25 – Bоу Nехt Dооr
Оn the first daу оf high sсhооl, Lu Mingze gavе bоth Lu Jin and Chеn Qingzhi a cеll рhоnе аs а schооl-орening gift.
Lu Jin didn’t use his muсh.
He had few sосial intеrасtiоns; his frеe timе wаs аlmost entirеlу takеn up by baskеtball, рainting, and tutoring Сhen Qingzhi—with tutоring Chеn Qingzhi bеing the biggest рart.
The hаррiеst, of cоursе, wаs Сhen Qingzhi.
Zhou Fаn was striсt with her, allоwing her no mоre than twо hours of relахаtion реr week during her third уeаr оf middle schоol. It wasn’t until shе and Lu Jin wеrе аdmitted tо Jingda High Sсhool аnd аssignеd to the same class that she finаllу breathed a littlе еasier.
Thе first thing Сhen Qingzhi did after getting her phone was add her new classmates on QQ.
A stunning beauty had emerged among the freshmen.
Right from the start of school, she was going around with her phone, adding anyone and everyone on QQ.
Once word got out, not only students from neighboring classes but even seniors from the second and third years came to join the excitement.
The classroom, meant for thirty students, was packed to the brim.
Lu Jin had just finished the school team tryouts. Still holding his basketball and wearing his practice uniform, he rushed back to the classroom without even changing.
He thought something had happened.
Only after pushing through the crowd did he see Chen Qingzhi surrounded at the center, enthusiastically sharing her QQ number.
The boy’s expression instantly shifted from sunny to overcast.
He pulled out the chair beside Chen Qingzhi, sat down with his legs bent, and reminded her in a low voice:
“The teacher’s coming.”
Though only sixteen, Lu Jin was already close to 185 centimeters tall.
The front-row seats were a bit cramped, leaving little room for his long legs.
Irritated, he kicked the corner of the desk and frowned, spinning the basketball with one hand.
Some of the more timid students scattered in a hurry.
A slightly older student glanced around and challenged Lu Jin:
“The teachers are all busy with the opening ceremony. How would they have time to come to the classroom?”
Chen Qingzhi trusted Lu Jin’s words completely.
She had just put away her phone when Liu Qingkun, the homeroom teacher of Class 3, Grade 1, arrived in the classroom.
Every year when new students arrived, some bored upperclassmen would hold beauty contests on the school forum.
Unfortunately, this year, both the male and female leads from the hottest posts were in their class.
Liu Qingkun’s square face darkened. He slapped the desk with the chalkboard eraser from the podium and scolded sharply:
“What’s all this crowding about?!”
Then he threw the eraser in his hand at the boy who had just challenged Lu Jin.
“You, which class are you from? Come with me!”
He had to make an example out of someone, or things would only get worse in the future.
The boy, who had his back to the podium, flinched slightly and obediently followed Liu Qingkun out.
Chen Qingzhi lowered her head, and only after glancing sideways to confirm Liu Qingkun had completely left did she fail to hold back a laugh:
“Did you call the teacher over?”
As soon as Lu Jin returned, the teacher showed up—how could it be such a coincidence?
“Surrounded by admirers, do you think you’re a celebrity?”
Lu Jin put the ball away and tilted his head to ask her.
His sweat hadn’t dried yet, and his tousled hair clung to his forehead. When his face turned cold, even his expressive eyes grew somber.
Chen Qingzhi’s smiling face met his icy glare.
Her smile instantly evaporated:
“Can’t I be a celebrity?”
“Your face is a bit lacking, but your acting skills are decent.”
Especially when she played the victim in front of him and Chen Zhijin.
“Hey, if you’re in a bad mood today, don’t take it out on me, okay?”
Chen Qingzhi’s smile faded, her anger flaring up.
Being snapped at for no reason—they hadn’t seen each other for just two months over the summer, so how had his temper gotten even more arrogant?
Before Lu Jin could retort, Liu Qingkun returned to the classroom.
Seeing the two freshmen who had just caused a stir flirting right under his nose only made him angrier:
“Lu Jin, is this your seat?”To prevent early romance, Peking University High School does not allow boys and girls to share desks. Given Lu Jin’s height, he should have been assigned to the last row.
The two of them tacitly lowered their heads in silence.
“Go back to where you came from!”
Liu Qingkun scolded angrily with a stern face:
“I know that boys and girls your age are easily attracted to the opposite sex, but! This is a time for studying. Some people shouldn’t think that just because they entered Peking University High School with the top score in the entire school, they can do whatever they want. High school is a completely new beginning, and the academic pressure you face will only be heavier! I don’t want any inappropriate incidents happening in our Class Three! Especially—early romance!”
On the first day of school, this exceptionally attractive pair not only caused a stir among the students but even the teachers in the office gossiped and joked about them.
The two had come to school together, and some teachers even saw the boy opening a milk bottle cap for the girl.
“Teacher, he’s my brother! We’re not in an early romance.”
Chen Qingzhi couldn’t stand this insinuating accusation.
She stood up directly and talked back.
Lu Jin glanced at Chen Qingzhi, scoffed, and also stood up:
“Teacher, I’m not her brother, and we’re definitely not in an early romance.”
“He is my brother,” Chen Qingzhi glared at Lu Jin.
Lu Jin: “I’m not!”
“Oh~”
The classmates in the class instantly erupted into commotion.
The more they tried to explain, the murkier their relationship seemed, especially in adolescence. Some precocious boys and girls understood exactly what was going on.
Unable to control the new students, Liu Qingkun was so angry that smoke seemed to rise from his head. He pointed at Lu Jin and Chen Qingzhi with his hands on his hips:
“You two, come with me to the office! The rest of you, go attend the opening ceremony!”
The relationship between these two kids clearly wasn’t right.
Liu Qingkun was determined to call their parents and give them a warning.
But the outcome was beyond his expectations.
Chen Zhijin and Lu Mingze openly admitted to their children’s relationship:
Chen Zhijin: “He really is the boy next door.”
Lu Mingze: “The two kids grew up together, almost like siblings, without much boundary.”
Chen Zhijin: “But they do know their limits, teacher, don’t worry.”
Lu Mingze: “If they really ended up as in-laws, we’d be happy too. As long as they don’t cross the line before marriage.”
Chen Zhijin: “No way, Old Lu! The in-law matter needs careful consideration. I haven’t agreed to it!”
Liu Qingkun watched the two parents muddling through the issue, talking back and forth without paying any attention to his words.
He could only warn them helplessly:
“I’ve taught so many classes, and what I fear most is having overly outstanding students in the class—and now there are two of them. Today, all the girls in the school went to watch Lu Jin play basketball, and the boys crowded around our classroom until it was packed. How about you parents consider which one could switch classes?”
Although Liu Qingkun asked both, his eyes were fixed on Chen Qingzhi.
Lu Jin’s grades were outstanding, and he had competition awards to back him up. Which homeroom teacher would be willing to let go of such a promising student?
“No switching!”
All four members of the two families answered simultaneously.
“…”
Liu Qingkun was both annoyed and amused.
He couldn’t bear to let Lu Jin go.
But this boy glanced at Chen Qingzhi every few minutes—his intentions were all too obvious.
The girl, on the other hand, seemed a bit naive, with clear and innocent eyes.
If he made the girl leave, Lu Jin might just transfer classes along with her.
Forget it.
Even the parents didn’t care. Why should he worry so much?”I’ll be blunt upfront—our Jingda High School has the highest rate of students admitted to top-tier universities in the entire city. No matter what, academic scores are the ultimate measure. If anything else interferes with your studies, I won’t be as accommodating as I am today.”
Lu Mingze and Chen Zhijin had always been respected and admired by students at their previous school. Now, in high school, they found themselves being reprimanded.
It left them feeling somewhat uneasy.
Lu Mingze couldn’t find fault with his own son, so he had nothing to say.
Chen Qingzhi, however, bore the brunt of it.