Chapter 8

The air seemed to freeze the moment Jiang Minghua stepped into the elite class classroom. She wore a faded, outdated uniform that stood out starkly against the luxurious surroundings, yet she sat in Li Xiangjun's reserved seat as if no one else was there. The afternoon sun shone through the large glass window, casting a silvery glow on her.

All eyes in the class were on Jiang Minghua. She was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples, and whispers of discussion rose and fell.

The class beauty, Liu Qingya, was no exception. She turned her head and her gaze fell on Jiang Minghua. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes quickly sized up Jiang Minghua, and the surprise in her eyes was replaced by an imperceptible contempt.

Liu Qingya stood up, her signature deep blue class uniform shimmering with a subtle yet luxurious sheen in the sunlight. Her steps were elegant, her skirt swaying gently as she walked directly to Jiang Minghua's desk. A flawless, polite smile graced her face, yet she maintained a condescending air, her voice sweet and gentle:

"Excuse me, did you come to the wrong class? This isn't a place for regular classes."

His tone was gentle and polite, but his eyes, like tiny hooks, scrutinized Jiang Minghua's ordinary class uniform, which was slightly faded from washing and even had a slightly frayed collar, from top to bottom, his deep-seated disdain almost overflowing.

Jiang Minghua looked up at the sound, her clear black and white eyes carrying an innate sense of aloofness, entering Liu Qingya's gaze without warning. Jiang Minghua did not immediately refute, but simply slightly raised her chin, revealing her swan-like long neck, her inherent arrogance completely different from the elegance that Liu Qingya had carefully cultivated.

Just then, the classroom door was pushed open, and the homeroom teacher, dressed in a black business suit with a serious expression, walked in. Liu Qingya seemed to have found her pillar of support; she immediately turned around, her face filled with grievance and anxiety, and her cherry lips parted slightly as if she was about to complain.

"Go back to your seats!" The homeroom teacher's cold, hard voice instantly cut off Liu Qingya's unspoken words.

His sharp gaze swept across the entire class, lingering for a moment on Jiang Minghua, before he announced:

“Two things. First, Li Xiangjun has been found to be ineligible for admission and will be expelled immediately. Second,” he turned to the side, his gaze settling on Jiang Minghua, “this is Jiang Minghua, a new student who has just transferred to our class.”

The air froze again, even more so than before. The aggrieved look on Liu Qingya's face instantly turned into incredulous astonishment.

The homeroom teacher paused, and a rare, gentle expression appeared on his usually stern and cold face as he added to Jiang Minghua:

“Jiang, if you see the whiteboard reflecting light from your current position, you can be moved at any time.”

The homeroom teacher's casual remark stirred up another wave of emotions in the class. Upon hearing this, Liu Qingya's brows furrowed even deeper. Just who was this woman? A nouveau riche from Xijing City?

On the other side of the classroom, Fu Yanzhi sat against the wall, one hand supporting his chin, his other slender fingers casually twirling an expensive limited-edition fountain pen. His deep, pool-like eyes swept over Jiang Minghua, and a slight smile curved his lips as he recalled that night's experience.

The school bell shattered the day's hustle and bustle. Jiang Minghua didn't immediately drive home, but instead leisurely drove towards the outskirts of the city. She was waiting for news from that older brother—good news that would completely wipe the Li De family out of the city.

The car finally stopped next to a somewhat old-fashioned community park. The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the old trees and facilities in a warm golden light. Jiang Minghua lowered the car window, her gaze casually sweeping over the familiar slides, swings, and sandpit... Suddenly, her eyes were fixed on the shimmering artificial lake in the distance and the dilapidated octagonal pavilion on its shore.

How could this be?!

A chill ran down her spine, and her pupils dilated in shock. The park before her—every blade of grass, every tree, the weathered wooden benches, the peeling paint on the pavilion roof, even the angle of the crooked willow tree by the lake—was exactly the same as the small park in reality that held countless secret childhood memories for her and Mingjia!

Familiar images crashed into my mind with tremendous force. And the appearances of her, the original owner, Wen Chuqing, Jiang Mingjia, and Li De's family all corresponded one-to-one with reality. How could the world in the book have so many precise overlaps with reality? This coincidence was so bizarre that it sent chills down my spine.

Jiang Minghua urgently asked in her mind: [System, are you there? I need an explanation! What's going on with our appearances and this park?]

Immediately afterward, the system's familiar voice rang in his mind: "[Pshaw, I just got off work, let me catch my breath. Let me check the original work first... Hmm? That's strange, the original work only briefly mentions this park, there's no detailed description at all. Could it be a coincidence? As for your appearances, wait... hiss...]"

The system's voice suddenly became muffled and indistinct, accompanied by strong electrical interference: "[I feel like...this place looks so familiar...buzz...error report! Buzz—Emergency maintenance in progress!]"

A sharp, piercing alarm exploded in Jiang Minghua's mind without warning! The sound was like countless steel needles piercing her eardrums at the same time, causing her to furrow her brows instantly and instinctively cover her temples.

Just when she felt she was about to reach her limit, the alarm stopped abruptly.

Immediately afterwards, a completely different, cold, flat, and emotionless mechanical voice rang out:

[System 00X at your service. Ms. Jiang, we apologize, my colleague experienced a temporary malfunction and has been sent for inspection. Regarding your question, to enhance your experience of transmigrating into the book, the system is designed to intelligently adapt some scenes from the book to your memories, presenting familiar scenes. There's no need to worry.]

For some reason, her conventional answer only made Jiang Minghua feel a sense of loss. Right, her system seemed to have mentioned that verbal tic again. A wave of nostalgia and comfort washed over Jiang Minghua. Although Jiang Mingjia was gone, the system with the same verbal tic remained by her side, as if Jiang Mingjia had never left.

Now that she knew the reason and had happened to be here, Jiang Minghua simply parked the car, opened the door, and got out. The familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings filled her with mixed feelings, and she decided to take a walk in this fake park. However, the moment she stepped onto the lakeside path, a burst of sharp laughter and shoving from children shattered the tranquility.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see several children, around seven or eight years old, surrounding a thin boy and roughly pushing him into the shimmering lake water.

"Don't you love drawing seahorses? Jump down and find some! There are plenty in the water!" A chubby boy who seemed to be the leader shouted arrogantly, hands on his hips.

"That's right! You stinky mute, go make friends with the fish in the water!" The girl with pigtails next to him chimed in with a laugh, and then pushed the boy hard again.

"Hmph, a mute, trying to show off! Everyone else is drawing little fish obediently, but you insist on drawing some weird seahorse, trying to show off to the teacher, huh? You jerk!" Another child said maliciously in a childish voice, joining in the shoving.

The little boy, surrounded in the middle, pursed his pale lips tightly. His obsidian-like eyes were filled with fear and stubbornness. His thin body staggered as he was pushed and shoved, getting closer and closer to the cold lake water that shimmered with golden sunlight.