Today, thanks to his day student pass, Zhang Yuan ran into Chen Bing on his way back to the classroom after lunch.

How have you been lately?

"It's alright, it's alright. I feel that junior high school is definitely different from elementary school, whether it's the knowledge we learn or the pace of life, it's all quite different from before. By the way, Bing-ge, I recently became the class monitor!"

The two, who had been childhood friends since they were very young, got together after a long separation and chatted enthusiastically.

Shang Yunmiao, who was standing to the side, was not unhappy to see this scene, because Zhang Yuan was a boy and posed no threat to her position.

"Oh, right, Bing-ge, there's one more thing. The weekend after military training ended, our class had a meeting, right? Our homeroom teacher told us that if we can get into the top 70 in the grade in the October monthly exam, we can get into the science and technology class! Then we might be in the same class as you again, Bing-ge, right?"

Zhang Yuan was excitedly telling Chen Bing about it, clearly very enthusiastic about getting promoted. However, Shang Yunmiao, who was listening nearby, sensed something ominous.

"You seem very confident. Looks like you've been studying well these past few days. Okay, then I look forward to your good results in the monthly exam. If you need any help during this time, feel free to come to me anytime." Chen Bing patted Zhang Yuan on the shoulder, a genuine smile appearing on her face.

He was quite looking forward to it, after all, the other person was from the same village as him since childhood, and was arguably the boy he had played with the longest. Chen Bing valued friendship quite a bit, and if he really did end up in the same class as him, and the two of them rekindled their friendship, it would be a wonderful story.

"Okay, Bing-ge, I won't disturb you and Miao-jie's shopping anymore. I'll go back to the classroom to study now."

"Okay, go ahead." After shaking hands with Zhang Yuan again, Chen Bing watched him run away into the distance. The golden rays of the setting sun bathed him evenly, adding a touch of youthful vigor to the young man. This scene reminded Chen Bing of the day she first remembered his name.

Seeing this, Shang Yunmiao's unfounded worry dissipated somewhat.

Just like the day Chen Bing first remembered his name, this silly boy suddenly turned around and ran back halfway.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, there's one more thing I forgot to ask Brother Bing."

At that moment, alarm bells rang in Shang Yunmiao's mind. Her sixth sense as a woman was frantically warning her that something bad was about to happen.

Sure enough, Zhang Yuan continued, "After the monthly exam, the seating arrangement in the class will be changed, right? Brother Bing, if I get into the top 70 in the grade, can you let me be your deskmate? We can study together and make progress together."

Before Zhang Yuan could finish speaking, Shang Yunmiao's mood had already plummeted.

Seriously, I never expected someone with thick eyebrows and big eyes like you to do something like this... I thought you were pretty honest before, but I never imagined you could be so shameless...

As a grown man, he has the audacity to say... that he wants to study and improve together with other boys... Ugh! Shameless!

Shang Yunmiao cursed Zhang Yuan in her heart, but her face remained expressionless as she waited for Chen Bing's answer.

However, before Chen Bing could speak, Zhang Yuan seemed to realize something and was startled. He then looked at Shang Yunmiao anxiously and asked Chen Bing, "Brother Bing, are you sitting with Sister Miao right now?"

Shang Yunmiao was secretly pleased, thinking that Zhang Yuan was actually a decent person.

"No, we're sitting separately now. My deskmate is Cai Kunnan. If he doesn't mind, that's fine."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan became delighted again.

“Then there’s no problem. I know Cai Kunnan well. I’ll catch some insects for him to play with, and he’ll definitely be willing to give up his seat.”

Zhang Yuan was overjoyed, but Shang Yunmiao, who had experienced great ups and downs, was not happy at all. Watching him run away with a silly grin on his face, her mood was absolutely terrible.

Honestly, if heaven gave her another chance, she would have reserved Chen Bing's seat at the same table much sooner. But it's too late to say that now; all Shang Yunmiao can do is silently console herself.

Forget it, boys are always better than girls, and Zhang Yuan is always better than Zhang Xinyu.

Chinese people like compromise, and Lu Xun was absolutely right about that. After accepting the idea that male Zhang was better than female Zhang, Shang Yunmiao could also accept the fact that she wouldn't sit at the same table as Chen Bing.

With these thoughts in mind, Shang Yunmiao finished her post-meal walk and returned to the classroom with Chen Bing before evening self-study began.

What's wrong? You look so lost and dejected today.

Watching Shang Yunmiao return to her seat with her head down, Chen Bing stroked her chin thoughtfully. After reviewing their interactions today, Chen Bing didn't see anything wrong.

That's just how girls are; they tend to keep things to themselves. But it's okay, Xiao Shang is still a very well-behaved girl. Now that she's noticed something's amiss, the truth isn't far off.

On the way back, I'll grab Shang Yunmiao and pull her into a corner, pinch her cheek, blow on her ear, and say something tough. Then this little girl will spill all the messy things that's on her mind.

...

That evening, the first self-study session.

Pens swished across the paper, and the students in Class 1, gradually adapting to junior high school life, were no longer as noisy as they had been at the beginning of the semester. Faced with the daily assignments for each subject, the students in the science class were able to maintain a certain level of quiet and focus on completing them.

However, a small accident happened tonight.

"ah!!!"

A girl's scream shattered the silence of the classroom.

When everyone looked up and turned their gaze toward the direction from which the sound came, they discovered that a huge, ugly, and disgusting moth was flying in the air there!

Its size was enormous, almost twice the size of the largest moths I'd ever seen. Moreover, it moved incredibly fast, flying from one corner of the classroom to another in just a few seconds.

Its size and speed are so great that one might doubt whether it is a moth.

"Holy crap!" The moth was so terrifying that some of the boys were so frightened that they uttered a curse. The girls in the class were even more terrified, their eyes filled with horror.

"Ah! Someone kill it!" said Zhang Anran, who had pigtails. The moth was hovering above her head like a bomber.

In her panic, Zhang Anran screamed for help while holding up her biology textbook, which had "crested ibis" printed on the cover, to her face, trying to scare away the moth with this "paper tiger."

Unfortunately, the moth seemed to be smarter than Zhang Anran, and this pretentious fake predator couldn't fool it at all. So, the fuzzy, grayish-brown moth folded its black-spotted wings and landed steadily on the biology textbook.

It roused itself, shaking the two feather-like antennae on its head that were identical to Zhang Anran's, looking as majestic as a victorious general.