Chapter 22

**Chapter 1: The First Day**

On September 2nd, Wen Liang, carrying his schoolbag, reported to Qingzhou No. 1 High School and walked into Class 3 of Grade 1. The classroom was already half full, with many students who were former junior high classmates happily chatting about their summer anecdotes. Everyone who could get into Qingzhou No. 1 High School was a top student from their respective schools. Students like Wen Liang, who had average grades and managed to get in by a stroke of luck, were rare. Therefore, his grades in the class were among the lowest.

High school is a very peculiar stage. Here, you can make lifelong friends, experience a heart-wrenching first love, and squander your youth with a group of friends. In his previous high school life, Wen Liang had nothing except for his friendship with Tan Yu.

But in this life, things might be very different.

He found an empty seat and sat down, idly drawing circles on the desk. Although he had lived two lives, to be honest, he knew nothing about his classmates, except for Ji Su, who had almost changed the course of his life.

Ji Su and Meng Ke walked into the classroom, smiling. Being able to attend the same school and be in the same class as her junior high best friend was undoubtedly a great joy. The noisy chatter in the classroom suddenly stopped when Ji Su entered. Time seemed to flow quietly, or perhaps it became eternal at that moment. This girl, dressed in a bright yellow dress, was destined to be a topic of conversation for many people for many years from the first day of school.

Ji Su frowned slightly, and Meng Ke tugged at her sleeve, pointing to the third row on the far left, where only a boy drawing circles on the desk was sitting. The two of them held hands and walked over to sit down. The classroom then erupted in whispers:

"Who is this girl? I've never heard of her before."

"That's Ji Su, a celebrity at No. 2 Middle School."

"She really has a great presence. We're in for a treat for the next three years..."

"Damn, why didn't I sit there? That guy got lucky!"

Ji Su ignored the idle talk. Meng Ke whispered something in her ear, which made Ji Su pinch her cheek, looking quite cute and charming.

The boy drawing circles behind them was completely ignored. This wasn't Ji Su's fault; Wen Liang had no presence in junior high. Even after slapping him, Ji Su only knew his name and had forgotten what he looked like after the two-month summer break.

Although Wen Liang no longer harbored resentment towards Ji Su as he did in the past, he had no intention of having any contact with her. Whether Ji Su knew about Gu Wenyuan and Mu Shanshan's trouble or not, she was the one who had changed his high school life in the previous life.

"Classmate, do you have any blue ink? I forgot to bring mine." Meng Ke was very pretty, though not as stunning as Ji Su, she was still very beautiful.

Wen Liang shook his head without saying a word.

Meng Ke looked at him curiously. Although they were in the same school in junior high, they were not in the same class, so she had no impression of Wen Liang. With her looks and her close friendship with Ji Su, she had never encountered such a cool guy before. Even someone like Gu Wenyuan always smiled at her. Of course, she wasn't a superficial girl and didn't feel particularly proud of being flattered by boys, but encountering someone like Wen Liang who was indifferent was quite rare.

Meng Ke smiled, said "thanks," and turned around.

Wen Liang felt a bit more favorably towards Meng Ke. A beautiful girl who wasn't self-important and was polite was almost as rare as a national treasure in later years.

The girls of this era were indeed more innocent and adorable.

Lifting his head, he looked at the back of the girl with a ponytail in front of him, the girl who had been the most popular in school from junior high to high school. She had taught countless boys about the beauty of dreams, the sorrow of unrequited love, the thrill of a heartbeat, and the eternity of memories. She embodied the dreams of many young boys and also made many realize the unattainable distance between dreams and reality. Many people had quietly watched her from the stairwells, railings, and paths, but none could take a step forward.

That step seemed like a vast distance!

Ji Su was the most vibrant maple leaf, the tallest white poplar, and the purest fairy tale in the hearts of all in this era of white dresses.

Unfortunately, none of this had anything to do with Wen Liang. All his fantasies about Ji Su had vanished after that slap, along with the ridicule from Gu Wenyuan and the punches from Mu Shanshan, during his suffocating three years of high school.

The door opened, and the classroom fell silent again. With the eyes of an adult, Wen Liang's gaze naturally fell on the long, smooth legs under the tight skirt, then followed the curve of her hips to her slender waist, where the hem of her white blouse was tucked into the skirt, perfectly outlining her chest.

Only then did Wen Liang have the chance to look at the woman's face.

A white hair clip held her black hair behind her ears, revealing delicate eyebrows, deep, clear eyes, a clear and bright nose, and thin red lips. Her round and gentle profile was like a masterpiece painted by a master on a pristine canvas.

This kind of beauty was different from the youthful purity of Ji Su and Xu Yao, and the alluring charm of Zuo Yuxi. She was cold yet approachable, gentle yet strong, a true gem among women.

The classroom was quiet for only a few seconds before it became noisy again. Unlike the few minutes of silence caused by Ji Su, this showed that, except for a few with unique tastes, the boys of this era still had principles: anyone over 18 was a woman, and women were ignored!

Wen Liang chuckled and muttered to himself, "You don't know the charm of a mature woman until you've been with one..."

"Please quiet down, everyone," the beautiful teacher wrote "Ye Yuting" on the blackboard and said softly, "My name is Ye Yuting, and I will be your new homeroom teacher. You have just come from different schools to Qingzhou No. 1 High School, and this new environment might be a bit unfamiliar. But don't worry, you are new students, and I am your new teacher. Negative times negative equals positive, so it all balances out."

The classroom erupted in laughter, and the students gave their new homeroom teacher a warm round of applause. Many thought, "This teacher seems very approachable; the future looks bright."

Reality, however, proved to be harsh. Soon, those who thought this way slapped themselves hard.

Ye Yuting? The homeroom teacher in his previous life wasn't her. And this name sounded very familiar to Wen Liang.

Next came the usual self-introductions. Students took turns going to the front, saying things like, "My name is... I hope we can help each other and make progress together." Wen Liang idly played with his fingers until Meng Ke went up, and he lifted his head to remember her name.

Ji Su stood up, her dress accentuating her well-developed figure. Her demeanor and appearance were the limits of what the boys of this age could imagine, so the applause was even more enthusiastic, surpassing that for any other girl.

Wen Liang's eyes were calm, and Ji Su no longer stirred any unusual emotions in him. A girl who had just sat next to him pouted and muttered, "Being pretty is so impressive."

Wen Liang smiled. This girl was very ordinary, and such a feeling was to be expected. He gave her a thumbs-up and whispered, "You're right, being pretty is so impressive."

The girl was surprised to find a boy who wasn't dazzled by the crowd, feeling like she had found an ally. She whispered, "Classmate, you have a firm stance and strong will. I see a prosperous future for you!"

Wen Liang was speechless but couldn't recall such a girl in Class 1-3 from his previous life. After a while, he said woodenly, "Thank you for your kind words."

Their banter made them miss what Ji Su said on stage, but the increasingly enthusiastic applause from the boys made it clear that her self-introduction was very well-received.

Next, the girl who had just spoken went up. Wen Liang learned her name was Song Ziyun, which didn't match her personality at all. When it was Wen Liang's turn, the applause was sparse. Coincidentally, in the rows around Ji Su, he was the only boy. The boys, united in their dislike, were stingy with their applause. However, a few girls, seeing that Wen Liang, though not very handsome, had a good figure and a gentle demeanor, gave him a few symbolic claps.

Wen Liang stood at the podium, hands on the desk, leaning slightly forward, and spoke with a maturity and poise rare for his age, "My name is Wen Liang, the 'Wen' in 'gentle' and the 'Liang' in 'forgive.' However, I am neither gentle nor good at forgiving, so my name is completely wrong. But my body and hair are gifts from my parents, and I can't change them," which drew laughter from the audience, making the atmosphere much warmer, "But I believe many things can change. For example, we were strangers yesterday, but today we are all here, and in the future, we might become friends, even good friends. But if you want to be more than friends... sorry, you'll have to wait until I grow up!"

The audience burst into laughter, and some even pounded the desks, while others, the good students, sneered. Wen Liang ignored them and continued, "After the high school entrance exam results were announced, a classmate once said to me, 'Wen Liang, you have average looks, average height, and average grades. You don't seem like someone who could get into Qingzhou No. 1 High School.' I replied, 'Classmate, although you have top-notch looks, height, and grades, you look like a combination of Andy Lau, Yao Ming, and Einstein, but you still ended up at No. 19 Middle School.'"

This was a reference to the long-standing rivalry between Qingzhou No. 1 High School and No. 19 Middle School. The two schools had been competing in academic, Olympiad, college entrance exam, and sports, arts, and music for years, each with its own strengths and deep-seated enmity. The students of the two schools were hostile to each other and would fight to the death in any public competition. A saying in Qingzhou No. 1 High School was: "Be a Qingzhou No. 1 High School student, step on the ghosts of No. 19 Middle School. Eat Qingzhou No. 1 High School food, spit out No. 19 Middle School water." The animosity between the two schools was evident.

Since they were now in Qingzhou No. 1 High School, the students immediately embraced this tradition and eagerly disparaged No. 19 Middle School. Wen Liang's words immediately resonated with everyone, and laughter and applause filled the air, as enthusiastic as if Ji Su had performed a strip tease on stage.

"So, Qingzhou No. 1 High School is where we grow and create miracles and the future. There are no third-rate schools, only third-rate lives. I hope that in the coming year, I can, like all of you, closely unite around Class 1-3 with Teacher Ye at the core, and contribute to building our class. Thank you!"

Wen Liang nodded to Ye Yuting with great courtesy, then, in a gesture from a martial arts novel, bowed to the audience. The audience burst into laughter, and applause rose to the sky.

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**End of Chapter 1**