The warm sunlight shone on the desks, making everyone feel lazy.
Anjing lay quietly on the desk, yawning, while Zhu Ying gently twirled Ina’s not-so-long hair with her fingers.
“What are you doing?”
“A scalp massage. How is it, comfortable?”
“It’s itchy.” Anjing rolled her eyes. “Class is about to start.”
“Anyway, it’s still class meeting time—really didn’t expect the New Homeroom Teacher to be her.”
“The Miss wants to experience life too? Or maybe she has someone she knows who asked her to fill in?”
“Maybe it’s both?”
Zhu Ying lowered her voice.
“Do you think she came driving that Red Sports Car?”
“Although that’s flashy, it must be normal for her. She probably doesn’t even realize it…”
“A Red Sports Car on campus—it’s just like something out of a TV drama.”
“Oh, I get it. Usually, a suddenly appearing New Homeroom Teacher has a special background, like…”
“She’s special enough—she’s the daughter of the chairman of Aoba Pharmaceuticals!”
“I mean, like a member of some supernatural organization, or an alien from another dimension…”
“Pfft… only boys would think like that, right?”
“Don’t you think that’d be fun? A new character pulls out new gadgets, and then new stories unfold—”
“Armor Hero Xiaobao?”
“Eek?! You’ve seen it too?”
“I watched a few episodes as a kid.”
“Maybe our New Homeroom Teacher has superpowers and once saved the world or something.”
“Pfft. So what do you think her superpower would be?”
“Probably something like being insanely rich and building giant robots, right?”
“That’s the power of money, not a superpower.”
The class bell rang amid their chatter, and the breeze from outside swept away some of their sleepiness.
Ye Wen, who had been absent, rushed in right at the bell, clutching a cup of milk tea.
She took a small sip, chewing on the bouncy pearls, then turned to the blackboard and wrote several big characters with the chalk:
「Love and the Future」.
“All right! Everyone, quiet down a bit. Like last class, listen if you want to; if not, do your own thing.”
Ye Wen lightly tapped the blackboard, dropped her broken chalk to the side, rubbed her hands together, and clapped.
“First, a question! How many of you are currently in a relationship?”
The classroom, which had just settled, immediately erupted.
A few boys wildly cheered, some yelled while pointing at their friends, shamelessly ‘betraying’ them.
Of course, some loudly argued that they weren’t officially together or that they were just friends.
The noise almost seemed like it would tear off the roof, but Ye Wen just smiled and let them be until they calmed down on their own.
“All right, it seems quite a few of you are dating, and even if you’re not, surely some have secret crushes. Now, I’ll pick someone—”
Ye Wen’s eyes scanned the room and landed on Tiger.
“What’s your name?”
“Lei Laohu.”
He answered quickly.
Though everyone knew the name well, it still made people want to laugh every time he said it.
No one knew what his parents were thinking when they registered him—did they drink too much?
“Tiger, do you have a girlfriend?”
“Not yet!”
Lei Laohu answered boldly.
“Then, do you like anyone?”
“Nope! I like all the pretty girls!”
“Hahaha—”
“As expected from the legend of Class Five!”
A few boys burst into laughter.
“In this class, is there a girl you especially like?”
The confident Tiger suddenly deflated, scratching his head awkwardly.
His gaze scanned the girls before settling on Ye Wen.
“Teacher Ye, I think I like you more.”
“What the—!”
“Tiger, you’ve got guts!”
“You really said that?”
“All right, Tiger, take your seat.”
Ye Wen smiled faintly and pressed her long hand down to calm things.
“Now, you. What’s your name?”
“Sun, Sun Wei…”
“You laughed the hardest just now, so tell me—do you have a crush?”
“Teacher, why don’t you ask me if I have a girlfriend?”
“You don’t look like you do.”
“Ahem! What’s so funny?”
Sun Wei coughed exaggeratedly and glared at the laughing classmates.
“If you like someone, you like pretty girls. Who doesn’t? But pretty girls usually already have boyfriends.”
“Got it. Sit down. Tall guy next to him, your turn.”
“Uh… I’m okay. I’m not interested in girls right now.”
Fang Qiang shrugged, looking indifferent.
“Women are just too troublesome.”
“Have you been dumped by a girl?”
“…Yeah.” Fang Qiang looked embarrassed but admitted it while scratching his nose.
“Not all girls are like that. There will be one who suits you. Don’t be so extreme.”
“We’ll see. No woman likes a poor guy, and I’m not even handsome…”
Ye Wen didn’t answer, only smiled as she let him sit down, her tone teasing and playful: “Zhou Chao, your turn.”
“Answer what?”
“How’s your relationship with your current girlfriend?”
“Teacher, I’m not dating yet. Almost done with middle school and not interested. I’ll think about it in high school.”
“Then, do you want to try or do you like anyone?”
“Teacher Ye, is there a difference between those two?”
A girl finally asked.
“Trying doesn’t mean liking. You might think you fit well and will last longer together—but liking someone doesn’t mean they’re right for you.”
“Wanting to try, huh?”
Zhou Chao, the notorious playboy, boldly scanned every girl in class. Some blushed, others looked disgusted.
Finally, his gaze landed on Zhang Qiqi.
“If I’m trying, it’d probably be with the class president, right?”
“Oh—”
“Whoa whoa whoa—!”
“No way! Zhou Chao, really?”
“A confession in front of everyone!!”
The classroom exploded with excitement, voices buzzing with energy that wouldn’t die down for a while.
What amazed everyone was how calmly and clearly he said it without stuttering.
The boys admired the courage, thinking that’s how a man should be.
The girls secretly wished someone would be that bold with them—not necessarily to accept, just to feel pursued.
“All right, Zhou Chao, you really know how to set the place on fire.”
Ye Wen shook her head helplessly.
“Now answer—why do you want to try?”
“Because she seems responsible and not boring. Though a bit rough around the edges, I can handle it.”
“Hey, Zhou Chao, don’t sound so full of yourself. I’m rough too, and you’re no better—a hopeless flirt. No girl who knows you well would want to date you.”
“Really? I think if someone truly knows me, maybe they would be with me for real.”
“Yeah, your confidence looks cool, but—”
“I’m not asking you to agree. I’m just stating facts and answering a question.”
“Well then, Zhang Qiqi, what do you think about Zhou Chao?”
“Hmm—trying with him isn’t out of the question.”
“Wow!!!”
“Hey, Qiqi, what are you—”
“Ahem, though Zhou Chao is my best friend, I still suggest you not date him…”
“Why not? If he hadn’t said anything, I probably wouldn’t care. Now that he has, I’m interested. Isn’t dating a playboy a challenge?”
“Don’t expect me to promise when I’ll dump you!”
Zhou Chao shrugged.
“Hmph… you dare?”
Zhang Qiqi narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t be surprised if I dump you instead!”
“Bring it on.”
“All right, you two seem close already. Since that’s the case, let’s just move Zhou Chao to sit behind Zhang Qiqi.”
“Teacher—that’s the girls’ seat!”
“Is it? I see a boy sitting there too.”
Anjing didn’t know whether to feel touched or awkward.
“Anjing’s different. She looks like a girl anyway!”
“Yeah, yeah!”
“Then, forget the old seating rules. I’ll adjust things today—Sun Wei, you should sit with the girls so you won’t talk so much during class, okay?”
“Ugh, sitting with girls is so boring!”
“That’s not your choice~”
Ye Wen smiled brightly, resting her chin on her hand.
“But before changing seats, let’s continue this topic—about love. Do you think love is a beautiful thing?”
“Beautiful.”
“Not beautiful?”
“Maybe not as good as people think!”
“Love itself isn’t necessarily beautiful. If you think it is, it’s only because the two people love each other sincerely,” Ye Wen said with a smile.
“All right, listen up—anyone making noise will have to stand as punishment later.”
Once the students quieted, Ye Wen continued: “Many say student love is just hormone clashes, immature and not real love. But what about adult love? It might be even less pure because adults choose partners based on more complex interests. Compared to that, isn’t animal instinct more genuine? To me, it’s perfectly normal for middle schoolers to date. Not dating or not having crushes is what’s abnormal. But you must understand that life is long. Most of the relationships you start now won’t last. Do you think I’m telling you not to waste time? No. I want you to understand life and carry this love forward—to a farther future. So then, what exactly is life…”
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