Chapter 018

Meng Li nodded. “I won’t cause trouble at school.”

Principal Cao cleared her throat. “It’s best not to cause any trouble even after you leave. I really don’t understand what’s going on with kids these days…”

With nothing else to add, Principal Cao said all she needed to say and stood up, leading Meng Li to the teacher’s office. She took her to a male teacher who was wearing glasses and handed her over to him.

This male teacher’s surname was Wang, and his full name was Wang Chaohai. He was the homeroom teacher for Class 5 of the senior year.

He took Meng Li from the principal, gave her a set of books, and then led her to the classroom.

On the way to the classroom, Wang Chaohai kept talking to Meng Li. “You should know that our school is different from other schools in Beijing. Our students are here to study seriously. It’s fine if you don’t do well in your studies, but you must follow the school rules.”

Meng Li followed behind him, nodding repeatedly. “I understand, Teacher Wang.”

Wang Chaohai had initially expected Meng Li to be a difficult student, but to his surprise, she listened attentively to everything he said. He was slightly taken aback. Once the surprise wore off, he didn’t say much more and simply led her into the classroom.

Inside, he asked her to give a brief self-introduction before assigning her to an empty seat at the back of the room.

The desks were arranged in pairs, with one seat left vacant beside hers.

Meng Li sat down, slid her books into the desk compartment, and quietly let out a breath.

Once again, she found herself in an entirely unfamiliar environment. Instinctively, she took a quiet glance around, carefully observing everything.

Compared to the classrooms she had been in before her time travel, this one, aside from the neatly arranged desks and the same-aged classmates, was drastically different in many ways.

However, compared to the school the original owner attended, this one was slightly better.

Everything in the classroom was somewhat old, with no teaching equipment to speak of—just a three-foot podium and a blackboard with a chalk holder. Forget about air conditioning or fans; even the windows, meant to let in air, were made from wavy iron bars welded together.

Meng Li quietly observed the surroundings, then withdrew her gaze, sitting quietly at her desk.

Having traveled to this time, she knew she would need to adapt to everything here, and she was mentally prepared for that.

In addition to being prepared for the school’s conditions, Meng Li was also mentally ready for the attitudes of the teachers and students. She knew about her reputation outside, so she was aware that the students would avoid her.

Before her time travel, she had been a good student and a well-behaved girl. She would also steer clear of people like the school bullies, as mentioned by her classmates.

If she wasn’t in the same circle, it was best not to get involved.

Because she was mentally prepared, Meng Li didn’t mind the attitude others showed toward her.

After all, she was here to study, not to make friends.

With this peaceful mindset, Meng Li sat quietly at the back of the classroom for a long while, listening to the lesson and reading her books. She didn’t actively try to talk to the students in the front rows.

She feared that if she tried to talk to anyone, they might just shake their heads and ignore her.

She stayed seated until it was time for the lunch break, when school let out, and it was time to head to the cafeteria.

Cuihua Middle School had its own cafeteria, mainly for teachers and students who lived far from the school.

Meng Li packed up her textbooks and left the classroom alone, heading toward the cafeteria.

It was only on the way there that she realized, belatedly, that Luo Yongmei and Shao Jun from her courtyard seemed to be in the same class as her.

However, thinking about how Luo Yongmei and Shao Jun had treated her in the past, Meng Li didn’t bother to greet them and just pretended not to see them.

They were never in the same circle, so what was the point of trying to build a relationship?

While Meng Li hadn’t particularly paid attention to Luo Yongmei and Shao Jun throughout the morning in class, they, on the other hand, had noticed her from the moment she walked into the classroom.

When Meng Li introduced herself, they couldn’t help but take notice.

The moment they saw her enter, both of them were somewhat surprised. They hadn’t expected her to actually come to Cuihua Middle School.

It wasn’t until lunchtime, when they all went to the cafeteria, that they finally had a chance to discuss it.

Luo Yongmei stirred the rice in her aluminum lunchbox and quietly said to Shao Jun, “I can’t believe he actually came. It’s so strange. There’s only half a year left until graduation. Why did he come here? Wouldn’t it have been better for him to live freely for the last few months at his old school?”

Shao Jun’s voice was also quiet. “Isn’t it strange? He even seriously listened to the class for half a day. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but it’s not really our business. But don’t you think he’s becoming… well…”

Shao Jun frowned as he tried to think, his expression showing a certain indescribable disgust. He looked at Luo Yongmei and said, “He’s becoming… so girly. I heard he’s been using some winter cream all winter break to soften his skin. Just looking at his face gives me the chills.”

“Pfft…”

Luo Yongmei laughed. “That’s true.”

As she spoke, her gaze casually drifted, and suddenly, her eyes met Meng Li’s, who was sitting not far away.

It was hard to avoid feeling guilty when gossiping behind someone’s back. Luo Yongmei quickly wiped the smile off her face, not leaving a trace of it, and lowered her head to eat.

On the other side, Meng Li, who had inadvertently made eye contact with Luo Yongmei, noticed that she quickly wiped the smile off her face and lowered her head. She didn’t look at Luo Yongmei or Shao Jun any longer, returning her gaze to her own meal. After finishing her lunch, she walked around the school for a bit.

She told herself it was to familiarize herself with the surroundings, but the main reason was to find a place to take care of her personal needs.

In order to disguise herself as a boy, Meng Li hadn’t drunk much water in the morning and had avoided using the school’s bathroom.

After strolling around the area near the school, she found a residential building.

Since most adults were at work and children were at school during the day, there were almost no people in the building.

Meng Li sneaked into the building and found an empty restroom on the second floor. After taking care of her personal needs, she came out.

She didn’t head straight back to school afterward. Instead, she found a sunny spot and lay down to rest for a while.

Once she had rested enough, she returned to school in the afternoon and continued listening to the lessons in the classroom.

Meng Li had attended all the morning classes, and she realized that the content the teachers were covering was all stuff she already knew. So, in the afternoon, she didn’t have the patience to pay attention to the lessons anymore. The teachers were aware of her behavior, and as long as she didn’t disrupt the class, they didn’t bother with her.

Without any pressure, Meng Li felt at ease reading her own books.

With no one disturbing her, the feeling wasn’t bad at all.

She quietly read through an entire class. During the break, Meng Li rested her head on the desk for a while.

When the bell for the next class rang, she straightened up and got ready to continue.

The second class was History, taught by the homeroom teacher, Wang Chaohai.

Wang Chaohai entered the classroom and stood at the podium, but he didn’t immediately open the textbook.

After greeting the class and waiting for everyone to settle down, he pushed up his glasses and began, “This morning, we had a new student join the class, and now, in the afternoon, another one has arrived. Let’s all welcome them.”

After speaking, Wang Chaohai turned toward the door of the classroom, as if signaling someone to come in.

Three seconds later, a tall boy walked in.

The boy was wearing bright-colored military attire, and his backpack was not properly slung over his shoulder; instead, he was holding it by the straps in his hand.

He stood at the door and casually said, “Ji Chen, I look forward to getting along with all of you.”

Before Meng Li could hear the name “Ji Chen,” the moment she saw his face, she froze, her eyes wide in shock.

Quickly, she raised her history textbook and held it in front of her face to shield herself.