School starts
I returned from the pool just as the sun was setting.
The two stopped at the entrance of the residential area. Tong Yao's ears were still flushed, perhaps out of shyness. She deliberately put on a stern face and ordered, "You are not allowed to come to my house before school starts."
Lin Li dared not disobey the order, and immediately bowed, her voice filled with barely concealed amusement:
"Yes, Your Majesty! I will obey Your Majesty's decree."
After saying this, he solemnly flicked his non-existent horseshoe sleeves before turning and leaving.
Looking at his seemingly serious back, Tong Yao finally couldn't help but laugh, her eyes crinkling with joy.
Lin Li, who had taken a few steps, heard a clear laugh behind her. She smiled triumphantly and her steps became lighter.
_
August 30th is the registration day for Yucheng Experimental High School.
Yancheng High-speed Railway Station.
Lin Li pushed her suitcase and boarded the high-speed train to Yucheng.
He stared idly at the scenery rushing past the window, and couldn't help but squint at the thought of seeing Tong Yao again after school started.
_
Tong Yao sat in the passenger seat, her gaze drifting aimlessly across the receding street scene outside the window. She only absentmindedly hummed in response to her father's instructions about the new school.
While waiting at a red light, Dad, gripping the steering wheel, seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to ask, "By the way, where's Lili? It's her first day of school. I thought she'd be going with you. It's on my way, so I can give her a ride."
Tong Yao glanced out the window at a blue taxi that happened to pass by, her gaze flickering subtly for a moment before she turned back and calmly explained:
"She gets carsick, quite badly. She can only take the high-speed rail."
Her tone was natural, and there was no flaw in her words.
Tong's father nodded in realization, with a hint of regret: "I see... motion sickness is unpleasant."
He paused, then sincerely praised, "But Lili is such a good girl, so sensible and good at studying. It would be great if you two could continue to be friends in high school."
Tong Yao's fingertips twitched slightly on the backpack strap, and she mumbled a reply: "...Mmm."
She turned her gaze back to the window, her lips tightening slightly.
Right now, Lin Lili, the "good girl" praised by her whole family, is probably sitting leisurely on the high-speed train, munching on potato chips and playing games on her phone.
The wheels rolled smoothly over the road. Tong Yao silently calculated in her mind that the high-speed train would probably arrive in Yucheng earlier than their car.
_
We've arrived at Yucheng East Station.
Lin Lili landed and turned off the game on his phone, then pulled his suitcase and followed the crowd off the high-speed train. He didn't stop, heading straight for the subway station—Line 3 goes directly to Yucheng Experimental Middle School.
Today, he didn't wear the "Lin Lili" outfit anymore. Instead, he changed into the unisex shirt that Tong Yao bought for him, paired with a simple straight-leg trouser. He looked fresh and clean.
Line 3 was packed with people during the morning rush hour. Lin Li struggled to drag her suitcase into the carriage and finally found a corner where she could curl up in the connecting area between carriages.
The subway doors were about to close, and then a sudden push came from behind. Lin Li quickly calmed himself down, but then heard a soft cry from behind—a girl had lost her balance and fallen onto his back.
"Be careful." Lin Li helped her up and made sure she stood properly, offering a friendly reminder, "Classmate, I suggest you find something to hold onto or lean against."
The girl straightened up and looked up at Lin Li's face, clearly startled for a moment.
"you--"
Lin Li looked at her, who was only halfway through her sentence, and asked in confusion, "Is something wrong?"
The girl shook her head and quickly put on a polite smile: "It's nothing, thank you."
Lin Li nodded, didn't ask any more questions, and leaned against the wall to take out her phone and send a message to Tong Yao.
LaLaLa: Tong Yao, where are you?
Pretending to be serious: We've exited the highway.
Spicy Spicy: What a pity, we're not in the same class! I wonder how far apart Class 1 and Class 5 are!
Seriously: There will be a placement exam at the beginning of the second year of high school. Good luck and you'll get into the top class.
Spicy Spicy Spicy: Spare me! How could I?
Upon seeing Tong Yao's reply, he realized that his best score in his previous life was only around 550 points, and he had heard of the prestigious reputation of Yucheng Experimental Middle School.
Here, a score of 550 would likely only place you in the lower middle of the grade, let alone in the top-performing classes where the average score has historically started at 620.
This time, he believed that Tong Yao, having entered the top class, would definitely become even more outstanding!
Pretending to be serious: I believe you.
Lin Li stared at those four simple words, speechless for a moment. He knew his own limitations perfectly well...
etc!
Lin Li suddenly remembered something important—Yucheng Experimental Middle School, especially for boys, has a mandatory buzz cut rule!
Thinking of this, Lin Li's face darkened.
When the subway arrived at the station, he walked out with his suitcase, utterly dejected, not noticing that the girl from before had also gotten off at the same station.
_
Standing in front of the magnificent gate of Yucheng Experimental Middle School, one can gaze at the modern buildings and greenery within the school grounds.
Lin Li nodded in satisfaction. His previous worries were completely unnecessary; how could the facilities of a key high school in the provincial capital be poor?
He couldn't help but think of the old campus of a key high school in Yancheng, where the dormitory buildings were covered with vines, the interiors were dark and damp, the walls were peeling, and the toilets didn't even have doors...
Thinking about how Tong Yao had spent three years in that kind of environment in her previous life, he couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
Based on the information on the notice, Lin Li found the boys' dormitory building.
As soon as he stepped inside, a mixed, unpleasant smell of foot odor hit him, causing him to close his eyes in despair—it seemed he would be in for another three years.
Dormitory 414.
The standard four-person room was clean and tidy. The bunk bed with a desk underneath made Lin Li pause for a moment. The conditions were better than many university dormitories.
His bed was on the right-hand side near the door. He had just finished quickly tidying up his luggage when his phone rang.
[Class 5 homeroom teacher Chen Xiaoyan] notified everyone in the class group to pick up the bedding and toiletries they had purchased in advance at the logistics department on the first floor.
Lin Li made her bed, and her roommates arrived one after another. After exchanging brief nods as a greeting, Lin Li slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed to the classroom.
Inside the teaching building, Lin Li first peeked out from the door of Class 1, Grade 11 at the beginning of the corridor. Seeing several students already engrossed in their studies, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Seriously? They've already started testing themselves?"
He walked to Class 5 of Grade 1 at the other end of the corridor. The seating chart was displayed on the electronic whiteboard, and Lin Li quickly found his name: Lin Li Luo Yan, second to last row by the window. His deskmate was a girl named Luo Yan, who hadn't arrived yet; the classroom was completely empty at the moment.
After taking her seat, Lin Li curiously looked around. The classroom environment was very nice, with resin flooring and a large row of lockers at the back. Just then, Tong Yao's message arrived.
Pretending to be serious: I'm here, in the dorm. What about you?
Spicy Spicy Spicy: In class, we're lucky enough to be on the same floor, but my side is near the toilet, and it smells like poop!
Pretending to be serious: Oh.
Spicy, spicy, spicy: This is the route you'll inevitably take when you go to the toilet from now on—our class.
Pretentious: Boring.
After chatting for a while, the students around Lin Li gradually took their seats.
A girl then sat down in the empty seat next to her.
Lin Li politely turned her head to greet her, but choked the moment she saw her face clearly.
I keep reminding myself not to judge people by their appearance.
He smiled and said, "Hello, I'm your deskmate, Lin Li."
The girl was clearly stunned for a second before giving him a cold glance and saying, "Yes, Luo Yan."
Lin Li touched her nose irritably and turned her head away.
What's with the attitude?
However, he soon learned the source of Luo Yan's "arrogance"—she ranked 69th in the Yucheng City high school entrance examination.
Logically, with these grades, she could have gotten into the top class with some connections, but unfortunately she missed the exam because she had a fever on the day of the joint entrance exam.
Lin Li pondered to herself that she was ranked 12th in Yancheng City and was assigned to Class 5, which meant that Yancheng's overall performance this year was quite good.
The homeroom teacher, Ms. Chen Xiaoyan (a physics teacher and deputy director of the grade), introduced herself, followed by a round of self-introductions from all the students in the class.
When it was Lin Li's turn, he stood up confidently: "Hello everyone, my name is Lin Li. My hobbies are singing, playing the piano, and playing the flute. Of course, you can also invite me to play basketball."
When it was Luo Yan's turn, she simply stood up in silence and said concisely, "Luo Yan enjoys writing and painting."
After the self-introductions, it was lunchtime. The homeroom teacher announced that after lunch, we would go to the auditorium for a meeting.
Lin Li was the first to rush out of the classroom; he had to catch someone before Class 1 let out.
_
Class 1 hadn't finished yet. Their homeroom teacher was Huo Li, the grade director for this year. He was a male teacher, and Lin Li looked at his bright forehead, affirming his teaching quality.
A boy, and a good-looking one at that, stood at the door, immediately attracting everyone's attention.
Huo Li glanced at Lin Li: "Is there something you need, classmate?"
Lin Li jumped in surprise and awkwardly laughed, "I...I came to wait for my sister to have dinner together." Then...
An internal lament: Damn it! What a terrible excuse!
Huo Li glanced at the time and waved his hand, "Alright, let's eat." He walked out of the classroom, then deliberately looked back at Lin Li's hair and added, "Your hair needs to be cut before classes officially start, it's a school rule."
Boom! Lin Li felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he instantly turned to stone.
People started leaving the classroom.
Tong Yao walked at the back, looking at the petrified Lin Li, and teased, "Waiting for your sister to eat?"
Lin Li, petrified, asked: "If I become ugly, will you still like me?"
Tong Yao glanced at him suspiciously, "Are you crazy?"
Lin Li wasn't annoyed. She pushed Tong Yao towards the cafeteria, emphasizing the key point:
"My hair is going to be cut off tomorrow, a buzz cut!"
Upon hearing this, Tong Yao reassured her, "It's alright."
She thought that Lin Li actually looked better with a buzz cut, looking more innocent and cute, unlike his current cunning and clever appearance.
_
The cafeteria offered a wide variety of dishes. Lin Li ordered two chicken drumsticks, one serving of tomato beef brisket, and two servings of fried chicken cutlets, piling his plates up like a small mountain. Tong Yao looked at him and asked, "Can you finish all this?"
Lin Li grinned: "A piece of cake!"
That evening, during a meeting in the auditorium, the grade head, Huo Li, was still speaking on stage. Lin Li, feeling bored, turned and saw his deskmate, Luo Yan, scribbling and drawing on paper. He leaned over to look and exclaimed, "You draw so well!"
Luo Yan paused, slammed her notebook shut, and said in an unfriendly tone, "Didn't your family teach you not to snoop on other people's privacy?"
Lin Li was speechless again. This girl was too difficult to get along with! He turned his head away sullenly and ignored her.
_
Lying in her dorm bed that night, Lin Li was playing on her phone when she discovered that the school wasn't collecting cell phones, which she found a bit outrageous.
He enthusiastically sent Tong Yao a series of funny emojis.
Suddenly, a red exclamation mark appeared before the message—he had been blocked.
Lin Li: "..."
Well, it seems I've disturbed the top student's studies.
The study atmosphere in the girls' dormitory at this moment is truly terrifying. Tong Yao isn't the only one burning the midnight oil; she's even influenced by those around her.
She looked up at the girl in the bed next to her—Zhou Mingfang, the student representative at this opening ceremony, the top scorer in the Yucheng City Junior High School Entrance Examination, a super student wearing pink transparent-framed glasses.
In this dormitory where students are assigned based on their grades, Tong Yao ranked fourth, which put pressure on her and strengthened her resolve to catch up.
As she was engrossed in her studies, her phone kept beeping with notifications. She quickly glanced around, relieved to see everyone else focused on their learning. She opened the notifications to find a barrage of harassing emojis from Lin Li. Frustrated, she swiped her finger and promptly blocked him.
The world was quiet again. Tong Yao took a deep breath and immersed herself back in the sea of knowledge. Meanwhile, Lin Li in dormitory 414 looked at her phone screen and gave a helpless smirk.
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