July is supposed to be a time for staying at home with the AC on, eating watermelon, or meeting friends at a café to do homework, or even traveling with parents. But this July was different for Liu Ruyan. Since last year's seniors had already finished their college entrance exams, Liu Ruyan suddenly found herself a soon-to-be senior during this hot, humid summer vacation.
As a senior-to-be, there was no luxury of a break. Even before August arrived, the school term had already begun.
Today was Liu Ruyan's first day transferring to No. 1 High School. Standing in front of the school's grand entrance with her canvas backpack, she marveled, "So this is what No. 1 High School looks like!"
The school was well-known for a number of reasons. Its remarkably high college admission rate meant that if you ranked in the top 30 of your class, you could pretty much choose any prestigious university you liked. The campus was beautiful too, with red walls and lush greenery making you feel like you were walking through a painting. And of course, there was the school's exceptional student body, especially when it came to looks, with the school's heartthrob: Lu Chuan.
Liu Ruyan quickly found her class—Senior 3, Class 3. The classroom was already bustling with students chatting away, and no one seemed to notice her.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Liu Ruyan asked, pointing to an empty spot in the third row, directing her question to the girl sitting next to it.
"It's taken!" The girl glanced up at her briefly and responded, not very kindly.
Liu Ruyan raised her eyebrows and wisely walked away. Before she could ask about another seat, the person next to it interrupted her, "That seat's taken too."
"Hey, this seat is free! If you don't mind, you can sit here," came a sweet voice. Liu Ruyan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a cute girl with round glasses and an equally round face smiling at her from the second-to-last row.
Liu Ruyan walked over and sat down, extending her hand in thanks, "Thank you! I guess I'll take you up on that. I'm Liu Ruyan, and I just transferred here today."
The girl shook her hand, "Nice to meet you! I'm An Ran."
"Ouch—" Liu Ruyan groaned. It was happening again. All thanks to a certain someone who had insisted she eat spicy noodles with iced soda last night. She had already made countless trips to the bathroom since then. "I need to go to the restroom. My stomach is killing me."
"Ah, go quick! It's straight ahead once you leave the classroom!" An Ran exclaimed, concerned, noticing Liu Ruyan's sweaty forehead.
After a rather chaotic trip to the bathroom, Liu Ruyan felt much better. Standing by the sink, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Today, she appeared a bit more tired than usual.
On her way back to the classroom, three girls were slowly walking side by side in front of her. The author wants to draw attention to these girls—because they'll play a significant role as antagonists later. The girl with short hair on the left was Song Shuang, the girl with long hair in the middle was Liu Meina, and the one with a ponytail on the right was Deng Xinxin.
If this had been the old Liu Ruyan, she would have told them to make way. But today, she didn't have the energy and didn't want to cause trouble at her new school, so she followed behind them, listening to their conversation.
"Ugh, I didn't even get enough fun before school started. It's so boring!" Song Shuang sighed.
"Well, at least now we get to see some eye candy again. Thank goodness Lu Chuan, our school heartthrob, is in our class," Deng Xinxin clasped her hands together, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"What's the point of just looking? It's not like you can get him," Song Shuang teased, nudging the girl in the middle with her elbow. "Meina, you're the lucky one. You're beautiful, smart, and probably the only one who could catch Lu Chuan's eye."
"Yeah, totally! Lu Chuan's probably holding back now so he doesn't distract you from your studies, but once you guys graduate and head to college, I bet he'll confess his feelings to you!"
"Pfft—" Liu Ruyan couldn't help but laugh at the conversation. It was so absurd that she couldn't hold it in. Although her laugh was quiet, it was loud enough for the three girls to hear.
They stopped in their tracks and turned around to face her. The girl was tall and slim, with a small face and large, bright eyes. Her fair complexion and somewhat pretty features marked her as someone new.
Liu Meina frowned, crossing her arms. "What are you laughing at?"
Liu Ruyan squinted her eyes slightly and smiled, "Nothing much, just something amusing."
She hadn't meant to laugh at them specifically, and besides, her stomach still hurt, so all she wanted was to get back to her seat. She stepped to the side and said, "Sorry, but could you move? You're blocking my way."
Liu Meina swiftly stepped in front of her, her voice laced with arrogance, "You clearly laughed! Explain yourself before you go."
Liu Ruyan sighed, "Fine. I laughed because you guys have poor taste. Satisfied?"
She may not be feeling her best today, but that didn't mean she was a pushover. With just one sentence, the fragile, delicate image she had been exuding shattered.
"You—!"
Just as Liu Meina was about to lose her temper, she caught a glimpse of Lu Chuan walking toward them from behind. In a deliberately aggrieved tone, she said, "If you have a problem with us, say it to my face. There's no need to badmouth Lu Chuan. He's good-looking and smart. We weren't wrong about that, were we?"
"Hmph," Liu Ruyan snorted with disdain. "Lu Chuan? The school heartthrob? Is he really that handsome? Sorry, I'm not interested. You can keep talking about him, but don't block the hallway, okay?"
"What do you mean 'someone like him'? Lu—Lu Chuan! You heard that, right? Don't take it to heart. She's just trying to provoke us," Liu Meina said hurriedly. She had timed it perfectly, making sure Lu Chuan heard every word.
What luck, Liu Meina thought. Lu Chuan was standing right behind her, having heard everything clearly. The school heartthrob on the first day of school—Liu Ruyan, you're in trouble now, she thought gleefully.
Lu Chuan, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, smelled faintly of laundry detergent. Without even glancing at Liu Meina, he brushed past her and stood in front of Liu Ruyan. At 6'1", he completely blocked her view. He said nothing, just gave Liu Ruyan a fierce glare before walking into the classroom.
Liu Ruyan stuck out her tongue at Liu Meina, shrugged, and followed him into the classroom.
What?! He's in Class 3 too?! Liu Meina was furious, stomping her feet in frustration.
"That's it? What a letdown," muttered the surrounding students, disappointed that the drama didn't escalate. The crowd quickly dispersed.
"Bro, where've you been?" Lu Chuan's deskmate and best friend, Ye Ziming, waved at him as soon as he walked into the classroom. "Have you finished your homework? Let me borrow it!"
"Didn't bring it," Lu Chuan replied gruffly, slumping into his seat.
Since Lu Chuan entered the classroom, the room had grown noticeably quieter. The boys had stopped messing around since Lu Chuan hated noise, and the girls were all too busy watching him.
"Hey!" A slender, elegant finger tapped on Lu Chuan's desk, and a slightly impatient voice followed, "Can you move your desk back a bit? How am I supposed to sit in such a cramped space?"
The voice wasn't loud, but the classroom was so quiet that everyone heard it. This girl had the audacity to speak to Lu Chuan like that? And she even knocked on his desk?
Liu Ruyan stared down at him from above, and Lu Chuan shot her a sharp look in return. The two locked eyes for several seconds in a silent standoff.
Everyone speculated on how this girl would meet her doom. Lu Chuan never talked to girls, no matter how pretty they were. And to think, this girl had spoken to him with an attitude!
What happened next surprised everyone. Lu Chuan suddenly pulled his desk back with a scraping sound, and Liu Ruyan calmly took her seat.
What???
The drama had ended before it even began, leaving the onlookers full of questions. Why hadn't the school heartthrob lost his temper today? Why had he listened to this new girl?
This interesting news quickly spread throughout the school. Soon, the school's forum had a trending post:
"Breaking News: A New Beauty in Class 3! She Challenged Lu Chuan on Her First Day—Super Cool!"