The first time Song Zhehan saw Xiang Yang, he wasn’t a chubby boy.

Back in middle school, even the smallest news could be a hot topic among all the students for days. When a new transfer student arrived a month after school had already started, it became the talk of the entire school, even reaching the eighth graders.

During one of the breaks, Song Zhehan’s friends, who loved excitement, dragged him along to check out the class where Xiang Yang had been placed.

It was break time, and the hallway was packed with students. Amid the chatter of his friends, …