I Fell In Love With My Rival (GL) - Chapter 3

The next morning, during their English morning self-study, class hadn’t even ended when Song Rao switched seats and leaned over to Su Chunyin, whispering in her ear, “Did you guys sneak off last night to help set up my birthday party venue?”

Su Chunyin looked startled. “How did you know?!”

Song Rao gave her a sly smile. “I didn’t. But now I do.”

“…”
Only then did Su Chunyin realize she’d been tricked into confessing.

Their whispering soon caught the attention of the homeroom teacher. When she noticed the teacher’s gaze drifting in their direction, Song Rao quickly straightened up and turned her face toward her textbook, giving the illusion of diligently studying.

In a hushed tone, she said, “Yesterday, Bai Xiaosheng saw you all carrying streamers down from the mountain. I figured it must be for setting up my birthday party.”

Bai Xiaosheng’s real name was Li Zihan—a small, inconspicuous girl who blended into any crowd, but with an uncanny talent for sniffing out gossip. Her nickname, “Bai Xiaosheng of the school,” wasn’t for nothing. If she saw something, it might as well be announced to the entire class.

Su Chunyin groaned and held her forehead. “We wanted to surprise you!”

Song Rao, unimpressed, replied, “As long as it’s not a jump scare, I’ll pass on the ‘surprise.’”

“I’ve never scared you before!”

“Oh really?” Song Rao flipped a page in her textbook. “Back in sixth grade, you organized that surprise picnic—remember how the five of us ended up flipped over in a mud field, boat and all? Then in junior high, you gave Yang Yuxia a surprise gift and a toad jumped out right onto her face. And let’s not forget Mr. Xu’s birthday two years ago—”

Su Chunyin cut her off in a panic. “The teacher’s coming! Get back to your seat!”

The teacher was pacing slowly through the classroom with an English book in hand and was just about to reach Su Chunyin’s desk. Song Rao quickly lowered her head, letting her long hair fall to one side and cover her face. The teacher passed by, none the wiser. Not daring to look up, Song Rao quietly read through vocabulary lists 11 and 12 before resuming her conversation.

“But whether it’s a surprise or a shock doesn’t really matter,” she said, turning back to Su Chunyin with a faintly pained expression. “What matters is… when Bai Xiaosheng saw you guys with the streamers, I kinda said something out loud without realizing it—you know what I mean?”

Of course Su Chunyin understood—and her heart sank. “So… has the guest list for your birthday party blown up?”

Song Rao sighed and handed her a piece of paper. “See for yourself.”

The list was densely packed with names—practically everyone from Class 3 was coming, plus quite a few from Class 1 and 2.

Su Chunyin ground her teeth. “Song Rao!”

“Ahem,” Song Rao edged a little farther away. “You know I’m pretty popular. A lot of people wanted to come, and, well… things got a tiny bit out of hand…”

“‘Tiny bit,’ huh?” Su Chunyin repeated blankly.

Song Rao scooted farther. “Don’t worry about the cost—I’ll cover the extra guests. But I’ll need you guys to prepare a few more snacks and drinks…”

Su Chunyin said nothing and skimmed through the guest list. “Lu Fang’s not coming?”

Song Rao hesitated, then shook her head. “I invited him, but he said he’s got to prepare for the Olympiad. He doesn’t have time.”

Su Chunyin frowned. “The Olympiad isn’t happening immediately. He can’t spare even one evening?”

Both girls fell silent.

Song Rao tried to make an excuse for him. “Maybe their training schedule is intense…”

But even she didn’t sound convinced. The Olympiad class was notoriously rigorous, but its one perk was that they didn’t have to attend evening self-study sessions. Once they finished their own coursework, they were dismissed early. Besides, today was Saturday—no evening classes according to No.1 High School’s rules.

Su Chunyin stared at the desk in a daze. Both of them knew in their hearts—Lu Fang, their friend of many years, was drifting away.

Su Chunyin, Song Rao, Yang Yuxia, Xu Chang, and Lu Fang had all grown up together in the same military compound. Back then, Su Zhi hadn’t yet made her fortune, and the Song family’s business hadn’t taken off.

The five of them had played together since they could walk—attending the same kindergarten, primary school, and even scoring into the same middle school. By a stroke of luck, Chunyin, Rao, and Yuxia had been placed in the same class again in high school. Though they had different personalities and occasional spats, the idea of not being friends had never crossed their minds.

Now, it looked like Lu Fang would be the first to step across that line—growing more distant with every passing day.

“Why do you think Lu Fang’s acting like this?” Chunyin asked Yang Yuxia, slumped over her desk after class.

Yang Yuxia had just returned from getting water. She sat down and replied, “I heard some guys change completely when they fall in love. Do you think Lu Fang has a girlfriend?”

“A girlfriend?” The thought hit Chunyin like a jolt—blue-edged sleeves in the corner of a photo, a name often mentioned, and the memory of two figures cycling side by side that day in the car.

A ridiculous idea took root in her mind:
Could Lu Fang be dating… Fu Erqiu?

Once the suspicion emerged, it wouldn’t go away. That afternoon, she quietly made her way over to Li Zihan.

“I need your help with something,” she said.

Li Zihan was working on a math worksheet. Hearing this, she looked up cheerfully. “Ask away. There’s nothing I don’t know about this school. Public info is free. Niche info is 20 yuan. Private info is 50. But I don’t deal in shady gossip.”

Su Chunyin hesitated. “Do you know Fu Erqiu?”

“Fu Erqiu?” Li Zihan’s eyes lit up. “Who doesn’t! She’s the straight-A goddess who always ranks first in our grade!”

Top of the grade? Chunyin blinked. She’d never cared much about rankings. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she nodded. “Of course I know that. But… do you have any personal info about her?”

Li Zihan spread her hands. “That’ll be 20.”

Su Chunyin transferred the money without hesitation.

Grinning, Li Zihan lowered her voice. “Here’s a scoop from my uncle at the education bureau: Fu Erqiu was originally accepted early by A City’s elite high school, but our school offered a huge incentive to get her here. They promised her a big bonus if she gets into one of the country’s top two universities.”

She glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “All her academic transfers went through my uncle’s desk.”

“Oh.” Chunyin had to admit—that was impressive.

But it wasn’t the kind of info she was looking for. “Here’s another 30. I want to know about her personal life—like romance or relationships.”

Li Zihan blinked, then scoffed. “No need to pay for that. Everyone knows she’s got boys lined up from Class 1 to Class 3, but she doesn’t even read their love letters.”

“Wait, being smart makes her that popular?” Chunyin asked, genuinely surprised.

Li Zihan eyed her suspiciously. “You’ve never seen Fu Erqiu before? Her photo was on the school’s Honor Board for ages, and she leads the weekly flag ceremony in front of Class 1…”

“Of course I’ve seen her! I just… forgot what she looked like.”
Chunyin had never paid attention to the Honor Board or who led ceremonies. But from the way Li Zihan reacted, it seemed strange not to know.

Li Zihan nodded. “If you’ve seen her, you’ll understand. She’s beautiful. Even if she were ranked dead last, guys would still chase her.”

Beautiful? Chunyin recalled that fleeting image of a ponytailed figure on a bike. She struggled to reconcile it with the description. Still, after Li Zihan’s glowing words, her mental image of Fu Erqiu shifted—from plain and forgettable to a clean-cut academic beauty with dark circles under her eyes. Not because she doubted Zihan, but because in a school like this, academic success had its own magnetic charm.

She remembered how Yang Yuxia once dragged her to spy on a supposedly godlike senior, only to find he was… just okay. The “divine” aura came mostly from his grades. Since then, Chunyin had stopped buying into the hype about top-scoring “gods” and “goddesses.”

“So, if that many people like her, could she already be secretly dating someone?” Chunyin tried to ask indirectly, unsure if she should bring up Lu Fang yet.

But before she finished, Li Zihan snapped, visibly offended. “I already told you she doesn’t even read love letters! How could she be dating someone? Getting scholarships is way better than dating some guy. Are you doubting my intel?!”

She didn’t just get mad—she kicked Chunyin out and even refunded her 20 yuan. “Keep your money. I’d rather lose a sale than talk to someone who questions my sources.”

“…”
With no useful info in hand, Chunyin could only slink away awkwardly.

Thanks to the expanded guest list, Chunyin had to scramble to order extra desserts, drinks, and chairs. Luckily, the venue was large and had been well-decorated the night before, so everything went smoothly when the party begin.

Song Rao wore a beautiful new dress and held a bouquet of flowers happily. “Niaoniao, looks like I misjudged you earlier. The decorations turned out great. How much did it all cost? Want me to chip in?”

Su Chunyan waved her off. “Talk to Yang Yuxia and Xu Chang—they bought the decorations. Want to reimburse them?”

At the mention of those two, Song Rao immediately changed her tune. “Forget it. Those two stingy scrooges are always pinching pennies. About time they spent a little.”

Tonight was Song Rao’s show. Always sociable and popular, she now flitted around the party like a social butterfly—chatting, laughing, clinking glasses.

Su Chunyin found a quiet dessert table and watched from a distance as Song Rao worked the room.

When she finally finished mingling, Song Rao leaned down beside Chunyin with a mischievous smile. “Guess who showed up?”

Before she could answer, Chunyin spotted the “mystery guest” herself:
Lu Fang stood near the center of the venue, holding a glass of orange juice, chatting with someone. His hair was longer than before, but he still looked bright and charming.

“I thought he said he wasn’t coming…” Chunyin murmured, a little dazed.

But Song Rao, eyes gleaming with gossip, added, “Guess who else is here? Fu Erqiu from Class 1. I’ve invited her to events before and she never came. But this time, not only did she show up—Lu Fang, who claimed he had no time, showed up right along with her.”