In the early morning, with the faint mist yet to lift, Yang Haoran and his sister Yaoyao walked one behind the other out of Scenic River Neighborhood toward Jade Forest High School.
Yang Haoran’s school, Jade Forest High School, sat at the boundary between the first and second ring roads in G City.
In the Yangtze River Delta, G City sprawled across a vast expanse—nearly three times the size of the Capital. Hugging the coast, its economy led the nation.
As a key municipal high school, Jade Forest High School covered more than a hundred mu, boasting over 100,000 square meters of buildings: office towers, academic halls, a library, science center, student cafeteria, faculty dining hall, dormitories, sports fields, and more. It housed both junior and senior high sections, with over 4,000 students—the largest enrollment of any school in G City.
Yang Haoran and Yaoyao both attended Class 1-5 of first-year high, a key class also called the elite track.
By rights, with his grades, Yang Haoran never should have landed in the elite class during sorting. That was down to four simple words: social connections.
G City’s Mayor Lin Wanqing—mother to Liu Ruoxi and Yang Haoran’s maternal grandmother—was no secret among the school’s leadership.
……
The siblings walked in silence along the road. Yang Haoran mulled over the past few days. The “fairy mom” he’d once idolized had changed since his hospital discharge. She remained as breathtaking as a figure from a painting, but whether stroking him off or teasing him in erotic costumes, an air of raw sensuality now clung to her—utterly at odds with her former image.
Yaoyao gazed at her brother’s back ahead, biting her lip lightly. Her cheeks flushed inexplicably, as if at some private thought.
The moment felt just like any other day, save for the vivid blush staining the lovely face of the girl in the bloom of youth.
They crossed the street to the bus stop without a word, boarded the No. 103, and rode through seven or eight stops before reaching the school vicinity.
After alighting, Yang Haoran gave Yaoyao his usual instruction. “Head in first. I’ll be right behind.”
Yaoyao pursed her lips and murmured a soft “mm.”
She understood: her brother didn’t want classmates knowing they were related.
In his mind, she shone as the star pupil, while he scraped the bottom of every ranking. He hated to drag her down—or embarrass himself. To their peers, one was a top student, the other a total slacker: polar opposites.
Surnames? In a nation of billions, they meant nothing.
Once Yaoyao had gone, Yang Haoran waited seven or eight minutes before strolling toward the school.
He passed through the grand gate bearing the words “Jade Forest High School” and walked alone down the campus path. Not far on, beneath an office building, a graceful silhouette caught his eye. Two middle-aged people—likely her parents—stood beside the girl.
In the teeming crowd, she cut a striking figure in simple white, her poise orchid-like, her tall, slender frame standing head and shoulders above the rest.
Sensing eyes on her, she glanced over and spotted Yang Haoran. She stood serene, her tranquil features breaking into a faint smile. That expression, framed by exquisitely sculpted beauty as if carved by nature’s own hand, left him breathless.
Her smile bloomed like a flower. For the first time, the girl’s face filled the boy’s vision—and in that instant, he was lost.
Perfect features: luminous eyes and pearly teeth, delicate lips and refined nose. Her sweet smile, paired with the white dress, made her seem a vision from a dream.
Yang Haoran stared, transfixed, even after she turned away. He remained frozen in place.
“So beautiful… so beautiful…”
He muttered to himself, entranced, unaware.
If his fairy mom was his life’s ultimate pursuit, then this girl rivaled her in beauty and grace. In a way, she evoked his mother in the flower of her youth.
“What’re you staring at, Rat? Got you that hooked?”
A familiar voice sounded from behind, accompanied by a slap on the shoulder. Yang Haoran jolted awake. Ignoring it, he frantically scanned for the girl who had captivated him at first sight.
She was gone from under the office building. He searched everywhere, but no trace remained.
Wei Ming blinked at his reaction. “What’s with you, Rat? Looking for something?”
“Did you see…” Yang Haoran began, then faltered, some instinct holding him back.
One glimpse, and an intense possessiveness surged within him toward the white-clad girl—like she was his forbidden treasure, not to be shared.
“See what?” Wei Ming pressed, baffled. “Your goddess Xiao Shaowan?”
“No… never mind.” Yang Haoran shook his head and walked off, tossing out a cryptic line.
“Xiao Shaowan’s not my goddess anymore.”
“Hey! Wait up, Rat!”
Wei Ming jogged to catch him, slinging an arm around Yang Haoran’s shoulders as they headed for class.
Wei Ming sported thick brows, big eyes, sharply chiseled features, and a brawny build. Besides Zhou Shiwen, he was Yang Haoran’s sole true bro in class. They bonded instantly over shared hobbies, thick as thieves from day one of school.
Chatting idly, they reached Class 1-5 on the third floor’s east wing of the teaching building.
Yang Haoran dropped into his seat: second-to-last in the second group from the back. A position that screamed his academic standing.
The “back-row deity,” they called it.
Wei Ming took the single desk right behind him.
Yang Haoran glanced next door to the first row of the third group. Yaoyao sat straight-backed, leaning slightly to whisper with her deskmate, though her sidelong glance drifted his way.
Her deskmate, Wen Ting, was a petite cutie with sharp features and top grades.
As more classmates filed in, Yang Haoran spotted Xiao Shaowan, Han Lili, Du Sha, Zhao Jun, and others—but no Zhou Shiwen. He frowned briefly, figuring the guy had slept in.
Class 1-5 held about fifty-six students: twenty-six boys, thirty girls, give or take.
Top looks went to Yang Mengyao and Xiao Shaowan, both school beauties.
Beyond those two undisputed class stunners, plenty of other pretty girls filled the roster. In girl quality, Class 1-5 topped all twelve first-year classes.
At least seventy percent of the grade’s hottest girls crammed this one. Small wonder guys from other classes seethed with envy.
Heads turned at Yang Haoran’s entrance, whispers rippling.
“Yang Haoran’s back in class. See him, Shaowan?”
Du Sha, Xiao Shaowan’s deskmate, nudged her.
