WG - 10

Anyone familiar with Xie Ye would glance at the cover and assume nothing was amiss. But upon closer inspection, the addition of that single word stood out like a sore thumb.

The character for “dog” was written in an elegant, almost calligraphic style, as if penned by a master artist.

Lin Jie, the male student seated in front of Chi Zhiyu, had only recently joined the class after the reorganization. Though he wasn’t particularly close to anyone yet, he’d settled into his seat quietly. However, when he heard movement behind him earlier, he instinctively turned around—and nearly jumped out of his skin.

He hadn’t expected to find Xie Ye and Chi Zhiyu sitting directly behind him.

Stunned, Lin Jie hesitated to introduce himself but knew he still needed to collect their homework. When Chi Zhiyu proactively handed over two notebooks, he accepted them gratefully. As he reached for Xie Ye’s assignment, he realized she’d already included both, with Xie Ye’s name prominently displayed on top.

At first, Lin Jie didn’t think much of it—but then he spotted the extra character scrawled beside Xie Ye’s name.

Who exactly was Xie Ye?

Across the entire senior year, the first word that came to mind for most people was—

Awesome .

It wasn’t just his grades; it was his strikingly handsome face and his perpetually aloof demeanor. Yet what truly set him apart was his ability to exude arrogance while remaining completely indifferent, often laced with subtle sarcasm.

Unrestrained and untamed.

On the other hand, Chi Zhiyu was known as the arts prodigy. Her frequent performances and dance competitions made her a familiar face across the school. Coupled with her stunning appearance and graceful demeanor, she was undeniably the epitome of beauty and talent—a topic of admiration (and occasional gossip) among students from all grades.

But now… it seemed… this beautiful girl had insulted the untouchable genius.

Dog?

The atmosphere grew awkward and tense.

Five seconds passed.

“Ahem!”

Chi Zhiyu broke the silence first, glancing at the offending word before blinking innocently. “What’s going on here? Did you insult yourself, Xie Ye?”

Xie Ye shot her a sidelong glance.

Chi Zhiyu pointed earnestly at the word “dog,” feigning confusion. “Or did you change your own name?”

“…”

Xie Ye: “I didn’t write it.”

Upon hearing this, Chi Zhiyu calmly responded, “Neither did I.”

“Oh.” Xie Ye raised an eyebrow. “Did I accuse you?”

“If neither of us wrote it,” Chi Zhiyu reasoned logically, “then the only suspects are Li Taoran or me.”

Xie Ye: “So?”

“So if I didn’t write it…” Chi Zhiyu continued, “then it must’ve been Li Taoran.”

Blatant lie.

Xie Ye arched an eyebrow, his gaze steady and unyielding. He said nothing, merely observing her.

Under his intense scrutiny, Chi Zhiyu began to feel uneasy. She licked her lips nervously. “Why are you staring at me like that? Believe me—I didn’t write it.”

At this, Xie Ye finally reacted, smirking faintly. “I don’t believe you.”

“…”

“How can you not believe me?” Chi Zhiyu countered. “You have no evidence to slander me. I’m innocent until proven guilty.”

Xie Ye raised an eyebrow. “Slander?”

“Yes.” Chi Zhiyu nodded solemnly.

Xie Ye tilted his head, speaking slowly. “Who exactly are you trying to fool?”

Chi Zhiyu: “Huh?”

“Do you think I’m blind?” Xie Ye’s gaze swept over the cover, meeting her eyes squarely. “Don’t I recognize your handwriting?”

“…”

Crap.

Chi Zhiyu paused for three seconds before silently pulling the notebook toward her. She grabbed a pen and furiously scribbled over the offending word, turning it into a small black circle.

“Oh.” Xie Ye leaned back in his chair, casting her a condescending glance. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Make sure it’s clear.”

“…” Chi Zhiyu clenched the pen tightly, biting back her frustration as she muttered a reluctant “Mm.”

Lin Jie, who had been watching the scene unfold, was utterly bewildered.

That’s it?

No drama?

For a moment, Lin Jie genuinely expected Xie Ye to lose his temper.

But instead, he let it go so easily?

This… didn’t align with the image of a domineering genius at all.

Shouldn’t there be some kind of explosive confrontation to vent his anger?

While Lin Jie was still processing this, Chi Zhiyu slammed the notebook shut, pushing it toward Xie Ye. “Are you satisfied now?”

Xie Ye gave it a cursory glance, tilting his chin upward in approval.

Chi Zhiyu handed the notebook back to Lin Jie. “Here you go.”

“Ah, thanks.” Lin Jie quickly accepted it, pausing for a moment before realizing something odd. Why did Chi Zhiyu have Xie Ye’s homework in the first place?

Weren’t they in different classes before?

He knew Chi Zhiyu had previously been in a regular class and was only placed in Class A after the recent exam-based reorganization. By all accounts, she shouldn’t be close to Xie Ye, right?

Lost in thought, Lin Jie turned to submit the assignments.

Just then, another student entered through the back door. Wearing his white school uniform shirt as an outer layer over a black T-shirt, he looked effortlessly stylish and eye-catching.

Su Le spotted the duo immediately, grinning. “Oh, look who’s here bright and early.”

Chi Zhiyu turned to see him, still half-asleep as she stifled another yawn. “You’re not exactly late yourself.”

“It’s the first day of school,” Su Le grinned, taking the empty seat in front of Xie Ye. “Is anyone sitting here?.”

Lin Jie had already seen him earlier and shook his head slightly out of fear. “No.”

“Alright, then I’ll sit here.”

After saying that, Su Le looked at him with considerable patience and continued asking, “If you don’t want me to sit here, just say so. I won’t force you.”

Lin Jie: “… No.”

Even if he did [want to object], he wouldn’t dare.

Chi Zhiyu, sitting behind them, chuckled. “Su Le, are you threatening your classmate or asking for his opinion?”

“I’m obviously asking,” Su Le replied.

“Then phrase it better. Look, your classmate is scared,” Chi Zhiyu teased.

Hearing this, Su Le raised an eyebrow and glanced at the person beside Chi Zhiyu. “He’s probably afraid of the person next to you.”

“Huh?” Xie Ye frowned. “What do you mean?”

The comment made it sound like Xie Ye was some kind of terrifying figure.

Chi Zhiyu couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re probably overthinking it. If you don’t believe me, ask your desk mate who seems scarier—you or Xie Ye?”

Taking up the suggestion, Su Le immediately turned to Lin Jie. “Do you know me and him?”

He was obviously referring to Xie Ye.

Lin Jie glanced to the side. Xie Ye was leaning back in his chair, silent, his fingertips tapping idly against his knee.

His expression was calm, almost indifferent.

But there was something about him that naturally inspired a sense of unease.

Lin Jie quickly averted his gaze, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I know.”

“So, which one of us do you find more approachable?” Su Le rephrased his question.

After speaking, he kindly added, “Don’t worry, just tell the truth. I promise no one will hit you.”

Lin Jie: “….”

Why did that statement feel a little off?

After a pause, Lin Jie stammered nervously, “Nothing much happened just now, and you’re suddenly asking me to choose… I’m not really sure… Maybe… maybe…”

As soon as his eyes met Xie Ye’s cool, detached gaze, Lin Jie shuddered, swallowed hard, and blurted out, “I think Xie Ye seems more kind and approachable.”

Su Le: “….”

Chi Zhiyu: “?”

Kind and approachable?

Chi Zhiyu momentarily doubted her ears.

Approachable, maybe—but kind and approachable? Where was he getting that from?

“Hmm.” Hearing the compliment, Xie Ye glanced up at Lin Jie and nodded. “Good judgment.”

Receiving praise, Lin Jie let out a sigh of relief.

It seemed this answer was satisfactory.

“What nonsense,” Su Le muttered, clearly dissatisfied. “And what about me?”

“You?” Xie Ye raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you already know what you’re like?”

In truth, Lin Jie wasn’t entirely wrong.

Su Le’s first impression on people wasn’t great. His sharp facial features didn’t exude kindness; instead, they came across as somewhat menacing.

His eyes were narrow and slanted—without a smile, his face appeared cold and harsh.

Moreover, his speech was casual and sometimes misleading, making him seem more like a delinquent than Xie Ye—specifically, the cunning type of troublemaker.

By contrast, if we were categorizing, Xie Ye would fall under the category of effortlessly handsome “bad boy” types whose charisma could make people overlook questionable values.

Still, even he didn’t exactly scream “kind and approachable.”

Chi Zhiyu thought Lin Jie’s judgment might be flawed and wanted to say something, but the bell rang just then.

Their homeroom teacher, Zhang Guojun, entered, introduced himself briefly, glanced at the seating arrangement, and said, “Since everyone’s already seated, let’s just keep it this way for now. But if anyone wants to change seats, come see me after class, and I’ll adjust it for you.”

Chi Zhiyu hadn’t expected such a laid-back approach. After a brief pause, she turned to look at her desk mate.

Xie Ye’s weary, aloof face came into view.

“…”

Forget it.

Harmony wasn’t happening.

Up front, Su Le turned around and raised an eyebrow at Xie Ye. “Looks like we’re sitting in front and back again.”

Xie Ye: “Get lost.”

Su Le clicked his tongue. “Isn’t this fate? Look, Li Taoran got stuck in the neighboring class.”

Xie Ye shrugged indifferently. “Oh well, guess he just doesn’t have the luck.”

“Tch. Who do you think you are, calling yourself a prize? Luck my ass,” Su Le retorted. “Li Taoran didn’t get assigned to this class, and he’s probably thrilled about it!”

He turned to Chi Zhiyu. “Little Chi, don’t worry. This year, big brother’s got your back. Stay away from this shameless guy.”

Xie Ye lifted his gaze and suddenly spoke. “Are you feeling too idle today?”

With that, Su Le immediately spun back around.

Meanwhile, Zhang Guojun finished his official remarks and didn’t elaborate further, instructing them to prepare for class.

Upon hearing this, Chi Zhiyu hoped the first period wouldn’t be physics—but when she saw Chen Fuqing walk in, she felt utterly hopeless.

High school teachers often taught two classes simultaneously, and Chi Zhiyu and Xie Ye’s previous class coincidentally shared the same physics teacher.

This made comparisons inevitable.

Since the textbooks hadn’t arrived yet, Chen Fuqing entered, scanned the classroom, and directly instructed the new class committee to hand in their homework for review and clarification.

After the class committee submitted the assignments group by group, Chen Fuqing picked one set to check.

Chi Zhiyu wasn’t sleepy anymore. Resting her chin on her hand, she looked up at the teacher and suddenly squinted, asking Xie Ye, “Did Fuqing get a hair transplant? His hair looks different somehow—”

“Chi Zhiyu.”

Chen Fuqing suddenly called her name. Chi Zhiyu paused, then raised her hand. “Here!”

Chen Fuqing flipped through the homework, glanced at her, and nodded approvingly. “Let me commend you. Your homework this time is excellent. Good job.”

False alarm.

Chi Zhiyu let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, teacher.”

Chen Fuqing hummed in satisfaction, pleased with her attitude. In a cheerful tone, he said, “This is a good start for you. I hope you continue to study hard this year and achieve success.”

Hearing this, Chi Zhiyu responded politely, “Thank you, teacher. And I wish you—”

She faltered mid-sentence, suddenly unsure what blessing to give.

The atmosphere froze for a few seconds. Chi Zhiyu’s gaze shifted upward to his hair, and four words involuntarily popped into her mind. Staring at his scalp, she slowly continued, “—absolutely brilliant.”

“…”