Chapter 8: Tutoring Is Just an Excuse

The small convenience store’s business was dwindling day by day; it had gone two full days without a single customer. If she didn’t restock soon, she feared no one would ever come again. The seasoned drivers who traveled this national highway were well acquainted with her shop’s sparse shelves. If they could never find what they needed, who would bother stopping by anymore?

The rice jar at home was nearly empty. The grain store’s cheap rice was reserved for townsfolk with official residence permits—a privilege she didn’t have. She could only buy overpriced rice from private traders... Everything required money, but the compensation from her son’s death was running out.

Granny Li took out a five-yuan note, hesitated, and returned it to her pouch. Instead, she pulled out a ten-yuan bill, carefully wrapped the bundle, and tucked it back under the cabinet.

When Li Jixiang handed the ten yuan to Zhang Chunfen, her heart felt heavy. Last night, she’d discovered the rice jar was empty, the coal briquettes running low, only two eggs left in the basket, and the sweet potatoes barely covered the bottom of the sack—perhaps ten or so remained.

This morning, when Granny Li served her a breakfast of boiled eggs and roasted sweet potatoes, she could see the hardship in the old woman’s eyes. Her own heart ached just as much. If she wanted to escape this life of suffering, she needed to increase her popularity points. But today Ma Hongmei was absent again—most likely her mother’s illness had flared up.

“Who hasn’t paid for the exercise books yet?”

Counting the money collected from the students, Zhang Chunfen was momentarily distracted. Li Jixiang, who had just handed over her ten yuan, snatched it back before Zhang could react. “I won’t pay,” she said. “We need the money for rice. Exercise books are a small matter compared to starving.”

Laughter erupted from her classmates as Li Jixiang returned to her seat. She carefully folded the ten yuan and tucked it into her schoolbag, then placed her tin pencil case on the desk, arranged her textbooks, and sat up straight, hands folded behind her back in a dignified pose, ready for class.

Her metal pencil case was adorned with pastel blue-and-white images of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, though the edges had tarnished to black. The lid, however, was pristine, without a single scratch. Most of her classmates had new, double-layered plastic cases with magnetic clasps—only Ma Hongmei and she still used tin ones. Not seeing her deskmate’s familiar tin case made Li Jixiang miss Ma Hongmei a little.

Still, sacrificing ten popularity points just to seek her out seemed hardly worth it. That time would be better spent finding An Chen, where the payoff was greater. By the end of the school day, her pink popularity score was frozen at 424. Apart from Granny Li’s generous +100 and Zhang Chunfen’s +1 in the morning, she hadn’t gained a single point all day.

Is my popularity really that low at school? Surely that can’t be!

On the way home, Li Jixiang stared at her cramped cotton shoes, reflecting bitterly. The original owner of her body might not have been a stellar student, but she was a pretty, well-behaved girl—was it possible that in a school full of people, not a single boy harbored a secret crush on her?

“Let me reiterate: the school strictly forbids boys and girls from getting too close. Study hard, make progress every day. Anyone who violates the rules will be expelled on the spot.”

Recalling the discipline director’s speech during morning exercises, Li Jixiang suddenly understood why her popularity points never increased at school.

Nothing was easy. Whether opening new avenues or tightening the belt, there was little hope. Without more sponsors, she’d starve before she ever got ahead. Li Jixiang sighed inwardly.

Home life was bleak, and now she’d embarrassed herself in class. What she needed most was money. She’d never thought making money could be so hard—in the past, she’d moved millions in minutes. Now, even eating an extra sweet potato brought a pang of guilt. Life on earth was truly unworthy; the young lady’s storm wept.

“No! Today I must raise my popularity score to 500.” Granny Li, her biggest sponsor, had already delivered. So now...

Little Chubby, your lucky sister is coming for you!

Using the excuse of helping a sick classmate with homework, Li Jixiang carefully tidied her appearance and practiced her long-neglected facial expressions in the mirror. After securing Granny Li’s permission to come home late and being warmly welcomed by Aunt An when she explained her intentions, she gained not only a +10 popularity boost but also an invitation to dinner—delightful!

Her good mood barely lasted a minute. Before she could even open the door to the boys’ room, she heard the sound of quarreling inside. Li Jixiang frowned, sensing trouble, and pressed her ear to the door to listen.

Inside, the chubby one was shouting, “Liar! You promised me money if I washed your dirty sneakers, but you broke your word and even hit me!”

“And what are you going to do about it, huh? You dare tell Mom? Kids don’t need money,” replied An Ning in his raspy voice.

Li Jixiang couldn’t make out every word through the door, but the gist was clear enough.

The argument grew louder. Worried they’d end up fighting and ruin her plans to earn popularity points, she took a moment to compose herself. Then she pushed open the door, wearing the secret smile that had kept her at the top of the corporate facial management world for years—a smile that never failed to soften a blow, instantly elevating her from a six to an eight.

The boys, caught in the act, fell silent the moment she entered. She had always been around, but today she seemed especially striking. These two sheltered boys were no match for her idol-worthy expression management. Their cheeks flushed red, their quarrel forgotten, and they stammered in embarrassment—especially the little chubby one. He had fair skin, even features—a double eyelid barely visible—and a soft, plump appearance that made him look perpetually sleepy.

Li Jixiang thought if An Chen could slim down and grow up well, he’d be a heartthrob for sure, maybe even a star if he learned to sing and dance and moved to Korea.

Her popularity score slowly ticked upward, +1, +1... with no one speaking. Li Jixiang broke the silence. “An Chen, I know your injured leg’s kept you from school these days, so I asked about your homework. I thought I could tutor you a bit, alright?”

Who could resist that? The little chubby boy, who’d been happy to skip school and homework, wilted under her gaze and couldn’t bring himself to refuse. Tears welled in An Chen’s eyes as he agreed, then tried to shove his big brother out the door.

Try as he might, he couldn’t budge him. An Ning stood there like a post, radiating a clear desire to stay. He was dark-skinned, with strong features, tall and broad, and eight years older—no way a chubby little boy could move him.

Not wanting to embarrass her top popularity sponsor, Li Jixiang graciously pretended not to mind having an audience for her tutoring session. She laid out her prepared materials on the table and got ready to begin the lesson.