Chapter 211

Words : 1259 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

Seven years later. S City First High School. The empty gymnasium occasionally echoed with the distant clamor from the outdoor basketball court. A girl in a school uniform, her limbs slender and graceful, brushed back her shoulder-length hair with one hand while clutching a pale pink envelope in the other. A closer look would reveal her name written on it. She didn’t have to wait long before the gym door creaked open, spilling in a wash of dim yellow light. A boy in uniform shuffled inside, his movements stiff, his face flushed red. He seemed too nervous to meet her gaze, his eyes instead fixating on the girl’s calves, clad in white ankle socks. "Passerby A, is it?" Hearing his name spoken by her, he trembled even harder. "Um... what did you want to talk to me about?" The girl waved the envelope in her hand. Passerby A squeezed his eyes shut, recalling the lines he had rehearsed for a week and the motivational poster by the school store that read, "Youth only comes once." Summoning his courage, he jerked his head up and blurted out— "Shen Qingtang!!" "I-I... I like you! Please go out with me!!!" He bent sharply at the waist, hands pressed stiffly against his thighs, bowing at a perfect ninety-degree angle. Shen Qingtang, unsurprised, took a step forward. Compared to seven years ago, her features had grown even more delicate, her expression now carrying a gentle, apologetic smile. "I’m sorry, but thank you for your feelings. Right now, I just want to focus on studying." "No early dating, okay?" The boy’s heart shattered into eight pieces. Covering his face, he ran off in tears. The moment he left— A burst of laughter erupted from behind a crate piled high with tennis balls. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" "Shen ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍Qingtang~ I-I... I like you, please go out with me!!" "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" The unrestrained laughter, brimming with teasing, didn’t provoke any irritation from the girl who had just been confessed to. Instead, her eyes crinkled with amusement as she walked toward the source. "Careful, don’t choke on your laughter." Rounding the net, Shen Qingtang peeked over and spotted the person leaning against the crate, laughing wildly. A girl sat sprawled on the floor, legs splayed carelessly, her posture lazy as she reclined against the box. Curly long hair tumbled down her back, and when she turned at the sound of Shen Qingtang’s voice, her emerald-green eyes sparkled with mirth, her naturally long lashes casting a starry shimmer. Even at her young age, anyone who saw her couldn’t help but marvel—she looked like a masterpiece meticulously crafted by both Nuwa and God. "When did you get here? I didn’t even notice." Fourteen-year-old Shen Qingtang walked over to fourteen-year-old Ji Nian, grabbing the hand the other girl lifted and yanking her up with a firm tug, pulling the boneless, languid Ji Nian to her feet. Ji Nian leaned against Shen Qingtang innocently, arms looping around her waist, her cheek squished against Shen Qingtang’s shoulder. "I was hiding from someone..." When Shen Qingtang didn’t respond, she tilted her head. "Huh? Aren’t you gonna ask who?" The girl holding her patted her head with a smile. "Well, is it him?" Following Shen Qingtang’s gaze, Ji Nian looked up, bewildered, toward the windows near the spectator seats. Perched on the windowsill—which had somehow been opened—was a boy. One leg was propped up, the other dangling to the floor. His school tie was impeccably knotted, his hair neatly styled, his sharp, handsome features already hinting at the future CEO he would become. His expression was cool, but the intensity in his knife-sharp eyes burned fiercely. "Ji. Nian." He enunciated her name slowly, then leaped down from the window in one fluid motion. Ji Nian’s face twisted in horror, and she bolted. "No way! How did you even find me?!" Gu Xiuyuan, who had surpassed both Ji Nian and Shen Qingtang in height the previous year, chased after her with a stern expression. "Stop running, Ji Nian!" "Explain your physics grade to me! Why did you lose two points on the last problem?!" Ji Nian let out a wail and sprinted even faster. Shen Qingtang, trailing behind them, nodded cheerfully. "Yeah, it was a question type we’ve covered before. How’d you mess that up?" Ji Nian dashed into the classroom, her sharp eyes scanning the room before locking onto her lifeline. "Xiang! Save me!!" The classmates around them, used to seeing the usually aloof Ji Nian in such a flustered state, barely batted an eye. Someone even dared to tease, "Ji Nian, your ‘Dad Gu’ is lecturing you again, huh?" The class erupted in laughter. Meanwhile, the person Ji Nian had called out to—her supposed savior—stood at the back of the classroom, discussing class matters with the study committee rep. Hearing his name, he turned. Seven years had passed, and thanks to regular meals, the once scrawny, dark-skinned kid had shot up in height, surpassing everyone else to become the tallest sophomore in the grade. His facial features had also shed their childish softness, now defined by sharp angles and a quiet, stoic handsomeness. Shen Qingtang had once joked that He Xiang had the face of a delinquent but was actually a straight-laced academic genius. Seeing Ji Nian charging toward him, He Xiang smoothly pulled her under his desk. Thanks to his height, he sat by the window in the last row, and with him blocking the way, Ji Nian was completely hidden. Sure enough, Gu Xiuyuan arrived moments later. The student council president (yes, still him) paused at the doorway to steady his breathing before stepping inside. His gaze swept the room before settling on He Xiang. Walking over, Gu Xiuyuan stopped at a spot where he wouldn’t have to crane his neck to look up at He Xiang (seriously, had this kid grown again?) and asked flatly, "Where’s Ji Nian?" He Xiang met his eyes without flinching. "She’s not here." Gu Xiuyuan scanned the faces of the other students, noting their poorly concealed expressions, and sighed internally. So she was really going to avoid him like this. Without pressing further, he pulled out a notebook from somewhere and handed it to He Xiang. "Give this to her when she’s back. It’s a compilation of all her mistakes from this exam. Make sure she reviews it." He Xiang took the notebook and nodded. "Got it." Only then did Gu Xiuyuan leave. The moment he was gone, Shen Qingtang strolled in. Several classmates greeted her. "Class prez!" Shen Qingtang acknowledged them with a smile before heading straight for He Xiang’s seat. She crouched down and, sure enough, found a certain black-haired, green-eyed troublemaker hiding beneath. "Look what I found." Ji Nian met her gaze and exhaled in relief. "Thank god it’s you." She pushed her unruly hair out of her face and wriggled out. He Xiang extended a hand to help, and Ji Nian grabbed his wrist without hesitation, letting him pull her up. After straightening up, she patted his shoulder and said, "Thanks, buddy." Then she went to vent to Shen Qingtang, complaining that she had accidentally dozed off during the exam. By the time it was over, she was sure she’d failed—and that Gu Xiuyuan would scold her for it. He Xiang stared at the single stray strand of hair sticking up from Ji Nian’s head, the corner of his lips quirking faintly for just a moment before smoothing back into place. The class monitor beside him rubbed his eyes, wondering if he’d imagined it.

Chapter 211

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