The opening ceremony was basically just speech after speech: the principal spoke, then the school leaders, then the Student Council president, and finally a student representative. In short, everyone sat below and listened. Lin Ran spent the whole time fighting to stay awake. He really hadn’t wanted to come to the ceremony. It was all the usual stuff about studying hard, striving to improve every day, and wishing everyone a happy life at No. 5 High School.
Of course, when Ye Qingqian went up to speak, she was warmly received. The applause was so thunderous that Lin Ran wanted to ask, “How do you think the principal and school leaders feel about that?”
But what could anyone do? Ye Qingqian was beautiful, kind, and gentle with people. She was the school’s goddess, after all.
The opening ceremony dragged on until nearly noon. It ended before the bell, so everyone had to go back to class and wait a while. Luckily, they didn’t have to study—they could just chat.
But not long after everyone returned to class, Ye Qingqian showed up. She stood at the door of Class 11-B and called Lin Ran out by name.
In that instant, the world fell silent. The whole class stared stupidly at Ye Qingqian and Lin Ran. What was going on?
Lin Ran looked a little impatient as he walked to the door, his face set in a frown.
“What do you want?” Lin Ran asked.
“There’s something I need your help with,” Ye Qingqian said with a smile.
“I’m busy.” Lin Ran turned around and headed straight back to his seat.
At that moment, every boy in class except Su Shijie felt his heart skip a beat. This might’ve been the first time in history a guy had refused Ye Qingqian’s request for help. Was Lin Ran just like those idiots before him, pretending not to be interested in the goddess so he could get her attention?
No one could quite believe what they’d seen. More than ten people had already pretended to have no interest in Ye Qingqian at all, but one smile from her was all it took for every last one of them to cave. Looks like Lin Ran was making a comeback and putting on an act now.
But judging by how the story usually went, Ye Qingqian would turn around and leave. Yeah, she would.
But Ye Qingqian followed Lin Ran to his seat, looking helpless.
“I really do need your help. It’ll only take a little of your time,” Ye Qingqian said.
“I’m busy. The bell’s going to ring in three minutes,” Lin Ran said.
“I’ll buy you lunch,” Ye Qingqian offered.
“I’m busy.” Lin Ran gave the same answer, then added bluntly, “Even if you need help, that’s Student Council business. It has nothing to do with me. I have the right to refuse when you ask for help, and you don’t have the right to force me to do it. So if that’s all, quit bothering me.”
“All right, then.” Ye Qingqian gave a bitter smile and turned to leave.
The boy in front of Lin Ran gave him a thumbs-up. “That was amazing!”
Lin Ran didn’t care.
“Is this guy putting on an act? Does he think every girl in the world will like him now that he’s lost weight?”
“Lin Ran actually turned down the goddess’s request for help. Damn, is he serious?”
“Oh my god, if the goddess asked me for help, I’d do it even if it killed me! He really doesn’t know what’s good for him. Look at him—he only lost some weight, and now he’s acting like this?”
......
Su Shijie kept his head down, trying not to laugh. Lin Ran really wasn’t putting on an act. For some reason, he seriously couldn’t stand girls these days. It didn’t matter if it was Ye Qingqian—even if you brought over the most beautiful woman in the world to flirt with him, he’d just kick her away and tell her to get lost.
When the dismissal bell rang, Lin Ran went to the cafeteria with Su Shijie. At the entrance, they saw Lin Ruixue and Si Qing standing outside without going in. The moment they spotted Lin Ran, they came over.
“Brother Lin Ran!” Lin Ruixue called out timidly.
“You two aren’t getting lunch?” Lin Ran asked, puzzled.
“No. She was waiting for you before she dared go in,” Si Qing said helplessly.
“Let’s go,” Lin Ran said with a sigh.
The cafeteria at No. 5 High School had two floors. The first served affordable, everyday meals for students from ordinary families. The second floor was more expensive, but the food was better, so students from wealthier families liked to eat there.
With Su Shijie leading the way, the four of them naturally went up to the second floor. The rich kid was generous enough to treat everyone to lunch: four dishes, a soup, and four bowls of rice, for a little over seventy yuan.
Lin Ran and Su Shijie didn’t bother making a fuss about it. They picked up their food and started eating, while Su Shijie kept looking around as if searching for someone.
Lin Ran glanced at him. “You don’t have to look. She definitely isn’t here.”
“You never know. What if she is?” Su Shijie wouldn’t give up.
“Who?” Si Qing asked curiously.
“My goddess!” Su Shijie replied.
“Your goddess? Who’s that? Don’t tell me it’s the Student Council president,” Si Qing teased.
“Not her. Senior Ye Qingqian is pretty, but she’s not my goddess.” Su Shijie began eating dejectedly. Shen Qingyuan was nowhere to be seen.
Lin Ran didn’t know what to say. Shen Qingyuan had eaten on the second floor only once last year, and this guy still looked around for her every single time he came.
“Hey, do you know any fun things that happen around school? Tell us about them! I heard a ton from my classmates today,” Si Qing said with a smile.
“Fun things? There really aren’t many. Hey, little girl, don’t talk while you’re eating. Brother Ran might beat you up later.” Su Shijie shook his head. He only cared about pretty girls, not gossip.
At the mention of Lin Ran, Si Qing shut her mouth. With that temper of his, he might actually beat her up.
But while they were eating, Lin Ran saw Bao Xinrou come upstairs with two other girls. Bao Xinrou didn’t notice Su Shijie, and Su Shijie had his back to her, so they were safe for now.
They had a decent lunch, and nothing major happened. But when they left the cafeteria, they ran into Sun Xuan, the homeroom teacher of Class 10-A. Teacher Sun stopped Lin Ruixue and Si Qing to talk to them, so Lin Ran and Su Shijie went on ahead.
Lin Ran and Su Shijie didn’t go back to class. They sat on the sports field for a while. There was still time left in the lunch break, and there was no point going back so early.
Su Shijie started complaining to Lin Ran again about how school had started so early. He hadn’t even had a chance to enjoy his vacation.
Lin Ran winced. If he remembered right, Su Shijie had told him during the vacation that he wanted school to start sooner. Was he regretting it already?
“Hey, A-Ran, when do you think I’ll make it into Class S? I wish I were in Class S,” Su Shijie sighed.
“Even if you were in Class S, you still wouldn’t see Shen Qingyuan. She’d be doing well if she showed up once a semester,” Lin Ran said helplessly.
“At least I’d get to see her when she did show up! I’m stuck in Class B. My Yuanyuan could come by and I wouldn’t even know. Ah, the heavens are unjust!” Su Shijie wailed at the sky.
Lin Ran wanted to kick him.
“I wonder what she does at home all day. She never comes to school, but she’s still first in the year. Tsk, my Yuanyuan really is amazing.”
“I want to hit you.”
“Ah, back at the school’s New Year’s gala, Yuanyuan played Three Variations on Plum Blossom, and the music went straight to my heart. I’ve been lost ever since. Ah, such an outstanding woman could only be worthy of a Young Master Su like me...”
Lin Ran couldn’t take it anymore. He kicked Su Shijie in the butt. The guy was seriously disgusting. “Back at the school gala”? That was only last year!
“If you got my pants dirty, you’d better wash them!” Su Shijie grumbled, patting his backside.
“If you’re so great, get Shen Qingyuan to wash them. Stop grossing me out,” Lin Ran said irritably.
“No, I’ve gotta make a promise. All right, Little Ran, you’re my witness: I, Su Shijie, will win Yuanyuan over during the first semester of sophomore year! If I don’t, I’ll treat you and Xiaoxue to a meal!” Su Shijie seemed to have made up his mind.
Lin Ran turned and walked away.
“Brother Ran, where are you going? You’re supposed to keep me in check! Brother Ran, don’t go!” Su Shijie yelled as he hurried after him.
