The biggest realization Ji Nian had after repeating her second year of high school this year, compared to her past life, was the atmosphere around her.
Since more than half of her class planned to study abroad, the academic pressure wasn’t particularly intense. Even in Gu Xiuyuan’s class (senior year), apart from those who had already gone abroad, the remaining students all had fluffy hair—clearly washed regularly—and excellent mental states.
Comparing this to her past life in high school, where she woke up at 4 a.m. every day, washed her face with cold water, memorized vocabulary while eating and using the bathroom, and returned from fetching water only to find her desk buried under new test papers… where classmates on the verge of breakdowns cried while cramming relentlessly…
Ji Nian sighed.
“Why the sigh? Are you hungry?”
A beep sounded from the turnstile behind her, signaling someone had entered the school gate after her. Then, a gentle, clear voice came from above her head.
Without turning around, Ji Nian looked up. The person had already taken a few steps to stand beside her.
Her vision was flooded with a soft, golden hue, shimmering like liquid under the morning light.
Ji Nian instinctively lingered her gaze on that golden hair and mused: [Lu Jinghuai’s hair looks like it wouldn’t prick his stomach at all.]
System: [………]
Three years had passed, and Lu Jinghuai had become even more breathtaking, his "holy aura" effect now on another level.
Of course, the changes to his face were minor. The most noticeable transformation was—his height.
Ji Nian had to tilt her head back to meet his silver-gray eyes.
“I’m not hungry. Later, don’t walk into the classroom with me. Every time we arrive around the same time, people keep asking if we’re dating.”
From the age of fifteen, Lu Jinghuai had shot up like bamboo after rain. If Ji Nian didn’t see him for a few days, she’d inevitably notice he’d grown taller again.
When he reached Gu Xiuyuan’s height, Gu Xiuyuan could still maintain his composure. But the day everyone realized Lu Jinghuai had surpassed him and was approaching He Xiang’s height, Gu Xiuyuan’s smile vanished forever.
Who’s the male lead here, anyway?
Now, at least, Lu Jinghuai had finally stopped growing.
Hearing Ji Nian’s words, Lu Jinghuai lowered his eyes and smiled. “My apologies. It’s my fault.”
Truthfully, Ji Nian was baffled too. No matter what time she arrived, Lu Jinghuai always showed up right after her. The coincidence was downright eerie.
But complaints aside, she didn’t actually blame him. “It’s fine. I just have to put in the effort to explain.”
As soon as she finished speaking, someone suddenly darted out from nowhere.
He seemed to have been pushed forward, his face burning red, avoiding eye contact with Ji Nian.
“Ji-Ji-Ji Nian.”
Ji Nian vaguely recognized him.
He was the P.E. monitor from the neighboring class. She remembered him because, during a lab session, he’d nearly started a fire. While everyone froze, Ji Nian rushed over to put it out, slapped some sense into the idiot, and scolded him thoroughly—even the teacher standing nearby caught some of her words…
“What’s up?”
Was this about the lab incident?
The boy stammered, “Um… I wanted to ask… are you dating Lu Jinghuai?”
Ji Nian glanced at the person beside her.
See?
Lu Jinghuai caught her look and answered for her, “No, we’re very good friends.”
He took the responsibility of explaining.
The boy’s face lit up!
Suddenly, he dared to meet Ji Nian’s eyes.
“Then, since you’re not dating anyone… would you consider me? After you scolded me last time… I couldn’t forget it. I even dreamt about you yelling at me.”
Ji Nian: Bruce, take notes. This is the kind of dedication you need in your studies.
Hearing the confession, Lu Jinghuai showed no reaction at all. He even reminded Ji Nian, “He’s confessing to you.”
“Sorry.”
Ji Nian rejected him outright, walking past the boy with icy indifference—almost heartlessly.
But the boy had clearly prepared himself beforehand and wasn’t ready to give up.
Still, being coldly rejected by someone he liked stung.
As Lu Jinghuai passed by, he kindly comforted the boy, “Don’t be upset.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you. You just don’t meet her standards.”
The boy was moved. No wonder Lu Jinghuai was privately called the "Saint." So gentle, so kind—wahh!
Then a question struck him.
Not her standards?
What kind of guy does Ji Nian like?
As he wondered, he watched Lu Jinghuai catch up to Ji Nian in a few strides. On the stairs, as if responding to something she said, Lu Jinghuai leaned down slightly, his golden silk-like hair slipping forward as he tucked it behind his ear—revealing something glinting on his earlobe.
When he noticed the boy’s gaze, his eyes flicked over. Gone was the earlier gentleness. His silver-gray eyes, never warm to begin with, turned sharp and venomous, like a serpent coiling around its prey, sending chills down the spine.
The boy shuddered violently.
When he looked again, Lu Jinghuai was casually smirking at him, a hint of mischief in his expression before he averted his gaze.
But the boy didn’t feel any better. Because Lu Jinghuai’s expression just now seemed to say—
‘Someone like me.’
The boy’s heart felt stabbed.
Objectively, he was tall, decent-looking, and ranked top in his class—not your typical "dumb jock." But compared to Lu Jinghuai…
Well, the gap wasn’t small.
“Dude, it’s just one rejection. Why so crushed?”
Clueless classmates gathered around, teasing him. “Weren’t you the one who said you’d get back up even after a hundred rejections?”
“Lu Jinghuai’s such a good guy, huh? I used to scoff at how obsessed people were with him, but he actually comforted you.”
The boy kept replaying Lu Jinghuai’s expression.
Then he looked at the naive faces around him.
He felt utterly drained…
Even if he told them what he’d seen, they’d probably think he was just jealous, hallucinating out of spite.
“I’m exhausted…”
The boy wanted to cry.
...
“Hey, Ji Nian, this bunny pencil holder is so cute! Where’d you get it?”
Her old one had broken, so Ji Nian brought a new one.
It was handmade by Chen Mo—since Ji Tingzhou often gifted her crafts, her uncle couldn’t fall behind.
“No link. It’s handmade.”
She almost said "my uncle," but then she spotted Lu Jinghuai wiping the blackboard at the front and held back.
She didn’t want to trigger his childhood trauma.
“Whoa! How’d this eraser crack? Lu Jinghuai, is your hand okay?”
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