The girl stood quietly on the podium, as if standing under a spotlight. The gazes of everyone in the room were involuntarily drawn to her. Seemingly noticing the gaze of a particular individual in the class, a faint smile appeared on her calm, unruffled face directed at him.
Her smiling face was like a flower, and her clever, radiant smile, paired with that white dress, made it just like the first time they met! “Holy shit, she’s looking at me. Damn, she’s so unbelievably hot, as exquisite as a model from a top-tier 3D game,” Wei Ming cursed aloud.
The class reacted, and a wave of astonished chatter erupted.
“What a beautiful girl, she feels like someone painted into reality,” a female student exclaimed.
“I feel like she’s even prettier than those celebrities.”
“Isn’t this plastic surgery? No one naturally looks like this?” a voice tinged with jealousy chimed in.
“Looking at her, I’m getting really turned on. Who says I have the desire but not the nerve?”
“I feel like our class’s average attractiveness just got boosted. The class next door is gonna be so jealous of us.”
“She’s even prettier than the class president.”
“Whoever manages to chase her will be my idol from now on. I’ll erect a shrine in the dorm, kneel and worship day and night… pray with utmost piety.”
“I think I just saw smoke rising from my family’s grave… check if it’s for me.”
“Fuck you, as if you’re worthy.”
Instantly, the classroom descended into chaosβexcited shouts, amazed exclamationsβturning as noisy and disorderly as a vegetable market.
Yang Haoran ignored everyone else, staring dazedly at the girl on the podium. A strange emotion suddenly welled up in his heart, something akin to panic, his heartbeat accelerating, yet also like dread, giving birth to a trace of timidity. These inexplicable feelings tangled together. He… heard his own heartbeat.
It was fervent and rapid, like surging magma, scorching and blistering hot; like a sudden clap of thunder, tearing through the pitch-black curtain, illuminating the ripples on a lake… Yang Haoran felt a wave of heat flush across his face. He touched his cheek; it was a little warm. Even without looking in a mirror, he could imagine his face must be red.
Even someone as shameless as me can blush? He found it incredible. Suddenly, the girl on the podium noticed his movement and looked over. Their gazes met.
The girl’s eyes were clear and bright, brilliant as the stars, like a dazzling galaxy seemingly rippling with starlight. Yang Haoran held her gaze for three seconds before naturally turning his head to look at the scenery outside the window.
The azure sky stretched endlessly, with a few misty white clouds drifting leisurely, seemingly forming the girl’s serene and flawless face.
Yang Haoran felt irritated. This unfamiliar emotion had taken control of him. What the hell? It’s not like I’ve never seen a beautiful girl before. Even Mom isn’t worse looking than her.
The thought of his mother made him pause. So that’s it. He finally understood where that emotion came from. Upon first seeing this girl, he had felt she resembled his mother from her youthful days. So, his feelings for his mother had unconsciously transferred onto this girl.
“Heh…” Yang Haoran couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. How embarrassing. Just earlier I was advising Wei Ming about lacking courage, but it turns out I’m the same.
“Students, quiet, quiet!” Gu Qingying had to rap the podium several times, forcing the students to settle down.
“Yesterday, the teacher notified everyone in the class group. I believe everyone already knows that our Class Five has a new transfer student. I hope in the time to come, students will actively welcome the new classmate and help her familiarize herself with the environment as soon as possible.”
Gu Qingying paused here, looked at the girl beside her, and said, “Next, let’s welcome the new student to introduce herself.”
She led the applause, and the students followed with enthusiastic clapping. The applause rose and fell like waves, fervent and surging.
Facing the gazes of the entire class, the girl’s stunning face revealed a serene smile. A voice, crisp as the song of an oriole, rang out: “Hello everyone, my name is Ji Youxin!” After this brief introduction, the girl said nothing more.
“Hmm?” Gu Qingying hurriedly stepped in to save the situation. Smiling at her, she said, “Classmate Ji Youxin, is there anything else you’d like to say to your classmates?” The girl pondered for a moment, then lifted her eyes to scan the entire class. Her gaze swept over everyone, yet seemed to linger on a particular person for a few seconds. Then, spreading her smile, she slowly said: “‘I wish we were, beloved, white birds on the foam of the sea! We tire of the flame of the meteor, before it can fade and flee;'”
“‘And the flame of the blue star of twilight, hung low on the rim of the sky, Has awaked in our hearts, beloved, a sadness that may not die.’ And so, I have come here!” The girl enunciated each word clearly. Yang Haoran, feeling dazed, sensed that her final glance seemed to be directed at him. Was it an illusion?
Then Gu Qingying led the applause again, and the students joined in. Another round of thunderous clapping followed.
“Classmate Ji Youxin, there are currently no empty seats in the class. Later, please come with me to the faculty office to get a desk and chair.”
After saying this, Gu Qingying looked at the class: “Yang Haoran, Wei Ming. You two. Come and help the new classmate move her desk and chair.”
Hearing this, Wei Ming was overjoyed. However, his happiness lasted only a few seconds before it was abruptly cut short by the girl’s next words.
“There’s no need, teacher.”
Ji Youxin gently shook her head and pointed to an empty spot in the classroom. “There’s an empty seat there. I’ll just sit there.”
Gu Qingying followed the direction of her finger and sawβYang Haoran, and the empty seat next to him. Her face stiffened, and she smiled unnaturally, advising her: “You’re a girl; it’s not suitable for you to sit with a male classmate.”
She knew exactly how that empty seat came to be. Originally, Wei Ming and Yang Haoran were desk mates, but these two often whispered to each other during class breaks. After feedback from multiple teachers, she had moved Wei Ming behind Yang Haoran, giving him a single desk.
Moving them to other positions to separate them would naturally be better, but she knew their character. Putting them elsewhere would only affect other students.
Even though Yang Haoran had improved a lot recently, the negative impression from the past couldn’t be erased by short-term changes.
“There’s no need, teacher. I just arrived; I shouldn’t receive special treatment. It’s fine as long as there’s a seat to sit in.”
The girl, on the contrary, was veryζ΄θ± (free and easy) and didn’t mind, saying so.
Seeing the girl’s insistence, Gu Qingying had no choice but to agree. She addressed the class: “Alright then. The new classmate, Ji Youxin, will temporarily be seated with classmate Yang Haoran.”
Next, she continued speaking from the podium about getting along friendly and such… Ji Youxin walked down from the podium, step by step arriving at the empty seat beside Yang Haoran. Without looking at him, she calmly sat down by herself.
After the girl sat down, Yang Haoran’s heartbeat unconsciously sped up. A faint scent of lilies wafted to his nose, lingering and swirling around the tip of his nose, persisting for a long time, seemingly emanating from the girl beside him.
He sneakily glanced at her. The girl’s sitting posture was upright, her exquisite, flawless profile, a few strands of dark hair resting by her crystalline earlobes. Her expression was serene and elegant, composed and at ease.
The girl seemed to detect his stealing glance, yet treated him as if he were air, completely ignoring him.