Zhai Chi’s casual words made no sense to anyone except Yu Jiu, so the class assumed he was just joking. But the moment they got a clear look at Zhai Chi’s face, the entire room erupted.
“Holy crap! I only got a quick glance last time—was the transfer student always this handsome?”
“He looks even better in person than in pictures!”
“He’s so tall! Standing next to Luo Heng makes him seem even taller.”
“I can’t believe he transferred to our class. That means our school’s two most handsome guys are both in Class One now?”
Zhai Chi’s striking appearance had made such an impact that when he first arrived in Class One, almost everyone focused solely on his face. But when Zhao Yun announced Zhai Chi’s exam results, the same students who had just been excited were now completely stunned.
“Second place in the entire grade?”
—
Downstairs in the teachers’ office, the Class Ten homeroom teacher, Zhou Ya, was in disbelief when he heard Zhai Chi’s exam results.
He had taken two days off due to family matters and had just returned when he received the notice that their transfer student was moving to another class.
Yes, a notice, not a request.
By the time he went to the classroom, Zhai Chi’s desk had already been cleared out.
Eager to verify, Zhou Ya rushed to his office and checked the exam rankings. When he saw Zhai Chi’s name just below Yu Jiu’s, he frowned.
“How is this possible?”
Though his voice wasn’t loud, someone had been watching his reaction closely. That person immediately responded, “Why wouldn’t it be possible? The transfer student may have grown up abroad, but I heard he attended Chinese schools, so his education isn’t too different from ours.”
Zhou Ya fell silent.
He knew his own students better than anyone, yet an outsider seemed to know more about Zhai Chi than he did.
Thinking back to his attitude toward Zhai Chi before the exams, Zhou Ya felt as if he had been slapped across the face.
To make matters worse, someone added fuel to the fire.
Tian Tian said, “Mr. Zhou, your student really made a name for himself this time. From first year to second year, this is the first time a regular class student has successfully transferred into the elite class!”
Zhou Ya: “…”
For most homeroom teachers, having a student transfer into the elite class was a moment of pride.
But everyone in the office knew that Zhou Ya had never been fond of this transfer student.
And now, after just a week at this school, Zhai Chi had ranked second in the entire grade—something that had nothing to do with Zhou Ya at all.
Just days ago, he had been mocking Zhai Chi in the office. Now, Zhai Chi had become the very reason others were mocking him.
Feeling the weight of everyone’s gazes—some entertained, some condescending—Zhou Ya felt a sharp discomfort, as if needles were pricking his back. He couldn’t stand another second in the office.
Shooting a glare at Tian Tian, he hurriedly left, looking somewhat disheveled.
—
Meanwhile, in Class One, after a brief introduction, Zhao Yun asked the two new students to go up to the podium and introduce themselves to the class.
For whatever reason, Zhai Chi ended up standing directly in front of Yu Jiu’s desk.
And he stood very close.
Yu Jiu caught a faint scent of gardenias. His first thought was: He changed his scent-blocker again.
Why does he keep changing it?
Yu Jiu didn’t dare look up. Zhai Chi’s proximity made him feel slightly uneasy, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on his pen cap, unsure whether his discomfort was due to external influence or just his own nervousness.
He hadn’t expected Zhai Chi to actually transfer into Class One.
At that moment, Luo Heng spoke first. He tilted his head up to look at Zhai Chi and joked, “I think Mr. Zhao’s arrangement here isn’t very fair to me.”
Luo Heng was an ambitious student who often came to Class One to ask questions, so he was already well-acquainted with everyone. The whole class immediately burst into laughter.
Luo Heng wasn’t tall—only about 1.65 meters—while Zhai Chi stood at 1.85 meters. Standing together, the height difference was almost comically cruel.
Luckily, Luo Heng had thick skin and wasn’t embarrassed at all. He extended a friendly hand toward Zhai Chi and said, “Big guy, take care of me from now on.”
Someone in the class immediately shouted, “Are you asking him to look out for you in terms of height?”
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
With just a few lighthearted jokes, the atmosphere in Class One became much more lively.
Zhai Chi shook hands with Luo Heng.
Then, after Zhao Yun prompted him to introduce himself, Zhai Chi suddenly asked, “I heard Class One seats are assigned based on grades, right?”
“We don’t strictly assign seats by grades, but top students get to choose their spots first. Why? Do you have a place in mind?”
Zhai Chi lowered his gaze and looked directly at Yu Jiu.
Since the moment he stepped onto the podium, Yu Jiu had never once looked up at him. From this angle, all Zhai Chi could see was the top of his head.
Yu Jiu’s hair wasn’t pure black but had a natural ashy-brown tint. It looked soft and fluffy—tempting enough to make someone want to reach out and ruffle it.
But what Zhai Chi was thinking at that moment was: Has the wound on his forehead healed?
He remained silent for a long time, staring at Yu Jiu’s seat. The classroom gradually fell quiet.
The students who were active on the school forum held their breath. Someone even swallowed nervously.
Was the transfer student planning to take Yu Jiu’s seat?
What was this? A challenge?
Even Yu San and Zhang Yangfei couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat on Yu Jiu’s behalf.
Zhang Yangfei looked at Zhai Chi, then at Yu Jiu.
Just as he was about to urge for an answer, the transfer student finally looked away.
Zhai Chi turned to Zhao Yun with a smile and said, “I want to sit in the second-place seat. Is that okay?”
Former second-place holder Zhang Yangfei: “!”
Yu Jiu tilted his head slightly and finally couldn’t help but look up.
Zhao Yun was also a little surprised.
He glanced at Yu Jiu and asked, “Yu Jiu, what do you think?”
After all, sitting in the second-place seat meant sharing a desk with the first-place student.
Yu Jiu was momentarily speechless.
A warning from Li Chengke flashed through his mind—he was supposed to keep his distance from Zhai Chi.
But Zhai Chi had earned his way into Class One through his own ability; he had the right to choose his seat.
If he rejected him now, the school forum would probably start a new thread speculating about their relationship.
He inexplicably didn’t want people to think that he and Zhai Chi were on bad terms.
It was just sharing a desk—so long as there was no physical contact, it should be fine, right?
After a brief pause, Yu Jiu said, “I don’t mind.”
Zhai Chi unconsciously curled his lips into a smile.
Zhao Yun then said, “Since that’s the case, you…”
“Wait a minute, Mr. Zhao.” Zhang Yangfei weakly raised his hand. “Shouldn’t my opinion matter too?”
He was the one losing his seat, after all!
Zhao Yun glanced at him and said, “If it’s a matter for Mr. Zhao, then say ‘Mr. Zhao.’ If it’s not, just call me ‘Old Zhao.’ What’s your opinion? You lost your spot fair and square. If you’re not happy, just take it back in the next exam. Now, move your desk. Everyone from the second row onward, shift back.”
Zhang Yangfei: “…”
At that moment, he deeply realized—he had lost favor.
Class One had few desks and plenty of space, so moving them around wasn’t a hassle.
By the time the new seating arrangement was settled, the first evening self-study session was almost over.
After successfully becoming Yu Jiu’s deskmate, Zhai Chi turned to Zhang Yangfei and said, “Sorry about that.”
Under normal circumstances, coming from the winner’s position, these words would sound like a taunt.
But Zhang Yangfei, as the class monitor, was broad-minded and understanding. “No need to apologize. You’re new here, and Yu Jiu is your only friend—it’s normal to want to sit with someone familiar.”
“…”
The front row fell into a brief, subtle silence.
Zhai Chi raised an eyebrow and looked at Yu Jiu.
Zhang Yangfei observed his reaction and became even more certain of his guess. “Am I right? You and Yu Jiu knew each other before this, didn’t you?”
Before Zhai Chi could speak, Yu Jiu chuckled. “How did you figure that out?”
Zhang Yangfei replied, “I know you well enough, don’t I? We were deskmates for a whole year. When have you ever voluntarily spoken to someone? I noticed it that day in the cafeteria.”
When Zhai Chi took a plate of cabbage and tofu, the concern in Yu Jiu’s eyes was almost overflowing.
“You’ve been glued to your phone these past two days too. Since when did you ever check the forum? And every time, it’s been posts about you and him. If you two didn’t know each other before, then the only other possibility is that you have a crush on him.”
Yu Jiu: “…”
“But it’s unlikely you’d fall for an Alpha, so I’m certain you two have known each other for a long time.”
When Zhai Chi heard the first half of that statement, his eyes lit up.
But then Zhang Yangfei’s words took a sharp turn—like a slap to the face.
Yu Jiu wouldn’t fall for an Alpha? Why not?
Just as he was about to ask, the perpetually clueless Yu San finally caught on, albeit a beat too late. “Wait, what friends? What familiarity? What are you guys talking about?”
Not wanting to be too far from his idol, Yu San had switched seats with Luo Heng and was now sitting next to Zhang Yangfei.
“…”
Zhang Yangfei was speechless at Yu San’s delayed reaction. He directly asked Zhai Chi, “How do you and Yu Jiu know each other? How long have you known each other?”
Zhai Chi thought for a moment and said, “We…”
“Why did you transfer to Class One?” Yu Jiu interrupted him.
Zhang Yangfei paused, raising an intrigued eyebrow.
Is this… something he doesn’t want mentioned?
Zhai Chi’s eyes darkened slightly. He looked at Yu Jiu and suddenly smiled. “For you, of course. You’re my only friend here.”
Yu Jiu: “…”
Even though he knew Zhai Chi was joking, Yu Jiu still felt a strange tremor in his heart.
He looked at Zhai Chi in silence.
Under Yu Jiu’s intense gaze, Zhai Chi felt a little awkward. He coughed lightly and then said seriously, “Actually, I offended someone. I was ostracized in Class Ten.”
Zhang Yangfei asked, “Offended who?”
Zhai Chi replied, “Xu Shi.”
Yu San immediately perked up. “Xu Shi? How did you offend him?”
Because of Yu Jiu, Yu San’s grudge against Xu Shi was practically embedded in his DNA.
Yu Jiu hesitated. “Was it because of the competition?”
Zhai Chi nodded. “More or less.”
“The competition? Wasn’t it just because he was bad at it?”
Yu San had originally held some resentment toward Zhai Chi for helping Xu Shi in the competition, but now that he heard Xu Shi was targeting Zhai Chi, he suddenly felt a sense of shared struggle.
“And he dares to ostracize you? Did he pick on you too?”
Seeing how riled up Yu San was, Zhai Chi took advantage of the moment and said, “Yeah, he reported me to the class teacher, and I got called in for a talk.”
“That sneaky bastard!”
Yu San huffed angrily. “Don’t worry, our Class One is a harmonious place. We absolutely don’t do that ostracizing nonsense. Transferring was a wise choice. Also, our Old Zhao is great—he always says he’ll kick me out of Class One, but he’s never actually done it. He never calls students in for talks either. He’s practically the model class teacher of the whole school!”
Zhai Chi, looking deeply moved, said, “That’s great to hear. Please take care of me from now on.”
Yu San waved his hand generously. “No problem at all.” He was just short of wagging his tail in excitement.
Meanwhile, Yu Jiu & Zhang Yangfei: “…”
Both of them thought the same thing—Looking at how smoothly he’s deceiving Yu San, does he really seem like someone who’d get ostracized?
