<h4>Chapter 2</h4>


    Xiao Yan walked into the office, treading on the fragmented morning sunlight.


    "Teacher, you were looking for me?"


    He had short ck hair and a tall forehead, exhibiting a somewhat aloof temperament. His sleeves were rolled up to the cuffs, revealing faintly cold and pale skin.


    Compared to the listless ckers in the office, he was like a gust of summer wind, refreshing and clean.


    When passing by Lin ChuSui, his gaze lingered on her for a moment, like a snowke falling into the palm - melting swiftly without a trace.


    Lin ChuSui, however, felt a trace of strangeness arise in her heart.


    Seeing Xiao Yan enter, Teacher Qin beamed with delight. "Xiao Yan, please take a seat."


    The hopeless boys all widened their eyes, watching as Xiao Yan sat down by the desk. Teacher Qin personally poured him a ss of water.


    "Although you''re not in our ss, you did exceptionally well in the entrance exam this semester!"


    "Our senior ss will be reorganized into ss A and B. I will be taking ss B."


    "Although I just joined No.1 Middle Schoolst year, I''ve led senior sses in National Key Middle School for over ten years. Naturally I''m more experienced than Teacher Xu in ss A. During reorganization, if you''re willing to trust me, ss B...will certainly wee you."


    It was apparent he was aggressively poaching.


    How shameless.


    Teacher Xu of ss A was young and capable, well-liked by students and valued by the principal.


    Who would''ve thought Teacher Qin would be so unabashed in poaching his students.


    Seeing Xiao Yan''sposure, Teacher Qin went on, "Although our ss B''s average is lower than ss A, our ss excels in passion and liveliness! With a warmer ss atmosphere. I believe you''ll also feel the warmth of a big family in our ss."


    The boys from the sports team beside Lin ChuSui started snickering.


    "Yeah,e to our ss and feel the family warmth!"


    "Come, let Daddy love you!"


    "Grandpa will love you too!"


    ...


    Teacher Qin flung his cup at them. The hopeless boys dodged aside, still wearing wicked grins.


    Clearly ss B was a den of jackals and tigers, just try it if you dare.


    Teacher Qin''s hand shook with anger. "When the reorganization is finalized, I''ll kick you punks out first! A few rat turds that spoil the porridge! Goof around in the ordinary sses, don''t mess up my honors ss! Get lost!"


    He chased them out of the office.


    The boys left whooping and hollering, going off to y basketball.


    "Let''s go, Bro Chu, shoot some hoops."


    Lin ChuSui hesitated, ncing back at the office.


    Teacher Qin was still aggressively digging for that "cornerstone".


    In the midst of their conversation, Xiao Yan inadvertently turned his gaze toward Lin ChuSui.


    Their eyes collided in that unfamiliar moment.


    Yet in his dark eyes, Lin ChuSui strangely sensed a hint of familiarity.


    Maybe she was imagining it, but she felt his eyes flickered lightly.


    Lin ChuSui looked away, sauntering off the campus with the boys to the field.


    ...


    Ever since Father Lin passed away, Lin ChuSui''s grades plummeted. Fortunately her athletic performance was decent, so she joined the school team, spending her days ying basketball and running track.


    Only in the sweat and exertion of running could she temporarily forget that unfible void.


    Amongst the rambunctious boys on the team looking for fun and fights, Lin ChuSui blended right in, growing more reckless by the day.


    To these students taking the athletics exam, honors and ordinary sses made no difference. As long as they could fool around, who cared.


    Lin ChuSui wasn''t in the mood to y basketball. She sat below the hoop on the rubberized yground, gazing at the backlit senior building in the distance.


    She felt stifled.


    She didn''t want to really be kicked out of ss B into an ordinary ss.


    Should she...go plead with Teacher Qin?


    If the teacher was determined to expel her, begging would be useless, only losing face.


    Saving face was everything to kids their age. She didn''t want to be relentlessly mocked by her buddies for the rest of senior year.


    Lying on the ground, Lin ChuSui felt exasperated.


    She didn''t want to leave ss B for any particr reason.


    In 10th grade when she ced in the top thirty of her year and entered ss B, Father Lin had been so happy he took her riding around theke after midnight.


    "Our little darling is so capable! As expected of my genes."


    Father Lin always called her his little darling.


    Facing the emptyke he dered, "Our little darling is the smartest girl in the world!"


    Later, as a reward he secretly spent a month''s wages behind Mother''s back to gift her a high-quality noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset.


    Leaning against the hoop, Lin ChuSui closed her eyes. As melodious music flowed from the headset:


    "The two of us cycling, your embrace pressed against my back. Reluctant to part, wanting to hold you tighter. Life seems like a barren wilderness."


    Her eyes welled up with sorrow.


    It had been two years. Mother finally emerged from the gloom of widowhood, starting to reconsider career and rtionships. Grandma and Grandpa also moved past the grief of losing their son, joining a seniors hiking club and beginning new lives.


    This was all really good.


    But...


    The whole world had let go, only she stubbornly clung to Father''s empty sleeve, refusing to release her grip.


    Her path in life had gonepletely astray, into a mess Father would never have wished to see.


    Yet all Lin ChuSui wanted by acting out was for him toe back, to severely reprimand her, even beat her.


    She still hadn''t epted that Father was gone for good.


    ...


    Just then, Lin ChuSui''s good friend Lu Chi rushed onto the field and sat down beside her, roughly yanking off her headset.


    "I''m fucking losing it!"


    Lin ChuSuizily nced at him. "Go straight down this road two kilometers, South City Psychiatric Hospital wees you."


    Lu Chi ignored her sarcasm. "Since when did you and Xiao Yan hook up?"


    "I hooked up with who?"


    "Xiao Yan!" Lu Chi said mysteriously, "Do you know what he just said in the office?"


    "What did he say?"


    "Wasn''t Teacher Qin trying to secretly poach him?" Lu Chi had a meaningful expression. "Then guess what he said."


    "If you keep dragging it out, I''ll lose interest in knowing."


    Lu Chi gripped Lin ChuSui''s shoulders excitedly. "He said, he''d join ss B, on the condition that Lin ChuSui stays!"


    Lin ChuSui: "?"


    "Can you imagine Teacher Qin''s face then!"


    Lin ChuSui: "Like he wanted to strangle me?"


    "Bingo!" Lu Chi vividly described, "Teacher Qin''s face...was as hideous as my sister on her period!"


    Lin ChuSui: "..."


    "That guy''s truly...abnormally intelligent. And not a good sort."


    Lu Chi sat beside Lin ChuSui, clicking his tongue in amazement. "A top babe in 10th grade. Such a good and beautiful girl, fair-skinned with a sweet voice. When another girl confessed to himst week, after chatting a minute she cried for two weeks straight."


    Lin ChuSui interrupted, "What''s his name again?"


    "Xiao Yan."


    "Xiao Yan, medicine?"


    "Who cares what his name is." Lu Chi held Lin ChuSui''s shoulders with gravity. "I can''t believe you seduced the diabolical top student in our grade. I''m truly convinced!"


    Lin ChuSui picked up the basketball about to whip it at him. Lu Chi raised his hand to block, chuckling "Bro Chu, you''re awesome!"


    Toozy to bother with him, she headed straight back to the ssroom building.


    ...


    Xiao Yan walked out of ss carrying a cup, going to the water dispenser in the hallway.


    From the end stairwell, Lin ChuSui sauntered over cradling a basketball,ing upon him in the narrow hallway.


    He filled his cup, sleeves rolled up to reveal a lovely pale wrist.


    Lin ChuSui raised her brows, taking off her Bluetooth headset and tucking it in her bag, as if deliberately seeking him out.


    Seeing she had something to say, Xiao Yan also removed his white earbuds.


    The cord draped elegantly over his shoulders, slender neck pulsing with veins, hint of corbone under the thin tee.


    Lin ChuSui stared at him for a good while, then awkwardly averted her gaze.


    Damn, she was actually feeling a little shy.


    No wonder the top girl confessed to him, his eyes were angel-kissed!


    Lin ChuSui cleared her throat. "Hey you, what''s your deal?"


    His eyes flickered amusement. "What?"


    "Why did you say...that to Teacher Qin?"


    "Say what?"


    "That...the condition for you transferring to ss B is me staying."


    Somehow, Lin ChuSui felt embarrassed.


    Xiao Yan walked over holding his cup. Leaning in close to her ear, his clear maic voice dipped lower. "When did I ever say that?"


    Lin ChuSui''s eyes flew wide open as her cheeks flushed deep red. "You...didn''t say it?"


    That bastard Lu Chi!


    Making up nonsense to fool her, and she actually believed it!


    How humiliating!


    Besides, she didn''t even know this guy. What was he after by iming to secretly admire her? Her pitiful math score of 9 points?


    Lin ChuSui stomped her feet and turned to leave.


    "Hey."


    Behind her, the boy''s lilting voice called out.


    Lin ChuSui looked back. "Anything else?"


    "I heard you only got 9 points in math."


    "Yeah, so what?"


    Xiao Yan took a sip of water, passing by Lin ChuSui. His lowered voice held a challenging edge.


    "Aren''t you afraid your dad...will beat you to death?"