CH 2

Mrs. Zhao’s breakfast was as tasty as usual.

After finishing breakfast, Cheng Chu picked up her backpack and left the house.

Right now, she is attending Haishi Number One High School, the top high school in the county. Students that enroll either have exponentially good grades or have a subject they excel at.

And Cheng Chu happened to meet both requirements.

She started playing piano at the age of 4. Her hard work and talent had impressed almost all the teachers who had taught her previously.

Beginning at a young age to adulthood: from the baby team, the children team, to the juvenile team, Cheng Chu had won almost every piano gold medal that existed in every age group.

God seems to be extra biased toward her.

With a superior family background, outstanding appearance, and top-notch grades, Cheng Chu has lived such an envious life ever since she was a child.

But that was until her brother died in a plane crash when he went overseas for a business trip, it happened in her third year of high school. No one survived the crash. Her parents were worried that they would have no successors for the family business. They asked her to abandon music school and study business instead.

Cheng Chu witnessed her parents’ hair turn white overnight from distress; she could only accept the transfer to a business major.

She felt like she had lost her soul. She was like a doll; she studied, graduated, married, and inherited the family business all according to her parents’ wishes.

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And in the end, she died foolishly.

She felt that she had countless regrets like her brother’s death, her unfulfilled dreams, and—

Gu Miao’s death.

Cheng Chu personally didn’t feel apologetic for anyone in her previous life, all except for Gu Miao who lost his life to save her.

So this time, she has to make up for him no matter what.

In Haishi, the weather in November was not cold at all; the morning breeze felt slightly warm.

Cheng Chu walked slowly across the road. The sunshine warmed up her body and heart.

Her father bought her the house that she lived in to make her trip commuting to her school more efficient. It was only a short five-minute walk to the high school.

Crossing the road again, the name “Haishi Number One High School” can be seen written in big golden letters.

Cheng Chu briskly walked into the campus, her heart filled with joy and excitement.

Following her memory, she walked up the stairs to the third floor and entered the classroom.

The Second Class is a special class. Most of the students in the class are extremely hardworking people. There are still 20 minutes left before the morning reading class starts yet most of the students are already present.

Cheng Chu entered through the back door. She walked quietly but a classmate seated on the last row still noticed her.

The student turned around and recognized that it was Cheng Chu. His eyes flashed in curiosity and he asked: “Cheng Chu, did you leave something behind that you forgot to take?”

“Huh?”

Cheng Chu blinked in confusion, looking at him in bewilderment.

Cheng Chu has a pair of lovely doe-like eyes, pure and clear like a spring water stream.

Being looked directly by those eyes, Yu Yan’s face couldn’t help but burn up. He shyly scratched his head and whispered: “Class 3, it’s downstairs.”

The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even if Yu Yan whispered quietly, a few people sitting in the back row still noticed Cheng Chu.

Rebirth brought her so much joy that for a moment Cheng Chu forgot about her surroundings. All this time, she had been overwhelmed with glee and forgot that she was “exiled” to Class 3 because she was ill and missed the exam.

In the past, Cheng Chu might feel frustrated because she was dropped down to an Ordinary Class. Whereas now all she yearns for is to go to Class 3 and be nearer to Gu Miao’s presence.

She brightly smiled at Yu Yan, not feeling any embarrassment or discomfort. Her tone was brisk as she said: “Thanks, I forgot.”

“Your welcome, your welcome.” Yu Yan scratched his head; his eyes followed Cheng Chu’s joyful disappearing form until her figure completely disappeared into the corridor.

There were a lot of people in the stairwells. Cheng Chu was pushed against the corner and had to slowly move step by step down the stairs.

She came to a stop when she reached the entrance to Class 3.

The warm morning sunlight illuminated the corridor. Cheng Chu stood in the sunshine, silently looking through the window.

There were only a few people seated in the classroom. Cheng Chu felt her heart wrapped in frost as she gazed longingly into the classroom. She is eager to get closer to Gu Miao’s presence that provides warmth to her heart but she’s afraid that the heat would burn her.

Cheng Chu clenched the hem of her dress and she tightly pressed her lips. After a while, she couldn’t suppress the longing in her heart and began to look for him.

Her line of sight passed through the first row, then the second row, and finally stopped at the last row.

Instantly, Cheng Chu felt a lump in her throat, her heart skipped a beat, and her eyes welled up in tears. Her vision blurred but she continued to stare intently at him.

The classroom was bathed with golden sunlight but there he sat in the corner of the last row, the only dark corner where sunlight can not reach.

Around him, students were sitting together in groups, chatting and laughing. But he sat there alone with his drooping head intently reading the textbook in his hand. From time to time, he would raise his hand and push back the black-framed glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose.

All of a sudden, he closed his textbook and picked up his water bottle, and stood up.

The morning breeze lightly picked up Cheng Chu’s long hair and she locked eyes with Gu Miao.

She finally saw those dark and deep eyes, the ones that resembled the vast and dark night.

She suddenly thought back to that rainy night. In the narrow and almost claustrophobic car, they could feel each other’s breath. The night that Gu Miao looked at her with those eyes.

Cheng Chu’s heart trembled in shock. She stared at him blankly and the words she’s been dying to say were stuck in her throat; she couldn’t say a word.

Gu Miao was stunned for a moment, but soon, he lowered his eyes and quickly sped past her.

Cheng Chu’s heart sank and a sense of loss rushed over her. But she quickly corrected her mindset. After all, this was the first time she came to Class 3 and Gu Miao definitely doesn’t know her yet. His reaction was normal.

But what she didn’t know was that as Gu Miao walked towards the water fountain, his hand that held the water bottle was trembling ever so slightly, his body twitching as if on fire.

When he finally arrived at the water dispenser, his stiff hands had trouble opening the faucet. Before opening the lid of the bottle, he jammed the water bottle under the running faucet. The boiling water splashed along the lid and scalded his eyebrows.

“Hiss!”

Gu Miao endured the pain and turned off the faucet. He walked to the nearby sink and flushed his hand with cold water. Only then does the biting pain dissipate.

Just before morning reading began, the classroom was crowded with people. Cheng Chu was hesitating whether to enter the classroom or not. From a distance, she saw the Class 3 homeroom teacher heading toward her.

“Cheng Chu, didn’t I tell you to find me in the office today? Why are you waiting at the classroom door?”

Cheng Chu felt a little embarrassed and said awkwardly: “I’m sorry Teacher Lin, I forgot.”

Although Lin Yue is the homeroom teacher of Class 3, she is very familiar with Cheng Chu since she was Cheng Chu’s teacher during her freshman year of high school.

Lin Yue had always favored this student so she didn’t probe any further and she didn’t care. She just patted Cheng Chu on the shoulder and said: “It’s okay, you can go in first. Sit in the empty seat in the second row on the left.”

Some people were transferred to Class 3 so naturally, there were individuals in Class 3 who were promoted to Class 2. The now-empty seat in the second row previously belonged to that good student.

But Cheng Chu had a mind of her own, she took a look at the class seats and said cautiously: “Teacher, can I sit in the second-to-last row? I’m afraid that people behind me will get blocked and they won’t be able to see the board.”

Cheng Chu is very tall compared to other girls; she is 1.72 meters tall. [Roughly 5 ft 7.7 in]

“Okay, that’s fine.” Lin Yue didn’t know about Cheng Chu’s plan so she readily agreed.

Cheng Chu was overjoyed. The empty seat that she pointed out was just in front of Gu Miao so there would be more opportunities to approach him in the future.

She quietly walked through the back door while taking small and light steps. But in an instant, the entire class’s eyes zoomed in on her.

The noisy classroom quieted down and there were only occasional whispers.

“Wow. Is Cheng Chu the one that got transferred to our class this time?”

“It’s her, it’s her! She’s been standing at the door for a long time. I thought I was hallucinating.”

“She’s a Goddess! Oh my God! I’m so happy!”

“Where is she sitting? Probably at Luo Ye’s original seat?”

“I want to sit at the same table as the Goddess!”

Under everyone’s stare, Cheng Chu walked past the first row and walked straight to the last row where she finally stopped and put down her school bag in the corner.

Her new deskmate was a girl with big eyes. At the moment, she was looking straight at her with her watery eyes wide open.

“Hi.” Cheng Chu said as she turned her head and smiled.

The new deskmate grinned innocently and replied: “Hi, I’m Luo Qian Qian.”

Cheng Chu’s heart was pounding. She turned her head and saw Gu Miao who had lowered his head to study his book.

The classroom window was open and the cold wind blew in from outside. It gently blew away the hair stuck on his forehead.

A pair of black-rimmed glasses stood on the bridge of his straight nose, which made his cold ghostly-pale skin look paler.

Cheng Chu felt her facial nerves twitch due to the sharp tension. She took two deep breaths and worked hard to show a sweet smile: “Hey hello.”

Hearing her melodious voice, Gu Miao’s stiff body turned to stone. His fingers were slightly white from clenching his pen.

A few rays of sunlight came through the window and Gu Miao raised his eyes ever so slightly. He saw a girl in front of him smiling at him with a big grin.

The girl’s pale skin glows underneath the sun. Her radiant doe-like eyes shine and the two dimples on her cheeks seem to be covered with sweet powdered sugar.

Gu Miao felt his heart missing a couple of beats. His fingertips still had some remaining heat from being scalded by boiling water. The warmth seems to be amplified by an immeasurable amount for some reason.

He felt his heart melting because of her smile.

Cheng Chu felt her face grow stiff from maintaining a smile, but the boy in front of her still had a stone-cold face. His indifferent eyes look as if they were covered with bitter winter snow.

She dropped her shoulders dejectedly.

Gu Miao was a cold person to begin with. His attitude towards her, as if she was a stranger in his eyes, was justified.

Then, the homeroom teacher entered the classroom and all the students sat up with the correct posture. Luo Qian Qian kindly patted her on her shoulders and motioned for her to sit down.

Cheng Chu lowered her eyes and was about to turn her head back around when she heard Gu Miao’s low voice.

“H-Hello.”

She didn’t know why but there was a strange pause in his voice.

But it was that one word that kept Cheng Chu overjoyed for two lessons.