The first day of school, or rather, the first class itself.
An Yeran was immediately punished by the teacher to stand in the corner, for sleeping during the lesson.
Being made to stand as punishment was something An Yeran had gotten used to a long time ago.
In her former world, she had experienced all sorts of punishments: standing as punishment, running laps, carrying buckets of water, cleaning toilets, but she never seemed to learn her lesson.
She naturally didn't have a good impression of school, but since it was compulsory, she had no choice but to attend. Her initial plan was to help out at the Martial Arts Hall after Junior High, however, to her surprise, she actually made it to high school!
This was something inconceivable for her, who was not exactly a good student. When the No. 1 Primary School announced her achievement, the Martial Arts Hall set off fireworks in celebration, annoying the neighbors so much that they berated her father for blocks.
The corridor of the No.1 Primary School Annex was spotless, with traces of water left by the cleaner auntie who had just mopped the floor.
An Yeran, keeping her head low, stared at her toes, feeling sleepiness creeping upon her again.
Having punished her so often, even sleeping while standing had become a special skill An Yeran had developed.
Occasionally, members of the Student Committee who passed by while carrying books for the teacher would give her surprised looks.
When the bell rang signaling the end of class, An Yeran finally woke up.
When the teacher, Mr. Chen, left the classroom, he glared at her, "Just transferred to this school and you're already sleeping. Did your parents enroll you here for a vacation?!"
An Yeran yawned, "No." Not to mention attending school, she treated her experience in this new world like a vacation.
Mr. Chen huffed, "The next class is mine too. You stay here and keep standing till it's over. Got it?!"
An Yeran responded nonchalantly, "Sure thing, have a nice day~"
Mr. Chen, clutching the homework he just collected, stormed off in high heels.
An Yeran continued standing. She had considerable stamina. Ever since her soul entered this body, the body gradually took on traits from her original world, so no matter how long she was punished, she didn't feel bothered.
The classmates in her homeroom curiously observed her, when a girl suddenly ran up to ask, "Are you okay?"
The girl's voice was soft and childlike. An Yeran found it pleasantly appealing.
"I'm good." An Yeran replied.
She disliked noisy small talk, but she did have a preference for modest and polite kids.
The girl handed her a tissue, "Here you go, wipe off your sweat."
It was summer now. Although An Yeran was not tired, she might have sweated a bit due to the heat.
She accepted the tissue, "Thanks."
"No ne…" The girl suddenly paused, to which An Yeran looked puzzled but noticed a sudden shadow casting over her.
Looking up, she saw a child with soft brown hair, fair complexion and refined delicate features—his shiny black eyes radiating a soft glow under his slightly pouting lips. He did not seem pleased.
An Yeran was taken aback.
Cinderella?! What's happening?
The girl next to her seemed surprised at Lu Xiu's sudden appearance. Her face turned crimson at once, "Lu...classmate Lu."
Lu Xiu responded to her with a slight nod, and then shifted his gaze back at An Yeran.
"Sister," Lu Xiu asked, "Why are you standing here?"
An Yeran said, "Just getting some exercise." There's no way she would tell a kid that she's being punished.
Lu Xiu did not seem convinced. He replied, "But they just told me that you were getting punished by the teacher."
An Yeran, "…"
Well, whatever. She was a kid now too; there was no need to save face.
"Yeah, I was disciplined. Cinder— ahem, Lu Xiu, do you need anything?" An Yeran braked just in time before the word 'Cinderella' slipped out.
Lu Xiu was holding a piece of bread. He blinked his eyelashes, showing a notable concern in a soft voice, "This morning… you didn't seem to eat anything…"
An Yeran was taken aback—she saw sincere worry in the little boy's eyes.
Cinderella, was he bringing her breakfast?
The other girls in the classroom were instantly bewildered. Today, the usually taciturn boy was handing out bread to others—they were shocked.
Lu Xiu had the best academic performance in the grade, and he was also the most handsome boy, so all the girls in the school liked him. However, Lu Xiu was always quiet and wouldn't take the initiative to greet others. Even those girls who showed friendliness towards him were met with indifference and calmness by Lu Xiu.
Who would have thought that such a person would also give gifts to others?
What kind of person is the new transferee anyway?
"Thanks a lot!" An Yeran gratefully accepted the bread. She had been standing for quite a long time and was feeling hungry, so she tore the bag open and took a bite right away. The sweet taste immediately captured her taste buds. The bread was baked by their nanny at home and tasted great.
Seeing that his second older sister was eating bread without intending to chat with him, Lu Xiu felt a pang of disappointment. "Alright, then… I'm going back to class."
With her mouth stuffed with bread, An Yeran's speech was slightly slurred. She mumbled, "Yeah, yeah, go ahead, study hard!"
Even though that advice seemed hypocritical coming from a poor student like herself, she didn't care. As long as there were no exams, nobody would know she was a straight-D student!
Lu Xiu slowly walked back to his classroom. Just before entering the door, he looked back at the girl who was happily eating the bread he gave her.
The girl had crumbs around her mouth and she was moving her lips up and down while chewing, appearing very cheerful.
Lu Xiu's gloomy mood lifted a bit.
His second older sister liked the thing he gave her.
When his oldest sister first came, he also thought of giving her a gift. But the look in her eyes was similar to that of his stepmother, filled with hostility. So, he didn't want to get along with his oldest sister.
Lu Xiu glanced at the person standing in punishment outside the classroom and the corner of his mouth curved upward slightly.
His second older sister is different.
He wanted to become family with her.
*
After finishing the last bite of bread, An Yeran threw the wrapper into the trash bin in the hallway.
During the ten-minute break, she chatted with the girls surrounding her while she ate her bread.
"You're asking about Lu Xiu? He's my younger brother." An Yeran said.
Yes, her future Cinderella-like brother.
The girls were a bit surprised; they hadn't heard that Lu Xiu had an older sister.
They knew that Lu Xiu's father had remarried and his new wife had brought a daughter, Jiang Anxue, who was in Class 2.
"Are you Lu Xiu's cousin?" one of the girls asked.
An Yeran shook her head, "No, we have the same parents."
That's odd!
The girls were even more confused, "Isn't Lu Xiu's sister Jiang Anxue?"
An Yeran said, "Jiang Anxue and I are twins."
"But you two don't look alike."
That was true.
An Yeran said, "She takes after our mom, and I take after our dad. Is there a problem with that?"
The girls were taken aback, "..." No, there was no problem with that.
So, they are siblings.
Learning the precise information, the disappointed girls perked up. They took a liking to An Yeran and even helped her with class notes while she was standing outside the classroom.
By the end of the second period, An Yeran was finally released from punishment and returned to the classroom.
Mr. Chen glared at her coldly, "Not any Tom, Dick, or Harry can be in Class 3, mind you. We'll see who stands where after the monthly exam. It would be a disgrace if you slide to Class 8 after that!"
An Yeran merely smiled and said, "Thank you, I'll take it as your blessing!"
That would be awesome!
I heard that Class 8 was an unruly class. The students there could do whatever they wanted during class, and the teachers never bothered!
For An Yeran, that would be absolutely heavenly!