“I’m called Tosaki Naohara…”
“Huh? He’s from R Country?”
“I thought he was from a domestic high school.”
“What’s up with this year? All foreign friends.”
“Our school is this international now?”
“What’s he jabbering about? Can’t he just speak English?”
“Yeah, right? Edmond and Jelina both spoke English—he’s doing this on purpose, isn’t he?”
“…”
The moment Tosaki Naohara spoke his first sentence, his gaze locked directly onto Jiang Fuyue.
She didn’t flinch or dodge and calmly stared back.
Their eyes met midair, and tension sparked between them.
Suddenly, he curled his lips into a smile and, in smooth Chinese, said, “My reason for coming here is the same as theirs—because of Jiang Fuyue. But it’s also different, because I’ve never met her before. There’s a saying in Huaxia: ‘Better to meet in person than to hear a hundred times.’ I hope this trip won’t be in vain.”
Boom—
“Another one here for Sister Yue?! Did they plan this or what?”
“No wonder they all showed up in Senior Year Three.”
“They say they’re here for school, but they really came for Goddess Yue!”
“I bet Teacher Xu is stunned right now, wondering, ‘Why is it so hard to just get this class through the gaokao?’”
“Hahaha… I can picture it—Old Xu’s probably losing even more hair today!”
“So he can speak Chinese? Then what was that R Country spiel at the start?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Just showing off, assuming we couldn’t understand.”
“Am I the only one who thinks this R Country guy sounds prickly, like he came with bad intentions?”
“Nope. Me too.”
“+1”
“+2”
“…”
“Edmond and Jelena were sincerely greeting Sister Yue, but this guy? It felt more like a challenge.”
“Do you guys remember? When Sister Yue competed in the IPhO, she confronted some R Country team members head-on, argued with solid reasoning, and didn’t give an inch. In the end, the committee disqualified those R Country contestants. It was all over the trending searches—foreign media even reported on it.”
“Of course I remember! Sister Yue was so bad*ss! I still have the video saved!”
“You think this R Country student’s here because of that? Out for revenge?”
“No way! He’s just one person—we’re a whole class. If he tries anything, dozens of eyes will be watching! Let’s see if he dares!”
“Exactly. We’ll all keep a close eye on him. If anything’s off, we report to Sister Yue right away!”
“Do you think Sister Yue is someone to mess with? She doesn’t need our help—she’ll handle him herself, and he’ll be convinced fair and square!”
“Protecting our Goddess Yue is everyone’s duty! Yay~”
After Tosaki Naohara, the rest were all native Huaxia students—
“Hi everyone, I’m Huo Fanjin, one of the members of the IPhO team led by Jiang Fuyue. I’m glad to be here in Linhuai and meet you all. Please take care of me over the next two weeks.”
“Hello, I’m Fang Canyang, also part of the IPhO team. I’m really happy to be doing my exchange at Lin’nan No. 1 High School.”
“Lin Shumo. Same as them.”
“Hi everyone, I’m Fanye. My hometown is the beautiful Duofu Island. This is my first time in Linhuai, and I already love it! You’re welcome to visit my home anytime! Oh, I’m part of the IOI team.”
“I’m Gao Zhaoming…”
“Huang Hui—‘Hui’ as in the sunshine that repays spring’s warmth. Like the others, I’m an IOI team member.”
After all nine introduced themselves, the class was silent as chickens.
Even Teacher Xu Jing on stage was like: “?”
Old friend… but also full of question marks.
“Holy cr*p—” someone blurted out in the silence.
Then the class erupted—
“D*mn! D*mn! They’re all here for Sister Yue? What kind of god-tier plot is this?!”
“Don’t even ask. The answer is simple—my Sister Yue is unbeatable!”
“Even TV dramas wouldn’t dare write this.”
“When I’m old, I can sit on my sofa and brag to my grandkids: ‘You know Jiang Fuyue? The one in all your textbooks? That’s right—your grandpa was her classmate! I watched as exchange students from all over the world gathered in our classroom just for her. Now, tell me, isn’t your grandpa awesome?!’”
“You really should go write novels, you know.”
“Really? I think so too! Hehe…”
“That Huo Fanjin is tall and pretty. Weren’t girls supposed to hate each other on sight? Why is she smiling at Sister Yue like a little puppy?”
“Judging by her accent, she’s probably from the Imperial Capital. Her clothes and bags are all designer—must be some heiress! Don’t they say these girls have their noses in the air? But the way she looks at Sister Yue is like a harmless little lamb…”
“Face it. Even a tigress turns into a bunny in front of Sister Yue.”
“That D*mn charisma! It’s killing me!”
“Gosh, Lin Shumo’s so cold and cool! Just one sentence in his intro—swoon~”
“I think Fang Canyang is more my type. Soft and cuddly, totally huggable~”
“Why is Gao Zhaoming—a guy—whiter than me?!”
“Huang Hui’s built like a walking stick…”
“Fanye—is that her full name? And she’s from Duofu Island?! I thought that place was full of people in animal skins carrying spears!”
For the entire morning, Class 3 buzzed with excitement over the new exchange students.
Teacher Xu Jing finally spoke: “Alright, now that everyone’s been introduced—whether for study or everyday life, feel free to come to me if you need anything. I hope the next two weeks here at No. 1 High School will be rewarding for all of you.”
The nine students were arranged to sit in the empty seats at the back of the class.
Whether intentional or not, they were all seated close to Jiang Fuyue.
After class, Fanye was the first to approach. She grabbed Jiang Fuyue’s hand and gave her a big, enthusiastic hug: “Sister Yue! It’s so great to see you again! I’m so happy!”
Gao Zhaoming and Huang Hui nodded from behind.
Then Huo Fanjin and Fang Canyang gathered around too. Lin Shumo stood a bit further back—true to his aloof young master persona—but his eyes never left her.
Huo Fanjin: “Told you we’d meet again. Not bad, right?”
Jiang Fuyue: “Did you all plan this?”
“We happened to have exchange slots available. Lin Shumo and I saw Lin’nan No. 1 High on the list and signed up.”
Fang Canyang: “Same here. Saw the name and chose it right away.”
Huang Hui: “Gao Zhaoming and I weren’t eligible until next year, but something happened to the student who was supposed to come this year, so our school sent us instead. We bumped into Fang Canyang at the airport, shared a ride, and realized everyone was coming.”
Jiang Fuyue: “Welcome, all of you. After school, dinner’s on me. Meet at the school gate at 5:30.”
“Ohhh—”
“Nice!”
When Jiang Fuyue invited Jelena, the girl looked flattered and shocked. “Me? Really?”
Jiang Fuyue: “Of course.”
“But my spoken English…”
“It’s fine, no one minds.”
Fanye quickly nodded. “Mm-hmm! We understand you.”
Huo Fanjin: “Relax. We’re super friendly.”
Jelena grinned, revealing a mouthful of pearly whites.
Suddenly—
“Hey! Since you’ve invited so many people, mind if I come too?” Edmond asked in his distinct Chinese accent.
Jiang Fuyue smiled slightly. “I do mind.”
Edmond: “…”
He turned to the also-uninvited Tosaki Naohara. The boy sat with his head down, rapidly spinning a Rubik’s cube, completely indifferent to everything around him.
Edmond walked over: “Hey. You didn’t get invited either. Just like me.”
Tosaki Naohara: “So what?”
“It means you’re not welcome!”
“Oh, and you are?”
Edmond’s face darkened: “Aren’t you angry?”
“No need.”
“?”
Tosaki Naohara looked up. His deep brown eyes met Edmond’s lake-blue ones—dark and unfathomable, like a bottomless abyss.
“I don’t need anyone’s welcome,” he said.
He came. That’s all that mattered.
Since he wasn’t here with good intentions, any welcome would only be ironic.
“This is better.”
Edmond muttered “Freak,” turned on his heel, and left in a huff.
Not allowed to go?
Then he had to go. He was going no matter what.
—
That afternoon, the exchange students were taken on a campus tour.
Nine of them left the classroom; Jiang Fuyue stayed behind for class.
After school, seven students gathered punctually at the school gate to meet Jiang Fuyue.
Edmond, like a sneaky tail, followed them from a distance.
They ended up at a restaurant—with an insanely long line, winding out of sight.
I barely remembered them, except Shimo and Fanye.