This is school, not the workplace. Teachers won't mistreat or make things difficult for students just because they don't play with them. Teachers only care about grades. As long as your grades are good and you don't break school rules, whether you play with classmates or not is none of their concern. In school, if you get good grades, teachers are very likely to side with you, so there's no need to be sad or upset about not having friends to play with. Such friendships are fragile and can easily crumble at the slightest provocation.

Upon hearing that Su Xia had fainted during military training, Chen Jianguo and Chen Chunqi immediately rushed to the school to request that the teacher exempt Su Xia from the remaining training. However, Su Xia refused, feeling that she was still capable and could ask for leave later if she was truly unwell. The homeroom teacher, who had been full of sarcastic remarks towards Su Xia at the beginning of the semester, was less harsh now that Su Xia's parents were causing trouble, as she seemed to be quite sensible.

“Parents of Su Xia, military training is a school requirement, and every student must participate. If Su Xia is unable to participate, she needs to provide a certificate from a top-tier hospital,” the homeroom teacher said.

"She's been in poor health since she was little, and now she's fainted before military training even started. If something happens later, can you teachers take responsibility?" Chen Chunqi asked the homeroom teacher.

“How long have we raised my child? It’s only gotten this little bit of flesh on her. If this stupid military training makes her sick, you can expect to receive court summons,” Chen Jianguo said.

"Su Xia's parents, please be rational and calm. I've already told you that you need a hospital certificate to not participate in military training. If you've obtained one, I have nothing to say." The homeroom teacher shrugged, indicating that there was nothing he could do. "I've already told you how to do it, why are you still pressuring me?"

"Dad, Mom, calm down. I fainted because of heatstroke. I'll be more careful afterward. I'll tell the instructors and teachers if I feel unwell," Su Xia said to Chen Jianguo and Chen Chunqi as she arrived at the office.

“Xiaxia, this is the first time this has happened to you. I need to take you to the hospital for another check-up,” Chen Chunqi said, holding Su Xia’s hand.

"Okay, I'll find some time to go after I finish military training." Su Xia nodded in agreement with Chen Chunqi.

"If you're not feeling well, you must go and rest. Don't push yourself." Seeing that Su Xia was determined and probably wouldn't listen to their advice to give up military training, Chen Jianguo had no choice but to give her a serious warning.

"Okay, Dad, I will. You don't need to worry," Su Xia replied.

After Su Xia's repeated assurances, the two could only have a meal with Chen Yuan before returning home. Because military training was a closed-off program, no one could go home and had to live together in a large dormitory. Several classes were mixed together, living in simple iron bunk beds, and even the cabinets for storing things were small and dilapidated.

Many students complained that the locker wasn't very secure, but they confiscated valuables like cell phones, leaving only some clothes inside.

Fortunately, Su Xia didn't faint again and completed her military training tasks diligently. When the two returned home, Chen Yuan noticed that Su Xia was still as fair-skinned as ever, showing no signs of tanning, while Chen Yuan herself looked like a dark-skinned girl standing next to her. Even Chen Chunqi mercilessly mocked Chen Yuan: "Yuanyuan, how come you're so dark! You look like you were just dug out of a coal mine. Xia Xia isn't like this."

"Mom, your daughter is already heartbroken enough, and you're adding insult to injury." Chen Yuan looked like she was about to cry, which made Chen Chunqi burst into laughter.

"It's okay, just be careful and it will come back to normal," Su Xia comforted Chen Yuan.

"Waaah, I should have listened to you and taken sunscreen seriously." Chen Yuan was on the verge of tears. Su Xia had clearly told her to be careful before, but she hadn't listened attentively.

"There's still time, there's still time." Su Xia and Chen Chunqi comforted Chen Yuan, their white skin making Chen Yuan's darker complexion stand out even more.

When Chen Jianguo returned, he saw Chen Yuan, who was dark-skinned, between the two of them and couldn't help but laugh. Then he asked Chen Yuan, "Why are you so tanned after military training? Xia Xia looks perfectly fine."

"Dad, even you are laughing at me!"