Chapter 003

After arranging the seats, the head teacher asked everyone to come to the stage and introduce themselves in order from left to right.

Each student had their own personality. The lively and cheerful ones spoke at length, while the quiet and introverted ones barely said more than three sentences.

From the moment the first student came on stage, He Ye had been silently preparing her lines.

“Hello everyone, my name is Wu Yuanyuan. Wu as in Wu Sangui, and Yuan as in Chen Yuanyuan.”

He Ye, a little nervous as it was her turn next, was amused by her new deskmate’s introduction.

“Although my academic performance isn’t very good, I’m a very enthusiastic person. If you have any problems in the future, feel free to ask me for help. As the eighth from the bottom in our class, I will definitely rack my brains to answer them for you.”

The head teacher, who was drinking from a thermos cup, was taken aback.

Amid the good-natured laughter of the class, Wu Yuanyuan walked down from the podium and winked at He Ye encouragingly.

He Ye took her place on stage.

Before she could speak, a boy in the back row coughed loudly.

This was clearly a signal. The students turned their heads, and the head teacher looked suspiciously at Zhou Xiangming, who was faking a cough.

Zhou Xiangming touched his head innocently while everyone watched him. He said, “Sorry, my throat is uncomfortable. Please don’t worry about me. Continue with the introductions.”

He Ye, standing on stage, not only saw Zhou Xiangming but also had a clear view of Lu Jin sitting next to him.

He was wearing the same white T-shirt from their morning encounter. His head was slightly lowered, and he was holding a pen, seemingly working on some homework.

Zhou Xiangming, however, looked at her with a bright smile.

He Ye suddenly understood what Zhou Xiangming’s cough meant. He must have misunderstood something because Lu Jin had greeted her.

She subconsciously glanced at her good friend Zhu Qing, who was sitting in the first row.

As expected, Zhu Qing wore that “I knew it” smile again.

Disrupted by this unexpected incident, He Ye forgot her prepared speech and unconsciously mimicked Wu Yuanyuan’s introduction: “Hello everyone, my name is He Ye. He as in surname He, Ye as in shù yè (tree leaf)…”

As she spoke, Lu Jin raised his eyes and moved his foot away from Zhou Xiangming’s shoe.

The girl on stage didn’t know whether she was blushing because of Zhou Xiangming’s exaggerated cough or the awkward introduction. She announced her name and hurried off the stage.

“How thin-skinned.”

Zhou Xiangming leaned closer and shared his observations with Lu Jin.

Lu Jin said, “That’s good to know. Don’t tease her anymore in the future.”

Zhou Xiangming put on a mischievous face and said, “What’s wrong with teasing? What does it have to do with you?”

Lu Jin replied, “If you really want to talk about it, I was the one who introduced you to her. I don’t want her questioning my character because of you.”

Zhou Xiangming teased, “You’re so cruel. If you have the guts, pretend until next year’s college entrance exams.”

Lu Jin ignored him and continued watching other students introduce themselves.

Soon, it was their row’s turn.

Zhou Xiangming went first. Though he was usually nonchalant, he was also humorous when he spoke, easily attracting attention.

However, Lu Jin noticed that He Ye, who had been politely listening to others’ introductions, lowered her head to read a book when Zhou Xiangming walked past their seats.

Was she upset?

After Zhou Xiangming returned, Lu Jin left his seat.

He Ye was still reading, but when Lu Jin passed by her, her eyes couldn’t help but follow his white T-shirt for a few seconds.

In fact, it had nothing to do with Lu Jin. Their friends were overthinking it.

But the more this happened, the more He Ye wanted to prove that there was nothing between her and Lu Jin.

So, when Lu Jin was speaking, she also kept her head down.

“I’m Lu Jin. Lu from the dàlù(mainland), and Jin from Fengyanwangwujin. We’ll be classmates from now on. If you have any questions about studying, feel free to come to me.”

His cold features and clear voice gave him an air of aloofness, but his calm and polite manner was not as distant as the rumors suggested.

He Ye became even more convinced that Lu Jin’s proactive greetings were simply courtesy between classmates.

After Lu Jin finished speaking and walked back, He Ye was still reading without looking up.

Among the fifty-six students in the class, only Lu Jin and Zhou Xiangming were not noticed by her.

The culprit was still making eyes at him, “Why are you talking so much this year? In the past, you just gave your name, and that was it.”

Lu Jin took out an earphone and put it on the side, closer to his friend.

This year, the first day of school fell on a Sunday, so there were no self-study classes scheduled for the evening.

Before school ended in the evening, the class committee members and duty groups were assigned.

He Ye did not participate in the election for class leader. The duty groups were arranged according to student numbers. She was assigned to Group 1 and was responsible for classroom hygiene every Monday.

The leader of Group 1 was Lu Jin.

During the break, Lu Jin called the eight students in his group to the corridor to discuss the next day’s hygiene responsibilities.

“Who will take care of the green plants and handle the lights?”

This task was relatively easy. He Ye was tempted but felt too embarrassed to claim it.

“I really enjoy taking care of green plants,” Chen Xuan said with a smile, raising one hand.

Chen Xuan was the second highest student in the class.

No one contested her claim.

“Tidy up the podium and clean the indoor windowsills. We need one person for this.”

Wang Wenbin, the third male student who was shorter than He Ye, raised his hand.

“There are three people needed for cleaning the blackboard: one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one for morning and evening self-study. Who will take these tasks?”

He Ye lowered her eyes, indicating that she had no interest in this job.

She felt awkward taking on the simpler tasks but was not active enough to grab the more demanding ones.

The three boys glanced at each other and divided the tasks.

“We need one person to clean the floor and windowsill in the corridor outside.”

He Ye and a girl raised their hands almost simultaneously.

After a brief exchange of glances, He Ye said modestly, “You can take this one.”

The girl smiled sweetly and said, “Thank you, you’re welcome.”

He Ye thought this was a good solution. She wouldn’t have to patrol the corridor during breaks and could focus more on her reading.

Seeing that the tasks were being sorted out, Lu Jin looked at the list in his hand and said, “The remaining three people will be responsible for cleaning the floor after the evening self-study. I will mop the floor, and the rest of you will sweep it.”

He Ye was about to agree when another girl whispered, “It’s not fair for you to always mop the floor. Why don’t we take turns?”

He Ye felt uneasy; she still lacked confidence.

Lu Jin glanced at her and said, “It’s fine. I’m used to being the last one.”

After school, He Ye packed her schoolbag and went downstairs with Zhu Qing and Wu Yuanyuan.

Zhu Qing said, “It’s just the beginning of the school year, and I’m already feeling exhausted.”

Wu Yuanyuan replied, “Same here. If it weren’t for the discomfort of lying on the desk, I could have slept all afternoon.”

He Ye, who had reviewed the next day’s classes and completed the related exercises, cooperated and remained silent.

Zhu Qing asked, “Is Yuanyuan also a day student?”

Wu Yuanyuan answered, “Yes, it’s a pity that He Ye and I don’t live in the same neighborhood. She heads east, and I go west. Otherwise, we could be companions.”

Zhu Qing sighed, “I really envy you. My home is far away, so I have to live on campus.”

“It’s so nice to live on campus. I can go to bed earlier and get up later. I don’t have to worry about the weather. At most, I just have to use the bathroom.”

Suddenly, a boy interrupted from behind. The three girls turned around and saw Zhou Xiangming and Lu Jin.

It was obviously Zhou Xiangming who had interrupted.

He Ye quickly withdrew her gaze.

Zhu Qing retorted to Zhou Xiangming, “If it’s so great, why don’t you live on campus? You’re just being sarcastic.”

Zhou Xiangming replied, “My mother didn’t want to pay for accommodation and refused to help with the costs.”

Zhu Qing: …

She turned away angrily, but as they left the teaching building, she remembered something and turned back to ask Zhou Xiangming, “Why did you interrupt He Ye’s introduction on stage?”

Zhou Xiangming said, “What’s the problem? If your throat itches, can’t you just cough?”

Zhu Qing: …

He Ye said goodbye, “Let’s go get the bicycles.”

Zhu Qing knew that He Ye didn’t like this conversation, so she smiled and waved goodbye.

Zhou Xiangming asked, “Any more questions? If not, we’ll leave too.”

Zhu Qing glared at him fiercely and then looked at Lu Jin.

Lu Jin, carrying his schoolbag on one shoulder, had an indifferent expression, as if what had just happened was none of his concern.

“Well, did I act well just now? I didn’t betray you at all, did I?”

After throwing his schoolbag into the bicycle basket, Zhou Xiangming bent down to unlock his bike while seeking approval from Lu Jin.

Lu Jin maintained his indifferent demeanor.

Zhou Xiangming sneered.

The two rode out of campus and spotted He Ye just ahead, more than fifty meters away.

With so many students leaving school at the same time, He Ye’s figure appeared and disappeared within the crowd.

Unless there were special circumstances, girls usually didn’t ride very fast. Zhou Xiangming looked at Lu Jin, who was riding leisurely, and asked, “Why are you riding so slowly today?”

The two had been schoolmates since junior high and were always among the first to leave the rush hour after school.

Lu Jin replied, “Safety first.”

Zhou Xiangming: …

“You’re so stubborn. If you like someone, just say it directly. Who hasn’t liked someone during adolescence? It’s not shameful. What’s our relationship? Why are you acting like this?”

Lu Jin seemed not to hear.

As the distance from the school increased, the students on the road began to disperse.

A red light appeared ahead, so He Ye stopped.

When Lu Jin saw this, he also stopped by the roadside.

Zhou Xiangming’s eyes widened: “What are you doing? We’re still fifty meters away from the intersection. If we ride over there, the light will turn green!”

Lu Jin looked at He Ye’s back and said calmly, “Avoid suspicion.”

Zhou Xiangming didn’t quite understand: “You don’t want her to find out that you like her?”

Lu Jin: “I can’t say I like her.”

Zhou Xiangming: “What is it then? Taking the initiative to talk, deliberately riding slowly, and following someone—if it were you, these would be signs of being interested.”

Lu Jin looked at him for a moment and finally said, “You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

Zhou Xiangming: “No, tell me. I’ll definitely understand.”

Lu Jin smiled, looked ahead, and ignored him.

He Ye was unaware that the two boys were not far behind her. She simply rode forward, greeted her father at the supermarket entrance, and went home to prepare dinner.

“School started today. How was it? Did you get to know many people in your class?”

While eating the dinner He Ye brought, her father, He Yong, asked with concern.

He Ye: “Almost none. But Zhu Qing is in our class, and my new deskmate is also easy to get along with.”

He Yong: “That’s good. With Xiao Qing here, I won’t have to worry about you being bullied and having no one to help you.”

He Ye couldn’t help but respond: “You worry about this every year.”

He Yong: “You’re too honest. Dad is afraid you might suffer.”

He Ye: “I’m not that honest.”

She then told her father about the division of labor among the duty groups.

He Yong: “Your team leader seems like a very nice person. He volunteered to mop the floor. Nowadays, many children are spoiled and wouldn’t do that at home, unless they are as considerate as you.”

He Ye agreed that Lu Jin was indeed very selfless.

“What’s the team leader’s number?”

“Number one. He’s never ranked in the top five in the grade.”

“If you’re so talented, can you get into Tsinghua University or Peking University?”

He Ye nodded enviously. Based on the college entrance examination results from previous years at No. 2 Middle School, the top 30 students usually got into Peking University or Tsinghua University, and those within the top 50 had a good chance. The rest depended largely on luck.

Seeing his daughter’s mood shift from cheerful to uncertain, He Yong quickly added, “There’s still a year left. Let’s keep working hard. Maybe we can even make it into the top 50!”

He Ye told her father not to hold out too much hope, but she secretly encouraged herself.

Even if she didn’t aim for Peking University or Tsinghua University, there were still other prestigious universities. It was always a good idea to keep working hard!