The sed css of the m was followed by a twenty-minute break, which used to be for calisthenics. However, the school, sidering the students' academic pressure, had essentially celed the m exercises, allowing the students this time to rex.

  Lin Mushi, sitting in the front row, turned around and asked edly, "Zhuang Zi'ang, why did you cry during math css yesterday? And why didn't you e to css iernoon?"

  Zhuang Zi'ang answered evasively, "I was in a bad mood, so I wao do something to make myself happy!"

  "You're the css president and the highest-ranking student in our year. You should set a good example for your cssmates. What you did was pletely uable," Lin Mushi said, pouting. She couldn't uand why he had undergone such a transformation after just one sick day.

  The Zhuang Zi'ang of the past would never have done such a thing. Even if he was in a bad mood, he would at most challenge himself academically with a set of practice tests. As a good friend, Lin Mushi was worried that he was heading doath of recklessness. She felt a sense of helplessness, as if she was watg someone she cared about heading down a dangerous path, yet uo stop them.

  Li Huangxuan guessed that Zhuang Zi'ang robably upset about his family situation and, afraid that Lin Mushi's words were too blunt, interjected, "Mushi, don't worry about it. My 'son' had a bst skipping css yesterday. He did what I've always wao do but cked the ce to do."

  Lin Mushi gred at Li Huangxuan. "He's been led astray by you."

  Li Huangxuaed, "How is that my fault? He admitted it himself. He met a girl yesterday who's eveier than you, and they hung out all day."

  Zhuang Zi'ang quickly tried to cover Li Huangxuan's mouth, but it was too te. This loose-lipped fool, how could he just blurt out anything?

  "Zhuang Zi'ang, you're pig up bad habits. Are you c someone?" Lin Mushi demanded, her beautiful phoenix eyes widening.

  "No, no, we just met yesterday," Zhuang Zi'ang denied repeatedly. Most students in the school were ist. Although they had beautiful dreams about love, few dared to a them.

  Lin Mushi, the aowledged beauty of the school, was used to being praised. Now, hearing that there was a girl eveier than her, she felt a little put out.

  Li Huangxuan, a straight shooter, couldn't stand Lin Mushi's sometimes prima donna ad always deliberately tried to provoke her. The two traded barbs in front of Zhuang Zi'ang.

  "You're such a clueless straight guy. You're destio be single forever."

  "Don't think that just because you're pretty, you get away with saying anything. I wouldn't date you if you were the st person oh."

  "Li Huangxuan, go to hell!"

  "The fortueller said I have a long life. I'll outlive you all."

  ...

  Lin Mushi suddenly reached out and pinched Li Huangxuan's arm hard, making him win pain. These girls were so irrational. When they couldn't win an argument, they resorted to physical attacks.

  Watg the two pyfully bickering, Zhuang Zi'a a surge of sadness in his heart. Such dear cssmates, but in three months, he would never see them again.

  Their most precious friendship would be forever preserved in the amber of their youth.

  Whewo finally quieted down, Zhuang Zi'ang spoke, "Son, you're a guy. Be menerous and be more uanding of Mushi iure."

  Li Huangxuan touched his forehead. "Did you take the wrong medie? I tease her every day, and you never said anything before."

  "Mushi, I apologize on his behalf. You know he has a habit of speaking his mind without thinking," Zhuang Zi'ang said, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

  "Zhuang Zi'ang, I also think you're ag weird. Why are you being so uncharacteristically formal all of a sudden?" Lin Mushi asked suspiciously. Her earlier words still stung, and she tio press him, "Did you really meet a girl who's prettier than me?"

  "Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so it's not for me to say," Zhuang Zi'ang hedged.

  "My 'son' is handsome and has good grades. His girlfriend will definitely be the most beautiful too. I don't think you stand a ce," Li Huangxuan added fuel to the fire, deliberately trying to irritate Lin Mushi.

  Because of Zhuang Zi'ang and Lin Mushi's close friendship, there was always gossip going around the css about them. Iy, they were strictly ptonic. But now, with Li Huangxuan's meddling, Lin Mushi felt a strange sense of loss, akin to being jilted.

  To salvage her pride, she smiled disdainfully. "I don't believe your nonsense. You're clearly smitten with me and are just using reverse psychology."

  Lin Mushi was very fident in her looks. There was definitely no girl prettier than her iire school. The boys were just saying these things to provoke her petitive spirit, such a transparent ploy.

  "Mushi, I advise you to be more humble. There's always a bigger fish in the sea!" Zhuang Zi'ang was very fident in Little Butterfly's looks.

  "Zhuang Zi'ang, are you in love with me? You're just saying these things to provoke me. You twanging up on me," Lin Mushi said, staring at the two of them with a look that suggested she had seen through their act.

  "Are you that narcissistic? With my looks, there are a lot of girls at school who have a crush on me," Zhuang Zi'ang joked along with her.

  "Zhuang Zi'ang, aren't you afraid of biting your toh such big talk?" a sarcastic voiterjected from the side.

  Zhuang Zi'ang looked up and saw that the speaker was Xie Wenyong. He was the vice css president of Css 9 and had always been outshone by Zhuang Zi'ang, the css president. He was also secretly in love with Lin Mushi, but Lin Mushi always shoreference for Zhuang Zi'ang. So, from time to time, Xie Wenyong would try to undermine Zhuang Zi'ang.

  In the past, for the sake of css unity, Zhuang Zi'ang always let it slide. But now, he didn't feel like exerg restraint, so he retorted, "When we elected the css president, wasn't the vote based on looks? Hence, I'm the president, and you're the vice."

  Lin Mushi and Li Huangxuan burst out ughing. Zhuang Zi'ang was indeed much more handsome than Xie Wenyong, but it was rather brazen for him to say it himself.

  Xie Wenyoed, "You only became css president because of yood grades. You're just a nerd. When it es to all-around petence, you 't hold a dle to me."

  "So, you want to be css president?" Zhuang Zi'ang asked, meeting his gaze.

  "If you weren't so good at currying favor with the teachers, I would have been css president a long time ago," Xie Wenyong said angrily.

  "If you want to be css president, go apply to Mr. Zhang. I quit," Zhuang Zi'ang said nontly.

  "Tch, do you really think you relinquish it so easily?" Xie Wenyong scoffed, not believing a word of it and assuming Zhuang Zi'ang was just toying with him.

  Zhuang Zi'ang said meaningfully, "Have you heard the story of Hui Shi (a ese philosopher) being the prime minister of Liang? A phoenix-like bird set out from the Southero fly to the Northern Sea. It would not per any tree but the phoenix tree, any fruit but that of the bamboo, nor drink from any spring but the sweetest. Now a kite, having got a rotten mouse, and seeing the phoenix-like bird pass by, looked up and screeched at it."

  The position of css president, which Xie Wenyong so desperately desired, was no different from a rotten mouse in Zhuang Zi'ang's eyes.

  "You're sure of yourself," Xie Wenyong sneered.

  "Xie Wenyong, why are you butting into our versation?" Lin Mushi said, displeased.

  "Mushi, you're so protective of Zhuang Zi'ang. Are you afraid he'll be stolen away by that prettier girl?" Li Huangxuan teased again.

  "Are you crazy? Mushi is the belle of the school. It's preposterous to think there's a girl prettier than her." Xie Wenyo out an even more exaggerated ugh.

  Just then, a studeurned from the restroom and called out to Zhuang Zi'ang, "There's a girl outside asking for you."

  Zhuang Zi'ang gnced out the window, and his breath hitched.

  The girl outside the windoearing a pristine white blouse paired with a navy blue pleated skirt and spotless white vas shoes. But the most strikiail was a single, blooming peach blossom tucked behind her ear.

  Her smile outshohe blossom itself.

  Zhuang Zi'ang stood up abruptly and rushed out, pushing through the throng of students.

  The immediately erupted in a cacophony of excited chatter.

  "Who is she? She's absolutely stunning!"

  "So there actually is a girl in our sore beautiful than Lin Mushi."

  "Xie Wenyong just got spped in the face, hard." ...

  Lin Mushi stared at Zhuang Zi'ang's retreating figure, her expression filled with grievance.

  Men are all pigs.