Chapter 3 Sitting Together
So don’t panic, he probably won’t recognize her.
On the podium, the sound of chalk tapping against the blackboard could be heard as Sister Hua wrote the boy’s name on the board: Chen Ciyi.
Afterwards, Sister Hua introduced to everyone, “Many of you have probably heard already. This is Chen Ciyi, a transfer student our school just recruited from No. 2 High School. With the nation currently promoting students with special technological talents, Ciyi here is not only academically outstanding but also the overall champion of last year’s National Robotics Competition. This year, Ciyi will also lead the team representing our country in international competitions. So for the next two years, I hope everyone can get along well with our new classmate, learn from each other, and make progress together.” After the introduction, Sister Hua smiled at Chen Ciyi with a motherly expression, “Ciyi, do you have anything you’d like to say to your classmates?”
Just as all the girls in the class were gazing at him with infatuated smiles full of anticipation, and all the boys were watching with a mix of envy and jealousy, waiting for him to confidently deliver some inspiring words, Chen Ciyi simply shook his head lightly and said, “No, teacher. Can I choose my own seat?”
Sister Hua paused for a moment before quickly nodding, “Of course.” Teachers are always exceptionally lenient toward top students, especially those who are bound to bring glory to the school in the future.
After that, under the watchful eyes of the entire class and Xu Yannuo, Chen Ciyi walked step by step in Xu Yannuo’s direction. He passed one desk after another, causing waves of hushed excitement throughout the classroom. Everyone was speculating about where he would sit, and some outgoing girls even extended direct invitations: “Classmate, you can sit here. I’ll make my deskmate move.”
But Chen Ciyi politely declined with thanks each time, then continued walking toward Xu Yannuo’s direction.
With every table he passed, he drew closer to Xu Yannuo. At this moment, he looked at Xu Yannuo, and she looked back at him. As the distance between them gradually narrowed, Xu Yannuo’s face remained calm, as if she had never met him before, but her heart grew increasingly turbulent.
What did he mean by this? Had he recognized her?
Before her eyes, Chen Ciyi walked straight up to Xu Yannuo. Then, he turned to her deskmate and said, “You sit in front. I’m tall and might block others’ view.”
Out of reverence for the top student, the deskmate immediately stood up, grabbed their backpack and workbook, and moved to an empty seat at the front. Meanwhile, Chen Ciyi, under Xu Yannuo’s watchful gaze, sat down expressionlessly and effortlessly beside her.
At the front of the classroom, Teacher Hua, seeing that Chen Ciyi had settled in, said, “Quiet, class is starting,” before turning around to write on the blackboard.
Xu Yannuo and Chen Ciyi sat in the last row. After the room quieted down, Xu Yannuo glanced at Chen Ciyi again, trying to figure out what he was up to, as she couldn’t be entirely sure whether he had recognized her or not.
Despite Xu Yannuo’s persistent stare, Chen Ciyi acted as if he hadn’t noticed. He leisurely pulled out his physics textbook, placed it on the desk, propped his chin with one hand, and flipped to the day’s lesson with the other. Only when Xu Yannuo’s gaze grew sharper—her docile bunny demeanor almost morphing into a prickly hedgehog—did Chen Ciyi finally curve his lips faintly and ask in a voice only the two of them could hear, “What are you afraid of? Weren’t you quite fierce that night?”
Fuck, he remembers her!
Having his secret exposed, Xu Yannuo’s last line of defense crumbled. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he warned, “You’d better keep your mouth shut. I’m warning you—stay out of my business.”
Hearing the threat, Chen Ciyi finally lifted his previously indifferent gaze from the book, his eyes now tinged with a hint of fear as he looked at Xu Yannuo with interest. “I wouldn’t dare. From now on, I’ll be counting on my deskmate to watch over me.”
Xu Yannuo stared at him for a few more seconds. Noticing the timidity in his expression and seeing no trace of mockery or insincerity behind his framed glasses, she withdrew her gaze and focused on the lecture.
But she still didn’t understand Chen Ciyi, while he had already seen her most hidden side. His presence was like a ticking time bomb planted beside her, ready to explode at any moment. Xu Yannuo was wary of him and quite annoyed by him.
After class, Zhang Qi and Zhao Ying asked her if she wanted to go to the restroom together. Xu Yannuo didn’t want to face Chen Ciyi, so she went with them.
On the way out of the classroom, Zhang Qi and Zhao Ying kept glancing back repeatedly. Once they stepped outside the classroom door, they immediately started shaking Xu Yannuo’s hands excitedly. “Nuo Nuo, what kind of crazy luck did you stumble upon? You actually got switched to sit next to someone that handsome!”
Xu Yannuo was speechless. If she had known they’d gossip about Chen Ciyi on the way to the restroom, she wouldn’t have gone.
Zhao Ying looked at Zhang Qi. “Hey, shake her gently—don’t scare Nuo Nuo.” Then she turned back to Xu Yannuo. “Seriously, Nuo Nuo, when he stood next to you earlier and told your deskmate to leave, I turned around and got a close look. Damn, he’s really so good-looking! He somehow manages to make the school uniform look effortlessly stylish and laid-back. Compared to the previous school heartthrob, it’s like a whole different level of dominance. Our school actually did something right this time—digging up such a gem. Remember all those top students they recruited before? Their looks were so out of place in a school setting. Ugh, forget it, I don’t even want to think about them.”
Xu Yannuo put on a cooperative face to humor Zhao Ying and Zhang Qi, but inside she was cursing a thousand times. Right now, she just wanted Chen Ciyi to disappear immediately—or better yet, for time to rewind to before that night when she first saw Chen Ciyi. She would definitely choose a different time to beat up those three scumbags.
But reality couldn’t be changed. All she could do was wait and see.
Zhao Ying and Zhang Qi gossiped about Chen Ciyi for a while. Although they wanted to continue chatting, they knew too little about him, so they switched to other topics. Xu Yannuo thought she could finally have some peace, but when she went to the restroom, girls from other classes were also talking about Chen Ciyi—some asked where he transferred from, some wanted to know exactly how tall he was, some wanted to add him on WeChat or get his phone number, and… some wanted to know who his deskmate was…?
Xu Yannuo found him even more annoying.
On her way back from the restroom, as she approached the entrance of Class 2, a sudden loud crash—like a desk being overturned—echoed out of nowhere. Xu Yannuo’s heart skipped a beat, and she turned pale with fright, immediately crouching to the ground.
Soon after, the sounds of two boys cursing and fighting erupted, along with the voices of Zhao Ying and Zhang Qi beside her, repeatedly asking with concern, “Nuo Nuo, are you okay?”
Hearing their gentle voices, Xu Yannuo took a deep breath and steadied herself. Then, she saw two boys from Class Two fighting fiercely—first inside the classroom, then at the doorway, and finally out into the hallway. By then, onlookers had rushed over to break them up, while more students poured out of Class Two. The crowd grew larger, and soon, hall monitors from both ends of the corridor arrived to deduct points for the disruption.
Some boys from Class 8 nearby noticed Xu Yannuo and her two friends, especially the pale-faced Xu Yannuo, and immediately rushed over to shield them, leading them out of the dangerous area. They didn’t stop until they reached the vicinity of Class 7, after which the boys went back to watch the commotion.
