Fu Zuo did not answer Bai Xi’s question. For the remainder of the period, aside from occasionally discussing a problem with Bai Xi, she said virtually nothing else.
Her curiosity piqued by that single sentence, Bai Xi actually managed to stay awake for the entire lesson. Near the end of the hour, the Form Teacher, Old Liu, finished his lecture early and began the seat reshuffle.
“It’s not realistic for me to assign seats one by one, and we’re pressed for time. So, based on the results of the placement test, you’ll come up and pick your own seats in order, alright?” Setting his physics textbook down, Old Liu pulled up the results of the entrance exam—the one Bai Xi had taken at home—on the podium computer.
The room was instantly filled with a mix of joy and anxiety, though mostly excitement. The top-performing students began whispering to each other, planning to sit together.
For Bai Xi, tethered by the plot, she knew she had to stay with Yu Mo. Besides, he was the only person in the class she truly knew. When Old Liu announced the “pick your own seat” rule, Bai Xi did something unprecedented: she actively woke up her perpetually drowsy desk-mate.
“Wake up, we’re changing seats.” She nudged Yu Mo. He lifted his head dizzily; his naturally cold phoenix eyes were slightly red at the corners. As his gaze slowly focused on Bai Xi, he looked a bit dazed.
“Hmm?” Yu Mo was truly not fully awake yet. He looked at her with a look of pure confusion.
Bai Xi froze for a second. She had to admit, in terms of raw aesthetics, the male lead truly deserved his title. Stripped of his usual cold, robotic mask, his current “stupidly dazed” look was significantly more attractive.
“Oh, uh, we’re moving. I was thinking we should sit together again, but I want to go to the back row. What about you?” Coming back to her senses, Bai Xi scratched her head. She had definitely had enough of sitting in the “Honor Student Zone.”
This was the first time anyone had ever proactively invited Yu Mo to remain desk-mates. Thinking back on how students usually avoided him due to his family background and temperament—forcing him to sit alone—and then looking at Bai Xi, whose hair was currently a bit messy, Yu Mo felt an unfamiliar warmth in his chest.
“Anything is fine.” He nodded obediently. He didn’t have a preference; wherever Bai Xi wanted to sit was fine by him.
Looking at the obedient Yu Mo, Bai Xi felt a rare pang of guilt, as if she were leading a good kid astray. But then, remembering his usual performance in class, her guilt vanished in a heartbeat. Good kid, my ass.
“Fu Zuo, Jiang Zhiya, and Chen Jingmo didn’t take the test, so we’re using their previous scores. Any objections?” Old Liu flipped through the grade sheet, not forgetting the three returnees this time.
“No objections. Jiang Zhiya and I always lock down the bottom two spots anyway. Does it make a difference?” Still standing in the back, Chen Jingmo fanned himself with a textbook. He glanced at Jiang Zhiya beside him; she nodded. When it came to grades, they truly had no right to speak.
“The Monitor is always first, so we have no objections there either.” Given Fu Zuo’s long-standing reign as the top student, no one complained. Although the class had the “Great Scholar” Yu Mo, he was notoriously lazy and never wrote his essays. Even though essays only accounted for 40 points in the International Department, those 40 points were the deciding factor among top-tier students.
Seeing no objections, Old Liu smoothed his proud head of black hair and slapped the podium. “Alright, everyone outside! When I call your name, come in as a group of three to pick your seats!”
“Fu Zuo, Yu Mo, Bai Xi!”
“Whoa!” Envious and respectful gazes landed on the trio. Fair enough, the class thought. One top student and two Great Scholars. We’re convinced.
The three walked into the classroom. Fu Zuo stole a glance at Bai Xi, but Bai Xi didn’t notice, heading straight for the back with Yu Mo.
There were 26 students in the class. With six students per row, there were four full rows. Two chairs and a desk had been moved in front of the back door to create a makeshift fifth row.
Habitually favoring the back, Bai Xi led Yu Mo directly to the only two seats in that fifth row.
Seeing them sit together, Fu Zuo let out a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief. She then took the seat Bai Xi had previously occupied.
“Qian Ying, Chen Jingmo, Jiang Zhiya.” Standing at the door, Old Liu looked at the final three with a “disappointed father” expression, his finger practically itching to poke their foreheads.
Only three seats remained. One was Qian Ying’s old spot—the very first seat by the door, a “feng shui treasure” that every inspecting leader checked first. The other two were directly in front of Bai Xi and Yu Mo. While those two young masters seemed approachable enough now, no one had been brave enough to sit directly in front of them.
Qian Ying’s eyes lit up at those two seats. He had at least spoken to them before; he didn’t mind being close to Bai Xi and Yu Mo at all!
“Teacher, I pick—”
Before Qian Ying’s finger could point to the spot in front of Bai Xi, Chen Jingmo stepped forward and blocked him. “You want to be desk-mates with me or Jiang Zhiya?”
Qian Ying: …
“I’ll take the spot in front of Bai Xi.” Standing behind the two, Jiang Zhiya sighed. she turned around, went out the front door, circled to the back door, and sat down in front of Bai Xi, not forgetting to turn around and wave.
Seeing Jiang Zhiya settled, Chen Jingmo let go of the chubby Qian Ying and walked back, taking the seat in front of Yu Mo. Qian Ying looked mournfully at his old seat, then at Old Liu’s half-smiling gaze. “Do I even have another choice?”
“I could give you the podium,” Old Liu offered generously, waving a hand at his desk.
“No, no!” Qian Ying scrambled back to his old seat, his smile looking more like a sob.
Once the seats were settled, the bell rang. Everyone busied themselves moving their belongings. Chen Jingmo and Jiang Zhiya had just returned and had no desk contents, so they simply brought their bags over. Bai Xi and Yu Mo weren’t exactly studious; aside from the mandatory textbooks, they didn’t even own a single workbook.
However, since it was the third year of high school and they were in the International Department, they had a mountain of elective subjects. Though many books were kept in the lockers next door, the weight of the books inside the desks was not to be underestimated.
Bai Xi divided her remaining books into three stacks. She weighed her slender arms, hesitated, and pulled a few books from each to make four stacks instead.
“Let me help you.” Still sitting at Bai Xi’s old spot, Fu Zuo watched Bai Xi’s struggle. Seeing her sickly pale face, she couldn’t help but offer.
“No need—” “No need.”
Before Bai Xi could finish her refusal, Yu Mo—who had just finished moving his own things—appeared. He picked up one stack for Bai Xi and then balanced the other three on top of each other, carrying them to the back.
Watching Yu Mo help organize her desk, Bai Xi looked at Fu Zuo, nodded, and said, “Thanks anyway.”
“Bai Xi! That beautiful student from last time is here for you!”
Just as Bai Xi turned to head back, she heard the class’s “human loudspeaker” Qian Ying shouting with a teasing lilt. She looked back; Ye Ying was standing at the door.
High school students always have an endless passion for gossip. Coupled with Qian Ying’s loud voice, nearly the entire class turned their eyes toward the door. Ye Ying was visibly flustered.
Seeing Yu Mo walking toward her again, Bai Xi naturally handed him the books she was holding. “Bro, help me out. Take these to the back for me, thanks.”
Yu Mo took the books wordlessly. He glanced at Ye Ying at the door, then reached down to pick up Bai Xi’s backpack—containing 002—which had been left on the floor, and headed to the back.
Finding nothing odd about the interaction, Bai Xi tossed a “thanks” to Yu Mo’s back and walked toward the door.
The female lead never visits without a reason, she thought. Last time was about the orphanage. Could it be that Grandfather’s decision is out and she’s here to thank me?
“Alright, stop the jeering,” Bai Xi said. Seeing Ye Ying’s awkwardness for the first time, she noticed the girl wanted to speak but was being drowned out by the class’s teasing. While she found it amusing, she still quelled the noise and looked at Ye Ying with a smile. “Looking for me?”
By the time Bai Xi reached her, Ye Ying had given up struggling. Once the teasing died down, she clarified her intent. “I’m not here for you. I’m looking for Fu Zuo. I’m here to return the supplementary materials she lent me.”
Bai Xi: …
Watching Fu Zuo walk over with a smile, Bai Xi felt a literal sting of embarrassment on her face.
“I was going to look for you, but the seat change took some time. You came up first,” Fu Zuo said, bypassing Bai Xi. She took Ye Ying’s arm and gave her an affectionate hug right in front of Bai Xi.
Bai Xi: 🙂
“Wow, Fu Zuo, so this is the friend you mentioned, Ye Ying, right?” Just as the atmosphere between the three became awkward, Jiang Zhiya ran over from the back and shattered the tension. She hooked an arm through Bai Xi’s while greeting the others.
Fu Zuo let go of Ye Ying and nodded, preparing to introduce them, only to find that Jiang Zhiya was already introducing herself with her usual familiarity.
“Hi, Ye Ying! I’m Jiang Zhiya, Fu Zuo’s friend. I sit right in front of Bai Xi—that spot right there. Since we all seem to know each other, add me too? Let’s all be friends.”
Jiang Zhiya’s face, with its touch of baby fat, was full of smiles. She seemed entirely oblivious to the subtle tension. She pointed toward her seat by the wall in the second-to-last row.
“Hello.” Looking at Jiang Zhiya’s arm hooked through Bai Xi’s, and then following her hand to the back, Ye Ying returned the greeting with a smile.
“Oh? Is this a family reunion?” Chen Jingmo wedged himself between Bai Xi and Jiang Zhiya, forcing them apart. He shot a warning glare at Jiang Zhiya, then looked at Ye Ying. “Count me in. Hi, I’m Chen Jingmo.”
One person was fine, but two was getting strange. Even someone as clever as Ye Ying was a bit dazed by the situation. She nodded somewhat stiffly. “Hello, I’m Ye Ying.”
“Bai Xi.”
Just as the atmosphere reached peak weirdness, Yu Mo’s voice drifted over from the last row. Bai Xi turned back to see the “utility cat” 002—looking drowsy and completely done with life—being held in Yu Mo’s arms.
“Your cat is hungry. I couldn’t find where you put the cat food.”
Tool-Cat 002: … I was just trying to sleep. Who did I offend today?