Ch 7: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

At noon, Ruan Cha waited by the classroom door, leaning on the railing. Her almond-shaped eyes widened slightly as she watched the massive crowd heading toward the cafeteria. It seemed the Second High School cafeteria was a favorite among students.

“Ruan Cha!”

A voice rang out before the person appeared. Ji Feiyang’s bright, smiling face emerged from around the corner as he waved enthusiastically. “Come on, I’ll take you to the cafeteria for lunch.”

Ruan Cha glanced past him and spotted Fu Chen, his uniform perfectly neat even down to the collar. Beside him was another boy with a buzz cut, half slouched on Ji Feiyang’s shoulder, looking half-asleep. His uniform jacket was missing, and his white shirt was slightly wrinkled.

Along the way, Ruan Cha curiously observed the buzz-cut boy. Though his eyes were half-closed, he managed to avoid every obstacle. How could a second-year high school student already seem to have developed some kind of sixth sense?

Noticing her amazement, Fu Chen looked down and smiled, his gentle features softening even further.

“That’s Xie Sui, nicknamed ‘Sleepbag.’ Apart from classes and meals, he always seems sleep-deprived. But his sense of direction is impressive—he can make it from the classroom to the cafeteria with his eyes closed.”

Ruan Cha blinked. “The power of good food?”

Fu Chen chuckled. “Possibly.”

Fu Chen’s clean-cut, handsome appearance, combined with his polite and gentlemanly demeanor, naturally drew attention in Second High School. Along the way, Ruan Cha noticed at least twenty girls sneaking glances at him, while she herself garnered a wave of envious and jealous stares.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Ruan Cha gazed at the six-story building with two elevators, her eyes sparkling. For the first time, she felt genuine excitement about a school cafeteria.

The group of four headed to the fifth floor, dedicated to custom stir-fried dishes.

Scanning the options, Ruan Cha was overwhelmed by the choices: Cantonese, Huaiyang, Sichuan, Northeastern, Thai, and other cuisines were all available. She swallowed as her mouth nearly watered.

Wow, Second High students are living the dream!

“Cha Cha, you and Sleepbag sit and wait. We’ll line up.” Fu Chen gestured to a round table by the window and pointed to a few counters ahead. “Is there anything in particular you’d like?”

Of course—practically everything!

Ruan Cha’s eyes sparkled as she struggled to choose, wanting everything. Not wanting to keep Fu Chen waiting, she pointed to the first counter, glancing at the electronic screen displaying the recommended dishes. Handing her meal card to Fu Chen, she said, “Sweet and sour pork and fish-flavored tofu, please!”

Although labeled “custom stir-fried dishes,” students were required to pick from a set list of recommendations to save time.

Fu Chen looked at the meal card in his hand, then back at Ruan Cha, who was fully focused on the counter. Shaking his head with a smile, he said, “Alright, you two wait here.”

As for Xie Sui, Fu Chen didn’t bother asking. After a year of eating together, they were all well-acquainted with each other’s tastes.

Fifteen minutes later, Fu Chen and Ji Feiyang each returned with a tray. Ruan Cha’s tray carried sweet and sour pork and fish-flavored tofu, while Fu Chen’s had pigeon meat and stir-fried vegetables. Ji Feiyang and Xie Sui, the carnivores, had both opted for sweet and sour pork and pigeon meat.

“This is really good!” Ruan Cha said, swallowing a bite of tofu. She unzipped her small bag and took out an insulated lunchbox. “My mom made me a bento before I left this morning because she was worried the cafeteria food wouldn’t taste good.”

After all, her previous high school’s cafeteria food was so bad it could make someone lose five pounds in a month.

Ji Feiyang perked up with interest. “Auntie’s homemade bento? Let me see—”

His chopsticks froze mid-air, unable to move forward or retreat, as he stared at the contents: green pea fried rice and… stir-fried cabbage?

For a meat lover, this was far too plain.

Nearby, Song Mengyu had deliberately brought her classmates to sit near Fu Chen’s group, intending to eavesdrop. When she caught sight of the cabbage in the lunchbox, she nearly burst out laughing.

The newly reunited “country bumpkins” were truly something else.

Song Mengyu played her part as a ‘perfect’ older sister flawlessly. “Cha Cha, now that you’ve moved back to the Liang family, you should eat something more nutritious. We understand you’ve had a hard life before, but bringing stir-fried cabbage to school for lunch in high school…”

“Stir-fried cabbage? Fu Chen and the others wouldn’t be used to that. You—”

Her words caught in her throat as she stared in disbelief at Fu Chen, who had just picked up a piece of cabbage with his chopsticks. She watched as he ate the plainly stir-fried cabbage right before her eyes.

“It’s fresh, sweet, and delicious,” Fu Chen remarked. He wasn’t picky about food, but this genuinely surprised him.

The pure flavor came entirely from the cabbage itself, without relying on seasonings. Fu Chen had tasted everything from Michelin three-star and state banquet-level dishes to local eateries near schools. Yet, this cabbage surpassed any he had ever had.

His eyes narrowed slightly. The taste felt oddly familiar, as though he had encountered something similar before, but never in this pure form.

Song Mengyu flushed with both embarrassment and frustration. Before the truth about the real and fake daughters had come out, Fu Chen’s attitude toward her as his “sister” hadn’t even compared to how he treated Ji Feiyang and Xie Sui. Why was he now making exceptions for Ruan Cha?

A girl from a small, backwater town—what made her so special?

“Smells amazing.” The previously sleepy Xie Sui sniffed the air, his sharp facial features softening slightly. He blinked his innocent and clear eyes at Ruan Cha, full of longing. “Hi, I’m Xie Sui. Can I have a bite of your cabbage?”

Ruan Cha pushed the lunchbox toward him with a bright smile, appearing generous. “Go ahead.” It was just cabbage, after all. If they wanted more, they could always pick some from the mountain.

The onlooking students watched in astonishment as Xie Sui picked up piece after piece of cabbage, his eyes narrowing in sheer bliss with every bite.

In Second High, everyone knew about Xie Sui’s pickiness with food. The six-story cafeteria offered a variety of cuisines, thanks to Xie’s family funding its construction.

Yet, here he was, a self-proclaimed connoisseur, happily eating Ruan Cha’s plain stir-fried cabbage?

Ji Feiyang glanced between Xie Sui and Fu Chen, his heart wavering. In the end, his reflexes won out, and he snatched the last piece of cabbage from Xie Sui’s chopsticks, stuffing it into his mouth with a loud “Chomp!”

“!!!”

What kind of divine cabbage is this?! It’s so fresh I nearly bit my tongue off!

“Ruan Cha!!! I was wrong! I shouldn’t have judged the cabbage by its appearance—I truly regret it!” Ji Feiyang lamented with tears in his eyes. No wonder Fu Chen didn’t say another word after tasting it; it was so good there wasn’t even time to speak!

The surrounding students: “…?”

Did you just eat a celestial cabbage? Ji Feiyang, what’s with that look like you’re ready to devour the entire lunchbox?!

—

Back in the Class Ten classroom, Xie Chang’an, who had returned a few minutes earlier, lit up at the sight of Ruan Cha coming back from lunch. Just as he was about to ask her about the legendary cafeteria cabbage, he froze mid-question. Ruan Cha stood motionless in place, her face full of anguish.

[Ding! Task: Write the correct answer to the supplementary question on page 18 of the physics textbook within 15 minutes. Completing the task will extract 1 intelligence point and 2 beauty points from the associated target.]

Ruan Cha: “!!!”

I haven’t even studied physics seriously!

Struck by the sudden challenge, Ruan Cha hurried back to her seat, flipped open her physics textbook, and located page 18. She didn’t dare breathe too heavily as she read the supplementary question, forcing herself to stay calm. “…The upper section mentions magnetic induction—”

As she continued to read, her voice trailed off, her expression turning vacant. Gripping her pen, she quickly scribbled on the blank space: vo=4*10^6 m/s.

As for the intermediate steps… sorry, she’d need to reread the problem and underline the conditions.

[Ding! Task failed due to the associated target completing the task ahead of the host within an extremely short time. Penalty: 1 point deducted and thunderstrike punishment.]

Ruan Cha sat there, stunned. She couldn’t figure out who the system was actually helping. The first task was in her area of strength—English—but the second? It picked a physics problem she had just asked Ji Feiyang about!

And the task didn’t even require writing out the steps!

The next moment, a flash of blue lightning lit up the sky. Thunder rumbled loudly around the school building as Ruan Cha turned her head to see a bolt of violet-black lightning hurtling toward the upper floors.

[BOOM!]

Through the ceiling, the students faintly heard a scream from the third floor: “Ah! Ren Qingqing got struck by lightning!”

The ten or so students already back in Class Ten—including the sleeping Xu Shen—looked up in unison, their expressions a mix of terror and bewilderment.

S-struck by lightning?!

Struck?!

By lightning?!

?!!

…

Sandy: lol this novel cracks me up 🤣🤣