Chapter 29: The Beautiful Classmate

Chen Yunxi was considered a famous student throughout the entire second year of high school, and for good reason: every time she took an exam, she was either first or second in her grade, rarely falling out of the top three. Feng Yisheng naturally liked to interact with such a top student, especially since Chen Yunxi was not only academically outstanding but also very beautiful. He replied, “There was something going on at home, sorry about that.”

“Oh, I see. Well, let’s head to the classroom together then,” Chen Yunxi said in a sweet voice.

“Sure,” Feng Yisheng answered with an impassive expression, but inside he was overjoyed.

After all, Chen Yunxi was not only beautiful but also performed well academically. He had heard that many boys pursued her, and to his surprise, she seemed to be interested in him now.

Haha, being handsome really does make a difference.

...

“Feng Yisheng, I’ve noticed you seem different,” Chen Yunxi said, walking up to him. She couldn’t help but reach out and lightly pat his chest with her right hand.

But almost immediately, she seemed to realize something, her face flushed bright red, and she quickly withdrew her hand.

Feng Yisheng didn’t notice her embarrassment; he was just puzzled by her gesture but still replied happily, “Really? I don’t think I’ve changed.”

“You seem taller and stronger,” Chen Yunxi said, adjusting herself and speaking seriously.

“Oh, not really. Us boys are different from you girls. This is the time when we’re still growing, isn’t it good to get taller?” Feng Yisheng replied.

“I see. Well, class will start soon, let’s go to the classroom first,” Chen Yunxi said.

Feng Yisheng nodded, and the two walked side by side, with Chen Yunxi occasionally laughing at something Feng Yisheng said.

Not far away, a pair of jealous eyes watched their backs, filled with anger. Feng Yisheng sensed it long ago—it was Zhuang Bi—but he deliberately didn’t turn around.

...

Back when Feng Yisheng was at Mount Tai, after reaching the first stage of Qi Refinement, he thought about teaching Zhuang Bi a lesson when he returned to Changnan. But after coming back, he realized that arguing with an ordinary person would only lower his own status.

Now, as someone who had reached the first stage of Qi Refinement, Zhuang Bi was no more than an ant to him. Feng Yisheng didn’t go looking for trouble with Zhuang Bi, but if Zhuang Bi came to him, he wouldn’t hold back.

Zhuang Bi was also in Feng Yisheng’s class. Seeing the girl he liked walking and laughing with Feng Yisheng—the loser—he showed a trace of bitter resentment.

He remembered how he used to bully Feng Yisheng, and Chen Yunxi would speak up for him. Yet Feng Yisheng never dared to get close to Chen Yunxi, nor did he dare to walk with her.

Every time he got close, he would get beaten by Zhuang Bi. Zhuang Bi thought to himself, “So you’re bold now, Feng Yisheng. Missing for ten days, and now you come back, forgetting the pain after the wound heals. Just wait and see how I’ll teach you a lesson.”

...

Nanshui Foreign Language School had three large teaching buildings, one for each grade, and the second-year students were in the second building.

As expected, after missing many days of classes, Feng Yisheng’s homeroom teacher summoned him to the office right after the first period when she learned he had come to school.

The first period was a foreign language class. In a foreign language school, foreign language was valued even more than national literature. It was a rather dull lesson, mostly about grammar. The teacher was a woman under thirty, quite attractive and single. Many male teachers in the school were said to be pursuing her.

The forty-five-minute class went by without overtime. Of course, the students liked listening to her; a beautiful teacher who taught well was always popular.

After class, Feng Yisheng went to the office. His homeroom teacher was a young woman, so young she almost looked like a student herself. Rumor had it she had just graduated from university and completed her graduate studies before starting to teach high school, barely six years older than Feng Yisheng.

When she saw him enter, she stood up and smiled slightly. “Feng Yisheng, even if you had something going on at home, you should have informed the school in advance. You were unreachable for over a week, and your parents’ phones couldn’t be reached either. Was something wrong?”

She spoke directly, her beautiful eyes fixed on him, waiting for his explanation.

Feng Yisheng felt a little embarrassed. To be honest, he used to think his homeroom teacher was beautiful, but at that time he was extremely shy and didn’t dare look her in the eye. Now, being stared at by her, he still felt a bit shy.

But soon, it was as if he had grown up in an instant. The embarrassment faded from his face, and he met her gaze directly.

...

His teacher’s name was He Lan, a graduate of Xijiang Normal University. Her academic background was considered high among ordinary people, and teaching high school required sufficient knowledge. Nanshui Foreign Language School only hired teachers with at least a graduate degree.

He Lan noticed Feng Yisheng seemed different, no longer so shy, and his gaze was almost aggressive. For a moment, she didn’t speak.

Feng Yisheng replied, “Ms. He, I’m very sorry. Something came up suddenly at home, so I didn’t inform you in time.”

But in his heart, he wondered, had his parents’ phones really been unreachable for eight days? He had seen the note they left, and after returning, hadn’t tried to contact them. It seemed something was indeed about to happen.

What was the reason for his parents’ departure? Or perhaps there was some unspeakable secret.

“Alright, Feng Yisheng, we’ll let it go this time. But in the future, please inform the school in advance if anything comes up,” He Lan said gently.

She had him fill out a leave slip to make up for his absence.

...

As for punishing students, that was out of the question. With tuition of three hundred thousand over six years, even students with poor grades wouldn’t be expelled from Nanshui Foreign Language School, let alone one as promising as Feng Yisheng.

The second period was national literature. Feng Yisheng was more interested in this subject, but by the second semester of the second year, most of the curriculum had been covered, and they had started preparing for the college entrance exam. Lessons were inevitably monotonous.

High school was like this—not the idyllic scenes of youth movies, but day after day of monotony. Yet, this was the most beautiful time of life.

You must work hard, and harder still. Years later, when you look back on these days, you’ll realize they were your happiest moments—provided you tried your best.

If you work hard, you will have no regrets.