Extra 3 : The Cub Turns into a Little Bear (3)
Lu Xi snapped out of her thoughts, turned back, walked up to Xie Yizhao, and took back her little bear. “Thanks.”
Xie Yizhao gave a slight nod.
They didn’t know each other and had nothing else to say. Each walked into the school gate and returned to their respective classes.
However, quite a few onlookers had witnessed the scene. Within a single morning self-study session, the incident had already spread to many ears.
At first, the story remained fairly normal. Just that Lu Xi had dropped something, and Xie Yizhao happened to pick it up and return it to her.
But soon, the rumors spiraled out of control.
Many of Lu Xi’s friends in her class heard a different version:
“Xixi, someone from the next class said you and Xie Yizhao are dating, and he even bought you a plushie! Is that true?!”
“No, no, I heard that you asked for his WeChat, and he actually added you!”
“Wait, what? I heard you guys broke up, and he returned the gift you gave him!”
Lu Xi : ?
What kind of nonsense is this?
Rolling her eyes, she shut down the rumors in one sentence: “I don’t know him, and he doesn’t know me. That’s it. He just picked up something for me.”
But judging by everyone’s expressions, they clearly didn’t believe her.
It wasn’t for no reason. After all, the two rumored protagonists of this gossip were both widely known at their school.
Their school had never officially held any ‘School Beauty’ or ‘School Hunk’ contests, but everyone tacitly agreed that if such a title existed, it would belong to these two.
Lu Xi had striking features and a unique aura. Ever since she started at the school, receiving confessions and gifts had been an everyday occurrence. She had even been scouted by talent agents, hoping to sign her for acting.
As for Xie Yizhao, he had caused a school-wide sensation the day he transferred in. His looks, height, demeanor, and family background were all top-tier, and on top of that, he was an academic genius—the perfect male lead straight out of a romance novel.
Yet, despite being at the school for nearly two years, there had never been any gossip about Lu Xi and Xie Yizhao. No one had even seen them talk to each other.
Lu Xi also found it a bit odd.
Just now, Xie Yizhao had called her by name?
But thinking about it, it wasn’t that surprising. She knew his name, too. In school, her reputation was just as big as his. Of course, he would know her name.
There was another time they had appeared on stage together, during a school-wide awards ceremony.
Back then, Xie Yizhao had stood right in front of her.
The difference was, he was the one receiving the award, and she was the one presenting it.
At that time, Xie Yizhao had been polite yet distant, simply thanking her before stepping off the stage.
After that, their paths never crossed again.
Of course, Lu Xi considered them to be from two different worlds and never intended to have any connection with him.
Not that she didn’t think he was handsome.
She had always been a sucker for good looks, and her taste was impeccable.
But Xie Yizhao was clearly the kind of untouchable ‘male god’ type, and with his family background, Lu Xi could almost guarantee that his future marriage would be a business alliance—power marrying power. Falling in love freely? Not an option.
So, that face of his? Nice to look at, but that’s about it.
Lu Xi took out the little bear and placed it on her desk.
Her deskmate, Chen Xin, a round-faced girl with short hair, lit up at the sight of it. “So cute!”
Lu Xi smiled and patted the teddy bear’s head. “Yeah, this is my little cub.”
Xie Heng’s face turned slightly red.
He knew that outside, he couldn’t just move around as he pleased, so he obediently let Lu Xi pat his head.
But he was still curious. He really wanted to see where his Dad was.
Earlier, he had caught a fleeting glimpse of his Dad’s face. He tried hard to get a good look but only saw that his Dad had turned so much younger—about the same age as the middle schooler Brother who lived next door.
But still super handsome!
Xie Heng had watched TV dramas before, and in his opinion, his Mom and Dad were a perfect match. They were even better looking than the actors on TV!
No wonder he was so adorable and everyone loved him…
Soon, the first period of the morning began.
Lu Xi left the teddy bear on her desk but didn’t pay it much attention. She let it lie flat as if it were sleeping and focused on class. Occasionally, when she zoned out, she’d check her app for any new task notifications.
Lu Xi’s academic performance was slightly above average. Out of nearly fifty students in her class, she consistently ranked in the top fifteen.
She put about 60% of her effort into studying. She paid attention in class, completed her homework on time, and never cheated on exams. She didn’t want to be a bad student, but she also didn’t push herself too hard. As long as her grades were decent, she was fine with it.
Her homeroom teacher had once told her, “You’re smart and have talent, but you don’t work hard enough.”
Lu Xi completely agreed with that statement. She simply wasn’t willing to work too hard, she was a total slacker.
As for her future, she had no concrete plans and didn’t bother thinking too much about it.
People who didn’t know her well often thought she was cold and distant, but once they got to know her, they realized she was actually quite easygoing. She was laid-back, focused on enjoying life, and not one to stress over unnecessary things.
Her friends often joked that she was the type to marry into wealth—living a luxurious life with a house full of servants, getting chauffeured around in fancy cars, and buying designer bags as casually as buying groceries.
Lu Xi always laughed at that idea.
At their prestigious private school, everyone knew about each other’s family backgrounds. Some parents had even arranged marriages for their children early on, and their classmates would tease them about it.
At their age, everyone thought family-arranged marriages were outdated, true love was the real deal.
But Lu Xi didn’t really care.
She figured marrying into wealth wouldn’t be too bad, especially if her husband was the kind who was always away on business trips but super generous with money. That would be the ideal setup for a slacker like her.
But marriage was something too far away for her, a middle schooler, so she rarely thought about it.
Whatever.
But rich or not, he definitely couldn’t be ugly. That was very important for someone who cared about looks.
The morning passed.
At lunchtime, Lu Xi went to the cafeteria’s second floor with her friends.
Of course, she brought her little bear cub along.
The second floor of the cafeteria was a popular spot for students. Originally, there was a street outside their school filled with food vendors, but it had recently been demolished, and the vendors had moved away. With only two hours for lunch, unless students went home to eat, most chose to eat at the cafeteria.
Lu Xi and her three friends managed to grab a table.
She ordered clay pot rice and checked the app again—no new tasks. So, she focused on her meal, eating happily.
The little bear lay quietly in her pocket.
Having learned her lesson from the morning, Lu Xi made sure to place him deep in her pocket this time to prevent him from falling out.
Halfway through her meal, Lu Xi suddenly said, “I’m going to buy milk tea. Who wants to come with me?”
The girl next to her asked, “What do you want to drink?”
Lu Xi replied, “Mango pomelo sago.”
“Let’s finish eating first, then we’ll go. I want some too.”
Since all her friends agreed, Lu Xi had no choice but to wait.
She didn’t notice the boy sitting at the table behind her stand up and walk past her.
A few minutes later, a cup of milk tea was suddenly placed in front of her.
Lu Xi looked up and saw a boy in a hoodie standing there, his face slightly flushed.
“Hi, Lu Xi. I—I’m Dong Zerui from Class 2, Grade 9. This is for you.”
Her friends and even some nearby students exchanged knowing looks.
Lu Xi, however, was well-practiced in handling such situations. She gently pushed the milk tea back toward him and smiled politely but coolly. “Sorry, I was planning to buy one myself later.”
The boy was briefly stunned but didn’t seem upset. Scratching his head, he took out his phone and asked, “Then… can we add each other on WeChat?”
…
Lu Xi glanced at his face.
Fair-skinned, scholarly, good-looking features, well-dressed, and polite in his speech.
She didn’t mind getting to know him.
So, she casually took out her phone and let him scan her QR code.
The boy looked delighted. He thanked her, then shyly pushed the milk tea toward her again. “It’s mango pomelo sago. I wasn’t sure how sweet you like it, so I got it at 50% sweetness. Is that okay?”
Lu Xi smiled and didn’t refuse this time.
The boy, blushing, returned to his seat.
Her friend sitting across from her winked and whispered, “Are you sure? He’s handsome, but he’s nowhere near Xie Yizhao’s level!”
Lu Xi was speechless.
She had no idea how much longer people were going to tease her about Xie Yizhao.
Meanwhile, the little bear in her pocket started to get restless.
Even though he couldn’t see what was happening, he could feel it.
Someone was trying to steal his Mommy!
Panic surged through Xie Heng’s tiny heart.
No way! If Mommy didn’t end up with Daddy, then… would he even exist in the future?
For the baby cub, that question was too profound. His little brain couldn’t process the answer.
But there was one thing he was absolutely sure of.
He could not let this guy win over his Mom!
The little bear clenched his chubby paws and started wriggling his way out.
Lu Xi quickly noticed his restlessness. After thinking for a moment, she simply took him out and placed him on a clean napkin, letting him sit there against the milk tea cup.
That should keep him calm, right?
Xie Heng was anxious.
He didn’t want to sit still, he wanted to cause trouble!
Even though the teacher said being naughty wasn’t what good kids did, he didn’t care anymore. If he didn’t do something bad now, he might not even get the chance to exist!
Just then, Xie Heng realized something.
He was leaning against the milk tea cup.
A dangerous thought popped into the baby cub’s head.
What if… just what if… he used a little force and pushed back? Would the milk tea tip over?
But then, he might get himself dirty.
The little cub with a cleanliness obsession hesitated.
Actually, if Mom married someone else, it just meant she’d have a different husband. He should still be born… right?
If she had a different husband, maybe his Dad wouldn’t be as busy, wouldn’t always be on business trips, and could stay home with him. That… didn’t sound so bad?
His little brain was running so fast it was about to overheat.
At that moment, Lu Xi had already picked up the straw, about to take a sip.
The little bear panicked. He instinctively wanted to knock over the milk tea to stop her from drinking it.