Liang Muye was about to say something more when he suddenly caught sight of Ji Xuanxu passing by from behind.
The young man walked with one hand in his school uniform pocket, his gaze meeting Liang Muye’s for a brief moment.
The chill in his pitch-black eyes was almost tangible.
Liang Muye’s heart trembled, and he watched as the young man turned his head, passed by the back door, and never once glanced back into their classroom.
The bell for class rang soon after.
Zhou Zhi didn’t return, and the homeroom teacher didn’t show up either.
With no teacher present, Class Two was left buzzing with murmurs.
Many were still whispering about what had just happened.
Wu Ya’s heart began to race with panic.
No… it was just wiping a table, why did she have to go tell the teacher?
She had no idea how this kind of thing would be handled.
Everyone else before had just swallowed their pride and never reported it to the teacher.
She wasn’t like Gu Wan.
No matter what Gu Wan did, she always had the Gu family to back her up.
But she…
Wu Ya suddenly paused, wanting to slap herself twice.
What was there to be afraid of, anyway? It was just the usual routine—a scolding, a self-criticism, and being sent home to reflect.
What was there to fear? She’d been through it plenty of times before.
A few minutes later, just as the noise reached its peak, the homeroom teacher appeared.
A middle-aged woman with black-framed glasses, carrying an aura of stern authority, stood at the classroom door. Instantly, the entire class fell silent.
“Everyone, pack up and come out now.”
“We’re rearranging seats this period.”
The homeroom teacher held a freshly printed ranking sheet, still slightly warm, her expression dark and her tone severe.
That sheet drew countless eyes like a magnet.
That fast!
They’d heard that the senior year grading was quicker now, but this speed was inhuman!
The exam only ended yesterday afternoon…
Someone cursed under their breath.
Soon, everyone was standing in the hallway. After exchanging glances, many eyes subtly turned toward Zhou Zhi.
Well, well…
They were really changing seats?
Just who was this new transfer student?
The class monitor’s gaze was especially cold, laced with irritation, resentment brewing in her heart.
Why was Zhou Zhi so lucky? Even the homeroom teacher made special exceptions for her. She refused to accept it.
One probing look after another came Zhou Zhi’s way. The homeroom teacher’s face remained stern as she called out the first name—Wu Ya’s.
“Wu Ya!”
“You go sit at the very back.”
The stern voice left no room for argument. Wu Ya’s face turned ugly as she stared at the table full of chicken soup, opening her mouth to talk back.
But her gaze suddenly swept past the girl standing behind the homeroom teacher.
The breeze lifted her long hair, revealing a slender, fragile neck—like a delicate flower or blade of grass that might snap at the slightest touch.
In the end, Wu Ya took a deep breath and walked in with a blank expression.
She tore at her own tissues in frustration, beginning to clean up the mess on the desk.
More than fear of punishment, she seemed to feel a natural dread of Zhou Zhi.
Gu Wan’s expression wasn’t much better either. She turned and leaned against the railing, her gaze resting on a tree branch not too far away.
Once, twice.
Clearly, this girl was just a fool with a pretty face, drawing attention through her frailness.
Why did Wu Ya keep stumbling in front of Zhou Zhi?
Was Wu Ya just that stupid?
Or…
Had they all underestimated this transfer student?
Many people now looked at Zhou Zhi with a newfound respect.
Previously, seats had always been arranged by grades. This time, calling Wu Ya first was clearly a punishment.
When the homeroom teacher’s gaze fell on the grades and she cleared her throat, everyone held their breath in anticipation.
Now, the seating was arranged according to exam scores—how well you did would be revealed by where you ended up sitting.
“Zhou Zhi.”
The homeroom teacher spoke.
The first name, unexpectedly, was Zhou Zhi, who stood right behind her.
“What the—”
“Wait, so it’s not ranked by scores?”
“No way, Zhou Zhi got first place!?”
“Even if the teacher is sticking up for her, she can’t favor her to this extent.”
“……”
Whispers spread through the class like an infection.
Zhou Zhi could feel more eyes landing on her.
No longer casual glances, but burning, almost tangible stares.
Her expression unchanged, Zhou Zhi walked into the classroom amid the gasps and sat down calmly in the very center of the front row.
The class monitor and Gu Wan’s gazes were strikingly identical.
But their emotions couldn’t have been more different.
One was fury.
The other was confusion.
Gu Wan deeply felt she had underestimated this Zhou Zhi.
The homeroom teacher paid no mind to their petty thoughts and continued reading the list.
“Chen Zhengqing.”
As the teacher’s voice fell, a lean figure stepped out from the line and, under the gaze of many eyes, sat down beside Zhou Zhi.
A sudden unfamiliar presence at her side.
Zhou Zhi’s fingertips twitched slightly, and she instinctively shifted away.
Chen Zhengqing’s gaze rested on Zhou Zhi’s face without any attempt to hide it.
He knew the homeroom teacher wasn’t the type to favor anyone without reason, so calling Zhou Zhi first meant she had truly earned first place.
First…
That had once been his position.
In the exam before senior year, he had been not only first in Class Two but first in the entire grade.
This new student, Zhou Zhi, was no pushover.
Soon, more and more students filed into the classroom.
Based on their scores, it was confirmed that the seating was indeed arranged according to the monthly exam rankings.
Xie Jingwen had placed fifth. She sat behind Zhou Zhi, staring at her profile with barely contained excitement.
So their new roommate was this impressive!
Ten minutes later, everyone had settled into their new seats. The homeroom teacher double-checked several times before waving for everyone to move their belongings.
The classroom immediately grew noisy.
The teacher simply stepped out and closed both the front and back doors to avoid disturbing the other classes.
When Zhou Zhi returned to the last row, Song Jun let out a sigh at her.
“Didn’t expect you to really be a top student.”
“My apologies, my apologies.”
Song Jun shook his head.
Calling her a good student before had been one thing, but now it was confirmed.
Scoring even higher than Chen Zhengqing—that was practically inhuman.
Zhou Zhi gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Her desk had already been mostly cleaned, though the unpleasant smell would take a while to fade.
Having just transferred, Zhou Zhi didn’t have many books, so she packed everything up in no time.
As she reached for her pencil case, she collided head-on with the class monitor.
Zhou Zhi stepped back half a pace, but the monitor pressed forward relentlessly.
“How did you get first place? Don’t you know in your heart?”
She didn’t bother lowering her voice, as if issuing a challenge.
It immediately drew a wave of stares.
The two of them became the center of attention once again.
Ji Xuanxu sat by the window, having heard every word of the class next door switching seats.
—”Resolve it through the teacher.”
The words she’d overheard last night were becoming reality.
And with them came the stirring of some not-so-pleasant memories.
The unconscious curl of his lips was forcibly suppressed, a hint of restlessness clouding his dazzling peach-blossom eyes.
The pen between his fingers spun without pause.
Truly…
Nowhere was free of her.