The mixed-race boy wore a simple windbreaker, a black pullover underneath, loose sports-casual pants, and on his feet were a pair of panda-colored sneakers.
It was really a youthful high school boy’s style, but with that face and those proportions, he looked like he’d just stepped out of a manga—right out of the pages, a real manga boy.
Xiang Di was just as dazzled as she had been when she’d first seen Bo Jiangxin at the opening ceremony of their freshman year.
The mixed-race boy walked into the School Office, and Chen Jinghua asked him, “Where’s your mother?”
The boy replied, “She just left.”
“Then why didn’t you leave with her?” Chen Jinghua said. “You didn’t even bring your backpack today, no books, how are you going to attend class?”
The boy smiled a little and said, “I just wanted to meet my classmates first, teacher, so I didn’t leave with my mom.”
Xiang Di was brought back to reality by his accented Mandarin—it really wasn’t a manga world, but real life.
After she withdrew her gaze, she noticed that at some point a bunch of people had crowded around the office door to watch the commotion.
Among them was Liang Qianqian—clearly, they were all here for this mixed-race boy.
Xiang Di sized up the boy again.
His side profile was stunning: curled lashes, sharp jawline, especially his nose—delicate and well-defined.
You could basically judge a person’s profile by their nose.
The famous connoisseur of reproductive organs, Xiang Di, looked at the boy with approval and appreciation.
Mm, his nose is tall, so you could guess he’s probably got it pretty good elsewhere, too.
And, he was really tall.
Xiang Di had to tilt her head up just to see his chin. He was so tall, she couldn’t even see the top of his head.
When he stood next to Bo Jiangxin, it was hard to say who was taller.
If it came down to comparing heights, her gaze finally landed on Bo Jiangxin.
She couldn’t tell for sure—anyway, both of them were a head taller than her.
Sure, a height difference could be cute, but being so much shorter always made her feel a bit defeated.
How did they get so tall? She hadn’t grown an inch since the third year of middle school.
“Well, perfect timing. Get to know these two classmates first,” Chen Jinghua introduced.
“This is Bo Jiangxin, and this is Xiang Di. You’ll all be in the same class.”
The mixed-race boy had already noticed the two standing in front of Chen Jinghua.
He was meeting the girl for the first time, but he’d seen the boy before—just earlier at the Honor Roll.
As soon as Chen Jinghua said they’d be classmates, the boy greeted them warmly.
“Hello, I’m Zhōu Línxiāo. From now on, we’re classmates, so let’s look out for each other.”
He offered his hand to Bo Jiangxin first. Bo Jiangxin couldn’t really refuse, so he reached out and shook.
In just a few seconds, Bo Jiangxin heard him say inwardly:
【Es muy guapo, pero no tanto como yo。】
You could tell there was a hint of arrogance in his tone.
Though Bo Jiangxin didn’t understand the meaning, his instincts told him this mixed-race guy wasn’t as sunny and easygoing as he seemed on the surface.
Xiang Di was still trying to figure out which characters his name used in Chinese, but by then, the boy had already offered his hand to her.
To accommodate her height, he bent down gentlemanly and tilted his head, “Hello?”
Xiang Di quickly reached out her hand, “Hello, hello.”
Just from the handshake, he could feel she was obviously more enthusiastic than Bo Jiangxin. Unlike Bo Jiangxin, whose handshake was more like a light touch and then immediately let go.
He could feel the softness and warmth of her palm at his fingertips. The girl’s frame was tiny; even when she curled her fingers, she couldn’t even wrap around his four fingers, let alone his much larger palm.
Zhōu Línxiāo smiled, his tone gentle, and made an honest observation: “Your hands are so small.”
Xiang Di let out a little gasp, but he’d already straightened up and was asking Chen Jinghua curiously, “Mr. Chen, did you catch them in here because they’re dating? My mom told me that at our school, dating isn’t allowed. Is that true?”
Chen Jinghua’s eyes widened.
He was still figuring out how to word this, and yet this kid just blurted it right out!
No matter the era or age, gossip about boys and girls was always everyone’s favorite topic.
All the teachers in the office looked over, and the students at the door pricked up their ears.
Ye Minjia, at the door, slapped Liang Qianqian on the back with a triumphant tone: “I told you they were up to something, even a foreigner could see it at a glance.”
Chen Jinghua was at a loss for how to respond when Xiang Di loudly jumped in, “No, no, we’re not!”
Afraid of being misunderstood, she even clarified with her hands, “We just came to see the teacher about changing seats.”
Xiang Di was panicking—who knew how hard it was for her to finally become WeChat friends with Bo Jiangxin, things were just starting to look up, and now if people thought they were dating, he’d probably block her immediately, banish her to the Cold Palace, and she’d never be able to get out for the rest of her life.
To make herself sound more convincing, Xiang Di looked up anxiously and tried to get Bo Jiangxin’s confirmation, “Right?”
Oh dear God, please, Husband, don’t take out your anger on her just because the new classmate doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.
Xiang Di’s anxious attempt to clear things up in front of the new classmate made her look like she was desperate not to have her innocence misunderstood.
Bo Jiangxin glanced at her, expressionless, and then looked away, giving a brief, cool, “Mm.”
With Bo Jiangxin’s answer, Xiang Di deliberately raised her voice to make it clear to everyone.
“There’s absolutely nothing going on between Bo Jiangxin and me. If there is, I won’t get into college.”
She thought, that should be enough; surely Bo Jiangxin could sense her pure intentions.
At that, Liang Qianqian turned to quietly ask Ye Minjia, “She just made such a harsh vow. Now what?”
Ye Minjia shrugged, “She’s not dating now. They’ve already broken up.”
Liang Qianqian:
People always have a thousand reasons to justify their own reasoning—like a reincarnation of Kogoro Mouri.
That curse was just too vicious for a third-year high schooler who’d spent years studying for the National College Entrance Examination.
Xiang Di dared to swear it, but even the teachers didn’t dare to listen.
Chen Jinghua said, “Alright, alright, it’s not that serious. The college entrance exam is coming up. Don’t say things like that.”
With a new classmate present, Chen Jinghua didn’t want to press further. He just wanted to settle the matter of changing seats quickly.
“So, you two discussed this? You’re sure you want to change seats?”
Xiang Di nodded hard, “Mm-hmm, we’ve decided.”
Chen Jinghua looked at Bo Jiangxin, with a probing and cautionary tone, “Are you sure? If I switch your seats just for you two this time, focus on your studies afterwards. You can’t change again until the next mock exam.”
Bo Jiangxin frowned, not understanding why the Class Teacher was saying this to him.
Xiang Di also found it strange.
Shouldn’t this advice be for her? Saying it to Bo Jiangxin, who was top of the year, seemed a bit unnecessary.
She decided Chen Jinghua must have mistaken who needed the advice and chimed in obediently, “Don’t worry, Teacher, I’ll definitely study hard.”
Looking at the bright and determined look in the girl’s eyes, Chen Jinghua was momentarily speechless.
“………………Alright then, you two can swap. Where do you want to sit?”
“Teacher, just swap my seat with the Class Monitor,” Xiang Di had already thought it out, “so I’ll sit with Liang Qianqian, and Bo Jiangxin can sit with the Class Monitor.”
Chen Jinghua gave an “oh,” about to say something when he was interrupted again.
“That won’t work, Teacher.”
Chen Jinghua clicked his tongue.
Why were all the students so eager to express themselves today? Nobody would let him finish his sentences.
Ye Minjia, who’d been watching the drama from the office door, suddenly burst in.
Chen Jinghua looked at him crossly, “What is it now?”
“I’ve just gotten used to my new desk-mate. If I have to switch again, it’ll really affect my studies.”
“‘Affecting my studies’” wasn’t just the universal excuse for teachers and parents, it was the students’ as well.
Whenever they didn’t want to do something, they’d just say it would affect their studies, and the teachers and parents wouldn’t dare force it.
Ye Minjia didn’t want to get involved in the mess between Bo Jiangxin and Xiang Di.
If Bo Jiangxin really didn’t do well on the next test, he didn’t want to take the blame for it.
He quickly dragged Liang Qianqian over, speaking solemnly, “Teacher, you can’t just break us up for their sake.”
Chen Jinghua:
What play are they acting out now?
Liang Qianqian’s eyes widened instantly. What nonsense was the dumb Class Monitor spouting now?
Ye Minjia was still holding her school uniform. She tried to shake free, but he glared at her—a warning not to move.
Under the Class Monitor’s tyranny, Liang Qianqian didn’t dare budge, standing there, fuming, her face flushed with anger.
Xiang Di was utterly lost. She hadn’t expected Ye Minjia to refuse to change seats.
She looked at Bo Jiangxin, wanting to ask what to do now.
Bo Jiangxin frowned—he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Ye Minjia, suddenly acting like this.
He hadn’t even complained about how noisy he was, yet now Ye Minjia didn’t want to be his desk-mate again.
Since that was the case, Bo Jiangxin didn’t bother with Ye Minjia anymore. He simply told Chen Jinghua that he could sit alone.
As for Xiang Di, she could sit with whoever she wanted.
Ye Minjia—he couldn’t care less; let him do whatever he wanted. He was ready to single-handedly isolate himself from the whole class.
Chen Jinghua and Xiang Di had the same reaction—how could they let Bo Jiangxin sit in the VIP Seat next to the podium?
But their class had an odd number of students, and since every two sat together, there was always someone who had to sit alone.
Chen Jinghua got stuck in a dilemma.
These days, being a Class Teacher wasn’t easy, especially for high school.
The students all had minds of their own.
After this whole mess of opinions and back-and-forth, Chen Jinghua felt a headache coming on.
Luckily, the bell for the second period rang, saving him.
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