Tianyu Cyber Cafe.
Chi Wan had only stepped through the internet cafe's doors a few minutes before she was chased out by the staff because she was a minor.
Standing at the foot of the steps, Chi Wan was amused to the point of a laugh. "I completely forgot about that restriction."
In her past life, she had only ever heard students talk about internet cafes and had never actually set foot in one, always imagining them as filthy, chaotic places thick with the smoke of blowing cigarette smokers.
Since the internet cafe was off-limits, Chi Wan had no choice but to head back to school.
No sooner had she walked a short distance than Yan Xu strolled swaggeringly out of the internet cafe, sucking on a lollipop.
Chi Wan hadn't seen her desk mate all afternoon, something everyone seemed completely used to, and she was quite happy with the peace and quiet.
"Hey," Yan Xu greeted her with a bright smile.
Chi Wan glanced at him indifferently and went back to looking down at her math problem. "What is it?"
Unfazed, Yan Xu pressed on with his probing. "Where did you study before? Are you from Jinshi?"
"What business is it of yours?" came the cold reply.
Yan Xu's enthusiasm hit a wall. He rubbed his head, muttering inwardly, *She looks so soft and gentle, but who knew she'd be this ice-cold when she speaks? Total thorny attitude.*
Then, rambling on to himself, he continued, "I'm just showing some friendly concern for the new classmate, aren't I? Since you're my Brother Zhi's desk mate now, I practically have to figure things out so your buddy here can watch your back..." *As if.*
"You're disturbing me." Chi Wan lowered her brow in a slight frown; the noise right by her ear was too distracting and was interrupting her train of thought.
Yan Xu: "......"
For a split second, Yan Xu felt as though he were looking at that fellow Jiang Zhi; sure enough, people of the same type attracted each other. No wonder this girl had her eyes locked on Jiang Zhi's seat the moment she walked in.
"No, it's only the first day of class, and whose homework are you even writing?" Yan Xu asked, full of curiosity and shock. "This is Class 17, kid—hey, are you trying to stand out by going solo, girl?"
Not a single person who came to Class 17 was here to actually study; sitting in this classroom every day was just for show. Eighty percent of the people here were destined to go abroad, and even if they didn't, given their family backgrounds, landing a decent job later on would be a breeze.
Chi Wan finally looked up, though her gaze was extremely complex. Yan Xu felt like she was cursing him out again, and he even knew what she was calling him: *idiot*.
Yan Xu felt thoroughly wretched. He wanted to glare at her fiercely, but that was just his own feeling—she hadn't said it out right, even though anyone looking at her eyes would think she was calling him an idiot.
Chi Wan rolled her eyes at him, her voice remaining flat but carrying a trace of impatience. "I won't be staying in Class 17 forever."
"Then where are you going?" Yan Xu asked, puzzled. She had said something similar this morning.
"Class 1."
The words had barely left her mouth when Yan Xu's expression darkened. He turned his back on her and stopped trying to make conversation.
Chi Wan curled her lips; she knew Class 1 and Class 17 viewed each other like fire and water, and Yan Xu and Jiang Zhi especially so.
The students in Class 1 thought everyone in Class 17 was a bunch of uneducated social outcasts and spoiled brats, while those in Class 17 thought everyone in Class 1 was a bunch of nerds and two-faced hypocrites.
After class, Chi Wan shouldered her backpack, planning to head home and first pay off the two Sanda tuition sessions she owed.
On Fuzhou Road's Guanjia Alley, a young man and a young woman walked one after the other. The setting sun cast an oblique glow against the mottled, grey-blue walls, gradually creeping higher.
Yan Xu, walking in front, suddenly turned around and demanded with a face full of annoyance, "Why keep following me?"
"Is this road yours?" Chi Wan asked in return, strolling leisurely as if taking a walk in a garden. "Just because you happen to be ahead of me, that means I'm following you? If you were behind me instead, could I say *you* were following me?"
Yan Xu was left speechless by her string of logic. "You..."
Chi Wan brushed past him without turning her head. This time, Yan Xu was the one walking behind her, and a soft chuckle drifted into his ear.
Yan Xu bared his teeth, glaring daggers at that slender, straight back.
In front of Yangwei Martial Arts Hall, Chi Wan raised her head to look, a trace of a smile touching her eyes.
Following right behind, Yan Xu watched with his own eyes as she crossed the threshold and stepped inside. He instantly felt his face grow hot, his gaze darting around uneasily before he stepped into the martial arts hall as well.
Chi Wan was just as surprised; she hadn't expected their destinations to be identical. No wonder he had thought she was tailing him.
Zhang Lei, wearing a coffee-colored apron and carrying a plate of dishes out from the kitchen, said in surprise, "Oh? Little Chi is here too? Perfect, I just finished cooking. Why don't you stay and eat with us?"
Chi Wan refused, saying, "Brother Zhang, I'm here to pay off the tuition I owed before. Once I hand it over, I'll be heading back."
Yan Xu poked his head out from behind. "Is the little junior sister you kept talking about her?"
Zhang Lei smiled brilliantly. "That's right, Chi Wan, your little junior sister. Go on, call your Senior Brother downstairs for dinner."
"Oh." Dragging his feet, Yan Xu trudged upstairs step by step. He cast one reluctant look back over his shoulder just in time to see that fellow Zhang Lei greeting Chi Wan with the utmost enthusiasm, which only made him feel even more depressed.
On the second floor, just as he raised a hand to knock, the door swung open.
"Brother, time to eat," Yan Xu relayed listlessly.
Jiang Zhi gave a nod. "Mhm."
Yan Xu looked at Jiang Zhi as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately kept it to himself.
Downstairs, Chi Wan handed the tuition money to Zhang Lei. He took it happily and tossed it casually into his battered drawer, where a jumble of loose change and bills lay scattered. Chi Wan couldn't help but worry that mice might run off with his money.
Zhang Lei tried his utmost to persuade her to stay for dinner, but she refused every attempt, leaving him no choice but to see her out.
In the inner hall's living room, two boys were sitting by the dining table: Yan Xu and Jiang Zhi.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Zhi turned his head and locked eyes with Chi Wan's probing gaze, but she quickly looked away as if it were just a casual glance. Beside him, Yan Xu gossiped in a low voice, "That girl is the new apprentice Old Zhang was talking about. Brother, do you remember? Your new desk mate. I actually thought her name was Chi Wan, but turns out it's that Chi Wan."
Curious about his drastically different attitude compared to earlier, Jiang Zhi asked, "Did she beat you up?"
"Huh?" Yan Xu froze blankly.
Jiang Zhi teased, "Otherwise, you were the one going on this morning about how she's prettier than Lu Yulin, and now after just one afternoon, she's 'that girl'."
Once the topic was opened, Yan Xu could no longer hold it in. Indignantly, he said, "I just misjudged her, didn't I? I thought she was some kind of pushover. Brother, you have no idea—she told me earlier she'd only sit next to you for a month. I thought it was just a delaying tactic, but turns out the girl actually has big ambitions. Do you know why she said a month?"
Remembering what that person had said before leaving school this morning—*"I'm just borrowing your territory to stay for a month"*—Jiang Zhi asked, "Why?"
"Because there's an entrance exam a month from now, and she said she's going to test into Class 1!" Yan Xu's face was plastered with blatant mockery. "I'm about to die laughing. I checked her scores at Old Li's place—guess what? Even lower than mine, dead last in the class, bottom of the entire grade."
"Is that so?" Jiang Zhi's dark eyes gazed toward the front door at the two figures exchanging reluctant farewells.
Now that was interesting. Chi Wan, was her appearance back then an accident, or was it premeditated? And why did she specifically choose to sit next to him, of all places, while also being a student at Yangwei Martial Arts Hall?
Jiang Zhi said in a low, slow voice, "No matter what schemes she's playing, hmph..."
Watching the dangerous smile on his face, Yan Xu involuntarily shivered.