Perhaps for Liu Fengying, studying was no longer a priority, but while she was stuck at school, she had nothing more productive to do. So, as soon as she sat down at her desk and arranged her belongings, she took out a math workbook and began refreshing her memory on some solving methods.

However, apart from Liu Fengying, the others seemed to have forgotten where they were, showing no interest in the books and notebooks before them. Not only were they watching her every move, trying to find a clue to confirm if she was indeed Liu Fengying, but some seemed to have turned into reporters, keeping the entire school updated on her actions.

[Attention! There is a chance that the girl everyone is talking about might be Liu Fengying!!! She entered my class, Class 1 of Science, and sat in the seat Liu Fengying usually occupies. Could we be witnessing a rebirth from the ashes??], one of Liu Fengying’s male classmates posted on the school forum, where many were seeking information about the mysterious beauty who had unexpectedly appeared that morning at their school.

The one who posted the message was confident that this incident would significantly boost his popularity on the school forum. However, within less than 5 seconds, about seven similar messages appeared, rendering his identity, like those of the other impromptu reporters, irrelevant. Consequently, he had to settle for the large number of likes his post received.

If the forum was buzzing before the posts from Liu Fengying’s classmates, now it could be said to have exploded, as everyone was taken by surprise by the unexpected turn of events.

Some expressed amazement at the possibility described, while others insisted it was impossible. Yet, what they all had in common was urging those in Liu Fengying’s class to quickly ask her if she was indeed the person they suspected.

However, giving advice online was much easier than putting it into practice in reality. Was there a way to ask this question without seeming ridiculous?

If she were Liu Fengying, she would likely look at the person asking as if they were foolish. Was this really a question you could ask someone you'd been classmates with for nearly three years? And if she wasn’t Liu Fengying, she would probably think the person confusing her with someone else was crazy. No one wanted to make such an impression on a very beautiful girl destined to be very popular at their school.

Moreover, Liu Fengying’s indifferent demeanor and aura of superiority were quite intimidating; they feared they wouldn't even be able to open their mouths to say anything in her presence.

But while Liu Fengying’s classmates were waiting for a hero to emerge among them to rescue them from this predicament, a girl darted past, who, judging by her messy hair and wrinkled clothes, had probably spent no more than two minutes getting ready after waking up. Without noticing the strange atmosphere in the classroom, she sat down next to Liu Fengying.

"Luckily, I made it in time! Last week, Mr. Lí (Raccoon) said he’d keep me at the blackboard for an hour if I were late again on Monday morning...", Liu Fengying’s deskmate sighed with relief, rummaging through her backpack for the necessary books and notebooks.

"Honestly, I envied you these past two weeks for not having to come to school. With each day closer to the college entrance exam, Mr. Lí gets more rabid. Let’s hope he doesn’t bite any students before the end of the year...", she complained, continuing to search through her backpack even after pulling out the study materials, now looking for a comb and mirror to tidy up before math class started.

"Damn, I think I left my mirror in my purse. Liu Fengying, do you have a mirror on you?", she finally turned her gaze to Liu Fengying. She wasn’t very optimistic that Liu Fengying would have a mirror to lend her, as she hadn’t seen her fix her appearance in the past two years since returning to school after the disfiguring accident. However, she decided to try her luck, not wanting to ask any of the other girls, with whom she had a tense relationship due to her blunt nature.

But when she laid eyes on Liu Fengying, not only was she unable to continue speaking, but she completely forgot her intention, shocked by the stunning visual impact of her gorgeous face from less than a meter away.

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"Thud!", Liu Fengying’s deskmate dropped the comb she had just pulled out of her backpack, the sound echoing throughout the silent classroom, where everyone was attentively observing the interaction between her and Liu Fengying.

This accident somewhat brought Liu Fengying’s deskmate back to her senses, who, for a few seconds, was convinced she had probably fallen asleep at her desk and started dreaming. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it hadn’t happened, as there was a high chance of being woken up by a marker cap thrown at her by the infamous Mr. Lí.

"...Liu Fengying? Is that you? I almost didn’t recognize you with this makeup. But I must admit, you look stunning! Did you go to some specialist who works with celebrities?"

Liu Fengying’s deskmate couldn’t explain the rapid transformation except by assuming she had gone to a beauty salon first thing in the morning. As for why Liu Fengying would do such a thing and what kind of makeup could perfectly conceal her scar, she didn’t ponder much, as her mind was still drowsy.

"I’m not wearing any makeup...", Liu Fengying hadn’t expected anyone to come to such a conclusion about her change. If she had used enough foundation to hide her scar, would her facial features still be recognizable? She would probably have looked like a Jiāng Shī (Chinese vampire). Besides, what sane person would sacrifice sleep to go to a salon before school?

"Huh? Really?" Liu Fengying’s deskmate couldn’t believe she had been mistaken. Thinking Liu Fengying might be playing a prank on her, she reached out and poked her cheek with a finger.

Liu Fengying was used to her deskmate’s tactless actions, so she didn’t take offense at being touched without warning. Honestly, compared to the hypocrisy of her other classmates, Liu Fengying preferred the way she behaved. She wasn’t the type to flatter someone to their face and gossip behind their back; if she had a problem with someone, she would say it directly.

Moreover, after Liu Fengying’s accident, this classmate hadn’t changed her attitude towards her, paying no attention to the intrigues surrounding her. True, she hadn’t tried to comfort her either—in fact, she had once yelled at her for walking too slowly because her leg hurt and was slowing down traffic on the stairs. But this made Liu Fengying feel normal when interacting with her, a feeling she longed for, as she was tired of being treated like a bird with broken wings that would never fly again. Perhaps that was why Liu Fengying had communicated the most with her in the past two years.

As for how they became desk neighbors, it was because, unlike the others in the class, neither of them had any preference to sit next to anyone else when the seats were assigned at the beginning of the school year, so they were left as the only ones without a desk partner. This brought them even closer, and although both were a bit antisocial and didn’t become friends who would hang out together in their free time, they could rely on each other if they ever needed anything.

"It seems you’re telling the truth...", Liu Fengying’s deskmate said after noticing no powder residue on her fingertip. Now completely puzzled, she couldn’t figure out why Liu Fengying looked so good that day. Finding no other explanation, she began to wonder if her vision was playing tricks on her due to lack of sleep, so she started rubbing her eyes vigorously to see more clearly.

"No, you look even better now...", she said after opening her eyes, the increased clarity of her vision reducing her resistance to Liu Fengying’s beauty even more. Now, she looked at her as if hypnotized. It’s true that this was also helped by the fact that Liu Fengying started smiling, amused by her antics, which made her charm grow exponentially.

"ShuShu, if you're curious about the improvements in my appearance, you can simply ask me what caused them...", Liu Fengying intended to provide an explanation for her changes, aware that the more mysterious something was, the more attention it attracted.

Furthermore, she wanted to control the narrative to her advantage, not wanting others to spread rumors about her healing in order to promote their businesses. Why let others advertise for free at her expense when she could do it herself? Even though it would take some time before she could start a business selling traditional medicine products, it was beneficial for people to start talking about the miraculous effects of these products, creating demand before their launch and allowing her to reap significant profits right from the start.

Of course, Liu Fengying knew that spreading rumors about miraculous treatments would increase attention on her, as many would want to find out if her claims were true or learn more about their origin. But this didn’t worry her, as long as creating truly effective traditional remedies depended solely on her; no one could steal her business idea.

Naturally, the person who would watch her most closely would be her father, who would likely think that these rumors about miraculous treatments were part of her strategy to claim the business her mother had created. However, Liu Fengying was confident that whatever measures he took against her, she had the means to counter them.

Moreover, the fact that her enemies would begin to worry about losing control made her feel great. She didn’t want swift revenge but rather to make their lives miserable for as long as possible, gradually taking away everything they valued most.