The two of them turned back sharply.

Well, here comes Baldy again.

Upon seeing them, Baldy’s thoughts immediately returned to the disruption during that evening self-study. His face turned red then pale, his eyes glaring with an expression that screamed, “No! This is not the evidence I wanted!”

Lu Xingyan found it amusing, his hands in his pockets, tilting his head in mockery. “Teacher, this is the Girls’ Festival gift prepared by our class. Confiscating this, are you planning to use it as shoe insoles?”

Baldy’s face kept changing colors, his eyes filled with a clear message: “No! This is not the evidence I wanted!”

Lu Xingyan was particularly sarcastic, even gesturing with his eyes toward the direction of the other class. “You should go to our class and confiscate them. You could collect dozens of these, and you’d have a year’s worth of shoe insoles.”

At this moment, Class One wasn’t like the other classes, quietly reading during the morning self-study. They were loud and unruly, even the class representative couldn’t control them.

When the girls received roses, they thought the boys in their class were considerate. But when they opened the gift box, they found the boys shameless! The Girls’ Festival gift turned out to be sanitary pads!

Baldy, feeling uneasy, finally found a reason to confront them as they behaved so carefree during the morning self-study. He stood at the doorway, his hands behind his back, and publicly humiliated Class One.

Wang Youfu heard the commotion and came over. Baldy complained to Wang Youfu and also told him about the incident with the Rubik’s Cube during the evening self-study.

Someone below whispered, “Teacher Xu said if he could solve six sides, he wouldn’t say anything. Shen Xingruo solved six sides in one minute.”

This was followed by laughter from some students. Some of the bold boys joined in, “That’s right, Teacher Xu said it himself.”

As colleagues, Wang Youfu knew Baldy’s temperament, but he had to give him face as he was still a teacher. “I’ve said it many times, don’t discuss irrelevant matters during morning self-study. A year’s plan starts with spring, and a day’s plan starts with the morning. On this spring morning, why aren’t you all studying?”

Wang Youfu spoke slowly, like reciting scriptures, for half a minute before saying something that seemed harmless but also seemed pointless.

Wang Youfu was known in the school for protecting his students. If his students misbehaved, he would discipline them himself. He had been the head teacher of the liberal arts class for five years. He usually appeared as calm as the Buddha, but once he got worked up, he even smashed a cup in the grade office.

Baldy didn’t expect him to reprimand Class One in front of him. Instead, he focused on Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo to find fault.

Giving Baldy some face, Wang Youfu cleared his throat, pretending to be serious as he turned to Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo. “Lu Xingyan, Shen Xingruo, how could you two play with a Rubik’s Cube during evening self-study? Although a Rubik’s Cube is a good thing for intelligence and hand-eye coordination, you should only play with it after class.”

He continued, “And Lu Xingyan, why did you wait until after Teacher Xu opened it to tell him what it was? You should have said it earlier to avoid misunderstanding.”

Lu Xingyan readily agreed, nodding. Then, he turned to Baldy, “Sorry, Teacher Xu. I didn’t know it was sanitary pads inside. I should have checked the gift on the way. Then, I could have warned you before you opened it.”

Lu Xingyan bowed deeply after speaking.

Suddenly, the class burst into laughter.

Baldy was so enraged by Lu Xingyan’s repeated mention of sanitary pads that he looked like he was about to ascend to heaven in fury. With a disdainful snort at Wang Youfu, he turned on his heel and stormed upstairs.

The students in the class were still laughing.

Wang Youfu glanced at Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo, didn’t say anything, and walked towards the platform.

Suddenly, there was a loud “bang”! Wang Youfu’s red thermos, which he always carried, slammed heavily onto the platform.

“Take a good look at yourselves! What do you look like!”

Wang Youfu’s expression was no longer gentle. He began to reprimand the class with a voice that reverberated throughout the teaching building!

Shen Xingruo had never seen Wang Youfu like this before.

The students of Class One might not have seen this for the first time, but at that moment, they all stopped laughing and sat up straight, as quietly as steamed chickens.

“This high school has 25 classes, 9 liberal arts classes, and 3 liberal arts experimental classes! When you were placed in the experimental class, your level should have been among the top! But now! You’re consistently ranking at the bottom! You still have the nerve to joke around during morning self-study! If you don’t feel ashamed, I do!”

“I know high school is tough, and I’ve never set overly high expectations for your academic performance. If you don’t do well, it’s a matter of ability! But not studying properly is an attitude problem!”

“Look at yourselves now, where’s even a bit of the atmosphere of an experimental class? What are you calling an experimental class for? Your average score at the end of last semester was only one point higher than Class Four! Class Four is just an ordinary class! With results like these, do you have the face to joke around with teachers? With results like these, what kind of grades can you achieve in the college entrance exam and what kind of university can you get into!”

Every question from Wang Youfu seemed to strike at the souls of the students in Class One, and the classroom was silent.

After lecturing the whole class, Wang Youfu shifted his attention to Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo at the door:

“And you two!”

“Lu Xingyan, you have some reasoning for playing with the Rubik’s Cube during evening self-study! You’re always so nonchalant! You need to rein in your arrogance! I’m your class teacher, not your parent. I won’t tolerate your bad temper!”

“Shen Xingruo! You’re a top student from Huize No. 1 Middle School, and you usually perform well. I know this has nothing to do with you!”

“?”

“But why did I arrange for you to sit with Lu Xingyan? It’s because I hoped you would set an example for him! If you don’t set an example for him and instead join him in defying the teacher, is that what a good student should do!”

“Teacher, that’s not what you said in the office…”

Shen Xingruo remembered Wang Youfu’s self-satisfaction in the office when discussing seating arrangements, feeling a bit detached from the situation. On the other hand, Lu Xingyan stood unusually upright, quietly listening to Wang Youfu’s scolding, with none of his usual unruly demeanor. Perhaps Wang Youfu’s scolding towards Shen Xingruo felt a bit insincere, as he passed it off in his mind. He lost the momentum to continue scolding, so he ended with, “Both of you, stand outside and attend morning self-study!” Then he stormed off in frustration.

This was the first time Shen Xingruo had been punished with standing from kindergarten to high school. She didn’t feel the typical humiliation and indignation of a good student suddenly being scolded and feeling utterly embarrassed. Instead, she just regretted not having eaten breakfast to fill her stomach this early in the morning. She couldn’t stand for long, especially on an empty stomach in the morning. During military training in her first year of high school, she once fainted from standing at attention without having breakfast to sleep in a few more minutes.

Seeing her pale complexion, Lu Xingyan quickly speculated on many emotions for her. Glancing at her, he asked, “Hey, are you okay?”

“Not really.”

What kind of trick was this? Normally, wouldn’t she stubbornly nod along and pretend to be strong?

Before Lu Xingyan could react, Shen Xingruo squatted down on her own.

Seeing her squatting, hugging her knees, and burying her head, Lu Xingyan thought she was crying.

…This had nothing to do with her, having been a top student for over ten years, suddenly being punished by a teacher. Naturally, she felt both wronged and embarrassed.

Come to think of it, it was all because of him that Shen Xingruo suffered.

Thinking of this, Lu Xingyan felt a bit uneasy.

Looking around and seeing no one, he covered his mouth, cleared his throat, and then casually picked up the book in his hand, patting Shen Xingruo’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t cry.”

Seeing no response from Shen Xingruo, he stood there for three seconds, then squatted down as well, pretending to be casual. “This time you were unfairly targeted. Everyone in the class knows that, so you don’t have to feel embarrassed.”

Still no response.

“If anyone talks about it, I’ll tell them to shut up. Will that be enough?”

Finally, Shen Xingruo spoke up, “…you should shut up first.”

Lu Xingyan: “…”

Shen Xingruo took a moment to squat and relax, feeling much better. She stood up and continued reading her book. Lu Xingyan didn’t say anything more, but he had already figured out that she was just saving face while feeling miserable.

Not only Lu Xingyan, but most of the students in the class also thought so. After the punishment ended, girls who usually talked to Shen Xingruo came forward to comfort her. Even some boys came over to comfort her, and there were playful ones like Li Chengfan who tried to cheer her up. In short, no one believed that she looked bad just because she was uncomfortable standing there.

After this incident, Lu Xingyan felt like he owed Shen Xingruo something. It wasn’t right to act as if they should never interact again. Actually, other than throwing a basketball at him and joking about burning incense for him, Shen Xingruo hadn’t done anything to provoke him.

At first, Lu Xingyan found Shen Xingruo annoying because he felt she was fake, showing different faces in front of different people. Moreover, he wasn’t in a good mood due to the situation with Chen Zhu, and the sudden intrusion of strangers at home, like a mirror reflecting his lack of diligence, intensified his displeasure. However, now it seemed that the first reason was a bit forced. Shen Xingruo was friendly to most people, but she was equally arrogant towards those who provoked her, just like a Bai Peacock brand retort machine, ready to challenge anyone who dared to cross her. As a somewhat unsuccessful provocateur, Lu Xingyan’s opinion of Shen Xingruo had changed slightly, but a 180-degree attitude shift toward her was still difficult.

Shen Xingruo noticed that lately, Lu Xingyan seemed much friendlier. After some thought, she realized it was probably because they had shared the experience of being punished together, creating a sort of camaraderie through punishment. She and Lu Xingyan didn’t have any deep-seated grudges, and since she lived in the Lu family’s house, it was best if they could get along peacefully. So, she reluctantly accepted the goodwill that Lu Xingyan had been forcing on her recently. Their relationship at the desk wasn’t exactly back to tropical paradise from Antarctica, but at least it had returned to temperate conditions.

It was Thursday. When leaving in the morning, Zhai Jiajing remembered something and discussed it with Shen Xingruo, “Xingruo, I’m on cleaning duty today, but I have to attend the school’s class cadres meeting. Can I switch with you for a day?”

Without hesitation, Shen Xingruo agreed. Doing cleaning duty on Thursday was better for her and Lu Xingyan, so Uncle Liu wouldn’t have to wait outside for too long.

When they entered the classroom, she asked the boy who was originally scheduled for cleaning duty on Thursday if he would be willing to switch. The boy eagerly nodded, almost taking on today’s cleaning as well.

When Lu Xingyan arrived in the classroom, she informed him as well. Lu Xingyan, who had probably engaged in some nocturnal activities and couldn’t even open his eyes, exuded an aura of exhaustion.

Listening to her, he lazily replied with two “mm” sounds.

Shen Xingruo repeated, “Did you hear me?”

He lay his head on the desk, his voice lethargic, “Cleaning duty, got it.”

On Thursday, the final class was Political Science, and Wang Youfu went through a set of simulated test questions from the exercise book.

At the end of class, Ruan Wen collected the exercise books, probably to check if everyone had taken thorough notes during the lesson. Shen Xingruo helped Ruan Wen collect the exercise books. When she returned, except for a few girls who were skipping dinner to lose weight, the classroom was empty. Lu Xingyan and the basketball under his desk were also nowhere to be seen. Shen Xingruo stood by her seat for a moment with little expression, then grabbed a broom and began sweeping the floor.

In the evening, the lingering sunlight painted streaks of golden hues across the sky. At the midfield of the basketball court, Lu Xingyan emerged sweaty, wiping his forehead with the hem of his shirt as he walked toward the sidelines. A junior schoolgirl had been waiting for a while and, blushing, she offered him some water as he approached. His chest rose and fell with exertion, but his face showed little emotion as he coldly refused, “No need.” Xu Chengzhou, accustomed to this scenario, shrugged and tossed Lu Xingyan a bottle of mineral water he had brought himself, then opened one for himself. “What’s wrong, Master Lu? Not feeling it today?”

Lu Xingyan casually replied, “I don’t know, just have this feeling like I forgot something, but I can’t remember what.”

“You and your goldfish memory—”

The bottle of mineral water was thrown directly at him, “You’re the one with the goldfish memory.”

Mid-conversation, Lu Xingyan glanced casually and suddenly noticed a girl not far away, carrying a black garbage bag, her back straight as she walked directly towards the basketball court. Shen Xingru?

Lu Xingyan paused for a moment, straightening up against the steps. Shen Xingruo approached, stopping in front of him. Without a word, her expression indifferent, she overturned the garbage bag in front of Lu Xingyan, spreading its contents evenly across the court, nearly half of it.

“Garbage from Blocks Three and Four and the podium. Sweep it up.”

Whether it was Shen Xingruo’s lightning-fast solving skills that stunned Baldy Strong or his commitment to not saying anything, Baldy Strong remained silent for a long while.

Coincidentally, the bell signaling the end of the first evening self-study period rang, and Shen Xingruo politely nodded. “Teacher, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go to the restroom first.”

With that, she bypassed Baldy Strong and walked straight out.

Baldy Strong stood there, unable to find the right words to regain control of the situation.

Once Baldy Strong left, the previously quiet class erupted:

“Damn, Shen Xingruo is so awesome!”

“Am I seeing things, or did Shen Xingruo just publicly embarrass Baldy Strong?!”

“Oh my god! She’s so bold. I thought she was just a soft-spoken girl, didn’t expect…”

“A four-layer Rubik’s Cube, and she solved it in just over a minute… What kind of brain and hand speed is that?!”

Lu Xingyan stared at the Rubik’s Cube, somewhat lost in thought.

As he continued to stare, his gaze even showed a rare hint of interest.

Evening self-study ended.

On their way back to the dorms, Shi Qin clung to Shen Xingruo, not letting go. “Wuwuwu, Xingruo, I declare you my goddess! Oh my god! Did you see Baldy Strong’s bewildered face, and how he couldn’t recover as you confidently walked away? I don’t know why, but I found it so satisfying!”

However, Zhai Jiajing seemed a bit worried. She looked at Shen Xingruo and said, “Do you think Mr. Xu will come to trouble you tomorrow?”

Before Shen Xingruo could respond, Shi Qin confidently interjected, “What’s there to fear? He said it himself, if you can solve all six sides, he won’t say anything. All of us in the class heard it.”

Zhai Jiajing hesitated to speak further.

Suddenly, laughter erupted from a group of boys behind them. The three of them instinctively turned to look, and it was the boys from their class.

Lu Xingyan was in the middle of the group, and although it was unclear what they were discussing, he wore a rare smile on his face. It was the first time Shen Xingruo had seen him smile. He slightly tilted his head, his delicate fringe falling across his forehead. When he smiled, his lips curved slightly upwards, revealing his white and orderly teeth, seemingly unaffected by smoking. Usually, he seemed a bit distant to everyone, but when he smiled, he appeared gentle, and with his excessively handsome face, he looked like a handsome young man straight out of a comic book.

The boys also noticed the girls. Someone recognized Shen Xingruo and boldly whistled at her, “Goddess, you’re awesome!” Immediately, others joined in, “Goddess, do you want to eat spicy hot pot? I’ll treat you to a twenty-dollar one!” “I’ll treat you to a thirty-dollar one!” “Forget it, it’s not healthy!” Li Chengfan knocked the heads of the two boys and teased Shen Xingruo, “Ruojie, I’ll treat you to Nongfu Spring water, it’s most suitable for a fairy like you who takes care of her health.”

As it was time to return to the dorms, the boys’ shouting attracted quite a few people’s attention. Shi Qin was speechless and shouted at them, “Li Chengfan, Zhao Langming, are you guys annoying or what?!” Li Chengfan laughed, “I didn’t invite you, why are you getting worked up?” He added casually, “Jingjie, I’ll treat you too!” Shi Qin couldn’t stand his cheeky demeanor, with one-third of the mineral water still in her hand. She threw it directly at Li Chengfan — perhaps because her target was too lively, or perhaps because of the darkness of the night, the water bottle drew a magical arc in the air, and then — headed straight for Lu Xingyan’s handsome face.

Uh-oh…

Shi Qin widened her eyes, staring at the mineral water bottle about to make intimate contact with Lu Xingyan’s handsome face, and vaguely felt like she was seeing her own little body lying in the morgue.

A loud “bang”!

Silence fell around them.

…Huh?

Lu Xingyan reached out and caught it. The air fell silent for two seconds before Lu Xingyan tossed the next mineral water bottle back. He threw it lightly, but his aim wasn’t great, and the bottle flew straight into Shen Xingruo’s arms. Beside them, Zhai Jiajing was stunned for two seconds before she pursed her lips.

The collective experience of the evening self-study session didn’t make Lu Xingyan any friendlier. The next day at school, he and Shen Xingruo still maintained their attempts to freeze each other with lowered temperatures.

On Wednesday night, class monitor He Siyue added all the boys in the class to a group chat to discuss gifts for Girls’ Day the day after tomorrow. When Lu Xingyan opened WeChat, the group chat was already buzzing with activity. Some boys suggested buying candles, arranging them in heart shapes under the girls’ dormitory windows, and singing songs to them. They even shared a screenshot of a Taobao page, where a set of candles labeled “Essential for Confession Love Candles” was being sold for 23.8 yuan with free shipping. It seemed like a cheap and practical option, with same-city delivery available by Friday.

Lu Xingyan glanced at the screenshot, which boldly proclaimed “Essential for Confession Love Candles,” and noted that 11,493 idiots had already bought the item in an attempt to find a girlfriend. Fortunately, not many agreed with this idea.

“Too cringe, and it’s not like we’re short on money.”

“Whether we can successfully light the candles downstairs in the dormitory is still a problem. I bet the security guards will show up before we finish arranging them.”

“YeAh and this isn’t practical. I think buying some food would be better.”

Lu Xingyan didn’t bother reading further. As long as it wasn’t something as embarrassing as lighting candles and singing, it was fine by him. When he checked his phone after taking a shower, the group chat seemed to have settled on the gift and had moved on to discussing the delivery method. He didn’t bother scrolling back further, but he did see He Siyue suggesting that since there were exactly 28 boys and 28 girls in the class, they could do one-on-one gift exchanges.

As soon as those words were out, the boys in the class eagerly and frantically flooded the chat, their messages all saying pretty much the same thing:

“I want to give it to Shen Xingruo.”

“I’m giving it to Shen Xingruo!!!”

“Zhao Jiajing!!”

“I’m also giving it to Shen Xingruo.”

“Shen Xingruo is mine!!!”

Lu Xingyan chuckled.

It was like winning an argument in the group meant you could marry that white peacock.

Childish.

Everyone was clamoring, but there was no way they could all give it to one person. So He Siyue suggested drawing lots to decide. Anyone who wanted to exchange could do so later.

He Siyue wrote down the girls’ student numbers on pieces of paper, crumpled them into balls, and then called the boys to come to the dorm to draw lots.

By the time Lu Xingyan and Bian He got there, there weren’t many balls left.

Lu Xingyan grabbed one at random and unfolded it.

Number 56.

“He got 56. Who’s student number 56?”

“56?”

“Oh damn, 56 is Shen Xingruo, right?”

Shen Xingruo was a transfer student, so her student number naturally came last. Looking at the class roster, sure enough, it was Shen Xingruo.

Lu Xingyan didn’t react much.

Li Chengfan put his arm around Lu Xingyan’s shoulder and asked, “Hey, do you want to trade with me? I drew Zhao Jiajing. Anyway, you don’t have a good relationship with Shen Xingruo, so you can trade with me.”

“Who told you I don’t have a good relationship with her?”

“Do I even need to say it? You two act like whoever speaks first will drop dead on the spot. I’m not blind, hurry up and trade with me.”

“Screw you.”

He shrugged off the hand on his shoulder and sauntered back to the dorm.

On Friday, the atmosphere at school for the Girls’ Festival was intense. One of the principles at Mingli School was freedom, so whether it was traditional festivals or Western ones, the school allowed students to celebrate creatively without disrupting the teaching schedule.

Shen Xingruo had just arrived at the school and saw red banners fluttering in the wind. From the bulletin boards to the playground to the walls outside the classrooms, banners were hung everywhere. If you didn’t look closely, you’d think it was the propaganda office brainwashing everyone.

Mingli School was quite different from Huize No. 1 Middle School. When Shen Xingruo was at Huize, she hadn’t even seen a New Year’s Eve party once. Huize also required students to live on campus, but the dorms and cafeteria were inside the school, so unless there were special circumstances, nobody could leave campus. In Huize, the only thing that could slightly relax people was the two days off each month.

Seeing how lively the Girls’ Festival was at Mingli surprised Shen Xingruo a bit.

The boys in Class One also wrote banners for the girls. After all, it was a liberal arts experimental class, and they couldn’t afford to lose face in a situation where words mattered.

“As the lights come on in Shuxiang Road, who captures everyone’s attention? Class One’s beautiful twenty-eight, in the prime of their youth.”

After reciting it, Shi Qin said, “Hey, ours is pretty good! Much stronger than Class Six’s ‘Can’t take you to romantic Turkey, but can send you a Peppa Pig.’ Theirs is too cheesy!”

Zhao Jiajing looked up and down, “It seems like they’re still using the verse style of ‘Yu Meiren’.”

Shi Qin said, “Then it must have been He Siyue and the others who came up with it. The style is too normal, so normal that I can’t believe it’s our class’s boys!”

Shen Xingruo didn’t say anything, but she deeply agreed.

Yesterday, before school ended, the Chinese teacher, Chen Jiao, asked Shen Xingruo for her essay book, saying she wanted to type it up on the computer and print it out to include in the next issue of excellent essays.

After entering the teaching building, Shen Xingruo, Zhao Jiajing, and Shi Qin went their separate ways. They first went to the Chinese department office to get the essay. When they came out of the office, the bell for morning self-study rang.

The corridor was empty, and the sound of morning reading could be heard from the classrooms along the way. Shen Xingruo walked towards Class One. As she passed the entrance of the teaching building, she heard footsteps and subconsciously glanced in that direction.

A tall and thin figure approached, dressed in the black and white school uniform that Mingli students sarcastically referred to as “mourning attire.” It looked surprisingly good on him.

Lu Xingyan.

He had a pink gift box tucked under his arm and a rose in his hand.

Seeing her, he didn’t seem surprised. He raised an eyebrow slightly, then lazily walked towards her against the morning light.

“Hey, Shen Xingruo.”

“This is for you.”

Without much thought, he handed her the items directly, as if just fulfilling a duty.

Shen Xingruo froze, not yet taking them. Suddenly, a roar came from behind her, “What are you doing in broad daylight? Do you even consider this a school!”

The two of them turned back sharply.

Great.

It was Baldy again.

Baldy, upon seeing them, was reminded of the incident during that evening self-study when the scene was disrupted. Instantly, he became furious at the sight of them and launched into a barrage of curses.

His speech was too fast for Shen Xingruo to catch everything, but she vaguely heard phrases like “early romance violates school rules,” “bringing shame to the school,” and “the liberal arts class is useless.”

After he finished talking, he even resorted to violence. Taking advantage of Lu Xingyan’s distraction, he snatched the incriminating evidence from his hands. Not content with just the rose, he also immediately opened the pink gift box, trying to find undeniable evidence like a love letter.

As soon as the pink box was opened, Shen Xingruo saw the familiar “ABC” letters.

Whether Baldy was crazy or what, he didn’t even bother to look at the letters on top before tearing open the ABC packaging.

The next moment, the world fell silent.

“…Yesterday, Aunt Zhou came back and brought two old hens they raised in the countryside. I specifically had her cook them into a soup to nourish you. She started simmering it this morning, and when I left, the whole house was filled with the aroma!” Pei Yue chattered away from the passenger seat, completely unaware of the icy atmosphere in the backseat.

Lu Xingyan remained expressionless, his mind filled with the phrase, “With a lighter, I could also light incense for your grave.” This thought had crossed his mind so many times that he even conjured up a vivid image— a lonely grave in the wilderness, with a worn-out wooden sign standing upright, surrounded by overgrown weeds.

In his imagination, Shen Xingruo inserted a cheap incense bought from the roadside in front of his grave, then calmly lit them one by one with a lighter. Then she would scoff, stand up, brush the ashes off her hands, and briskly pull out his wooden sign, declaring that he wasn’t even worthy of a name in death.

“…What’s with your attitude, Lu Xingyan?! I’m talking to you!” The car stopped at a red light, and Lu Shan couldn’t help but turn around to scold him.

Lu Xingyan snapped out of his thoughts, and raised his eyelids to glance at his father, “What?”

Pei Yue interjected, “Your dad asked about your grades from last semester.”

Lu Xingyan remained silent.

Mingli was quite considerate, and to ensure students had a peaceful break during the summer and winter holidays, they always announced the results of the final exams at the beginning of the next semester. This semester, the results were posted on the second day of school, with detailed three-page reports pinned at the back of the classroom, including individual subject rankings and other less common data.

Li Chengfan had a strong sense of pride. When he saw the rankings, he exclaimed in frustration, “What’s the school trying to do? Are they exposing us completely?!”

Initially, nobody paid much attention to the bottom few on the last page, but Li’s outburst prompted some to flip through.

Well, those few at the bottom seemed to perform consistently poorly in every subject.

Shen Xingruo listened to the exam analysis class and carefully examined the class’s grades. She roughly estimated and gained a preliminary understanding of the student’s level in Mingli and her performance relative to it.

From the results of this final exam, He Siyue and Di Jiajing could be considered among the top students in the grade. But overall, Class One was trailing behind in the three humanities and social sciences experimental classes. As for Lu Xingyan, he truly was at the bottom of the class.

Seeing Lu Xingyan silent, Lu Shan turned to Shen Xingruo, “Xingruo, what do you think he scored?”

Shen Xingruo paused for a moment. “I didn’t pay much attention, but I think it was 297?”

“It’s 337.”

Lu Xingyan suddenly spoke, shooting Shen Xingruo a glance as if he was quite dissatisfied with her underreporting his score by forty points.

Lu Shan choked up for a moment, suddenly feeling that he shouldn’t have had any unrealistic expectations about Lu Xingyan.

Pei Yue remained composed. After Lu Xingyan reported his score, she was still focused on photo editing, her face displaying an air of “I’ve long known his real level.”

That evening at dinner, after finishing their meal, Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo each went back to their rooms, and the night passed without incident.

The next morning, Lu Shan had to fly to the capital for some urgent matter; he didn’t even have time for breakfast before leaving. Whether it was a coincidence or planned, as soon as Lu Shan left, Lu Xingyan came downstairs, carrying his backpack as if he were about to leave.

Pei Yue asked, “Where are you going so early?”

“Classmate’s birthday.” He casually grabbed a slice of toast from the table, stuck it in his mouth, and took a few sips of milk.

Shen Xingruo suddenly stopped, staring at the glass of milk, unblinking.

Lu Xingyan noticed her gaze, glanced at the milk in his hand, then inadvertently spotted another empty glass on the table, and suddenly understood something.

Pei Yue didn’t pay much attention and continued to ask, “Classmate? Why didn’t you take Ruo Ruo with you?”

“High school classmates, she doesn’t know them.”

“Are you coming back for dinner tonight?”

“No.”

Lu Xingyan didn’t bother to say more; he just walked out and waved before leaving.

“You see, all he does all day is wander around instead of studying. He lacks ambition! When his dad and I were young, we were nothing like this. I don’t know who he’s taking after!”

“Oh, I swear, one of these days he’s going to drive me so crazy that I’ll end up with white hair…”

Shen Xingruo quietly listened to Pei Yue’s ramblings, discreetly pushing the glass of milk tainted by Lu Xingyan away.

Lu Xingyan didn’t go far. Today was Chen Zhu’s birthday, and they had already arranged for a villa party by Fallen Star Lake, organized by Shen Xingruo herself.

Xu Chengzhou and others brought ingredients and seasonings and had a barbecue on the lawn outside the villa at noon.

Lu Xingyan didn’t know what he was thinking about. He held a skewer of chicken wings, flipping them back and forth over the fire until they were almost burnt, yet he didn’t eat them.

“Lu Xingyan, your chicken wings are about to burn! What are you thinking?” Chen Zhu, in the middle of a conversation, noticed the wings and shouted at him.

Only then did Lu Xingyan come back to his senses, and he casually handed the wings to her. “You eat them.”

Chen Zhu leaned back, looking disgusted. “Forget it, I’m not risking my life.”

“Come on, Miss Zhu, you’re ungrateful. Young Master Lu condescends to grill chicken wings for you and look at you, you’re so disdainful,” one of the guys teased.

“Why not? Can’t I be disgusted?”

“Sure, sure, birthday girl, whatever you say!” Chen Zhu clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Today was her birthday, and she deliberately wore a bright red dress, the bold color complementing her perfectly. With a birthday crown perched on her head, she looked lively and animated, chatting and laughing with everyone.

Somehow, the conversation drifted back to Lu Xingyan. “Hey, Lu Dashaoye, why didn’t we just go to your place directly? It would have been much simpler. I spent ten minutes looking for this place.”

Lu Xingyan didn’t respond or even lift his eyes. He acted as if he hadn’t heard, tossing some unwanted chicken wings onto the grill before cracking open a beer.

Chen Zhu interjected, “Why would I go to his house for my birthday? That’s ridiculous.”

Chen Zhu had mentioned it to Lu Xingyan on WeChat before, suggesting they could just go to his place for her birthday since they used to hang out there often. She didn’t think much about it, but Lu Xingyan had simply replied, “Inconvenient,” without explaining why.

As they continued to barbecue and later cut the cake, they chatted among themselves.

“There’s a transfer student in Class 1, right? I keep hearing people talk about her.”

“YeAh that transfer student is really pretty!”

Ben He, from Class 1, confirmed, “Indeed, she’s quite beautiful.”

“I think her name is Shen Xingruo, and it’s such a lovely name.”

“Hey, speaking of this transfer student, I find it strange. I’ve been to Class 1 several times, but I’ve never seen her,” Xu Chengzhou pondered, elbowing Lu Xingyan, “What do you think?”

Lu Xingyan had been asked this question at least eighteen times by now. He casually replied, “If I say she’s beautiful, do you think she could become the global beauty pageant champion?”

Xu Chengzhou was momentarily stunned, deciding to elevate Lu Xingyan to the top of the Sarcasm Masters list.

In the afternoon, they sang songs and played cards. Lu Xingyan played a few rounds of poker, but Xu Chengzhou was too damn indecisive; it took him forever to play a single card. Fed up with waiting, Lu Xingyan threw the cards to Ben He and went outside to smoke.

Although he wasn’t a heavy smoker, he lit one anyway, taking a few puffs before tossing it away.

Suddenly, Chen Zhu came out of the house, holding her phone in both hands, her eyes red and swollen. Something was wrong.

Lu Xingyan flicked the ash from his cigarette and casually asked, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Without lifting her head, Chen Zhu walked outside without a word.

Lu Xingyan didn’t want to get involved, but since it was by Fallen Star Lake, and people drowned there almost every year, he put out his cigarette and followed her.

When they reached the outside, Chen Zhu couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. “He has a girlfriend now! He has a girlfriend already! Sob… and he posted pictures of them together on my birthday!”

Lu Xingyan took her phone and glanced at it. It turned out her childhood sweetheart, Xiao Baiyang, had posted lovey-dovey photos on his social media.

Chen Zhu: “It must be that girl who posted it! She’s declaring war against me!!”

“You’re overthinking it. This sounds like the guy’s tone,” Lu Xingyan remarked.

Chen Zhu choked for three seconds before bursting into louder sobs.

Lu Xingyan: “…”

It was strange. This time, he didn’t feel anything special. He just felt Chen Zhu’s crying was giving him a headache.

He didn’t know what to say, as he had never been good at comforting people. After standing there for a while, all he managed to say was, “Stop crying.”

Chen Zhu didn’t even hear what he said. She was completely engulfed in the one-sided heartbreak, crying more vigorously as she became more invested in her grief.

Lu Xingyan stood there indifferently for two minutes. Unable to bear it any longer, he called Xu Chengzhou and asked him to quickly find a few girls to come over.

While waiting, Lu Xingyan pondered the ultimate question of life—why did he ever like her? No, it shouldn’t be liked.

It all started with a game of Truth or Dare. Lu Xingyan was asked what type of girl he liked. He casually mentioned a few criteria and was criticized for not being sincere enough. They insisted he provide a reference.

After some thought, and not finding anyone else around who wasn’t annoying and could have a normal interaction, he mentioned, “Someone like Chen Zhu, I guess.”

In the end, he didn’t know how it happened. The phrase “like Chen Zhu” got automatically translated to just “Chen Zhu.” His buddies kept arranging scenes for him with Chen Zhu, pushing him to spend more time alone with her.

As time went on, he started feeling as if he had been brainwashed, convincing himself that he must like Chen Zhu. Recently, when he found out that Chen Zhu liked her childhood friend, he initially felt genuinely upset. But the next day, he woke up completely accepting the fact and decided to no longer harbor a one-sided affection for Chen Zhu.

On the other side, Shen Xingruo woke up from her nap, practiced the piano for a while, and then planned to study at the library. Over the past two years, the city government has been vigorously promoting the development of the area around the North City’s Falling Star Lake. They even relocated the city library nearby, which was just a ten-minute walk from the Lu family’s residence.

Shen Xingruo slung her backpack over her shoulder, hands in her pockets, listening to some music as she strolled along the Falling Star Lake. Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar figure ahead and paused. It was Lu Xingyan.

Beside Lu Xingyan stood a girl, her hair disheveled, crying her heart out. Lu Xingyan, on the other hand, leaned casually against a tree trunk, watching indifferently.

At first glance, it looked like a typical breakup scenario where the guy was indifferent while the girl was in tears, desperately trying to salvage the relationship. Knowing it wasn’t her business to intervene, Shen Xingruo decided to take a detour.

Lu Xingyan didn’t return home until after eleven at night. Shen Xingruo happened to be downstairs getting a drink and seeing his exhausted and lazy demeanor, she couldn’t help but imagine a draining melodrama of breaking up and pleading to stay together.

On Sunday, both of them stayed at home, not even exchanging a glance. Shen Xingruo felt that this was fine and hoped it would stay this way in the future. However, when she returned to school in the evening, she heard some unsettling news from Shi Qin, “Xingruo, we’re changing seats tomorrow. The seating chart is in the group. Guess who’s your new desk mate? It’s Lu Xingyan!”

On the first night back at school, the boys in the dormitory engaged in late-night chatter, with Shen Xingruo emerging as the undisputed leading lady.

“…She’s damn gorgeous! Today morning, Wang Youfu kept blabbering away during politics class. Normally, I’d be in bed early, you know, but I couldn’t sleep the whole darn period! Shen Xingruo was sitting diagonally in front of me, damn it! She’s truly intoxicating! Every time I glanced up, there she was, with that profile, unbelievable!”

“She might be a goddess, but don’t you guys think she’s a bit aloof? Seems like she’s not easy to approach and gives off a cold vibe.”

Bian He pushed his glasses and earnestly agreed, “Shen Xingruo might seem a bit distant. I feel like Zhai Jiajing is more approachable. With someone like Shen Xingruo, most guys just can’t keep up…”

Before Bian He finished speaking, Lu Xingyan emerged from the bathroom.

He was wearing a black T-shirt and sports shorts, just finished showering, his hair still wet, droplets trickling down his forehead.

His roommate, who had previously praised Shen Xingruo as a goddess, casually asked, “Hey, Yan Ge, what do you think of that transfer student today?”

“Not much,” Lu Xingyan replied without lifting an eyelid, toweling his hair as he walked out.

The door to the adjacent dormitory was closed, but the soundproofing wasn’t great, and voices could be heard clearly from inside. “…As you all know, Model UN speeches are all in English. Her spoken English is excellent, and her logic is clear, so I’m quite impressed.”

“He Siyue cut the act. It’s just because she’s good-looking that you’re impressed.”

He Siyue chuckled, then added, “Well, it’s not wrong. Shen Xingruo is quite eye-catching, but she did perform exceptionally well at that Model UN conference.”

The occupants of this dorm were all academic achievers, and the discussion quickly turned to where Shen Xingruo stood academically in the grade. They also incidentally agreed that Shen Xingruo’s looks were top-notch, ranking her among the top three in the entire school.

Lu Xingyan couldn’t understand why everyone was so fixated on Shen Xingruo. What’s so special about a peacock anyway? They couldn’t stop talking about it, always circling back to the Model UN conference.

At the mention of the “Model UN conference,” Lu Xingyan recalled Shen Xingruo’s expression from earlier in the day…

Though she showed no expression, it was as if her calm face was saying, “Oh, I knew it. You’re just an uncultured brat.”

Recalling this, Lu Xingyan’s mood soured.

As he approached Li Chengfan’s dorm, the door was slightly ajar, and he heard bursts of laughter from inside:

“Hahaha! Damn, you’ve got quite the imagination!”

“No, seriously, if her chest were two cup sizes bigger, the visual impact, the feel… But well, with Shen Xingruo’s looks, bros can handle it.”

“And you’re quite the saint for enduring it all,” Lu Xingyan suddenly pushed the door open.

“Hey, Young Master Lu,” the guy didn’t catch the undertone of his words, just raised his chin in greeting.

Lu Xingyan glanced at him, silent, and headed straight for Li Chengfan’s bed, emanating an aura of “I don’t know you.”

Li Chengfan wasn’t in the dorm, so Lu Xingyan found the charger he needed, took it, and left without saying a word. He felt Shen Xingruo was quite good at putting on airs, but he wasn’t particularly interested in hearing people discuss girls in a vulgar direction.

In the dorm, several guys exchanged confused looks, unsure where they had offended this young master, their minds filled with question marks.

The pace of Mingli’s teaching progressed quickly; all the new lessons for the first semester of the sophomore year were already covered. This semester started directly with the first round of reviews. Fortunately, the progress before in Huize No. 1 High School wasn’t slow either, with only two units left in history to be taught. Shen Xingruo was adapting to the new environment relatively well, considering that most classmates were friendly and kind, and the teachers were amiable.

However, there was one thing that bothered her a bit—what Shi Qin had mentioned about people coming to the class to watch Lu Xingyan seemed to be happening to her as well. She didn’t know what kind of rumors were spreading about her in the school, but in the first few days of school, there were always students from other classes peeking into the classroom through the front and back doors and windows.

Once, when she returned from the restroom, she overheard two boys discussing by the back door:

“Which one is Shen Xingruo?”

“I didn’t see anyone particularly pretty.”

She didn’t say anything, went to the office to ask about two questions, and returned to the classroom only when the class bell rang. Other than that, the first week of school passed relatively calmly.

On Friday at noon, Pei Yue called, saying that Lu Shan was free today and would pick her and Lu Xingyan up after school.

Before afternoon class, when she saw Lu Xingyan, Shen Xingruo intended to say something to him. However, his indifferent expression, one that seemed to say, “Though I see you, you’re no different from a trash can,” made Shen Xingruo decide against it.

The last class, which was supposed to be a class meeting, was changed to self-study. Shen Xingruo didn’t want to take her books home, so, during self-study, she finished her Chinese and history homework. Three minutes before the end of class, she started packing her bag.

But the class monitor in front suddenly turned around and said, “Shen Xingruo, after you finish cleaning today, could you please stay a bit longer? Because someone will come to inspect today.”

Wait a minute.

Cleaning duty.

Seeing Shen Xingruo’s expression, the class monitor thought she might not want to stay. Carefully, she asked, “Are you unable to stay?”

Shen Xingruo: “No, I can stay.”

Soon, the dismissal bell rang, and the students in the class naturally relaxed. Some stretched, some chatted, and others hurriedly packed their bags and dashed out of the classroom at the speed of a 50-meter sprint.

Outside the window, the honey-colored sunset cast a golden glow on the classroom desks. The sound of organizing textbooks and conversations mingled with the sound of chairs scraping against the floor, weaving together into the most unique concerto of the end of the school day.

Shen Xingruo walked to the back of the classroom and carefully reviewed the cleaning schedule that she had ignored countless times before:

Friday Cleaning:

Shen Xingruo – Groups 1 and 2 and the corridor;

Lu Xingyan – Groups 3 and 4 and the podium.

Whoever arranged the cleaning duties was undoubtedly a genius.

Shen Xingruo stood there for a few seconds, digesting the information, then messaged Pei Yue to inform her that they might be late by half an hour.

Pei Yue quickly responded with an “OK” gesture.

As Mingli required compulsory boarding, most students chose to go home for the weekend, so after school on Fridays, everyone left pretty quickly.

Shen Xingruo waited until almost everyone had left before grabbing a broom to start sweeping. But as she turned around, she saw Lu Xingyan with a basketball tucked under his arm, casually walking out with a few other guys, arm in arm. There were also a few boys from other classes outside, seemingly waiting for them.

“Lu Xingyan.”

Her voice sounded somewhat out of place in the now-empty classroom.

Lu Xingyan turned around, his gaze lazy. “What’s up?”

“We need to clean. You’re assigned to sweep Groups 3 and 4 and the podium. Someone is coming to inspect today.”

Before Lu Xingyan could respond, there was suddenly laughter outside the classroom:

“Haha! Lu Xingyan doing cleaning duty! Hahaha!”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Damn, hahaha!”

The phrase “doing cleaning duty” seemed unfamiliar to Lu Xingyan. He hesitated for a moment before walking over to look at the cleaning schedule.

Seeing Shen Xingruo still staring at him, he glanced at her dismissively. “We’re in the same group, so while you’re at it, just clean my area too. Thanks.”

Without giving Shen Xingruo a chance to refuse, he walked out with the group of guys in tow.

Before they disappeared from view, Shen Xingruo could still hear the boys teasing Lu Xingyan about the task.

He Siyue had gone to the teacher’s office and returned just in time to witness the scene.

“They’re like that. Don’t let it get to you,” he said gently, walking over to Shen Xingruo.

Shen Xingruo shook her head. “It’s fine.”

Every school had a group of people who excelled at nothing but squandering their time and money. She was no stranger to them.

“I’ll help you.”

He Siyue also grabbed a broom and helped her sweep the floor. Shen Xingruo thanked him without refusing. After all, with someone coming to inspect today, she couldn’t finish cleaning alone.

He Siyue worked efficiently. By the time Shen Xingruo finished sweeping the first group, he had already swept the front and back of the classroom, the corridor, and the other two groups.

He Siyue: “I’ll take care of the second group.”

Shen Xingruo: “It’s okay, I can handle it myself.”

After some thought, He Siyue nodded. “Alright, then I’ll change the trash bags.”

As Shen Xingruo swept intermittently, she glanced up and couldn’t help but wonder why all these sixteen or seventeen-year-old boys ended up so differently—some like He Siyue, while others like Lu Xingyan.

After finishing cleaning, they went to wash their hands in the restroom. On their way back to the classroom, He Siyue asked, “Are you going home today, since it’s Friday?”

Lu’s house could temporarily be considered her home, too.

Shen Xingruo replied with a simple “Hmm” and reciprocated, “How about you?”

“I’m going home too. We can leave together later.”

Shen Xingruo: “I need to stay a bit longer; someone is inspecting the cleanliness today.”

He Siyue: “No problem, I’ll wait for you.”

Shen Xingruo was about to say something else when Wang Youfu saw them and waved. “Hey, He Siyue, come to my office for a moment.”

Well, she didn’t have to refuse now.

Lu Xingyan had a knack for picking the right moment. As soon as the cleaning was done, he returned to the classroom. Seeing Shen Xingruo walking in while drying her hands, he took off the sweat-drenched headband and remarked, “Miss Shen, you’ve got quite the cleaning skills. Very neat.”

Shen Xingruo remained indifferent, giving him a sidelong glance without a word.

Lu Xingyan chuckled softly, leaned back in his chair, and leisurely unscrewed a bottle of mineral water.

Their classroom was the first one on the ground floor, so the cleanliness inspection was scheduled first.

After the routine inspection by the school cadres, Shen Xingruo slung her bag over her shoulder and stood up. As she passed by Lu Xingyan’s seat, she paused.

Lu Xingyan was taking a sip of water, leaning back in his chair with one hand on the backrest and the other holding the water bottle. His head tilted upward, fully exposing his neck, where the Adam’s apple moved distinctly up and down.

Suddenly, Shen Xingruo spoke up, “Out of respect for Aunt Pei and Uncle Lu, I won’t dwell on today’s matter with you. But please, have the self-awareness not to cause trouble for others in the future.”

Lu Xingyan found it somewhat amusing. He set down the water bottle, leaned against the backrest, and tilted his head slightly. “I haven’t even mentioned the basketball incident to you, yet you’re quite bold.”

“When the basketball nearly hit me, it was less than three centimeters away. You can’t even say sorry, yet you expect me to throw it back for you?” Shen Xingruo’s gaze was cold.

They locked eyes for three seconds before Lu Xingyan suddenly stood up. He was tall, and even in a slightly slouched posture, Shen Xingruo’s head couldn’t reach his nose tip. She could sense a faint smell of tobacco from him, likely from smoking.

Feeling uncomfortable, Shen Xingruo instinctively covered her nose and moved back a step.

Lu Xingyan stared at her, then leaned forward slightly. “What are you pretending for?”

Shen Xingruo remained silent.

“I’m tired just by looking at you.” Lu Xingyan lazily fished out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and slid out one, offering it to Shen Xingruo. “I won’t bother with the lighter.”

Confusion lingered in Shen Xingruo’s mind for three seconds before she recalled their first encounter and finally understood.

She looked at Lu Xingyan and suddenly asked, “Do you think lighters are only for lighting cigarettes?”

Lu Xingyan raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

She lowered her eyelashes and pushed the cigarette back into the pack, her voice barely audible. “With a lighter, I could also light incense for your grave.”

In the middle of the night, a light rain fell, leaving the ground slightly damp in the morning. Opening the window, the air felt exceptionally fresh.

“Why are you opening the window? It’s freezing!”

“Sorry, I just wanted to let some air in. If you’re cold, I’ll close it.” Zhai Jiajing turned around, offering an apologetic smile.

Seeing it was Zhai Jiajing, the guy paused, rubbed his nose, and mumbled, “It’s okay, you can keep it open. Ventilating is good.”

Zhai Jiajing was the class monitor, excelling academically, beautiful, and very understanding and gentle. Many guys in the class had a crush on her.

The girl sitting next to him rolled her eyes and pushed his elbow aside disdainfully, then looked up and asked, “Zhai Jiajing, I heard there’s a transfer student in your dorm. Where is she?”

“Oh, she should be coming over with Shi Qin.”

Shi Qin stayed up until three in the morning doing her winter break homework. The dormitory lights went out at eleven, but she managed to drain the battery of all four small desk lamps and finish her assignments.

When Zhai Jiajing left in the morning, Shi Qin still couldn’t be awakened.

Shen Xingruo woke up at the first call, but after checking the time, she calmly said from under her blanket, “I’ll sleep a bit longer.”

As a class cadre, Zhai Jiajing had a lot to do on the first day of school, so she couldn’t wait for them to wake up and ended up leaving first.

By 7:25, most of the class had arrived. Some were chatting, some were reviewing vocabulary, some were doing homework, and some were sneaking breakfast. The whole classroom buzzed like boiling water, bustling with activity.

“Lin Yu proposed publicly, and at a concert! Is he out of his mind? Why would he do something so reckless? His fan base has been dropping rapidly lately, and the engagement rate on his super-topic has plummeted!”

“…Huh? Weren’t there supposed to be ten sets of English test papers?

“I only have ten. I counted them when they were handed out—only ten!”

“…I randomly filled in the math multiple-choice questions.” Shouldn’t have bothered to check? It seems like all these winter break assignments we handed in have been treated as trash.”

And then there was gossip: “I heard Lu Xingyan and Xu Chengzhou from Class Three, and Chen Zhu went out together, to the beach. Do you think Lu Xingyan and Chen Zhu might be dating?”

Another girl looked puzzled. “But weren’t they already dating?”

“Who told you that? Not true.”

“Well then, I don’t know. I always thought they were together last semester. Oh, by the way, it seems like we have a transfer student in our class. She’s staying in Zhai Jiajing’s dorm.”

“I had no idea.”

“Li Ting mentioned it last night when we had dinner together.”

The girl looked around, perplexed. “Where is she…”

As if on cue, at 7:30, Shi Qin and Shen Xingruo entered the classroom one after the other as the bell for morning self-study rang.

When Shen Xingruo entered, the classroom was still bustling, but soon after, everyone quieted down—

Wang Youfu appeared at the classroom door, holding his red thermos cup and wearing a stern expression. Shen Xingruo was somewhat surprised; she hadn’t expected the class teacher, Wang Youfu, to be so intimidating.

The classroom was soon filled with the sound of reading, in both Chinese and English. Faintly, one could hear someone reciting the significance of the scientific development concept and the historical meaning of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894.

Wang Youfu looked satisfied as he leisurely walked to the platform and put down his cherished thermos cup—no, he picked it up again the next second.

“Let’s pause for a moment, everyone. Let me introduce our new classmate.” He waved to Shen Xingruo. “Come on up and introduce yourself.”

Shen Xingruo wasn’t nervous at all. She walked up to the platform, bowed lightly, and then turned to write three large characters on the blackboard. Gracefully, she said, “Hello, everyone. My name is Shen Xingruo. I hope to learn from everyone and progress together in the future.”

Three seconds of silence, and then applause broke out in the classroom.

Wang Youfu looked pleased again, scanning the room. He pointed to an empty seat. “Shen Xingruo, please sit there for now. We’ll rearrange the seating next week.”

Shen Xingruo nodded and headed towards her seat.

Once everyone was seated, Wang Youfu held his thermos cup and began his customary speech, the first spellbinding incantation of the new semester. “Next semester, you’ll be in your senior year. Don’t think that you’re still in junior year and that the college entrance exam is far away…”

He had just begun when a lazy voice interrupted from the doorway. “Reporting in.”

Lu Xingyan stood there casually in his school uniform, boneless, with his head slightly tilted. He wore his backpack with only one strap over his shoulder, and there was a basketball tucked under his arm.

Wang Youfu glanced at him, unsure if he intended to scold or what, but before he could say anything, his phone rang—

It was a call from the grade leader.

Wang Youfu didn’t have time to deal with Lu Xingyan. He hurriedly stepped out while answering the phone.

Lu Xingyan showed no intention of waiting for Wang Youfu to come back and reprimand him. He simply walked in, pausing slightly as he passed Shen Xingruo’s seat.

Shen Xingruo noticed. His basketball looked new, without a speck of dust. It wasn’t the one from last night.

At that moment, Lu Xingyan casually released the basketball, patting it lightly on the ground. The ball hit the floor with a dull, echoing thud.

Shen Xingruo remained unfazed, meeting Lu Xingyan’s gaze without changing her expression.

Lu Xingyan didn’t say anything, just stared at her for a few seconds. Then, he strangely tugged at the corner of his lips before continuing to walk towards the back row.

Shen Xingruo interpreted his gaze as “You wait for me.”

Their seats were separated by an aisle. Shen Xingruo sat in the fifth row of the second section, while Lu Xingyan sat in the seventh row of the first section, not too far apart. Whenever Lu Xingyan looked forward, he could always catch a glimpse of Shen Xingruo’s figure.

When Wang Youfu returned, his gaze swept around until he found Lu Xingyan. He said, “You’re late. Write out the political agenda ten times and hand it in.”

Lu Xingyan didn’t argue. He just replied with an “okay.”

Wang Youfu continued with his previous topic, droning on. Halfway through, Lu Xingyan couldn’t help but yawn.

“I heard you were playing basketball last night, and a girl threw the ball into the trash can. Damn, is this a new tactic to get your attention?” Li Chengfan, his deskmate, whispered.

It wasn’t surprising for Li Chengfan to think that way. Nowadays, female students are quite innovative, having read plenty of novels. They knew that ordinary gestures like sending love letters or chocolates couldn’t spark any excitement in the night sky.

Last semester, when Lu Xingyan finally made it to the cafeteria, he had a bowl of hot soup thrown at him by a girl from the science class.

There was also a bold freshman girl who approached Lu Xingyan with a bossy CEO-style confession, even attempting to kiss him on tiptoe. Unfortunately, she wasn’t tall enough, and Lu Xingyan lifted her away like a little chick.

Li Chengfan asked, “Which class is that girl from? What does she look like? Doing this right at the beginning of the semester, she’s quite impressive. Did you guys manage to get the ball back?”

“Didn’t ask for it.” Lu Xingyan twirled his pen casually, glancing at Shen Xingruo out of the corner of his eye.

“Damn, what a waste,” Li Chengfan remarked.

Seeing Lu Xingyan’s lack of response, Li Chengfan quickly shifted to a new topic. “Hey, you didn’t notice earlier, but in the second section, fifth row… that girl sitting with Ruan Wen, the new transfer student, she’s gorgeous!”

He discreetly pointed out the girl to Lu Xingyan, emphasizing the word “gorgeous.”

Not only Li Chengfan, but many students in the classroom were whispering about Shen Xingruo, occasionally sneaking glances at her.

Unfazed, Shen Xingruo listened to Wang Youfu while reading her book. At Hui Ze, the college entrance exam included self-made questions for the liberal arts subjects, so the textbooks for the three liberal arts subjects were different from those at Ming Li School.

She hadn’t had the chance to pick up the new books yet, so she borrowed them from Shi Qin before leaving home, taking this opportunity to compare them.

At exactly 8 o’clock, the bell rang, signaling the end of morning self-study. Wang Youfu finally finished his speech. “Alright, that’s all for now. You still need to think carefully about your studies. Oh, class monitor, where’s the class monitor—Ah Ruan Wen, I won’t collect the winter break homework for politics yet. I’ll discuss the exam papers during class.”

“Okay, Mr. Wang,” Ruan Wen responded gently and obediently.

Shen Xingruo turned her head slightly, and Ruan Wen sensitively met her gaze, politely and somewhat awkwardly smiling. “Hello, I’m Ruan Wen.”

She opened her book, showing Shen Xingruo her name. “This one.”

Shen Xingruo nodded. “Hello, I’m Shen Xingruo.”

Ruan Wen nodded twice. “Your name sounds very nice. Is it from Cao Cao’s ‘Observing the Sea,’ where the stars are shining brightly as if coming from within?”

Shen Xingruo wasn’t sure, but she just smiled faintly.

As Wang Youfu left the platform, the classroom buzzed with activity again.

Just as Shen Xingruo finished greeting Ruan Wen, a boy from the back patted her shoulder.

She turned around.

The boy had a gentle smile, revealing white and neatly aligned teeth. He looked sunny and clean, with a hint of familiarity.

“Shen Xingruo, do you remember me?” His voice sounded somewhat familiar.

“I’m He Siyue.”

The name sounded vaguely familiar too.

He Siyue smiled helplessly. “Looks like you don’t remember. We met at the Model United Nations conference before. You were from Huize First High School, right?”

He tried to provide more details to jog her memory. “The theme of that Model UN conference was ocean environmental protection and development. You were the representative of New Zealand, and I was the representative of Nigeria. We both received the Best Delegate award. After it ended, we had dinner together.”

Shen Xingruo finally remembered. “Oh, it’s you.”

She felt a bit dry and added, “What a coincidence.”

“YeAh too coincidental. It’s been a year since we last met, but I recognized you at first sight,” Siyue said.

“Sorry, but you… um… have changed a bit since the Model UN,” Shen Xingruo said, refusing to admit that her memory wasn’t great.

Siyue chuckled again. “Just got a new hairstyle.”

As he spoke, he slightly lowered his head and ruffled his hair.

People nearby appeared to mind their own business, but they were all secretly listening to their conversation.

When they heard keywords like “Best Delegate,” everyone was surprised. A student transferred from Huize First High School, who had won the Best Delegate award at the Model UN conference, seemed to be quite a high achiever…

Lu Xingyan and Li Chengfan also overheard, but they were typical latecomers and had no idea what a Model UN conference was.

Liu Xingyan didn’t know, but he wouldn’t say it. Li Chengfan, on the other hand, was different. With a puzzled expression, he asked, “What’s the Model United Nations Conference? The Model Alliance Conference?”

The voice came out during a brief lull, sounding a bit abrupt.

He Siyue and Shen Xingruo both glanced over, seemingly spontaneously.

Liu Xingyan licked his molars, expressionless as he rolled up the textbook on the table and tapped Li Chengfan’s head. “If you don’t know, then shut up.”

At this moment, Li Chengfan displayed a strong thirst for knowledge. “You know? Then tell us what it is.”

Liu Xingyan: “…”

Damn, you’re annoying as hell.