"..."
Teacher Bei was dumbfounded, and the students were flabbergasted. Outside the classroom door, Ming Chengli, who had been peeking in, almost tripped over his own feet. He had celebrated too early. The heavens hadn’t opened their eyes to bless him; they were blinking in a cruel prank!
This sentence finally drew Shaoyuan’s gaze back from the window, revealing a breathtakingly handsome face. He saw the girl standing in front of him. So it was her. Surprisingly, he wasn’t shocked that it was her.
Shaoyuan looked up, his mesmerizing fox-like eyes gazing at her in the morning breeze. "Alright, Young Miss. Don’t bully me; I’ll listen to you."
It was clearly a remark showing weakness, yet it made people feel as if he were still standing at the highest vantage point, never having stepped down.
"It’s you? The one who treated me to a meal—" This form of address allowed Shi Changying to recognize Shaoyuan. In a rare moment, she came up with a complimentary term. "The kindhearted man."
"The kindhearted man?" Shaoyuan slightly twitched his brow, seemingly finding this description very amusing.
"Changying... Changying!" Ming Chengli called out in a low voice from outside the door. "Come out for a second. Dad still has something to say to you."
Hearing this, Shi Changying turned and walked out the door, leaving the bewildered students behind.
"Did the new student mistake the Young Master for the school bully, Meng Qi’an? Otherwise, why would she immediately ask for a fight?"
"That can’t be. Although Meng Qi’an is decent-looking, he looks a bit foolish. He’s nowhere near as smart as our Young Master."
"True. Brother Meng is handsome, but his IQ is highly questionable."
Someone boldly asked, "Young Master, do you know the new student?"
"I don’t know her," Shaoyuan replied. His gaze had already returned to the leaves outside the window, quietly watching the dewdrops slide off. As soon as Shi Changying left, this small space reverted to its silent, lonely, and unapproachable coldness.
"You don’t know her?" The students once again exchanged bewildered glances. They had clearly heard that line, "Young Miss, don’t bully me; I’ll listen to you." And that was called not knowing her?
Outside the door, having stopped a brawl just in time, Ming Chengli was still shaken. "Changying, you’ve got it all wrong. Ranking first in the grade refers to academic grades, not fighting. It’s all Dad’s fault for not explaining it clearly to you beforehand, and you’ve been staying in the hospital these past two days."
"What’s there to compare about academic grades?" Her Majesty was displeased. She pondered for three seconds. "Then, who is the strongest fighter in the whole school?"
Sometimes, Ming Chengli hated himself for having such a quick mouth. "The school bully?"
Shi Changying snapped her fingers. "Very well. I will remember that."
Ming Chengli was speechless. "What did Your Majesty the Emperor remember this time? Don’t memorize things you shouldn’t!" he thought in despair.
As the class bell rang, Ming Chengli could only swallow the rest of his words back down. "Changying, behave well at school, and don’t worry about Dad. Dad is very capable. Keep your phone handy and contact Dad if you need anything. I’m leaving now."
Shi Changying watched his retreating back, noticing his hurried steps that carried a hint of desolation. She retracted her gaze, returned to the classroom, and naturally sat down next to Shaoyuan, beginning to study the so-called mobile phone. What on earth was this thing? It glowed? How strange.
Shi Changying randomly pressed a button, and a melodious song echoed in the quiet classroom, accompanied by a low male voice singing of endless sorrow and melancholy.
"If the east wind knows the sorrow of rise and fall, why does an infatuated soul remain in the empty courtyard..."
Teacher Bei jumped in shock.
"It can even sing?" Shi Changying wondered. She tried to turn it off, but she failed.
Just as she was about to crush the phone directly, a slender hand reached over from her right and lightly tapped the screen, bringing the music to an abrupt halt. Then, that hand took the phone away, its icy fingertips inadvertently brushing against her palm. "I’ll return it to you after class."
Only then did Shi Changying recall the school rules Ming Chengli had explained to her earlier, saying that phones couldn’t be used during class. She had violated the rules so quickly. Truly worthy of her.
"If I don’t rebel, then I wouldn’t be me," she mused.
Shi Changying listened drowsily throughout the entire class. It wasn’t until the bell rang again that the students, who had held back for a whole period, gathered around.
"Classmate Shi, who gave you your name? It’s too cool!"
"I originally thought only the Young Master possessed such god-like looks, until I saw Classmate Shi today."
"Classmate Shi, my name is Lu Mi, just call me Xiao Mi! You can come to me anytime if you have any questions."
"Me, me, me! My name is Song Qingmu! Classmate Shi, your surname is so cool! Can I call you Senior Sister? It matches perfectly with the Young Master!"
The students were all very friendly, making Empress Taichu feel that, as a villain, she was somewhat out of place.
"Classmate Shi, do you also like Xie Lin?" Lu Mi asked excitedly. "I’m his loyal fan."
Shi Changying continued to study her phone. "Who is Xie Lin?"
"Huh?" Lu Mi was stunned. "Classmate Shi, the song that played on your phone just now was composed and arranged by Xie Lin."
"Senior Sister, Xie Lin is only twenty-five this year, and he’s already established a firm foothold in the international music scene!" Song Qingmu said, beaming. "He’s simply a genius composer."
Lu Mi said dejectedly, "But tickets to his concerts are too hard to get. They’re practically priceless."
"He does sound very impressive." Shi Changying slightly raised her brow. "So, how does he compare to Xie Qingshi?"
"..."
The classroom instantly fell silent.
"Senior Sister, this... there’s no way to compare a modern person to someone from four hundred years ago," Song Qingmu stammered. "Xie Qingshi is a towering peak in the history of Jiuzhou music! He’s the famous and handsome Xie Lang!"
"Sigh, it’s just that many of the pieces he composed have been lost," Lu Mi sighed. "Only three ancient zither melodies have survived, and we’ll never get the chance to hear him play."
Shi Changying’s gaze cooled slightly. "They’ve all been lost?"
Suddenly, her stomach began to GRUMBLE, interrupting her train of thought. It was a very subtle noise, and the others didn’t hear it. Shaoyuan was still leaning against the window, resting with his eyes closed. He hadn’t participated in the discussion, not even opening his eyes in the slightest.
At this moment, however, he spoke up. "Why did I seem to hear a little kitten crying, saying, ’Shaoyuan, treat me to a meal’?"
This single sentence successfully silenced all conversation. "..."
Song Qingmu was somewhat terrified and frantically waved his hands. "Young Master, it... it wasn’t me! I wouldn’t dare!"
Shi Changying raised an eyebrow. "Where is the kindhearted man?"
"That’s right, it’s me. What about it?" she thought.
Shaoyuan finally opened his eyes and smiled. "She sounded quite pitiful. As a kindhearted man, I can’t bear to let her continue starving." He took out a bag of bread, elegantly and considerately tore it open, and handed it to her.
Shi Changying polished it off in a few bites.
"I have some food here too," Lu Mi chimed in, taking out two steamed buns. "There are still three periods left until lunchtime. Classmate Shi, don’t let yourself go hungry."
Consequently, Shi Changying received offerings of food from all directions. As she ate, she thought that her classmates were much more sensible than her court full of civil and military officials.
During the long break in Class 1, Grade 12.
Xu Shuyu was working on practice questions when her deskmate tapped her on the shoulder. "Shuyu, your brother is here to see you."
She looked up toward the classroom door and noticed Meng Shuyan frowning, looking like he was in a rather bad mood.
Xu Shuyu put down her pen and walked out. "Brother, what’s wrong?"
Seeing her come out, Meng Shuyan’s voice deepened. "Sister, she came to study at Jianghuai High School."
Xu Shuyu was slightly taken aback but quickly caught on. "You mean the one from Ming Village?"
"Biological ties really are different. Grandpa and Grandma certainly went to great lengths for her, actually forcing her into Jianghuai High School," Meng Shuyan scoffed softly. "But useless mud can’t plaster a wall. Even if she gets in, she can only mess around in Class 17."
Xu Shuyu’s expression was indifferent; she wasn’t very interested. "It has nothing to do with us."
"Nothing to do with us?" Meng Shuyan laughed out of anger. "Sister, you’re taking the high road, but what about her? She just got back, and she already had Huo Yunxing throwing punches for her. She’s really scheming."
Xu Shuyu grew a bit impatient. "He’s just a man. If she wants him, let her have him."