LRTH - 18

It was a bit late, and there were already many people in the second-year (4) classroom. Since the summer break had just ended, everyone was still excited and chattering nonstop. But the noise stopped abruptly when a girl walked into the classroom.

All eyes were on her, and everyone was stunned.

Zhang Lanlan and the others hurried to the classroom door, watching as the girl walked to the back of the classroom, found a seat, and put down her backpack.

The class had moved to a different classroom, but on the first day, everyone habitually sat in their old seats. When Zhang Lanlan saw her sitting in Fang Nanzhi’s seat, her heart skipped a beat. The sense of familiarity grew stronger, but a part of her mind denied it.

It’s not possible.

But... if she looked closely, she did look a bit similar.

“Fang Nanzhi?”

Suddenly, Zhang Lanlan heard someone call out from behind her. She turned around and saw that Xu Tingyou had arrived.

Zhang Lanlan and the other students were all startled and quickly turned their heads to look at the beautiful girl, who looked at Xu Tingyou and answered.

“I’m here.”

Xu Tingyou’s eyes widened slightly, a mix of surprise and disbelief. “It really is you!”

She ran over in a few steps and leaned down, staring at her. “I haven’t seen you in a whole summer. How did you change so much! You’re so pretty.”

Fang Nanzhi’s cheeks flushed. “I... no, not really. I just changed my hairstyle, and...”

“And you’re wearing contacts, right?” Xu Tingyou stared at her. “I always thought you looked good without your glasses. I was right.”

Fang Nanzhi felt eyes on her from all directions and tugged on Xu Tingyou’s arm. “You should sit down first...”

“Oh, oh.”

Xu Tingyou’s appearance confirmed that the girl in front of them was not a new transfer student but their classmate Fang Nanzhi.

To be honest, Fang Nanzhi had a very low sense of presence in the classroom. Besides her deskmate, she rarely spoke to anyone. The only time people occasionally noticed her was when the teacher mentioned her math scores because she was exceptionally good at math.

No one paid attention to the girl in the corner who wore baggy clothes, so no one noticed that she had actually been quietly losing weight last semester.

After another summer break, she took off her glasses and changed her hairstyle. She no longer wore the baggy summer uniform but the skirt uniform. No one recognized her for a moment.

The change was too big.

Even the students who rarely interacted with her were dumbfounded, and even Xu Tingyou, who had the most contact with her, took a long time to recover.

During the first class, when the homeroom teacher was talking about the plans for the new semester, Xu Tingyou’s eyes were still on Fang Nanzhi.

Fang Nanzhi felt very uncomfortable under her gaze. “Look at the teacher. Why do you keep looking at me...”

Xu Tingyou was silent for a moment, then said, “Can I touch your legs?”

Fang Nanzhi: “?”

Xu Tingyou leaned closer. “Why are you so fair? Your legs look so nice to touch.”

Fang Nanzhi was about to explode. She lowered her voice. “Xu Tingyou!”

This was the first time she had called her by her full name in such a firm tone. Xu Tingyou found it hilarious. “Oh, I’ll just touch them once. We’re friends; why can’t I touch them? I’m not a boy.”

Fang Nanzhi immediately pressed her skirt down. She shouldn’t have listened to her mom and worn a skirt today. It was too uncomfortable!

Xu Tingyou trembled with laughter. “Okay, okay, I won’t touch. Don’t be so defensive, alright? Class is starting, class is starting.”

Fang Nanzhi: “...”

In the age of social media, the news that a great beauty had appeared in the second-year (4) class quickly spread to other classes in the school.

Throughout the day, the hallway outside Class 4 was very lively, and many people came out of curiosity to see Fang Nanzhi.

A few of the boys were particularly flamboyant. They stood outside the window and started talking to her.

Fang Nanzhi had never faced a situation like this before. She felt like she had daggers in her back and didn’t know how to react. It was Xu Tingyou who couldn’t stand it anymore. She threw a book at them and shooed them away.

“Don’t mind them. They have nothing better to do,” Xu Tingyou said.

Fang Nanzhi hummed in agreement. The latter then teased, “But you have to get used to it. There will probably be more of them in the future. After all, our Liaoliao is so pretty.”

Fang Nanzhi: “...Don’t say that.”

“You’re pretty, so why can’t I say it? Be more confident. Pretty is pretty. Chin up, okay?”

Fang Nanzhi watched her gesticulate. She found it very funny and couldn’t help but smile.

Xu Tingyou paused for a few seconds and cleared her throat, a little mesmerized. “Wow, you look even better when you smile.”

Fang Nanzhi: “Stop it.”

“Oh.” Xu Tingyou said, “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. My brother and the others are leaving in a few days. They said everyone should have dinner together before they leave. It’s tomorrow night.”

Fang Nanzhi was stunned. “Are they all coming...”

“Of course. After they leave this time, the next time we see them will probably be during the winter break.”

It had been two months since she last saw Li Yizhou. In these two months, she had given herself many reminders not to think about him.

She had succeeded many times.

So she thought she could be calm, but now, when she realized she could see him one more time, her heart couldn’t help but feel a flutter.

________________________________________

The next day in class, Fang Nanzhi found a few notes in her desk and a few new friend requests on WeChat.

She was a little at a loss when she discovered them. A girl in her class came over and told her that a third-year student wanted to add her and hoped she would accept.

Zhang Lanlan happened to be passing by and sneered before walking away.

Fang Nanzhi didn’t accept the requests or open the notes. She had no intention of getting to know these strangers.

Her mind had already flown to dinner that night.

She finally made it through the afternoon classes. Xu Tingyou and Fang Nanzhi walked to the school gate together.

“Tingyou, over here!”

When they walked out of the school gate, they heard Zhao Ke’s voice.

Fang Nanzhi looked over and saw Zhao Ke waving at her across the street. There were three cars parked next to him, and their windows were all rolled down.

The dark blue car was driven by Xu Yuanhe. Song Chuxuan, Xu Yuanhao, and Chen Kai were inside. The white car’s driver was Li Yizhou, and it was empty. The third car was filled with people from the former third-year (7) class.

The restaurant they were going to was on the way from Junhua, so everyone had come together to pick up Xu Tingyou and Fang...

Wait, who was that girl???

“Bro!! Do you see her! I told you last night that Fang Nanzhi suddenly got pretty. I wasn’t lying!” Xu Yuanhao, who was sitting in the back of Xu Yuanhe’s car, said loudly.

Xu Yuanhe looked at the girl walking across the street and was stunned for a moment.

She had changed a lot from two months ago, but if he looked closely, he could still recognize her facial features because he had seen her without glasses.

Xu Yuanhe silently watched for a few seconds and then quickly looked away. “Oh, and so?”

Xu Yuanhao: “Nothing! You don’t know how popular she was yesterday and today. The boys in our class were all talking about her, saying they didn’t know we had such a beauty in our school.”

Xu Yuanhe turned to glare at him. “Go study. Beauty, beauty. Can you think of anything else?!”

Xu Yuanhao: “...Oh, come on. She’s from our neighborhood. What’s wrong with being a little proud?”

Song Chuxuan also couldn’t help but look at Fang Nanzhi. After a while, she looked at Xu Yuanhe.

Xu Yuanhe didn’t seem to have any reaction. He said, “Alright, let them take Li Yizhou’s car. Let’s go ahead.”

Xu Yuanhe’s car drove away first, and the car behind him followed, leaving only Li Yizhou’s car.

As Fang Nanzhi walked across the street, the corner of her eye was filled with Li Yizhou. Everyone said she had become more attractive, so... had she succeeded? Had she left a good impression on him before he left?

Her heart started to pound, and she felt very awkward and didn’t dare to look at Li Yizhou.

Xu Tingyou jogged over and opened the back door. She got in and waved to Fang Nanzhi. “Get in.”

Fang Nanzhi nodded and got in, arranging her skirt and sitting properly.

“Junior, you were really hiding your true self,” Zhao Ke said, staring at her with wide eyes.

Fang Nanzhi: “...”

“Sigh... why did I have to graduate so early?! I really graduated too soon!” Zhao Ke not only said it himself but also nudged Li Yizhou. “Brother Zhou, I was right before! I said the junior was pretty without her glasses, but you guys didn’t believe me!”

“When did I say I didn’t believe you?” Li Yizhou said.

Fang Nanzhi’s heart leaped. She looked up at the rearview mirror and met his gaze. Both of them were startled.

Fang Nanzhi quickly looked away.

Li Yizhou slowly looked at the road ahead and said, “Buckle up. We’re leaving.”

Zhao Ke’s head was still turned. “Junior, your hairstyle is nice. It really suits you. And you look so good in that uniform...”

“Zhao, Ke.”

“Huh?”

Li Yizhou turned his head to look at him. “Buckle up. Don’t be such a pervert.”

Zhao Ke: “...What are you talking about?!”

Li Yizhou didn’t bother to respond and stepped on the gas.

Zhao Ke lurched forward and quickly buckled his seatbelt. “Hey! Did you just get your driver’s license?! Drive properly!”

“I am driving properly.”

Xu Tingyou patted Fang Nanzhi’s shoulder. “We should buckle up, too. These drivers all just got their licenses this summer.”

Fang Nanzhi looked at Li Yizhou’s back and couldn’t help but smile. “Okay.”

________________________________________

The restaurant’s private room was already reserved. It was very big, and there was enough space for everyone.

This was the last get-together for this group before college. They might never be able to gather this many people again, so everyone was quite emotional and talked about a lot of things that had happened in high school.

During this time, the topic of Fang Nanzhi was also brought up. Everyone was asking her why she had changed so much after a summer.

Fang Nanzhi honestly said that she had been working out with a trainer...

Dinner lasted for about an hour. Because the three younger ones still had evening classes, the others moved to a KTV, while the three of them went back to school for evening classes.

Evening classes ended at 9:10 PM. As soon as class was over, Xu Yuanhao came to find them, saying they should go to the KTV together to get some snacks.

Fang Nanzhi also didn’t want to go home just yet. It was their last meeting, and she wanted to see him for a little longer.

So the three of them took a taxi to the KTV where Li Yizhou and the others were.

By the time the three of them got there, the private room was already in full swing. Zhao Ke, Song Chuxuan, and the others were drunk again, holding microphones and chattering, sounding like they were talking and singing at the same time.

Li Yizhou, who planned to drive back, hadn’t touched any alcohol. When he saw the three of them return, he had them sit on the sofa and ordered some food for them.

When Fang Nanzhi sat down, she realized the person to her right was Xu Yuanhe. He must have had some alcohol, too. In the flashing lights, his face had a drunken flush.

The food came out quickly. The three of them were a little hungry and didn’t hold back, digging in.

“Bro, pour me a drink!” Xu Tingyou said to Xu Yuanhe.

Xu Yuanhe said “Oh” and reached for the juice on the edge of the coffee table. After pouring a glass for Xu Tingyou, he also poured a glass for Xu Yuanhao and Fang Nanzhi.

Song Chuxuan had drunk a lot of alcohol today, mainly to build up her courage. She wanted to officially and completely express her feelings in front of all her friends today.

After a song ended, she mustered her courage, held the microphone, and turned around.

The first thing she saw was Xu Yuanhe pouring juice for Fang Nanzhi. She pursed her lips slightly and didn’t hesitate anymore.

“Everyone, listen up. Today, I want to formally say something.”

The sound of the microphone filled the private room, and everyone looked over.

“What is it?”

“What’s the big deal? Why are you so formal?”

Song Chuxuan cleared her throat. “It’s not a big deal. It’s just... I want to tell one person sitting here that I, Song Chuxuan, like him very, very much!”

“...”

“What the hell?”

“…!”

Fang Nanzhi’s heart tightened. She couldn’t swallow the mouthful of rice she had. She subtly glanced at Li Yizhou and then quickly looked down.

A sense of indescribable bitterness welled up inside her, making her regret her decision to come here after evening classes.

If she hadn’t come, she wouldn’t have had to hear their mutual confession.

“I’ve known you for so long, from elementary school to high school, a whole twelve years. There are some things I’ve never said, and it wasn’t appropriate to say them. But now that we’ve all graduated and are old enough to be in relationships, I want to tell you that I like you...”

She was so bold.

Everyone was looking at her, and she could still so candidly speak her mind.

Fang Nanzhi stared at her chopsticks, a mix of admiration and jealousy.

Li Yizhou must feel... when he’s with such a direct and open girl.

“Xu Yuanhe, I like you, and I’m going to pursue you!”

“...”

Fang Nanzhi suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked at Song Chuxuan and then at Xu Yuanhe next to her.

The person she liked was... Xu Yuanhe???

“Holy crap,” Xu Tingyou blurted out, her eyes wide as she leaned on Fang Nanzhi’s shoulder. “Sister Chuxuan, you liked my brother?!”

Fang Nanzhi completely came back to her senses. She looked at the person confessing in front of her, and her heart was bubbling with joy. The kind of bubbling that comes from pure happiness!

Song Chuxuan didn’t like Li Yizhou. She had no relationship with him. So... that night, they weren’t exchanging gifts, and Li Yizhou probably didn’t like her either!

Fang Nanzhi had never felt so relieved. If she was a little more unrestrained, a smile would have appeared on her face.

This was so great!

However, just as her excitement hadn’t subsided, she suddenly found the girl who had just confessed her feelings looking at her.

“Nanzhi, I know you like him, too. But it’s okay. We’ll compete fairly. Love doesn’t have a first come, first served rule. Whoever wins gets him!”

The smile that was about to appear on Fang Nanzhi’s face froze.

She felt like she couldn’t breathe. The air was stuck in her throat.

What?

Who did she say she liked?