They Dumped Me—Now They’re Reincarnated and Obsessed? - Chapter 22
Mei Jian and Yan Ze deliberately threw the game to help each other out—it was obvious they were going easy. But the outcome wasn’t satisfying.
The only one happy was Yan Yaru. The one who wasn’t? Xie Tingxue—because the win came too easily, the two boys were so bad at acting, it was boring.
If they had been just two clueless underage boys playing cards, they might not have noticed Xie Tingxue’s mood. She was good at hiding it and never showed her impatience.
But unfortunately for her, the two sitting opposite were experts in reading her. Even her slightest emotional shift didn’t go unnoticed by them.
So, the situation turned out like this—
Yan Yaru cheered, “Aah! We won again! Let’s play another round!”
The two boys said in unison: “We’re done.”
Yan Yaru cooed, “Come on, just one more~”
Yan Ze flung his cards down. “I said we’re done. This is boring.”
Mei Jian added, “We’re going home.”
Xie Tingxue immediately stood up to pack her bag, looking as though she was relieved.
Yan Ze didn’t want her to leave, but he also didn’t want to be annoying. So, he forced a smile, trying to sound casual as he said goodbye.
Leaning on the doorframe, he called after them mournfully, “There’s a bus stop straight down the road from here… Why don’t you stay a bit longer and wait for my mom to finish singing? She can walk you guys out…”
Xie Tingxue replied, “Let’s not trouble Auntie. We’re heading off now.”
Yan Ze knew she’d refuse. He sighed and made a last-ditch effort: “Then… how about you take the teddy bear with you?”
Xie Tingxue blinked. “Why? Isn’t that your bear? I don’t want it.”
“Oh…” Yan Ze said quietly.
He knew she wouldn’t take it.
Ah, this well-mannered, rule-abiding girl!
Mei Jian walked out, full of confidence.
Yan Yaru stood with Yan Ze at the doorway to see them off.
Yan Ze paused. The image in front of him was bizarre—it looked like he and Yan Yaru were the parents seeing their children off.
He was furious.
Grabbing his keys, he said, “Fine, I’ll walk you to the bus stop.”
Yan Yaru chirped, “Then I’ll come too!”
Yan Ze snapped, “Don’t you have anything better to do? Since when were we so close? Why are you tagging along to send people off? Can you have a little self-respect and stop following my lead?”
Yan Yaru giggled. “Buzz off! You’re the one who should be embarrassed. A transfer student acting like you own the place—get lost.”
Yan Ze: “……”
Right. He almost forgot.
With a scowl, Yan Ze turned and went back inside. “Forget it. I’m not going.”
Yan Yaru happily caught up with Xie Tingxue and squeezed in between her and Mei Jian, looping her arm through Xie Tingxue’s and striking up a conversation with Mei Jian.
Mei Jian mulled it over for a while. Then, a thought struck him: Could Yan Yaru have a crush on me?
He began to observe her more closely. Though she was talking to Xie Tingxue, her eyes kept flicking toward him, gauging his reactions.
Mei Jian: “…” What kind of karmic joke is this?
Still, when he thought about it—this really was surreal.
Ten years from now, Yan Yaru would become a beloved celebrity with millions of fans, the dream girl of countless men. She’d build a public image of a cool, aloof goddess—independent and self-reliant, never tangled in rumors with male stars… except for her childhood-friend CP pairing with Yan Ze. Who would’ve thought she’d once been a bashful girl harboring crushes?
Mei Jian let out a quiet laugh.
Just now, while watching her, he’d finally figured out what had been bugging him since they got back—the difference in Yan Yaru’s facial features.
The “straight man’s goddess” of the future, the breakout star Yan Yaru, was known for her small face, defined double eyelids, and sharp jawline. She looked great in still photos, and even when she appeared barefaced on variety shows, her beauty was undeniable. She was hailed as “natural and unretouched”—a rare gem in the industry.
But the Yan Yaru standing here now had single eyelids, a soft, rounded chin, and from the side, her face appeared quite flat.
Mei Jian thought to himself: Yup, all that hype came from media nonsense. Just like a few years ago when netizens claimed Yan Yaru was a top student—beautiful and smart, the whole “life is unfair” thing…
He checked what sparked the praise and realized she’d just answered a question on a quiz show correctly—distinguishing between the French and Russian flags. A high school-level fact.
Now that he thought about it, there were two parts to it. One, the media loves to inflate idols’ images, turning the tiniest thing into legend. Two, the overall cultural level in entertainment was just… embarrassing.
Take Yan Ze, for example. Mei Jian would bet money he couldn’t even tell the French and Russian flags apart.
As he walked, Mei Jian grumbled to himself, So much for natural beauty. All fake.
Having uncovered this little secret, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
But then he thought of Yan Ze again, and the smile faded.
Sure, people online said Yan Ze was a successful case of plastic surgery. But honestly, his face hadn’t changed much—what changed was his aura. He still had the same features, just with more confidence. From a pure looks perspective, Yan Ze did have a natural edge. When he first came back, even with that ridiculous haircut, he still looked good.
That said…
A new idea occurred to Mei Jian—What if I tried to pair up Yan Ze and Yan Yaru?
He knew Yan Ze probably wouldn’t be interested, not with Xie Tingxue around… but still, it might be worth a try. Who knew? It could work.
They reached the bus stop.
Yan Yaru stayed until the bus arrived, reluctantly waving goodbye. She walked away with a swaying gait, pigeon-toed like girls in that era often were.
Xie Tingxue stared out the window in a daze, then asked softly, “Mei Jian… does Yan Yaru like Yan Ze?”
Her voice was cautious, laced with curiosity. Her big eyes searched his face for an answer.
Mei Jian replied, “Probably.”
“Then… are they…” Xie Tingxue started spinning her own narrative. “Since their families are so close, do you think they were engaged as kids or something? I heard people say Yan Ze always looked after her… And the fight at the sports school—was that really for her?”
Mei Jian’s conscience stirred. Or maybe he just wanted to see her reaction. So, he said, “Didn’t he say he liked you?”
Xie Tingxue blushed and went quiet.
Three stops later, she asked, “Do you think he only said that as a joke?”
Mei Jian replied, “Who jokes about liking someone?”
Xie Tingxue blurted, “Well, I don’t like him.”
Mei Jian’s brow twitched, like he wanted to ask something.
Xie Tingxue darted a glance at him and lowered her eyes, saying nothing.
Then Mei Jian said, “If I told you I liked you, would you believe me? Or think I was joking?”
Her heart pounded wildly. She almost combusted on the spot. After a long pause, she steadied her voice and whispered, “I’d believe you. You’re not the type to joke like that…”
“Mm, got it,” Mei Jian said. “Don’t overthink it. I was just making a hypothetical.”
Xie Tingxue exhaled, patting her chest. “You scared me.”
Her tightly-wound nerves finally relaxed.
Mei Jian took a deep breath, a bitter smile on his lips.
A long silence passed before Xie Tingxue muttered, “Ugh, today was such a waste… We didn’t study at all.”
Mei Jian said, “Can’t really study at his place.”
Xie Tingxue nodded. “Yeah. I won’t hang out with him anymore… He just wants to play. No time to study. Good thing the preliminary exam is next week. After that, we won’t need to do group study anymore.”
She sounded genuinely cheerful.
Yan Ze’s probably getting eliminated anyway, she thought.
They got off the bus and still had a ways to walk home. By the bus stop, someone was selling roasted sweet potatoes. The warm, sugary scent lingered in the air.
It was the kind of sweetness that made you feel safe after a full belly.
Xie Tingxue stepped over, pulled out her small wallet, and pointed to a sweet potato the size of her fist. “I’ll take this one! Mei Jian, do you want one too?”
Mei Jian said, “Give me a bigger one.”
He pulled out a bill from his pocket and added, “To keep things fair—whoever gets the big one pays.”
Xie Tingxue thought it over, her tone even more cheerful. “That makes sense. Then it’s your treat today.”
She held her small sweet potato, her eyes crinkling in a smile.
Mei Jian peeled his and took a bite. “What does ‘abundance’ mean?”
“Hm… a lot of something. Rich in supply.”
“Swallow?”
“Swallow it,” Mei Jian said.
Xie Tingxue swallowed a bite of sweet potato and smiled. “Xiao Yanzi.”
Mei Jian replied, “Apologize — verb.”
“‘Apologize’? Or is ‘sorry’ okay too?”
“They’re different — ‘sorry’ is an adjective.”
“Oh.”
Mei Jian continued, “How would you say this: ‘With my help, your English has improved greatly’? Use the right phrase.”
“With the help of…” Xie Tingxue bit into another piece of sweet potato and thought aloud, “…make a great progress…”
Mei Jian swallowed and corrected, “Drop the ‘a.’”
“Oh,” she replied.
“Got it?”
“Mhm.” Xie Tingxue nodded.
“How do you say ‘got it’ in English?” Mei Jian asked.
Xie Tingxue paused, then said, “Remember?”
Mei Jian reached out and lightly tapped her between the eyebrows. “If you really remember, say: keep it in your mind.”
Xie Tingxue stared at him, her face burning red as she instinctively took a step back, flustered and unsure what to do.
Mei Jian withdrew his hand and raised an eyebrow. “Looks like you really did remember. Did you?”
Xie Tingxue snapped back to attention and repeated, “Keep something in mind…”
Mei Jian shook his head slightly. “I’m serious. You won’t retain much if you keep learning like this.”
“Huh?” Xie Tingxue blinked, confused.
“Don’t treat sentences like formulas. Memorize the formula as a sentence.” Mei Jian explained. “Use full sentences to remember vocabulary and grammar. That’s much more effective than memorizing templates and then trying to construct sentences. And it helps avoid that ‘Chinglish’ thinking.”
“Does that apply to writing essays too?”
“Don’t use overly fancy words. In English, what matters most isn’t how advanced your vocabulary is — it’s fluency and correctness,” Mei Jian said. “Keep it in your mind: English is just a tool. And tool is…?”
“Tool…” Xie Tingxue blinked. “Right?”
Mei Jian chuckled. “You got the right word, but your pronunciation sounded like ‘tall’ — as in ‘height.’”
“What should I do, then?”
Mei Jian pointed upstairs. “Go home and keep listening. How about that?”
Xie Tingxue’s face turned slightly pink. She nodded hard. “Okay!”
Mei Jian smiled. “I knew it — your anxiety today is just from feeling like you wasted time.”
Xie Tingxue frowned. “Exactly! I feel so guilty when I slack off. It really feels like a waste.”
Mei Jian popped the last bite of sweet potato into his mouth. “Wanna race to see who gets home first?”
Then he took off running.
Xie Tingxue froze for a second, then laughed and chased after him. “Even elementary school kids don’t do this anymore!”
Mei Jian laughed aloud. “Haven’t you heard the saying?”
“Huh?”
“Men never grow up.”
Xie Tingxue burst into laughter. “If your mom hears that, she’s definitely going to beat you until you grow up! Hahahaha!”
________________________________________
Before dinner, Yan Yaru and her mom finally left the Yan household.
After seeing them off, Yan Ze muttered, “Her family is like cling film… Mom, don’t you think they were a little too enthusiastic?”
His mom replied, “But your Aunt Tang is a great opera singer — and she’s a good card player too.”
Yan Ze rolled his eyes. “Sure, and she’s also great at spending money. Pretty snobbish, if you ask me.”
His mom changed the subject. “Come here. I have a question for you.”
Thinking it would be about Xie Tingxue, Yan Ze immediately perked up, plastered on a smile, and sat obediently. “Ask away, Mom! I’ll tell you everything!”
“That boy who came to apologize today — what’s going on between you two?”
Yan Ze’s smile vanished instantly.
“…Male jealousy. If I had to explain it, he probably thinks I’m too handsome, haha.” Yan Ze shrugged. “But Madam Yang, I promise — there’s nothing between us!”
His mom replied seriously, “Hmm, that’s clear enough. But I think that kid lacks manners — very rude and stubborn. You’d better keep your distance. If anything ever happens at school, tell me immediately.”
“Got it,” Yan Ze said with a grin. “Don’t worry, Mom. So… is there anything else you wanted to ask?” He winked suggestively.
Hint, hint. Heavy hinting.
His mom sighed dramatically. “Ahh…”
Yan Ze beamed. “Come on, ask me!”
His mom said, “Zeze, study hard. That girl you like doesn’t seem like the type who’d go for someone with bad grades. And that boy with you today… looked like a top student.”
Yan Ze: “…”
Yan Ze: “Mom, that was a direct stab to your son’s heart.”
Just then, the garage door outside rumbled open.
Yan Ze’s mom straightened up. “Your dad’s back! Quick, Zeze, stand up straight. He’s been nagging you for weeks to dye your hair back — once he sees you actually listened, he’ll be thrilled…”
Yan Ze smiled sweetly, ready to give his dad a warm hug.
But the moment Dad walked in, he spent the first three minutes chatting with Mom about a song he’d heard on the way home, then a funny story. Finally, mid-laugh, he turned to Yan Ze—
“Oh,” he said, noticing the change. “The brat actually dyed his hair back and dressed decently for once. But wait… damn it, is that a bandage on his head?! Did he get in a fight again?!”
Yan Ze, who had completely forgotten about the injury, opened his arms wide: “Dad!”
His dad scowled. “Why are you home? Did you get expelled for fighting?!”
Yan Ze, still holding out his arms: “…Dad, it’s the weekend. Thanks.”
Can’t you think something nice about me for once?! Tch!