NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Chapter 9 - Red-Crowned Crane
Zhao Feng scratched his head, trying to recall his memories from his past life. There was no information about a bespectacled girl with such an outstanding figure—tall and graceful, able to outshine Bai Jiaxin just with her physique. How could he have ignored someone like this before? His vision must have been terrible. As a guy, he felt like a failure.
"Sorry, when I see a beautiful girl, my mind goes blank, and I forget even my own name. So embarrassing," Zhao Feng said awkwardly, lightly slapping himself. He wished he could slap his past self even harder. How could he have spent three years infatuated with Bai Jiaxin while completely overlooking a girl with a nine-heads proportion and such a perfect figure? His taste was appalling.
From the perspective of someone in his 30s in his previous life, Bai Jiaxin had little to offer beyond her innocent, "first love" face. Her flat and slender frame was no match for the girl in glasses sitting before him. In comparison, Bai Jiaxin was nothing but scraps. There was simply no competition.
The girl giggled, her voice light and clear. "Wow, you're so honest—you're even willing to slap yourself. My name is Huang Qiaoqiao, as in 'elegant and pretty Qiao.' I'm just the quiet and invisible girl in the class. Nice to officially meet you. This is the first time we've spoken."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Zhao Feng, 'Zhao' as in 'Rescue the Kingdom of Zhao,' and 'Feng' as in 'sharpened blade,'" Zhao Feng introduced himself, shaking her delicate, soft hand.
"I'm glad to meet you, too. I've been paying attention to you since freshman year," Huang Qiaoqiao said with a smile.
"I had no idea I'm so famous in class," Zhao Feng teased.
"Not just in class—your reputation is known throughout the grade. Every teacher uses you as a role model, saying things like, 'Even someone as slow as Zhao Feng can make the top 100, so what excuse do the rest of you have?' They always say you're simple, hardworking, and study late into the night with a lamp," Huang Qiaoqiao mimicked the teachers with exaggerated gestures, making Zhao Feng chuckle.
"Qiaoqiao, are you praising me or insulting me?" Zhao Feng asked, feigning annoyance.
"Of course, I'm praising you!" she replied with a serious expression. "Thanks to you, I was inspired to study hard, burning the midnight oil every day. Eventually, I climbed to the top three in the grade's leaderboard. I really owe it to you!"
"Oh, I remember now! You're the class beauty and academic genius, the 'Red-Crowned Crane' of the top three rankings," Zhao Feng exclaimed, suddenly realizing who she was.
"Hey! I'm not a red-crowned crane! Just because I'm tall doesn't mean you get to make up nicknames for me!" Huang Qiaoqiao pouted playfully.
"Well, Red-Crowned Cranes are a first-class national protected species, just like pandas," Zhao Feng joked.
"Don't call me that! Call me by my name," she insisted.
"Got it, Red-Crowned Crane," Zhao Feng said with a cheeky smile, staring at her intently.
In his past life, their interactions were nonexistent. They had never spoken a word to each other. Zhao Feng only remembered her nickname as "Red-Crowned Crane" and vaguely recalled that she was absent from any high school reunions.
He could barely recall a drunken conversation with Jin Fugui years ago, where the latter mentioned that the "most tragic girl in class" was the "Red-Crowned Crane," the beautiful academic genius. Reportedly, she suffered a catastrophic failure during her college entrance exams because her stepmother drugged her, causing her to fall asleep during the exam. As a result, she didn't get into a top university, only a regular one. When she brought her university acceptance letter home, her stepmother maliciously burned it. Devastated, the "Red-Crowned Crane" jumped into a river, her life ending tragically at the delicate age of eighteen.
Huang Qiaoqiao noticed Zhao Feng staring at her absentmindedly. She waved her hand in front of his face and said, "Hey, stop daydreaming! I'm nowhere near as pretty as Bai Jiaxin."
Zhao Feng snapped out of it and gave an awkward chuckle. "Sorry, I was just thinking… your hairstyle isn't great. Maybe consider changing it."
Huang Qiaoqiao puffed her cheeks and waved her small fists. "Stop trying to distract me! If you keep staring at me like that, I'll knock some sense into you."
At that moment, Jin Fugui returned with a plate of stir-fried cabbage and noticed Zhao Feng chatting happily with Huang Qiaoqiao. Feeling a surge of jealousy, he muttered, "Feng-ge, this is too much. I'm sweating buckets while you're here flirting with the Red-Crowned Crane."
Both Zhao Feng and Huang Qiaoqiao turned to glare at Jin Fugui in unison and said, "Get lost!"
Feigning indignation, Jin Fugui joked, "Qiaoqiao, I've always wanted to ask—what did you eat growing up to get so tall?"
Annoyed, Huang Qiaoqiao retorted, "You're such a jerk. If you can't make decent conversation, just eat your chicken leg and be quiet."
Wounded, Jin Fugui lowered his head and focused on eating his chicken leg. The "Red-Crowned Crane" was so overbearing. Sure, she was beautiful, an academic genius, and in the top three of the grade—but did that make her better than everyone else?
To smooth things over, Zhao Feng noticed that Huang Qiaoqiao's plate was full of vegetables. He picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and placed it on her plate. Smiling, he said, "Don't be mad at him. Little Fatty's had it rough—sitting next to boys all his life and never getting to chat with someone as beautiful and tall as you. He's about to graduate high school without ever having a girlfriend. Isn't that pitiful?"
Moved by his words, Huang Qiaoqiao glanced at Jin Fugui with sympathy. "I didn't realize you've had such a tough life. Don't be sad—eat more meat."
Jin Fugui's eyes widened in disbelief, his expression full of grievance. Watching Zhao Feng and Huang Qiaoqiao continue chatting and ignoring him, he felt like spitting blood. Feng-ge had betrayed him, prioritizing beauty over brotherhood. And worse, Feng-ge had called him pitiful! Sure, he didn't have a girlfriend, but neither did Zhao Feng. What a double standard!
As Huang Qiaoqiao stood up to leave, she said, "If you don't understand something in class, feel free to ask me. I'll head back to the classroom now."
"It's a deal. Take care, Qiaoqiao," Zhao Feng replied with a smile.
As they watched her leave the cafeteria, Zhao Feng and Jin Fugui exchanged a knowing grin.
"Feng-ge," Jin Fugui asked, "don't tell me you've fallen for the Red-Crowned Crane?"
"What do you mean 'fallen'? I don't even have a girlfriend," Zhao Feng said, exasperated.
"But don't forget, Bai Jiaxin said she'd give you a chance after college," Jin Fugui reminded him.
"Come on, you actually believe that nonsense? Bai Jiaxin is sharp—probably the smartest girl in school. She's just stringing people along, giving them false hope without outright rejecting them. She's keeping everyone on the hook," Zhao Feng said, shaking his head.
"Talking behind my back is very rude, you know," a crisp, melodic voice suddenly interrupted.
Zhao Feng turned to see Bai Jiaxin standing behind him. Without hesitation, she sat across from him at the table.
Caught red-handed, Zhao Feng felt helpless and said awkwardly, "Sorry, I was just joking."
Jin Fugui was stunned into silence as the campus goddess sat right in front of him. He suddenly lost his appetite for meat and started nibbling on his cabbage instead.
Leaning closer, Bai Jiaxin whispered, "Zhao Feng, keep running your mouth, and you'll regret it. I'm not just smart—I'm the smartest. Don't mess with me."
Feigning innocence, Zhao Feng replied, "Calm down, Bai-Xiaohua. I was just praising you for being beautiful and intelligent. You're the goddess in my heart."
Bai Jiaxin lightly patted Zhao Feng's head and said with a sly smile, "Nice try. You're not as honest as you seem. Keep talking behind my back, and we'll see what happens." With that, she rose gracefully and left the cafeteria.
As she strolled through the campus, Bai Jiaxin wore a peculiar smile. She had overheard Zhao Feng and Huang Qiaoqiao's lively conversation and felt a strange pang of discomfort.
Huang Qiaoqiao was undeniably impressive—top three in academics, tallest in class, and strikingly beautiful. However, her aloof personality and lack of friends made her difficult to approach. Bai Jiaxin couldn't help but wonder, What were they talking about so animatedly?
The thought made her even more curious about Zhao Feng.
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