Chapter 16: The Beauty of First Encounters (Part 8)
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Thus, this young master born with a silver spoon in his mouth possessed resources and admirers that ordinary people could never hope to attain in a lifetime. In high spirits, he nodded to everyone who greeted him and even engaged in casual conversation with a few who came over to chat. With his status and naturally cheerful and dashing personality, he was well-liked and admired by many in the class, able to build connections and even make some half-friends. Of course, except for the one sitting at his front desk, who wore headphones and gazed out the window.
Ye Xiangwan only glanced at him when he entered. Though she suspected that Feng Jinyan’s good mood was inseparable from the input he received last night, she was too lazy to ponder further.
After attending the banquet and making the rounds, Young Master Feng finally returned to his seat. Standing beside his chair, he lowered his eyes to look at the only person in the entire class who rarely spoke more than three words all day.
“Ye Xiangwan.”
Feng Jinyan stood there for a while without seeing her turn around, so he tapped the desk lightly with his fingertips.
“?”
Ye Xiangwan merely looked up at him once, then went back to her previous state without another move.
“...Didn’t you see me?” Feng Jinyan furrowed his handsome brows.
“I did.”
Ye Xiangwan was silent for a moment, then softly exhaled two words before turning her gaze back to the window.
“You’re something else...” Feng Jinyan waved his hand in front of her eyes. “What do you look at all day? Am I not handsome enough? Don’t you know how to greet someone properly?”
Ye Xiangwan sighed and took off her headphones. “Did you greet me?”
Feng Jinyan was momentarily stunned before realizing it. He clicked his tongue and leaned over the desk, removing the other earphone from Ye Xiangwan.
“You’re a girl; don’t be so cold all the time. Why not be a bit more sociable? Humans are social creatures. Don’t you want to interact with others?”
Ye Xiangwan exhaled and finally looked at his handsome face. “Then what was it that you wanted to talk about with me past one o’clock last night?”
Feng Jinyan: “???”
The young master was momentarily speechless, his face flushed with embarrassment. Seizing the moment, Ye Xiangwan took back her headphones.
The classroom had become rather noisy, and many students were watching their exchange with interest. After placing the homework she was meant to collect neatly on the desk, Ye Xiangwan walked out of the classroom.
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The middle of this floor in Longchuan was hollow. Leaning on the railing, one could look down to see students on the first floor walking unhurriedly and the discipline officers scrutinizing passersby for any improper behavior like smoking or early romantic entanglements.
Ye Xiangwan rested her wrist on the railing, looking at the bustling scene below. She felt as if she had always existed outside this lively world, often watching people, trees, birds. At some point, she had lost the desire to communicate, merely observing in quiet solitude.
Perhaps, she thought, it was better not to reach out at all than to wait for her parents to sever ties abruptly.
She wondered if her fate or temperament would have been different had her brother not gone missing all those years ago.
The class bell rang, and Ye Xiangwan took off her headphones and returned to her seat.
The first lesson was Chinese. Their teacher was like a radiant beacon, the kind who seemed to shine with divine light. He was stout and broad-faced, seeming almost like a living Buddha installed on the podium.
At this moment, the “Buddha” said, “Since this is the first class of the day, I won’t collect your homework. Every day should start with something inspiring to enlighten everyone.
“Our latest essay topic is very passionate. Let’s have a student read their work... Ye Xiangwan, you come up. Your last diagnostic essay impressed me greatly. I believe this one will open our eyes even wider.”
Ye Xiangwan glanced down at the somewhat disheveled papers on her desk, then reached for a Chinese test paper that showed only a corner.
Ye Xiangwan: “...”
She stared at the paper in her hand for a long time.
The homework she had filled out fully last night was now cleaner than her own face.
“Ye Xiangwan, could you read your essay aloud?”
Ye Xiangwan hesitated briefly, then glanced sideways to see Feng Jinyan trembling behind her as if shocked by electricity.
Only someone who could be so delighted by swapping her homework would be truly remarkable.
As Ye Xiangwan remained silent, many classmates noticed her blank paper and began whispering among themselves.
The “Buddha” stepped down from the podium, his radiant smile kind and gentle as he approached Ye Xiangwan’s desk, only to see a completely blank page.
Ye Xiangwan lowered her eyes expressionlessly.
The “Buddha” stiffened like a statue.
The classroom atmosphere felt as if Ye Xiangwan had just danced wildly in a temple; the air froze for two seconds before the Buddha cracked a smile and softly said, “Ye Xiangwan, did you hear a sound?”
Ye Xiangwan was puzzled.
The Buddha pointed to his face: “My face is making that sound.”
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The implication was that his face was figuratively being slapped by his own words.
Ye Xiangwan: “...”
“Not entirely!” the Buddha responded.
The Buddha: “?”
Finally switching off his vibration mode, Feng Jinyan lifted his head with a mischievous grin. “Teacher, isn’t this what you call opening our eyes wide?”
The Buddha instantly became furious, striking his palm like a divine god. “Ye Xiangwan! Go stand at the back for punishment!”
Ye Xiangwan silently stared at Feng Jinyan, whose smirk threatened to split his face open, for two seconds before rising.
“Feng Jinyan, you’re coming too!” the Buddha roared.
Feng Jinyan: “???”
He paused, looking puzzled, gripping the back of his chair, seemingly unwilling to stand without an explanation.
“You two are so in sync! Good friends stick together. Hurry up and take your papers to the back and stand there immediately!”
Ye Xiangwan stood by her desk with the blank paper in hand, not turning her head, but shooting a sideways glance over the corner of her eyes at Feng Jinyan’s face. Her lips moved slightly, making a soft sound that, despite her neutral expression, was dripping with sarcasm.
The young master, somewhat displeased, picked up the paper from the desk and strode to the back of the classroom, standing against the wall, his eyes unwaveringly fixed on Ye Xiangwan, who had moved to the farthest corner of the room from him.
As if avoiding him like a virus.
Feng Jinyan: “...”
How much must she despise him?
Throughout the lesson, classmates kept sneaking looks, finding the master-servant gossip quite entertaining, especially since it was rare to see the young master put in his place.
The Chinese teacher selected another student’s paper to begin reading. Ye Xiangwan, at this moment, usually would have taken out homework from another subject to work on, but since she only had this one Chinese paper, she leaned against the back door somewhat lost.
Accustomed to always pushing forward with her head down, she rarely had time to daydream. Now, she didn’t even know what to think, only looking down at the paper, her gaze unfocused.