LRTH - 2

Fang Nanzhi had been sick once as a child, and after that, her health was never very good. To give her more nutrients, her grandmother would constantly find ways to save money, then buy her nutritious things to stew and eat.

This led to her being plump and round throughout her elementary school years, despite her family being poor.

Her name was beautiful, but starting from first grade, everyone called her “Fatty.” The nastier ones would call her “Tubby” or “Fat Pig”...

She felt she was unworthy of her own name.

Later, in junior high, puberty hit, and she shot up in height. She wasn’t as chubby as she was when she was a child, but she was still meaty.

Her junior high classmates were the same ones from elementary school, so she habitually became their target for teasing and mockery.

She remembered one rainy day in eighth grade when a section of the road outside the school gate was very muddy. She accidentally slipped and fell there. At that moment, she felt as embarrassed and awkward as she did now, with laughter coming from all sides.

The light rain gradually turned into a downpour, and her bangs threatened to freeze to her forehead.

Fang Nanzhi’s face was flushed as she tried to get up, supporting herself with her hands on the ground.

It was then that a hand reached out from the side, its knuckles defined and its fingers exquisite, gripping her arm.

He pulled her up, letting her rise with the momentum.

“The ground is slippery. Be careful.”

The voice behind her held no hint of a smile.

“...Thank you.”

Fang Nanzhi didn’t look back. She felt her hair was completely soaked and plastered to her forehead.

It was too embarrassing and mortifying. She didn’t dare to linger, and after saying thank you, she immediately ran out of the courtyard.

________________________________________

Back at home, Fang Nanzhi still had to explain her dirty hands and pants.

Zhao Liyun and Huang Yurou, thinking she had hurt herself in the fall, fussed over her for a while before telling her to go upstairs and change.

When she came back downstairs, Huang Yurou’s three children were already sitting in the living room.

The noisy pair arguing were the twins, the sister named Xu Tingyou and the brother named Xu Yuanhao, who bore a slight resemblance to each other.

The boy in black sitting on a separate sofa was Xu Yuanhe, Huang Yurou’s eldest son. Huang Yurou was talking to him, but he was looking down at his phone with a slightly impatient expression, and it was unclear if he was even listening.

He was also good-looking, but clearly not the kind of person who was easy to approach.

Fang Nanzhi felt he gave her a similar vibe to a character she had once seen in a TV show—an unruly young master.

She looked around and realized that the person she had seen at the gate earlier wasn’t there.

Judging by the clothes he was wearing, he was also a student at Junhua...

Then who was he, and why was he at the Xu’s house at that time?

“Lel, you’re down. Come and sit.”

Huang Yurou pulled her to sit on the side and chatted for a bit. Dinner was ready soon, and everyone moved to the dining table to eat and talk.

But for the most part, it was Huang Yurou and Zhao Liyun doing the talking. Fang Nanzhi wasn’t at all familiar with the people across from her, so she naturally didn’t dare to say anything to them.

They, too, clearly had no intention of talking to her. They probably only came over for dinner because Huang Yurou had insisted.

Halfway through the meal, Huang Yurou mentioned that Fang Nanzhi would be starting at Junhua the next day and, since it was her first day, she asked her three children to take her to school in the morning.

The sensitive Fang Nanzhi quickly sensed their indifference, and even annoyance, in their eyes.

Clutching her chopsticks, Fang Nanzhi said softly, “You don’t have to, Auntie Huang. It’s no trouble. I can go by myself.”

“What trouble? It’s no trouble at all. You’re new here and not familiar with the area, so let them take you for a while.”

Junhua Experimental School was very close to where they lived, about a ten-minute walk.

Because of this, Huang Yurou deliberately had her children walk instead of driving them, seeing it as good exercise.

The next morning, Zhao Liyun confidently let Fang Nanzhi leave. It had been agreed yesterday that she would go to school with Xu Yuanhe and the others, and Zhao Liyun hoped the children from both families could become friends.

But Fang Nanzhi had a faint feeling that it probably wouldn’t turn out that way.

As expected, when she passed their doorstep, she didn’t see them. Auntie Huang had told them to wait for her there yesterday.

Fang Nanzhi felt only a slight sense of disappointment before continuing on. The school was close, so she shouldn’t get lost.

“Hey, you up front.”

She hadn’t gone far when she heard footsteps behind her and a voice that sounded a bit impatient.

Fang Nanzhi turned around and saw Xu Yuanhe, wearing the same school uniform as her, with his backpack slung over one shoulder, looking sleepy.

He quickly walked up to her side but didn’t stop, simply saying, “Keep up with me.”

His tone was not good, and Fang Nanzhi could easily sense his displeasure at the “chore” of having to take her to school.

She didn’t say anything, nor did she have time to, because he quickly walked away.

Fang Nanzhi paused for a few seconds, then lifted her feet to follow, keeping several meters of distance between them.

Fang Nanzhi thought that she would just follow him today, and once she knew the way, she wouldn’t need to trouble anyone else tomorrow.

She quietly followed from a distance, intending to walk all the way to school like this, but at the entrance of the residential complex, she saw the boy from yesterday.

The main gate of the Fenglan Yun-di complex was grand, with a tree-lined avenue stretching out from it, two rows of plane trees standing like sentinels guarding the area.

The boy was standing under the first plane tree, also in a Junhua school uniform. With one hand in his pocket and the other holding his phone, he was looking at something. He didn’t have a backpack.

The morning sun filtered down through the treetop, scattering dappled light on him. His school uniform hem hung quietly, looking fresh and clean.

Fang Nanzhi’s first thought upon seeing him was to turn and avoid him. The clumsy way she had fallen in front of him yesterday made her feel embarrassed.

But before she could react, Xu Yuanhe had already greeted him.

They must have been very familiar with each other, as he didn’t even use a name, just a wave of his hand.

He looked over.

“How many pages was that math test yesterday, anyway? The group chat said two, but I only saw one,” Xu Yuanhe asked.

Fang Nanzhi wasn’t far away and could clearly hear their conversation.

“It was two. They probably missed one when they gave it to you,” the other person replied.

Xu Yuanhe said, “Damn... well, let’s hurry up. When we get to class, you can let me copy it. If I don’t hand it in, ‘Curly’ will definitely call my mom.”

The “Curly” Xu Yuanhe referred to was their math teacher, who had curly hair and was known for being particularly strict. He basically attacked any student who didn’t do his homework, regardless of how good their grades were.

“I didn’t do it,” the other person said.

Xu Yuanhe turned to look at him, his eyes widening slightly. The latter smiled, a bright but somewhat nonchalant expression. “I was supposed to do it last night, but I forgot to bring it back.”

Xu Yuanhe frowned. “Fine, we’ll get yelled at together then.”

“Only you will probably get yelled at. I did a math competition paper in class yesterday, which should be enough to satisfy Curly.”

Xu Yuanhe opened his mouth, wanting to swear. “...Li Yizhou, you’re really something else.”

Li Yizhou?

Was that his name?

So, they were classmates.

That meant he, like Xu Yuanhe, was a senior.

After these thoughts flashed through Fang Nanzhi’s mind, she began to consider whether she should walk past them. But there was only one path out of the complex, so she would have to be seen.

Indeed, Li Yizhou quickly noticed a girl following behind Xu Yuanhe.

The girl hadn’t moved and seemed to be waiting for the person in front of her.

Xu Yuanhe, noticing his gaze, casually explained, “She’s our next-door neighbor. She just started her freshman year. My mom insisted I take her to school to help her get familiar with the place.”

He added with a hint of irritation, “Those two brats ran off so fast. I’m the only one left to be a nanny.”

Li Yizhou raised his hand and patted him. “She’s right here. Be nice.”

Xu Yuanhe didn’t care what the person behind him thought. “Alright, alright, let’s go.”

He took a step forward, his long legs covering a distance that would take Fang Nanzhi two steps.

Fang Nanzhi stood in place, feeling embarrassed after hearing what Xu Yuanhe said.

She hesitated, no longer following them.

“Aren’t you coming? We’ll be late.” A moment later, the boy’s voice came from ahead.

Fang Nanzhi froze slightly and looked up.

The leaves of the plane trees in early autumn were a mix of yellow and green, contrasting with the sunlight, hazy but exceptionally bright.

Just like the person in front of her.

He looked at her, his tone politely courteous. “Don’t worry. Just follow us.”

________________________________________

Junhua Experimental High School was in an excellent location. The residential areas within a few kilometers were all high-end, and most of the students who attended were children from wealthy families.

Ten minutes later, Fang Nanzhi arrived at the school gate with them, about six or seven minutes before the bell for morning self-study.

People in the same uniform were all walking inside. Fang Nanzhi didn’t plan on heading to the academic building because her homeroom teacher had told her when she came to register yesterday to find her in the office before class today, and the teacher would then lead her to the building.

Looking at the two boys walking ahead, she didn’t know if she should catch up and say “thank you.”

“Damn! You’re finally here! Hurry up, hurry up! I haven’t done the long-answer math questions! Let me see them!”

Another person came looking for the math test.

Fang Nanzhi saw a tall, thin boy with somewhat dark skin pounce on Li Yizhou, then let out a shriek, “Bro Zhou, where’s your test?! You didn’t bring it?”

Xu Yuanhe mocked, “He didn’t do it.”

“What?? Are you crazy? You didn’t do the math test!” The tall, dark boy then looked at Xu Yuanhe. “What about you?!”

Xu Yuanhe’s face was sullen. “I didn’t do it either.”

The tall, dark boy was on the verge of a breakdown. “I can’t believe it! I was counting on you guys! You two really have a death wish.”

The tall, dark boy’s loud voice drew glances from passersby. After looking, they would linger, and even after walking away, they would secretly glance back, whether to condemn the boy for being too loud or just to look at certain people.

With all the eyes on them, Fang Nanzhi abandoned the idea of going forward to say thanks.

She just glanced at Li Yizhou, who had a clear smile on his face as he watched the boy’s meltdown.

They must have forgotten about her.

Thinking this, Fang Nanzhi didn’t linger any longer. She turned and walked toward the teachers’ office building.