Chapter 019

Since the last time they spoke, Meng Li hadn’t seen Ji Chen for several days.

She thought that they would probably never cross paths again, but to her surprise, they ended up in the same class after she transferred.

Was it really fate, like two magnets pulling them together?

The moment she recognized Ji Chen, Meng Li didn’t join the other students in gossiping. Instead, she hid behind her book, burying her head.

She couldn’t see him, but she clearly heard his voice. “Where should I sit?”

Wang Chaohai adjusted his glasses, raised his hand, and pointed toward the empty seat beside Meng Li. “Over there.”

Then, he looked at Ji Chen and said, “You’ll all be classmates from now on. Get along well.”

Ji Chen didn’t respond. Without a word, he strode toward the empty desk in the back row, his expression unreadable—displeased, even, as if he had been forced to attend this school.

When he reached the desk, he gave the chair a light kick before sitting down with an air of indifference. He made no move to take out any books.

Out of the corner of her eye, Meng Li saw that Ji Chen had sat next to her, and her nerves tightened even more.

She thought to herself—crossing paths in the same class wasn’t enough, now they had to be desk mates??

What kind of fateful misfortune was this??

However, Meng Li could understand Ji Chen’s current behavior. Both of them were used to mixing in society, prominent figures in their own circles. Who didn’t get called “bro” or “sir” wherever they went?

Now, they were stuck in this school, surrounded by a bunch of simpletons. How could they possibly feel comfortable?

Meng Li felt at ease because, after all, she was never someone important or influential.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the outside world, she found it easier to adjust to the quiet, uncomplicated life at school.

But now that she had run into Ji Chen, things were bound to become less ordinary.

As the saying goes, “Enemies meet, and their eyes turn red.”

Because of this, Meng Li never put down the book she was using to cover her face.

It was class time, and she didn’t want to face Ji Chen just yet, especially not in the way one would face an enemy.

Meanwhile, Ji Chen seemed completely indifferent to everything in the classroom. He didn’t even glance at his desk mate. He was still irritated about being forced by his parents to come to this school with his living expenses, so he had no interest in anything else.

He had originally only had six months left before graduation to join the army, but because of the incident that happened at the end of the previous year, his parents forced him to transfer to this school. His parents had been temporarily reassigned to work in another city and couldn’t manage him, so they resorted to using his living expenses as a way to control him.

A carefree six months in the army was far more appealing than being stuck in school for six months. Any normal person would choose the former.

Who the hell owed anyone? Sitting in this damn school for half a year felt like being imprisoned.

To make matters worse, he had to pretend to be attending class properly, and now he had become the target of mockery for people like Zheng Hang and Xiao Jianguo.

They would often make fun of him, as if he had turned into a fool.

The tough guy from the fourth district of Jiucheng, suddenly having to sit obediently in a classroom?

Pfft…

The image was almost impossible to imagine.

After a moment of contemplation, Ji Chen let out a light sigh while sitting at his desk, as if he had resigned himself to his fate.

Not wanting to think about it any longer, Ji Chen began to observe his surroundings.

He swept his gaze across the entire classroom, glanced out the nearby window, and finally let his eyes rest on his desk mate sitting next to him. His attention was fully drawn to this student because, like a thief, the person kept hiding behind the textbook, blocking their face.

Ji Chen was already in a bad mood, and seeing his new desk mate acting like this only made him more irritated.

He reached out and tapped the desk next to him twice with his fingers, as if to say—who are you hiding from, like a fly?

Meng Li heard the sound of the desk being tapped, but she didn’t lower the book. She simply pretended not to hear.

She thought to herself that she could at least wait until after class, when things would be easier to handle.

But Ji Chen didn’t think that way. After tapping the desk and getting no response, his irritation only grew. Losing patience, he reached out and snatched the book from Meng Li’s hands.

Meng Li was startled by his sudden action and instinctively reached out to grab the book back.

But before her hand could even move, she heard Ji Chen blurt out a sharp exclamation, “Damn!”

The exclamation was loud and abrupt, echoing from the back of the classroom to the front.

Every student turned to look at Ji Chen and Meng Li, and even Wang Chaohai stopped his lecture, adjusting his glasses and staring at the two of them.

Meng Li lowered her head slightly, feeling the weight of all the eyes in the room on her.

In her mind, she silently thought—she also wanted to curse…

The classroom fell silent for a few seconds, until Wang Chaohai was the first to speak. “Please, some of you, pay attention to the classroom rules. If there’s something, let’s wait until after class to discuss it. Let’s continue with the lesson.”

Hearing Wang Chaohai’s words, the other students slowly turned back to face the front.

Ji Chen finally snapped back to reality. He tossed the book onto Meng Li’s desk and sat down, trying to calm himself.

Was this some kind of twisted fate?

He had transferred schools, and somehow they ended up in the same class again?

The last time, after she stood him up for a fight and they ran into each other on the street, Ji Chen had taken her fruit candy. Since then, he’d been plagued by some uncomfortable, strange thoughts. He had decided back then to keep his distance from her.

But now, here they were, desk mates?

Ji Chen sat quietly at his desk, not hearing a word of what Wang Chaohai was saying. He thought for a moment, then glanced sideways at Meng Li. He saw her sitting quietly beside him, and without meaning to, a thought crept into his mind—maybe this school transfer wasn’t so bad after all.

A surge of unexpected, uncontrollable lightness and amusement rose in his chest…

Ji Chen didn’t take his eyes off Meng Li’s face. After staring for a while, he found her profile to be delicate and beautiful. Her long eyelashes framed her eyes, and her skin had become much fairer and smoother than before.

She used to be pale, but with rough skin; now, her skin was soft and tender.

Ji Chen’s gaze traveled down, and he noticed the two hands emerging from the sleeves of her gray shirt. They were exceptionally fair, with slender fingers like scallions, the nails neatly trimmed. Everything about her gave off an air of cleanliness, elegance, and a delicate, soft charm.

It was obvious—she was looking more and more like a girl.

Meng Li, of course, knew Ji Chen was staring at her, as if he didn’t recognize her anymore.

Uncomfortable under his gaze, she quickly picked up the book and held it up, blocking his line of sight.

Ji Chen, lost in thought, was interrupted when the book cut off his view.

He paused for a moment, then withdrew his gaze and cleared his throat, looking toward Wang Chaohai at the front of the class, mentally telling himself—this guy was a man! Just like Wang Chaohai!

After adjusting his mindset, Ji Chen and Meng Li maintained their mutual indifference, each ignoring the other.

They had already agreed to keep their distance and mind their own business, and they stuck to it.

The whole afternoon passed without incident.

When the school bell rang signaling the end of the day, they packed their bags and went their separate ways.

Meng Li slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out to catch the bus.

Meanwhile, Ji Chen walked to the school gate, and after taking just a few steps, he spotted his group of friends.

Xiao Jianguo waved at him from a distance, and as Ji Chen walked closer, he teased, “So, how’s it going, Brother Chen? Is this school really as good as people say? Are you adjusting well?”

Ji Chen sneered. “Adjusting? Adjust your grandpa.”

Xiao Jianguo and the others burst into laughter, and one of them patted Ji Chen on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go. We’ll show you how to have some fun.”

As a few of them were getting into their bicycles, two more figures appeared in their line of sight.

Yu Sitian and Wan Hong came running toward them, pushing their bicycles. As soon as they reached the group, Yu Sitian eagerly asked, “Ji Chen, did you transfer to Cuihua High School?”

Before Ji Chen could respond, Xiao Jianguo grinned and answered for him, “Of course! From now on, you two will be schoolmates.”

Yu Sitian’s face lit up with a smile. “I’m in Class 4. What about you?”

Ji Chen replied casually, “Class 5.”

Yu Sitian’s smile widened. “So, you’re right next door to me.”

Ji Chen seemed uninterested in continuing the conversation.

At just the right moment, Zheng Hang spoke up, “Why are you guys reminiscing already? Let’s get going. We can talk on the way. My stomach’s about to collapse from hunger.”

The group didn’t stand around chatting any longer and quickly mounted their bicycles, riding side by side.

Ji Chen rode fast, often leaving the others behind.

At that moment, Xiao Jianguo caught up from behind and lowered his voice. “I think Yu Sitian is serious about you. You keep avoiding her—you’re really hurting that girl’s feelings. She’s a good girl. Why not just accept her?”

Ji Chen cast him a sideways glance. “I’m not blind. I just don’t feel anything for her. If you like her, go ahead and take her.”

Xiao Jianguo turned his head to look back, seeing Yu Sitian, Zheng Hang, and the others laughing and chatting.

After checking, he turned back to Ji Chen. “I would if I could, but she’s got to be willing.”

Before Ji Chen could respond, Xiao Jianguo looked at him again and asked, “Brother Chen, if you can’t even be bothered with someone like Yu Sitian, what kind of girl do you actually like?”

What kind of girl did he like?

Ji Chen thought for a moment, and suddenly, the image of that profile he saw this afternoon flashed through his mind.

In an instant, he quickly closed his eyes and shook his head.

Then, as if trying to cover up something, he said, “Anyway, I don’t like men.”

Xiao Jianguo: “??”

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Before Xiao Jianguo could process what just happened, Ji Chen had already left him a small distance behind.

Ji Chen didn’t slow down to wait for him, and Xiao Jianguo didn’t bother to pedal harder to catch up. He waited for Zheng Hang and the others to catch up, and they all continued on together.

Ji Chen continued riding along the road, letting the cold wind blow through his face, trying to clear the image that had just flashed in his mind.

But then, as his gaze shifted to the side, the person who had just been wiped from his thoughts appeared again in his line of sight.

“!! “

Internally, his emotions were turbulent, but on the surface, he remained as calm as ever.

Seeing Meng Li standing by the side of the road waiting for the bus, Ji Chen’s eyes briefly scanned her face, but he didn’t stop riding.

He rode past her without looking back.