"You're so pretty. When I first saw you, I was totally enamored," Xie Yan declared with the straightforward confidence only teenagers could muster.
Ren Yuxin smiled, the compliment catching her off guard even in this dreamlike state. "Thank you. You two are really pretty too."
Shi Meng tilted her head, her curiosity evident. "So, who do you want to be seatmates with?"
Xie Yan answered without hesitation, "Lin Chiyuan. He's really cute." She grinned, her cheeks turning pink.
Ren Yuxin laughed softly, feeling an inexplicable warmth from the moment. "I don't know. You two are the only people I know here," she said sincerely.
"Really?" Shi Meng's eyes widened in surprise as Xie Yan leaned closer, her expression brimming with excitement.
"Well, I wouldn't mind being seatmates with Su Yuanzhou either," Xie Yan added with a laugh, her voice teasing yet playful.
Shi Meng burst into laughter. "You're crazy! He'd probably make you cry—or dump you without even trying."
Just then, as the three of them talked, a man with a bit of captivating maroon-colored hair walked past them.
Shi Meng, ever the bold one, grinned mischievously and called out to him. "Hey, Su Yuanzhou. She said she wants to be your deskmate," she teased, pointing at Xie Yan.
"Hey, are you crazy?!" Xie Yan exclaimed, her voice rising in disbelief as her face turned red.
The boy halted mid-step and slowly turned around. His presence was electrifying, even in the simplest black shirt, which somehow looked like a custom designer piece on him.
As Ren Yuxin's gaze landed on his phoenix-like eyes, she was struck by the faint red hue in them, as if they held embers of defiance.
A small mole under his left eye added an unexpected charm, while his tall, well-defined nose and thin lips gave him an air of mystery. A sleek, chain-linked earring dangled from his right ear, glinting under the classroom lights, adding to his roguish allure.
His side profile was so sharp and flawless that it seemed as though an artist had painstakingly sketched it. Yet, the faint downward curl of his lips and the way he carried himself exuded an unmistakable air of rebellion.
He said nothing, merely scoffing before turning back toward the teacher's desk.
"What? That bastard is so rude!" Xie Yan fumed, crossing her arms with a huff.
Shi Meng burst into laughter, clearly enjoying the drama.
Ren Yuxin remained silent, her eyes lingering on him as the scene unfolded. Her ears burned as she thought to herself, "Ah, right. That's exactly what he looked like."
She bit her lip, glancing at her hands as if grounding herself. "But is this really just a dream? It feels too real. Isn't this the exact same day? The day I became his deskmate..."
The day replayed itself in perfect clarity—the first day of her second year in high school.
She could still remember how excited yet nervous she'd felt as the teacher explained the seating arrangement.
"Now, each of you will draw a number," the teacher had said, holding a box filled with folded pieces of paper.
Ren Yuxin's eyes flitted to Su Yuanzhou, who casually reached into the box and pulled out a slip of paper.
He unfolded it lazily, and she caught a glimpse of the number written on it: 34.
'He's sitting in the back, one chair away from the window,' she thought.
"Next!"
Su Yuanzhou walked to his seat with an air of quiet arrogance, his empty school bag slung carelessly over one shoulder.
His proud gait and the slight tilt of his chin made him seem untouchable, as if the entire world revolved at his pace.
Ren Yuxin stood at the edge of the line, her heart pounding. She reached into the box, her fingers brushing against the folded papers.
There was a secret she never told anyone.
Back then, she had noticed the faint numbers peeking through the edges of the papers.
Her breath caught. Among the numbers, she had spotted 33.
Her hand trembled slightly as she drew it, unfolding the slip to reveal the number she had hoped for—33.
"Ren Yuxin, number 33," the teacher announced.
She moved toward her assigned seat, her legs feeling heavy as she approached.
Her gaze flitted to Su Yuanzhou, who was already seated, his posture relaxed as he leaned back slightly in his chair.
As she neared, his phoenix-like eyes locked onto hers.
The intensity of his gaze was enough to send her pulse racing.
He didn't look away, not even for a second, as if daring her to break the connection.
Ren Yuxin felt her cheeks grow warm under his unwavering stare.
She fumbled with her schoolbag, clutching it tightly as she sat down.
"Hey," he said suddenly, his voice low and indifferent.
She looked up, startled. "Y-yes?"
"Don't bother me."
Ren Yuxin's mouth opened in disbelief.
She wanted to say something—anything—but the words wouldn't come out. Instead, she sat there, flustered and unsure, while the sound of her classmates chatting filled the air.
'That was the first thing he ever said to me,' she thought, biting the inside of her cheek. "Don't bother me."
Ren Yuxin, having just finished putting her books away, was about to settle down when a commotion outside the classroom drew her attention.
"Yow, Chiyuan!"
The voice was loud and familiar, filled with that unmistakable tone of cocky arrogance.
Ren Yuxin turned instinctively toward the sound, her gaze landing on the two figures at the center of the ruckus.
One of them was Su Yuanzhou, his fiery red hair glinting in the sunlight streaming through the windows.
Next to him stood a tall youth with black hair and brown eyes, exuding a brash confidence. Though he wasn't as tall as Su Yuanzhou, he carried himself with a swagger that made him impossible to miss.
Ren Yuxin squinted.
That guy...he looked familiar.
After a moment of searching her memory, it clicked.
He was that guy—the one who always managed to drag Su Yuanzhou into trouble.
"Hey, Chiyuan, let me borrow your motorcycle," the boy said, slinging an arm around Su Yuanzhou's shoulders.
Su Yuanzhou didn't even glance at him.
Without breaking stride, he shrugged off the arm like it was nothing more than an annoying fly. "No."
"Oh, come on," the boy persisted, his voice turning mockingly sweet. "What, you gotta deliver something again?"
Ren Yuxin clenched her fists under the desk, her blood boiling at the shamelessness.
How dare he humiliate Su Yuanzhou like that?
Su Yuanzhou stopped scrolling through his phone, his fingers curling tightly around it as he glared at the other boy. His sharp gaze could've cut through steel.
"Don't stare at me like that," the boy said with a laugh, entirely unfazed. "C'mon, just for an hour. I'll bring it back safe and sound."
"Piss off," Su Yuanzhou spat. "You don't even know how to ride properly."
Ren Yuxin couldn't help but smile faintly at his sharp comeback.
She sighed softly and returned her focus to her English homework, but her ears stayed trained on the conversation outside.
Eventually, the persistent boy gave up and sauntered back to his classroom, muttering under his breath about how stingy Su Yuanzhou was.
Su Yuanzhou walked back inside, his expression still stormy.
He glanced at Ren Yuxin, who was quietly working at her desk, her head bowed slightly as she tapped her pencil against her cheek.
She sighed again.
His brows furrowed. "What's with all the sighing?" he muttered, more to himself than to her.
Ren Yuxin didn't hear him.
Her focus had drifted out the window, where the clear blue sky stretched endlessly.
Her expression softened, her lips curving into a small, childlike smile.
Outside, the clouds floated lazily, one of them resembling a cluster of bunnies.
Her eyes lit up at the sight, as though she'd discovered a hidden treasure.
Su Yuanzhou stared at her, perplexed.
'Why is she smiling like that?' he thought, watching her as if she were a puzzle he couldn't figure out. 'Is she really that fascinated by clouds? She's so weird.'
Ren Yuxin suddenly reached under her desk and pulled out her iPad.
With practiced ease, she snapped a picture of the bunny-shaped clouds.
Then, with a soft hum, she opened her drawing app and began outlining the shapes, creating an adorable line art of the fluffy creatures.
Su Yuanzhou glanced at her screen out of the corner of his eye.
His lips twitched upward for the briefest moment before he shook his head.
The sound of the school bell startled them both.
Ren Yuxin jolted, nearly dropping her iPad, while Su Yuanzhou rolled his eyes and stood up lazily.
"Keep staring at the clouds, and you're gonna fail English," he muttered, but there was no real bite in his tone.
Ren Yuxin blinked, realizing he was speaking to her.
Before she could respond, he had already walked away.