Rebirth to Save Myself

The competition results were announced shortly afterward. Shen Zhiheng unsurprisingly secured a place at Tsinghua University without taking the entrance exam, along with an additional 50,000 yuan bonus. Su Xia fell short, only winning second prize, which was 30,000 yuan. In fact, with her grades, she could have easily been admitted to another university. Another student from their school's experimental class also won first prize, securing a place at Tsinghua University without taking the entrance exam.

The teacher was overjoyed. This time, their team won one first prize, three second prizes, and two third prizes in the competition. The first prize winner, in particular, had a banner hung at the school gate that read, "Congratulations to our school's [student's name] for winning the first prize in the National Chemistry Competition and being admitted to Tsinghua University without taking the entrance exam!" The announcement was made throughout the school, making them a household name and a top student even in the experimental class.

Lu Jingnian ran to Su Xia's table to comfort her, saying, "It's okay, second prize is still great."

Su Xia looked up at Lu Jingnian and then said, "Second prize is already a surprise to me. I originally thought I was just a runner-up."

"Why would you say that? You're very capable." Lu Jingnian looked at Su Xia seriously, making her look directly into his eyes.

Su Xia looked at Lu Jingnian, wondering why this kid had become even more persistent since rejecting her on the Lantern Festival. Shouldn't they have gradually drifted apart? Shouldn't they have felt awkward seeing each other and then slowly stopped talking? Why was he so brazen as to send her flowers, and now he was running over to comfort her in front of the whole class?

"Su Su!" Xia Tian shouted from the classroom door, rousing Su Xia from her confusion.

"Xiaxia, what brings you here?" Su Xia quickly walked outside the classroom and asked.

"Let me comfort you. Second prize is still great, don't be sad." After saying that, Xia Tian hugged Su Xia tightly and patted her back awkwardly.

Su Xia originally wanted to say that she wasn't sad, but since it was rare for a beautiful woman to take the initiative to hug her, she would reluctantly accept it.

Chen Yuan saw the two of them hugging from afar and walked over angrily, saying, "What are you doing?"

Xia Tian peeked out from Su Xia's arms and said, "I'm comforting Su Su!"

Chen Yuan looked at Xia Tian in Su Xia's arms with an expression that said, "I thought you were sad and upset all by yourself, so I came to find you as soon as get out of class was over. Turns out you're surrounded by two women!"

Su Xia felt a little awkward. Chen Yuan was very hostile towards Xia Tian, ​​as if Xia Tian would steal Su Xia away. She had that look of a helpless wife watching her husband have affairs, only able to feel bitter towards him! No, she couldn't think like that; she wasn't a scumbag. Su Xia thought for a moment and said, "Everyone is just concerned about me, so how about we all have dinner together tonight? Let's invite Lingling too."

"You still haven't forgotten Lingling!" Chen Yuan said directly, her tone full of hostility.

"Lingling is, after all, your friend and mine. It wouldn't be right not to call her that, would it?" Su Xia could only patiently coax Chen Yuan.

"Hmph, then I'll go talk to her." Chen Yuan said, turning around and heading back to the classroom.

Su Xia looked at Xia Tian in her arms and asked gently, "You'll come, right?"

Summer blushed involuntarily, then nodded and whispered, "Mmm!"

After seeing Xia Tian off, Su Xia finally relaxed and returned to her seat. Then she saw Lu Jingnian smiling at her, and she realized that she hadn't dealt with him yet.

"Aren't you going to invite me?" Lu Jingnian asked proactively.

"Of course not, Lao Lu will definitely come, hmm?" Su Xia smiled awkwardly and said to Lu Jingnian.

"Well, Shen Zhiheng said he's treating everyone to dinner, let's get together tonight." As soon as Lu Jingnian finished speaking, he heard the class bell ring and went straight back to his seat.

As soon as school was over, everyone agreed to meet at the school gate. Chen Yuan, Ye Lingling, and Xia Tian arrived first, barely chatting with each other, and even vaguely drawing a line between them, all looking towards the teaching building. Su Xia and Lu Jingnian arrived a little late because the teacher had gone overtime. Noticing the three of them standing strangely, they quickly went up to them and said, "Were you waiting long? The teacher went overtime."

"I've been waiting for you for ages, I'm starving," Chen Yuan complained, rubbing her stomach.

"No, Su Su. It's common for your teachers to run overtime, and I haven't been here long either," Xia Tian said gently, then stepped forward and took Su Xia's arm.

Chen Yuan looked at Xia Tian as if she were a green tea b*tch, deliberately speaking after Chen Yuan finished speaking, making Chen Yuan appear completely ungentle and unconventional in comparison!

"Let's go, Shen Zhiheng is already waiting for us in the private room," Lu Jingnian said, easing the tense situation.

Su Xia felt embarrassed and could only follow Lu Jingnian, gesturing for Xia Tian, ​​Chen Yuan, and Ye Lingling to follow as well. There were five of them in total; taking a taxi would be one extra person, and since the private room Shen Zhiheng had booked wasn't far, they decided to walk.

Along the way, Xia Tian linked arms with Su Xia and said, "Su Su, do you know? I'm going to a closed training camp in a while, and I won't be able to see you then."

"Are you preparing for the art college entrance exam? That must be tough. When is the exam?"

"It's almost the end of the year, so time is tight. My mom found me a tutor to teach me privately."

"So, do you have a school you'd like to apply to?"

"I want to go to the Capital Academy of Arts, but the academic score requirements there are quite high, and I'm afraid I won't be able to get in."

"Don't worry, you'll have six months to study after your art exams."

"Can you teach me the questions I don't know how to answer?"

"Sure, you can send me the questions via QQ."

"Then it's settled! Su Su is so nice, I'm so happy."

"hey-hey!"

Chen Yuan pulled Ye Lingling along behind, watching the two chatting so intimately in front of her, and a nameless fire burned in her heart. Ye Lingling spoke to Chen Yuan, only to find her ignoring her. Looking up, she saw Chen Yuan glaring at Su Xia's back, and Ye Lingling burst out laughing.

Hearing the laughter, Chen Yuan looked at Ye Lingling and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at you. You haven't changed at all after all these years." Ye Lingling looked at Chen Yuan with a mysterious smile.

"Nothing has changed?" Chen Yuan was a little confused by her words and didn't understand what Ye Lingling was talking about.

"I still remember when Su Xia introduced you to us during the national competition in junior high school, you looked at me, Xia Qiaoqiao, and Xia Qiqi with the same hostile gaze." Ye Lingling found it funny to recall Chen Yuan from that time, with that "you can't take Su Xia away from me" look, it was so adorable.

Chen Yuan felt embarrassed and ashamed upon hearing this. She was still young at the time and worried that Su Xia would stop playing with her if she made new friends. So she tried to treat Ye Lingling and the other two in an impolite way.

Ye Lingling noticed Chen Yuan's embarrassment and smiled, saying, "I didn't mean to blame you, I just feel that you are the same now as you were back then."

"I... I just feel like Xiaxia has been taken away from me," Chen Yuan said softly.

"Are you and Su Xia planning to apply to the same university and the same major?" Ye Lingling asked curiously.

"Not yet, Xiaxia hasn't said which school she wants to apply to." Chen Yuan honestly shook her head.

"Do you want to go to the same school as Su Xia, or even major in the same subject?" Ye Lingling asked again.

"I think it's possible for us to go to the same school, but going to the same major is probably not realistic. Besides, Wenwei and I made a promise to take the entrance exam for the same university together," Chen Yuan said to Ye Lingling, who knew that she and Chen Wenwei were dating.

"So here's the question: if Su Xia wants to go to a university in the north, and Chen Wenwei wants to go to a university in the south, who would you choose to go to the same university with?" Ye Lingling asked again.

"This, this, I don't know." Chen Yuan suddenly felt her brain wasn't working properly. On one side was Su Xia, and on the other was Chen Wenwei. It was such a difficult choice.

"Then you can go back tonight and ask Su Xia, and then think about it carefully yourself." Ye Lingling stopped pressuring Chen Yuan and ended the topic directly.

The journey wasn't long, and they arrived in no time. Shen Zhiheng had already told Lu Jingnian where the private room was, so the five of them went straight in.

"You guys are so slow! We've been waiting for you for ages. Hurry up and order, or we'll all be starving," Shen Zhiheng said as soon as the group entered.

"The teacher went overtime a bit, what would you like to eat?" Lu Jingnian asked Su Xia and the others.

"Are there any dietary restrictions?" Su Xia asked everyone, then sat down next to Lu Jingnian.

Summer reacted quickly and grabbed the seat on the other side of Su Xia, then said to Chen Yuan, who was a step behind, "Do you want to sit next to me?"

Chen Yuan snorted and pulled Ye Lingling to sit opposite them, next to Shen Zhiheng.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Shen Zhiheng leaned close to Lu Jingnian and whispered, "What's going on?"

"I don't know, so it's best not to get involved."

"Who is that beautiful girl sitting next to Xiaxia?"

"summer."

Shen Zhiheng glanced at Lu Jingnian in surprise, then said, "So she wasn't pursuing you? Why is she here? Does she know you like Xiaxia?"

Lu Jingnian glanced at him and then said, "First, she doesn't like me anymore; second, she's here as Su Xia's friend; third, she doesn't know that I like Su Xia."

The two boys were whispering to each other. The private room wasn't big, and Xia Tian was sitting close by, so she listened for about five or six minutes before sending a QQ message to Su Xia on her phone.

Summer: Su Su, does Lu Jingnian like you?

Coffee to keep you going: Don't talk nonsense.

Summer: Don't worry, I don't like him anymore, so don't worry about me.

Coffee for a Lifeline: No, I didn't, don't talk nonsense.

Summer: They just said that Lu Jingnian likes you.

Coffee to keep you going: ...

"Why are you all looking down at your phones? It's so quiet! Put down your phones and chat, let's make it lively." Shen Zhiheng started to liven up the atmosphere after whispering to Lu Jingnian.

“Yeah, it’s no fun when everyone’s on their phones,” Su Xia said, putting down her phone first.

"As expected of Xiaxia, I told you you could win an award." Shen Zhiheng didn't think it was a pity that Su Xia only won second prize.

"You guessed right, you're really accurate." Su Xia smiled as well.

The night before the competition, Su Xia couldn't sleep due to anxiety, and Shen Zhiheng, who was out for a late-night snack, saw her. He comforted her, saying that she was guaranteed a second prize and would even aim for first prize. Shen Zhiheng wasn't exaggerating, nor was he certain that Su Xia would win first prize. Many people were aiming for the guaranteed admission spot, so the competition was definitely fierce. He could tell that Su Xia wasn't very interested in the guaranteed admission, so he suggested that she aim for second prize directly, which would not only have a substantial prize but also be a plus.

"That's right, I've been known as a fortune teller since I was a child."

"Give me a break, you, a fortune teller?" Lu Jingnian bluntly exposed his arrogance.

"Hey, I kindly told you to come pick someone up, and this is how you treat me!" Seeing Lu Jingnian undermine him, Shen Zhiheng directly revealed the truth about Lu Jingnian picking up the person.

After chatting with Su Xia that night, he immediately told Lu Jingnian about Su Xia's nervousness, which is why Lu Jingnian came to greet them with flowers.

"Wow, there are scenes like this inside!" Ye Lingling exclaimed first. Chen Yuan had said before that there was something fishy about the two of them, and now seeing it with her own eyes was really a pity. She missed going to the beach because of tutoring!

"Alright, alright, why isn't the food served yet? I'll go and hurry them up." Lu Jingnian pushed the door open and left. He knew he would blush and feel embarrassed if he stayed inside any longer.

"Xiaxia, he was so worried about you. Knowing you were so nervous you couldn't sleep, he immediately asked me when I was coming back so he could pick you up and comfort you." Seeing that Lu Jingnian wasn't there, Shen Zhiheng immediately spilled the rest of the beans.

"You're really nervous? I thought you were just giving Mom an excuse." Chen Yuan said in surprise because in her memory, Su Xia always seemed calm and composed, so when Su Xia said she would be nervous, she thought it was just an excuse.

"Yeah, I'm not a god, how can I not be nervous about anything?" Su Xia didn't think there was anything shameful about being nervous. Everyone gets nervous sometimes, and it's okay to just admit it.

"I, I, I forgot to comfort you." Chen Yuan felt a little guilty upon hearing this. She had spent every day with Su Xia but hadn't noticed her nervousness. Instead, she thought Su Xia could handle anything.

"Although I've performed on stage countless times, I still get nervous every time," Xia Tian said.

“Yes, so there’s nothing wrong with being nervous. There’s no need to feel ashamed of these feelings, just be yourself.” Su Xia nodded, then said to Chen Yuan, “You don’t need to feel guilty either. I don’t want you to know, so you naturally won’t notice.”

"Yeah, I was just worried about you." Chen Yuan was still a little sad. She was the one closest to Su Xia, but she hadn't even realized it. Su Xia was always the first to comfort her when she was sad or upset. On the other hand, she was only now realizing what Su Xia was thinking.

"Come on, let's raise a glass to celebrate my admission to Tsinghua University without taking the entrance exam," Shen Zhiheng said, standing up.

"Congratulations!" Everyone responded politely.