They Dumped Me—Now They’re Reincarnated and Obsessed? - Chapter 19.2

“Her lack of confidence doesn’t just come from her education—it’s partly because of you. I’ll admit, you’re right about the need to study and earn a degree. She does need those things, and they do bring peace of mind. But I want her to live brilliantly, to be the brightest light in a sea of people—so she’ll never have to feel ashamed again.”

“So do I,” Mei Jian said quietly.

“But I’ll say it again, Yan Ze—you’re not from our world. Haven’t you realized? This is only the first weekend, and already she’s in danger just trying to study with her classmates—all because of you.”

“…I’m sorry,” Yan Ze replied.

“That was for her, not you.”

Mei Jian sneered.

Yan Ze went on,

“If we really come from different worlds, then I’ll come to yours. Soon. She needs someone who’ll be there for her. You can’t do that. I’ll clean up my messes and do everything I can to support her studies—”

“You bring too much trouble. I’m afraid you’ll hurt her more than help her,” Mei Jian cut in.

“And not just now—think about how people attack her because of you. So what if you’re a star? You attract chaos. You are chaos. The more popular you are, the more hate she’ll get.

Don’t you get that? You’re not good for her.”

“You know why I can’t stand you, Mei Jian. You can throw my profession in my face—I can do the same to you.”

“That may have been my mistake in a past life. But I’ve been given a chance to fix it. What about you?” Mei Jian said lowly.

“You’re still choosing to be a celebrity. You’re still going to make her suffer through the consequences of that choice.”

“I heard how you talk to her,” Yan Ze said.

“I saw your attitude. You yelled at her. That makes me sick. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Mei Jian, you’re no man. You don’t cherish her at all. It breaks my heart seeing how much time and love she wasted on you.”

Fury surged through Mei Jian.

“I yelled at her?! Who let her watch you get your head smashed open?! Bl00d, violence, chaos—who caused that?! She’s had enough instability in her life!”

Silence fell on the other end. Then Yan Ze spoke softly,

“I’m picking her up from your house at 8 a.m. tomorrow.”

Mei Jian frowned.

“Who said you could—”

Yan Ze hung up.

Mei Jian slammed his phone down in frustration.

Friends with a love rival? Never happening in this lifetime!

________________________________________

The next day, Mei Jian sat in the living room correcting Xie Tingxue’s error log.

She handed him her completed math test, looking exhausted and unenthusiastic.

Mei Jian finished grading, held the pen in his hand, and sat motionless for a while before finally murmuring,

“I’m sorry.”

“Hm?” Xie Tingxue looked up.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” he said.

“You looked out of it—I panicked and…”

“When?” she asked, confused.

Her response stunned him into silence.

He thought of a winter in December, when she had brought him food to his dorm, and he—stressed and irritable from exam season—had scolded her coldly for wasting time.

He also remembered the way Yan Ze had carefully split a hamburger in half—so sincere, so attentive.

“…It’s nothing,” Mei Jian muttered, his voice thick.

“Maybe you didn’t hear it.”

She had gotten used to it. So used to him snapping at her, that she couldn’t even tell anymore when he raised his voice.

Mei Jian closed his eyes. His chest ached.

Yan Ze had been right.

Xie Tingxue asked softly,

“Do you think Yan Ze will be okay? We just left him there today… Was that wrong?”

Mei Jian gave a helpless laugh.

“I called him. He’s fine.”

“Really? How did it end?”

“They called the parents,” he said, then frowned again.

“Have you done your listening practice yet? Go work on your vocabulary!”

Xie Tingxue sighed and pulled out her English worksheet, muttering under her breath,

“You’re stricter than my teachers… I’m scared of you…”

________________________________________

The next morning, Yan Ze knocked on Mei Jian’s door. It was Mei Jian’s mom who answered.

“I’m Mei Jian’s classmate. Is he home?”

Mei Jian’s mom looked him over—young, grinning, bandages wrapped around his head. Her heart skipped a beat. She asked,

“Mei Jian’s classmate? What’s your name?”

“I’m Yan Ze,” he said sweetly.

“I’m here to study English with Mei Jian and Xie Tingxue.”

She seemed to recognize the name, though she didn’t recall seeing it on any of the report cards.

She asked cautiously,

“What happened to your head?”

“Had a little accident yesterday,” Yan Ze replied cheerfully.

“But I’m fine, Auntie. Doesn’t affect my studies. We agreed to review English together today.”

“For that English competition?” she asked, her tone softening. She even smiled a little.

“Yes, I signed up too.”

Then she asked,

“Yan Ze, what rank were you in the last monthly exam?”

Yan Ze thought: Even my own mother doesn’t ask that… And now his rival’s mom was grilling him on grades? How bizarre.

He pulled out his old trick and lied smoothly:

“First place.”

But Mei Jian’s mom wasn’t as easy to fool as Xie Tingxue’s mom.

“First in the grade?” she asked, eyes narrowing.

She had read through the entire ranking list for the liberal arts track.

Yan Ze paused for a beat, but quickly recovered with a smile:

“Auntie, I just transferred from the science stream to liberal arts this week. I don’t have grades in liberal arts yet…”

Mei Jian’s mother pressed further:

“What was your math score last time?”

Yan Ze replied,

“Science and liberal arts use different math papers.”

“I know. How many points did you get?”

“One hundred twenty-five.”

That should be believable… right?

But Mei Jian’s mom remained skeptical.

“Which class are you in? Scoring 125 in math doesn’t sound like a first-place result.”

Cold sweat broke out on Yan Ze’s back. He felt like he was being interrogated by a judge who could see straight through lies. One more fib and he’d be dead meat.

Thankfully, Mei Jian came out of his room just then.

With a cold expression, he said flatly,

“I thought we didn’t have a study plan for today?”

Yan Ze pivoted without missing a beat, his improvisation smooth as ever:

“We agreed to take turns being the group leader, one per day. Today’s my turn, so I’m organizing the study session.”

Mei Jian retorted,

“Just turn in your worksheets. You’re injured, you should rest. Everyone else can do self-study today.”

But Yan Ze’s smile widened, his eyes gleaming mischievously. Then he delivered the finishing blow,

“But today we scheduled a speaking practice session. Mei Jian, you’re not skipping that, are you?”

He followed up with a polished English proverb, his tone refined and fluent:

“Time stays not the fool’s leisure.”

Mei Jian’s mom, who clearly knew quality when she heard it, softened immediately.

“Go, Mei Jian. Oral skills deteriorate quickly if you don’t practice every day.”

Yan Ze flashed a victory sign, then added sweetly,

“By the way, Auntie, does Xie Tingxue live nearby?”

She smiled and pointed across the hall,

“Right across the door.”

Yan Ze raised an eyebrow at Mei Jian and grinned:

“Thank you, Auntie!”

Mei Jian: “……”

Damn it!

Now he knew where Xie Tingxue lived!

Yan Ze turned and knocked on the door opposite.

Seeing this, Mei Jian grabbed his jacket, closed his own front door, and called out:

“Tingxue, open up.”

Footsteps sounded from inside.

Yan Ze smiled and whispered,

“It’s her.”

He recognized her footsteps—light and quick.

Mei Jian snorted.

Xie Tingxue opened the door without thinking, then froze.

She was wearing a fluffy bunny-print pajama set. Her hair had just been washed and was still air-drying. She had been helping her mom fry dried fish in the kitchen and, when she heard the door, grabbed a piece with her mouth and opened it without much thought.

And now, standing in front of her—was not just Mei Jian, but Yan Ze too.

Her cheeks flushed instantly.

Stunned, she stood there with half a small fish hanging from her lips.

Then—slam.

She closed the door.

Behind it, she quickly swallowed the fish, burning her tongue in the process, and fanned her mouth in distress.

Three seconds later, she wiped the grease from her lips with her sleeve, cracked the door open, and peered out.

“Why are you here? And… how’s your head?” she whispered.

“Just one stitch. Nothing serious,” Yan Ze said, tapping the bandage.

“Look, I’m fine. Come study at my place today, like we agreed.”

“We agreed?” Xie Tingxue asked, blinking.

“Is everyone else going too?”

Mei Jian remained silent, but if his face were a weather report, it’d be thunderclouds all the way since seeing Yan Ze.

Yan Ze nodded with a grin,

“Everyone’s already there. I came to make sure you two didn’t bail.”

Mei Jian had been looking for a quiet, parent-free space to help Xie Tingxue study, so he begrudgingly agreed.

“Go get your things. We’ll go together.”

“Okay… just give me a minute.”

She closed the door and rushed to change, brush her hair, and pack her bag.

While they waited by the stairs, Yan Ze chuckled, still thinking about her dazed expression, a little dried fish in her mouth like a kitten.

“She’s… fluffy now,” he murmured with a dreamy smile.

Mei Jian didn’t want to respond, but somehow, he knew exactly what Yan Ze meant.

There’s something magical about a girl growing up.

As a teenager, she’s like a fuzzy peach—soft cheeks, soft hair, that youthful glow. But when she becomes an adult, that fuzziness fades. Hair becomes sleeker, baby fat disappears. The face matures, defined and smooth, no longer childlike.

Yan Ze lowered his voice:

“How could I not be jealous of you? You saw her like this… and lived under the same roof as her. Technically, you grew up together. Even if you two officially dated for just a short while—it still adds up to so many years…”

A faint smile tugged at Mei Jian’s lips.

“It wasn’t short. We’ve been through a lot together over the years.”

Yan Ze’s heart twisted.

“Why is life so unfair?”

“You’re jealous?”

Yan Ze sighed bitterly.

“Obviously.”

Mei Jian smirked, the triumph showing on his face.

But then Yan Ze’s mood turned cold. He gritted his teeth.

“And yet some scumbags didn’t treasure her. Now they want to start over like nothing happened? What for—redemption? Who needs that?”

Mei Jian didn’t get angry. He just said quietly,

“Back then, we were young and clueless. Walking through the dark with her, unsure of the future, every step was hard. It wasn’t about redemption or guilt. It’s just that now—I’m ready. I can finally protect her properly. Whatever storms come, we’ll face them together… gently.”

Yan Ze didn’t respond. His gaze dimmed, as if lost in thought.

Then Xie Tingxue came downstairs with her backpack.

“Is your place far?” she asked, holding her bus card.

“Not really,” Yan Ze said.

“I rode a bike here.”

He twirled his keys, shot a glance at Mei Jian, then looked at her.

“Ride with me. I’ll take you.”

“I can take the bus…”

“Do you know the way? My place is hard to find. I’ll take you. There’s a back seat—it’s just a bike, we’re all classmates. Don’t be shy.” He grinned.

“You’re not blushing, are you?”

“I am not!”

Success. Yan Ze beamed.

He knew her too well. A little teasing always worked.

Mei Jian felt sour.

His own bike was a mountain bike—no back seat. Yan Ze had come prepared, riding a step-through bike with a padded rear seat.

Xie Tingxue had wanted to decline, but now… there wasn’t much choice. And honestly, the pink bike was kind of cute.

Plus, there was a little white teddy bear in the basket. Its beady eyes and silly grin somehow made Yan Ze seem softer—like it actually suited him.

Balancing on long legs, Yan Ze gestured to the seat behind him. When he saw her eyeing the bear, he smiled:

“That’s my good luck charm.”

“A bear?”