She burst into Fang Yan's life like a fierce little beast, unannounced and unstoppable, dressed in golden armor and riding a rainbow-colored cloud.
She didn't want to be Fang Yan's "daughter"—she wanted to be his "woman."
She wanted the front row because it was closer to Fang Yan.
She was an idol to the students; their admiration for her bordered on worship.
Wherever she went, all eyes followed.
In just a few minutes, she wrote three love poems, each leaving the class awestruck.
She was…
"She's challenging my authority," Fang Yan thought.
In fact, a darker suspicion began to creep into his mind.
Could it be that when Trustee Zheng Tiansheng and his group failed to get him expelled, they resorted to a "honey trap"? Throwing such a stunning girl his way—did they hate him that much?
Fang Yan realized he couldn't sit back and do nothing. He needed to figure out who this girl really was.
Among the forty-one students in the class, Fang Yan had "communicated" the most with Huang Haoran, Zheng Guodong, Chen Tao, and Li Yang. Granted, Zheng, Chen, and Li were far from cooperative. That left only Huang Haoran as a reliable source.
He could see the gleam in Haoran's eyes; clearly, the boy knew plenty about Qin Yitian.
Unsurprisingly, Qin Yitian's three poems received top marks, earning her the day's top spot. What was intended as a prize for the top three had become hers alone. She earned three extra credit points in one go, meaning that if she scored a fifty-seven on the next Chinese exam, with these three points, she'd pass.
But with her knowledge and skill, did she seem like someone who'd only score a fifty-seven in Chinese?
Fang Yan realized he had a different concern: if she scored ninety-eight, adding these three points would give her a hundred and one. Would he really have to award her more than a perfect score? He decided he'd cross that bridge later—or maybe dock a few points here and there…
After class, Fang Yan called out, "Huang Haoran, could you come here for a moment?"
As the temporary Chinese class representative, it was perfectly natural for Fang Yan to call him aside for a quick discussion.
Huang Haoran quickly got up, stealing a glance at Qin Yitian on his way out.
Fang Yan led him downstairs to the ivy-covered benches in the school's English Corner and asked, "Haoran, what's the story with Qin Yitian?"
Huang Haoran was taken aback, his face flushing red as he stammered, "Mr. Fang, I… I…"
"What is it? Just say what's on your mind. Don't be so timid," Fang Yan said, sounding slightly impatient.
"I… I really like Qin Yitian, but…"
This time, it was Fang Yan's turn to be surprised. He'd brought Haoran out here to get information on Qin Yitian, not to uncover a case of early puppy love.
"Classmate Huang Haoran, this—"
"Mr. Fang, it's not just me; all the boys at school like Qin Yitian." In one breath, Haoran sold out the entire male student body, quicker than any high-speed rocket.
"Why?" Fang Yan asked.
"——" Huang Haoran looked at him, unsure of the question's meaning.
"I mean—is she famous at school?"
"Very famous." Haoran became animated. "She's known throughout Hua City! This year, when she chose to attend Suzaku, tons of students applied here just because of her. Even the top scorers citywide enrolled because of her. Suzaku's enrollment rate hit an all-time high this year."
"You're one of them?" Fang Yan asked with a smile.
Blushing, Haoran adjusted his glasses and said, "I thought Suzaku would be a good fit for me. And I was lucky enough to meet you, Mr. Fang…"
"Why is she so famous?" Fang Yan asked.
"Because she's a genius," Haoran replied without hesitation.
"In what areas?"
"All areas."
"——" Fang Yan shook his head and said, "Haoran, your father told me you aspire to be a top-notch journalist. Do you know the three essentials of journalism? Quick, accurate, and new. Don't let personal feelings cloud the truth. Are you sure you're not letting emotions get the better of you?"
"It's true." Haoran grew anxious, sensing Fang Yan's doubt about Qin Yitian's talents. "She really is a genius—everyone agrees. Don't be fooled by her being a first-year; even the second- and third-years call her 'Yitian-jie'—Sister Yitian."
"——"
That sounds like a mob boss, Fang Yan thought to himself.
After hearing Haoran's explanation, Fang Yan felt it was even more important to understand what made Qin Yitian so extraordinary.
He found a stone bench, sat down, patted the spot beside him, and said, "Sit down and tell me everything."
But Haoran stayed standing, his face lighting up with excitement. "Did you know? Qin Yitian was already a legend in middle school. She attended Hua City First Middle School, the best in the city. The competition there is intense—yet everyone's highest achievable goal was second place because Qin Yitian always took first."
"She spent three years at that school, and for three years straight, she was the top student in her year. And it wasn't just in one subject; she was first in every subject, no weak areas at all… Nothing was ever too difficult for her. Even advanced math problems teachers threw her way were solved without a hitch."
"All because of her academic prowess?"
"Not just that. Remember when Apple English Channel held that city-wide host selection competition? Every contestant had to deliver an English speech. She entered and outshone everyone. The organizers were in a bind, though. Qin Yitian was underage and still a student. If they signed her, it'd be complicated; if they didn't, they'd be breaking their promise, and public opinion would turn against them… In the end, she withdrew, saying her studies were more important and that she didn't have time to host a program. But Apple didn't want to let her go, so they signed her as a field reporter instead."
"She's strong in English and public speaking?"
"Very. And during middle school, street dancing was all the rage. She formed her own team, choreographed a routine, and won the East China Street Dance competition. She didn't attend nationals in Beijing, though, claiming the air quality there was too poor."
"On graduation day, she wore a red gown and performed Liszt's La Campanella on the piano. None of us knew the piece, but we all thought it was beautiful. Later, I looked it up—it's also called The Little Bell, a solo Liszt adapted from Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 in B Minor."
"La Campanella uses a rondo form, where the theme changes with each repetition. It's notoriously difficult, and they say only a few people in China can play it well. When Li Yundi performed it in Vienna, it caused a sensation… Her performance was the highlight of graduation, and many students ended up buying Liszt CDs because of her."
"She can play piano too?"
"She was president of our school's broadcasting club, and she's already taken on the same role here at Suzaku. She's choreographed a version of The Little Swan, produced Romeo and Juliet, competed in math olympiads, and won awards. She's even a guest at the city's planetarium… Oh, and she's really good at volleyball and tennis."
"No weaknesses?"
"There's one—she's too beautiful." Haoran sighed, sounding almost regretful. "Too many people like her…"
"——"
Fang Yan felt a bit defeated. How on earth was he supposed to teach a student like this?
"Do you think her parents know how exceptional she is?"
"They should… probably know." Haoran hesitated.
"If that's the case, why send her to school? Do you think she has some ulterior motive for joining our class?"
"It is strange," Haoran admitted. "Class One is the top class in the grade, and Qin Yitian enrolled in Suzaku with the city's highest entrance score. She was appointed temporary class president of Class One as soon as she arrived… I can't figure out why she'd transfer to Class Nine. We're notorious as the 'problem class.' Ms. Zhu, the last teacher, didn't even last a month before she was forced out…"
"Ms. Zhu? The teacher before me?" Fang Yan asked.
"Yes. Ms. Zhu was a kind person too."
"Why was she forced out?"
"Rumor had it she was too close with a female student, but that sounds impossible. She'd just arrived—how could she get entangled like that so quickly?"
"Maybe she upset the wrong people?"
"No idea." Haoran shook his head.
Fang Yan had his suspicions but didn't press further; after all, Haoran was just a student and couldn't know too much.
"So, you're saying Qin Yitian transferred from the top class in the grade to our Class Nine?"
"Exactly." Haoran nodded. "Mr. Fang… you'd never heard of Qin Yitian before?"
Just listen to that question—talk about a blow to one's pride.
I'm the teacher here; they're the ones who should know me first! Why would I know every student?
"No, I hadn't," Fang Yan replied. "Why do you think… Qin Yitian transferred? Why would she choose our Class Nine?"
"Maybe…" Haoran trailed off.
"Maybe what?"
"Maybe she's interested in someone in our class?" Haoran looked down, his expression bashful.
Fang Yan looked at Haoran with a gentle, almost fatherly expression. "Classmate Huang Haoran, as students, you should focus on your studies."
Haoran looked back at Fang Yan, eyes wide in disbelief. "Mr. Fang, I didn't think you'd say something like that."
"Well, I did." Fang Yan nodded. "And I'll be telling your parents."
"——"
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𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 advanced chapters of this novel 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!
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