Three held milk cartons, huddled around Ye Wen's desk.

Lu Yu winked at Ye Wen, grinning. "Looks like Qiu Yi’s totally smitten with you at first sight~"

"Impossible," Ye Wen shot back without hesitation. Could she really fall for herself?

Wait… in her current situation… Ye Wen pictured her reflection in the mirror—it wasn’t entirely impossible.

"But honestly, he’s just got a crush on pretty girls right now," Jin Jing reasoned. "And since Ye Wen’s his desk partner, he might like her extra. At most, it’s just admiration—not love at first sight."

"Mm… yeah, definitely," Ye Wen agreed emphatically, clinging to those words like a lifeline.

If she actually fell for herself, what a mess that’d be!

She’d thought the same about her old crush on Jin Jing… Was it really just admiration back then? Ye Wen drifted into thought again.

The two girls switched to other gossip. Lunchtime girls gathered around Ye Wen, chattering like a flock of sparrows.

By the time Ye Wen snapped out of it, they’d moved from crushes to debating the prettiest and handsomest in class.

"For beauty? Our Jin Jing, hands down!" Lu Yu declared proudly, then added, "And our Ye Wen too~ Jing’er and Wenwen tie for first!"

The girls didn’t linger, swiftly jumping to the next topic.

"I think Wang Xin’s cuter."

"Pfft! That big oaf? He’s just beefy—not handsome. Guan Yue’s way better."

"Guan Yue handsome? He’s just cute, okay."

"Feng Yulan really looks like a girl, though."

"Mhm! With long hair, you can’t even tell!"

"Even with short hair, I couldn’t guess his gender the first time!"

"When should we get him to try a dress?"

The girls started imagining Feng Yulan in girls’ clothes.

Meanwhile, Feng Yulan—who was being teased by boys as a girl—let out a huge sneeze. "Who’s talking about me?"

To students, break time always flew. Though lunch lasted an hour and a half, it slipped away unnoticed. The class bell always rang just as fun peaked.

First-year high school life was leisurely. Studies weren’t intense, and teachers didn’t run over yet.

This lazy vibe often made students most willing to learn. Sometimes, rushing for results backfired.

Ye Wen thought of ten years later: schools forcing English on second graders, third graders tackling fourth-grade work, cramming knowledge into kids’ heads. Childhoods lost all joy. Grown-ups might look back and find nothing worth remembering.

For Ye Wen, reviewing first-year material just meant flipping pages to unlock buried memories. Zero pressure. She spent class daydreaming, mostly watching Jin Jing’s back. Occasionally, she’d glance at Qiu Yi. Relief washed over her—he didn’t stare at her constantly. Just a crush on pretty girls, after all.

Jin Jing’s smooth ponytail swayed gently with her head movements. Ye Wen couldn’t resist grabbing it, tickling her palm with its tip.

Jin Jing didn’t mind, assuming Ye Wen was just bored and playing with her hair.

"That student—" the math teacher pointed at Ye Wen’s seat, then checked the seating chart. "Luo, Liang, Jian?"

"Teacher, I’m here," Luo Liangjian weakly raised his hand from the podium’s edge.

"Oh—why’s this different?"

"Seats just changed; it’s not updated. She’s Ye Wen," he explained.

"Oh… Ye Wen, no daydreaming. Come solve this problem on the board."

"Huh?" Ye Wen jolted, slow to react. Jin Jing shot her a sympathetic look. She’d listened but had no clue—the teacher was picking on her.

As Ye Wen walked to the board, she scanned the problem. By the time she reached it, she had the full solution. She wrote it smoothly, steps perfectly formatted.

"Hmm… excellent work, Ye Wen," the teacher coughed. "Sit down. But next time, even if you know it, don’t distract others."

He meant her playing with Jin Jing’s hair.

"Mm." Ye Wen nodded and returned to her seat.

The moment she sat, Jin Jing turned during the teacher’s back turn. "Wenwen, you’re amazing! That was so hard!"

"Yeah! I didn’t understand a thing…" Lu Yu chimed in.

"Heh… it was fine…" Ye Wen chuckled dryly. They took it as modesty.

Joking aside—she was practically a college student. If she couldn’t solve this, what had high school even been for?

Finally, the last bell rang to everyone’s relief. As it signaled dismissal, students lost all focus.

The math teacher hurriedly wrapped up and called, "Class dismissed!"

"Oh~" Boys burst out the door instantly, their sprint speed nearly rivaling Bolt’s.

After school, the classroom emptied fast, leaving only the cleaning crew.

Jin Jing swept the floor—a slower job than mopping. Mopping could be rushed; uncleaned trash from sweeping was obvious.

"I’ll help," Ye Wen volunteered, grabbing a broom. She wasn’t rushing home.

"Thanks! My Wenwen’s the best," Jin Jing smiled.

Student friendships were pure. In one day, Jin Jing had already claimed Ye Wen as family.

Ye Wen loved the nickname. It made her feel like Jin Jing’s husband…

She’d always hated post-school cleaning. Today, time flew. Soon, she and Jin Jing said goodbye.

The school under the setting sun looked lonely and quiet.

As Ye Wen exited the gate, a man in casual wear waved. "Young Miss~"

She didn’t react at first. After two steps, she remembered—she was the young miss now.

"Miss, I’m your new bodyguard and driver, Wang Hui. Please get in," he said crisply, opening the SUV door beside him.

A personal chauffeur… rich people really were different…