In the center of the classroom, a few girls stood chatting with close friends in a small circle. Their conversation was so animated that when a student passed by to get water from the dispenser, they had to say “Excuse me” multiple times before the girls noticed.

Meanwhile, the corridor outside was filled with boys gathered in groups, chatting away.

This relaxed atmosphere was rare and only appeared on easy afternoons.

Zhou Yao sat at her newly assigned seat, her practice book spread open in front of her. Halfway through solving a problem, she ran out of scrap paper. Putting down her pen, she bent her head to search her bag. Her long ponytail, tied neatly behind her head, dropped down and brushed against her collar, skimming her fair neck delicately and gracefully.

From the diagonal rear, some boys watched her profile. Two of them wanted to speak to her, but hesitated. Before they could say anything, a girl sitting across the aisle handed her a notebook.

Zhou Yao looked up at the girl, slightly startled, then smiled softly. The corners of her lips lifted into a shallow arc, revealing a pair of cute little tiger teeth. Her voice was gentle. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” The girl wasn’t much of a talker, so they returned to solving problems after the brief exchange.

Having just transferred to No. 7 High School that afternoon, Zhou Yao was a complete stranger in her new class. Whether it was solving problems together or horsing around, others had their groups, but she remained an odd and solitary presence.

“Zhou Yao—”

A voice suddenly called her from outside the classroom. Immersed in her practice questions, Zhou Yao turned towards the sound. A girl waved at her with a smile, then rushed into the classroom and pounced on her desk.

The student seated in front of Zhou Yao had gone to the school store, so the newcomer plopped down in the empty seat, sitting across from her.

“It’s really you! I thought I was mistaken! Why are you at our school? Weren’t you at No. 5 High School?”

Zhou Yao paused before speaking softly, “…Zheng Yinyin?”

“It’s me! After graduation, you got into No. 5 High School, and I thought it’d be hard for us to see each other often. I can’t believe you’re at No. 7 High now! I’m so happy—”

Zheng Yinyin was so excited that she lightly pounded the desk with clenched fists.

Zhou Yao couldn’t think of a response, so she just smiled and said, “Mm.”

“Did you just report to the school today?” Zheng Yinyin asked.

Zhou Yao confirmed. Before class that afternoon, the discipline director had introduced her to the homeroom teacher, who then brought her to the classroom. By the time she arrived, the first class had already started.

Carrying her bag, Zhou Yao followed the homeroom teacher from the far-left staircase across a long corridor to the door of this class on the far-right. Along the way, she caught curious glances from students in other classes peering out of their windows.

“When I saw you pass by our class earlier, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me! Then I heard someone say you were transferring to Class 7, so I came to check. And it really is you!”

Zheng Yinyin was thrilled. “We were in the same class for three years in middle school, and now in our final year of high school, we’re at the same school again. This is amazing!” Then, as if remembering something, she asked, “Oh, by the way, why did you transfer from No. 5 High? Did it have something to do with… our school’s, uh, ‘Outstanding Student Recruitment Program’?”

To boost its college admission rate, the school launched an ‘Outstanding Student Recruitment Program’ at the start of the semester. No one knew what conditions were offered, but this term, every grade had new, high-achieving transfer students.

The numbers varied: eleven in Grade 10, six in Grade 11, and only one in Grade 12.

“Are you the recruited student for our grade?!” Zheng Yinyin finally connected the dots.

Zhou Yao didn’t understand her surprised tone and simply replied, “I did transfer here.”

As she spoke, she continued working on her calculations on scrap paper. Zheng Yinyin rested her chin on her hand, tilting her head as she stared at Zhou Yao. The more she looked, the more impressive Zhou Yao seemed. People were truly different—smart people just had an aura about them!

When Zhou Yao finished her problem, Zheng Yinyin lightly shook her arm. “Let’s have dinner together after school, okay?”

“Have dinner together?”

“Yeah! The time between the last class and evening self-study is too short to go home, so we just eat near the school. Saves time and effort. Don’t you guys do that at No. 5 High?”

“We do,” Zhou Yao hesitated, “but I…”

“You have to go home for dinner?”

“No, it’s just…”

“If no one’s waiting for you at home, then it’s fine! Or do you not have money with you? I’ll treat you! We haven’t seen each other in so long. It’s a chance to catch up. Plus, I can tell you which nearby restaurants are good and which bubble tea shops are worth trying. With me around, you won’t get ripped off!”

In middle school, they had sat in front of and behind each other, sharing playful and harmonious moments. Though they’d drifted apart after entering different high schools, they had been good friends.

Faced with Zheng Yinyin’s exaggerated plea, Zhou Yao couldn’t refuse. “Alright, come find me after class.”

“Great! It’s a deal, no backing out!” Zheng Yinyin was overjoyed and slapped the desk in triumph.

The bell rang for the next class, and she blew Zhou Yao a playful kiss before rushing out of the classroom without looking back.

The schedule given to Zhou Yao was taped to the upper left corner of her desk with transparent tape. A quick glance confirmed that this period was self-study. Zhou Yao focused on her exercises. Time flew by until the end-of-class bell jolted her back to reality.

This time, Zheng Yinyin didn’t come. Zhou Yao put down her pen, pulled out her phone from the desk, and sent a message to the group chat.

[Yao: I won’t be able to join you for dinner after school. I have plans with a classmate, so don’t wait for me.]

The reply came instantly.

[River Flowing East: What’s going on? You just arrived today, and you’ve already made plans with a classmate? Who’s so important?]

[Yao: A middle school friend. We’re pretty close.]

[River Flowing East: Fine.]

……

Other than ‘River Flowing East,’ no one else in the group responded. Zhou Yao tapped on a pale blue profile picture in the chat list, but the color was too dim to tell if the person was online or offline.

Her thumb brushed over the screen, and she put her phone away, returning her attention to the exercises.

……

The third restaurant on the right outside the school was more elegantly decorated than the others—spacious, bright, and always the most popular.

Zheng Yinyin took Zhou Yao inside early and secured a small round table. The other two girls at the table were Zheng Yinyin's friends.

“So, you just transferred today?”

“Was that you passing through the hallway during the first period?”

“Are you in Class 7?”

Zhou Yao answered their questions one by one as Zheng Yinyin perused the menu, frequently asking Zhou Yao what she wanted to eat. The portions were small, perfect for students to pool their money and try a variety of dishes without spending too much.

As they chatted, a lively group of people sat at a nearby table. Their loud jokes and laughter drew attention. Instinctively, Zheng Yinyin and her friends fell silent for a moment.

Zhou Yao glanced over. The group, a mix of boys and girls, was boisterous and unrestrained, completely ignoring the gazes of others. At a glance, it was clear that the girl sitting at the head of the table was their ringleader. She had long hair with half of it dyed, sat with her legs crossed, and laughed loudly while repeatedly tapping the rim of her bowl with a chopstick.

“Let me tell you,” Zheng Yinyin suddenly leaned in and whispered, “those people are notorious troublemakers at our school. The girl with the dyed hair is Deng Jiayu. Stay away from them and don’t provoke them!”

Zhou Yao glanced at them out of the corner of her eye and nodded silently.

For some reason, the conversation at Zhou Yao’s table grew quieter. She, having little to say to begin with, sipped on hot water and quietly listened.

“Hey, over there. That one’s kinda cute—”

“Which one? Let me see.”

“The one in white or blue? Oh, the one with the ponytail?”

“......”

Zhou Yao pursed her lips and calmly set the water kettle down. The expressions of Zheng Yinyin and her friends confirmed that the glances from the other table were not her imagination.

A boy in the group openly stared at Zhou Yao. His comment sparked a wave of attention, and the whole group’s gazes converged on her.

Deng Jiayu gave her a few looks before sneering, “Not bad, I guess. Pretty average.”

Zheng Yinyin was clearly annoyed but didn’t dare to say anything. Zhou Yao, on the other hand, only showed a slight reaction at first and then chose to completely ignore it, remaining calm and composed.

As Deng Jiayu’s friends began openly discussing Zhou Yao’s looks, the arrival of another group at the restaurant drew attention.

“Hey, Jiayu!”

One of Deng Jiayu’s companions nudged her with an elbow. Their focus shifted instantly to the newcomers.

The group of boys took a table against the wall. Zhou Yao looked over, paused for a moment, and then quickly looked away.

To help Zhou Yao get acquainted with the school, Zheng Yinyin took on the role of tour guide, leaning in to whisper: “See that group over there? They’re from Class 1. The boy with his uniform unzipped, wearing a white shirt underneath—” She lowered her voice further, “Deng Jiayu likes him!”

Following her cue, Zhou Yao glanced at the boy.

The same uniform looked different on him, exuding an effortless rebelliousness. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing toned arms. His hands, though powerful in appearance, had long, elegant fingers, adding a refined touch.

He sat with his head slightly bowed, fiddling with his phone, entirely disinterested in his surroundings. His serene profile, with its sharply defined nose and thin lips, conveyed an innate aloofness.

Zheng Yinyin’s voice sounded in her ear:

“—His name is Chen Xuze.”

Zhou Yao reacted half a beat late and replied with an “Oh,” smiling faintly at Zheng Yinyin.

Seeing her muted response, Zheng Yinyin chuckled. “Well? Isn’t he handsome?”

Zhou Yao hesitated. “I guess so.”

“Guess so? Just admit it, he is! Drop the ‘I guess’—”

“Hey, hey! Chen Xuze’s looking over here. Is he looking at Jia... huh?” The girl at the neighboring table shifted from excitement to confusion. Zhou Yao’s name came up again as they turned to her. “Is he looking at that girl with the ponytail?”

Zhou Yao glanced up and locked eyes with Chen Xuze for a fleeting moment before he looked away.

Deng Jiayu alternated her gaze between Chen Xuze and Zhou Yao, frowning. “Impossible!”

“Hey!” She nudged the boy who had called Zhou Yao pretty. “Didn’t you say she was good-looking? Go on, ask for her contact info!”

“Ah?”

“What do you mean, ‘ah’? Don’t tell me you’re too scared to even try! Useless!”

“......”

Zhou Yao heard their conversation clearly. Deng Jiayu made no effort to lower her voice, as if intentionally speaking for her to hear. Zheng Yinyin, visibly upset, grabbed Zhou Yao’s sleeve.

Through gritted teeth, Zheng Yinyin whispered, “...Don’t worry. If he really comes over, just give him my number. Let’s deal with it for now and think of a solution after we’re done eating. I won’t let him bother you!”

Zhou Yao smiled and gently patted her hand in reassurance.

The boy hesitated, unwilling to back down after Deng Jiayu’s taunts.

While the two argued, Chen Xuze suddenly stood and walked toward their table.

Everyone froze—Deng Jiayu’s table, Zhou Yao’s table, and the rest of the restaurant. But Chen Xuze didn’t stop by Zhou Yao’s table. Instead, he went straight to the fridge.

Deng Jiayu’s smile grew even brighter, impossible to hide, and her tone shifted as she spoke to her companions. “See, I told you…” She giggled, chatting about something else while glancing at him and adjusting her collar.

Chen Xuze took two glass bottles of Coke from the fridge, casually closed the door, and ignored all the gazes fixed on him—whether from Deng Jiayu or the other students.

As he passed by Zhou Yao, he suddenly stopped.

Deng Jiayu’s smile froze on her face, and the restaurant seemed to fall into momentary silence.

Holding the two bottles of Coke, Chen Xuze gently placed one in front of Zhou Yao.

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