Lin Mengke accidentally glanced at the notes in Jiang Shengyan's textbook and asked in surprise, "Yanyan, did you study ahead on your own?"
"I heard that high school material is quite difficult, so I was afraid I wouldn't keep up and took a look in advance."
"I'm so envious that you can study on your own. During the summer break after exams, I just focused on playing and didn't even look at a single page," Lin Mengke pouted.
"I guess I'm just an early bird catching the worm," Jiang Shengyan laughed, self-deprecatingly.
Seeing that she was studying, Lin Mengke did not disturb her further.
...
The classroom suddenly quieted down.
Sensing something, Jiang Shengyan looked up and saw a slightly plump figure standing at the door. He was wearing a dark gray shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, holding a thermos, and looked to be in his early forties.
"Hello, students. I am your head teacher, Tang Ming," his voice was low, gentle, and kind.
Tang Ming walked up to the podium and placed the thermos on the desk. His movements were very slow, giving off an unhurried aura.
"Starting today, I will be your Chinese teacher and head teacher." He swept his gaze across the classroom, lingering on each person's face for a moment.
"I hope that we will not only be teacher and students, but also friends. Entering high school, a new semester has begun, and I hope everyone can adjust their mindset and dive into their studies as soon as possible. If you encounter any difficulties, whether in your studies or in life, you can come to me at any time. I will do my best to help everyone. Let's work hard together to have a fulfilling and meaningful semester!"
"Alright, now let's elect our class officers." Tang Ming picked up the name roster from the podium. "However, before we begin, I'd like to get to know everyone first. Starting from the first row, everyone please briefly introduce yourselves."
The sound of self-introductions rose one after another in the classroom. Jiang Shengyan felt a bit nervous and silently rehearsed her introduction in her heart.
"Yanyan?" Lin Mengke gently poked her arm. "It's your turn."
Jiang Shengyan jerked her head up and found that the whole class's attention was focused on her. She stood up, wanting to give her self-introduction, but her mind went completely blank. Feeling her throat tighten, she suppressed her thoughts and said expressionlessly, "My name is Jiang Shengyan."
With that, she sat right back down.
Whispers broke out in the classroom, but Tang Ming only smiled gently. "Good, next."
Lin Mengke stood up, her voice crisp and pleasant. "Hello everyone, I'm Lin Mengke! I love drawing and eating sweets the most, and I hope we can all become good friends in the future!"
Jiang Shengyan looked down at her textbook, hearing Lin Mengke's cheerful voice by her ear. She felt increasingly annoyed with herself; she had clearly thought of several sentences, but in the end, she only said one.
Tang Ming's voice sounded again. "Next, we need to elect a monitor. Are there any students who would like to volunteer?"
The classroom fell silent. No one raised a hand, and no one spoke. Everyone seemed to be staring down at their desks, as if there was something particularly fascinating on the tabletop.
Tang Ming smiled and shook his head. "What, nobody wants to be the monitor? That won't do. The monitor is the core of the class and plays an important role in leading everyone to progress together."
As he spoke, he casually opened the roster, scanned his gaze over it, and paused at a name.
"Jiang Shengyan, stand up and let me take a look," Tang Ming looked up.
Jiang Shengyan was stunned for a second. She looked up at Tang Ming, paused, and stood up with a hint of surprise and hesitation in her eyes.
She opened her mouth, seeming to want to say something, but before she could speak, Tang Ming waved his hand, cutting her off.
"You'll do. The teacher believes in you, do a good job and there will be a reward at the end of the term," Tang Ming said with a smile, his tone carrying unquestionable firmness.
Jiang Shengyan pressed her lips together—what a pie in the sky to drop on her on the very first day of school—and finally nodded without saying anything more.
Tang Ming nodded with satisfaction, then opened the roster again and began appointing the students with the highest grades in each subject as the respective subject representatives.
The math representative was Li Haoyu, the Chinese representative was Zhang Xin, the English representative was Yang Jiaqi... Finally, Qin Yanxi, who ranked first in the class, was appointed as the study commissioner.
"Alright, the monitor and subject representatives have all been decided." Tang Ming closed the roster and his gaze fell on Jiang Shengyan once again. "Jiang Shengyan, call a few boys to go pick up the books."
Jiang Shengyan nodded and stood up. Her gaze swept around the classroom, and just as she was about to call someone, Lin Mengke gently tugged at her sleeve.
"I'll go with you," Lin Mengke whispered, a hint of concern in her voice.
Jiang Shengyan turned her head and saw a trace of worry in Lin Mengke's eyes, as if she was afraid she wouldn't be familiar with the process. She smiled and nodded. "Okay, let's go together."
The two of them walked out of the classroom together. In the hallway, students from quite a few other classes were already busy moving new books. Jiang Shengyan called a few boys, and everyone followed her toward the administrative office.
September's sunlight streamed through the mottled glass windows of the administrative office, casting speckled patches of light on the concrete floor.
Jiang Shengyan stood at the front of the line, looking down to check the list in her hand. She was wearing a simple white shirt today, with her cuffs rolled up slightly, exposing a slender section of her wrists.
"Monitor, are these enough? If it's enough, we'll carry them back," a boy's inquiry came from behind.
Jiang Shengyan raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the textbooks piled on the floor. "We're still thirty math workbooks short," her voice was cool and detached.
Just as Jiang Shengyan was about to turn around to find a teacher, she suddenly heard a commotion from behind.
"Yanyan, look! It's the academic genius Shen Jingyan," Lin Mengke said excitedly to Jiang Shengyan.
She subconsciously turned her head, her gaze colliding squarely with the pitch-black eyes of the boy who had just looked up.
That person was leaning against the doorframe, a white jacket draped loosely over him, revealing a hint of his collarbones.
Seeing it was Jiang Shengyan, he suddenly remembered something, the corners of his lips curving upward into an elusive smile as his gaze landed directly on her.
Jiang Shengyan remembered—it was that boy under the streetlight at the basketball court during the summer break, Shen Jingyan. She felt a bit awkward, not understanding how someone could smile in such a dissolute way.
"We meet again." He straightened up and walked toward her. The sunlight shone from behind him, gilding his entire figure with a layer of gold.
Jiang Shengyan caught the faint scent of mint on him, mingled with the breath of sunlight.
"Little sis, it's you. Remember me? You almost got hit by my basketball during the summer break," a boy nearby chimed in, draping his arm over Shen Jingyan's shoulder. It was Xu Jingyu, the one who had almost hit her that day. He flashed a brilliant, sunny smile, revealing a row of neat white teeth.
"They're in the same grade as you, why are you calling them little sis?" Shen Jingyan brushed Xu Jingyu's arm away and spoke indifferently.
"We didn't know each other's names yet, right? Brother Yan, you don't love me anymore, being so fierce to me." Xu Jingyu put on an aggrieved and plaintive act.
Jiang Shengyan and Lin Mengke, who was standing beside her, stared with wide eyes, their expressions frozen in shock.
It was a massive live-gossip scene, and everyone was watching the two of them in astonishment.
"Tsk, get a grip, my sexual orientation is normal," Shen Jingyan felt somewhat disgusted and distanced himself from him in disdain.
"Don't get me wrong, I was just joking," Xu Jingyu caught Jiang Shengyan's dazed expression and the probing glances of the surrounding students, and hurriedly explained.