The Senior Student (female) Is Not Human - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Glasses – “You look quite pretty when you cry.”

The boiling malice in the group chat suddenly pulled Xie Shiwei back to a specific day in the past.

“She always buries her head in her books, pretending to be high and mighty. Did the teacher call her again? So-and-so has good grades too, so why does Xie Shiwei always get the ‘Outstanding Student’ award? The teacher just gives awards based on looks.”

“I’m telling you, she’s short-sighted but deliberately doesn’t wear her glasses. She uses that face to specifically ask male teachers questions every day. You figure that one out.”

“That delinquent from Class Eight—the one who talks about having a ‘Big Brother’ outside—seems to like her. You guys keep gossiping, but if she becomes the ‘Big Brother’s woman,’ you’re all screwed.”

These words were parroted back to Xie Shiwei by a friend in her class.

Then the friend asked with a smirk, “Hey, when did you get to know that delinquent from Class Eight? Do you like him?”

Class Eight was the worst class in the entire grade. Xie Shiwei usually walked around just to avoid passing by it, so how could she know anyone there?

She awkwardly tried to clear her name, explaining that the teacher was talking to her about a poverty-based scholarship, and as for asking male teachers questions, the only female teacher for all her subjects was her homeroom teacher—

“Oh, why are you explaining it to me?” The friend looked at her in surprise. “I’m not the one who spread it. Everyone else is saying it; I was just curious to ask you.”

The rest of Xie Shiwei’s explanation—”getting glasses is too expensive”—suddenly caught in her throat.

She could only repeat, pale-faced: “I didn’t, I really didn’t…”

The friend drew back in surprise: “Hey, hey, hey, why are you crying? Honestly, people will see and think I did something to you. I’m so over you, you’re no fun to talk to.”

The “no fun” Xie Shiwei didn’t even have time to be sad or upset.

Because those emotions would affect her studies.

If she didn’t study hard, wasn’t the top student, and wasn’t excellent enough to draw the attention of the teachers and school leadership, she truly would one day be forced to become the “Big Brother’s woman.”

When she mentioned to her grandmother that she might be getting near-sighted and wanted glasses, her grandmother secretly cried in the kitchen for a long time. When they went out, she carried her savings passbook.

The old woman didn’t understand anything, but she took Xie Shiwei to the most expensive eye hospital. Unable to understand the myriad of lens names, she pointed to the most expensive Zeiss lenses and asked, “Are these the best? My granddaughter must have the best.”

When it came time to choose the frames, Xie Shiwei tried frame after frame, finally picking a style that wasn’t the cheapest but was definitely the ugliest.

“I want this one.”

The optician looked at her, stunned: “Sister, this is the least suitable frame for you—”

But she was unusually stubborn: “I want this one.”

Her grandmother smiled and patted her head, saying okay.

Xie Shiwei thought she had hidden her secret, but when her spry, wiry grandfather showed up the next day, hands behind his back, smiling as he walked behind her to school, she knew they understood everything.

Throughout high school, that energetic, thin old man insisted on dropping her off and picking her up. Even when her evening self-study ended past ten o’clock, she could see his shadow under the streetlights on her way home.

Several times, Xie Shiwei didn’t want him to work so hard and intentionally woke up early to take the bus. After the bus drove far away, she’d look back and still see that thin, stubborn little figure walking toward her.

In this way, relying on her family’s utmost protection and the ugly tortoise shell she created for herself, she grew up safely until now.

But Xie Shiwei knew she had never for a moment forgotten those voices.

Before, she was too young. Suddenly facing that malice, she would only stand foolishly, wishing she could cut open her chest and pull out her heart to prove her innocence.

Later, she constantly wondered: if she had done better back then, would her grandfather have avoided the habit of getting up early for a walk, and consequently, the accident after her college entrance exam…

Time couldn’t flow backward, but now, the same story was playing out again.

At this moment, the paper-thin fragment clinging to her head sensed the familiar, unsavory grief transform into a more potent fury, and it suddenly wiggled with excitement—

Finally!

It finally got the better, more delicious emotion!

This prey was too stingy. It had waited and waited, only barely managing to eat the mediocre “grief.” It almost couldn’t stand it and ran away!

And this fury will turn into the most delicious murderous malice. It knows it should be patient, but it’s too hungry. Should it just, just eat a little bit first?

…

The Big V Post

At the same time.

Xie Shiwei, who sacrificed her lunch break to find a nearby internet café, suddenly felt that intense emotion recede a bit, but her mind was clearer than ever.

All her previous preparations—fantasizing about Jiang Xiyao’s debut and learning about promotional copywriting, photo editing, and anti-smear tactics for her—now became invaluable experience.

She downloaded the content from the cloud drive, patiently screenshotted the group chat files, found highly influential “Big V” accounts online, and began drafting a post about “Opposing Campus Bullying.”

“X University student brazenly spreads secretly taken photos and incites students to engage in mass campus bullying.”

The draft was meticulously crafted to ensure reader resonance.

The images were blurred for protection to safeguard Jiang Xiyao’s privacy.

Xie Shiwei not only created long images and PDF files but also edited a short video, ensuring the fastest possible spread across all influential public opinion platforms.

However, the moment she was about to submit the post, the hair clip on her head suddenly dropped onto the table with a ‘thump.’

Xie Shiwei instinctively reached for it. The moment her fingertip touched it, subtle negative thoughts suddenly appeared in her mind:

‘If things go as you wish and the public opinion escalates, what will the school do to protect its reputation? Deal with the problem, or deal with the person who raised the problem?’

‘Can you bear the consequences of being disciplined or having your academic status revoked? Or, if those students find out you exposed them, can you withstand their retaliation?’

‘Most importantly, Jiang Xiyao hates people who are self-righteous and meddle on her behalf. If she sees this and just scolds you for being nosy, will you regret it?’

All of Xie Shiwei’s passionate zeal involuntarily cooled down as these thoughts subtly emerged.

“THUD!” She even jumped when the person next to her lost a game and slammed the keyboard.

A few minutes ago, the starved hair clip, which had waited a long time without the anger fermenting into a more delicious emotion, couldn’t stand the hunger and decided to use its power to amplify its evil influence.

It intentionally fell in front of the prey, trying to increase contact.

But even as others in the internet cafe angrily smashed keyboards, threw mice, and cursed loudly, its chosen prey failed to generate a more intense emotion.

Even the original sorrowful rage slowly shrank and disappeared.

Hair Clip: ?

Hair Clip: !

Hair Clip: This isn’t right! Where’s the food! Where’s the food! Where is its food?!

…

A Sudden Visit

Just as the hair clip was despairing from hunger, Jiang Xiyao, through their special connection, listened to everything that had happened to Xie Shiwei.

She was too curious about Xie Shiwei’s choice, so on the second day of school, she casually appeared in front of the other student’s college building.

Xie Shiwei was majoring in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. Because the college recruited many international students, the environment was beautiful, with a dedicated small garden in front of the building and a famous plum blossom road nearby.

But it was late autumn now, and the plum blossoms and pond lotus had withered. Therefore, Jiang Xiyao, sitting on a stone bench in the garden with a paintbrush and easel, was the most dazzling sight.

The moment Xie Shiwei was attracted by the beautiful scene and stopped walking, the hair clip sensed its main body nearby and became excited again, trying to use its remaining strength to strike! It didn’t believe any prey could escape the influence of the main body!

Let! It! Eat!

[It’s Senior Jiang… Wow, Senior Jiang’s face is truly beautiful.]

Despite the noisy foreign languages mixed in the air, Jiang Xiyao instantly recognized the familiar voice.

She subtly flipped the paintbrush with her fingers, saw the figure through the willow branches, and confirmed her fragment was still following. She couldn’t help but wonder:

Will today’s Xie Shiwei change?

[That flawless face, beautiful from every angle, must look even more gorgeous when she’s looking down at me on top of me?]

“Snap!”

The paintbrush flew out of her grasp and hit the face of a bystander.

Jiang Xiyao closed her eyes, realizing she had completely lost the ability to get angry.

A devoted admirer picked up the brush, wiped it repeatedly, and carefully handed it over. The look in his eyes as they fell on her fingers was manic and obsessive, nearly identical to Xie Shiwei’s internal monologue.

[Even her fingers are so white and long, glowing like jade. Oh my god, such perfect fingers.]

However, the person who was bowing and scraping to her was actually thinking:

[Hmph, I’ve begged you for so long, and you still refuse to paint me. Why be so arrogant? Once I catch you, if you still look down on me like this, I’ll chop off your fingers one by one.]

Jiang Xiyao glanced at the man who was practically ready to kiss her feet, and thought expressionlessly, This is normal.

Until the little custard bun continued to intensify: [Such perfect fingers, so suitable for checking my academic records!]

Jiang Xiyao: Too perverted, I’ll politely decline.

Remembering that the custard bun’s period wasn’t over yet, and not wanting to experience a demolition crew in her lower abdomen again, Jiang Xiyao stepped on a small pebble at her feet.

She decided that if this girl dared to elaborate any further, she would manually stop the show.

“Ouch.”

At the same time.

Xie Shiwei, who was so absorbed in looking at the beauty that she accidentally walked into a tree, clutched her head, closed her eyes, and groped for her dropped glasses.

The starving hair clip, which had tried to strike several times without ever getting a delicious meal, finally, desperately, slowly and begrudgingly scraped a bit of this weird lustful thought.

Remembering the tragic experience of the “fury” disappearing, it paused, then scraped two more mouthfuls.

During this time, Xie Shiwei, feeling utterly insecure without her glasses, had all her thoughts vanish and focused only on urgently, anxiously finding her glasses.

Only when she finally cleaned them and put them back on did she breathe a sigh of relief.

[Wait, I should have been thinking about the photos. How did I get so dizzy just looking at that face and suddenly start having lewd thoughts? Are the hormones this strong during this period? Am I this thirsty?]

Xie Shiwei frantically reminded herself that important things came first.

She had to find a way to tell Senior Jiang about the plan against her.

But the preparatory bell for the college class rang at that moment, forcing her to bolt toward the building.

She did not notice a gaze in the garden that had been fixed on her suddenly become thoughtful.

…

The Negotiation

Xie Shiwei’s professional class only involved students from her own class. The class had many girls who loved to study and preferred the front rows near the teacher, so she ended up with a window seat near the back.

Near the window! I can see the garden! And my wife in the garden!

This was the first time Xie Shiwei had been so distracted in a professional class. Her hand copied the key points from the teacher’s slides, but her mind was calculating how to find a chance to tell Jiang Xiyao not to stay at school today.

Because that group planned to lure Jiang Xiyao to the track field at 6 p.m. to take ugly photos of her collectively.

She sighed worriedly.

Looking down at the garden, she saw the female protagonist of the incident still painting carefree. She couldn’t tell what she was drawing, even with her prescription glasses.

She just vaguely felt that the other person seemed to be in a very good mood, and even the sunlight at her feet seemed to dance happily.

In the garden.

Jiang Xiyao slowly put down her brush and dropped the paintbrush, stained with golden yellow pigment, into the water bucket.

On the canvas was a large, round, white custard bun, which had been bitten into, oozing tender, yellowish filling and steaming with heat.

She patiently listened to Xie Shiwei repeatedly formulate and discard her warning plans, as every one of them stalled at the first step—

[Senior is always surrounded by people. It’s hard to get her alone. Sigh.]

Jiang Xiyao suddenly glanced at the admirers who were still loitering around, unwilling to leave:

“I suddenly really want to eat homemade chocolate. It has to be handmade, with genuine sincerity.”

With a “whoosh,” the admirers scattered like birds and beasts, all acting as if they were shot up with adrenaline, running off and swearing they could make the fastest and best chocolate, asking her to wait.

Jiang Xiyao rolled her eyes and turned to walk away.

She went straight into the college building, easily following the line of sight that had been cast toward her, and found the back door of Xie Shiwei’s classroom. She wanted to verify her new discovery.

The beauty deliberately slowed her pace as she walked past.

However, nothing happened.

The foolish custard bun was even looking out the window, craning her neck in confusion, wondering where she went.

Jiang Xiyao: “…”

Didn’t they say a crush has a telepathic connection with the person they like? Is this idiot actually crushing on me?

When she passed by with a sour face for the second time, Xie Shiwei’s hair clip suddenly fell off, snagging a strand of hair.

The girl gasped in pain, turning her head just as she realized Jiang Xiyao had actually come inside.

[Oh right, the Art Department is quite far from ours. Is she here looking for someone?]

Just then, You Jiayi, who was sitting in the front row, quickly slipped out when the teacher turned to write on the board.

Xie Shiwei looked down again: [Oh, she was looking for You Jiayi.]

Jiang Xiyao: “…”

You must be the third part of “The Good Stuff”—The Stupid Thing!!!

Fortunately, the dismissal bell rang right then. Some students surrounded the teacher with questions, while others gathered their things to wait for the elevator at the end of the hall.

With the matter weighing on her mind, Xie Shiwei impulsively pushed open the nearby fire exit door and stepped into the stairwell—

The moment she looked up, she jumped in surprise.

“Sen-Senior Jiang?”

The woman, who had been waiting with a scowl for half a day, had an eerie chill in her dark eyes.

Xie Shiwei swallowed reflexively and took a small step back, but quickly gathered her courage and quickly stammered: “P-please, don’t go to the track field at s-six this afternoon!”

After speaking, she turned to run.

Jiang Xiyao, having reached her limit, took a long stride, blocking her escape.

The flowing red skirt billowed like a dangerous wave.

Xie Shiwei narrowly stopped before bumping into her, rapidly retreating several steps until her back hit the cold wall, finally managing to catch her breath.

[Too close, too close! I almost touched her! Senior hates it most when people carelessly put their clumsy hands on her!]

Jiang Xiyao stared at the distance that had instantly opened up between them.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, her voice hissing like a serpent’s tongue:

“It seems like you’re always avoiding me. What, do I have a disease? Or do you think I’m dirty and don’t want to touch me?”

Xie Shiwei paused, shaking her head frantically.

“N-no, no, no, it’s not that…”

[It’s me who’s dirty, I’m dirty! It’s me, a mortal covered in dust, who shouldn’t touch a goddess!]

A goddess? The “goddess” has already been sullied by you multiple times.

Jiang Xiyao commanded expressionlessly: “Come here. Explain yourself clearly.”

Xie Shiwei’s heart pounded nervously, and she didn’t know where to look. She eventually focused on the hem of Jiang Xiyao’s beautiful red mamianqun (horse-face skirt) today and cautiously shuffled forward one centimeter.

The intoxicating scent of Jiang Xiyao’s perfume filled her nose.

She lowered her eyes, pinched her thigh, and struggled to stay focused:

“It’s just, just that some people want to trick you into going to the track field to take photos of you. If you, you don’t like being photographed, then, then don’t go.”

Her fingertips, through the fabric, touched the USB drive in her pants pocket—the result of her hard work in the internet café yesterday. She figured if Jiang Xiyao agreed, she would carry out her plan and post everything.

However, all she heard was a languid voice:

“What if I like being photographed?”

Xie Shiwei’s train of thought was instantly cut off.

She suddenly forgot what she wanted to say. She looked up blankly, wanting to explain the malice behind those people’s intentions, but also afraid of being mocked for her self-importance. So, she could only clumsily parrot:

“I-if you like it…”

Jiang Xiyao abruptly cut her off: “Are you worried about me?”

Xie Shiwei’s nerves instantly tightened!

[It’s coming, it’s coming. Senior is definitely going to say I’m self-important and unworthy of worrying about her. I knew it, waah waah waah. She just said she likes being photographed; I’m going to get scolded, waah waah waah—]

The constantly non-sequitur internal monologue gave Jiang Xiyao a headache.

She suddenly raised her hand and removed Xie Shiwei’s glasses.

The sudden emptiness on her nose, the feeling of her dependent clear vision instantly turning into blurred colors, made Xie Shiwei’s heart skip a beat.

She was so dependent on her glasses that she treated them as an extension of her body. Having them taken away now made her so nervous and frightened that she felt a public shame, as if she were undressed.

Xie Shiwei instinctively raised her hand, wanting to retrieve this sense of security.

But when she remembered who had taken her glasses, her fingers tensed in mid-air, afraid to make contact.

She blinked hard, trying to discern Jiang Xiyao’s expression and understand the reason for this action. Her throat tightened, and her voice was hoarse: “S-Senior?”

Jiang Xiyao effortlessly raised her hand, arching an eyebrow, and patiently counted for nearly half a minute.

Silence reigned.

Hmm? So, the off switch for this big yellow loudspeaker is the glasses.

Pleasantly curling her lips, as if she had found an interesting new toy, Jiang Xiyao slowly raised her hand and gently pushed the glasses back onto Xie Shiwei’s nose.

The moment Xie Shiwei sighed in relief, she wickedly took them away again.

Xie Shiwei: “…?”

She blinked, confused and helpless, wondering why Jiang Xiyao was suddenly teasing her.

She should have been angry, but perhaps because the person bullying her was the person she liked, that emotion inexplicably turned into distress.

Jiang Xiyao looked at the girl in front of her. The thick, deliberately ugly bangs were now messy from her panic, revealing a corner of her smooth forehead.

Her delicate features gave her an exceptionally pure and innocent aura, like a lotus rising from water.

But because of the faint pink flush around her thin eye corners and the pitiful tears welling up in her large eyes.

She looked a little seductive.

…Seductive?

Jiang Xiyao felt strange at the descriptor that suddenly popped into her mind.

Tilting her head to observe her for a moment, she slowly corrected her wording: “Quite pretty.”

Tears streamed down her face, but Xie Shiwei, who couldn’t see anything clearly, suspected her hearing was also damaged.

“…What?” she asked dumbly.

Jiang Xiyao stared at the tear collecting on her jawline, which was just about to fall, and inexplicably licked her lips.

She repeated, absentmindedly: “You look quite pretty when you cry.”