Chapter 93 – Form a Band for Life

“How many?! A hundred thousand?!”

Lin Xi’s first reaction was that it was impossible.

“It hasn’t even been that long, has it?”

“And besides, our school doesn’t have that many people.”

“It isn’t just students from our school,” Zhao Xinning explained. “Miss Su Xiangxue and I worked together to create a public account for the fan club.”

“Especially with Miss Su Xiangxue managing it, the follower count has been growing really fast.”

Lin Xi: “…”

Last time, she’d declared that Su Xiangxue could do whatever she wanted with the whole fan club thing.

She hadn’t expected Su Xiangxue to be this good at running it.

“Let me see,” Lin Xi said. “What kind of public persona have I been turned into online?”

Lin Xi took one look and froze.

“Sun Goddess???”

“And what the heck is with the message board being filled with ‘orange loyalty’???”

Lin Xi was truly impressed by how absurd those classmates of hers could be. She could stop them from being weird in class, but she couldn’t stop them from expressing their adoration online.

Zhao Xinning said cheerfully, “Xi is just like a Sun Goddess, shining her light upon the world.”

Lin Xi’s old face flushed red. “In the world of absurd memes, have I already become as great as the sun itself???”

This was way too embarrassing…

…

After arriving in class, Lin Xi went to ask Su Xiangxue why she was steering the fan club further and further down the road of absurdity.

But Su Xiangxue said, “Everyone sincerely believes that Miss Lin Xi, with a body of mere flesh and blood, stands shoulder to shoulder with the gods.”

“We also helped boost sales at the fruit shops near the school.”

“Huh?” Lin Xi was baffled. “What do you mean?”

“Everyone has started liking oranges,” Su Xiangxue said. “The cafeteria will probably need to stock up on celery soon too.”

Lin Xi: “…”

Absurdity had become the prevailing trend, and Lin Xi felt utterly powerless.

Forget it. Whatever…

Yesterday’s evening news had made Lin Xi decide to keep a lower profile.

But from the look of things, that was probably impossible.

Fortunately, it was absurd but not fatal. At school, she was just an ordinary person, and ordinary people couldn’t stir up any earth-shattering trouble.

“Morning, Miss Shanshan.” After greeting her, Lin Xi sat down at her seat.

“Mm, good morning, Lady Sun Goddess.”

“Miss Shanshan?”

Yang Shanshan immediately corrected herself. “Good morning, Miss Lin Xi.”

Lin Xi said earnestly, “Don’t go learning from Su Xiangxue and the others by making everything absurd.”

“Mm.” Yang Shanshan nodded obediently. “I’ll make solid, practical contributions to the Lin Xi Fan Club.”

What Lin Xi feared most was them pulling stunts, so Yang Shanshan reassured her that she absolutely would not come up with any terrible nonsense.

She and Su Xiangxue were both operations officers for the fan club. They wouldn’t let the fan club run wild.

Yang Shanshan opened her exercise book. “Miss Lin Xi, for yesterday’s homework, I don’t know how to do these questions…”

Lin Xi held out a hand.

“Pen!”

Yang Shanshan handed her a pen, and Lin Xi began explaining the problems seriously…

…

To thank Yang Shanshan for helping keep an eye on the homework situation, Lin Xi had promised yesterday that she would treat her to a meal. A promise was a promise.

After school, Lin Xi directly took Yang Shanshan out to eat.

“Order whatever you want,” Lin Xi said generously.

Without Shi Yu around, her expenses were cut in half. Treating someone to a meal was no problem at all.

After Yang Shanshan finished ordering, she asked about Shi Yu.

“Yesterday, you and Miss Shi Yu both took leave. Did you go visit a sick friend together?”

“Are you and Miss Shi Yu very close?”

“How come you two don’t really talk in class?”

Lin Xi had to admire Yang Shanshan’s insight. Of course, she couldn’t tell Yang Shanshan about her teammate relationship with Shi Yu:

“Both of us asking for leave at the same time was just a coincidence.”

Because Shi Yu had done such a good job building up her “gentle, beautiful girl” image in class, her absence today had made a whole crowd of classmates worry about her enough to go straight to the homeroom teacher and ask what had happened.

The homeroom teacher said Shi Yu hadn’t come today because she was sick, and that she would return after some time once she had recovered.

Shi Yu’s leave of absence and everything else had all been arranged perfectly by Zheng Mo.

“I see.” Before picking up her chopsticks, Yang Shanshan thanked Lin Xi again for treating her to lunch.

What a polite kid… Lin Xi thought.

“You can stop thanking me. Didn’t you say you were going to invite me to your place for dinner too?”

“Mm!” Yang Shanshan asked when Lin Xi would be free. Lin Xi thought for a moment. “Friday, then.”

“Okay!”

“You said your family has collector’s edition manga and figurines. I definitely have to see those for myself.”

“No problem.” Yang Shanshan was more than happy to share the things she liked with Lin Xi. “When the time comes, if Miss Lin Xi sees anything she likes, just take it home.”

Lin Xi: “…”

“Don’t treat me like a bandit.”

“I’m not going to your house to rob you.”

“Miss Shanshan, you can’t just be this nice to everyone, you know.”

Yang Shanshan smiled faintly. “I trust Miss Lin Xi.”

“All right, thanks for the trust, I guess,” Lin Xi said.

“Thank you, Miss Lin Xi. You’re so nice!”

“Stop thanking me back and forth. Hurry up and eat. The food’s getting cold.”

…

The last class before school ended that afternoon was a class meeting.

With the tenth school anniversary of Z City No. 1 Middle School drawing closer and closer, the homeroom teachers of each class had received instructions from the principal:

They absolutely had to make the tenth school anniversary grand, lively, and festive.

To hit that KPI, the homeroom teachers racked their brains.

The plan was for every class to put together a program to liven up the atmosphere.

Lin Xi’s homeroom teacher, the beautiful and gentle English teacher Huang Haiyao, had started teaching right after graduating from university. She did not have much experience in education, and even less experience coming up with performances.

Standing at the podium, she asked the students to pool their ideas and draw on the wisdom of the masses to see what kind of activity Class 1 should put together.

When it came to anything outside of studying, the class discussion instantly became lively.

Lin Xi had no ideas, so she quietly stayed in spectator mode.

But things were clearly heading in a strange direction.

Every now and then, classmates cast odd looks her way.

A bad feeling immediately rose in Lin Xi’s heart.

Wait. If you guys want to make a scene, don’t drag me into it.

She knew these classmates who loved eating “loyal oranges1” far too well.

Unexpectedly, the first person to “attack” Lin Xi was not the “loyal orange” crowd, but Huang Haiyao.

Huang Haiyao called on Lin Xi by name.

“Miss Lin Xi, what do you think?”

Huang Haiyao knew Lin Xi was extremely popular in class, so she wanted to ask for her opinion.

Lin Xi silently stood up.

What did she think? With her eyes… Lin Xi had no ideas. She didn’t know how to put on a show.

She didn’t, but someone else did. Su Xiangxue charged in first.

“Teacher!”

“Let’s form a class band and perform onstage during the school anniversary.”

“I want to be in a band with Miss Lin Xi. Who else wants to join?”

Lin Xi: “???”

Who said anything about forming a band? Me? When did I ever say I wanted to form a band?

Behind her came the scrape of a chair as Yang Shanshan shot to her feet.

“I’m signing up!”

“I want to be in a band with Miss Lin Xi for the rest of my life!”

Footnote:

1. Loyal Orange(忠橙): A playful in-joke in the class, likely referring to classmates who enthusiastically support a particular pairing or dynamic involving Lin Xi.