10

During the break, Meng Xin came down from the upper floors to find Lin Xiao, and the two headed to the school's small supermarket.

"Did you hear about a girl from the liberal arts class wanting to transfer to your class 18?" Meng Xin mentioned some gossip she'd heard from their homeroom teacher, Mr. Yu. "Apparently, our teacher, Mr. Yang, isn't too keen on accepting her, but since she's related to the principal, she'll probably end up in your class anyway."

Lin Xiao popped a piece of dried mango into her mouth and shook her head. "I didn't know. Mr. Yang hasn't mentioned it in class."

"Well, it's happening in the next few days, so it's probably a done deal." Meng Xin didn't understand. "Why would she want to switch to a science class if she didn't choose it initially?"

"Who knows? Maybe she's been in the liberal arts class for a while and decided science suits her better," Lin Xiao replied as she walked up the stairs. She was still thinking about the high-society gossip she'd heard earlier and wanted to discuss it with Meng Xin. But considering it was someone else's private matter, she struggled but decided to keep quiet.

The two parted ways at the fourth-floor stairs; Meng Xin went back to class while Lin Xiao headed upstairs.

Once Lin Xiao got to the classroom, the bell rang. She quickly finished the last piece of dried mango and stashed the remaining bag in her drawer. When the second bell rang, Jiang Yan and his friends returned to the room.

As soon as he got back to his seat, Jiang Yan caught a familiar smell and frowned. "Did you eat mango?"

Lin Xiao was surprised at how sensitive his nose seemed. Even though she had put the mango in her drawer, he could still smell it. "Yeah, I had some dried mango. Do you want some?"

"I don't want any!" Jiang Yan's tone suddenly escalated, making half the class turn to look.

"...."

What a fool.

Lin Xiao was about to snap back, but the teacher entered the classroom with the books. She had to swallow her words and silently cursed him several times in her head.

Why make such a fuss if you don't want it?

Lin Xiao was getting angrier and was on the verge of losing her temper when Jiang Yan suddenly slipped her a note.

Oh, so this guy knows classroom etiquette—passing notes instead of speaking out loud.

Lin Xiao took the note and read the scribbled words.

—"I'm allergic to mango."

Lin Xiao looked at him, her right hand unable to write, so she lowered her voice. "Is that true?"

Jiang Yan took the note back and quickly wrote, "Believe me, if I ate one, I'd perform a live death scene for you."

"..." Lin Xiao nodded. "I believe you."

The small misunderstanding cleared up, and Lin Xiao was less annoyed. She noticed the language teacher seemed to be paying attention to them, so she quickly slipped the note into her book and pretended to take notes.

Jiang Yan, as her new desk mate, observed her actions and figured her grades were probably on par with his other three friends. He remembered that Lin Xiao had once let others copy from her during exams, showing she had some guts.

Jiang Yan smirked, pulling out his phone to continue watching a drama.

Unaware of his random thoughts, Lin Xiao focused on avoiding buying mango-flavored snacks in the future.

Just in case someone decides to give her a live death scene.

—

After the language class ended, the rain outside cleared, and sunlight pierced through the clouds into the classroom. The boys sat in their seats, stretching and looking as if they had just woken up.

Jiang Yan went out again, and Lin Xiao stayed in her seat. Xu Huanhuan, sitting in front of her, turned around to chat. "When can you take off the cast on your arm?"

"About a month, but it depends on what the doctor says."

"Ah… that's still quite a while."

While they chatted, Jiang Yan returned. Lin Xiao stood up to let him in, and Xu Huanhuan, seemingly startled, quickly turned her head away without saying anything.

Jiang Yan was puzzled. "Am I that frightening?"

"Pretty much." Lin Xiao sat back down. "I feel like having you as a desk mate has cut off all my social interactions in this class."

"Who said that?" Jiang Yan leaned to the side and patted the desks of Hu Hanghang and Song Yuan. "Let me introduce you to a new friend."

The two of them looked up in unison. "We don't believe you. Your new friend is just 'mud bean' and 'bean mud.'"

They were referring to a previous joke where Jiang Yan pretended to introduce a nonexistent friend named "Mud Bean," which left them thinking they'd seen a ghost.

"'Mud Bean'—just a joke," Jiang Yan said with a chuckle.

From then on, they stopped believing any new friend introductions from Jiang Yan.

He still remembered that incident and couldn't help but laugh when he brought it up.

The gentle breeze and sunlight bathed Jiang Yan's soft black hair, highlighting his bright smile and youthful energy. Leaning casually against the wall, his eyes sparkled with light.

He introduced Lin Xiao with a grin. "Let me properly introduce my desk mate, Lin Xiao."

"She's outstanding. Even when facing adversity herself, she never forgets to help those who are similarly struggling."

Jiang Yan was referring to the time Lin Xiao let others copy her exam answers. Lin Xiao didn't think of it that way and was confused by his words.

Facing adversity?

Is this a warning from a big shot about her dangerous situation?

Lin Xiao felt a renewed sense of insecurity about her safety.

The two clearly weren't on the same wavelength but continued to interact.

Hu Hanghang and Song Yuan were very respectful, each holding one of Lin Xiao's hands and shaking them seriously. "Lin Xiao, thank you for enduring the hardship of being Brother Yan's desk mate."

Lin Xiao responded, "It's no trouble. After all, caring for the weak and the sick is a traditional virtue of our Chinese nation."

Hu Hanghang: "Impressive."

Song Yuan: "Really impressive."

Afterwards, Hu Hanghang asked, "Which category does our Brother Yan fall into?"

Lin Xiao replied calmly, "Definitely 'sick.'"

Jiang Yan, who was watching, asked, "Why?"

Lin Xiao paused and explained, "Isn't being mentally challenged a kind of disability?"

Jiang Yan: "..."

Song Yuan: "..."

Hu Hanghang: "..."

He's a ruthless character.

Not only is he three points more ruthless than others, but he's also extremely arrogant.

—

Under Jiang Yan's chaotic arrangement, Lin Tiao successfully integrated into the small group of four.

At dinner in the evening, Hu Hanghang smiled at Lin Tiao and said, "Lin Tiao, when you don't speak, you're like a gentle person, but once you start talking, you're like a fierce one."

He added, "Still, it's the big boss's fierce side."

Lin Tiao: "..."

Jiang Yan, sitting nearby, shamelessly said, "See, I helped you restore your fallen social connections."

"Thank you so much," Lin Tiao replied, holding her chopsticks with her left hand, still a bit awkward.

Seeing this, Jiang Yan immediately served Lin Tiao a portion of every dish on the table, causing everyone to look up at him.

Jiang Yan paused and said, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with showing care for my tablemate?"

Xu Yichuan smiled and said, "Yeah, what's wrong with caring for your tablemate?"

Hu Hanghang chimed in, "Yeah, caring for your tablemate, what's wrong with a friendly society?" He also served Song Yuan several dishes, adding, "Good tablemate, eat more."

Song Yuan skillfully played along, "Thank you, my tablemate."

Lin Tiao: "..."

She finally understood how these people managed to get along so well.

Indeed, there's no such thing as too much drama.

After dinner, the sun had set, and the entire campus was shrouded in darkness. The five of them walked along the path, chatting and laughing. As Lin Tiao watched the four of them, she felt a bit of anticipation for the next two years of high school.

Back in the classroom, the bell rang not long after.

After a 35-minute English listening session, Mr. Yu entered the classroom with a girl carrying a backpack.

Lin Tiao remembered Meng Xin mentioning a class transfer in the morning and guessed that the girl was the new transfer student, but she didn't expect it to be someone she knew.

Mr. Yu stood on the podium with the girl and said, "This is our new classmate who transferred from the second-year literature class. Please welcome her."

"Really? Transferring from a literature class?"

"This girl is impressive."

The girl spoke amidst scattered applause, "Hello everyone, my name is Tao Jia. I was in Class 16 in the first year, then moved to Literature Class 3, and now I've transferred to Class 18. Please take care of me."

Tao Jia.

She was the girl who sat behind Lin Tiao during the last semester's final exams, and they had planned to have a meal together after the exams. However, Tao Jia didn't show up for the English exam, so the plan fell through.

Unexpectedly, fate had brought them to the same class.

Lin Tiao couldn't help but marvel at how fate worked in mysterious ways.

Class 18 was already at full capacity, and even the prime spots next to the podium were occupied, leaving no available seats.

After consulting with Tao Jia, Mr. Yu instructed Hu Hanghang to move two desks and chairs to the last row of the first group.

"We'll keep the seating arrangement like this for now and adjust it after next month's monthly test."

After explaining the discipline rules, Mr. Yu left. Some girls in the class, who were former classmates of Tao Jia, began to chat, causing a bit of noise in the classroom.

However, it quickly quieted down.

The stern face of the headmaster, Li Kun, appeared on the glass of the classroom's back door.

The self-study period soon ended.

Tao Jia briefly chatted with her former classmates, then walked over to Xu Huanhuan's seat and said, "Hey, Lin Tiao, nice to see you again."

Lin Tiao looked up and exchanged a few casual words with her. Tao Jia remembered the meal she had promised, saying, "I'll treat you to a meal sometime!"

Before Lin Tiao could refuse, Tao Jia turned to Jiang Yan and added, "And my lifesaver you should come along too."

"Lifesaver?" Jiang Yan asked, puzzled

?

Lifesaver