Spring light sets the tone, and my heart only stirs for you.
The athlete’s march blared through the hallway, accompanied by the patter of rain, a chaotic symphony.
But the students still had to run.
Rain or shine, scorching sun or heavy snow… not a single day could be skipped.
Zhou Zhi stood by the classroom window, finding everything on the track field novel.
After that incident, she hadn’t set foot on campus for three years.
The tutors her family hired were all graduates of prestigious universities—she didn’t actually need to come to school.
But…
“Sis Wan! Look… look, Ji Xuanxu is on the track field!”
Other students with excuse notes were still in the classroom when someone suddenly rushed to the window, shoving Zhou Zhi aside and pointing at the field outside.
Zhou Zhi stepped back two paces, quietly standing in the corner, yet her gaze also drifted toward that direction.
Ji Xuanxu.
She silently repeated the name in her mind.
Three characters once intimately familiar had gradually faded in her memory, becoming foreign.
The silver-haired boy was undoubtedly the most eye-catching presence on the field. The oversized school uniform clung to his body in the wind, hinting at the muscles beneath—the swinging forearms showed smooth, defined lines, not overly prominent, just right.
The boy casually tilted his head up, and Zhou Zhi hastily averted her gaze, stumbling backward.
Even though she knew he couldn’t possibly see her from this distance.
“Clang!”
She stepped on a broom left in the corner for cleaning, and it clattered to the ground with a noise.
“Hey, don’t crowd the new student!” Song Jun rolled up his sleeves, coming to Zhou Zhi’s defense.
The new transfer student was truly stunning.
Her black hair had a slight wave, falling softly across her chest, making her skin appear even fairer.
But her frame was too slender, and her complexion too pale.
Like a delicate white flower that might break in the wind.
A flicker of confusion passed through Zhou Zhi’s eyes. She gently brushed her fingers over the fierce scar hidden beneath the thick elastic band on her wrist, a faint smile curving at the corners of her lips.
A brand new environment—no one here knew her past.
How wonderful.
Everything could start over.
Wu Ya glanced at Zhou Zhi, obvious disdain in her eyes. She clicked her tongue and looked back out the window: “I heard Ji Xuanxu got disciplined for a fight outside school a few days ago.”
“How is he still here today?”
“Sis Wan, you’re close with him—do you know?”
She flashed a smile at Gu Wan standing nearby, her tone cautious.
Gu Wan’s family was wealthy, and she had a volatile temper in private. Provoking her meant no one would have an easy time.
Gu Wan’s face showed displeasure, and she said nothing, inwardly annoyed.
If she’d known, she would have gone to run on the field today too.
Song Jun answered first: “You don’t know what kind of background our Brother Ji has?”
Gu Wan’s face turned cold. She shot Song Jun a glare and warned, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“He didn’t go fight.”
Song Jun shrugged with a smile and said nothing more.
Rumors around school said Ji Xuanxu had a childhood sweetheart, and since the Gu and Ji families lived right across from each other, the nature of their relationship went without saying.
If Gu Wan was willing to defend Brother Ji’s notoriously bad reputation like that, he had nothing to add.
True love, then.
Gu Wan’s gaze swept over Zhou Zhi in a circle before looking away.
What good was being pretty?
Just a face, nothing more.
As the running drills drew to a close, Gu Wan grabbed the bottled water from her desk and strode out of the classroom.
Wu Ya quickly followed.
Song Jun sighed and shook his head.
Good-looking, powerful, and influential—no wonder so many girls at school flocked around Brother Ji.
Why didn’t they have such good luck?
“Song… classmate.”
The girl’s slightly hesitant voice sounded by his ear, so soft, like a spring breeze passing by.
Song Jun immediately sat up straight, a little flustered.
This new classmate hadn’t spoken more than two sentences all morning.
Quiet and introverted, like the kind of well-behaved student teachers would favor.
“Why did Ji Xuanxu fight?” Zhou Zhi sat back down in her seat.
Last row, separated from Song Jun by only an aisle.
Song Jun clicked his tongue twice.
See, another naive girl drawn in by Brother Ji.
Song Jun said seriously, “Brother Ji doesn’t need a reason to fight. He just doesn’t like the look of someone.”
“Classmate Zhou Zhi, don’t pry into Brother Ji’s business.”
“You two aren’t from the same world.”
“A good student should just focus on studying.”
Zhou Zhi lowered her eyes.
A good student…
Her?
The crowd from the running drills had mostly dispersed. Zhou Zhi was getting water at the hallway dispenser.
At the corner, a group of boys came walking over in twos and threes.
“Brother Ji, why’d you come to school today?”
“Those brats from No. 8 Middle School, they deserved a good beating.”
“Brother Ji… Brother Ji, why did you stop!”
“Oh, what a pretty girl.”
The voices came to an abrupt halt.
When Zhou Zhi turned her head, she met the boy’s pitch-black eyes directly.
Five or six steps away, she could clearly see a scratch the length of a thumb on the side of his face, still soaked with blood, not yet scabbed over.
A few strands of silver hair clung to his forehead.
Somehow it added a touch of wildness and defiance.
Her hand gripping the cup tightened slightly, and Zhou Zhi’s lips trembled.
“Ji—”
Almost at the same moment, Ji Xuanxu turned and walked away, disappearing around the corner and out of Zhou Zhi’s sight in an instant.
The boy in her memory, who had never once been late to school, merged with the person before her just now, gradually blurring until no longer clear.
Water overflowed from the cup, spilling over her hand.
Zhou Zhi turned, took out her water card, and headed back to the classroom.
She ran into Gu Wan at the classroom door.
The two of them moved toward the door at almost the same time, and Zhou Zhi proactively stepped back half a step.
Gu Wan walked in as if it were her due.
Zhou Zhi heard a light snort, along with the sound of the back row going wild with teasing.
“Sister Wan, why are you back so late?”
“Were you just bringing water to Ji Xuanxu?”
“Ooh la la…”
“You two talked that long?”
Zhou Zhi stood at the door, waiting until the noise inside gradually settled, before slowly walking in.
Ji Xuanxu walked fast, and the few classmates behind him almost couldn’t keep up.
Xu Yao sidled up and asked, “Brother Ji, you know her?”
The others also pricked up their ears—who doesn’t love gossip, especially about Ji Xuanxu.
Ji Xuanxu didn’t turn around, his icy voice sparing only a single word.
“No.”
Xu Yao patted his chest in relief and laughed, “Good, then. That little sister is really pretty, I kinda li—”
The topic came to an abrupt halt.
The boy walking at the front suddenly turned around, staring hard at Xu Yao, a hint of hostility and impatience rising in his eyes.
Xu Yao stopped in his tracks, standing still, a chill running down his back.
They had all seen the reckless way Ji Xuanxu fought when he lost control.
It was easy to tell that the boy’s mood right now was probably not good.
“Don’t mess with her.”
Ji Xuanxu spoke, then withdrew his gaze, all his emotions gradually fading away.
Like a beast sheathing its fangs, gaining a hint of dejection.
As he turned, one more sentence drifted over lightly.
—”Afraid you’d get beaten to death.”
Xu Yao let out a breath of relief and nervously followed after him.
So they DON’T know each other!?
Probably… there’s some complicated story behind it.
Otherwise, how could he say something so absurd.
He’s a black belt in taekwondo—how could he be beaten to death by a girl?
The few of them exchanged glances in turn, and no one was about to rush into gossip at a time like this.
Alright, a school-life story it is, and it’s going to be spicy~
Fulfilling my own dream! Dream fulfilled!
The full text is already drafted.
I’ve never written a school-life story before, so if there are any flaws, feel free to roast them.
It’s definitely a sweet story!
Also (dear readers from my previous book, please don’t have overly high expectations for my school-life story—if this genre isn’t your thing, we’ll quickly move on to the next book~)
ps: There’s no underdog-turned-overachiever trope here, not even for the male lead.