☆, 01. That little girl is very beautiful.

When the Chinese exam ended, a large mass of dark clouds had gathered in the sky outside.

“In the last exam, someone from the neighboring class got caught cheating.”

“Really? That means they’ll get a zero, right?”

“Of course. How dare they cheat right under the teacher’s nose. I heard the proctor was…”

Yuè Yá walked by with her water bottle, overhearing fragments of the conversation.

After entering their final year, every minute was tightly controlled by the teachers. Even tomorrow’s National Day holiday was reduced to just three days off. No matter how much the students complained, it didn’t make a difference.

It was the end-of-September monthly exam, and the last one held at this campus.

Le Ya headed to the water room, thinking about the renovation of their main school building. After the National Day holiday, everyone would move to the new campus, where they’d spend the rest of the year studying.

After filling her bottle, Le Ya turned to leave but was stopped by a short-haired girl who blocked her way inside the water room.

Le Ya remembered that this girl had been sitting behind her during the exam. She didn’t know her name. “What is it?”

The short-haired girl grinned mischievously. “I heard you’re an excellent student. The next exam is math—just let me copy your answers, okay?”

Since it was the first monthly test after the start of the semester, the seating arrangements were shuffled again, mixing high-performing students with those who struggled.

Le Ya slowly reminded her, “Cheating… is not allowed by the school.”

The school’s discipline was famously strict. Anyone caught cheating would receive a public reprimand, and their scores would be marked as zero.

The short-haired girl coaxed her: “If neither of us says anything, who will know? Just leave your paper open for me to glance at. It’s simple.”

Seeing Le Ya’s blank expression, the girl grew impatient. “Are you listening to me? Are you deaf or something?”

She reached out to touch Le Ya’s ear.

Instinctively, Le Ya covered her ears. She had mild hearing impairment since childhood and relied on hearing aids to hear clearly; otherwise, sounds were muffled.

Her delicate, milky-white earlobe was adorned with a hearing aid, partially hidden by her jet-black hair.

It didn’t look out of place at all—in fact, it even added to her charm.

Just then, the bell signaling the start of the next exam rang.

Not wanting to waste time, the short-haired girl frowned slightly and dropped a parting remark before leaving: “Fine, it’s settled then.”

Le Ya thought about it for a moment, then returned to the exam room.

The invigilator for this session was their own math teacher. The monthly test wasn’t particularly difficult, and she breezed through it until the very end.

Suddenly, she felt her chair being kicked. A suppressed whisper came from behind: “Let me see your paper.”

Le Ya didn’t want to comply and moved her chair forward slightly.

The short-haired girl hadn’t expected this “deaf girl” to resist and kicked her chair again. “Give it to me.”

Le Ya clutched her test paper tightly, shaking her head without saying a word.

The commotion drew the attention of the math teacher, who called out sternly: “Third row, fifth seat—what are you doing?”

All eyes turned toward them. The short-haired girl flushed bright red.

“You, both of you, come to my office after the exam.”

As Le Ya stood up, the short-haired girl shot her a fierce glare, hissing, “Watch what you say.”

They both entered the office together.

However, since Le Ya hadn’t given her anything, the other girl tried to twist the situation: “I didn’t cheat. If you don’t believe me, check my paper—it’s blank.”

Mr. Zhou, the math teacher, was furious.

He immediately summoned the girl’s homeroom teacher, demanding an explanation.

In the end, the short-haired girl was taken away by her homeroom teacher for a scolding.

The weather had already turned cooler, and the teachers’ office lacked air conditioning. A ceiling fan turned lazily on low speed.

After the others left, Mr. Zhou softened his tone: “Le Ya, ignore people like her in the future. If anything happens, just tell us teachers.”

Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School was a prestigious institution known for its excellent facilities and strong faculty. Nearly every family scrambled to enroll their children here.

Le Ya excelled academically and had been promoted directly from the junior high division.

When Mr. Zhou first took over the class, he worried about dealing with spoiled kids from wealthy families. But Le Ya turned out to be soft-spoken, gentle, and well-behaved—clear evidence of good upbringing.

She was younger than her classmates because she started school early, so Mr. Zhou always kept an eye out to ensure no one bullied her.

He never imagined a girl from another class could be so brazen.

This wasn’t Le Ya’s first visit to the office. Most of the teachers here were familiar with her as they taught her class.

Obediently, she replied, “Okay.”

Mr. Zhou said, “You can go back now. Forget about this incident. Focus on preparing for the next exam and aim to do even better.”

Le Ya nodded. “Thank you, Teacher.”

With teachers keeping an eye on things, the afternoon physics and chemistry exams proceeded peacefully.

After finishing, Le Ya packed up her belongings. Before leaving, she overheard two girls deliberately speaking loudly behind her.

“A deaf girl acting all innocent. All she had to do was show her test paper, but she got warned by the teacher. What’s the point of warning someone who didn’t even manage to cheat?”

“She thinks she’s so high and mighty. So what if she studies well and the teachers love her? She’s still disabled.”

The short-haired girl chimed in loudly: “Exactly.”

Another voice sneered: “Don’t say it too loud. Her father donated an entire teaching building to the school. Rich people—we don’t have that kind of capital, do we?”

When Le Ya enrolled, her father had indeed donated the new campus’s teaching building.

She pursed her lips, glanced at them briefly, pretended not to hear, and left the exam room with her books.

The two girls glared at each other, grinding their teeth.

Le Ya climbed the stairs back to Class One.

Outside, it was raining. Students crowded the corridors, cheering excitedly as their vacation officially began.

Rain dripped onto the corridor, mixing with mud splashed up by running feet. Some of it splattered onto Le Ya’s legs, dirtying the tips of her white sneakers.

Her delicate face scrunched up in irritation.

Once inside the classroom, she slowly wiped the mud off her shoes with tissues, her movements graceful.

Her seat was by the window, allowing her to hear the sound of heavy raindrops hitting the glass like beans falling to the ground.

Two girls in front chatted while packing their books, openly gossiping about recent school news.

“...the chemistry and Chinese teachers from Class Three were on a date when they ran into their own students also on dates.”

“I heard the new campus is chaotic. I wonder if we’ll be able to focus on studying there.”

“I heard there are more handsome guys there, especially one whose name I forgot...”

By the time Le Ya finished cleaning her shoes and exhaled in relief, only a few classmates remained to clean the classroom. Outside, the rain hadn’t stopped.

Xie Qīngyǔ, who sat behind her, had already packed up. “Let’s go.”

Though it was still raining, Xie Qīngyǔ was engrossed in her phone, laughing occasionally at whatever she was reading.

At Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School, students were trusted to self-regulate. Phones were allowed but prohibited in classrooms. Teachers often turned a blind eye.

Le Ya owned a phone too but rarely used it.

Unaware of today’s events, Xie Qīngyǔ remained preoccupied with other thoughts.

The rain eased slightly, and the two bought bubble tea at the school gate.

Suddenly, Xie Qīngyǔ asked, “Le Ya, did Uncle Yue really sponsor a student around your age?”

Le Ya nodded. “Yes.”

Her slender frame looked even smaller in the oversized uniform. Xie Qīngyǔ couldn’t help but feel cheered up by Le Ya’s bright, clear eyes.

Her voice, soft and warm like her mother’s, was soothing to listen to.

Curious, Xie Qīngyǔ asked, “Have you met him?”

Le Ya recalled, “No, I just overheard my dad talking on the phone yesterday. He mentioned a boy whom he has sponsored for five years.”

Five years wasn’t too long or too short—it could shape a lifetime.

Xie Qīngyǔ speculated, “Children from impoverished families must have strong pride. Their clothes are probably worn-out, and with such hardships, they might suffer from malnutrition too.”

At this description, Le Ya pictured a frail figure resembling a bean sprout and felt a wave of sympathy.

She bit her straw. “Then I’ll ask Dad to send him more food.”

Xie Qīngyǔ laughed at her earnestness and playfully pinched her cheek.

Glancing at her phone, Xie Qīngyǔ said, “My brother’s picking me up since it’s raining. I won’t walk home with you today. Be careful, okay?”

Le Ya nodded. “Okay.”

They parted ways, and just as a new bus arrived, she jogged aboard.

There weren’t many passengers. Le Ya folded her umbrella and placed it aside, though some raindrops still clung to her clothes. Strands of hair stuck to her cheeks.

While drying her hair, she pulled out her phone.

Perhaps because she stayed up late last night, she soon felt drowsy and leaned against the window, dozing off. She woke only when a notification sounded.

“The Waterfront Campus of First High School has arrived. Passengers alighting, please exit via the rear door. Next stop...”

The rain had stopped outside.

Feeling stuffy and slightly carsick, Le Ya decided to get off and walk home instead.

As soon as she stepped off the bus, she saw the golden gates of the school across the street.

A group of boys stood on the opposite side of the road.

Le Ya barely noticed them except for their striking yellow and red hair. If not for their uniforms, she might have mistaken them for delinquents.

She knew of the new campus but rarely took the bus before, so she had never visited. She hadn’t expected it to feel so lax.

Just then, she spotted someone more ordinary-looking among them.

Unlike the two dyed-haired boys, the tall, lean boy standing in the middle had his head bowed, leaning against the bus stop sign with his hands in his pockets. His hair was natural, and he wore the standard blue-and-white uniform.

Since it was long past dismissal time, the streets were quiet. Le Ya could hear their loud voices and see them glancing her way.

But she couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Then, the boy in the middle raised his head and happened to look directly at her, locking eyes with her.

He was strikingly handsome, his eyes like galaxies that captivated the soul. His dark pupils held an unfathomable depth, betraying no clear emotion.

The school uniform suited him perfectly, accentuating his lean frame. The zipper of his jacket was only pulled up to his chest, giving off an air of casual indifference. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

Le Ya also noticed a glint of silver at the base of his collarbone.

She quickly averted her gaze, turned around, and entered a small shop behind her. She picked out a few mint candies, intending to settle her stomach later.

At the bus stop.

Zhao Mingri scratched his yellow-dyed hair and asked, “Yang-ge, are you free during the National Day holiday? There’s a new ice-skating rink at the square. A bunch of girls hang out there—maybe we’ll bump into someone nice.”

Chen Yang didn’t even look up. “Not interested.”

Zhao Mingri nudged Liang Qian. “Two Thousand, what are you spacing out for?”

“Two Thousand” was a nickname; his real name was Liang Qian. He was still thinking about the girl on the bus earlier—she looked delicate and soft, with piercing eyes that seemed to tug at one’s heartstrings.

Liang Qian said, “That girl was wearing the same uniform as us.”

Zhao Mingri replied, “I haven’t seen her around here. She came from that direction, so she’s probably from the main campus. She looked tiny.”

The main campus and the new campus were quite far apart, with little interaction between them.

Liang Qian sighed. “She was pretty cute. And just by looking at her, she seems like the model student type.”

Zhao Mingri suddenly grinned. “Perfect. I think she’d be a good match for Yang-ge.”

Everyone had been notified about the renovation of the main campus. They all knew that after the National Day holiday, the third-year students from the main campus would move to their campus.

Liang Qian rolled his eyes. “Give it a rest. You know what happened to those girls who confessed before—they ended up crying and running away. The last one didn’t even get a glance from him.”

Zhao Mingri thought about it and realized he was right.

It was well-known that Chen Yang had zero female friends. He had never shown interest in anyone, appearing completely detached, almost like a monk who abstained from worldly desires.

Liang Qian thought for a moment, then held up his hand dramatically. “Wow, that girl’s face is smaller than my palm!”

Zhao Mingri and Liang Qian marveled for a bit longer, but noticed that Chen Yang wasn’t paying them any attention.

So Liang leaned over and asked, “Yang-ge, what are you looking at?”

Chen Yang paused briefly.

The image of the petite girl in the oversized uniform, with the hearing aid visible on her ear, was vivid in his mind.

Especially the way she wrinkled her nose—it made her look like a docile little rabbit.

Liang Qian squinted, then exclaimed, “Hey, that girl actually got off the bus. Does she live around here?”

Chen Yang glanced up and saw the girl in the school uniform enter the convenience store across the street. He straightened up and walked toward it.

Liang Qian called out, “Where are you going, Yang-ge?”

Without turning back, Chen Yang replied, “To buy candy.”

Liang Qian: “...”

Chen Yang, despite his usually laid-back demeanor, was considered a good student by teachers. However, everyone at the new campus knew that privately, he could be harsh and unyielding.

As for candy, it seemed to belong to a world completely foreign to him.

Liang Qian whistled. “I’ve never seen you eat candy throughout high school. Didn’t you throw away a box of chocolates someone gave you when they confessed?”

Chen Yang flicked his eyelids but ignored him.

By the time Chen Yang entered the convenience store, blocking the view of the petite figure inside, Liang Qian finally realized what was happening.