"Take care of yourself over there,"

"Mom, I will study hard!"

"Mom!"

And so, the exchange program for the twenty students was settled. Among them, there were naturally top-performing students, as well as those at the bottom of the school.

I seem to be one of the underachievers, while everyone else is a top student, a shining star.

This makes me feel a bit ashamed, but thankfully, now is the time for tearful goodbyes, and no one will pay attention to me, the underachiever.

"Youjie... Take care of yourself over there, don't be as useless as you are at home,"

"I wasn't that useless at home, was I?"

"Youjie, be careful on the road, and Zhiye too..."

"Thank you, Feiya. Take care of yourself too."

"I will..."

"Feiya, you shouldn't watch TV too much, it's bad for your eyesight..."

"Youjie, you should get on the bus now!"

What's wrong? Feiya looked at me as if she disliked me.

I'm just being kind!

"Mr. Youjie, this is the carefully selected tea leaves for you. You can brew it yourself when you get there," Alice ran over and handed me a small box.

"Thank you... Alice, the tea leaves you gave me are a thoughtful gift."

"Is Jie being unfaithful again?" a chilling voice from behind made me tremble.

"That person should board the bus now," I said, as I got on the bus and waved goodbye to them. In that moment when I turned around, I seemed to catch a glimpse of someone, but the person following me hurried me towards the bus. When I looked back in the original direction, there seemed to be no one there at all. Was it just my imagination?

Finding a seat, I saw my mother, Feiya, and Alice waving at me, along with other parents seeing off their own children.

I wonder what will happen on this trip, and when I will come back to my alma mater.

As the bus slowly moved, their figures became smaller and smaller, farther and farther away.

The bus's speed fluctuated, making me feel uncomfortable.

"Jie, you look pale."

"Ah... I'm a little car sick."

"Do you want to rest... I will call you when we arrive."

"Then... I'll take a nap. Please remember to wake me up when we get there, Zhiye."

"Okay..."

So I closed my eyes, intending to suppress the nausea with sleepiness.

I don't know how long passed.

"Wow... Look quickly, look!"

Suddenly, a burst of noise woke me up.

"What's going on?"

"Jie... You're awake."

"Zhiye... what are you doing?"

I saw her taking out the rib dagger from her waist, the blade already unsheathed.

"They were too loud, they woke Youjie up. I planned to silence them forever."

"Don't do something like this," I stopped Zhiye.

"They disturbed Your sleep, preventing me from seeing Your cute sleeping face."

"I'm already awake now, I don't want to sleep anymore."

"That's much better..."

"Much better now. Anyway, for now, put the knife away," Zhiye's sudden action frightened me, I broke out in a cold sweat. This is not ancient times where wielding knives and swords is no big deal; this is a legal society, and carrying restricted weapons can get you arrested by the police.

After hearing my words, Zhiye put the rib knife back in its place. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. I looked out of the car window and was shocked by the scene before me.

A school with a European style came into view. The school uniforms of the students were simply amazing, completely shattering my perception of traditional school uniforms. The boys wore suits while the girls' skirts were even shorter. I couldn't help but wonder if they had altered them themselves.

In short, it felt like a prestigious school. Being able to come here felt like a dream.

The bus came to a slow stop, and when the door opened, the students on board couldn't wait to get off. Zhiye and I were the last to exit. As soon as we got off, the bus slowly started again and left; it seemed like a one-way ticket.

"I'm sure everyone must be tired after the long journey. Just follow me into the campus, and I will be your guide and arrange your accommodations," said a lively-looking girl who had short hair and wore a student council vice president armband on her left arm.

The lively girl was the first to enter the campus. When the rest of us tried to enter, we were stopped.

"Don't be nervous. This is to prevent anyone from bringing anything harmful to the campus. Please cooperate and comply," the girl said.

Some were unhappy about it, but without a check, we wouldn't be allowed in. So we obediently allowed them to inspect our luggage. We didn't expect them to search our bodies as well.

"No prohibited items, including controlled weapons, are allowed," they confiscated Zhiye's rib knife without hesitation.

"No lighters or cigarettes either!"

"Ah..."

It turns out, among us, there were smokers. The confiscated guy wanted to protest, but he could only helplessly accept the reality.

"Hentai and doujinshi are not allowed in the school!"

"What about just for personal pleasure?"

The one speaking was a chubby guy with highly prescription glasses, unmistakably an otaku.

Looking at his manga and doujinshi being thrown into the box labeled as prohibited items, the chubby guy shed a tear and bid farewell to his most treasured possessions as they entered the campus.

After that, it was my turn. Since I didn't bring any prohibited items, it was easy for me to enter.

"After overcoming countless obstacles, we have finally entered the campus. I suppose the sight before you must be exhilarating, perhaps even giving you sleepless nights?" the lively girl said excitedly. Why did it feel like she was even more excited than us?

"First of all, let me introduce myself. I have a single name, Ling, and my surname is Chen, a very common surname. My name is Chen Ling. I will spend a year, possibly two, together with all of you at this school. Nice to meet you all for the first time," she said.

"Alright, I'm sure everyone is eager to know more about the school facilities. I won't waste any more time with words, but before that, I will arrange your dormitories," Chen Ling said as she led us to a building.

"On the left is the boys' dormitory, and on the right is the girls' dormitory. Don't get it wrong. Boys, follow Xiaofan, and girls, come with me," she said.

A guy stood at the entrance of the boys' dormitory, wearing black-rimmed glasses and resembling a butler-like student.

"Jie..." Zhiye called out to me.

"What's wrong, Zhiye?"

"Do boys and girls need to be separated?"

"That's how it is in school... Come on, Zhiye, don't fall behind. I need to go inside too."

After saying that, I followed the male steward into the boys' dormitory. The interior was like a hotel.

"There are twelve boys, right? Here are twelve keys. Everyone can take one. Of course, there are two keys for the same room," the male steward indicated a cardboard box on the table.

It meant that one dorm room was shared by two people, but it was still better than eight people. Thinking about the living conditions in middle school, I didn't want to reminisce.

The overweight guy took the lead and picked up a key. Then, everyone followed suit and reached into the box to grab a key.

"301, 501, 602, 202, 404..."

"The first number represents the floor. You can go find your own dorm room."

301, a standard number. This dormitory building was more traditional, with wooden stairs that creaked when stepped on.

When I arrived at 301 and was about to take out my key, someone beat me to it. I saw that the door had already been opened, and there was a guy dancing inside the room.

There are always crazy people every year, but this year, there seem to be more.

I ignored him, randomly chose one of the two beds, and pushed my suitcase underneath.

"Sorry, I got lost in the environment."

I didn't want to talk to him, I just wanted to take a nap.

"Oh... aren't we supposed to gather downstairs? Are you going to sleep?"

"I feel nauseous from the car ride, so I want to sleep for a bit."

Since he was also assigned to the same room as me, I tried to control my irritable mood.

"Mint has a refreshing effect. Would you like to try it? It might make you feel better."

This guy clearly didn't want me to sleep. Well, I'll see what it is.

As I glanced at him, I had a feeling that I had entered the wrong dorm room. The guy in front of me had fair skin, delicate features, and long hair. If it weren't for his slightly masculine attire, I would have thought he was a girl. Actually, I couldn't tell if he was male or female.

"What's wrong?" He tilted his neck, making a girlish expression. What's going on? Did I really enter the wrong dorm?

"Do you want to try it? It works pretty well."

Looking at the mint candy lying in his palm, oh my, his hand was so slender.

I took it and put it in my mouth. The refreshing sensation of the mint candy instantly spread in my mouth.

With this fresh feeling, I wanted to make sure if I had made a mistake. But the reality was true, like a pearl.

"Are you a boy or a girl?!"

"My name is He Yuqing."

"I didn't ask for your name! I'm asking whether you're a boy or a girl!"

"My gender should be the same as yours."

"Can't you just say it clearly... what do you mean by 'should'?"

"I am a boy..."

"A boy... Ha! I knew it!" I felt relaxed all over my body, but something was off.

"I have some doubts!" This fair-skinned and delicate guy, with a voice that sounded like a girl... Could he be cross-dressing?

"If you really want to confirm my gender... though it's a bit embarrassing," he blushed as he intended to take off his shirt.

"Stop it," I hurriedly covered my eyes.

"Huh? Not going to take it off?"

"I'm no longer interested in your gender, so please stop your actions."

"I see," he put his shirt back on.

Even if I sneaked a glance, I couldn't hide his handsome face. I felt that my values had changed in that moment.

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is He Yuqing, nice to meet you," he extended his fair hand, and out of courtesy, I also introduced myself.

"I'm Xu Youjie..." I hesitated a bit when shaking his hand, but he looked confused.

Whatever, he is a guy, I reminded myself in my mind. Then I extended my hand and shook hands with him.

Oh my... the feel of his hand.

"What's wrong, Youjie..."

"Should we just become familiar right from the start?"

"???"