A Hidden Gem of a Girl

Every class usually had one or two outsiders: introverted, quiet, with few friends, if any, and sometimes outright ostracized or bullied.

Adolescence was when people were at their most innocent, but arguably also their cruelest. They might not worship money, compete over status, or look down on others like characters in films and TV shows, but they could reject and isolate someone for the simplest reason, or even join in the bullying when someone took the lead.

And the reason was often something utterly trivial: sloppiness, an unfortunate feature, smelly feet or body odor, or some baseless rumor.

Of course, more often than not, the main reason was that the person was already introverted, insecure, withdrawn, poor at socializing, and friendless.

Tang Youxin was a textbook example of such an outsider.

She went to and from school alone every day, walking with her head lowered and her eyes on her toes. It was as though she looked at people with her forehead, never daring to lift her head and meet their eyes.

Perhaps because her family was poorly off, she was introverted and insecure, with practically no friends. Her classmates did not deliberately exclude her, but her personality made it hard for her to fit in. Probably the only time anyone noticed her was when a teacher called her name.

"Could she be a hidden beauty?"

Xia Xu was curious.

Rather than believe his special ability had made a mistake, he naturally preferred to believe he had simply lacked an eye for beauty before.

Although this planet was called Blue Ocean Star and the country he lived in was the Xia Kingdom, it was broadly similar to China back on Earth. Even the finest figure would disappear beneath the usual bulky, ugly school uniform. Otherwise, so many people would not have jokingly dubbed Chinese school uniforms the ultimate weapon against teenage romance.

The same went for her face. Tang Youxin kept her head lowered all day, and the long black hair falling along her cheeks and temples hid most of it. With so little interaction with others, it was perfectly normal for her to go unnoticed.

The more he thought about it, the harder his curiosity became to resist. Xia Xu could not help getting up and approaching her.

Tang Youxin was lying facedown on her desk, seemingly asleep, but once he got closer, he noticed her body trembling slightly.

Was she crying?

Puzzled, Xia Xu bent down to check.

It was not as though he had never seen someone crying over a desk before. Many people lay like this when they sobbed quietly, their bodies shaking.

But only after bending down did Xia Xu realize he had guessed wrong. Tang Youxin was not crying. She was secretly eating in tiny bites, looking exactly like someone sneaking snacks during class.

But it was not class time.

Quite the opposite: it was the lunch break.

Except... once he saw what Tang Youxin was eating, he more or less understood why.

It was a grayish-black buckwheat steamed bun.

As for why she was hunched over her desk eating it in secret... she probably did not want the few of them still lingering in the classroom to see.

Tang Youxin came from a poor family and had been classified as a financially disadvantaged student throughout high school. Many people knew that, but he had never imagined things were this bad.

Xia Xu could actually understand that sense of embarrassment very well. This body's original owner had also been an orphan, and he himself had been poor as a child.

Everything went still!

As though she had sensed someone watching her, the girl secretly eating over her desk froze. Her whole body stiffened, seemingly pulled taut.

"How about... I buy you lunch?"

Xia Xu hesitated, unsure whether he should say anything more.

It might hurt the girl's pride even further, but the situation was already embarrassing enough. One more remark would hardly make a difference.

At his words, Tang Youxin's rigid body gave a little tremor. She did not reply, keeping her forehead resting on her arms and her face down, her expression hidden.

After a brief pause, however, her body began moving again, and she resumed nibbling at her bun.

Perhaps that was her "answer."

"Doesn't eating like that make you choke?"

Xia Xu felt helpless, and oddly as though he were talking to a hamster or a little bunny.

"N-no... thank you."

At last, a soft voice emerged, though she was still lying facedown on her desk. It was as faint as a mosquito's hum, almost impossible to hear without paying close attention.

Her timid, bashful tone and soft, sweet voice somehow stirred conflicting urges to tease her and protect her.

"Then how about you treat me instead? I haven't got anything to eat."

As if possessed, Xia Xu suddenly found the nerve to be "wicked." He reached out, snatched the buckwheat bun she had barely eaten half of, and viciously stuffed it into his mouth, wolfing the whole thing down in a few bites.

He had intended to see her raise her head in alarm and try to snatch it back, then use making amends as an excuse to buy her a meal.

But Tang Youxin did not react as he had expected. Instead, once he finished, she timidly offered him another one. "D-do you want more? There's another."

"I'm stealing your food and bullying you here. Take this seriously."

Xia Xu did not know whether to laugh or be annoyed. Yet seeing her timidly bowed head also stirred something in him.

By then, he had forgotten his original intention of seeing what she really looked like. Looking at her hiding her head against her chest like an ostrich while stubbornly holding out the other bun, he steeled himself, snatched it, and once again ate every last bite.

"Got any more?"

Holding the white plastic bag that had contained the buckwheat buns, Xia Xu asked harshly, despite already knowing the answer.

"No."

Tang Youxin seemed frightened. She gave a little shiver like a startled bunny before replying timidly.

"That won't do. I'm still hungry. Come on, we're going out to eat some more."

Xia Xu pulled Tang Youxin along with him. The few people in the classroom either watched the show or looked as though they wanted to say something, but nobody stepped forward to stop him.

"I... I don't have any money."

"My treat."

"I don't want to..."

"I wasn't asking your opinion. I'm informing you. I'm a man of principles. You treated me to food, so I have to return the favor."

Girls were generally not as strong as boys, after all. Half pulling and half dragging her, Xia Xu eventually brought Tang Youxin to the school gate. Mindful of her shy nature, he finally found a noodle shop with few customers and went inside.

Xia Xu really could not afford to treat her at a proper restaurant right now. Reality was not full of rich kids with tens of thousands in spending money. A high school student was lucky to have a hundred yuan or so.

Besides, Xia Xu was an orphan himself. His parents had merely left him a home and a small amount of savings. His circumstances were naturally better than Tang Youxin's, but only by so much.

This noodle shop stood outside the school's front gate, while most people preferred the back gate, where there were more snacks to choose from. As a result, business was poor, and the shop was very quiet.

Xia Xu ordered two bowls of the most basic noodles with wood ear mushrooms and shredded pork, paid in advance, and pulled Tang Youxin over to a table in the corner.

Before long, the owner brought over a bowl of noodle soup, white steam rising from it, and set it in front of Xia Xu.

"Eat."

Xia Xu pushed the bowl toward Tang Youxin.

"No."

Tang Youxin still kept her head buried against her chest, not daring to look up, but she had seen what Xia Xu did.

As though recoiling from something poisonous, she shrank back, even shifting her bottom farther away as if sitting on pins and needles. Then, furtively, she extended an index finger and nudged the bowl again and again, secretly pushing it toward Xia Xu in what seemed like a silent protest.

"Hurry up and eat."

With one push, Xia Xu returned the bowl she had worked so hard to "nudge" across to its original position. Keeping his face stern, he said harshly, "Listen, I have my pride too. If I eat someone else's food for nothing, doesn't that make me a beggar? Everyone will call me a pauper. I have to return the favor. Hurry up and eat."

"I... I..."

Tang Youxin trembled in fright and said plaintively, "I'll eat, I'll eat. Please don't be mean to me..."

"Then eat. Finish all of it."

Xia Xu discovered that this seemed to be the most effective way to communicate with Tang Youxin. Trying to speak nicely got him nowhere.

"Okay..."

Tang Youxin gave a wounded little "okay." Reluctantly, she used two fingers of her right hand to imitate a person's walking legs along the edge of the table, inching them over to the bamboo chopstick holder. Only then did she take a pair of chopsticks and begin eating in small bites.