Transfer student Wang Ye

In early November, a biting cold wind blew across our faces, leaving us shivering. The trees lining the streets had lost their former vibrant green, their leaves falling one after another, leaving only bare branches swaying in the wind, a desolate scene.

At that moment, in the senior year office, the head teachers of seven classes sat together, enthusiastically discussing a new transfer student. Inside the office, the incandescent light emitted a bright yet somewhat cold glow, reflecting on everyone's face.

Ping Mei, the head teacher, was the first to break the silence. She pushed her glasses up, her eyes sweeping across everyone's faces. "I've called you all here today, and I'm sure you all know what's going on. The upstart Wang family has donated quite a bit of money to our high school, and their eldest son, Wang Ye, just happened to have a good score on this month's exam, so we can't refuse him. Now, the question is, who's willing to transfer Wang Ye to your class?"

As soon as the words fell, a brief silence fell in the office. Then, everyone's eyes turned to Song Yuhuan. The reason was simple: among the several classes in the senior year, only Class 3 had a relatively small number of students; the other classes all had larger students than Class 3. More importantly, Class 3's average score had consistently topped the grade in previous years, significantly higher than the other classes.

Pingmei raised the corner of her mouth with a professional fake smile, looked at Song Yuhuan, and said in a gentle tone that could not be refused: "Teacher Song, your class not only has vacancies, but also has two top students, Shen Zhihe and Gu Hanzhi, in charge. I think that even if your class has another student, Wang Ye, the average score shouldn't be greatly affected, right?"

Song Yuhuan frowned slightly. Although she felt a little reluctant, she couldn't refuse under such circumstances. She sighed softly, forced a smile, and said helplessly, "In that case, let's transfer Wang Ye to our class." Just like that, Wang Ye would soon become a member of Class 3, Grade 11. And what kind of storm would this new student bring to Class 3?

In the classroom in the afternoon, Jiang Wanning's ponytail swung left and right as she jogged, and the strawberry pendant hanging on the strap of her schoolbag bounced. She leaned against Gu Hanzhi's desk, holding a bag of tomato-flavored potato chips with her fingertips, and the crumbs fell on Gu Hanzhi's open English exercise book.

"Hanzhi!" She mumbled incoherently, the potato chip bag rustling as she was squeezed, "Have you heard about the transfer student in our class? He drives a limited edition motorcycle to school, and he looks so cool and handsome!" Before she finished her words, Lu Chenzhou in the front row suddenly turned his chair, and the metal legs of the chair made a harsh sound as they scraped against the ground.

"Superficial." He stepped on the basketball, "It's obvious that he has no talent. What's the point of having a good look?" The tip of the pen slammed heavily on the draft paper, spreading a ball of blue-black ink.

Jiang Wanning immediately raised her eyebrows, her ponytail trembling. "Isn't being rich also a talent? Just the gold chain around his neck and all the jewelry on his hands could cover a semester's meal expenses at our school!" She suddenly leaned close to Gu Hanzhi's textbook, the aroma of potato chips wafting in her face. "Hanzhi, please give us your opinion—"

Gu Hanzhi lowered her eyes as she calculated a number sequence. The silver watch on her wrist made a subtle clinking sound against her pencil. Her earplugs filtered the outside sounds into a faint hum; she could only see Jiang Wanning's flailing arms and Lu Chenzhou's flushed face. Her pen suddenly stopped, and the number 9 on the draft paper trailed out a long tail. The chair at the back table was shoved aside, and Lu Chenzhou stood up, slapping the tabletop. His collar rubbed his red tie askew.

"When did the eldest daughter of the Jiang family care about that little money?" He grabbed the water cup and took a big gulp, water droplets dripping down his chin onto his school uniform. "The trophy your father sponsored for the last math competition was worth more than his pocket money..."

"Every penny counts!" Jiang Wanning ripped the pendant off her schoolbag, pinching her strawberry ears until they were deformed. "His motorcycle looks very expensive."

Gu Hanzhi looked at the two people whose noses were almost about to bump into each other, silently put the earplugs back in, and drew the third little man of the day on the blank space in the exercise book - a quiet girl wearing earplugs standing between two ferocious cartoon characters.

A chill wind blew into the classroom through the cracks in the corridor. The bell for second period rang suddenly. Song Yuhuan, clutching his lesson plan, pushed open the front door. A few fallen leaves clung to the hem of his dark blue shirt. He cleared his throat and was about to speak when the back door suddenly kicked open.

A young man with a few strands of dyed blond hair leaned against the doorframe, a gold chain peeking out from the collar of his black sweatshirt. The gold watch on his wrist gleamed coldly under the incandescent light. He chewed gum absentmindedly, the toe of his shoe casually hooked against the door. His eyes swept over the students whispering in the classroom, and a casual smile played at the corner of his mouth.

"Quiet." Song Yuhuan knocked his knuckles on the podium, making two muffled sounds. "I'm sure everyone has heard that we have a new student joining our class." He stepped aside to make room. "This is Wang Ye, joining us from today."

Sporadic applause echoed, with only a deliberately suppressed sneer coming from the window. Jiang Wanning almost instantly straightened her back, clapping her hands extra vigorously, the pearl pin in her hair swaying slightly. Beside her, Lu Chenzhou was twirling a pen. His gaze from behind his glasses swept over Wang Ye's flamboyant attire, a cold arc rising at the corners of his eyes.

Wang Ye lazily wandered over to the empty seat, his schoolbag slamming heavily on the table. The wind from the window blew in again, lifting the hood of his sweatshirt and revealing the new black roots of hair growing behind his ears—a hint of yellow still lingering there, like a past that stubbornly refused to fade.

As Wang Ye sat down, ice chips rustled from the shoulders of his down jacket. Chalk dust drifted in the morning light, and Gu Hanzhi's fingertips, gripping her pen, suddenly felt cold. The words "transfer student Wang Ye" from Song Yuhuan's mouth pierced her temples like a rusty nail.

The windowpane was fogged, and she unconsciously wiped a small, clear area with her sleeve. Memories of that humid summer night suddenly flooded back: Under the warm yellow light of the convenience store, Lin Yue's white dress was stained with night dew, and the hairpin in her hair trembled with her movements. And a young man with dyed-yellow hair leaned against a telephone pole, smoke rings mingling with the chirping of cicadas drifting past the streetlights. When he smiled, his earrings shone coldly in the shadows.

"Hanzhi, what are you daydreaming about?" Shen Zhihe's reminder startled her, causing her pen to tilt, and the blue ink spread across her homework book in a dark cloud. The back of Wang Ye's neck, exposed from his half-zipped down jacket, bore a faint tattoo that looked as if it hadn't been washed off, like a dormant centipede.

The moment the school bell ripped through the air, Gu Hanzhi rushed out, barely securing her backpack strap. Her sneakers slipped on the icy corridor, but she didn't dare stop—Wang Ye's face still lingered before her, and the scene from that night at the convenience store flashed back before her. Shen Zhihe froze in his seat, textbook in hand, blinking as she watched him disappear. Ultimately, he swallowed his doubts and gently closed his textbook.

Dusk soaked the alley like thick ink, and the cracks in the bluestone slabs were filled with rainwater from the previous few days. As Gu Hanzhi clutched her schoolbag strap and turned onto the only way home, the damp, musty smell mixed with the pungent smell of cigarette smoke hit her face.

At the foot of the wall, Wang Ye was leaning against the mottled brickwork, his down jacket sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing a faint tattoo at the crook of his arm. Three of his followers fanned out beside him. One of them was lighting a cigarette with a windproof lighter, the flame flickering in the twilight. The crackling of the burning cigarette was mingled with muffled curses and banter.

Gu Hanzhi's sneakers paused on the stone slabs, the toe of her canvas shoes almost touching the rotting vegetable leaves in the corner. She lowered her eyes to stare at the scuffed edges of her shoes, her Adam's apple rolling slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Wang Ye's smoke rings swirling in the air, the gray-blue haze like a net, enveloping the boys. One of the boys with earrings suddenly turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the alleyway. Gu Hanzhi immediately hugged her schoolbag to her chest, her nails digging deep into the canvas.

The cold wind whipped up the shattered snow, scraping my cheeks like sandpaper. The streetlights cast pale circles of light amidst the falling snow. Icicles dangled from the old eaves like countless upside-down knives. In the corner, an overturned trash can sat on the ground, its rotting vegetable leaves coated in ice and rustling harshly as the wind blew.