They Dumped Me—Now They’re Reincarnated and Obsessed? - Chapter 15

It was just their luck—stepping out for a simple meal, and they had to run into an enemy.

“Order for table three, your food is ready,” the shop owner called out.

Mei Jian stood up. “I’ll get it.”

As he walked past the entrance, he shot a sharp, warning glance at Li Yuyang.

Li Yuyang froze for a second when she saw him. Then, spotting Xie Tingxue inside, her expression darkened.

Like a viper catching sight of prey in the grass, she curled her venom behind her teeth, determined to strike the moment the opportunity arose.

She raised her voice with feigned sweetness. “Oh my! Mei Jian~!”

Turning to the group she was with, she called out mockingly, “Hey, let me introduce you—this is our class’s most handsome guy! What do you think, isn’t he cute?”

A few bold girls joined in, giggling. “Whoa, handsome boy, let’s get to know each other!”

“Wanna treat us to a meal, pretty boy?”

Mei Jian didn’t spare them a glance. He brought back the food, washed his hands, set out the chopsticks, and rolled a wrap for Xie Tingxue.

But Xie Tingxue couldn’t settle. She ate with unease, appetite gone.

Li Yuyang swayed over slowly and plopped down at the table beside them. “Let’s just sit here!”

Xie Tingxue nearly choked, coughing softly. Mei Jian gave her a calm look and said gently, “It’s okay. Take your time.”

Li Yuyang and her friends brought their trays and sat down at the next table. With a smug tone, she said, “Wanna hear some juicy gossip from our school?”

A girl across from her clapped. “Yes, yes! Hey, Li Yuyang, do you have anything about that Yan Ze guy? Spill the tea on Yan Ze!”

Li Yuyang’s face twitched at the mention of Yan Ze—clearly recalling his warning—but she couldn’t help herself.

“Oh, I’ve got one. Let me tell you about the biggest slut in our school. Even Yan Ze got fooled by that b1tch.”

Xie Tingxue set down her chopsticks and stood abruptly. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

She grabbed her coat and rushed out.

There’s a special kind of insult—vague enough that the target can’t fight back. You don’t name names, but everyone knows who you’re talking about. And the victim? They can’t stand up and argue without admitting it’s about them.

Because the moment you react, you lose.

Li Yuyang, encouraged, raised her voice even louder. “That girl in our class? Such a slut, always acting so innocent around boys…”
Mei Jian set down his chopsticks and turned to her with a smile. “Li Yuyang.”

A girl beside her nudged her excitedly. “Oh my God, Li Yuyang, he’s talking to you!”

Li Yuyang shrieked in fake delight. “Well, well, what can I do for you, Mei Jian~?”

“High school isn’t mandatory. After a warning, the next step is expulsion,” Mei Jian said coldly. “And when that happens, even if your dad throws more money at the school, it won’t help. Understand?”

Feigning calm, Li Yuyang replied dramatically, “Wow, I’ve learned something new today. But what are you really trying to say, handsome?”

Mei Jian stood, put on his jacket, placed money on the table, and looked her straight in the eye.

“I’m saying, if the idiot provoking me right now were a guy, that bowl of hot soup in front of you would’ve been dumped over their head ten times already. You should be thankful I have manners. I don’t hit women.”

With that, he turned and left.

The girls around her burst into laughter. “Holy crap, Li Yuyang, he totally just dissed you! And he’s so hot!”

The lead guy snorted. “He called you a dumbass, didn’t he?”

Li Yuyang’s face turned white with rage. She slammed her bowl down, the fat on her cheeks trembling.

The guy howled with laughter. “Oh my God, did you see that? Her whole face shook—pure fat!”

Li Yuyang screamed and started hitting him. “F**k you! You bastard!!”

The boy just laughed louder, swatting back at her.

They descended into cursing and hitting each other, joking all the while.

Outside, Mei Jian said nothing. Xie Tingxue followed silently behind him.

He could tell she was upset, but instead of talking, he simply slowed his pace and let her walk at her own speed.

They reached the bike shed before she finally spoke. “Mei Jian, am I… weak?”

Mei Jian replied, “Most of the time, it’s not weakness. It’s just that, out of courtesy or restraint, we take one wrong step and compromise with the scum of the world. And from that point on, everything spirals out of control—we feel trapped, helpless.”

Eyes red, Xie Tingxue said with clenched teeth, “I don’t have any restraint. I hate her so much I want her to die a hundred horrible deaths.”

“I know,” Mei Jian said. “I can see it.”

“I’ve imagined a hundred ways to kill her and dump the body!” Xie Tingxue stomped and wiped away her tears furiously. “If I were one of those delinquent kids, I’d totally pick a fight with her. I’ve imagined

locking her in a classroom and screaming the dirtiest insults I can think of!”

Mei Jian chuckled softly. “But you’re not. You don’t even know what the dirtiest words are. Xie Tingxue, you’re just like me… the kind of ‘good kid’ who’s grown up within rules and expectations.”

For some reason, Xie Tingxue couldn’t stop crying. She turned her face away, murmuring through her tears, “I don’t want to be a good kid anymore. I don’t want to be the kind of good kid who can’t do anything…”

“If only… if only…”

She envied those rebellious kids—their freedom, their lack of restraint. But part of her also believed that not studying was an unforgivable sin.

And so, Xie Tingxue cried—bitterly, helplessly.

Mei Jian came over, pushing his bike. He dug a crumpled tissue from his pocket. “Got this while we were eating. It’s clean.”

Xie Tingxue took the tissue and turned away to wipe her nose and eyes.

Mei Jian smiled and said, “You’re like the bourgeois intelligentsia.”

Xie Tingxue burst out laughing through her tears.

The bourgeois intelligentsia—burning with revolutionary passion, desperate to save the nation, but ultimately fragile. Shaped by their time and family, weak at the root and malformed by circumstance.

She really was like that. Proud and stubborn, yet soft and powerless, all because of the family she came from.

Mei Jian suddenly grinned. “Hey, if you said something like that to someone like Yan Ze, he probably wouldn’t even get the joke, would he?”

Xie Tingxue turned away to wipe her nose, quietly laughing.

A gentle light shimmered in Mei Jian’s narrow eyes.

________________________________________

Xie Tingxue and her mother were staying across the hall from Mei Jian’s family, in the side bedroom of Mei Jian’s grandparents’ home.

After settling the elderly couple for bed, Tingxue’s mother returned to the room and asked her, “Did you finish your homework?”

Xie Tingxue nodded.

“What’s wrong?” her mother said. “Did you cry today?”

Xie Tingxue pouted. “How did you know?”

“Your eyes are swollen like peaches,” her mother said. “Your double eyelids turned into singles.”

Xie Tingxue chuckled. “No way…”

“So why were you crying?”

“Mom…” Xie Tingxue said, “I want to sign up for the English competition.”

“Then sign up! It’s not like I’m stopping you. Don’t worry about the money—how much is the registration fee?”

“One hundred and twenty yuan.”

“I thought it’d be more…” Her mother flicked her daughter’s forehead. “And that’s what you were crying about?”

Xie Tingxue’s gaze dimmed slightly. She whispered, “The preliminary fee is ¥120, but if I really make it to the speech round, I’ll need to buy clothes, shoes… And if we have to wear a uniform, we might have to pay hundreds for those cheap outfits…”

Her mother laughed. “You talk like you’re actually making it to the speech round. Worrying over nothing!”

Xie Tingxue burst into laughter. “Mom! Are you jinxing me now?”

Her mom replied, “Still laughing! Just prepare well. That’s all you need to do. The rest isn’t your concern. Does getting a good placement really help with the college entrance exam?”

Xie Tingxue laughed again. “Only if you win a national award. I’m definitely not getting that far, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“Even just participating is good experience. If there’s a chance, go for it!” Her mother rubbed her cheek. “Work hard—maybe you’ll make it to the finals.”

“The finals get broadcasted on TV,” Xie Tingxue said. “If that day ever comes, I’ll say in English that I’m especially grateful to my mom.”

Her mother scoffed affectionately. “You cheeky girl!”

In the next room, Grandpa Mei coughed a few times.

Xie Tingxue made a “shh” gesture. Her mom patted her head and went to pour hot water for the old man.

________________________________________

Feng Fei looked much more refreshed after a haircut. When he arrived at Yan Ze’s place, he was like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden—gawking as he explored the first floor, then the second, full of awe.

“No wonder you strut around school like you own the place, Yan Ze. With this kind of money, your family could crush someone to death with stacks of cash!”

Yan Ze leaned on the railing and yelled down, “Get up here and shut up. Don’t embarrass me.”

Two hours earlier, Yan Ze’s mom had said she’d make them dinner. Two hours later, not a single dish was in sight.

Feng Fei flopped onto Yan Ze’s bed, groaning, “Yan Ze, is your mom really cooking?”

Yan Ze was flipping through his contact list. “She takes her time. She sings opera while cooking. Thinks it’s a hobby or something. If you’re starving, there’s food in my drawer. Go grab a snack.”

Feng Fei munched on some jerky and wandered over. “What are you looking for?”

“Mei Jian’s home number.”

“What for?”

Yan Ze gritted his teeth. “My wife is staying at his house!”

Feng Fei blinked. “You’re gonna call and harass them?”

“I’m calling to ask for the address!”

Feng Fei raised his hand. “You could’ve just asked me!”

“What?” Yan Ze slammed the contact book shut. “You know it?”

“Dude, remember last year when I got caught for surfing the web at school and almost got expelled? My dad took me to talk to the principal—his apartment’s on the third floor. Mei Jian’s family lives on the second.

I bumped into him there.”

“Give me the address!” Yan Ze sprang up and shoved a pen into Feng Fei’s hand. “We’re going to pick her up tomorrow!”

“You mean Mei Jian?” Feng Fei asked.

“Hell no!” Yan Ze snapped. “I’m picking up my wife!!”

Feng Fei scribbled out a crooked map and wrote the address.

Yan Ze frowned. “…I never noticed before, but wow, your handwriting is absolutely hideous.”

Feng Fei protested, “Like yours is any better?!”

Yan Ze flipped open a notebook and, with a flourish, wrote out his name in bold strokes. “I practiced in secret.”

Feng Fei was stunned. “Bro! You’re officially my idol now!”

“Oh, that’s nothing…” Yan Ze said, casually sketching a cartoon girl with big eyes and long hair. “What do you think? I even took a crash course in doodling for a month.”

Of course, it was for a film role.

Feng Fei clutched the notebook with a goofy grin. “Bro! No joke, that really looks like Xie Tingxue! It’s spot-on!”

“Bull,” Yan Ze snorted. “You don’t even know what she looks like. Bootlicker.”

“I saw her with you last year!”

“Your bangs were covering your eyes. You couldn’t see a thing!” Yan Ze said. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to get a proper look at her.”

Feng Fei grinned. “OK!!”

Yan Ze sighed deeply. “Just thinking about my wife staying in someone else’s home… it breaks my heart.”

“Where are you two meeting tomorrow?” Feng Fei asked.

Yan Ze’s expression twitched. “…McDonald’s.”

Feng Fei asked, “So are you going to a KTV after, or an internet café?”

Yan Ze grinned. “Which do you want—KTV or internet café?”

Feng Fei rubbed his hands together. “Hehe, I’m good with either…”

Yan Ze’s expression dropped instantly. “We’re meeting to study tomorrow. No KTV, no internet café. Believe it or not.”

Feng Fei was stunned into silence.

At long last, Yan Ze’s mom floated into the living room, singing opera. “Boys, dinner’s ready!”

Yan Ze jumped up. “Let’s eat! Gotta be full and sharp for tomorrow’s glorious study date with my wife!”

Feng Fei blinked. “Haha? Study… date?”