Chapter 4: “There Will Be Plenty of Opportunities Later”

[“What cultural committee? It’s supposed to be arts and sports, right?”]

Sure enough, Zhou Leqi didn’t go to bed until after 1 a.m. that night. Since she and her mother had moved to the development zone, which was far from school, she had to wake up by 5:30 a.m. at the latest to ensure she wasn’t late for school. That meant she only got four hours of sleep—if you subtracted the time spent tossing and turning in insomnia, it was probably closer to two hours.

In her rush, she once again skipped breakfast and forgot to bring change to repay her classmate.

The 301 bus was Zhou Leqi’s lifeline. Without this direct route, her commute to school would have been much more complicated. Still, she couldn’t help but dislike this line—it passed by her old home.

…The Butterfly Bay complex in the city center.

And now, that place had likely become the “love nest” of that man and his mistress.

Zhou Leqi sneered, turning her head away from the familiar buildings outside the window.

She arrived at school with just three minutes to spare before morning reading began. Old Pan was already standing by the classroom door, hands clasped behind his back, checking for tardiness. He frowned when he saw her.

It made sense—this was the third time Old Pan had taught her senior year, and he must have been deeply disappointed in her.

Zhou Leqi felt incapable of facing this teacher or convincing herself to hold her head high in front of him. She kept her eyes on the ground, muttering a soft “Good morning, Teacher Pan,” before rushing into the classroom without even waiting to hear his response.

As soon as she entered, she could feel the entire class’s eyes on her. To these younger students, she was still a fresh and intriguing presence. Though it made her uncomfortable, her face remained expressionless as she headed to her seat.

Her desk mate hadn’t been late today and was already seated.

Today, Hou Zihao looked even more handsome than yesterday.

He’d gotten a haircut, appearing cleaner and fresher. His white school uniform shirt somehow seemed impossibly pristine, and the morning sunlight streaming through the third-row window highlighted his sharp features beautifully. He resembled the kind of male lead in teen dramas who deserved a slow-motion shot to fully capture his dazzling charisma.

…Too bright, too radiant.

Zhou Leqi pursed her lips, intending to say “excuse me,” but before she could speak, he stood up. At 185 cm, his towering presence was always imposing, and for some reason, he was staring at her intently. Instinctively, she took a small step back before remembering to say, “…Thank you.”

She slid into her seat.

During morning reading, Old Pan conducted the class committee elections.

By their senior year, not many students were eager to take on class committee roles, except for a few enthusiastic ones like Yuan Jiahui.

The pretty girl had styled her hair into a spirited high ponytail and delivered an impassioned speech on the platform about “serving her classmates.” Naturally, she won widespread approval. Since she was the only one running for class president, the election was uncontested, and she secured the position effortlessly.

Yan Lin was elected as the academic committee member.

He didn’t bother with flowery speeches. After stepping onto the platform and adjusting his glasses, he delivered a cool, succinct statement: “Vote for me, and I’ll help you take down Monkey.”

This remark hit all the right notes.

Hou Zihao had dominated the rankings since sophomore year, consistently securing first place without fail. While the class of 2011 admired him, they also harbored a rebellious streak: Why couldn’t someone come along and knock Hou Zihao off his pedestal?

Yan Lin, as the top challenger, was especially celebrated. When he made this declaration, the entire class erupted in applause, cheers, and whistles. If Old Pan hadn’t been standing nearby, the boys would have lifted Yan Lin into the air and thrown him skyward.

As for Hou Zihao…? Thanks for asking. He was utterly exasperated.

Once the round of elections was over, only one position remained unfilled: the arts and sports committee member.

Arts and sports—a combination of cultural and athletic responsibilities. This was Old Pan’s impromptu “brilliant” solution when no one volunteered. The unlucky soul chosen would be responsible for both the bulletin board designs and organizing sports meet events.

Naturally, no one stepped forward. But someone recommended Hou Zihao—Ge Ao, who enthusiastically nominated him to Old Pan, citing his excellent academics, athletic prowess, and presumed ability to overcome any artistic challenges. According to Ge Ao, Hou Zihao was the perfect candidate for the role.

Old Pan clapped his hands twice, not even bothering to ask Hou Zihao’s opinion before finalizing the decision.

Hou Zihao: ?

He wanted to resist, to fight against fate, but Old Pan tossed out a line: “Since you were late yesterday, why don’t you reflect on yourself by serving your classmates?”

Hou Zihao wanted to protest, insisting he had already reflected deeply during yesterday’s cleanup duty and didn’t need further reflection. But just as he was about to speak, he heard… Zhou Leqi laugh.

He turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of her smiling profile. The smile was fleeting, disappearing almost instantly, but it lingered vividly in his mind. He noticed her adorable little tiger tooth, which overlapped with memories in his mind, leaving his brain blank for several seconds.

Those few seconds sealed his fate—he missed the best moment to object, and Old Pan quickly rallied the class to applaud the decision.

Hou Zihao was exasperated, but he couldn’t help thinking: …Could this be what they mean by “love is a double-edged sword”?

Almost the entire class came to mock Hou Zihao after morning reading ended, practically queuing up for their turn. Ge Ao laughed the hardest, but Hou Zihao was so irritated he didn’t even want to look at him. Ge Ao, however, grew even smugger, egging others on as they teasingly called him “cultural committee member.”

Hou Zihao was at his wit’s end. If it weren’t for Zhou Leqi sitting nearby, he might have resorted to violence. Instead, he gritted his teeth and said: “What cultural committee? It’s arts and sports, okay?”

Cultural committee… sounded like something only girls would do.

It wasn’t that he thought boys couldn’t hold such a position, but the title just felt awkward…

Ge Ao continued leading the laughter until Yuan Jiahui stepped in to calm the situation. She scolded Ge Ao: “Stop laughing. Remember to sign up for the upcoming sports meet to share the workload with the sports committee.”

Ge Ao rarely argued with Yuan Jiahui. After hearing her words, he quickly stopped laughing, though his dimples betrayed his mischief. He said: “Understood, Class President. The masses will comply.”

Satisfied, Yuan Jiahui hummed and then asked Hou Zihao to buy breakfast, saying she had woken up late and hadn’t eaten yet. “Have you eaten?” she asked.

Meanwhile, the academic committee member, Yan Lin, who was collecting homework, passed by dramatically, pushing up his glasses and interjecting: “He’s so lazy he’d rather have someone carry him around. Asking him to go downstairs for breakfast? Yuan Jiahui, are you even awake?”

Ge Ao chuckled mischievously, adding fuel to the fire: “Times have changed. Now that he’s the sports committee member, shouldn’t he get some exercise? The 3,000-meter race at the sports meet is definitely his responsibility.”

A stab to the heart.

What a jerk.

Hou Zihao was utterly exasperated, but Ge Ao wasn’t done yet. He added: “Besides, he already went downstairs yesterday. What’s one more time today?”

At this, Hou Zihao closed his eyes briefly.

Heaven and earth bore witness—his laziness wasn’t the issue. The reason he had gone downstairs yesterday was…

His gaze flickered toward Zhou Leqi. She was calmly taking out her homework from her bag and handing it to Yan Lin, seemingly oblivious to the commotion around them.

After hesitating for a moment, he asked her: “…Did you eat breakfast?”

She seemed startled by his sudden question, her gaze wavering as she looked at him, unsure if he was really addressing her.

Hou Zihao repeated his question.

This interaction caught everyone off guard, including Yuan Jiahui, Ge Ao, and even Yan Lin, who paused mid-homework collection to spectate. Under the watchful eyes of the entire class, Zhou Leqi replied: “Ah… No trouble, thank you.”

At first glance, her response seemed appropriate, but upon closer inspection, it was evasive. Hou Zihao had asked if she had eaten, but she avoided answering directly, instead saying there was no need to trouble him.

Hou Zihao didn’t press further, simply nodding before turning back to Yuan Jiahui: “Then I’m not going. I’ve already eaten.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jiahui’s mood visibly soured.

She nodded stiffly, casting a sharp glance at Zhou Leqi before walking away. Ge Ao scratched his nose, hesitated for a moment, and then chased after her, calling out: “Hey, wait up! I’ll go with you!”

However, by the time the first class ended, a bread roll appeared on Zhou Leqi’s desk—this time, coconut-flavored.

Surprised, she looked up at Hou Zihao, who was leisurely settling back into his seat. Without looking at her, he said: “I got hungry again after one class, so I picked this up for you.”

…Of course, that was a lie.

Although the first math class had been tough, it hadn’t left him starving. He had noticed her pale complexion and suspected she still hadn’t eaten breakfast, so he went downstairs specifically to buy it for her. To make it seem believable, he also bought himself a bag of chips as cover.

But his kindness was hard for Zhou Leqi to accept. Though she wanted to eat it, she realized she had forgotten to bring money again…

She pushed the bread back to his desk and said: “Really, it’s fine… And about yesterday’s bread, I’ll bring you the money tomorrow, okay?”

She immediately felt embarrassed, fearing this junior might think she, as a senior, was being greedy for small favors.

But Hou Zihao didn’t care about such trivialities. Turning his face toward her, he pushed the bread back to her and smiled. A handsome boy’s smile was particularly striking, softening his sharp features. He said: “No rush. There will be plenty of opportunities later.”

Plenty of opportunities… for anything.

Zhou Leqi assumed she wouldn’t get another chance to repay him until the next day, but unexpectedly, the opportunity fell into her lap that very afternoon.

—She spotted Hou Zihao at the bus stop, and he boarded the 301 bus with her.

When boarding, he was right behind her. The tall young man blocked the flow of passengers, one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing his nose. With a hint of embarrassment, he said to her: “I forgot my card… Could you swipe for me?”