Chapter Twelve

Yang Yan shook his head. They rarely inquire about each other's work schedules among friends. Moreover, even if he knew, Li Zekun hadn't said anything to this child, so it wasn't his place to interfere.

"I'll take off now since there's nothing urgent going on. Let's get together again when Kunzi returns.", Yang Yanxue didn't have any intention of staying. As he straightened his sleeve cuffs and turned around, he casually spoke out, "If you hang around Kun, try to be smarter. Don't entertain any inappropriate thoughts, you won't be able to handle it."

Tao Ran didn't come to his senses until the door closed in front of him. There was always someone saying things that were profound but he couldn't quite grasp, like Song Yu and Yang Yanxue. It was as if he was just an unknowing vessel for Li Zekun's surplus emotions.

Tao Ran let out a slow breath. Headaches could be draining, and now he only felt exhausted. He didn't want to think too deeply about anything. Tao Ran even felt that things were alright now, at least much better than the memories lingering in his body. Li Zekun was actually a gentle person who never went too far with intimacy. He was willing to accommodate Tao Ran, and Tao Ran felt that he shouldn't have any other thoughts now.

He didn't have any dreams that night, and woke up feeling unusually relaxed. It wasn't until after he finished washing up that someone knocked on the door. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was only a little bit past seven in the morning.

It was the driver who came to deliver the school uniform. He probably received a message from Yang Yanxue to convey to them: "You don't have to rush. Just make it before 8:30. Being late for the first morning self-study isn't a big deal." The man handed a wallet to Tao Ran and then left to wait outside.

The school uniform is the most typical style at Tianchao High School, the blue and white sports outfit without any shaping. However, as he touched the fabric, Tao Ran felt a long-lost excitement rising within him. He quickly changed into the uniform. A well-fitting school uniform was abnormal; Tao Ran had a slender frame, and the top covered him like half an ink bottle, while the pants were as baggy as those worn in the 80s rock and roll era. But he didn't mind at all. He pulled his hair a couple of times in front of the mirror, revealing a lively and childlike smile for the first time.

When he left, he checked his wallet and found a few bills inside, as well as his meal card and ID. He was quite meticulous and well-prepared. While sitting in the car, Tao Ran took out his ID and looked at the face on it. He felt a strange and eerie unfamiliarity and quickly put it back where it belonged.

He arrived at the school at exactly 8 o'clock, just in time for the first class which happened to be the homeroom teacher's class. The homeroom teacher, a man in his fifties, taught mathematics and had a gentle and kind temperament. He had always been at the forefront of education, but his honesty and kindness often resulted in him being overshadowed.

At first sight of the teacher, Taoran felt a sense of familiarity, as if seeing his former homeroom teacher. Without distinguishing between reality and fragmented memories, Taoran raised his hand to knock on the classroom door.

"New classmate?" The teacher came over to open the door and nodded, saying "Come in and find an open seat." They were in their final year of high school and had no time to waste on self-introductions. After spending time together, they would naturally become familiar with one another. Tao Ran had pulled some strings to get into the class, but no homeroom teacher was willing to take him. In the end, it fell on the honest person to take him, even though they were also a bit uneasy about it.

The third year of high school is the most boring year. The students are already feeling restless, but after seeing the new classmates, the excitement ignited. It's the humanities class, with a majority of girls, and when they saw the new student who is a delicately handsome young man, they all lit up with excitement.

Tao Ran's ears turned red as he stared at them. He walked straight to the empty seat at the back. There was a boy sitting at the end of the row. As he passed by, he seemed to have just woken up, and his slightly longer haircut was flipped upside down towards the sky. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Tao Ran, propping up his chin with one hand. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Tao Ran. And you?"

That boy looks very handsome, with deep and formidable features. He looks... somewhat familiar. Tao Ran stared for a while, but couldn't figure it out.

"Qiao Ye.", he frowned, "Didn't your mom tell you that staring at someone is impolite?"

Tao Ran suddenly snapped back to reality and nervously apologized.

Qiao Ye smiled: Why are you hopping like a rabbit?" His words contained a hint of malice and cunning: "Don't misunderstand, I meant the domestic kind."

Tao Ran's face turned white as if it had been brushed.

Qiao Ye flipped through his math book for a few moments before adjusting his posture to take a nap. He had only transferred here a few days ago after nearly killing someone in a fight. His brother had told him to keep a low profile and avoid trouble. Qiao Ye had been uncooperative since arriving, exuding a menacing aura that scared off any girls who wanted to approach him, no matter how good-looking he may be.

Qiao Ye went out racing to late last night. If it weren't for his new deskmate, he wouldn't have been able to wake up this morning. Surprisingly, he didn't feel too bad despite not getting enough sleep. Maybe it's because his desk mate is not bad looking - with big eyes, long eyelashes and a pointed chin - just like the pet rabbit that he keeps at home.

Tao Ran saw the young man beside him quietly slumped on the table and slept carefreely. He gradually relaxed. He didn't have a book, so he tried to follow the teacher's lecture by taking a few sheets of paper to take notes.

After one class, Taoran didn't understand anything. He drooped his eyelashes and traced the parabola he had drawn with halting strokes. He didn't know where the feeling of loss came from, as if being unable to solve problems was a great sin.

When the class was dismissed, half of the class rushed up to surround Tao Ran, all asking for her name, zodiac sign, blood type, and if he was single. Tao Ran wasn't used to being so popular with others, and blushed from his face to his neck.

"Damn it, stop making useless noise! Will you ever shut up?!" Qiao Ye was awakened by the noise and fiercely kicked over the chair in front of him.

His temperament seems to be notoriously bad, and the crowd scattered as quickly as they came. Tao Ran was also startled, as he hadn't had a normal interaction with people for too long and didn't know how to coax him.

Tao Ran quickly reached out to tidy up the exceptionally messy desktop for Qiao Ye and said, "You can go back to sleep. I promise not to disturb you."

Qiao Ye glanced at him for a moment, and he obediently lay down. However, he didn't close his eyes. He turned his head to look at Tao Ran. His thick eyelashes gave him a cute and gentle look when he looked at someone. Unexpectedly, he suddenly spoke, "You're quite good-looking."

"Is better looking than any of the boys my brother has a sponsorship with strings attached."