They Dumped Me—Now They’re Reincarnated and Obsessed? - Chapter 12

Jin Zhenyu returned to school in the afternoon and was naturally summoned to the office by Mr. Cai to explain himself.

Yan Ze never expected that Jin Zhenyu — a kid with more height than brains — would drag him into trouble too.

Just before geography class, Mr. Cai walked over and tapped Yan Ze on the shoulder, calling him out into the hallway.

“Where were you last night? Be honest.”

Yan Ze, ever the actor, feigned confusion and replied vaguely, “In the dorm… sleeping. Why, sir?”

Jin Zhenyu stood to the side, face full of contempt.

Mr. Cai continued, “Then why did Jin Zhenyu say he saw you at the internet café?”

Though the art world had often criticized Yan Ze’s acting as stiff, he had still spent years in the industry — crying on cue, smiling on demand, dealing with unexpected situations — all second nature to him.

His mind quickly drafted a script, and the show began.

With exaggerated shock, Yan Ze pointed at Jin Zhenyu and said, “So your name is Jin Zhenyu!”

He turned to Mr. Cai, indignant. “Mr. Cai, this guy’s been targeting me ever since I transferred into this class. He insulted me both openly and behind my back. I didn’t bother with him because I didn’t want trouble.

I was in the dorm last night, reading my history book to help me sleep. You can ask my roommates in Dorm 219. I even marked the chapter on the Hundred Days’ Reform and took notes before falling asleep!”

He ran back to the classroom and retrieved his history book, flipping through the pages for Mr. Cai. “Look, we haven’t even covered this in class yet. I’ve been reading ahead. I even wrote the date on my notes — how could I have known you’d check today? Doesn’t that prove I wasn’t at the café? I even came to morning reading on time. You can ask Mr. Hao. I wasn’t sleepy at all.”

In fact, Yan Ze had indeed started reading a chapter each night, comparing events with those depicted in historical dramas he’d acted in, noting discrepancies, and marking things to research further on the weekend.

Mr. Cai flipped through the book with genuine interest.

Yan Ze stared sharply at Jin Zhenyu. “You’re saying I went to a dingy internet café to read history books? My house has a computer, all the games I want, and my parents don’t care how long I play on weekends.

Why would I sneak out, pay for a spot at a smoky café with bad ventilation, just to suffer? If you’re going to frame me, at least come up with a better excuse.”

Jin Zhenyu, not exactly subtle, pointed at Yan Ze and shouted, “He was reading that history book at the café last night!”

Yan Ze nearly laughed out loud.

This is what it feels like to win with brains!

Then Jin Zhenyu, red in the face, shouted, “Mr. Cai, look at his arm! I hit him with a chair!”

Yan Ze inwardly howled with laughter. If Mr. Cai wasn’t standing there, he’d have rolled on the floor.

This… this is what intellectual dominance looks like!

Yan Ze raised his arm, frowning. “Oh please, now you’re claiming that was you? That bruise is from my roommate. He was mad about me switching classes — called me a traitor. We fought but made up, and he’s even transferring to our class soon. So tell me, why would you hit me?”

Jin Zhenyu froze.

He genuinely couldn’t remember what the fight was even about.

Why did I hit him again?

Was it just because I couldn’t stand the sight of him?

Yan Ze continued, “And I don’t even really know you. I don’t know where you live or who you hang out with. Why would I fight you of all people?”

He turned to Mr. Cai and added, “Sir, I just want to give my side of the story. You know what kind of student I used to be, right? During the National Day break, I had a long talk with my mom. I realized I couldn’t keep wasting my life, but I suck at science, so I thought I’d try liberal arts instead.”

Mr. Cai played along with an amused look. “That much I know. Go on.”

“I didn’t pick your class at random,” Yan Ze said. “You know me — I used to sleep through class and mess around. I couldn’t name a single subject teacher. But since I wanted to change, I needed to know who my homeroom teacher would be. I checked out the liberal arts classes, and yours seemed like the best fit. You teach math, and I figured if my homeroom teacher teaches it, maybe I have a shot at improving.”

Mr. Cai chuckled. “Well, aren’t you optimistic.”

Yan Ze grinned, then grew serious. “And there was another reason. That day I came to check out the class, something unpleasant happened. Maybe you don’t know this, but I have a strong sense of justice — I can’t stand to see girls being bullied. I saw some guys in your class bullying a girl, so I stepped in. That’s when he”—he pointed at Jin Zhenyu—“told me to mind my own business since I wasn’t even from Class 7.”

“I was furious. I thought, fine, I’ll transfer to Class 7 and fight injustice from the inside. Once I’m officially in the class, he can’t use that excuse anymore, right?”

Before Mr. Cai or Jin Zhenyu could respond, Yan Ze delivered the perfect twist.

He smacked his fist into his palm. “Ah! That’s why he’s trying to frame me! He got caught sneaking out and wants to drag me down with him so I get kicked out of the class — all because he doesn’t like me!”

Yan Ze wore an expression of pure “I’ve cracked the case” righteousness, eyes shining.

No loopholes this time, surely?

He beamed triumphantly.

Jin Zhenyu, flustered and furious, couldn’t say much in his defense. In the end, he resorted to threats: “You’re dead, just wait!”

Mr. Cai returned the history book to Yan Ze. “Go back to class.”

He then dragged Jin Zhenyu off to the discipline office.

Yan Ze walked away, completely unscathed.

________________________________________

That afternoon, during the big break…

Xie Tingxue delivered the homework to the English teacher’s office and knocked on the door.

Mei Jian was already inside.

After she placed the stack down, the teacher said, “Perfect timing. I was just talking to Mei Jian. The city’s English competition is next month. Each class can send five students, and there’s a qualifying test next

week. According to your grades, Tingxue, you’re ranked third. I’ve signed you up — is that okay?”

Xie Tingxue hesitated. “Will the test interfere with our regular classes?”

The teacher explained the process: the preliminary round was scheduled for next Saturday morning, held at their school. A portion of students would be selected to compete against students from other schools, with ten finalists chosen for the final speech round.

Xie Tingxue asked softly, “Um… how much is the registration fee?”

Mei Jian said, “Not much. I’ll pay for both of us.”

His parents gave an extra ¥500 every month to Xie Tingxue’s mom, and whenever there were school fees or extracurricular activities, Mei Jian just gave her the money directly. Over time, it was assumed that these expenses were included in the caretaker stipend.

Xie Tingxue was stunned, bit her lip, and lowered her eyes. “Teacher, I’ll discuss it with my mom over the weekend. Will I still be able to register next week?”

“Yes,” the teacher replied. “Just let me know by Monday.”

She began grading homework, then paused. “Tingxue, could you call Yan Ze in for me?”

Before Tingxue could answer, Mei Jian volunteered, “I’ll go.”

Just as he opened the door, he saw Yan Ze stepping out of the opposite office with a geography book tucked under his arm — and flashing him a glare like a dagger. His clean-cut look only made him more infuriating.

“Come here,” Mei Jian called.

“Why should I?” Yan Ze retorted.

“Do you have a brain?” Mei Jian replied. “The teacher’s asking for you.”

Yan Ze glanced into the office and, upon spotting Xie Tingxue, immediately changed demeanor. He brushed past Mei Jian and practically floated in on a cloud of pink bubbles.

“Hello, teacher.” He beamed. “Hey, Xie Tingxue, handing in homework?”

Ever since he’d expressed sympathy for her early morning duties, the English teacher had taken a liking to Yan Ze. Now that he’d rebranded himself as a good student — polite and handsome — her attitude had completely shifted. She praised him constantly in class.

“Yan Ze, you’re always in such a good mood, huh?”

“Well,” Yan Ze said, grinning, “when you see someone you like every day, how could you not be happy? Did you call me in, teacher?”

“I was just wondering,” she said, flipping his homework, “your English isn’t bad. Why did you only score 17 on the last test? Didn’t take it seriously?”

Yan Ze scratched his head. “I didn’t used to care about tests. But honestly, my English isn’t great.”

“How’s your speaking?” she asked. “There’s an English competition next month. If you do well, you can earn bonus points. Want to join the qualifying round next Saturday?”

Xie Tingxue was shocked.

Isn’t this only for the top five students?

Yan Ze seemed unsure too — his old instincts resisted anything school-related. “Uh… maybe not…”

“You don’t want to?”

The teacher sighed. “Alright then. Mei Jian, I’ll sign you up first. Tingxue, let me know by Monday.”

Suddenly, Yan Ze raised his hand. “I’ll do it!”

Then he grabbed Xie Tingxue’s hand and declared, “She’s joining too! Sign us both up!”

“What are you doing?” Xie Tingxue whispered.

“I need help with grammar,” Yan Ze said sincerely. “And I always wanted to study with you. It’s the perfect opportunity — we’ll learn together and help each other!”

Mei Jian looked horrified.

It’s over. Yan Ze’s in the game now.

He protested, “Why not ask me for help?”

Yan Ze replied bluntly, “Are you a girl? I want to hear Xie Tingxue explain grammar. Got a problem with that?”

“You’ve got no shame,” Mei Jian snapped.

“Says the guy trying to fight me for a tutor,” Yan Ze shot back. “You’re top of the class — you don’t need help. She’s already my study buddy. You find your own.”

The teacher giggled.

“Yan Ze…”

“I’m serious, teacher! Let us form a study group — we’ll come to your office during breaks.”

He added, “I may be a poor student, but I want to improve. I already asked our homeroom teacher about pairing up with someone. He agreed!”

Mei Jian, voice low, said, “Yan Ze, I can help you too.”

Yan Ze dismissed him. “We don’t get along. Xie Tingxue’s patient — we won’t end up fighting.”

“Uh…” Xie Tingxue blinked.

Yan Ze smiled at her. “Let’s make a weekend study plan, okay?”

Mei Jian muttered, “We’ve got tutoring on the weekend.”

“Where?” Yan Ze asked. “I’ll go too.”

“I have to work harder if I want to catch up,” he declared.

The teacher, pleased, said, “Alright then.”

She scribbled down a name: English Study Group.

“Mei Jian, Xie Tingxue, Yan Yaru, Chen Chang… and Yan Ze. I’m signing all five of you up. From next week, set aside one self-study session per day to do practice papers. You can plan your grammar and speaking sessions this weekend.”

She smiled at Yan Ze. “I expect great things from you. I believe in your potential.”

Yan Ze beamed. “I won’t let you down.”