Chapter 2

On the first day of high school, during evening self-study, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Liu, held a class meeting for the entire period. Then, during the second period, he conducted class committee elections, and during the third period, they had quiet self-study.

No one ran for class publicity committee member, and Song Qiuxuan easily became the class publicity committee member after just giving a simple speech.

“I was quite surprised when you went up to the stage in the last class and said you wanted to be the publicity committee member,” Lu Chengzhou said in a low voice, turning half his body to the side and looking at Song Qiuxuan.

Lu Chengzhou would sneak off to other classes to chat with his friends during breaks, but as soon as class started, he would turn around and ask Song Qiuxuan all sorts of questions, his mouth never stopping for a moment.

Class teacher Lao Liu sat on the podium maintaining class discipline, his eyes frequently glancing down at the students below.

Song Qiuxuan glanced furtively at the podium, her fingers twirling a page in her book as she turned it, her eyes filled with confusion: "Why are you surprised?"

"At first glance, I felt that you were the kind of quiet, well-behaved student who didn't pay attention to anything else and only wanted to focus on studying, so I didn't expect you to be a class committee member, after all, this job can be quite troublesome sometimes."

As he spoke, Lu Chengzhou simply rested his elbow on Song Qiuxuan's desk, his chin on his arm, his bright eyes scrutinizing Song Qiuxuan's face as she looked down at her book and prepared for class.

He discovered that Song Qiuxuan was really pretty. Upon closer inspection, he saw that her skin was delicate and fair, her doe eyes were clear and gentle, and her features were small and exquisite. She had a very pleasing appearance.

“Being a propaganda committee member is actually quite easy…” Song Qiuxuan looked up and found Lu Chengzhou blatantly leaning against her desk, completely disregarding the teacher on the podium. She was startled and frowned slightly: “Don’t turn around, the teacher is doomed if he sees us.”

"It's okay, our seats are on the edge, he won't notice us."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lao Liu slammed his hand heavily on the podium, the sound startling the students who all looked up. Lao Liu sternly reminded them, "The first group of students, be quiet. It's only the first day of school, what's there to talk about? If you have something to discuss, discuss it after class. Don't disturb the students next to you who are studying."

The teacher didn't call anyone by name, so Song Qiuxuan breathed a sigh of relief and quietly urged Lu Chengzhou to turn around quickly. However, when Lu Chengzhou turned around with a grin, his hand knocked over the water bottle on the table, which fell to the ground with a thud.

"I didn't mean to."

Lu Chengzhou was always easily startled, and he didn't control his voice when he spoke in class, as if he wanted the whole class to hear every word he said.

All the students turned to look at them, and Song Qiuxuan immediately bent down to pick up the water bottle, taking the opportunity to avoid those scrutinizing gazes.

"Alright, don't look around during self-study time," Old Liu said sternly as he stepped down from the podium.

The classroom fell silent again. To prevent Lu Chengzhou from touching her water bottle again, Song Qiuxuan stuffed it into her desk. Noticing the homeroom teacher, Lao Liu, walking towards the back row, she sat up straight and continued to preview the lessons for tomorrow morning.

Old Liu strolled slowly past Lu Chengzhou's seat, staring at him intently for several seconds. Lu Chengzhou leaned against the white wall with his right shoulder, casually twirling the pen in his hand, as if he hadn't just disrupted class discipline.

Old Liu, who had intended to lecture him, glanced at Cheng Xun at the last table but held back. When he walked to Cheng Xun's seat, he put on a kind and approving expression.

"Are you Cheng Xun, Cheng Ting's younger brother?" Old Liu asked in a low voice, his eyes lighting up instantly at the mention of "Cheng Ting".

Song Qiuxuan, who was drawing in her book, paused, pricked up her ears, and secretly listened to the sounds behind her.

Because of the incident where they shared an umbrella not long ago, Song Qiuxuan began to pay attention to Cheng Xun, probably out of curiosity.

Cheng Xun gave her an unpredictable feeling. He was not as aloof and cold as he appeared, otherwise he would not have taken the initiative to suggest sharing an umbrella with her. However, he was also difficult to approach and seemed rather dull.

In the previous class, Song Qiuxuan made conversation by turning to Cheng Xun and asking if she was suitable to run for publicity committee member.

At that moment, Cheng Xun glanced at her indifferently, his eyes seeming to say that we shouldn't be familiar with each other, but probably because Song Qiuxuan was watching him the whole time, Cheng Xun had no choice but to say perfunctorily that we were a good match.

He doesn't talk much and his seat is in a corner, so he has very little presence.

"Hmm." Song Qiuxuan heard Cheng Xun respond to Lao Liu.

"Cheng Ting is an excellent student. I remember he won first prize in the math competition last year. He is one of the few students I have who is both talented and hardworking. When I saw him become the top science student in the city this year, I was really happy for him, but I also felt that it was expected."

Liu Zhanyan was Cheng Ting's tutor in the math competition class. In his memory, Cheng Ting was humble, eager to learn, cheerful and upright. He often went to the office to ask the teachers questions and was very popular with them.

When Liu Zhanyan thought of Cheng Ting, his face was filled with relief and joy. His smile broadened, and his serious expression disappeared. He believed that all students should be as sunny, cheerful, energetic, and enthusiastic about learning as Cheng Ting.

Liu Zhanyan stood in the aisle looking at Cheng Xun, trying to find similarities between him and Cheng Ting, but the more he looked, the more he felt that their temperaments were completely different.

“You and Cheng Ting don’t look alike,” Liu Zhanyan commented.

"It's not just that they don't look alike, there are many other aspects that are completely different." Cheng Xun curled the corners of his lips, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, his tone flat and indifferent.

Liu Zhanyan chuckled awkwardly, "But you should all be very excellent students." After saying that, he walked up to the podium.

Song Qiuxuan was marking things up in her textbook and turning pages, pretending to be studying diligently, but her attention was entirely on Cheng Xun, who sat behind her. She heard every word of his conversation with the homeroom teacher.

After the homeroom teacher finished speaking and walked to the podium, Song Qiuxuan heard Cheng Xun let out a low, sneer.

She wondered, puzzled, why Cheng Xun's reaction was so strange. Shouldn't she be proud to have such an outstanding older brother?

When the bell rang, the students rustled as they packed their things and rushed out of the classroom, leaving only a few students in the room soon.

The two girls sitting next to Cheng Xun in the last row of the second group were Xia Yingjia, the one sitting closer to Cheng Xun and wearing thin silver-rimmed glasses.

Xia Yingjia slung her backpack over her shoulder and casually turned her head to look out the window, where she caught a glimpse of a pleasing, well-defined profile.

During one evening self-study session, she stole glances at Cheng Xun more than once.

It's not her fault; it's rare to be in the same class as a handsome guy, and he even sits next to her. Xia Yingjia was bound to feast her eyes.

Cheng Xun was oblivious to the gazes directed at him. He stood up, pushed his chair back into his seat, slung his backpack over one shoulder, and was about to turn and leave the classroom.

A shadow fell over Xia Yingjia's eyes. Just as Cheng Xun's tall and slender figure was about to leave the classroom, she called out to him, her tone slightly obsequious, "Cheng Xun, I heard the homeroom teacher talk about your brother in class. He seems to be an exceptionally outstanding person."

Cheng Xun paused, turned around, his expression neither cold nor gentle, but those who knew him could see a hint of irritation in his eyes.

"Well, how could the top science student in the city's college entrance examination not be excellent?" Cheng Xun smiled, his dark eyes calm and unwavering, showing no trace of pride or satisfaction for his brother.

Xia Yingjia saw Cheng Xun smile and assumed he was in a good mood, so she continued the conversation: "The guys I associate with are all so irresponsible. I'd really like to get to know a guy as outstanding as your brother."

Cheng Xun said casually, "Is that so? His photo is posted in the outstanding graduates section of the school's bulletin board. You can take a look if you're really interested."

Xia Yingjia wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Cheng Xun's tone was a bit strange, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong with it.

Song Qiuxuan, who was still sitting in her seat, listened to their conversation. While taking her schoolbag out from under the desk, she couldn't help but turn her head to look back.

Cheng Xun noticed the little movement of the girl in front of him, looked down and met her gaze, and saw a guilty look flash across her face.

"What, you're interested in my brother too?"

Song Qiuxuan, holding the schoolbag she had just pulled out of the desk, looked up at Cheng Xun. He stood under the classroom lights, the fan whirring, his short black hair slightly disheveled by the wind, his eyebrows and eyes revealing a sharp edge, and his white short-sleeved shirt making his skin appear even paler.

Although it was just a simple sentence, Song Qiuxuan felt that it contained a hidden danger.

In TV dramas, when the villain is about to send the protagonist to his death, cannon fodder will suddenly appear out of nowhere to block the protagonist's blade. At this point, the villain will say in a sinister tone, "Are you going to die too?"

Cheng Xun's words reminded Song Qiuxuan of the villain's line, "Are you going to die too?"

Song Qiuxuan paused for a moment before shaking her head and saying, "No."

She almost blurted out, "The person I'm interested in is you," but that's about the same as a cannon fodder saying, "I'm going to my death." The difference is that the cannon fodder gets stabbed to death, while she gets embarrassed to death.

Cheng Xun didn't respond to her answer. He looked down at Song Qiuxuan silently for a few seconds, but she still looked up at him with a smile on her lips to hide her embarrassment.

Song Qiuxuan felt a little uncomfortable under his unwavering gaze, so she picked up her schoolbag and dashed out of the classroom.

Evening self-study ended at 10:30, and it was already 10:40 when she came down to the first floor with her schoolbag on her back.

It takes a few minutes to walk from the classroom to the bike shed. As Song Qiuxuan walked on the wet ground after the heavy rain, she looked down and saw her own shadow. She suddenly remembered the two shadows that were reflected on the ground when she and Cheng Xun were sharing an umbrella, their shadows almost touching.

Song Qiuxuan shook her head to clear her mind of the chaotic thoughts, finally stopping thinking about Cheng Xun, and her steps became lighter.

But as she walked, Song Qiuxuan remembered Cheng Xun and Xia Yingjia's conversation, and she suddenly stopped and turned back.

For reasons unknown, Song Qiuxuan came to the bulletin board, which was surrounded by a ring of small lights that would turn on at night.

Song Qiuxuan easily saw Cheng Xun's brother's photo because the school had posted it in the most conspicuous place.

Cheng Ting, wearing the blue and white summer uniform of Lianyan No. 1 Middle School, smiled brightly in the sunlight. In the photo taken in the sunlight, he seemed to be radiating dazzling light.

Just by looking at the photos, you can feel Cheng Ting's flamboyance and confidence.

Song Qiuxuan then understood what Lao Liu meant when he said they didn't look alike, especially their temperament, which was completely different.

There are several paths from the teaching building to the bicycle shed. Song Qiuxuan was not familiar with the campus and did not know that one of the paths led past the bulletin board.

As Cheng Xun walked towards the school's bicycle shed, he passed the bulletin board, and his vision was suddenly illuminated by the small lights on the bulletin board. He inadvertently looked up and followed the direction of the light source.

Upon seeing a slender, somewhat familiar figure, Cheng Xun was taken aback at first. After realizing what it was, she narrowed her eyes and slightly curled the corners of her lips.

He stopped under a tree by the path, watching Song Qiuxuan looking at her brother's photo in front of the bulletin board. Because Song Qiuxuan had her back to him, Cheng Xun couldn't see her expression, but he guessed that she was looking at him with a hint of admiration or appreciation—that's how most people feel about their brothers.

The person sitting in front of him was a hypocrite; one moment he would say he wasn't interested, and the next he would run over to the bulletin board to look at his brother's photo.

Cheng Xun looked away, pressed down her lips, and resumed her cold and indifferent expression. She continued walking along the path towards the bicycle shed, as if she hadn't seen anything.

Song Qiuxuan was just a classmate he had known for less than half a day, and Cheng Xun felt that he didn't need to let her affect his emotions.

The campus was quiet at this time of day, and the footsteps sounded very clear, a little eerie. Song Qiuxuan turned around in surprise, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Cheng Xun.

Song Qiuxuan watched Cheng Xun's aloof and upright figure pass by the bulletin board. As she passed by, her profile was indifferent. Song Qiuxuan glanced at the photo on the bulletin board again, then gripped her backpack strap and stood a few steps behind Cheng Xun.

As Song Qiuxuan rode her bicycle away from the school gate, she not only discovered that Cheng Xun was also a student living off-campus, but also that he was going the same way as her.

As Song Qiuxuan rode her bicycle into the residential area, she went upstairs and returned home. As soon as she opened the door, she saw her mother, Xu Yanzhen, curled up on the living room sofa, wearing a face mask and watching an idol drama.

"Xuanxuan is back. How was your first day of school, and how did you get along with your classmates?"

"What can you do on the first day? You can't make friends in half a day."

As Song Qiuxuan walked into the bedroom, she glanced at the TV in the living room. Her mother had been watching this idol drama on and off for almost half a month, and the female lead had finally won over the male lead, starting a sweet romance.

Strategy guide.

Why does Cheng Xun's aloof and indifferent face appear in Song Qiuxuan's mind?

Before going to bed, Song Qiuxuan made a point of putting the umbrella into her schoolbag. She didn't want to get soaked in the rainy weather in Lianyan.

Song Qiuxuan lay in bed, secretly looking forward to tomorrow, and even hoping to run into Cheng Xun on her way to school tomorrow morning.

This thought startled Song Qiuxuan, who was about to fall asleep. She opened her eyes wide in the darkness. She thought about it and reassured herself that this was normal. Perhaps she was just curious about Cheng Xun and wanted to observe him, which was why she was looking forward to seeing him.

With that thought in mind, Song Qiuxuan fell asleep peacefully and slept soundly and comfortably all night without any dreams.