Chapter 2: The New Deskmate

"Ms. Lee, good morning."

An unconcerned voice rang out right behind Grace. It was a pleasant, magnetic, slightly deep voice—not particularly respectful, carrying a rather nonchalant attitude.

Before Grace could reach her seat, she instinctively glanced back.

He was wearing black earphones, a backpack slung casually across one shoulder, and a neat school uniform, though the collar was unbuttoned, exposing a patch of fair skin.

Beneath a black baseball cap, a dense fringe of dark hair was partially hidden. His eyes and brows were pitch black, his nose straight, and a subtle, teasing smile hovered at the corners of his thin lips.

Tall and lean, he stood in the doorway with one hand casually shoved into his pocket while greeting the teacher with the other.

Grace turned back around and continued walking toward her seat.

The classroom was bustling with forty or fifty seated students, and the gaps between desks were narrow. Grace walked carefully, trying her best not to bump into anyone else's table.

Her eyes looked down at the floor, but her mind was elsewhere.

Oh.

This guy was pretty famous back in their freshman year.

She figured almost everyone knew who he was.

Sure enough, as soon as he walked in, the girls in the classroom began whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with barely contained excitement.

"Ethan, what time do you call this? 'Good morning'?"

Ms. Lee glanced down at her watch, putting on a stern, feigned look of severity. "And another thing, hats are not allowed inside the classroom. How many times do I have to say it?"

Ethan cast an indifferent glance at the slender figure standing before him, then faced Ms. Lee, lifting his hand with an innocent shrug as he offered a cheeky explanation: "I was just worried it might rain."

After taking off his hat, he ruffled his neat, short hair.

"If you're worried about rain, bring an umbrella. Get here earlier next time—don't you worry about being late when you slide in right on the bell every single day?" Ms. Lee waved her hand, gesturing vaguely toward the back row. "Go on, go on, hurry up and sit down."

The famous Ethan had spent his freshman year in sophomore Class 1 as well—which happened to be the class Ms. Lee used to homeroom.

Her feelings toward him were a complex mix of affection and exasperation.

She loved him because he constantly monopolized the top three spots in the grade. He was a thoroughbred top student with no weak subjects, winning plenty of bragging rights for her among the grade-level teachers. In this sophomore placement exam, he ranked second in the grade.

She hated him for the exact same reason: his attitude toward studying.

Ethan was the type of academic genius who found everything effortless, yet he never looked like he took studying seriously. In class, he didn't pay much attention—sleeping when he wanted to sleep, playing on his phone when he wanted to play.

Yet what could she do? The guy still aced his exams regardless.

"Ms. Lee, where am I sitting?"

Ethan took off his earphones and looked around blankly for a moment.

"Next to Chloe," Ms. Lee blurted out after scanning the seating chart.

Ethan didn't move an inch.

Realizing he didn't know who Chloe was, Ms. Lee pointed a finger into empty space and clarified, "In front of Liam, right there at that empty seat."

"Hey, bro, over here!" In the back row, Liam raised his hand and waved a few times to signal his location.

Ethan spotted him instantly, the corners of his lips curling up as he strode over. Standing tall gave him a bird's-eye view; right in front of his path walked the slender, petite girl from earlier, whose sparse bangs partially obscured her eyes.

Ethan watched for a moment, looked away indifferently, and walked forward.

Textbooks had already been distributed inside the desks, stacked as thick and heavy as bricks. Grace was organizing her supplies for the first class, making sure to write her name on every single book.

The moment she picked up her pen, her peripheral vision caught a flash of Ethan's branded sneakers passing by.

The hem of his school uniform lingered briefly against Grace's desk, fluttering lightly like a gossamer veil before disappearing without a trace.

A breeze swept past.

The person behind her sat down.

Grace continued writing her name book by book, her black gel pen flowing across the pristine white paper to leave behind her neat, elegant handwriting.

As soon as Ethan settled into his seat, Liam eagerly patted his shoulder, giving him a thumbs-up. "Ethan, you're a legend. You actually dared to almost be late on the very first day of school."

Before Ethan could reply, Noah chimed in from across the aisle, "Tsk tsk, Ethan clearly stayed up late last night. Tell us, did you spend the whole night on the phone with our old campus belle?"

Hearing this, Mason exchanged a knowing look with his buddy, his face plastered with a lewd grin.

Three pairs of eyes stared fixedly at Ethan.

Ethan put down his backpack, casually untangling his headphone cord while leaning sideways with a frown. "What kind of nonsense are you babbling?"

His fingers were long and slender, nimble joints wrapping around the cord before he finally stuffed the whole messy bundle back into his bag.

His neither-confirming-nor-denying attitude only fueled the other three guys' enthusiasm.

Mason straightened up, leaning over Ethan's shoulder. "Seriously? Is something actually going on?"

Noah was also aware of the situation, his eyes twinkling with playful mischief. "Poor Hazel. She chased him for an entire semester without landing him—don't tell me she pulled some secret winning move over summer break?"

Mason, Liam, and Ethan had all been in Class 1 last year, while Noah had been in Class 6.

Noah had gotten to know them through playing basketball, and as luck would have it, they clicked and became great buddies. Since Noah's grades were also quite good, they all ended up in the same class this semester, leaving everyone thrilled.

The campus belle Mason mentioned was Hazel from Class 1, the arts committee member who was exceptionally talented at dancing. She was tall with slender limbs, especially her legs, which were long and straight.

It seemed she had bombed her exams this time and been demoted to Class 2.

Mason had fancied her before, but she had openly and secretly shown interest only in Ethan, prompting Mason to set his sights elsewhere.

Hearing them drift further and further off into fantasy, Ethan rubbed his brow in annoyance and explained, "Talk about talking nonsense. I was just watching a basketball game last night and couldn't get up this morning."

He irritably dragged a hand through his hair. Not getting enough sleep put him in a foul mood, casting a faint aura of hostility between his brows.

Mason snorted. "Talk about a total letdown. I thought there was a real romance brewing."

Liam went back to playing his mobile game, pouting. "Ethan, you're wasting all the prime girls in Mingde."

At their age, who wasn't dating someone? Back in freshman year, who didn't have one or two girls by their side just to look good when walking around?

Girls were soft, gentle, like sweet confidantes—how wonderful is that?

Yet Ethan didn't want any of it, refusing to spare a single glance for those throwing themselves at him.

Back in freshman year, love letters piled up in his desk drawer like bricks. If someone was bold enough to confess in person, Ethan would put on his model-student act and say, "Classmate, I only want to focus on my studies right now, I haven't considered anything else."

At the time, Noah had teased him, saying if he was really a model student, why was he watching basketball games, playing mobile games, and smoking?

The guys privately joked that Ethan was a cultured scoundrel, armed with a textbook excuse for every girl he rejected.

Yet calling Ethan a model student wasn't wrong either—he had ranked first in the entire grade more times than anyone could count.

Back then, Mason had even asked him a profoundly idiotic question:

"What kind of girls do you actually like, anyway?"

Annoyed by his pestering, Ethan gave a lazy, unthinking reply: "Good figure, pretty face."

"What the hell, isn't Hazel pretty enough with a good enough figure?"

Ethan had paused to think back for a second before replying indifferently, "She's okay, I guess."

Mason had nearly coughed up blood on the spot. Fine! The guy had sky-high standards; apparently, he was looking for an actual fairy.

So yes, Ethan was wasting the female population of Mingde.

Ethan leaned lazily back in his chair, casually picking up a textbook from his desk, flipping through a few pages, and asking, "What's the first period today?"

Liam: "No idea."

Noah: "No idea."

Mason shook his head. "Don't look at me, I have no clue."

Ethan frowned. "Tsk, what use are you guys?"

"Hey, I might not know, but I can ask." Mason rolled his eyes, leaned forward, and tapped the back of the person sitting in front of him. "Beauty, beauty."

Hearing the commotion, Chloe turned her head, raised an eyebrow, and brushed away a stray lock of hair falling beside her ear.

She had been copying down the schedule, and since the boys behind her hadn't been speaking quietly, she had heard every word.

Seeing her turn around, Mason softened his voice even further, putting on the most serious expression of his life. "Classmate, could you tell me what the first class is?"

Chloe clutched her schedule and replied, "Chinese."

"Ah, got it." Seeing the beauty reply to him, Mason grew even bolder, trying to strike up a conversation. "What's your name, classmate? I'm Mason, nice to meet you."

Chloe smiled openly. "My name is Chloe." With that, her gaze shifted to the person beside Mason.

Seeing the pretty girl's bright eyes fixed on him, Liam got so nervous he flubbed his own name: "Xu—Xu-Jiaye."

Beside them, Noah threw a friendly arm around Liam's neck and chimed in with a roguish grin, "I'm Noah, nice to meet you, classmate."

"Nice to meet you." Chloe's gaze shifted to the quiet boy sitting beside her.

Her deskmate.

An awkward silence stretched for a moment.

Quiet enough to hear the scratching sound of pens moving across paper.

Ethan shifted slightly before finally lifting his gaze to look at his deskmate—dark, slightly upturned eyes, a straight bridge of a nose, and beautifully sculpted lips.

His expression was completely blank as his thin lips parted slightly: "Ethan."

Chloe nodded and smiled.

Mason was dazzled by the beautiful classmate's smile and quickly joked, "We're all classmates from now on, please guide and advise us!"

Noah grinned impudently. "Chloe, I heard you're ranked third in the grade—impressive! You'll have to save me when homework time comes."

Chloe raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ethan. "The second-ranked student in the grade is right here, why aren't you copying from him?"

"Tsk, his chicken-scratch handwriting is worse than mine."

Chloe covered her mouth and giggled. "Really?"

Mason nodded solemnly. "100% true."

Ethan had been playing on his phone and ignoring them, but seeing Mason run his mouth more and more, he warned impatiently, "Got a death wish?"

Mason instantly mimicked zipping his lips shut.

Which caused Chloe to laugh with unrestrained delight.

Outside the window, a light drizzle had begun to fall at some point, washing away a bit of the oppressive September heat.

Normally, Mondays featured an opening assembly complete with a lengthy speech painstakingly prepared by the veteran principal, but it had been entirely washed out by the rain. Therefore, students were currently huddled indoors listening to the broadcast.

This left everyone rather excited—no standing like statues being punished out on the scorching playground.

At the moment, the principal was delivering an impassioned opening speech over the school PA system, though barely anyone in the classroom was paying attention.

Grace's deskmate was a girl with blunt bangs, a round face, a slightly plump build, and a rather shy, timid demeanor.

After Grace finished neatly writing her name in all her books, she noticed her deskmate casting hesitant glances at her. Since she wasn't someone who liked initiating conversations, she just gave the girl a friendly smile and went back to what she was doing.

Sensing this, the deskmate mustered her courage and whispered a self-introduction: "Hi, my name is Yang Qi."

"I—" Before Grace could reply, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Grace turned around.

The first thing that came into view was Ethan sitting behind her, though he was turned sideways chatting with his friends and wasn't looking at her.

Realizing it was Chloe who had tapped her, Grace looked at her sister.

Chloe pointed at Grace and introduced her to Mason: "This is my younger sister. We're fraternal twins."

Mason's eyes lit up as he nodded along. "Oh, hey younger sister! Nice to meet you, please take care of me."

Ethan was in the middle of talking to his buddies about last night's basketball game.

Hearing voices, he glanced at Grace as an afterthought. At that moment, only one thought crossed his mind: These twins really are completely different.

Beneath Grace's excessively long bangs was a palm-sized face, and her pair of dark, lovely eyes looked at people with obvious detachment.

Her pale skin contrasted sharply against her delicate, pinkish lips, giving her whole face an innocent yet pitiful look, while her utter lack of expression made her feel both delicate and aloof.

"Grace."

Grace's lips parted and closed, her pearly white teeth slipping past as her soft, gentle voice flowed out, sounding tender and sweet.

Mason froze, not understanding what she meant.

An Jing? What does she mean? Was he being too loud and disturbing her?

Ethan, who had been chatting with Liam and Noah, paused when he heard her voice and stopped talking. He turned his body around, raising an eyebrow, his dark eyes gazing straight at her.

"My name is Grace."

Realizing there had been a misunderstanding, she added helplessly with a soft smile.

Chloe burst into laughter. Her younger sister's name was always causing this kind of confusion.

"Oh! So that's what it meant."

Mason slapped his forehead in realization and joked, "Your name is a lot like Ethan's—both easy to mix up."

Hearing this, Ethan tilted his head slightly but remained silent.

Chapter 3: Self-Introductions

The school-wide broadcast finally came to an end.

It was as if the students in the classroom had just finished a long meeting; some stretched their arms, while others let out a long, relaxed breath.

Grace casually chatted with her deskmate, Yang Qi.

"So you and your sister are fraternal twins," Yang Qi said, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "You really can't tell at all."

Grace gave a superficial nod, holding back the subtle annoyance in her heart. She had answered this exact same question countless times while growing up:

*Are you two really twins?*

*How come you two look nothing alike?*

*Oh, fraternal twins.*

*Your older sister is so pretty.*

*The younger sister is so delicate and well-behaved too.*

Grace had lost count of how many times she had answered variations of these statements.

Beside her, Yang Qi pressed on with her inquiry: "Is your mom really pretty?"

Grace paused to recall. "Yeah."

Lu Meihua was indeed beautiful. Even now that she was getting older, she maintained herself exceptionally well—after all, those expensive beauty salon visits weren't for nothing. On top of that, she had raised both sisters to take meticulous care of their skin from a young age.

Yang Qi held her pen against her chest, squinting dreamily. "I'm so jealous."

*Jealous of what?*

*Jealous of having a pretty mom, or jealous of having a pretty sister?*

Grace turned her head to glance at Yang Qi.

On her slightly chubby cheeks, adolescent acne was clearly visible.

Grace smiled faintly, choosing to say nothing.

"I used to be in Class 3 last year," the shy Yang Qi said, attempting to get closer to her quiet new deskmate by rambling on. "I remember you and your sister were in Class 7, right? Your sister used to be pretty famous across the grade."

Holding a pencil, Grace idly flipped open a textbook, located an illustration of an ancient scholar, and shaded the white space black.

Yang Qi stole a cautious glance behind them and lowered her voice: "The guy sitting behind you is really famous too. Did you know he's great at basketball, gets amazing grades, and rumor has it his family is pretty well-off?"

Seeing that Grace didn't respond, Yang Qi assumed she didn't know and leaned in closer. "Plus, he's super handsome."

Grace pressed her lips together and replied knowingly, "That last sentence was the main point, wasn't it?"

Having her little secret exposed, Yang Qi flushed with embarrassment. For a girl her age who read too many romance novels, her mind was always filled with romantic fantasies.

Honestly, she had been overjoyed when her exceptionally good exam performance allowed her to get into Class 1. Being in the same class as a few of the school's most famous figures was genuinely thrilling—it almost felt as if she had stepped into their circle.

A girl sitting in front of Yang Qi overheard their conversation, quietly turning around to chime in: "But he has a pretty bad temper."

Yang Qi asked, "How do you know?"

"I was in the same class as them last year, of course I know! Once, when he was sleeping, his deskmate accidentally woke him up, and he lost his temper right on the spot."

The girl in front stole a quick, gossipy peek toward the back row.

"Really? No way," Yang Qi gasped, her eyes widening.

"Really! His deskmate was a girl named Yu Li, and she was practically brought to tears," the girl added with a sense of justice, afraid they wouldn't believe her.

*A little exaggeration wouldn't hurt, right?* she thought to herself.

In reality, Ethan wasn't entirely to blame—he was actually the innocent party. Whenever he didn't get enough sleep, he tended to be short-tempered; everyone around him knew it, and no one dared to cross him when he was cranky.

What actually happened was that Yu Li had been messing around with a classmate. The classmate noticed Ethan sleeping behind her with his cap pulled over his face and decided to play a prank, repeatedly pushing Yu Li back toward Ethan.

During adolescence, physical contact between boys and girls easily sparked playful teasing. Yu Li resisted slightly, though it was mostly out of embarrassment.

Unexpectedly, the final push actually sent Yu Li stumbling directly into Ethan, bumping into his back.

Knocked sideways, Ethan woke up instantly. Irritated, he raised his head, his dark, impatient eyes sweeping over the two messing around beside him with a heavy frown.

Both Yu Li and her classmate were caught entirely off guard.

Just as an explosion seemed imminent, Ethan ultimately said nothing. He muttered a low curse under his breath and kicked the corner of the desk hard. Pulling his cap back onto his head, he stood up sharply and walked straight out of the classroom.

A few girls in the class watched the scene unfold in secret.

Hurt pride and teenage sensitivity proved too much for Yu Li, leaving her teary-eyed.

Yang Qi clicked her tongue, remaining silent for a moment before remarking, "That's kind of cool, though."

The girl in front, Guo Jiao, nodded in full agreement.

The corner of Grace's mouth twitched slightly. *Is that supposed to be cool?* Still, she was relieved that someone else was finally keeping Yang Qi company in her gossip.

In the back row, Mason clutched Chloe's class schedule, looking utterly disinterested. "Chinese class... so Ms. Lee's up first."

"Man, don't tell me we have to do self-introductions all over again," Liam complained, tapping his phone buttons furiously as he reached the final level of his game.

Chloe turned her head. "Why do you call her 'Ms. Twist'?"

"Heh, you'll find out later," Noah chimed in. "Because out of 365 days a year, Ms. Lee wears her hair in a French twist for 360 of them."

Noah threw an arm around Ethan's shoulder, grinning impishly. "Ethan, are you going to reuse your self-introduction from last year?"

"You blew Ms. Lee's top off on the very first day of school last year. Do it again this year!" Mason's eyes sparkled with eager anticipation.

Ethan let out a low, mocking laugh, ignoring him.

*Ring, ring, ring.*

The first bell rang out.

Not quite getting the joke, Chloe raised an eyebrow, snatched her schedule back from Mason, and turned around to sit properly.

Seeing that the scholar in her textbook was now completely shaded in black, Grace closed her book and tucked her pencil into her pencil case.

Ms. Lee walked briskly into the classroom, carrying a heavy stack of lesson plans.

The noisy chatter in the room gradually faded until complete silence fell.

Ms. Lee picked up the seating chart first, leaning against the podium as she announced, "First of all, these seats are set. There won't be any seating changes this semester."

Before she could finish, a collective sigh of disappointment echoed from the students below.

Ms. Lee cleared her throat, turned around, and wrote her name on the blackboard with chalk.

"My name is Ms. Lee, and I will be your homeroom teacher as well as your Chinese teacher from now on."

"All fifty students sitting here are the absolute elite of this grade. It wasn't easy for any of you to earn a place in this class."

Ms. Lee's strict gaze swept over every student in the room. "During such a high-pressure year as sophomore year, I hope you will hold yourselves to high standards. Don't slack off just because you got into Class 1—you need to realize that exams will be coming thick and fast from here on, and the workload is intense."

"Especially a certain few students—don't neglect your studies just because you get good grades. Doing so might not hurt you personally, but it will ruin the study atmosphere for the rest of the class." Ms. Lee emphasized this point while staring fixedly at a specific individual.

Liam and Noah kept their heads down to stifle their laughter, while Mason, completely fearless, even poked the person sitting in front of him with his finger.

Ethan looked up and met Ms. Lee's gaze with provocative indifference for a few seconds before curling his lips into a careless smile.

Ms. Lee sighed internally, clapping her hands together. "Today is the first day of school, and there are some students I don't know yet. Let me have everyone do a brief self-introduction so we can get to know each other."

As soon as the words left her mouth, a wave of groans swept across the room.

Mason raised his hand, speaking in a sarcastic tone: "Teacher, I think we're all pretty familiar with each other already, there's really no need for introductions."

Liam chimed in from the side, "Yeah, teacher, we're all super familiar. As for the girls we don't know yet, we can just get to know them after class!"

The entire class burst into laughter.

A classmate teased, "Liam, how exactly do you plan on getting to know them?"

Leaning lazily against his chair, Ethan smirked at the remark, turned around, and swiped at the two guys behind him through the air.

"Mason, Liam, shut your mouths and sit up straight! Look at yourselves!" Ms. Lee raised her voice and barked. She then picked up the grade ranking list, scanned the names, and read briskly, "We'll start with the top scorer, Shen Shu-jun."

Afraid the atmosphere would derail again, Ms. Lee sped up the process.

Grace watched as a boy sitting two rows away stood up. He was of average height, wore thick glasses, and had a buzzcut—looking every bit the quintessential star student.

Grace thought to herself, *So this is the number one student in the grade.*

"Hello, classmates. My name is Shen Shu-jun. Moving forward, let's work hard together to get into good universities. I really love studying, so if you ever have any academic questions, feel free to ask me."

Mason remarked in a loose, casual tone, "Classmate Shen, what if we don't have academic questions—can we still hang out with you?"

Shen Shu-jun adjusted his glasses, answering in all seriousness, "Hang out and do what?"

Another wave of laughter rippled through the classroom.

A few boys teased playfully, "Whatever you want to do!"

Shen Shu-jun lowered his head and sat down in embarrassment.

Ms. Lee glared sternly at Mason before frowning and reading the next name.

None of these troublemakers gave her a moment's peace. It would have been fine if they were in another class, but every single one of them had somehow managed to squeeze into Class 1.

"Ethan."

No one stood up. Feeling a surge of irritation, Ms. Lee stared at Ethan and repeated his name.

The entire class turned around, looking on with curiosity.

Grace turned back as well.

Only then did Ethan stand up at his own pace under everyone's gaze, keeping his hands shoved in his pockets.

Grace noticed that he was nearly two heads taller than Shen Shu-jun had been. Standing tall with an upright posture, he was handsome and refined, with sharp dark brows that exuded a trace of wild, unchecked confidence. The Mingde school uniform fitted him impeccably.

Ethan parted his thin lips, delivering his words with an arrogant flair.

"My name is Ethan. If there's anything you don't understand in the future, definitely don't ask me—I won't know either."

Silence hung in the air for a second.

*Pfft.*

Mason couldn't hold it in and almost spat out his water.

A chorus of playful jeers broke out among the boys in class.

*Who's going to believe you don't know?*

*Did you rank second in the grade by accident?*

Ms. Lee's mouth twitched as she quickly intervened, "Alright, alright, take a seat. Next, Chloe."

Ethan shrugged nonchalantly and sat down.

When he turned back, his buddies were all giving him a thumbs-up.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Chloe. I'm good at playing the piano, and I was the class president of Class 7 last year. I'm really happy to join Class 1."

Chloe smiled with bright confidence. "I also have a younger sister. We're twins, and she's in this class too. I hope we can encourage each other and make progress together in the coming year."

When her sister was mentioned, several classmates looked toward Grace with curiosity.

Grace lowered her eyelashes.

Ms. Lee nodded repeatedly, clearly pleased with Chloe's poise and confidence—a world apart from Ethan's performance moments ago.

"Next."

By the time it was Grace's turn, more than half the class had already finished.

She stood up.

"My name is Grace. I like drawing, and I can take charge of designing the blackboard bulletin for our class."

Her voice was delicate and soft—neither quiet nor loud, yet grounded and gentle, sweeping across the room like a light breeze.

Ethan didn't pay much attention to what she said.

His focus was entirely fixed on her back.

Her slightly oversized uniform made her look even more delicate and petite, her shoulder blades subtly outlining the fabric. She wasn't particularly short either; Ethan estimated she reached just above his shoulders.

The moment she finished speaking, Ethan lowered his head in disinterest, running a hand through his hair as he prepared to catch up on some sleep. He still hadn't fully recovered from staying up late watching that intense basketball game last night.

By the time the last person finished, half an hour had passed.

"Now that everyone has introduced themselves, I hope you all get along well in the new semester."

Ms. Lee nodded, glancing at her watch. "Alright, open your Chinese textbooks to the first lesson. Let's begin."

Chapter 4: Lunch Together

Time slipped by in the blink of an eye.

By noon, the rest of the class had all left, leaving only a few girls sluggishly packing up their textbooks.

Yang Qi packed her pencil case while looking out the window with a dismal, gloomy expression.

Outside, the heavy rain poured down relentlessly in full force. The sky grew dim, as if a black curtain was slowly being pulled across the horizon by the torrential downpour.

She sighed, "I miss *Yi Xian Qian* near the school so much! I thought I'd finally get to eat there today, but why does it have to rain?"

The school cafeteria at Mingde No. 1 High School was generally quite expensive, and the food wasn't particularly delicious.

Consequently, the small eateries near the school enjoyed booming business. Every noon, those shops were packed to the brim, overwhelmed with customers.

*Yi Xian Qian* was one of those places, specializing in "Bridge-Crossing Rice Noodles."

The shop owner had given the place an intriguing name and renovated the interior to follow the latest trends, adding a touch of charm and appeal.

Grace and her sister had eaten there a few times—the taste wasn't bad, but it wasn't extraordinarily delicious either. Perhaps she was just a picky eater.

"If you can't go to *Yi Xian Qian*, we can just eat at the cafeteria. They serve rice noodles too," Guo Jiao called out from inside, bobbing her head toward Grace, who was also waiting by the door. "Where are you going for lunch?"

Grace leaned against the second-floor railing, extending her hand to catch a few raindrops. "Probably going to the cafeteria with my sister."

"Oh."

Guo Jiao paused for a second before asking tentatively, "So... do you mind if we join you?"

Grace nodded casually, answering softly, "Sure."

"Will she... agree to it?" Guo Jiao pointed toward Chloe, who was inside the classroom speaking with the homeroom teacher.

Grace froze for a second, then turned her head.

*Is my sister really that intimidating?*

Her dark pupils stared at Guo Jiao for a brief moment.

Suddenly tilting her head, a faint smile played at the corners of Grace's lips. "She will—she'll agree."

"That's good, then," Guo Jiao mumbled, nodding along.

Up close, Guo Jiao realized that Grace was actually remarkably pretty, though it was completely different from Chloe's bright, glamorous beauty.

Grace had exceptionally pale skin and long, fluttering eyelashes. When she wasn't smiling, she gave off an air of distant detachment; but when she smiled, one could easily get lost in her glistening, water-filled eyes.

Once Chloe finished her conversation, the group headed to the cafeteria together.

Along the way, Chloe was bright, poised, and eloquent, chatting casually with the two classmates without showing a trace of her usual pride.

Guo Jiao and Yang Qi gradually relaxed.

The school cafeteria was large, spanning two floors.

The first floor was the standard meal line, serving rice and noodle dishes. The second floor offered made-to-order dishes that tasted quite good, though they were relatively more expensive.

"Hey, Chloe!"

A voice called out from the convenience store across from the cafeteria.

The group stopped in their tracks. Mason jogged up to catch up with them, clutching a few bottles of water while breathing heavily. "You guys eating at the cafeteria too?"

"Yeah, didn't feel like going outside in the rain," Chloe said, handing him a tissue. "What were you doing? Why are you sweating so much?"

"Thanks," Mason said, tucking the water bottles under his arm to take the tissue, carelessly wiping the sweat from his forehead. "We were playing indoor basketball with the seniors just now. Came to the cafeteria as soon as our stomachs started growling."

Recalling something, he added, "Hey, why don't you guys eat with us? Up on the second floor—my treat, how about it?"

Chloe thought about it for a moment before flashing a bright smile. "Sure!"

Mason turned his gaze to Grace. "Younger sister?"

Grace replied, "I'm fine with whatever."

"What about you two?" Mason asked the two classmates standing behind Chloe, though he spent a second realizing he couldn't remember their names.

Guo Jiao and Yang Qi didn't speak, but they nodded repeatedly. They were completely dazed by the sudden turn of events—jokes aside, how could they possibly pass up such a golden opportunity?

Eating lunch at the same table as the school's top legends on the very first day?

Just the thought of it was thrilling.

"Alright, let me lead the way then."

Mason tilted his chin and took the lead.

The five of them walked up the stairs. The second-floor cafeteria was sparsely populated, with only a few people seated scattered about. Since they had arrived late, most students had already finished their meals, so it didn't feel crowded at all.

They walked over to the table closest to the window, where several boys sat in relaxed postures, crossing their legs and leaning back lazily.

Mason rubbed his hands together, squinting at the spread on the table: "Whoa, all the dishes are here!"

Noah and Liam looked dumbfounded. *Since when did Mason become this charming? He actually brought a whole line of girls behind him!*

Ethan, who was playing on his phone, raised his head when he heard the commotion. He froze for a second, his dark gaze sweeping past the group before his brows furrowed in annoyance. "I told you to buy four bottles of water, not to bring four women back."

His voice was low, deep, and laced with irritation.

Guo Jiao and Yang Qi, walking at the back of the line, felt anxious and hesitant, their footsteps slowing down immediately. *It seems the top legend is angry.*

Grace pressed her lips together, feeling a bit uneasy as well. She tugged lightly on Chloe's sleeve. "Let's go eat at the table next to them."

Chloe cast her bright eyes toward Ethan for a moment, then nodded.

Mason panicked. Seeing that the people he brought were about to leave, he quickly rushed forward to block them, saying, "Hey, don't leave! Let's eat together! Just ignore him—he always has that terrible temper."

"Come on, sit down, everyone sit down!"

Mason forcefully coaxed and pulled them to stay, flashing a flattering smile as he pressed them into their seats one by one. He added, "We're all classmates, and the teacher said we need to get to know each other! Sit down, I'll go order a few more dishes."

After reassuring the girls, Mason clapped Ethan hard on the shoulder, whispering a threat: "Would it kill you to be a little nicer to the girls in our class?"

Ethan let out a quiet, sarcastic chuckle.

Grace grumbled internally.

*Get to know each other? You couldn't even call out Guo Jiao and Yang Qi's names!*

Liam scoffed, "If there ever comes a day when he willingly and patiently sits down to have a meal with a girl, I'll quit playing games for the rest of my life."

"Holy crap, don't you dare go back on your word!"

Noah's mischievous streak kicked in. He leaned closer to Ethan and teased, "Ethan, go ask out that girl, Summer, for a meal tomorrow! Don't worry, just one meal—she won't be able to take advantage of you."

Ethan's brows knitted tightly together as he kicked Noah's leg, saying lazily, "Got a death wish? If you've got nothing better to do, go fetch the food."

Noah stood up with a rogue grin, giving Ethan a mock salute. "Yes, sir, Boss."

Their banter helped ease the previously awkward atmosphere.

Yang Qi and Guo Jiao hardly dared to move, sitting stiffly with tension, though they still managed to steal a few peeked glances.

Ethan changed his posture in an unhurried, commanding manner, his long legs spread out casually.

Grace had been pressed into the seat right beside Ethan by Mason. His long legs were practically reaching into her space, and she could faintly feel the warmth radiating from him, making her shift uncomfortably.

A quiet hush fell over the table, with no one speaking for a moment.

Grace turned her head with a soft smile and asked Chloe for a tissue, then proceeded to carefully wipe away the grime in front of her table space, which was a bit dirty.

Hearing her, Liam looked up from his PSP with a grin. "Younger sister, clean my spot too, will you? Thanks a bunch!"

Grace paused for a brief second without showing any emotion. She pulled out another tissue and wiped down everyone's spot at the table.

Guo Jiao and Yang Qi quickly took tissues to wipe their own spots.

Ethan raised his eyes, expressionlessly glancing at the slender, fair hand in front of him. Pressing his tongue against the corner of his cheek, he lowered his eyes again, lazily playing with his phone.

"Why are you calling her 'younger sister'? She's *my* sister," Chloe said, displeased.

"Tsk, don't be so stingy! I don't have a sister, so let me enjoy saying it," Liam shouted at Grace, "Sister, sister, sister, sister!"

Silence fell over the table for a brief second.

*Pfft.*

Ethan couldn't hold it in and let out a lopsided smile.

Everyone at the table looked bewildered.

Grace quietly continued wiping the table.

---

After lunch, the boys and girls parted ways. The boys casually headed toward the small gazebo behind the cafeteria.

Chloe stared at a certain retreating back for a moment before heading upstairs to the classroom.

With only a few minutes left before the first afternoon period, the tall boys finally sauntered into the classroom, arms slung over each other's shoulders and laughing aloud.

Grace lay flat on her desk, pretending to sleep with her head buried in her arms.

Someone walked past.

The desk behind her rattled slightly.

Grace's mind drifted.

The person who had just walked past carried a crisp, pleasant scent of mint—just like the mint leaves grown at home.

It refreshed Grace's sleepy mind for a brief second. She twitched her nose, taking a subtle sniff, and then frowned slightly.

Underneath the mint, there was a faint trace of tobacco smoke.

---

At the end of the day, Grace returned to her room, grabbed her clothes, and went to take a shower.

Chloe's umbrella was too small for both of them, leaving Grace's shoulder drenched on one side.

By the time she finished her shower, her father, Frank, had returned home.

The family sat down for dinner.

At the dinner table, as usual, her mother, Mary, asked about school.

Chloe answered every question in detail.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, she said with great interest, "Mom, do you remember that boy who always scored first place in middle school? The one who ranked second in the entire grade during this class division?"

"Oh, him? Yes, I remember. What about him?"

"He became my desk mate this time," Chloe pursed her lips, an unwilling expression on her face. "I don't even see him listening much in class, so how does he always manage to score higher than me?"

Grace silently glanced at Chloe, then lowered her head and continued quietly eating her food.

"That's not something you can just envy—some people are just born smart and talented," Mary dished out a bowl of soup and handed it to Grace. "You need to pull yourself together too. Don't think your current grades are enough. Competition is fierce nowadays, so raise your expectations for yourself, learn more from your sister, and ask her whenever there's something you don't understand."

Mary's last sentence was clearly directed at Grace.

Grace nodded, answering softly, "Got it."

Frank placed a piece of food into Mary's bowl. "We're having dinner, let's not talk about work and school now."

---

After dinner, Grace went back to her room to do her homework.

She put on her headphones, set a song on loop, and spread out her math workbook.

After finishing a few problems, her mind began to wander.

Truth be told, Grace's grades were already quite good, but compared to her sister's, her report card was far less impressive.

Grace recalled her middle school days—there was one time she performed exceptionally well on a math test. Excitedly, she had shown her score to Mary, eagerly waiting for her praise.

But praise never came. She still remembered Mary frowning and lecturing her instead: *"You're satisfied with just this? How many points is this compared to your sister's score? Take a look at hers and reflect on yours."*

In truth, Grace really wanted to surpass her sister too.

Yet there was nothing she could do. Sometimes, when it comes to studying, hard work simply isn't enough. Just as her mother said, it relies on talent.

She suddenly recalled what Chloe had said at the dinner table and let out a faint, self-deprecating laugh.

Chloe wanted to surpass Ethan, while she only wanted to surpass Chloe.

What was this—a closed loop?

Grace rubbed her eyes.

She continued writing her homework.

Into the night, the soft yellow light bathed the girl's gentle, fair face in a warm glow.

Quiet and pristine.