Chapter 1

“You’re so cute. You must be the springtime of many people’s lives. As long as I see you smile, the world doesn’t seem so bad.”\ —Mo Xun It was only after hearing the painful groans that Gu Chuqi finally lifted her head, which she had kept lowered all this time. She froze for a moment when she saw the tense scene in the alley. The people inside also turned to look at her because of her sudden appearance. It was already past six o’clock. The alley was especially dark in winter, and moths circled endlessly around the dim yellow streetlight. Most families were already at home having dinner at this hour, so it was obvious that the group was caught off guard by her appearance. A group of boys with red, green, and yellow hair had surrounded a young man. There were a few injuries on his face. He should have looked battered and miserable, yet somehow, he gave off the impression that he was not the one who had been beaten at all. He stood there with the bearing of a king. A green-haired boy lay on the ground nearby, clutching his stomach. The painful groans had been coming from him. The young man stared calmly at the group surrounding him. His slightly tousled bangs covered his eyebrows, while his thin, sensual lips curved faintly. A silver diamond stud adorned his left ear. Under the warm yellow light, his layered tea-brown hair seemed to reflect a beautiful halo of light. The yellow-haired boy in the lead glanced over and spoke in a rough, cocky tone. “Hey, little girl. Hurry home. It wouldn’t be good if you got hurt by accident.” “Hahaha!” The other boys immediately burst into malicious laughter. Gu Chuqi’s expression remained unchanged. She finished the rest of her ice cream in one breath before strolling over to the yellow-haired boy. “Big brother, fighting is bad, you know.” As soon as she finished speaking, she made a swift move and threw the six-foot-tall yellow-haired boy to the ground. The other boys had not even reacted when their leader was already lying on the ground, howling in pain. The little girl who had just knocked him down leisurely added, “Otherwise, your little sister here might get scared.” “Scared, my ass! Do I look like someone who’d scare you? I’m the one getting beaten here!” The yellow-haired boy was even more enraged by the pain. He shot a signal to the boys beside him. Mo Xun noticed the gesture. Before any of them could make a move, he swiftly took down every one of them in just a few moves. Gu Chuqi was stunned. So he was pretty capable after all. She had thought he couldn't fight. Had she just interfered for nothing? She had originally planned to study hard after coming to Jiangcheng, yet she had already gotten into a fight on her second day. Awkwardly retracting her hand, she said to Mo Xun, “Um... If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.” She turned around and was about to leave. “Wait.” Mo Xun called out to her. She looked back at him, silently asking what else he wanted. “Your things.” Mo Xun pointed toward the shopping bag nearby. He then couldn't help raising his hand to wipe the melted ice cream from the corner of her mouth. Gu Chuqi froze at his sudden intimate gesture. _Was he really taking advantage of her so blatantly?_ She had always lived by the principle, _“If you don’t offend me, I won’t offend you.”_ Gu Chuqi thought to herself: _Fine. Today, this big sister will teach you how to behave._ Her actions were faster than her thoughts. The moment the idea popped into her mind, her hand had already reached out and lightly traced the exposed Adam’s apple on the young man’s throat. Then she turned around and ran off like a startled rabbit, not forgetting to pick up the things she had dropped before fleeing. _If he knows how to flirt, so do I!_ Gu Chuqi had only arrived in Jiangcheng yesterday. She was staying at her uncle Gu Changming’s house and would be completing the rest of her high school years in this city. That afternoon, she had suddenly realized that she had arrived in such a hurry that she hadn't prepared any stationery. So she went to a convenience store called **Presumptuous**, whose Chinese name was **“Wang”**, located at the end of the alley near her uncle’s home, to buy some essential school supplies and daily necessities. When she passed by the freezer, she couldn't resist grabbing a strawberry-flavored ice cream. She never expected to encounter a fight on her way home, much less end up joining in. Meanwhile, Mo Xun watched the little girl flee in panic and couldn't help chuckling. She was kind of cute. Thinking about the unintentional touch just now and the sensation beneath his fingertips, his mood lifted considerably. Without paying any attention to the people still lying around him, he turned and returned to the **Jieyou Internet Cafe** next door. The injury on his face had actually been caused by Orange earlier that morning. Orange was an orange tabby cat raised by his younger sister, Mo Li. She had left the cat in his care for the past few days. The cat and Mo Xun didn't get along. It was always jumping onto him and scratching him. Today, it had added another scratch to his face. The little girl had probably assumed that the injury on his face had come from the fight, which was why she had stepped in. _Heh. Interesting._ Monday morning, seven o’clock. After breakfast, Gu Chuqi went to Jiangcheng No. 1 High School with her uncle. The students were all in morning self-study at this hour, so they didn't encounter many people along the way. Gu Chuqi followed her uncle to the homeroom teachers’ office for the second-year students. Gu Changming called out to the woman sitting at the desk farther inside. “Teacher Xu.” The woman turned around and stood up. She nodded at Gu Changming before turning her attention to the girl standing behind him. She looked well-behaved, and her grades were good, too. A model student like her should be a great help to the class, but Xu Feiran couldn't help worrying that the other students might bully her. “So you’re Gu Chuqi?” Xu Feiran asked Gu Changming, though her eyes remained fixed on Gu Chuqi. “Yes. I’ll have to trouble you to look after her from now on, Teacher Xu.” “Qiqi, this is your homeroom teacher, Teacher Xu. From now on, you’ll be in Class One of the Second-Year Science Department.” Gu Chuqi politely greeted her. “Hello, Teacher Xu.” “Oh, hello.” Xu Feiran liked her more and more. She was both obedient and polite. “Qiqi, you go with Teacher Xu. Uncle will head back to my office first.” Gu Changming taught first-year students, so his office was on another floor. “Come on, Chuqi. I’ll take you to your classroom.” With that, Xu Feiran left the office and headed toward another teaching building, with Gu Chuqi following closely behind. As they walked through the school building, the sound of students reading aloud could be heard almost everywhere, occasionally interrupted by bursts of chatter and laughter. Although Jiangcheng No. 1 High School was an excellent school with the highest college admission rate in the city year after year, it also had quite a few wealthy students who didn't take their studies seriously. Class One of the Second-Year Science Department, which Xu Feiran was in charge of, was particularly notorious for having a large number of rich young masters and heiresses. One was more unruly than the next, and their sense of superiority was especially strong. Class One of the Second-Year Science Department was located on the northernmost side of the third floor of Deshan Building. Classes One through Six were arranged from north to south, while Science Classes Seven through Fifteen occupied the fourth and fifth floors. There were fewer liberal arts classes, which were located on the first and second floors. Before Xu Feiran even reached the classroom, she could already hear the noisy commotion coming from inside. Her temper immediately flared. Sure enough, it was those troublesome students sitting in the back of the classroom again. Xu Hao turned to Guo Yichen sitting beside him. “Guozi, what’s up with Xun-ge today? Why isn’t he here yet?” Guo Yichen shrugged. “Who knows? I only heard that the yellow-haired guy from No. 3 Middle School said last Wednesday that he was going to teach Xun-ge a lesson.” Zhou Xinxin snorted. “Teach him a lesson? Hah! You mean get beaten up single-handedly? They should know who Xun-ge is first.” “...” Xu Feiran strode straight into the classroom and slapped the blackboard eraser against the desk, signaling everyone to quiet down. She gave a sharp glare toward the students sitting in the last few rows of Groups One and Two. Guo Yichen and the others immediately shut their mouths. They might usually do whatever they pleased, but they still had to give Old Xu some respect. Putting up with her for a moment was worth having some peace and quiet. “Everyone, quiet down. We have a new transfer student joining our class today. Let’s give her a round of applause.” As she spoke, she beckoned to Gu Chuqi, who was standing at the classroom door. Gu Chuqi took a deep breath and stepped into the classroom. Standing on the podium and looking at all the unfamiliar faces staring back at her, she felt a little nervous. Down below, the students immediately began whispering among themselves. “Why transfer schools at this time? The first semester of sophomore year is almost over.” “Exactly. Won’t that affect her grades?” “The transfer student is so pretty!” “She’s really cute. She looks so delicate and fragile.” If Mo Xun had been there at that moment, he probably would have questioned that last statement. After all, not just anyone could effortlessly throw a six-foot-tall man to the ground. ... Guo Yichen: “Wow, the transfer student is gorgeous. From this moment on, I officially declare that she’s my goddess.” Xu Hao smacked Guo Yichen on the shoulder. “You said the exact same thing about the class beauty next door last time.” Guo Yichen grinned. “What do you know? It’s only natural for everyone to appreciate beautiful things.” Zhou Xinxin rolled his eyes. “Have you already forgotten how badly you got laughed at last time?” “...” Listening to the discussion below, Gu Chuqi slowly spoke. “Hello, everyone. My name is Gu Chuqi. I hope we’ll get along well from now on.” As soon as she finished, the students began making a loud commotion again. “Of course! Everyone in Class One is super friendly.” “Whether it’s studying or everyday life, we can all help you out.” Hearing their words, Gu Chuqi slowly curled her fingers into a fist. Just then, the classroom’s back door was kicked open. Everyone turned toward the door. Gu Chuqi frowned and looked in that direction. The young man she had flirted with in the alley yesterday appeared lazily at the doorway. He wasn't wearing the school uniform. Instead, he had on a black hoodie. His skin was strikingly fair, and the sharp, smooth lines of his jaw gave him an unmistakably handsome appearance. The silver diamond stud was still hanging from his left ear. Mo Xun casually ignored the attention of the entire class as he swaggered into the room. He tossed his backpack onto his desk and sat down in the seat near the door.