Chapter 2

After lunch, Xue Qingqing returned to the classroom, holding her face in her hands as she stared obsessively at her desk mate, Lin Zhiyuan, who was diligently doing his homework. She occasionally let out a silly giggle.

Suddenly, she overheard some girls discussing how the new transfer student was more charming than Lin Zhiyuan. As Lin Zhiyuan’s number one fan, Xue Qingqing felt uneasy and tried to console him, “That He Dongchen looks like a delinquent who doesn’t study. How could he compare to you? Humph, they’re blind and shallow!”

Lin Zhiyuan continued writing, swiftly completing a math problem, his expression indifferent. “Nonsense.”

Xue Qingqing pouted and lay her head on the desk, gazing up at Lin Zhiyuan’s focused profile. “You can’t finish all this homework. Why don’t you lie down and take a nap so you won’t be sleepy this afternoon?”

Lying down to sleep meant they would have slept on the same desk, which seemed thrilling to her. Xue Qingqing’s cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes sparkled.

“No need,” Lin Zhiyuan replied. His top grades were not achieved through sleeping but through relentless practice.

Moreover, Lin Zhiyuan turned slightly to look at the girl in the back row, who was also busy solving problems. He pursed his lips.

“What are you looking at?” Xue Qingqing tilted her head and followed Lin Zhiyuan’s gaze. She saw the second-ranked girl in their grade flipping through a test paper noisily.

Xue Qingqing frowned and muttered, “Doesn’t she know it’s lunchtime? She’s so loud.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a group of boys came in, arms around each other’s shoulders, looking sweaty and disheveled after playing basketball. They noisily took their seats, drinking water and fanning themselves, turning the once-quiet classroom into a lively place.

He Dongchen felt refreshed after the exercise. He planned to sit down and have some water but felt annoyed seeing Xue Qingqing and Lin Zhiyuan, the main characters. He turned to the boy sitting across the aisle from him. “Hey, classmate, how about we switch seats?”

The boy was tall and thin, like a bamboo pole. He glanced at the intimidating He Dongchen and quietly gathered his things to move.

He Dongchen, satisfied, flashed a bright smile. “I’ve got your back from now on.”

The kid looked like an easy target, so He decided to be kind and take care of him.

It was another day of being a good person.

The boy didn’t say a word, but he moved his belongings a bit faster.

Just then, a dissatisfied female voice came from the front, “New student, why are you bullying others? Wang Xiaoming was sitting here just fine. What gives you the right to make him change seats?”

The speaker was none other than Xue Qingqing, who had been upset earlier because some girls said He Dongchen was more charming than Lin Zhiyuan. Seeing He Dongchen confidently demanding a seat change ignited her simmering anger.

He Dongchen glanced at the righteous Xue Qingqing without arguing and nodded slightly at Wang Xiaoming. “Tell her whose idea it was to switch seats.”

Wang Xiaoming adjusted his glasses and said softly, “I wanted to change.”

It wasn’t just because He Dongchen seemed tough; it was also because someone in front of him was large and blocked the blackboard. Moving behind Xue Qingqing gave him a better view.

Xue Qingqing glared at them, disappointed in Wang Xiaoming’s lack of courage. She gave Wang Xiaoming and He Dongchen a fierce look before turning away in a huff.

With no one to obstruct them, the two quickly swapped seats. He Dongchen moved from the fourth to the fifth row. Although he could still see the main characters in the row ahead of him, it was better than sitting directly behind them and being forced to watch.

***

He Dongchen arrived just when the original owner had made his entrance. The original was the only child of his family, a genuine second-generation rich kid. His parents, Father He and Mother He, had built He Real Estate from scratch. Unfortunately, Mother He was injured during childbirth and passed away a few years later. The original owner was under 5 years old at that time, and he and his father relied on each other for a few years.

Father He, feeling sorry for his motherless young son, spoiled him greatly. The boy was sensible and didn’t grow up spoiled, always being the child others envied.

The trouble began when Father He suddenly announced his intention to remarry after the original owner graduated from middle school. His new wife was his secretary; a classic tale of a boss and a secretary, which inevitably sparked a lot of speculation.

The original owner couldn’t accept this at first, and with some scheming friends constantly telling him that having a stepmother would mean having a stepfather, he became rebellious. In a fit of anger, he ran away from home and went to his mother’s hometown, Haishi, to attend high school.

(T/N: Having a step mother means having a stepfather = saying; meaning, having a stepmother would make your father act like a stepfather.)

He deliberately let himself go, skipping classes, fighting, smoking, drinking, and letting his grades plummet, all in an attempt to threaten his father.

However, Father He was dealing with a company crisis at the time, busy with a problematic project, and couldn’t pay attention to his son’s antics.

The original owner, unable to wait for his father’s compromise, became disheartened and went out drinking. He ended up drunk and collapsed on the street, where he was found and taken home by Xue Qingqing, marking the beginning of their friendship.

Xue Qingqing was simple and persistent, occasionally a bit confused, and she chased after Lin Zhiyuan tirelessly, ignoring any gossip. Her determined pursuit gradually moved the original owner.

The original owner fell for her, became jealous, and finally exploded, pursuing Xue Qingqing fiercely with grand gestures like lighting candles at the playground and singing love songs over the school radio. Xue Qingqing was flustered, Lin Zhiyuan was jealous and angry, and the entire school buzzed with their drama.

Because the original owner’s confession was so dramatic, and he remained single afterward, people believed he was deeply in love with Xue Qingqing.

The original owner was left speechless and extremely frustrated.

***

Tsk, tsk. He Dongchen found it nauseating. Fortunately, the story had just begun, and he had no connection with Xue Qingqing yet. The scenario of being drunk and taken home would never happen.

He was determined to be a good student.

He Dongchen neatly arranged a stack of brand-new books on his desk, creating a small visual barrier.

Ding ding ding!

The class bell rang.

Yuan Jin, who was engrossed in her exercises, put away her practice book and took out her math textbook for the lesson. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a stranger sitting beside her.

Where was Wang Xiaoming?

Yuan Jin’s eyes were filled with confusion, making her look a bit dazed.

Seeing her reaction, He Dongchen said, “You didn’t notice the big commotion when we changed seats?”

Yuan Jin felt embarrassed and whispered, “I was thinking about a math problem and got too absorbed.”

“You’re so focused. Don’t you recognize me?” He Dongchen was curious.

“I recognize you. You’re He Dongchen, the new transfer student from this morning.” Yuan Jin spoke earnestly, as if trying to prove she wasn’t completely oblivious. However, she didn’t realize that her serious expression made her look even more clueless.

He Dongchen’s gaze drifted from her round eyes to the name badge on her uniform. His eyes flickered slightly, and a smile played on his lips. “Hello, Yuan Jin.”

Just as he spoke, the math teacher walked in, ending their conversation.

“Today, we’re learning about trigonometric functions. Open your books…”

Throughout the morning, not only did the students get to know He Dongchen, but even the teachers were aware that a super-rich second-generation had transferred to their school. The teachers were unsure about He Dongchen’s temperament, so no one called on him during the lessons.

He Dongchen enjoyed his freedom. The content in the textbooks was elementary for him, so he didn’t pay much attention in class. He borrowed a pen from his desk mate and doodled on a piece of paper to pass the time.

To others, he looked like a typical slacker.

***

After the day ended, He Dongchen returned to his place near the school. It was a three-bedroom apartment, spacious and bright, though the decor was a bit outdated.

The apartment was left to him by his maternal grandfather.

He casually cooked himself a bowl of noodles but hadn’t started eating when he received a text from his father.

[Dad’s busy with the company. Stay in Haishi and focus on your studies. I’ve sent Assistant Chen over.]

Following this, he received a bank notification of a deposit of 1 million yuan.

He Dongchen grinned. Looks like I wouldn’t have to worry about money in this life.

Assistant Chen was the original owner’s personal assistant, handling all his daily needs and expenses, which were charged to his father’s account as long as they didn’t exceed a certain limit.

The 1 million yuan was just pocket money from his father.

With money to spend and someone to take care of errands, the task was off to a good start.

After finishing his noodles, He Dongchen washed the dishes. Since first-year high school students weren’t required to attend evening study sessions, he had his evenings free. He spent the night playing a few rounds of games with some boys he met that day and quickly got hooked.

Due to his high skill level, He Dongchen ended up carrying several newbies, killing monsters, and leveling up until they reluctantly called it a night at midnight.

***

The next day, when the class representative Yuan Jin came to collect homework, He Dongchen looked at her innocently and said, “I just transferred here yesterday.”

They stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Meanwhile, in the classroom, the female lead Xue Qingqing was frantically doing her homework. No, she was frantically copying homework, her pen moving so fast it was a blur.

Lin Zhiyuan frowned. “Where were you last night?”

Xue Qingqing replied hastily amidst her busyness, “I forgot!”

“Your brain can’t remember anything.”

Xue Qingqing leaned closer, licking her lips with a smile. “But I remember you.”

Lin Zhiyuan’s ears turned slightly red, lips pursed in silence. Xue Qingqing was always so straightforward and passionate. Saying he didn’t care was fake, but he knew in his heart that studying was the most important thing now, and he couldn’t let love distract him.

Wang Xiaoming, sitting behind the two, was fed up early in the morning. Suddenly, he felt like he had chosen the wrong seat!

***

School time always flew by. Before he knew it, He Dongchen had been mingling at Fist High School for over half a month.

Indeed, in the eyes of teachers and students alike, He Dongchen, who casually skipped class and didn’t hand in assignments, was a slacker, a poor student.

However, he was handsome, generous, and played basketball well. He was quite popular in school.

One morning, He Dongchen found a pink letter on his desk. He raised an eyebrow and asked his desk mate, who was diligently reciting his lessons, “Who put this here?”

Yuan Jin didn’t even look up, replying when she found a moment, “I don’t know.”

He Dongchen nodded, not saying anything else. He put the love letter back in the drawer, not opening it or throwing it away, planning to deal with it at home. He didn’t want any cheesy drama like someone’s love letter being posted on the school’s bulletin board.

Seeing his actions, Yuan Jin zoned out for a few seconds, which was rare for her.

Actually, she knew who had put it there. It was the class beauty from the next class, and she had even heard that the class beauty had made a bet with someone about when she could win over He Dongchen’s affection.

Yuan Jin thought He Dongchen looked like he wasn’t serious, but he was actually quite nice. A few days ago, when she wasn’t feeling well, He Dongchen even helped her ask the PE teacher for leave.

Well, it would be even better if he could hand in his assignments on time.