Chapter 13: I Decided to Live Cheerfully
“I’m home.”
As I opened the door and walked in, before I could even take off my shoes, I heard a clear voice. Xiao An, sitting on the sofa in the living room, jumped down. She ran to me, waving her little arms, and struck a pose for a hug. I obligingly crouched down, and Xiao An hugged my neck, looking up at me with her big, watery eyes and a dazzling smile.
“You’re home! Daddy!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
She was just too adorable!
I scooped Xiao An up and gave her a kiss.
“Mhm, I’m home. Oh, did you get your hair cut? That’s nice; you look much cuter now.”
Xiao An’s long hair, which used to go down to her waist, was now cut to shoulder length and tied into twin tails with ribbons. She looked much more energetic.
It was a shame to cut her beautiful long golden hair, but she looked quite cute this way, and hair grows back.
“Juncheng brother, welcome home.”
“Mhm, Xiao An said her hair was too long and inconvenient, so I helped her cut it short and tied it with two bows.”
“Well done, she looks very cute.”
After patting Xuan’er’s head as encouragement, I took off my shoes, carried Xiao An in one arm, and held Xuan’er’s hand as we walked into the living room. There, I found an elderly creature who had already returned home. Her navel was completely exposed, and the lower half of her chest was visible. This woman wasn’t wearing a bra again. I thought, does it even make a difference whether she wears one or not? Her behavior at home and outside was like night and day. Outside, she was a dignified, impeccable school principal, with a cold face that exuded an “approach at your own risk” aura. But at home, she was a complete shut-in, her clothes and behavior casual, her facial expressions relaxed to the point of looking foolish. She was lazy as a pig!
“…When did you get back? And more importantly, why are you back so early?”
“Two hours earlier than you. I’m the principal, not a teacher, so of course, I can come back earlier.”
“What! What’s with that look! You’re giving me that ‘this person is hopeless!’ expression again! I’m your savior, and I even took you in when you were homeless!”
“Yes, yes, I’m so grateful.”
“Tsk, you brat, so ungrateful. I want stewed pork ribs!”
“Be careful not to get fat.”
“Hmph, my figure hasn’t changed since I had a child, so you don’t need to worry!”
“Then I wish you get fat.”
“What did you say! You conceited brat! Do you know I’m middle-aged now! If I really gain weight, will you take responsibility! Do you know how long it takes to lose even one pound!”
I decided it was best to ignore this hysterical old lady.
Perhaps her menopause had arrived early.
Seeing that I was ignoring her, Nana became even more provoked. I could feel her anger, but just as it was about to erupt, the little angel intervened to stop the ugliness.
“…Don’t fight.”
As expected, as soon as Xiao An cried, Nana’s face immediately broke into a smile. She then hugged Xiao An and started to comfort her.
“Ah, no, no, we weren’t fighting~ Lingling, be good, I was just teasing your daddy~”
“Really?”
“Yes, yes, look into Auntie Nana’s eyes, am I lying? Tsk, you don’t even blush when you lie, you’re truly an ‘adult’.”
“Mhm! Nana is a good person~”
“That’s right~ Lingling is also the best~”
Nana hugged Xiao An emotionally, stroking her back, smiling sweetly like I had been doing earlier. So, I had been smiling so maliciously. At this moment, I saw Xiao An wink at me. Oh! Was she pretending to cry just for my sake?
Ah~ she’s so smart, my adorable little angel~
With Xiao An having calmed Nana down, Nana finally sat in a more normal posture and asked me in a more peaceful tone.
“How was your first day back in high school after so long?”
I hadn’t finished catching up on all the high school knowledge before. I had only caught up to the first semester of the second year. Jumping straight into the third year, reviewing the first year’s knowledge at the beginning was acceptable, but the later part would be difficult.
“So you’re still a slacker.”
“…But as long as I can graduate, it’s fine, right?”
“No, you’re going to cram school.”
Cram school? What are you talking about?
“Cram school… Ah… Didn’t you say as long as I graduate from high school, it’s fine?”
“That’s what I thought before, but seeing how bad your grades are, I’ve changed my mind.”
“Why?”
“If your grades are bad, your exam scores must be bad too.”
“If the monthly exam scores are bad, your ranking will be very low, and then you’ll have to attend evening study sessions, right?”
“Mhm, that’s right.”
Honestly, I was looking forward to attending evening study sessions. Studying quietly by myself seemed like a good thing.
“Then who will make dinner!”
So that’s why!
This guy is just worried about no one making dinner!
But she had a point. It wasn’t about Nana, but I needed to cook for Xuan’er.
Xuan’er had finally started to eat a little more recently, but it had to be food that I made, and she had to have me present to eat it. If either of these conditions wasn’t met, she wouldn’t be able to eat.
So, I really did need to improve my grades…
“Coincidentally, I know a very good cram school. You’ll go on Saturdays and Sundays. Even as principal, I can’t make special exceptions for you. So, you need to study hard and raise your grades to the top one hundred.”
“Okay, I understand.”
In the end, I still had to study.
Well, that’s a student’s duty.
And so, on Saturday, I went to the cram school recommended by Nana, which mainly offered courses for the first round of review for third-year high school students.
Speaking of cram school, it reminded me of Lily. Lily used to tutor me. Why didn’t Nana recommend her own daughter, but sent me to cram school?
Moreover, I had been staying at Nana’s house for so long, but I had never met Lily. Could it be that in this world, the mother-daughter relationship was still terrible? But I remembered that Lily ran away from home because she was a succubus, to escape that abnormal hidden world. Yet, Nana and Lily in this world were just ordinary people, making it hard to imagine any conflict between them…
But Nana hadn’t brought it up, so it wasn’t my place to ask. If there were any problems, it wasn’t my business to interfere… I shouldn’t think about it too much. Nana wasn’t a girl full of teenage emotions. As a mature adult, she could handle her own affairs. For now, I should focus on studying. Reaching the top one hundred at our school would be very difficult. At least in my memory, the top one hundred students every year seemed to get into very good universities, with the lowest score being over six hundred and twenty…
It was terrifying. How did I get into this high school back then? If only I were the protagonist of a city novel, a natural prodigy with a developed brain, possessing a photographic memory, instantly transforming from a slacker to a scholar, and proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, singing, dancing, flower arrangements, and tea ceremony…
But I wasn’t.
Complaining all the way, I arrived at the cram school located in the fifth district. It took about ten minutes by subway and another ten minutes on foot.
This building seemed to be newly built and looked quite new. The cram school occupied the fifth and sixth floors.
I had already registered by phone, and the class schedule had been sent to me via a mobile app. If I happened to miss a class, I could also review it through recorded videos, which was very convenient.
The most crucial part was that the teachers were said to be very skilled, not only responsible but also… it wasn’t me who chose them. Nana had snatched the phone at that time and registered me for all the courses. I didn’t know which teacher she had chosen for me, but she said I’d know when I got there.
At this moment, I was already sitting in the classroom. The class was about to start in three minutes.
When I arrived, the classroom was already full, and all the front seats were taken.
Everyone looked enthusiastic about studying… Something felt wrong?
And the gender ratio was a bit imbalanced. Why were the vast majority of them men? And their gazes were… lewd.
It was as if they weren’t here to study, but to watch a fashion show.
Then this problem was answered when the class started at nine o’clock in the morning.
She walked into the classroom with great poise, wearing rimless glasses. Her long black hair cascaded down, with a slightly longer fringe partially covering one lens. She was wearing a red A-line dress and had a natural, gentle smile on her face.
It was Li Nai.
So, the good teacher Nana mentioned was Li Nai…
Although this was my second time seeing her, I was still stunned by the contrast.
Her transformation was different from Nana’s. It was as if she had become a completely different person just by the change in her name. She was fundamentally different.
No wonder all those boys in the front row had such infatuated expressions. The current Li Nai indeed possessed that charm.
If the Li Nai I knew looked like this, perhaps she would have become… no, she might have even surpassed Lianbing as the campus belle.
The Li Nai before me had that degree of charm.
…I came here to study. It’s nice to see Li Nai, but she’ll distract me and make me think about other things. I think I should change.
This surprised exclamation was quite loud. I looked up towards the front.
Li Nai seemed to be looking at… Did she recognize me?
…For some reason, I felt incredibly uncomfortable, like sitting on pins and needles.
Clear mind, still water, eliminate distractions. Now I need to focus on studying, concentrate all my senses on the blackboard, and expend my focus on knowledge.
I love studying!
An hour later.
“That concludes today’s lesson. Everyone, please go for lunch. The afternoon session will begin at one o’clock.”
The moment the announcement of the end reached my ears, I packed my books as quickly as possible and headed for the classroom door.
However, before I could leave, I was stopped.
“This student, you’re new today, aren’t you? Would you like to have lunch with me?”
A gasp of amazement erupted. Although I couldn’t see any titles, I could clearly feel the waves of envy, jealousy, and hatred from others.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, I couldn’t say a word and could only nod stupidly… The shock of the enormous contrast left me stunned again, with only one question repeating in my mind: Is she really Li Nai?
“My name is Li Nai, Li from Peach and Plum, Nai from Naihe. What’s your name?”
Sitting in a nearby restaurant, she introduced herself first.
I suddenly felt a dry mouth and started to get nervous. How strange, I’m not a virgin anymore, why am I acting so pure! Calm down!
“Uh, *cough cough*, ah, my name is Juncheng An. An from safety, Jun from gentleman, Cheng from honesty.”
“Then I’ll call you Juncheng, is that okay?”
“Uh, sure.”
Hehe, no need to be so nervous. We’ve actually met once before. Last time, my Pochi at Beishan Park knocked you down and got your clothes dirty. You left in such a hurry that I didn’t even get a chance to apologize. I didn’t expect to see you here at the cram school where I’m teaching, so I wanted to make it up to you. Today, I’ll treat you to a meal, okay?”
I had no idea how to respond.
I thought I could talk to girls naturally now, but suddenly I realized I wasn’t actually used to interacting with girls at all.
My previous experiences seemed… fake. Yes, come to think of it, it was because those girls were too proactive.
I was used to dealing with “dangerous,” “abnormal,” and “strange” girls, but when faced with a normal girl, I had no idea what to do!
The topic, I need to find a normal topic… Normally, what should I say at this time?
Although I was curious about what Li Nai’s family was like in this world, I felt it wasn’t appropriate to pry into someone else’s information.
“Just be casual, you don’t need to worry about anything else.”
“Then, may I ask you a question?”
There was something I was very concerned about…
“Mhm? Sure, if I can answer it.”
“If… I’m just saying if, you lost all your memories, what do you think you would become?”
Li Nai blinked her eyes. Perhaps she didn’t expect me to ask such a strange question. She tilted her head and smiled, asking back,
“You mean complete amnesia?”
“Yes, but not affecting common sense, just forgetting past events.”
“Is that so… In that case, I might try to live more freely…”
“…?”
“Mhm, losing memories means losing everything from the past, right? So, the current me would have died. All my current identities are self-imposed chains, and when they all lose their meaning, I will face my true self… I might become quite unrestrained. Ha. That’s what I think.”
Becoming unrestrained. I felt a little relieved.
If Li Nai hadn’t died and become a zombie, losing her memory, she probably would have become the demure lady before me.
It turns out that Li Nai from the other world was able to live so freely precisely because she lost everything. She had transcended death and attained liberation.
Thinking about it now, isn’t that carefree life the true freedom?
“Are you troubled?”
“What?”
“You asked me this question, it must be because you’re feeling lost.”
That’s right, I was indeed troubled because my current situation was similar to Li Nai’s.
I had been lost before because, in this world where I never existed, I couldn’t accurately find my place.
But now, I had found the answer from the brand-new Li Nai before me.
Before, I sought freedom within constraints.
Now, I seek belonging within my body.
So, I decided to live cheerfully.
