Seeing that Yang Haoran had returned silent and seemingly deep in thought,
Zhou Shiwen and Wei Ming could tell he was in a bad mood.
Knowing better than to press him furtherβaware that neither of them were particularly good at comforting othersβthey tactfully dropped the subject.
Usually, when the three of them ate together, the atmosphere was lively and filled with laughter, but this meal was consumed in a dull silence, utterly devoid of flavor.
They finished quickly and returned to the school dormitory.
Yang Haoran had a bed in the school dorm, though he typically only used it for napping at noon. His mother insisted he come home for dinner and to sleep at night.
Back in the dorm, Yang Haoran went to his bunkβthe lower berth on the left side near the doorβarranged his pillow, pulled over the bedding, and fell straight asleep.
Wei Ming, on the upper bunk above Yang Haoran, sighed inwardly seeing him like this; there was nothing he could do to help with this kind of situation.
As for Zhou Shiwen, he was assigned to a dorm next door.
…
Time came to 2:10 PM. Yang Haoran woke up, feeling refreshed and fully recovered from his lack of sleep the previous night.
He smiled and greeted Wei Ming, who had already been awake for a while, then went to the next dorm to wake up Zhou Shiwen. In Wei Ming’s eyes, the familiar, cheerful smile was back on Haoran’s faceβhe seemed to be fine now. As a good friend, Wei Ming felt a sense of relief.
He thought about helping Haoran set a new goalβlike Yang Mengyao, who was also a school beauty and even shared the same surname. Compared to Xiao Shaowan’s aloof nature, he felt that the gentle and quiet Yang Mengyao was a better match for Haoran.
After the three got ready, they walked together out of the dormitory building and headed to the classroom.
Classes started at 2:30 PM. The paths were bustling with students, flowing like a torrent toward the various teaching buildings. Except for those who cut it extremely close, almost everyone was out by now.
The three chatted leisurely and arrived at the classroom just at 2:20 PM.
Many classmates had already arrived early. Yang Haoran scanned the room and, as expected, saw his younger sister Yaoyao sitting steadily at her desk, working on some practice problems. From the look of it, she had been in the classroom for quite a while.
He then spotted many familiar faces: Wenting, Li Ming, Du Sha, Han Lili, and finally, Xiao Shaowan.
As if noticing someone looking at her, Xiao Shaowan followed the gaze and met Yang Haoran’s eyes.
Their eyes met only briefly before Yang Haoran averted his gaze and walked toward his own seat.
Seeing him avoid her eyes, Xiao Shaowan wasnβt angered; instead, a beautiful curve formed at the corner of her lips as she smiled radiantly.
Once Yang Haoran was seated, he noticed that someone had knocked over the stack of books on his desk. He sighed helplessly, wondering who was responsible.
After tidying up the books and stacking them neatly at the corner of the desk, he picked up the last book and a flash of white caught his eye.
He picked it upβit was a white note, with a line of delicate, elegant handwriting:
“Meet me on the teaching building rooftop at 6 PM!”
It was clear from the handwriting that it was likely from a girl.
Puzzled, Yang Haoran glanced around the classroom, but no one seemed to be looking his way.
Unable to figure it out, he decided not to bother; heβd find out soon enough anyway.
He didnβt think much of it, aside from a slight curiosity about which girl in the class would be blind enough to ask him for a private meeting.
Aside from the handsome looks his mother had given him, he was, in the eyes of others, utterly worthless.
During the afternoon classes, perhaps because he was well-rested and no longer drowsy, he managed to focus on studying. Although he still only grasped bits and pieces, his attitude had improved, which made Yang Mengyao happyβeven the corners of her lips unconsciously turned upward during class.
Time slipped by quietly. Whereas Yang Haoran usually looked forward to the end of the school day, today, without even realizing it, he found himself already at dismissal.
As the bell rang through the speakers, the teacher wasted no time, promptly packing up and leaving.
After school ended, the classroom immediately grew noisy, with students moving about, gathering in small groups, and heading out either toward the school gates or the cafeteria.
Wei Ming called out to Yang Haoran, suggesting they grab a meal at the cafeteria before heading home, but Yang Haoran politely declined.
After Wei Ming and the others left, about a dozen or so students remained in the classroom. These were usually the ones who would study on their own until 6 PM before leaving.
Yang Haoran scanned the roomβfive boys and eight girls, including his sister Yang Mengyao and her deskmate Wenting. But the one whoβd asked to meet him certainly couldnβt be his sister Yaoyao; thereβd be no need for that.
He checked his phone: 5:20 PM. Well, since he had no idea which girl it was, he couldnβt be bothered to guess. Heβd just wait until 6 PM to find out.
Reality differed quite a bit from his expectations. After staying in the classroom for over ten minutes, Yang Haoran grew restless. Everyone else was buried in their studies, while he was the only one shaking his head and fidgeting, with nothing to do. The atmosphere was too stifling.
He checked the time again: 5:36 PM. He decided not to wait around stupidly in the classroom. He figured the person whoβd written the note probably wasnβt still thereβlikely one of those who had already left.
He left the classroom and wandered around the campus. As it neared 6 PM, the school grounds were still filled with studentsβafter all, the vast majority of students lived on campus.
A cool breeze brushed against his face. Yang Haoran checked his phone: 6:03 PM.
Heβd wandered a bit longer than intended, but he didnβt mind and made his way toward the teaching building.
There were several teaching buildings, but since the note was left in the classroom, it likely referred to the same building.
After climbing seven or eight flights of stairs, Yang Haoran reached the door to the teaching buildingβs rooftop.
Normally, the rooftop door was locked, but today it stood wide open. He stepped onto the stairs and walked up.
Once there, he glanced around. The rooftop was empty, as desolate as usual, except for one tall, slender figure, about 1.72 meters in height.
She stood with her back to him, but even from behind, it was clear she was a beautyβher figure graceful, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. She wore a beige off-the-shoulder T-shirt that revealed the fair, smooth skin of her back and shoulders. As his gaze traveled downward, her waist was as slender as a willow, so fine it seemed he could encircle it with his hands. Below that, she wore a black pleated miniskirt.
Beneath the skirt, her exposed thighs were as tender and pale as spring onions, while her long, well-proportioned legs were sheathed in a layer of flesh-colored stockings as thin as cicara wings. The stockings clung tightly to her delicate skin, shimmering with a captivating glow in the fading sunlight.
On her feet, she wore a pair of white leather shoes.
Amidst this exquisite figure, what attracted Yang Haoran the most were those delicate, sexy, long legsβnearly a meter in length, by his estimate. Encased in the flesh-colored stockings, thoseζε (perfect) long legs added a touch of mature elegance and sensual allure.
In their class, only one person had both the height and the long legs to carry such a presence.
“I thought you werenβt going to come,” the figure said softly as she turned around, revealing a face Yang Haoran knew very well.
Xiao Shaowan!
She had a standard oval face, long eyelashes, sparkling eyes, slender willow-leaf eyebrows, a delicate nose, and lush, rosy lipsβall combining to form a beautiful, captivating face.
At this moment, her sparkling eyes were clear and bright, shining like stars as she gazed intently at the handsome young man before her.