Chapter 7: The Schrödinger School Beauty

"Professor Ruan, it’s like this..."

Before Li Tiegun could speak, Pan Shuai stepped in, quickly summarizing the situation. He focused strictly on the objective facts, carefully avoiding any tone that might trigger an emotional reaction. He was genuinely afraid that his goddess might lose her composure; if she introduced the matter with too much bias, He Chen would surely lash out again, turning a potential resolution into a new disaster.

Although he disliked He Chen's attitude, he had to admit that some of what the boy said made sense. For instance, young people these days were indeed impossible to manage; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many reckless, troublesome kids causing problems. If Ji Yangyang’s own parents couldn't control him, could Professor Ruan—who was merely his aunt and not his parent—really be expected to manage He Chen, who feared no teacher and was clearly more opinionated and difficult to handle?

He didn't dare to hold out much hope.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ruan Lu glanced at He Chen. Seeing that he didn't contradict the account, she turned to Li Tiegun. "Teacher Li, why don't we let them head back to class?"

"I wish I could..." Li Tiegun muttered, a trace of self-mockery in her voice.

"He Chen, go back to class first," Ruan Lu said softly.

He Chen met Ruan Lu’s gaze. This time, he didn't push the issue. He nodded, then raised his eyebrows and stared directly at Li Tiegun for several seconds before turning to leave.

This left Li Tiegun trembling with rage. Everyone standing there was no fool; in fact, they were all quite shrewd. It was impossible for them to miss the underlying threat in He Chen’s demeanor. Trembling with cold fury, Li Tiegun didn't dare to snap at him directly. She could only look toward Ruan Lu, hoping that her fellow teacher would step up and say something fair on her behalf.

However, Ruan Lu avoided her gaze, turning naturally to chat with Ji’s mother and Fang’s mother instead. This only caused Li Tiegun’s anger to mount further.

The "simp" Pan Shuai, standing nearby, felt his heart ache for his goddess, yet he was helpless to act. If anyone else had been treated this way, he would have jumped in to defend her. But faced with Ruan Lu—a goddess among goddesses—even in his distress, he couldn't bring himself to challenge the person who had slighted her.

He Chen left the office, ignoring the two people following behind, and walked straight toward his classroom. Just as he reached the corner, he saw a small figure peeking around, waving excitedly the moment she spotted him.

It was none other than Lin Miaomiao.

Beside her stood a tall, slim girl who, upon seeing He Chen’s gaze sweep over, bashfully lowered her head. He Chen recognized her—it was Deng Xiaoqi, Lin Miaomiao’s best friend and a well-known figure dubbed the "school beauty."

Unlike He Chen, whose status as the undisputed "school heartthrob" was unchallenged, the title of school beauty at Chunfeng High was a subject of much debate. His foster sister, Ruan Liuzheng, was also frequently called a school beauty.

"He Chen, are you okay?" Lin Miaomiao asked hurriedly. Seeing him shake his head, she breathed a sigh of relief. She shot a fierce glare at Ji Yangyang, who was walking past, and then began chattering away excitedly. It wasn't until her friend Deng Xiaoqi tugged at her sleeve that she realized she hadn't introduced her friend to He Chen.

He Chen nodded in greeting, reminded them that they should return to class, and walked off, leaving the unsatisfied Lin Miaomiao behind.

"He’s leaving already?"

"What else did you expect?" her friend Deng Xiaoqi said, a hint of envy and jealousy in her voice. "Miaomiao, when did you get so close to him? How come I didn't know!"

"Didn't I tell you?" Lin Miaomiao said, sounding a bit confused. "He Chen just moved into our apartment complex. He lives right above me now."

"The person living above you is Qian Sanyi!" Deng Xiaoqi reminded her, feeling a bit guilty.

Back in their freshman year, she had been obsessed with the super-genius Qian Sanyi. But after starting their sophomore year and seeing He Chen, the transfer student, she realized that academic excellence wasn't everything. Absolute, undeniable good looks were the true source of charm! Qian Sanyi’s appearance was decent, but standing next to He Chen, he could only be described as merely "neat."

She had started to shift her affections. Of course, she wouldn't admit it that way; she told herself that since Qian Sanyi was so blind as to like her best friend Lin Miaomiao, she should be magnanimous and not steal her friend's love. The problem was that He Chen wasn't in her class, was low-key, disliked being the center of attention, and was always followed by his sister, Ruan Liuzheng. Approaching him was difficult, and she had her pride to consider. She had made her interest in Qian Sanyi quite obvious back then, and the whole school knew. If she switched targets and He Chen didn't respond, it would be humiliating.

"I misspoke," Lin Miaomiao explained. "My apprentice lives above me, and He Chen lives above my apprentice. They used to live on the university campus, but since it's the final year of high school, Aunt Ruan wanted to save them time, so she rented the place above us to accompany them during their studies."

"Why not move into the Shuxiang Yayuan complex across the street?" Deng Xiaoqi asked instinctively, but then realized it might be due to financial reasons and quickly covered her mouth. She added sourly, "Miaomiao, you’re so lucky."

"Lucky how?" Lin Miaomiao looked puzzled.

"..." Looking at her friend, Deng Xiaoqi realized she wasn't trying to brag; she was truly oblivious. She couldn't help but sigh at how lucky Lin Miaomiao was without even knowing it—she was positioned perfectly to get the best of things, yet she didn't realize how much others envied her.

He Chen paid no mind to any of this. He could naturally tell that Deng Xiaoqi was interested in him, but he was long accustomed to such admiration. Moreover, even including his foster sister, he found these so-called school beauties to be overrated. Compared to the school beauties in his memories, their standards felt like a serious aesthetic downgrade. It was hard to stir his heart or cause even a ripple in his mind.

Furthermore, even if he were to consider anything, he would have to wait a few months until he turned eighteen after the New Year. Before then, he might as well spend his time figuring out how to upgrade the first skill he had unlocked into a "Core Divine Ability" and make it a permanent feature.

With this thought, He Chen returned to his classroom, immediately attracting a crowd of onlookers eager to ask questions. He gave a few perfunctory answers and dispersed the crowd. His desk-mate and friend, Du Tiantian, breathed a sigh of relief. Honest and reserved, Du was unaccustomed to such scenes. He stared at He Chen for a long time before whispering, "You seem like a different person."

"Really?" He Chen smiled slightly, not surprised.

Du Tiantian was a good friend of his predecessor. Both were low-key, and as desk-mates, they shared a sense of kinship; his predecessor had lost his mother early and just lost his father, while Du had grown up without a father. Naturally, they became close. Du felt the change in He Chen even more acutely.

"Yeah!" Du Tiantian nodded firmly.

"Is that a good change or a bad one?" He Chen smiled.

"I suppose it's a good one..." Du Tiantian mumbled.

Being honest and humble, he had always lacked confidence. Even with good genes and a decent family background, he couldn't change his temperament. Seeing He Chen suddenly become so confident and bold—even to the point of being reckless—left him shocked, but he couldn't hide his envy.

Who wouldn't yearn to be so spirited? And who, in their youth, hasn't felt that surge of arrogance?