Chapter 1

Lin ChuSui hated the light summer rains in Nancheng.

On days like this, the obstinate old sun still insisted on peeking through the rainclouds to peer down at the human world.

With both rain and sunshine, only dampness and heat remained in this world.

In the reflecting glass of the roadside shops, Lin ChuSui wore a white blouse with a dark pleated skirt. Her straight, slender legs had been bitten by three mosquitoes.

These tiny mosquitoes were a Southern specialty. Though only the size of a dot, their bites swelled up, big and itchy.

When Lin ChuSui was little, she'd been bitten by mosquitoes until big welts formed, and she cried as she went to Mr Lin. Mr Lin would always poke a cross into her big mosquito bites with his fingernail, then laugh heartily.

Chewing gum, Lin ChuSui walked into a convenience store to buy mosquito repellent.

A sleek, black Mercedes-Benz coupe was parked at the convenience store entrance. Washed by the rain, its body shone brightly, extremely eye-catching.

Stepping inside, the dry, cool breeze of the air conditioner greeted her. She felt her head clear up quite a bit.

She headed straight for the daily necessities shelf, grabbed a bottle of cooling oil, then sauntered over to the drinks for her favorite lemon soda.

Amidst the quiet convenience store, a man's very fluent English conversation rang out, in a clear, slightly lilting voice.

A true British accent.

Walking past the shelves, Lin ChuSui then saw the youth across from her.

He wore a loose, casual sports shirt. His eyes were very dark, bangs quite long.

He was handsome in a clean-cut way, like the shallow sunshine of a summer dawn.

He chatted on the phone in English, lazily reaching out to grab a lemon soda.

There was only one lemon soda left on the shelf.

Lin ChuSui reacted swiftly. Like a rabbit, she nimbly grabbed the soda right before his fingertips touched the bottle.

The youth's gaze lightly brushed over her retreating back.

She gave a low whistle and swaggered away.

Behind her, she clearly heard the youth mutter something in English. It was probably swearing.

The person he was chatting with asked what happened. Xu Jianing replied in Chinese, "Some people here have poor manners. Don't worry about it."

At the cash register, Lin ChuSui also bought a pack of Marlboros. She murmured under her breath:

"Fake foreign devil."

Leaving the convenience store, she casually stuck the gum onto the Mercedes' window.

...

The villa was enormous yet empty. Even with many smart home appliances and furnishings, Lin ChuSui still felt it was empty, an emptiness that made her heart uneasy.

Mr Lin's memorial tablet in the living room had already been put away by her mom, leaving a large empty space on the white wall.

Lin ChuSui went upstairs to her dad's room and took out a framed photo from the second drawer of the bedside table.

The black-and-white photo showed a sunny, handsome man with bright, playful eyes and a youthful spirit.

For as long as Lin ChuSui could remember, he had always looked this way, never aging.

Mr Lin was a firefighter who had died in the line of duty rescuing others.

He was hailed as a hero by the public, yet to Lin ChuSui, he was an unbearable heartache.

In the two years since Mr Lin's passing, the clingy daddy's girl Lin ChuSui had turned into a rebellious delinquent.

Lin ChuSui rehung Mr Lin's memorial photo on the wall, adjusting it straight, then took out a math test paper with a score of 90 from her schoolbag.

She placed the test paper in front of the photo of the man, the corner of her mouth quirking up in a rebellious smile.

"Math test. Satisfied?"

"Not satisfied? Then come back and hit me."

"Teacher Qin said my score could revive the dead."

Lin ChuSui held out her palm to the memorial photo, hoping that like when she was little, she'd get a slap on the hand for a bad score.

After a few minutes, she withdrew her hand with a disdainful twist of her lips.

"Liar."

Soon, her mom called: "The young master from the Xu family will move in today. He goes to your school and gets good grades. If you need help with studies, you can ask him."

Lying on the sofa playing games, Lin ChuSui responded carelessly, "Oh."

"His room is already prepared, the biggest one on the second floor with a study. Be polite to him. Your mom and Uncle Xu will be back in half a month."

"Okay."

"Is there anything you want Mom to bring back for you? Skincare, bags..."

"No."

As Lin ChuSui cast a skill and killed her opponent in-game, she also viciously kicked the corpse.

On the overseas call, Mrs. Fang sighed.

Lin ChuSui hung up the long-distance call and stared up at the ceiling, spacing out.

When Mr Lin passed away, Mrs. Fang had also been depressed for a long time.

But she soon pulled herself together. This year, her brand FangNing had gone public on the NYSE, growing increasingly successful with great momentum. FangNing had become a trendy brand coveted by teens worldwide.

Lin ChuSui had also gone from an ordinary rich kid to a privileged one.

Not long ago, Mrs. Fang had remarried Uncle Xu. They were business partners who had fallen in love through their cooperation, a true power couple.

Since both were on their second marriages, they simply registered and went abroad for their honeymoon without any big wedding reception. They had quietly handled the matter.

Lin ChuSui didn't really mind her mom remarrying. Her only annoyance was that Mrs. Fang kept wanting to take down Mr Lin's memorial tablet and hide it away in the cabinet.

Mr Lin was afraid of the dark, especially of being alone.

So Lin ChuSui had simply printed out several black-and-white photos of Mr Lin and hung them all over the living room, dining room, bedroom...

The huge, empty house was now full of Mr Lin's bright, playful eyes, even in the bathroom...

Mrs. Fang had blown up at her several times, grabbing her collar and scolding, "Your dad is gone! When he went to save others, he didn't think of your mom and me. He abandoned us and will never come back! Face reality - the living must go on with life!"

Lin ChuSui had stubbornly gritted her teeth, eyes slightly red, and enunciated in a low voice, "He will come back."

Mrs. Fang wrestled with her daughter like this for half a year, but the girl was as stubborn as an ox.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Fang was overwhelmed running her business, too busy to bother anymore.

A middle-aged widow burdened with responsibilities didn't have the right to cling to memories like her daughter did.

Looking at Mr Lin's bright, beaming smile in the photos, Lin ChuSui sulked, "Your woman ran off with someone!"

The black-and-white portrait of the man continued smiling magnanimously, silent.

...

Soon, a loud honk came from outside.

Lin ChuSui ignored it and kept gaming. More honks followed.

This was a high-end villa district. Who would be so crass?

She lazily went to the floor-to-ceiling windows and happened to see the black Mercedes from before, now gleaming under the clear post-rain sunlight as it brazenly parked at her home's entrance.

Her first thought was that the "fake foreign devil" had come to settle scores over the gum.

That couldn't be. It was just a piece of gum!

The youth in the car calmly exited, long legs even more striking reflected in the rain-washed ground.

Glancing sideways, Xu Jianing's gaze lazily fell upon Lin ChuSui by the door.

The two looked at each other for three seconds, both cursing internally at the same time.

...

The "fake foreign devil" had transferred back from Britain. After staying at his own home for half a month, he was moving into Lin ChuSui's place. His belongings filled up three large suitcases.

Mrs. Fang had prepared the biggest room on the second floor for this "stepbrother" of convenience, even adding a small study.

Leaning against the doorframe, Lin ChuSui expressionlessly watched him unpack.

Though he had a lot of stuff, everything was packed tidily like tofu cubes.

Unlike her, tossing clothes and dresses every which way when packing.

"Uncle Xu's son?"

"Mm."

"Have an ID?"

Xu Jianing paused, then took out his passport from between his schoolbag's pages and handed it to her.

Like a responsible landlord, she scrutinized Xu Jianing's passport closely.

The photo showed a still quite boyish Xu Jianing, dressed properly like a British gentleman. He was clearly someone raised with good manners...a "fake foreign devil."

Though the two found each other annoying, they pretended polite courtesy as housemates.

Xu Jianing said, "Your mom wants me to tutor you since your grades are poor."

Chewing gum provocatively, Lin ChuSui retorted, "My grades are fine."

Xu Jianing's gaze calmly landed on her 90-point math test paper on the desk.

"They're good all right." His tone clearly held disdain.

Lin ChuSui asked again, "I hear your grades are pretty good. Confident you'll rank first for the high school entrance exam that's out soon?"

"It won't deviate far from a perfect score." Xu Jianing's tone carried innate arrogance.

She gave a disdainful twist of her lips, blowing a bubble with the gum.

"Oh."

Aren't you impressive.

"Where's the bathroom?" Xu Jianing asked.

"End of the hall outside."

Lin ChuSui moved aside to let him pass. As he walked by, she even caught a whiff of his light masculine cologne.

She muttered under her breath, "Fake foreign devil pretty boy."

Perhaps overhearing her, Xu Jianing slammed the bathroom door forcefully as he entered, venting his emotions.

Never one to back down either, Lin ChuSui went to the door and yelled, "If you break anything in this house, you'll pay full price as compensation!"

Still so cocky in someone else's home.

After a long pause, Xu Jianing's low, suppressed voice came: "Why is there a photo of a man in the bathroom?"

"That's my dad."

"Why did you put your dad's photo...in the bathroom?"

"None of your business." Lin ChuSui grumbled as she left, "Use it or get out. Public restrooms are out the door and left around the block."

...

Lin ChuSui locked herself in her room, lying on the bed playing iPad. Right then, her class WeChat group became lively.

The rankings for their high school entrance exam had just been announced in the group, spurring heated discussion:

"That new transfer Xu Jianing is so awesome!"

"Full marks in English? What the heck! The only perfect score in the whole school!"

"Math is just 5 points off either. He's unreal."

Lin ChuSui repeatedly confirmed they were discussing that "Xu Jianing" currently constipated in her bathroom staring at her dad's memorial...the "fake foreign devil."

She rolled her eyes, but also saw classmates say:

"First place, Xu Jianing has reserved it."

"No, he's second place."

"What! Even though it's like this, he's second place? Then who's first place?"

"Xiao Yan."

When this name came out, the whole group was quiet for ten seconds.

Lin ChuSui felt this name was a little familiar, but didn't have any special impression.

Perhaps it was just a top student in their grade who was well-known, so it's natural to feel familiar.

...

The next day, Lin ChuSui had just arrived at school when she and several classmates who ranked near the bottom were called to the class teacher's office.

Teacher Qin wore black-framed glasses, a dark short-sleeved plaid shirt tucked into his trousers. His belt was very shiny, and his leather shoes were also very shiny and clean.

Teacher Qin was a senior teacher transferred from the Provincial National Key Middle School last semester. He had extremely high requirements for students and was also very strict.

"Rotten mud cannot support the wall!"

"With grades like these, you still want to take the college entrance exam? You might as well roast yourselves!"

He held the student ranking list and mercilessly poked the heads of the students in front of him one by one.

Lin ChuSui was the only girl, so he skipped over her, glaring fiercely at her: "Lin ChuSui, it's quite impressive that you got this score in math."

"Right?"

"9 points." Teacher Qin angrily shook the test paper: "Even if I closed my eyes and wrote with my feet, I'd get more than 9 points!"

Lin ChuSui shrugged: "I should have actually gotten 27 points. Mainly the last big question, the math teacher directly deducted me to negative points."

"It's possible to deduct to negative points?"

Her classmate Lu Chi next to her said with a laugh: "For the last big question she didn't know how to do, she wrote a poem praising the teacher instead."

Teacher Qin was so angry his hair was about to stand up: "You wrote a poem on the math test paper?"

Lu Chi was amused by the situation and added more fuel to the fire: "It was even a flattering poem singing praises!"

"Lin ChuSui, bring your parents to school tomorrow!"

Lin ChuSui said helplessly: "My mom went to the Scandinavian Peninsula for a honeymoon with my stepdad."

Teacher Qin had a bad temper. Seeing her unconcerned attitude, as if she's fearless, he blurted out: "Your mom's on her honeymoon, so your dad is dead?"

As soon as these words came out, the few boys around them fell silent at the same time, and the air froze for several seconds.

The temple on Lin ChuSui's forehead pulsed as her face gradually darkened.

Teacher Qin had only taken over their class for less than half a year and didn't know about Lin ChuSui's circumstances. He kept chattering: "Bring your dad over in the afternoon!"

Finally a classmate couldn't stand to listen anymore, and said in a low voice: "Teacher Qin, Lin ChuSui's father has already..."

Just then, there was a knock on the office door. A teenager wearing a black T-shirt walked in.

When Xiao Yan entered, the morning sun happened to shine through the window and landed on his fair, clean skin.

The sunlight shone into his deep, dark eyes, making them clear and pure.

"Teacher, you were looking for me?"

THIS LIGHT NOVEL IS NOT MINE. I AM A BIG FAN OF LIGHT NOVELS. I READ AND TRANSLATE THEM DURING MY FREE TIME. IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT AUTHOR-NIMS NOVEL PLEASE DO GO SUPPORT AUTHOR-NIM.

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Chapter 2

Xiao Yan walked into the office, treading on the fragmented morning sunlight.

"Teacher, you were looking for me?"

He had short black hair and a tall forehead, exhibiting a somewhat aloof temperament. His sleeves were rolled up to the cuffs, revealing faintly cold and pale skin.

Compared to the listless slackers in the office, he was like a gust of summer wind, refreshing and clean.

When passing by Lin ChuSui, his gaze lingered on her for a moment, like a snowflake falling into the palm - melting swiftly without a trace.

Lin ChuSui, however, felt a trace of strangeness arise in her heart.

Seeing Xiao Yan enter, Teacher Qin beamed with delight. "Xiao Yan, please take a seat."

The hopeless boys all widened their eyes, watching as Xiao Yan sat down by the desk. Teacher Qin personally poured him a glass of water.

"Although you're not in our class, you did exceptionally well in the entrance exam this semester!"

"Our senior class will be reorganized into Class A and B. I will be taking Class B."

"Although I just joined No.1 Middle School last year, I've led senior classes in National Key Middle School for over ten years. Naturally I'm more experienced than Teacher Xu in Class A. During reorganization, if you're willing to trust me, Class B...will certainly welcome you."

It was apparent he was aggressively poaching.

How shameless.

Teacher Xu of Class A was young and capable, well-liked by students and valued by the principal.

Who would've thought Teacher Qin would be so unabashed in poaching his students.

Seeing Xiao Yan's composure, Teacher Qin went on, "Although our Class B's average is lower than Class A, our class excels in passion and liveliness! With a warmer class atmosphere. I believe you'll also feel the warmth of a big family in our class."

The boys from the sports team beside Lin ChuSui started snickering.

"Yeah, come to our class and feel the family warmth!"

"Come, let Daddy love you!"

"Grandpa will love you too!"

...

Teacher Qin flung his cup at them. The hopeless boys dodged aside, still wearing wicked grins.

Clearly Class B was a den of jackals and tigers, just try it if you dare.

Teacher Qin's hand shook with anger. "When the reorganization is finalized, I'll kick you punks out first! A few rat turds that spoil the porridge! Goof around in the ordinary classes, don't mess up my honors class! Get lost!"

He chased them out of the office.

The boys left whooping and hollering, going off to play basketball.

"Let's go, Bro Chu, shoot some hoops."

Lin ChuSui hesitated, glancing back at the office.

Teacher Qin was still aggressively digging for that "cornerstone".

In the midst of their conversation, Xiao Yan inadvertently turned his gaze toward Lin ChuSui.

Their eyes collided in that unfamiliar moment.

Yet in his dark eyes, Lin ChuSui strangely sensed a hint of familiarity.

Maybe she was imagining it, but she felt his eyes flickered lightly.

Lin ChuSui looked away, sauntering off the campus with the boys to the field.

...

Ever since Father Lin passed away, Lin ChuSui's grades plummeted. Fortunately her athletic performance was decent, so she joined the school team, spending her days playing basketball and running track.

Only in the sweat and exertion of running could she temporarily forget that unfillable void.

Amongst the rambunctious boys on the team looking for fun and fights, Lin ChuSui blended right in, growing more reckless by the day.

To these students taking the athletics exam, honors and ordinary classes made no difference. As long as they could fool around, who cared.

Lin ChuSui wasn't in the mood to play basketball. She sat below the hoop on the rubberized playground, gazing at the backlit senior building in the distance.

She felt stifled.

She didn't want to really be kicked out of Class B into an ordinary class.

Should she...go plead with Teacher Qin?

If the teacher was determined to expel her, begging would be useless, only losing face.

Saving face was everything to kids their age. She didn't want to be relentlessly mocked by her buddies for the rest of senior year.

Lying on the ground, Lin ChuSui felt exasperated.

She didn't want to leave Class B for any particular reason.

In 10th grade when she placed in the top thirty of her year and entered Class B, Father Lin had been so happy he took her riding around the lake after midnight.

"Our little darling is so capable! As expected of my genes."

Father Lin always called her his little darling.

Facing the empty lake he declared, "Our little darling is the smartest girl in the world!"

Later, as a reward he secretly spent a month's wages behind Mother's back to gift her a high-quality noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset.

Leaning against the hoop, Lin ChuSui closed her eyes. As melodious music flowed from the headset:

"The two of us cycling, your embrace pressed against my back. Reluctant to part, wanting to hold you tighter. Life seems like a barren wilderness."

Her eyes welled up with sorrow.

It had been two years. Mother finally emerged from the gloom of widowhood, starting to reconsider career and relationships. Grandma and Grandpa also moved past the grief of losing their son, joining a seniors hiking club and beginning new lives.

This was all really good.

But...

The whole world had let go, only she stubbornly clung to Father's empty sleeve, refusing to release her grip.

Her path in life had gone completely astray, into a mess Father would never have wished to see.

Yet all Lin ChuSui wanted by acting out was for him to come back, to severely reprimand her, even beat her.

She still hadn't accepted that Father was gone for good.

...

Just then, Lin ChuSui's good friend Lu Chi rushed onto the field and sat down beside her, roughly yanking off her headset.

"I'm fucking losing it!"

Lin ChuSui lazily glanced at him. "Go straight down this road two kilometers, South City Psychiatric Hospital welcomes you."

Lu Chi ignored her sarcasm. "Since when did you and Xiao Yan hook up?"

"I hooked up with who?"

"Xiao Yan!" Lu Chi said mysteriously, "Do you know what he just said in the office?"

"What did he say?"

"Wasn't Teacher Qin trying to secretly poach him?" Lu Chi had a meaningful expression. "Then guess what he said."

"If you keep dragging it out, I'll lose interest in knowing."

Lu Chi gripped Lin ChuSui's shoulders excitedly. "He said, he'd join Class B, on the condition that Lin ChuSui stays!"

Lin ChuSui: "?"

"Can you imagine Teacher Qin's face then!"

Lin ChuSui: "Like he wanted to strangle me?"

"Bingo!" Lu Chi vividly described, "Teacher Qin's face...was as hideous as my sister on her period!"

Lin ChuSui: "..."

"That guy's truly...abnormally intelligent. And not a good sort."

Lu Chi sat beside Lin ChuSui, clicking his tongue in amazement. "A top babe in 10th grade. Such a good and beautiful girl, fair-skinned with a sweet voice. When another girl confessed to him last week, after chatting a minute she cried for two weeks straight."

Lin ChuSui interrupted, "What's his name again?"

"Xiao Yan."

"Xiao Yan, medicine?"

"Who cares what his name is." Lu Chi held Lin ChuSui's shoulders with gravity. "I can't believe you seduced the diabolical top student in our grade. I'm truly convinced!"

Lin ChuSui picked up the basketball about to whip it at him. Lu Chi raised his hand to block, chuckling "Bro Chu, you're awesome!"

Too lazy to bother with him, she headed straight back to the classroom building.

...

Xiao Yan walked out of class carrying a cup, going to the water dispenser in the hallway.

From the end stairwell, Lin ChuSui sauntered over cradling a basketball, coming upon him in the narrow hallway.

He filled his cup, sleeves rolled up to reveal a lovely pale wrist.

Lin ChuSui raised her brows, taking off her Bluetooth headset and tucking it in her bag, as if deliberately seeking him out.

Seeing she had something to say, Xiao Yan also removed his white earbuds.

The cord draped elegantly over his shoulders, slender neck pulsing with veins, hint of collarbone under the thin tee.

Lin ChuSui stared at him for a good while, then awkwardly averted her gaze.

Damn, she was actually feeling a little shy.

No wonder the top girl confessed to him, his eyes were angel-kissed!

Lin ChuSui cleared her throat. "Hey you, what's your deal?"

His eyes flickered amusement. "What?"

"Why did you say...that to Teacher Qin?"

"Say what?"

"That...the condition for you transferring to Class B is me staying."

Somehow, Lin ChuSui felt embarrassed.

Xiao Yan walked over holding his cup. Leaning in close to her ear, his clear magnetic voice dipped lower. "When did I ever say that?"

Lin ChuSui's eyes flew wide open as her cheeks flushed deep red. "You...didn't say it?"

That bastard Lu Chi!

Making up nonsense to fool her, and she actually believed it!

How humiliating!

Besides, she didn't even know this guy. What was he after by claiming to secretly admire her? Her pitiful math score of 9 points?

Lin ChuSui stomped her feet and turned to leave.

"Hey."

Behind her, the boy's lilting voice called out.

Lin ChuSui looked back. "Anything else?"

"I heard you only got 9 points in math."

"Yeah, so what?"

Xiao Yan took a sip of water, passing by Lin ChuSui. His lowered voice held a challenging edge.

"Aren't you afraid your dad...will beat you to death?"

Chapter 3

Class B was located on the third floor in the center of the senior high school building. Teacher Qin had specifically chosen this classroom based on feng shui principles.

Lu Chi swore that he heard Xiao Yan say he could transfer to Class B on the condition that Lin ChuSui stayed.

"If I'm lying, may I be plagued by sleep paralysis tonight!"

Lin ChuSui was skeptical. After all, Lu Chi had been her friend since childhood and wouldn't make things up out of nowhere.

"Then why doesn't he admit it?"

"He's shy, of course."

"He doesn't seem like a shy person."

At their first encounter, his imposing manner had almost made Lin ChuSui kneel down and call him daddy.

"Do you know how popular the genius Xiao Yan is?" Lu Chi came over and sat next to her. "Let me tell you, my ex-girlfriend makes a post about her endless love and admiration for him every night now."

Lin ChuSui lazily glanced at him. "Why don't you just block this ex?"

Lu Chi said, "That would make me seem petty. I'm just waiting to see her get rejected and cry over Xiao Yan."

Lin ChuSui: "..."

Zhang Cheng Yu, a geeky tech expert, quickly looked up information on Xiao Yan.

"Orphan, genius, prestigious family, organ transplant, fire... His life has been full of twists and turns, like a TV drama."

Lin ChuSui said, "Octopus, can you say that in words us losers can understand?"

"Let me explain," Lu Chi gave a simple account. "He's an orphan who was adopted by a well-connected family years ago. They had a son with liver cancer who needed a transplant. And Xiao Yan happened to have the rare panda blood type..."

Lin ChuSui was drawn into this melodramatic story. "It's not what I'm thinking, right...?"

Lu Chi said, "It's exactly what you're thinking. That family took him abroad, removed part of his liver, and used it to save their son's life."

"Damn."

"Two years later, that family's house caught fire, and only Xiao Yan survived."

"He...did it?"

Lu Chi calmly continued, "No one knows if he started the fire, but he was the only one home at the time."

"Why would he do that?"

"There was a lot of cash hidden in his adoptive parents' home, you know." Lu Chi meaningfully said, "After the fire, they couldn't cover it up anymore. Xiao Yan's adoptive father was brought to court and given a suspended death sentence. It made headlines in Nan City for days back then."

Zhang Cheng Yu remarked: "Badass."

Lu Chi said, "He is badass, but also utterly ruthless—bearing it for so many years, willing to stake his life, and personally sending his adoptive dad to stand trial."

Having said this, they both looked at Lin ChuSui sympathetically—

You've caught the eye of a "monster."

Soon, the upbeat class advisor Teacher Qin walked into the classroom, followed by a clean-cut boy in a white shirt.

Lin ChuSui recognized him as the "fake foreigner" Xu Jia Ning.

As soon as he entered, the girls in class seemed to sense it and lifted their heads in unison, staring straight at him. Their eyes glowed with the predatory light of youthful desire.

"Let me introduce the new transfer student who tested into our Class B—Xu Jia Ning. Welcome him, everyone."

Before Teacher Qin had even finished speaking, thunderous applause almost blew the roof off.

Especially Lu Tian Bai in the front row next to Lin ChuSui, whose clapping sounded like gongs.

"Hello everyone, I'm Xu Jia Ning. I transferred from Eton College. I'm very happy to study with you all in the future. I have many interests, all related to music. I can play guitar and piano. Let's play together in the future."

No one knew what "Eton College" was, but they felt it must be impressive.

Leaning against the desk behind her, Lin ChuSui asked Zhang Cheng Yu, "Where's this guy from?"

Zhang Cheng Yu whispered, "Based on the pronunciation, it should be Eton College."

Lin ChuSui quickly looked it up on her phone—

Eton College, the most famous aristocratic boarding school in the UK, unmatched in its reputation for fostering "gentlemanly culture" and being an "elite cradle." It had produced over 20 British Prime Ministers.

She put her phone down and curled her lip.

Wow, crazy prestigious.

Teacher Qin let Xu Jia Ning choose an empty seat in the front row. The girls tidied up the spots next to them, and some even wanted to mercilessly kick out their current deskmates to make room for Xu Jia Ning.

But Xu Jia Ning didn't look at them.

Maintaining a veneer of British courtesy, he seemed aloof and detached.

Xu Jia Ning walked straight to the empty desk beside Lin ChuSui. Seeing this, she quickly shoved her bag onto the neighboring desk, indicating, "Sorry, this seat's taken."

Xu Jia Ning sat directly in the spot behind Lin ChuSui, becoming deskmates with Lu Chi. In a low voice, he murmured, "Narcissus."

Lin ChuSui frowned and glanced back at him.

He sat down, held out his hands, and looked straight at her.

She knew this "fake foreigner" must be cursing her, but she didn't understand what he meant. She could only swallow this silent grievance.

Just then, Xiao Yan also strode into Class B.

Wearing a black T-shirt and carrying a black single-strap backpack, his aura was completely different from Xu Jia Ning's.

While Xu Jia Ning was like a gentle summer breeze, Xiao Yan was like a sheer cliff face sculpted by the wind—reserved yet brimming with hidden edge.

As he entered the classroom, the other students' eyes bulged.

As if Xu Jia Ning wasn't enough, now Xiao Yan was here too.

With the top students from their grade gathered here, Teacher Qin's Class B could now summon the dragon.

Teacher Qin grinned from ear to ear. As expected, good hoes reap good harvests, no matter the field.

"Xiao Yan, please introduce yourself to your classmates."

Xiao Yan had been about to find a seat, but paused at Teacher Qin's words—

"My name is Xiao Yan."

The classroom was silent for a few seconds as the students stared blankly, seemingly expecting more.

He didn't seem to have prepared anything else. Seeing everyone still waiting, he added expressionlessly, "Ranked first in the grade."

"..."

How arrogant.

When choosing a seat, Xiao Yan's gaze naturally landed on Lin ChuSui. He walked over to her.

She watched helplessly as he put his backpack on the desk next to hers.

Somewhat shocked.

Teacher Qin had long suspected they were secretly dating, but didn't expect Xiao Yan to be so blatant.

As a teacher who strictly prohibited all youthful romances, he immediately said, "Xiao Yan, do you want to sit in front? Those rascals in the back row are failing miserably. Especially Lin ChuSui—she's quite unruly and might affect your studies."

Xiao Yan looked at Lin ChuSui. The corners of his lips quirked up. "I want to sit here."

At these words, not only Teacher Qin, but even Xu Jia Ning in the back lifted his gaze to look at Xiao Yan.

Lu Chi swore under his breath about a certain plant.

This guy is really arrogant.

Teacher Qin couldn't be too harsh with Xiao Yan, the ace student he'd finally dug up. Offending him could damage his self-esteem.

There would be time to slowly resolve the puberty issues between male and female students.

"Then...go ahead and get influenced...I mean, go ahead and help the poor students with their studies."

"Mm."

Under Teacher Qin's doubtful gaze, Lin ChuSui's heart raced as she whispered, "We're strangers, so why target me?"

Xiao Yan smiled slightly. "I heard you're not doing well in school."

"So?"

"It just so happens my grades are decent."

"So?!"

"I'm a deskmate happy to help."

Lin ChuSui: "..."

You're not happy to help, you're happy to kill me.

Xiao Yan put his bag in the drawer, then took out a set of math exercises and started working on them.

She couldn't help glancing at him again.

He had beautiful hands—slender fingers and prominent knuckles. His fair skin made the blue veins on the back clearly visible.

Nice looking hands.

Lin ChuSui looked at her own hands—small and chubby, with a tender puffiness. Not very slender.

She heaved a faint sigh.

"Lin ChuSui."

Xiao Yan suddenly called her name while doing exercises, startling her.

His tone made her think her dad was back!

"Wha...What!"

"Take out your math test paper."

"Huh?"

"That math test where you only got 9 points. Take it out."

It took Lin ChuSui a moment to react. She took out the crumpled test paper from her drawer.

Xiao Yan accepted the wrinkled paper and carefully looked over it, checking the questions she got right and the large swaths she had left blank. His straight brows knitted together.

"It's not that you have academic problems, but ideological ones."

Xiao Yan's slender fingertip tapped the last question on the test. "Why are you writing poetry on your math test?"

Lin ChuSui was completely cowed by his solemn expression and tone. She was so nervous she almost knelt down and called him daddy.

After a stunned moment, Lin ChuSui reacted—

Who the hell do you think you are!

She snatched back her test paper. "It's none of your business if I write poetry or not!"

He glanced at Lin ChuSui's math test again and reminded, "Writing poetry and sucking up won't make your teacher deduct points."

Lin ChuSui looked at him. "Any suggestions, Mr. Genius?"

Xiao Yan's fingertip tapped her acrostic suck-up poem. "You wrote the math teacher's name as the Chinese teacher's name."

Lin ChuSui: ?

She hurriedly checked the math teacher's name in her textbook.

She really had written the wrong name!

For the rest of class, Lin ChuSui regretted messing up the teachers' names and brown-nosing the wrong one.

After class, she sidled up to Xiao Yan and asked, "Are you good at English, Mr. Genius?"

"Not bad."

"What does Narcissus mean?" Lin ChuSui clumsily spelled out what Xu Jia Ning had called her earlier.

"What?"

"Nar-cis-sus."

Xiao Yan blinked his long lashes.

"'Narcissus' narcissisted to death?"

"Are you sure it's the same word?" Lin ChuSui slumped over her desk. "Ranked first yet can't even understand 'Narcissus narcissisted to death.'"

Just then, Xu Jia Ning's crisp British accent came from behind her. "She said Narcissus."

Lin ChuSui whipped around to glare furiously at him.

Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "Narcissus, daffodil, also means self-obsessed."

Lin ChuSui did not understand: "Why does daffodil mean self-obsessed?"

"It comes from Greek mythology. Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. He was very handsome but spurned all admirers. He spent his days pining at his own reflection in the water, eventually falling in love with himself and dying from melancholy, turning into the daffodil flower. In English contexts, daffodils are used to describe self-obsession."

"..."

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's explanation, Lin ChuSui was very angry. She turned around and with a "bang" flipped Xu Jia Ning's desk. "You're the self-obsessed one, you fake foreign devil!"

Xu Jia Ning was doing homework and couldn't be bothered to respond to her. He didn't expect this girl to be so feisty, continuously shoving his desk.

Unable to endure it any longer, he stood up and said to Lin ChuSui: "Try that again if you dare."

"Oh? The fake foreign devil isn't pretending to be a gentleman anymore?" Lin ChuSui also stood up and shoved his desk again forcefully.

Xu Jia Ning also stood up, grabbing her slender wrist: "I don't bicker with women, but don't go too far."

Just as Lin ChuSui was about to retaliate, another stronger hand reached over, clasping Xu Jia Ning's wrist and twisting hard.

Xu Jia Ning's wrist was wrenched out of shape, releasing Lin ChuSui. The pain made his eyebrows furrow.

Xiao Yan's eyes as dark as the abyss stared at him, his low voice full of threat—

"Don't-Touch-Her."