Chapter Five: The New Student

There was nothing particularly remarkable about the words themselves, but spoken by someone like Wen Yichen—regarded by all as a prodigy—they left Jiang Muwen, a self-confessed underachiever, feeling embarrassed to admit that she didn’t understand a thing in class. His words landed like a heavy blow, ruthlessly crushing both her intellect and her pride.

“It’s... alright, I suppose. Pretty complicated,” Jiang Muwen mumbled, trying to find herself a way out.

Wen Yichen couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh. “If you don’t understand, you don’t understand. ‘Complicated’... really?”

The moment his words fell, Jiang Muwen was left frozen on the spot, her lips twitching noticeably under the evening sun. But then, geniuses with high EQs were a rarity; most smart boys, it turned out, had little grasp of tact.

Wen Yichen was no exception.

Not only was he sharp-tongued, he had a penchant for rubbing salt into wounds. Back in their third year of junior high, her self-esteem had been battered by his intellect, and she’d been forced to master the art of quickly adjusting her mindset after one of his verbal jabs.

“Wen Yichen, don’t you ever feel even a twinge of guilt saying things like that?” she complained.

“Not really,” he replied coolly, stepping into the building and pressing the elevator button.

The elevator doors opened almost immediately. Jiang Muwen followed him inside. As the doors slid shut, she asked cautiously, “Wen Yichen, if there’s something I can’t figure out, can I come to you for help?”

He didn’t hesitate: “No.”

She fell silent.

Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, Wen Yichen quickly explained, “I’ve already made plans to game with Bai Xu tonight... I probably won’t have time.”

Jiang Muwen didn’t reply, so he added, “But if you have questions in the future... you can come to me.”

As he finished, Wen Yichen leaned toward her, as if unconsciously trying to gauge her reaction. His clear eyes darted cautiously in her direction, only to find her lowering her gaze, seemingly dejected.

The next moment, his large hand landed on her head without warning, ruffling her hair thoroughly before the elevator doors opened. He seemed to enjoy this—every time he saw her hair left a wild mess by his hand, he felt an inexplicable satisfaction.

“Wen Yichen!” Jiang Muwen looked at her reflection in the elevator mirror—her once-smooth hair now an exploded mess. She looked up at him, a hint of anger in her eyes.

But Wen Yichen, seeing how she fumed, couldn’t help but laugh. As the elevator doors slid open, he tossed out a parting, “Good luck, Little Pufferfish,” before slipping out with practiced ease.

“Wen Yichen, you’re impossible!” Jiang Muwen retorted, chasing after him in indignation.

He stopped in front of his apartment door. The moment she spoke, his hand paused as he reached for his keys. After a beat, he fished them out. “If I’m so impossible, then don’t come asking me for help with your homework.”

The words meant nothing to Wen Yichen, but to Jiang Muwen, they were a blatant threat. “Wen Yichen, you’re so petty!”

He paused again, then turned to look at her, his face utterly expressionless.

His silent, deathly stare made Jiang Muwen shiver. Afraid that she’d made him angry, she forced a bitter smile. “Just kidding...”

After a brief silence, he turned away. His refined profile caught her eye as he left, lips curving ever so slightly in an inscrutable, half-smile.

“See you tomorrow.”

He bid her a simple farewell, then stepped inside and shut the door.

...

The next morning, as soon as Jiang Muwen entered Class A, she was hit by a wave of laziness that seemed to fill the room. Surrendering to the atmosphere, she joined the ranks of those napping at their desks.

It might sound unbelievable, but the reason for her morning exhaustion was that she’d been up past midnight, hugging her textbooks and trying to cram. They said diligence could make up for lack of talent, but she’d spent hours running in circles—her teacher’s lessons were simply too difficult, and she truly couldn’t keep up.

Just as she was finally drifting off, a clamorous racket jerked her awake, shattering her fragile dreams. The noise irritated her, especially in that half-asleep haze.

She opened her blurry eyes, instinctively seeking out the source of the disturbance.

Her eyes landed on her deskmate in the row ahead of her. The moment she looked up, her gaze collided with that of a boy—fair-skinned, clean-cut, but exuding a rebellious energy. The earring in his left ear made her immediately associate him with the local troublemakers.

He stared at her with bright, unblinking eyes, making her uneasy. He didn’t say a word, but his look was that of someone regarding a junior who’d done something wrong.

Maybe it was the aura he gave off, but Jiang Muwen instantly lost the courage to ask him to keep it down.

She was afraid he might hit her if she did.

After a few seconds of eye contact, the boy unexpectedly broke into a harmless smile, which only made Jiang Muwen even more reluctant to speak.

“I’m Yin Lize,” he introduced himself.

Yin Lize—Jiang Muwen had, of course, heard the gossip. He’d been studying in America until he earned himself two disciplinary records and had to return home. His family was wealthy, and apparently had some connection to the principal. After his father made a generous donation, he’d slid neatly into Class A.

Hearing this, Jiang Muwen froze—she could tell at a glance that this was not someone she wanted to cross.

“I’m Jiang Muwen...” she replied obediently.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Yin Lize turned in his seat to face her directly, curiosity shining in his eyes. “Here, I have something for you.”

He reached into his pocket and, after a moment, pulled out several candies, placing them on her desk.

It was hard to imagine someone like Yin Lize carrying such things in his pocket. Jiang Muwen was puzzled by his gesture. “What’s this for...?”

“A meeting gift,” he said with a grin, turning away before she could refuse, leaving the candies lying on her desk.

As he turned, Wen Yichen happened to enter the classroom.

The instant Wen Yichen stepped in, his eyes seemed to lock onto Yin Lize. Yin Lize met his gaze without flinching, leaning back in his chair with an air of ease, a faint, lazy smile playing about his lips as he looked Wen Yichen’s way.