Chapter 16
But time, this great healer, sometimes fails to work.
Even on the first day of school, Bai Lu's condition was still worrying. Entering the first year of high school and the first class meant that Bai Lu, a poor student, would be classmates with countless geniuses.
As the pressure of high school increases day by day, if you don't adjust your emotions early on, the pressure will become more and more overwhelming as you get closer to your senior year.
The only thing to be thankful for is that she can continue to stay by his side.
Yes, she and Bai Di never switched back.
The parents haven't noticed yet; in fact, apart from Xu Xin, no one around them has noticed the changes in them.
Sometimes I think it's quite ironic.
But time doesn't stop, and life goes on. Moreover, the intense high school years are fair to everyone, and no one can ignore their importance.
Even top students can't avoid it.
"Aaaaaahh ...
As soon as she woke up in the morning, Bai Di sent her a devastated emoji.
Today is the first day of high school, and also the first day of registration for freshmen. However, for Bai Di, a freshman, it means entering the senior year of high school with his seniors.
Even if he was a top student, even if Bai Nan's academic performance was only barely in the top ten of the regular class, the books he hadn't studied, the classes he hadn't attended, and the tests he hadn't taken in those two years were all real.
Of course, this wasn't the only thing that caused him to break down like this.
Because their identities were switched, the new cell phone that Huang Ying bought for Bai Di naturally ended up in Bai Nan's hands, while Bai Nan's watch, which she had used for three years, ended up on Bai Di's wrist.
At first, Bai Di was extremely unwilling, but in order to prevent his secret from being exposed, he had no choice but to compromise under Bai Nan's 'tyranny'.
In fact, Bai Nan had saved enough money over the years to buy a high-end mobile phone, but that money was for college. She had put it in a fixed deposit and could only withdraw it after she turned eighteen.
Now that she's repeating her first year of high school, it seems she's getting further and further away from her goal.
"Xiao Di, what are you daydreaming about? Come and have an egg."
Bai Nan paused for a moment before taking the egg; she wasn't used to being addressed that way yet.
"Bai Nan!"
"Go wash the dishes right after you finish eating! You have no sense of propriety at all. I've raised you for nothing!"
She looked up at Bai Di and saw that his eyes were brimming with tears that were about to fall, and he looked aggrieved.
"Mom, I...I..."
"What 'me, me, me!' Hurry up and wash the dishes, and while you're at it, scrub the toilet, it stinks from not being cleaned for a week..."
"I don't want to swipe..."
Bai Di glanced at the toilet; the food he had just eaten was starting to reflux.
"Hurry up and go, do you want to make your mom angry again?"
Bai Hua also became impatient, and after the two were chased away by Wang Ma, she vented all her anger on her daughter.
Of course, the one who actually bore all of this was their beloved son, Bai Di.
"Has she lost her mind? She's even crying now."
"She's probably looking at some random stuff again, trying to learn some tricks. Just ignore her."
Bai Nan turned her head to look at the figure washing pots in front of the sink.
In the two days since returning home, Bai Di still hasn't gotten used to being treated like this by her parents. She always subconsciously uses her old tricks, such as acting cute, being obedient, and crying.
These tricks were no longer used when Bai Nan was three years old.
Turning my head, another fried dough stick was placed into the bowl.
"Xiao Di, let's just eat and ignore her."
After Bai Di finished cleaning the toilet, Bai Nan also packed her schoolbag.
The two went out together and boarded the school bus heading to No. 1 Middle School in City C.
The end of summer vacation means that the new semester is beckoning to them, and the teenagers are the ones who feel the most excitement from the unknown.
Even Bai Di, who was cleaning the toilet early in the morning, couldn't help but smile.
"Nannan!"
As soon as they stopped at the next station, a large number of students swarmed onto the bus. Among them, a tall girl with pigtails spotted them immediately.
Taking advantage of her height, she squeezed her way to Bai Di's side: "Nan Nan, you must have finished all your test papers, right? Let me copy yours when we get to class! You have no idea how unlucky I've been this summer, it's just..."
She hugged her best friend affectionately, her excitement at the start of the new semester making her share her summer experiences, completely oblivious to her friend's stiffness.
"Ahem, um..."
Bai Nan felt a sharp pain from Bai Di's subtle pinching, so she had no choice but to speak first: "Hello, my name is Bai Di, and I am Bai Nan's younger brother."
"Oh, hello, hello, my name is Li Ling, your sister's good friend!" Li Ling introduced herself, shaking her head, and looked proud when she said the words "good friend".
"Nannan, didn't you tell me your brother was coming to our school too?" After introducing herself, she whispered in Bai Di's ear, unaware that Bai Di's ears were almost completely red.
The car was cramped, and most of the students were excitedly discussing the joys of summer vacation. No one noticed Bai Di's shyness.
However, the sharp-eyed Bai Nan intervened just before Li Ling pressed her chest against Bai Di: "Uh, Senior Ling, my sister isn't feeling well. Why don't we let her rest by the window for a bit?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ling immediately released her arms from his. "What's wrong? Nan Nan, are you feeling unwell?"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Bai Di immediately moved away, lowering his head and feigning weakness, saying, "Hmm, I feel a little feverish..."
Bai Nan's home is far from the school, and the school bus starts near her home, so they have seats.
Bai Nan initially sat by the window, but to separate Li Ling, she got up and gave her seat to Bai Di. Now, the seating arrangement is Bai Di by the window, Bai Nan in the middle, and Li Ling by the aisle.
As they got closer to the school, more and more students appeared, and eventually the three of them were practically pinned down by many standing students.
"Nannan, why don't you open the window a little and get some fresh air? It'll make you feel better." Li Ling was worried that he was feeling suffocated.
"It's nothing, my sister is asleep." To prevent Bai Di from saying anything inappropriate, Bai Nan could be described as a 'special agent on high alert during a mission'.
She would react immediately to the slightest movement between the two.
"Really? Okay." Li Ling's tone clearly showed disbelief, but she didn't press the matter further.
Bai Nan wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but then she thought that today was only the first day of school. What if Bai Di was with Li Ling every day from now on...?
She might even lose her only friend.
Moreover, the school requires all students in all grades to live on campus, making the future even more difficult.
Thinking of this, the breath that hadn't been exhaled immediately went back in.
Suddenly, a huge commotion erupted on the school bus as many girls excitedly huddled together and screamed.
"Wow, he's so handsome! Is he a first-year high school student?"
"Quickly! I need all the information about this boy!"
"He must be at least 1.9 meters tall, right? I think he's almost a head taller than everyone else!"
"Wow! Who got off the bus with him? She's fair-skinned and quite cute, all of them are mine, don't try to take them from me!"
Several girls, clearly dressed like fans of celebrities, started 'fighting over men' without any attempt to hide it. However, anyone with a discerning eye could hear the teasing in their tone, carrying the excitement of happy onlookers.
Unfortunately, some people didn't understand. A boy with pockmarked faces said to the fat boy next to him in a mocking tone:
"He's as thin as a bamboo pole, and girls still like him? Looks like they'd go for any guy!"
His voice wasn't loud, but the timing was bad. The school bus happened to be parked at the school gate, and the head of moral education was patrolling the area, so the students all consciously lowered their voices.
This made his voice sound like it was being amplified, and everyone on the bus, including some of the students walking towards the entrance, could hear it.
"Damn! Who's being so foul-mouthed?"
One of the girls watching the drama couldn't help but retort, and the girl next to her also started looking for the boy who had said that.
The pockmarked man panicked and quickly pushed the fat man, using his large size as cover, they squeezed through the back door.
He breathed a sigh of relief after getting off the school bus, but when he saw the girls staring intently at the "bamboo pole" he had mentioned, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
"Damn it, you big oaf, don't ever be in my class! Otherwise, you'll regret it!"
Meanwhile, the 'big, dumb guy' he was talking about was standing at the door waiting for someone.
"Brother Xin, did Sister Nan tell you which school bus you're taking? What's the license plate number? I haven't seen them."
Bai Lu stood next to Xu Xin with a pout, craning her neck to look towards the station.
"Bus number 6," Xu Xin said calmly. He was tall and had already seen the school bus they were on.
"They're here."
Only a few boys have gotten off in bus number 6 so far, including the pockmarked man and the fat man who ran away early in the morning. The rest of the boys are being interrogated by the girls who are watching the drama unfold.
"Speak! Did you just say that?"
The one leading the group was the girl who had called the pockmarked man a jerk. She had short hair, wore a denim outfit that was both vibrant and flamboyant, and looked like a gang leader. Bai Nan had never seen her at school before; she was probably a freshman.
"You! Get out of here." She released them one by one after interrogating them. The boys who were being interrogated had complaints, but because of their numbers, they could only silently endure it.
As a result, the students, who should have been able to get off in just a few minutes, ended up staying at the station for almost fifteen minutes on bus number 6.
The driver was a little impatient at first, but then he thought that the school was the final stop, and he would only make this one trip in the morning, so he might as well watch a show.
Finally, all the boys on the bus were gradually kicked off, leaving only Bai Nan and another thin, small boy.
"You two, come here!"
Her bossy demeanor scared the skinny boy so much that he didn't dare to go near her.
Bai Nan glanced at the boy and noticed that his clothes were somewhat faded and the collar and cuffs were worn out. She knew that his family was not well-off, and his parents probably told him a lot not to cause trouble.
She thought of herself as a child, so timid. Always afraid of being bullied, even a slightly raised voice would make her anxiously wonder, 'What should I do? Did I offend them?'
The boy was clearly more timid; the older sister simply called them over, and he froze, like a startled fawn.
Bai Nan sighed and decided to lend him a hand.
People were getting off bus number 6 intermittently, which caught Xu Xin's attention. He was striding towards the school bus at that moment.
After a moment's thought, Bai Lu followed.
Seeing that the focus of the conversation had shifted, some girls followed suit. A boy with an action camera strapped to his chest even pointed the camera directly at car number 6.
This is excellent material for gossip.
At this moment, Xu Xin had already reached the front door of the school bus. Just as he lifted his leg to step onto the second step, he suddenly heard Bai Nan's voice coming from the back of the bus.
"I didn't say anything, and neither did he."
Bai Nan took the boy's arm and walked up to the leader, saying righteously, "Also, the boy who was talking just now has already gone downstairs."
The eldest sister was initially inclined to let him off the hook because he was good-looking, but upon hearing the second half of his story, she immediately became angry.
"Damn it! Why didn't you say so sooner? You made everyone waste time here! I'm speechless!"
Hearing her speak like that, Bai Nan understood that she had the temper of a spoiled princess, and that it was best to appease her temper quickly.
"I--"
"Sister Nan! Why aren't you getting off the bus yet? Brother Xin and I have been waiting at the door for ages!"
Bai Lu peeked out from behind Xu Xin and asked loudly.
Clearly, the two had already seen Bai Nan sitting by the window, while Bai Lu did not see Bai Di because he was blocked by the eldest sister.
Upon hearing this, Bai Di lingered and walked to his sister's side, tugging at her sleeve: "Let's go."
At this moment, no one noticed that from the moment they got on the bus, Xu Xin's gaze had been fixed on Bai Nan's hand, which was holding the skinny boy's hand.
Upon hearing Bai Lu's voice, the eldest sister glanced back, and the next second, the group of girls watching the drama all screamed softly.
Seeing that the boss's temper had subsided, Bai Nan simply stopped talking, grabbed the skinny boy's arm, and got off the bus together through the back door.
Bai Di and Li Ling also quietly followed them out of the car.
"Sister Nan, wait for me!"
Seeing them get off the bus from the back door, Bai Lu wanted to pull Xu Xin along to rush out the back door, but as soon as he took a step forward, the girls' screams rang out again, so they had no choice but to turn around and get off the bus from the front door.
It was terrifying, especially when he pulled Brother Xin, those eyes gleaming with a sharp light.
"Wow! Who took this picture? Send it to me right now!"
"Me! Me! Me! I recorded the video of them holding hands too! Ahhh!"
"Ahhh—the ice queen paired with the adorable goofball~"
The car became lively again, with screams erupting one after another.
After getting out of the car, Bai Nan immediately let go of the skinny boy's arm: "I'm leaving."
The boy nodded gratefully to him and whispered, "Thank you..."
"It's nothing!" She waved her hand and quickly walked to Xu Xin's side.
"Good morning, Xu Xin!"
Bai Nan gave Xu Xin a big smile; she genuinely felt very happy to see him so early in the morning.
"Good morning," Xu Xin replied casually.
Bai Nan didn't notice anything amiss, and turned to Bai Lu with a smile, saying, "Xiao Lu, we're finally in the same class!"
Bai Lu, who was supporting Bai Di who was feigning weakness, rolled his eyes upon hearing this: "Who wants to be in the same class as you..."
"Xiao Lu, it's been a long time!" Li Ling had seen Bai Lu once last summer vacation, and he was still as chubby as he was back then.
"Good morning, Sister Ling!" Bai Lu greeted obediently, then asked mysteriously, "Sister Ling, do you know if Sister Nan is feeling unwell? Like, a girl's little secret...?"
"No way!" Li Ling firmly denied him. "Our wedding is just around the corner, it's still a long way off~"
The five of them, facing the rising sun, jokingly walked into the school.
Everything is getting better, everything is full of vitality like the rising sun.
Bai Lu seemed to have regained his energy, but Bai Nan still felt uneasy watching Bai Lu bickering with Li Ling.
He used to be a proud and aloof young master, but now, with his smiling face and cheerful demeanor, he seems more like a mask.
She couldn't bear to watch any longer and tried to convince herself to accept his growth.
But this mask constantly reminds her that the real pain hasn't been forgotten; in fact, this pain has led this fifteen-year-old boy to create another version of himself, masking it with a more cheerful smile...
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