Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian didn’t stay in Yunmengze for long; they had work at the research institute the next day.

Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu had to return to school that afternoon as their classes officially started that evening, with only one day off each week.

As Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian left, Cen Huaian followed them outside of Yunmengze, his brows furrowed with a look of longing in his eyes.

Though he was in high school, he was only twelve and a half, quite different from Zhang Lu, who was fifteen or sixteen.

He hadn’t grown up yet.

Chu Xia gently rubbed his head, “Mom and Dad are leaving now. If you miss us at school, just give us a call. If you’re not used to things or run into any problems, and your dad and I can’t get to you in time, you can go to your uncle.”

Jiang Zhida, who was standing next to them, hugged Cen Huaian and nodded, “Yes, if you miss home, come to Yunmengze. I’ll arrange leave for you.”

Chu Xia shot Jiang Zhida a look, “Dazi, don’t teach Anan things like that.”

“Mom, I won’t do that.”

Chu Xia, of course, trusted Cen Huaian, but not Jiang Zhida.

Cen Zhengnian patted Cen Huaian on the shoulder, saying, “Take care of yourself and study hard.”

“Mm,” Cen Huaian responded.

Zhang Lu, standing nearby, puffed out her chest and declared, “Uncle, Aunt, don’t worry. With me here, no one will bully An’an!”

Ever since Zhang Lu started learning martial arts, she had dreamed of using her skills to uphold justice and protect Cen Huai’an and others.

Now that they were at the same school, she could finally fulfill that dream.

In fact, she was eager to get to school.

After dinner at Yunmengze, Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu headed to the Fourth High School.

Jiang Zhida had reserved a room for them in Yunmengze and, as they were getting out of the car, he leaned out the window and said, “If you can’t get used to living in the dorms, come stay at Yunmengze.”

Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu nodded, waved at Jiang Zhida, and then turned and walked into the school.

It was not yet six o’clock, and though the sun had already set, the streetlights at the school gate had turned on.

The lights were also on in Class One, which was located on the first floor, and the classroom was abuzz with activity, though the teacher hadn’t arrived yet.

Some students who had moved up directly from the middle school greeted one another, while others, who had come from different schools, curiously looked around the high school classroom.

When Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu entered, few people noticed them.

The front seats were all taken since they had arrived late, so Zhang Lu pulled Cen Huai’an toward the back and sat at the last row by the window.

As soon as they sat down, students who knew Zhang Lu from the Fourth High School excitedly called out to her and greeted her.

“Zhang Lu, you’re here!”

“Lu Jie, you’re so late! I saved a seat for you.”

“Lulu, sit here! No one’s sitting here yet.”

Nearly half the class knew Zhang Lu and were on good terms with her.

Zhang Lu stood up, beamed at them, and waved them off, declining their invitations.

Then, with a bold smile, she threw her arm around Cen Huaian’s shoulders and said, “This is my brother, my real brother! He’s introverted and doesn’t talk much, so take good care of him, okay?”

In an instant, Zhang Lu’s friends turned their attention to Cen Huaian.

He glanced at them with calm eyes, showing little emotion.

Cen Huai’an had fair skin, and though the summer sun had tanned him a bit, he was still paler than most.

His delicate, handsome features hadn’t fully matured yet, giving him a soft, approachable look that made him seem introverted and easily bullied.

It stirred a protective instinct in people.

They completely overlooked the fact that Cen Huaian’s gaze was anything but weak, and that his demeanor hinted at someone not to be trifled with.

“Hello, little brother!”

“You’re Zhang Lu’s brother, so now you’re our brother too.”

“That’s right. Don’t worry at the Fourth High School, we’ve got your back!”

“Who’s got whose back?” Just as someone was proudly promising protection, a teasing voice came from the classroom door.

The students immediately looked toward the door.

There stood a man wearing a loose black shirt, his figure appearing thin as the wind blew in from the windows in the first row, lifting his shirt slightly.

The class seemed to freeze as if someone had pressed pause, and the chatter abruptly ceased.

Then, the sound of chairs moving and footsteps filled the room, and within seconds, all the students were back in their seats.

The man walked in with a friendly smile on his face. “Cao Gaocong, you haven’t told me yet—who were you planning to protect?”

Cao Gaocong stood up with a frown, stammering, “Teacher… uh, I wasn’t planning to protect anyone.”

He was inwardly cursing his bad luck.

How did the homeroom teacher catch him right away?

Plenty of other classmates had been talking too!

During orientation, everyone had met the homeroom teacher, and they knew his surname was Jiang.

But at that moment, Cao Gaocong was too focused on trying to escape the situation to wonder how the teacher had remembered him after just one meeting.

The homeroom teacher kept smiling warmly at Cao Gaocong, waiting for his answer.

At that moment, Cen Huai’an stood up and said, “Teacher, he was planning to protect me. We were just joking around.”

Cao Gaocong let out a sigh of relief and looked gratefully at Cen Huai’an.

The teacher shifted his gaze to Cen Huai’an. “Cen Huai’an, top scorer in the Beijing City high school entrance exam, two-time first prize winner in the National Junior High School Math Olympiad.”

The whole class turned their heads to look at Cen Huai’an with wide eyes, some even with their mouths agape.

Cao Gaocong couldn’t help but blurt out, “What the hell?” His astonished gaze made it seem like he was staring at a monster.

“Cao Gaocong, please don’t swear.”

Cao Gaocong quickly covered his mouth, though his look of utter shock at Cen Huai’an remained.

Cen Huai’an hadn’t expected the homeroom teacher to reveal all of that. Frowning slightly, he said, “Teacher, that’s all in the past now.”

He had hoped to keep a low profile in class, but he could already tell that low profile was out the window now.

The homeroom teacher chuckled, “That’s what I wanted to tell you too. I’ll be your math teacher, and Cen Huai’an, how about becoming the math class representative? Oh, by the way, I’m also the head of the High School Olympiad team.”

Cen Huai’an had initially wanted to decline, but when he looked up at the teacher, he had an instinctual feeling that refusing would only lead to more trouble.

So he nodded and said, “Okay.”

The teacher raised his eyebrows, clearly pleased. “I’m so glad Cen Huai’an gave me the honor. Now, what about class president? Are you interested?”

Without hesitation, Cen Huai’an shook his head. “I’m already the math class representative.”

“That makes sense. In that case, how about giving the class president position to your desk mate, Zhang Lu? What do you think?”

Zhang Lu was caught off guard but quickly nodded enthusiastically. “No problem! I’d be happy to serve the class!”

Back in junior high, Zhang Lu had been the class president and felt she had done a good job.

Her classmates had liked her too.

Cen Huai’an felt a wave of relief.

He had figured the teacher already knew every student in the class well, including their personalities and junior high experiences.

If he hadn’t accepted the math class representative role, the teacher would have assigned him something else, and he preferred this position over others.

As expected, the teacher quickly appointed the rest of the class officers and representatives.

Cao Gaocong became the sports committee representative, and on top of that, the teacher rearranged everyone’s seats.

Whether it was by chance or design, Cen Huai’an and Zhang Lu remained deskmates, with Cao Gaocong seated in the row in front of them.

Within one evening study session, the homeroom teacher had solved all the class’s organizational matters.

After one more class period distributing books and discussing rules, the students were left to study independently for the rest of the session.

Cen Huai’an flipped through the high school textbooks, finding that they covered the same material he had already reviewed during the summer.

He had gone through the math textbook once over the break.

So, he closed the textbook and pulled out his Olympiad math book to work on.

The homeroom teacher observed the class for a while before leaving, handing over responsibility to Zhang Lu.

Once the teacher was gone, Cao Gaocong peeked outside, and when he was sure the coast was clear, he turned around and whispered to Cen Huai’an, “You won first prize in the National Junior High School Math Olympiad? Twice?”

Cen Huai’an didn’t look up, continuing to work on the problems in his book. “Yes.”

Cao Gaocong was in awe. “You’re amazing! You’re Zhang Lu’s younger brother, right? You look younger than us. How old are you?”

“Twelve.” Cen Huai’an knew that his age would come out sooner or later, so he didn’t hide it.

Cao Gaocong almost shouted in shock again but quickly covered his mouth. “Twelve?! I’m four years older than you, and my grades aren’t even close to yours!” He looked utterly defeated, leaning his head against his hand in despair.

Cen Huai’an glanced at him, puzzled by his reaction, then returned to his Olympiad math problems.

Cao Gaocong’s desk mate, who had been listening to their conversation the whole time, turned around to glance at them too.

When he saw the questions Cen Huai’an was working on, he stared for a while before realizing he couldn’t solve them.

He looked back at Cen Huai’an with a newfound respect.

……

In the family housing compound of the research institute, Chu Xia sat at her dressing table, brushing her hair while looking at Cen Zhengnian in the mirror. “It’s An’an’s first time staying at school. Do you think he’ll adjust?”

Cen Zhengnian took the brush from her hand and started brushing her hair for her. “An’an isn’t as fragile as you think.”

Chu Xia huffed and snatched the brush back, glaring at him. “He’s only twelve! No matter how strong he is, he’s still a child!”

“I know,” Cen Zhengnian said softly, placing his hands on her shoulders and meeting her eyes in the mirror. “If you’re really worried, we can go check on him tomorrow. I’ll go with you.”

Actually, Cen Zhengnian was also a bit uneasy, but he wanted to let Cen Huai’an grow.

Boys couldn’t live in a bubble forever.

“Can you take time off work?” Chu Xia asked, skeptical, though her resolve was beginning to waver.

“I can. Our workload isn’t as heavy as it was before. And our situation is well understood by the teachers.”

At the beginning of the year, they had just finished a major project, so Cen Zhengnian’s work wasn’t as rushed now.

“Alright, then. Tomorrow, take a day off, and we’ll go see An’an.”

“Are you relieved now?” Cen Zhengnian leaned in closer to Chu Xia, his warm breath brushing against her face, quickly causing her cheeks to flush pink.

“Hmm… What are you doing? Get away from me…” Chu Xia protested, pushing Cen Zhengnian’s face away, but her voice was soft and lingering, and even her resistance seemed more like an invitation.

“What am I doing…”

Cen Zhengnian whispered a few words into Chu Xia’s ear, and her face instantly turned red with embarrassment.

She playfully scolded, “Shameless.”

Cen Zhengnian then lifted her up, letting her truly experience what “shameless” meant.

The next day, both Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian took a day off. Chu Xia prepared plenty of food and supplies at home, and together they took the bus to Yunmengze.

Since Anan (Cen Huai’an) was in class, they thought it would be better to wait until noon to visit him and bring some food from Yunmengze for both Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu.