Forced to Love (GL) - Chapter 2

Lingxi calculated the time for school and arrived half an hour earlier than usual. She sat at a small food stall near the school gate, seemingly eating breakfast leisurely, but in reality, she was carefully observing every student arriving at school.

She was waiting for someone, or rather, searching for someone.

Even after finishing the last sip of her soy milk and noticing the food stall owner glancing at her frequently, Lingxi remained seated calmly. Just then, someone walked past her, and the hem of a blue-and-white school uniform lightly brushed against her back. She looked up and met the gaze of that person.

Both of them paused for a moment, then the person retracted their gaze and continued walking without looking back.

Lingxi watched as the person’s thin shoulders carried a schoolbag. For some reason, her fingers twitched slightly.

In the previous world, when Lingxi found Shen Shang, an accident had already turned her into an orphan. The body Lingxi had borrowed was much older than Shen Shang, so she adopted her—to protect her and to help restore her soul.

So, it really was easier to take care of and protect Shen Shang if they had a closer relationship.

Snapping back to reality, Lingxi realized the person in front was getting farther away. Without hesitation, she grabbed her bag and quickly followed.

She didn’t dare to get too close, nor did she want to be too far. The person ahead walked steadily, every step equal in length, their posture unwavering. In that moment, Lingxi seemed to see a figure from her past world—someone dressed in white with golden embroidery.

“Shen Sui.”

A voice suddenly called out. The person in front stopped for a moment. Lingxi used the nearby tree as cover, pretending to be looking at something while shielding her presence.

Shen Sui—Lingxi repeated the name in her heart. Memories from the previous world resurfaced.

In that world, after adopting Shen Shang, Lingxi had given her the name “Sui,” choosing the surname based on her parents from that world.

A trace of doubt surfaced in Lingxi’s eyes. Was it just a coincidence that this world’s name also had “Sui” in it?

Names carry power. Perhaps, since Shen Shang had accepted that name in the previous world, retrieving part of her soul had slightly restored her strength, which then influenced this world?

Deep in thought, Lingxi looked ahead again, only to find that Shen Sui was now a distant, blurry figure.

Not good.

Lingxi quickly dodged through the crowd and ran forward.

After sprinting up a long incline, she turned a corner and saw Shen Sui glance sideways, having noticed the sound of footsteps. Lingxi slowed her pace.

Shen Sui’s gaze held a hint of curiosity. Lingxi did not evade it and instead met her eyes directly.

A moment passed. Perhaps finding it impolite to stare, Shen Sui withdrew her gaze and continued walking. Lingxi maintained the same not-too-far, not-too-close distance, following behind her.

Just like that, Lingxi learned Shen Shang’s name and class in this world.

Shen Sui, Class 3, Second Year.

Lingxi took a distant glance at the class sign on the door before heading downstairs to her own class. Though they were in the same grade, one was in the advanced science class, while the other was in the regular science class. Their classrooms were far apart—one on the far left of the fifth floor, the other on the far right of the second floor.

As soon as Lingxi sat down, the bell for morning self-study rang. The class representative stood up, organizing the class for reading.

Noticing an unfriendly gaze from the side, Lingxi glanced at Mi Tongtong but remained indifferent, showing no interest in engaging.

Near the end of the session, the Chinese teacher entered with a stack of test papers. From Yao Jingzhu’s memory, Lingxi knew this teacher was also the homeroom teacher. They had just taken last month’s exam.

“The results are out. Many of you did well, showing your efforts,” Teacher Zhao said while adjusting her glasses. Then, her gaze landed on Lingxi, who sat in the second-to-last row. “However, some students are still at the bottom.”

Following the teacher’s gaze, the whole class turned to look at Lingxi. She sat upright, meeting the teacher’s eyes while ignoring the others’ gazes.

“Alright, class rep, distribute the papers. We’ll go over them next period.”

Teacher Zhao handed the papers to the class rep and, before leaving, called Lingxi to meet her in the office later.

The sound of high heels faded into the distance, but the silence in the classroom was broken by Mi Tongtong’s mocking voice.

“Wow, how can someone even fail Chinese?”

Her sweet yet sharp voice, mixed with laughter, made everyone uncomfortable. But Mi Tongtong had a reputation for knowing people from outside school, so no one wanted to pick a fight with her. Plus, she had been bullying Yao Jingzhu since the beginning, which was common knowledge.

Sometimes, silence hurts more than violence.

Lingxi carefully reviewed the test paper and found many familiar questions—similar to the ones Shen Shang had solved in the previous world. It seemed they were using the same textbook version.

Yao Jingzhu wasn’t entirely bad at Chinese. Her weak points were mainly in essay writing and memorization. The rest was decent.

With this understanding, Lingxi took her test paper and stood up. Passing by Mi Tongtong, she finally responded, “If someone is bad at Chinese, they still have a chance to improve.”

Mi Tongtong, still shaken from their last encounter, instinctively moved aside before sneering. “A chance? What chance, reincarnation?”

Lingxi gave her a cold, piercing look. Mi Tongtong’s arrogance faltered. After a moment, Lingxi withdrew her gaze and walked forward.

“But if someone’s heart is wicked, there’s no chance left.”

With that, she left the classroom, leaving Mi Tongtong’s face shifting between pale and dark.

Every world Lingxi entered required an exchange. She had to fulfill the wishes of the body she inhabited. Yao Jingzhu’s wish in this world was to get into a good university. The first step was to understand her overall academic standing.

The Chinese department was on the third floor. When Lingxi knocked on the door and entered, she felt someone looking at her.

Turning her head, she unexpectedly met the gaze of Shen Sui.

Shen Sui, dressed in a blue-and-white school uniform, held a notebook while standing beside a teacher, seemingly listening to instructions. Yet, her gaze was on Lingxi.

Lingxi’s lips curled slightly before she lowered her eyes and greeted her, just like yesterday when they had left the grade director’s office.

“What do you think of this method?” Shen Sui’s teacher asked.

“I have no objections,” Shen Sui replied calmly.

“Good, then please help tutor students struggling with Chinese and supervise them.”

“Alright, teacher.”

Lingxi saw her shift her gaze to respond to her teacher, then turned to approach Teacher Zhao.

By the time school ended, Lingxi had devised a study plan. Her ultimate goal was to pass the class transfer exam and move into Class 3—the advanced science class—so she could be closer to Shen Sui.

That evening, as students poured out of classrooms, Lingxi stood outside the teaching building, pretending to wait for someone while keeping an eye on the staircase leading from Class 3.

Meanwhile, Mi Tongtong, with two lackeys, spotted her and exchanged glances before following her.