Liang Zhiyi stared at the young man standing in front of her, his dark hair and cold brows causing her to momentarily freeze.
Her heart fluttered uncontrollably for a brief moment.
After being stunned for a couple of seconds, she regained her composure, feeling a slight warmth at the tips of her ears as she softly said, “It’s nothing…”
She took the umbrella from him, and her gaze inadvertently fell on his hand—
The boy’s palm was broad, his fingers long and well-defined, particularly attractive. However, the back of his hand, with its slender bones, had a few bloodstained scratches, which were somewhat alarming.
It seemed that he noticed her gaze, as he quickly withdrew his hand.
At that moment, Liang Zhiyi saw her car pulling up at the entrance. Without saying anything further, she opened the umbrella and brushed past the young man, walking towards the car.
Once she was in the car, Liang Zhiyi couldn’t help but glance back at the entrance, still somewhat in a daze.
On the other side.
As the girl walked past, a faint, sweet scent of gardenias dispersed in the air, drifting subtly to Pei Chen’s nose.
A few seconds later, he lowered his eyes, bent down, and picked up the books again, carrying them back to the warehouse.
When he returned, the private car had already disappeared into the night.
Pei Chen passed by the spot where he had just collided with the girl, and saw something on the ground. Picking it up, he found it was an earring, with a dark blue planet that glimmered in the night.
A man unloading nearby walked over, noticing what Pei Chen was holding. “Hey, what’s that?”
Pei Chen furrowed his brows, “It seems someone dropped it.”
“Could it have been that girl who just left?” The man patted Pei Chen’s shoulder. “Why don’t you keep it for now? She might come back looking for it later.”
Another man joined in, chuckling, “You know, that girl was really beautiful.”
The man laughed and playfully knocked the other on the head, speaking in dialect, “What does she have to do with you? No matter how beautiful, she’s not falling into your lap. A toad dreaming of eating swan meat.”
“Come on, can’t a guy dream…”
The banter fell on Pei Chen’s ears.
In the end, he lowered his eyes and continued with his work.
–
The night had deepened as the Rolls-Royce drove into a wealthy residential area in Lincheng, finally stopping in front of a villa. The waiting housekeeper immediately approached to help Liang Zhiyi out of the car, holding up an umbrella.
Upon returning home, the housekeeper asked if she wanted a late-night snack, but she said there was no need and that she planned to rest.
Just as she was about to head upstairs, a lazy male voice called out from the staircase, “The banquet’s over?”
She turned to see her younger brother, Liang Tongzhou, leaning against the wall, dressed in a black T-shirt. His features were handsome, but his eyes were drowsy as he looked at her.
Liang Zhiyi had heard that he had a fever, but when she returned home tonight to change clothes, she hadn’t had a chance to check on him. She walked up to him and lightly scolded, “You shouldn’t be wandering around if your fever hasn’t gone down.”
“It’s nothing serious,” he replied, coughing a couple of times before noticing her hair. He smirked, “What’s this? Are you planning to play an old witch?”
“…Do you have any sense of aesthetics?”
He chuckled, “With your looks, you might actually pull it off. Maybe you should ask Uncle to give you a cameo role.”
Liang Zhiyi’s uncle was a famous director in the country. She had played minor roles in a few of her uncle’s films before, but it was just for fun—she had no intention of entering the entertainment industry.
Hearing this, Liang Zhiyi responded with a sarcastic smile, “I wouldn’t want to hit someone who’s sick.”
Not wanting to argue with him, she urged him to go back to rest and then returned to her bedroom.
After pressing the button to close the curtains, she slowly took off her dress. Once she had changed, she reached up to remove her earrings, but when she touched her right earlobe, she found it empty.
Huh? Where’s my earring?
Liang Zhiyi looked around but couldn’t find it.
When did it fall off? How did she not even notice?
She decided to check the car tomorrow…
Feeling a bit annoyed, she turned her attention back to her dress and noticed that the fabric on the chest had a small stain. She recalled that it might have happened when she bumped into someone earlier tonight.
Suddenly, the image of that young man’s face flashed in her mind.
Her heart seemed to be pricked by something, sending a tingling sensation that spread throughout her body.
After a moment, Liang Zhiyi snapped back to reality and quickly pinched her own cheek.
It was just a stranger…
Finally, she placed the dress on the sofa, pulled herself together, and walked to the bathroom. “Time to take a shower and go to bed…”
–
The next morning, the sun rose.
At seven o’clock, Liang Zhiyi was awakened by her alarm.
Since she had to go to school, she didn’t dare to stay in bed, quickly getting up to wash and get ready. After a while, her mother, who was a doctor, came into her room to remind her about a few things for the new school term before heading off to the hospital.
After getting ready, the girl went downstairs and was told by the housekeeper that Liang Tongzhou had already left for school with some friends. He had also transferred to the main campus this term to start his second year of high school, although they were in different classes.
After finishing breakfast, Liang Zhiyi left the house.
Fifteen minutes later, a black sedan pulled up at the gate of No. 1 High School.
Ji Fei’er, who was waiting for Liang Zhiyi at the gate, saw her get out of the car. She was dressed in a light green ruffled blouse and a white skirt, her long hair tied up in a high ponytail.
For a moment, the surrounding students passing by couldn’t help but glance in her direction.
Liang Zhiyi walked up to Ji Fei’er, who quietly asked, “Haven’t you noticed a lot of students staring at you?”
“Maybe it’s because I’m just too dazzlingly beautiful.”
“…Shameless.”
However, Ji Fei’er knew that Liang Zhiyi was already the school beauty back at the branch campus, and many students were aware of her family background. Teasing her, Ji Fei’er said, “I heard that news of your transfer to the main campus was all over the school forum a few days ago. Some even know you’re joining Class 9. You’re definitely in the spotlight.”
Liang Zhiyi looked around at the campus scenery, indifferent. “Doesn’t matter to me. I’m only here to focus on my studies.”
“Oh, please, who are you trying to fool with this good student act?”
As smart as Ji Fei’er was, she knew just how lively Liang Zhiyi could be.
Liang Zhiyi replied, “Now that I’m at the main campus, I’m aiming to be the top student in the grade.”
“??”
“That Pei Chen you mentioned yesterday, right? I plan to surpass him.”
Ji Fei’er’s mouth twitched. “No one at our school has ever beaten him.”
She kicked a stone by her foot. “Well, I haven’t arrived yet…”
When they reached the base of the teaching building, Liang Zhiyi needed to go to the administrative office to handle her transfer paperwork. After Ji Fei’er pointed her in the right direction, she headed off to class.
Upon finding the administrative office, Liang Zhiyi knocked and entered. Inside, there were two offices. She walked into the inner one where the head of the office worked, but finding it empty, she hesitated before sitting down on the sofa nearby.
Resting her chin on her hand, she took out her phone, waiting idly.
A moment later.
A young man walked into the administrative office.
Pei Chen’s steps were light. Seeing no one inside, he placed the class materials on the desk in the outer office.
After setting them down, he turned to leave, but suddenly, a cartoon voice came from the inner room: “Makka Pakka, Akka Wakka, Mikka Makka, moo…”
Pei Chen’s steps halted.
The sound from the cartoon wasn’t loud, but in the quiet room, it was particularly clear.
“……”
He looked inside and saw a girl sitting with her back to him, her profile partially visible, her skin fair and glowing.
She was resting her chin on her hand, watching an edited video, and couldn’t help but laugh.
Pei Chen’s gaze lingered on her for a couple of seconds before he silently turned away.
After that, Pei Chen turned and left the administrative office.
Back in Class 9 of the second year, the atmosphere was particularly lively. Everyone was catching up after the summer break, and the room buzzed with animated conversation.
As the class monitor, Pei Chen took a moment to restore order and then instructed the class representatives to collect the summer homework that still needed to be submitted and bring it to him so he could hand it in to the office.
Returning to his seat, Pei Chen began organizing the materials on his desk. The light streaming in from the window illuminated his sharp profile, accentuating the youthful charm that caught the attention of several girls in the class, who couldn’t help but steal glances at him.
At that moment, a boy sitting in front of Pei Chen, Xuan Xia, was gossiping with the boys around him. “Have you guys heard? There’s supposed to be a really pretty girl transferring into our class!”
“What?! Really?!”
“Yeah, really! She’s apparently the school beauty from the branch campus. Her name is Liang Zhiyi, and she’s supposed to be super pretty…”
“Oh man, now I’m excited.”
“Me too…”
Xuan Xia leaned toward Pei Chen’s desk, raising his eyebrows teasingly, “Hey, Pei Chen, aren’t you even a little excited about the new girl joining our class?”
Pei Chen was busy and didn’t look up, his tone cool as he responded, “It has nothing to do with me.”
A boy nearby laughed and chided Xuan Xia, “Isn’t that a pointless question? Whether it’s Liang Zhiyi, Zhang Zhiyi, or Li Zhiyi, our class monitor isn’t interested in any of them, okay…” Everyone knew that Pei Chen was solely focused on his studies.
As the others continued chatting, Pei Chen went about his tasks, but the image of the girl he had just seen in the administrative office suddenly flashed in his mind.
Scenes from the previous night flickered briefly before his eyes.
His gaze paused for a moment before he got up and went to collect the homework.
–
Meanwhile, back at the administrative office, just a few minutes earlier, Liang Zhiyi had been completely lost in her own world, humming a tune, completely oblivious to anyone entering the room.
It wasn’t until she heard the sound of someone leaving that she abruptly stopped and turned her head, just in time to see the tall, slender figure of a boy disappearing out the door.
Huh? When did someone come in??
Did they hear her watching that funny edit of “In the Night Garden”?!
Liang Zhiyi’s cheeks instantly warmed with embarrassment.
How awkward would it be if someone realized she was still watching that at her age…
Fortunately, the administrative director soon arrived. After completing her enrollment procedures, she headed to the second-year office. Her homeroom teacher had told her yesterday to come find him when she got to school today.
A while later, as she reached the office door, a male teacher holding some materials hurried out from inside. He looked at her for a moment, then suddenly said, “Hey, you must be Zhiyi, right?”
“Yes…”
“That’s right, I’m the homeroom teacher for Class 9,” the teacher said. He recognized her from the photo he had seen in the administrative system.
Liang Zhiyi greeted him politely, and the homeroom teacher pointed to a spot near the window. “I’ve got something to handle for now. You can sit by my desk and wait. Did you bring your summer homework?”
“I did.”
“Good, just place it on my desk with the rest. It needs to be submitted by this morning.”
The summer homework for both campuses was the same—either standardized worksheets or workbooks. No. 1 High School placed great emphasis on the completion of summer assignments, ensuring everything was checked thoroughly.
Liang Zhiyi nodded and walked over to the desk. She pulled a large packet of documents from her backpack and weighed it in her hands.
This homework was so heavy, it felt like she was carrying a bomb.
The desk was already piled high with homework mountains, and she carefully added her own to the appropriate stacks.
As she was arranging them, she suddenly noticed a piece of paper sticking out from the last page of her physics workbook.
She pulled it out casually and realized it was a physics test paper!
The problem was—the paper was completely blank!
Liang Zhiyi’s mind raced, and she suddenly recalled that when she first started her physics homework, she had planned to complete the workbook first and save the test for last. She had tucked it away and then somehow forgotten all about it.
Before going on vacation, she had thought she’d finished all her assignments and hadn’t had time to check again this morning.
Great, what a surprise!
She really didn’t want to leave a bad impression on her first day by being the girl who didn’t complete her homework…
Feeling conflicted, Liang Zhiyi glanced at the stack of physics papers that had already been submitted.
After a brief mental battle, she looked around cautiously. Seeing that the teachers were all busy with their own tasks, she quickly pulled the top paper from the stack in front of her.
The name at the top of the neatly written paper caught her eye: Pei Chen.
“……”
She hadn’t expected that when she tried to cheat, she would end up with the top student’s homework right in front of her.
Closing her eyes briefly, she clasped her hands together, silently apologizing to the student.
Then, she quickly started copying his answers onto her own sheet.
“A, A, C, B, D…”
She muttered the answers to herself, and just as she finished the first side and was about to flip the paper over—
A hand suddenly pressed down on the test paper, stopping her in her tracks.
The hand was slender, with defined joints, cool white skin, and veins faintly visible under the surface. There were a few visible scratches and scabs on the back of the hand.
She quickly looked up in shock.
Standing beside the desk was a tall, slender young man. He was dressed in a white shirt and black school pants. The fabric of his clothes looked thin and soft, as if it had been washed many times, and the pants highlighted his long legs.
The sunlight streaming in through the window illuminated the prominent contours of his face, casting light on the tear mole at the corner of his right eye, which glistened faintly. His entire demeanor was cool and aloof.
A light summer breeze fluttered the pages of the papers on the desk, making the shadows dance.
For a moment, her gaze was like a camera lens, freezing on him.
Her heart started beating rapidly.
Liang Zhiyi quickly realized why he looked so familiar. Wasn’t this the same boy she had accidentally bumped into at the hotel entrance last night?
The boy recognized her face, a flash of surprise flickering in his eyes.
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before he finally spoke:
“Classmate, what are you doing?”
She hadn’t expected to get caught in the act. “I…”
His gaze fell on the paper. “Copying homework?”
“No!”
A few seconds later, she naturally set the pen down, her expression remaining unchanged. “I was just… observing a top student’s work.”
Liang Zhiyi smiled, trying to sound casual. “Don’t get the wrong idea, classmate. Actually, Pei Chen and I are friends. I had trouble with a few questions, so I asked him this morning, and he said he’d already turned in his homework. He told me to come here and look at it.”
She grinned. “So I came to check out his answers for reference.”
The boy looked at her, then asked in a calm voice:
“So, how did he do?”
Hearing this, Liang Zhiyi flipped through the paper in her hand, nodding as she pretended to evaluate it seriously. “His logic is tight, his thought process clear, and his handwriting neat. I found it very beneficial to study.”
After saying this, Liang Zhiyi nervously rubbed her nose and flashed him a smile. “How about that? Do you know him too?”
“It is quite a coincidence,” he replied with a faint smile.
Liang Zhiyi: Hm?
The boy leisurely took the paper from her hand, lifted his eyelids, and with his gaze back on her, said calmly:
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“I’m Pei Chen.”
Liang Zhiyi: …???!