"What is so pretty about her?!"
Hearing Tang Siwen's words, Shen Qinglan instantly became a bit displeased. "So she has slightly fairer skin. Her body is as thin as a bamboo pole, doesn't look like a girl at all."
Tang Siwen was choked up for a second. Her gaze dropped to Shen Qinglan's chest, and she nodded vigorously. "Well... compared to you, she's definitely outmatched!"
"Keep your voices down, are you afraid people won't hear you?" Fang Qi said, speechless. Was this something that could be brought out and compared in a public place?
"Hmph, let them hear if they want. Aren't I stating facts?" A flash of jealousy crossed Shen Qinglan's eyes. "She just arrived and already knows Li Chen's name. Don't you guys find that strange?"
Fang Qi and Tang Siwen exchanged glances. It actually did seem a bit strange. If Shen Qinglan hadn't brought it up, they wouldn't have noticed at all.
Hearing these noises coming from the front, Li Chen had a massive headache. Glancing sideways at Gu Xirou, he felt it was necessary to explain things to her.
Besides, he was well aware of what Gu Xirou's figure was actually like. Where she should be slender, she was slender; where she should have meat, she wasn't lacking an ounce.
Very well-endowed, very stunning.
"Um... don't take to heart what they're saying, and don't get mad," Li Chen lowered his voice, looking at Gu Xirou, who kept her head down. Her long, slender eyelashes trembled slightly.
"The long-haired girl in the middle is named Shen Qinglan. She went to middle school and high school with me. I used to like her, but at the class reunion that night, I confessed to her and got rejected. Then on my way home, someone gave me a beating from behind, which led to what happened between you and me..."
Hearing this, Gu Xirou couldn't help recalling the madness of that night. A faint blush crept over her smooth, fair face, and a trace of bright sparkle flashed through her clear, bright eyes.
"So, what they're saying isn't targeted at you—they just have it in for me." After finishing his explanation, Li Chen breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling at ease.
"I know." Gu Xirou nodded obediently, the corners of her eyes curving upward slightly, looking innocent and adorable.
She had an introverted personality, but she wasn't stupid. With a little thought, she easily figured out the connections between these events.
During the mere few minutes of the break between classes, the classroom filled up again. The high school seniors still had that basic shred of self-discipline.
Just as Old Wang often liked to say, you study for yourselves, not for anyone else. No matter how much the teachers say, in the end, you still have to rely on your own self-discipline.
Teacher Tian walked in carrying textbooks and test papers. Wearing myopia glasses and without a trace of a smile on her face, she looked even more stern than Old Wang.
"We have a new classmate joining our class today. If there's anything you don't understand regarding your studies, you can come to the office to find the teachers of each subject."
Teacher Tian pushed up her glasses, placed the books and test papers in her hands on the podium, and looked at Gu Xirou, who was sitting in the back.
"Thank you, teacher, I will." Gu Xirou stood up, keeping her head slightly lowered, looking somewhat introverted and shy.
"Sit down," Teacher Tian waved a hand, her stern expression softening a bit. "Your academic foundation is very good; I believe you'll adapt to our class's rhythm very quickly. For this class, we'll go over the test papers from the past few days. You and Li Chen can share one."
Hearing Teacher Tian's words, Li Chen took out his test paper without hesitation, unfolded it, and deliberately laid the whole thing on Gu Xirou's desk. He had already gone through it once anyway; looking at it or not made no difference.
Gu Xirou nudged the test paper a bit closer to the middle between them, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz: "Let's look at it together..."
"It's fine, you look at it. I pretty much know all the questions on the paper." Li Chen was quite worried that this girl wouldn't be able to keep up with their class's pace.
The exam questions of No. 7 High School enjoyed a great reputation across all schools in the entire city; the difficulty coefficient and level of rigor were completely incomparable to other schools.
"You know all of them?" Gu Xirou glanced at the test paper. "But... there are so many red crosses on it."
Li Chen's old face flushed red. This was too damn humiliating.
These were the questions he had done before his rebirth, so naturally he hadn't yet displayed his advantages as a time-traveler.
"The red crosses were all accidents. I'm really good, I just didn't perform well at the time."
"Fine, whatever you say it is."
Gu Xirou picked up her pen quietly and obediently, writing fluently on the test paper.
How could she possibly expose Li Chen's sophistry and lies? She would simply write down the correct answers right where the red crosses were.
Li Chen turned his head slightly, his gaze immediately captivated by Gu Xirou. A girl focused and engrossed in her work was so charming.
If it weren't for the bangs on her forehead sealing away her beauty, she probably wouldn't lose to the campus belle Shen Qinglan in looks at all.
Moreover, her handwriting was very pretty. More importantly, Gu Xirou didn't even hesitate or pause for thought as she wrote down the correct answers. Could she have been a top student before transferring?
Li Chen couldn't help feeling a sense of emotion. Didn't they say that when heaven opens a door for you, it closes a window?
How come it didn't work when it came to Gu Xirou?
Not only was she beautiful and kind-hearted, but her grades were also this good.
Teacher Tian's rigorous teaching voice was clearly conveyed to every student's ears. The knowledge she explained was very easy to digest and absorb, without being overly complicated and obscure.
The entire morning vanished in the blink of an eye amidst the dry, monotonous studying.
During this period, almost all the senior high school students were either taking exams or reviewing problems.
As the bell for the end of class rang, sounding like a bugle call for a charge, the quiet campus boiled over once more.
"Brother Chen, let's go. Let's head to the internet cafe for a few rounds. I heard a new hero skin came out a couple of days ago. After we finish playing, we can catch the bus back together."
Kang Xiaoqiang came up to Li Chen's desk with a full-face grin of anticipation, looking every bit like a hardcore internet addict deeply poisoned—the toxicity no less potent than the "King's Poison" of his past life.
"Not going." Li Chen packed up his books and stood up. "I'm going home to eat. Playing games won't add any points to the college entrance exam; it's a waste of time."
Kang Xiaoqiang's mouth fell open after hearing that, and he was dumbfounded. "You didn't use to say things like that..."
"What I said before was my dark history; now your big brother has achieved enlightenment." Li Chen rubbed the tip of his nose and looked at Gu Xirou. "Are you taking the bus?"
"I rode my bike." Gu Xirou shouldered her off-white backpack, turned her head, and looked timidly at Li Chen.
"Alright then, ride slowly and stay safe." Li Chen smiled and turned away with a swagger.
The two of them had already shared the ultimate intimacy; pretending to be total strangers was something Li Chen genuinely couldn't pull off.
Kang Xiaoqiang's gaze sharpened, a wretched smile appearing on his face. As long as you change partners fast enough, there's no sorrow, only love—brilliant!
"Brother Chen, wait up!" Kang Xiaoqiang hurried after him.
Gu Xirou raised her head to look at Li Chen's receding back, her slender, fair fingers brushing aside the bangs on her forehead. Her bright, clear eyes couldn't bear to look away at all, and she wrinkled her uptight, pretty nose, looking impossibly cute and dripping with youthful charm.
She had no idea how lethal that gesture was. Fortunately, all the testosterone-driven beasts in the classroom had already cleared out, otherwise it would have definitely provoked a chorus of wolf howls.
Not until Li Chen's figure disappeared around the corner did Gu Xirou shoulder her backpack and walk out, looking as though she were in a rather good mood.