After this round of chaotic back-and-forth, Chen Jinghua felt his head starting to ache. Just then, the bell for the second period rang, saving him.

Chen Jinghua quickly sent the students back to class.

“All of you go back to class first. I’ll think about how to arrange it.”

After the students all left, only Zhou Linxiao was still standing there. He didn’t yet have his own seat in Class 97, so he was waiting for Chen Jinghua to arrange one for him.

Ye Minjia was the class monitor. Since he was unwilling to change seats, Chen Jinghua couldn’t force him. As for Bai Jiangxin and Xiang Di, he would think again about who to arrange as their deskmates. In any case, there were plenty of people willing to sit with them. As for the child in front of him…

Chen Jinghua actually didn’t really want to arrange a deskmate for Zhou Linxiao. First, he wouldn’t be taking the college entrance exam three months later. He was only here as a transfer auditing student to experience life, so his academic pressure wasn’t on the same level as the other students’. Chen Jinghua was afraid Zhou Linxiao would affect the others.

Second—again—Chen Jinghua was afraid of affecting the other students. At the start, the principal had only told Chen Jinghua that he was the grandson of his own mentor. He had attended elementary school abroad, gone straight through middle school to high school in international schools, and last year had already received an overseas university offer. He had traveled for several months, gotten bored of it, and then returned to China wanting to experience the life of a third-year high school student under the traditional domestic exam-oriented education model. The mentor had approached the principal and asked him to arrange it.

The principal made the decision and arranged for him to enter Chen Jinghua’s key class, without informing Chen Jinghua in advance that this mentor’s grandson was actually mixed-race—and moreover, such a… conspicuously eye-catching mixed-race student.

At the beginning of their first year of high school, as soon as class ended, a huge crowd of female students would come over to look at Bai Jiangxin. As a teacher, one could understand students choosing school belles and heartthrobs to balance out the dull campus life, but in the end this was still school, and the impact wasn’t good.

They were here to study, not to run a beauty pageant. Moreover, Class 97 already had a very eye-catching Bai Jiangxin. Now another Zhou Linxiao had arrived—Chen Jinghua was truly afraid he wouldn’t be able to manage it.

Chen Jinghua sighed inwardly.

Zhou Linxiao asked with concern, “Teacher, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Chen Jinghua shook his head and asked him, “If I arrange a seat for you, do you want to sit alone, or do you want a deskmate?”

Preferably alone—he could arrange him on the other side of the podium, flanking it together with Wang Sichen as left and right guardians.

But Zhou Linxiao’s answer disappointed him.

He pursed his lips. Doll-like thick, curled eyelashes drooped over his eyelids, his tone low. “Teacher, from elementary school to middle school, I’ve always had a single desk. Even my dorm was a single room. I finally came to your school—I really want to have a deskmate.”

Chen Jinghua let out an “uh,” suddenly feeling a bit guilty inside, and no matter what, he couldn’t bring himself to arrange for him to sit alone.

Since he couldn’t arrange Zhou Linxiao to sit alone, he also couldn’t bear to arrange Bai Jiangxin to sit alone.

“Then would you be willing to be deskmates with Bai Jiangxin?” Chen Jinghua said. “The boy who was beside you just now—his English grades is especially good. The two of you should have no problem communicating.”

But Zhou Linxiao said, “No need for especially good English. Anyway, my Mandarin is very good. I can communicate with anyone without a problem. If you arrange someone whose English isn’t very good for me, teacher, I can even tutor him.”

“And I feel that Bai Jiangxin seems a bit aloof—not very easy to get along with.” Zhou Linxiao tilted his head and thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “That classmate Xiang Di—I think she looks very cute, a lot like the BJD doll my older sister keeps. Teacher, can I be deskmates with her?”

Chen Jinghua: “……”

B what J what D?

Mixed-race kids really spoke at a high level—this old fossil hadn’t even understood what he was talking about.

But Xiang Di, this child, had at least dated Bai Jiangxin before, and could even dump Bai Jiangxin. She should have that level of self-control, right?

─── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ───

After the second period ended, Xiang Di finally received a message from her biological older brother.

Xiang Sheng: 【Reporting to Your Highness the Consort, your cream puffs are already rushing over at top speed.】

Xiang Sheng: 【Please trouble Your Highness to reimburse this humble official for travel expenses. Estimated 30 yuan. Thank you, Your Highness.】

Xiang Di ground her teeth. This damn brother—fine if he didn’t come for ages, but after just squeezing five thousand yuan out of Dad, he still wanted her to pay for a few dozen yuan of taxi fare.

She was just thinking about how to retort when she suddenly heard the homeroom teacher’s voice by her ear. She quickly stuffed her phone into her desk.

Chen Jinghua stepped up onto the podium. “Alright, while it’s break, I’ll announce something to everyone. Let me introduce a new classmate to you all. Come on, Zhou Linxiao, come in and introduce yourself.”

Students passed the news among themselves. The information that their grade had gotten a mixed-race student spread very quickly. Zhou Linxiao, who had already drawn a round of attention in the teachers’ office just now, walked into the classroom. As expected, he triggered another round of attention.

Outside the classroom door, there were also many students from other classes crowding around to watch, silently envying the good fortune of everyone in Class 97.

“Holy shit……”

“Bro, seriously—this handsome?”

“He’s actually a transfer student? I thought he was just visiting our school.”

“Damn, our class girls are blessed again.”

“I refuse—why didn’t a mixed-race girl come, ahhh?”

Zhou Linxiao’s looks were simply far too deceptive. After he finished his self-introduction with clear diction, he turned around and wrote his name on the blackboard in standard, neat handwriting, then added, “Zhou is the Zhou from ‘Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang.’ Lin and Xiao come from the line ‘In the forest a guest plays the xiao and leaves; bamboo turns to dragons and phoenixes entering the sky.’ It’s the xiao with the bamboo radical, not the grass radical—please don’t mix it up.”

The entire class silently apologized in their hearts for their stereotype that mixed-race kids’ Chinese was generally terrible.

With the self-introduction done and everyone more or less acquainted, Chen Jinghua went on to arrange the seating.

He first patted the desk next to the podium, Wang Sichen’s desk, then said, “Wang Sichen, remember to thank both Bai Jiangxin and Zhou Linxiao later.”

Wang Sichen looked utterly confused, but he soon understood.

“Come on, move your desk to the back. You don’t need to sit in the VIP seat anymore. You’re going to sit with Bai Jiangxin. I’m warning you—if you dare chatter and affect Bai Jiangxin’s studying, I’ll immediately call your parents to school. Got it?”

Finally not having to sit in the VIP seat—yet Wang Sichen wasn’t nearly as happy as he’d imagined.

Help. Just how much enthusiasm and courage did one need to dare become deskmates with Bai Jiangxin, this ten-thousand-ton TNT that couldn’t even be blown open, this massive iceberg?

If he accidentally offended Bai Jiangxin in any way, anyone could guess who the teacher would side with. Wouldn’t he just get scolded to death then?

Wang Sichen forced a dry laugh. “Teacher, how about I just keep sitting in the VIP seat?”

Chen Jinghua didn’t pay him any attention and instead said to Zhou Linxiao, “You go to the fifth floor first and get a set of desks and chairs. Do you know where to get them?”

Zhou Linxiao shook his head.

“Ye Minjia, you go with Zhou Linxiao to the fifth floor to get them,” Chen Jinghua instructed methodically. “When you’re back, just move the desk and chair to sit next to Xiang Di.”

Bai Jiangxin, who had remained completely expressionless and utterly unconcerned even after hearing he was being arranged to sit with Wang Sichen, finally furrowed his brow and lifted his head when he heard this arrangement.

Zhou Linxiao said, “Okay, teacher.”

Hearing her own name, Xiang Di didn’t even react at first.

What was the teacher saying?

Ye Minjia also heard his own name and was just as baffled by the current situation.

What was the homeroom teacher pulling now? He’d just had Bai Jiangxin and Xiang Di sit together, and now he was splitting them up again?

“Ye Minjia, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and go get the desks and chairs with him. Class is about to start.”

There was no time to think. Ye Minjia hurriedly stood up and took the new classmate to get the desks and chairs.

With everything arranged, Chen Jinghua reminded everyone to take good care of the new classmate, then left.

Only after the homeroom teacher left did the students in the class snap out of it as if waking from a dream.

So their class had really gotten a mixed-race super handsome guy?

What kind of luck was this? The school heartthrob was in their class, and now a mixed-race super handsome guy was also in their class. Their Class 97 could really walk sideways across the entire grade now.

She already had a premonition that in less than a day, the school’s confession wall submissions would blow up again, and their respective WeChats would blow up too—probably all messages from friends in other classes coming to ask them for information about the handsome guy.

If one really had to pick the happiest person in Class 97, it would probably be Xiang Di.

Liang Qianqian directly slapped Xiang Di hard on the back.

“You little brat, eating this well!!!”

Xiang Di was hit so hard she felt like her spine was about to break. Her expression twisted in pain, and then many other girls started calling her name, saying she was too blessed.

“Is the seat for sale?”

“How much? Name your price.”

“Xiang Di, Xiang Di—when he comes back, remember to get his WeChat, okay? Have him add our class group.”

Xiang Di rubbed her aching back, baring her teeth in pain, yet she couldn’t help but grin foolishly. She also felt that she was pretty lucky.

Although she dared to guarantee that her feelings for Bai Jiangxin were extremely devoted and wouldn’t easily change just because a Zhou Linxiao had appeared, still…

How could a person always just stare at one bowl of rice? You always needed some dishes to go with the rice. A person could go without dishes, but absolutely couldn’t go without rice.

Bai Jiangxin was her staple food—her plain white rice—the nourishment she couldn’t do without in her life. She had to eat the staple, but she also wanted to order some side dishes!

If at this moment Bai Jiangxin’s seat were a bit closer to hers, that would be even better—rice and dishes both in hand, life would be beautiful.

Xiang Di almost wanted to start dancing on the spot.

Suddenly, someone asked her in a gloomy tone, “So happy?”

“Happy.”

She answered without hesitation, then turned and smiled at Bai Jiangxin. “You’ve always wanted to change seats. Now you finally have. I know you’re happy too.”

Not being deskmates was fine—if her husband was happy, she was happy!

Bai Jiangxin couldn’t catch his breath in one go.

Yes, he really should be happy—happy that he was finally freed, happy that a sucker had finally come to take his place.

This lecherous gopher, this shallow looks-obsessed fool, this little pervert who couldn’t move when she saw a handsome guy—did the words “devoted” even exist in her head?