"Ge~ee~"

A voice kept calling me in my sleep. Then I felt hands on my face—smooth, tender, tempting me to sink deeper into dreams.

But dreams stay dreams. Those hands didn’t linger. Had anyone been watching, they’d have seen a scantily clad girl kneeling over me, her right hand pinching my nose shut.

"Mmm~"

Gasping for air, I groaned and finally gave in, blinking awake.

Above me sat Xiaoxi, wearing only a sleeveless crop top. Her chest strained against the tight fabric—*A-cup? B-cup?*

"Why are you running around half-naked *again*?!"

My face burned, but I forced calm. When would this girl ever listen? I’m no saint.

"Get off. I can’t move."

"Oh!"

She actually obeyed this time, sliding off me the moment I woke.

"Go put on real clothes. I’ll make breakfast."

"Hurry up… Yesterday’s food didn’t fill me up at all."

"*Fill you up?* You barely ate anything!"

Today was Xiaoxi’s and my first day back at Yinghua High. Summer had flown by. We needed to leave early—freshmen year always meant chaos.

After washing up, I scanned the kitchen. Plenty of ingredients, but no time to cook. I grabbed bread and milk from the fridge, set them on the table, and started eating while waiting for Xiaoxi.

"*What?* This is it? Just this?!"

She’d probably hoped for more. Disappointment sharpened her voice, but she tore into the bread anyway.

"Yep. You start school today too—don’t be late."

*Let me be lazy just once. Who eats greasy food at dawn anyway?*

"Lazy? You call this lazy? You’re just full of excuses. Unbelievable."

She saw right through me, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"Leave your plate. I’ll clean up tonight."

"I wasn’t planning to anyway…"

Another eye roll. Her tone stayed flat. *How do I even scold this girl?*

…

…

Yinghua High was S City’s top public school, housing both middle and high school divisions. Xiaoxi and I had attended its middle school. My making it into the high school division was pure luck—I’d always been a mid-tier student.

This year’s high school entrance exam had shockingly easy science sections but brutal humanities. Thanks to my family’s influence, I’d always excelled in humanities. The result? My science scores matched the top students’, while humanities gave me the edge. I’d squeezed onto Yinghua’s last bus by a mere three points.

I’d nearly choked seeing my scores.

As for Xiaoxi? Unless the world ended before her exam next year, we’d be stuck together at Yinghua again.

The high school campus dwarfed the middle school section. The path to the main gate was lined with ancient osmanthus trees, planted when the school first opened—older than me by decades. Early September meant only a few blooms had opened. No heavy fragrance yet, but walking beneath their shade still felt refreshing.

Following signs, I found Class 1-G. We’d stay here for a year before choosing majors.

The classroom was already half-full. Heads turned briefly when I entered, then looked away—I wasn’t exactly noticeable.

I found my seat by the window. Yinghua assigned single desks by exam rank, crushing any chance for classroom chaos.

The guy to my right beamed. "Hey! I’m Zhou Qi. We’re neighbors now—let’s look out for each other, yeah?"

His warmth caught me off guard. "I’m Ye Xi. We’re classmates. We’ll talk."

My reply sounded cold, but Zhou Qi didn’t seem to mind. He chatted about everything under the sun, slowly closing the distance between us.

The bell cut him off. A sharp-eyed woman with chestnut bobbed hair strode in—our homeroom teacher.

"Looks like everyone’s here?" She wrote her name on the board: *Wang Qian*. When chatter continued, she rapped her lesson plan against the podium. "Summer break just ended, and you’ve got this much energy? I expect the same passion for studying."

Seeing our stiff faces, she softened. "First day shouldn’t be all scolding." She tapped the board. "Names and seats are listed here. Memorize them."

I only bothered learning Zhou Qi’s name.

"Time’s tight. Let’s get to business." She scanned the room. "Volunteers for class monitor? One-month trial. You can quit anytime after."

Silence.

"No one?" Disappointment flickered in her eyes. A class this passive was a bad sign.

Then—a hand rose slowly in the front row.

"Your name?"

"Fang Yiyi. Can I try?"

From my angle, I caught her profile: shoulder-length light brown hair, a porcelain face glowing in the sunlight, eyes dark as ink.

*She really doesn’t mind the hassle?*

Monitor meant endless chores—fetching things for teachers, handling classmates’ petty requests. In elementary school, it might’ve felt prestigious. Now? It was a burden. No one was that naive…

"Anyone else competing with Fang Yiyi?"

Silence again. Who’d invite trouble?

"Seems you’re all shy. Fang Yiyi will be acting monitor for one month. We’ll vote properly after. Objections?"

"No!"

For once, the class spoke in perfect unison.

"Good. First row, stand up! Line up outside by seat number. We’re heading to the auditorium—we’re already behind schedule."

I’d never realized how massive Yinghua’s high school section was. The middle school campus was just the tip of the iceberg.

The auditorium hid behind the main building, a solid three-minute walk away. Shared by both divisions, it was inconveniently placed for everyone. Freshman classes converged from all directions. Zhou Qi kept me entertained with chatter along the way.

We found our section and filed in. The huge hall filled within minutes—mostly new freshmen.

"Now, the opening ceremony begins. Principal Wang will give his address."

A scholarly-looking man in his fifties took the stage. Elegant. *Different from the middle school principal.*

Speeches blurred together: principal, party secretary, teacher representative, senior student… By the time the freshman representative stepped up, I was fighting sleep. *Just hold on. Almost over.*

"Know who the freshman rep is?" Zhou Qi nudged me.

"No clue."

"You’re out of touch…" He shook his head like I’d failed him. "It’s Xia. *The* Xia Group’s Xia."

I knew the Xia Group. Everyone did. A titan across tech, real estate, and retail—S City’s most powerful conglomerate.

"Why’s she here? Rich kids go to private schools."

"Dunno. It blew up on the school forum yesterday." He showed me his phone—the top post detailed today’s schedule. "See that blond guy in the second row? He was *supposed* to speak. City’s second-place scorer. Now the top scorer stole his spot. Bet he’s fuming after prepping that speech."

I didn’t care. Valedictorians were galaxies away from me. I just wanted this to end.

"Next, freshman representative Xia Tong!" the vice principal announced.

A girl glided onstage in a white dress flowing to her ankles, sleeves ending mid-forearm. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back, a single strand brushing her forehead.

The boys erupted.

"Quiet! *Quiet!*" the vice principal barked.

Even from this distance, I could see Xia Tong’s eyes. Her dark pupils glimmered with a faint, mysterious light. Her skin was translucent like jade, her thin lips pale and delicate. Her delicate features exuded an indescribable grace—ethereal, like an angel.

"Hey, hey! Isn’t that the girl I sent to the hospital the day before yesterday?" My heart surged with shock. I never expected to run into her here.

"So her name is Xia Tong?" I thought to myself...

The girl stood before the microphone, smoothing her dress.

"Dear leaders, teachers, and fellow students..."

Though the speech was cliché, Xia Tong delivered it like a gentle breeze. The audience fell quieter than during the leaders’ speeches. I wondered what those leaders must be thinking.

"Ye Xi, if my girlfriend were like this, what more could I ask for!" Zhou Qi gaped foolishly at Xia Tong, elegantly speaking on stage.

"I guess so..." I replied vaguely.

"I hope everyone keeps striving in this new environment. Thank you." Xia Tong bowed slightly, ending her speech.

"Finally over. Ugh, my ears are numb from listening." I stretched lazily.

Zhou Qi yawned too.

"Alright! Head back to your classes for books. That’s it for today."

Just as everyone rose to leave, a sound crackled from the speakers. I turned—Xia Tong hadn’t left. Leaders at the stage edge whispered, clueless about her next move.

Xia Tong bowed slightly. "Next, I’d like to share some personal words. Sorry to bother you."

Hearing this, many turned back, curious what the girl would say.

Xia Tong smiled faintly.

"Ye Xi, I like you. I’ll find you."

She walked off cleanly, vanishing peacefully—but the scene erupted in chaos!

"Quiet! Settle down!" the vice principal shouted.

"Teachers, take your students back to classrooms!" He switched off the mic, then huddled with leaders, muttering urgently.

Zhou Qi poked me, voice incredulous.

"Ye Xi, is your name Ye Xi?"

"Duh!"

You’re calling me Ye Xi—what else would it be?

"Then was she talking about you?" Zhou Qi stared, shocked. Classmates who knew my name glanced over, pointing and whispering.

"Probably not. Just a homophone, right?"

I said it, but alarm bells rang in my head. This can’t be real!

"I think so too..."

"I thought you had ties to Xia Tong. But that guy’s amazing—making her confess publicly like that."

"Is that so..."

I felt flustered. This shouldn’t happen to me, right?