Chapter 3: Deskmate

Chapter 3

Class B was located on the third floor in the center of the senior high school building. Teacher Qin had specifically chosen this classroom based on feng shui principles.

Lu Chi swore that he heard Xiao Yan say he could transfer to Class B on the condition that Lin ChuSui stayed.

"If I'm lying, may I be plagued by sleep paralysis tonight!"

Lin ChuSui was skeptical. After all, Lu Chi had been her friend since childhood and wouldn't make things up out of nowhere.

"Then why doesn't he admit it?"

"He's shy, of course."

"He doesn't seem like a shy person."

At their first encounter, his imposing manner had almost made Lin ChuSui kneel down and call him daddy.

"Do you know how popular the genius Xiao Yan is?" Lu Chi came over and sat next to her. "Let me tell you, my ex-girlfriend makes a post about her endless love and admiration for him every night now."

Lin ChuSui lazily glanced at him. "Why don't you just block this ex?"

Lu Chi said, "That would make me seem petty. I'm just waiting to see her get rejected and cry over Xiao Yan."

Lin ChuSui: "..."

Zhang Cheng Yu, a geeky tech expert, quickly looked up information on Xiao Yan.

"Orphan, genius, prestigious family, organ transplant, fire... His life has been full of twists and turns, like a TV drama."

Lin ChuSui said, "Octopus, can you say that in words us losers can understand?"

"Let me explain," Lu Chi gave a simple account. "He's an orphan who was adopted by a well-connected family years ago. They had a son with liver cancer who needed a transplant. And Xiao Yan happened to have the rare panda blood type..."

Lin ChuSui was drawn into this melodramatic story. "It's not what I'm thinking, right...?"

Lu Chi said, "It's exactly what you're thinking. That family took him abroad, removed part of his liver, and used it to save their son's life."

"Damn."

"Two years later, that family's house caught fire, and only Xiao Yan survived."

"He...did it?"

Lu Chi calmly continued, "No one knows if he started the fire, but he was the only one home at the time."

"Why would he do that?"

"There was a lot of cash hidden in his adoptive parents' home, you know." Lu Chi meaningfully said, "After the fire, they couldn't cover it up anymore. Xiao Yan's adoptive father was brought to court and given a suspended death sentence. It made headlines in Nan City for days back then."

Zhang Cheng Yu remarked: "Badass."

Lu Chi said, "He is badass, but also utterly ruthless—bearing it for so many years, willing to stake his life, and personally sending his adoptive dad to stand trial."

Having said this, they both looked at Lin ChuSui sympathetically—

You've caught the eye of a "monster."

Soon, the upbeat class advisor Teacher Qin walked into the classroom, followed by a clean-cut boy in a white shirt.

Lin ChuSui recognized him as the "fake foreigner" Xu Jia Ning.

As soon as he entered, the girls in class seemed to sense it and lifted their heads in unison, staring straight at him. Their eyes glowed with the predatory light of youthful desire.

"Let me introduce the new transfer student who tested into our Class B—Xu Jia Ning. Welcome him, everyone."

Before Teacher Qin had even finished speaking, thunderous applause almost blew the roof off.

Especially Lu Tian Bai in the front row next to Lin ChuSui, whose clapping sounded like gongs.

"Hello everyone, I'm Xu Jia Ning. I transferred from Eton College. I'm very happy to study with you all in the future. I have many interests, all related to music. I can play guitar and piano. Let's play together in the future."

No one knew what "Eton College" was, but they felt it must be impressive.

Leaning against the desk behind her, Lin ChuSui asked Zhang Cheng Yu, "Where's this guy from?"

Zhang Cheng Yu whispered, "Based on the pronunciation, it should be Eton College."

Lin ChuSui quickly looked it up on her phone—

Eton College, the most famous aristocratic boarding school in the UK, unmatched in its reputation for fostering "gentlemanly culture" and being an "elite cradle." It had produced over 20 British Prime Ministers.

She put her phone down and curled her lip.

Wow, crazy prestigious.

Teacher Qin let Xu Jia Ning choose an empty seat in the front row. The girls tidied up the spots next to them, and some even wanted to mercilessly kick out their current deskmates to make room for Xu Jia Ning.

But Xu Jia Ning didn't look at them.

Maintaining a veneer of British courtesy, he seemed aloof and detached.

"Lin ChuSui."

Xiao Yan suddenly called her name while doing exercises, startling her.

His tone made her think her dad was back!

"Wha...What!"

"Take out your math test paper."

"Huh?"

"That math test where you only got 9 points. Take it out."

It took Lin ChuSui a moment to react. She took out the crumpled test paper from her drawer.

Xiao Yan accepted the wrinkled paper and carefully looked over it, checking the questions she got right and the large swaths she had left blank. His straight brows knitted together.

"It's not that you have academic problems, but ideological ones."

Xiao Yan's slender fingertip tapped the last question on the test. "Why are you writing poetry on your math test?"

Lin ChuSui was completely cowed by his solemn expression and tone. She was so nervous she almost knelt down and called him daddy.

After a stunned moment, Lin ChuSui reacted—

Who the hell do you think you are!

She snatched back her test paper. "It's none of your business if I write poetry or not!"

He glanced at Lin ChuSui's math test again and reminded, "Writing poetry and sucking up won't make your teacher deduct points."

Lin ChuSui looked at him. "Any suggestions, Mr. Genius?"

Xiao Yan's fingertip tapped her acrostic suck-up poem. "You wrote the math teacher's name as the Chinese teacher's name."

Lin ChuSui: ?

She hurriedly checked the math teacher's name in her textbook.

She really had written the wrong name!

For the rest of class, Lin ChuSui regretted messing up the teachers' names and brown-nosing the wrong one.

After class, she sidled up to Xiao Yan and asked, "Are you good at English, Mr. Genius?"

"Not bad."

"What does Narcissus mean?" Lin ChuSui clumsily spelled out what Xu Jia Ning had called her earlier.

"What?"

"Nar-cis-sus."

Xiao Yan blinked his long lashes.

"'Narcissus' narcissisted to death?"

"Are you sure it's the same word?" Lin ChuSui slumped over her desk. "Ranked first yet can't even understand 'Narcissus narcissisted to death.'"

Just then, Xu Jia Ning's crisp British accent came from behind her. "She said Narcissus."

Lin ChuSui whipped around to glare furiously at him.

Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "Narcissus, daffodil, also means self-obsessed."

Lin ChuSui did not understand: "Why does daffodil mean self-obsessed?"

"It comes from Greek mythology. Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. He was very handsome but spurned all admirers. He spent his days pining at his own reflection in the water, eventually falling in love with himself and dying from melancholy, turning into the daffodil flower. In English contexts, daffodils are used to describe self-obsession."

"..."

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's explanation, Lin ChuSui was very angry. She turned around and with a "bang" flipped Xu Jia Ning's desk. "You're the self-obsessed one, you fake foreign devil!"

Xu Jia Ning was doing homework and couldn't be bothered to respond to her. He didn't expect this girl to be so feisty, continuously shoving his desk.

Unable to endure it any longer, he stood up and said to Lin ChuSui: "Try that again if you dare."

"Oh? The fake foreign devil isn't pretending to be a gentleman anymore?" Lin ChuSui also stood up and shoved his desk again forcefully.

Xu Jia Ning also stood up, grabbing her slender wrist: "I don't bicker with women, but don't go too far."

Just as Lin ChuSui was about to retaliate, another stronger hand reached over, clasping Xu Jia Ning's wrist and twisting hard.

Xu Jia Ning's wrist was wrenched out of shape, releasing Lin ChuSui. The pain made his eyebrows furrow.

Xiao Yan's eyes as dark as the abyss stared at him, his low voice full of threat—

"Don't-Touch-Her."