"Alright, now that you've all met the newcomer, I'll leave you some time to practice on your own," Xu Qian announced with a pleasant smile.
"You can use this opportunity to consolidate your knowledge."
"Hail to the leader!"
"Leader Xu, this might just be the wisest decision you've ever made today."
Her words sparked a collective cheer from the group, their enthusiasm spilling over into laughter and applause.
"You lot are too clever for your age," Xu Qian chuckled, clearly amused by their response, before turning and leaving the room.
Once she was gone, the lively chatter slowly died down. A quiet shift occurred in the room's atmosphere as, intentionally or not, everyone turned their gaze toward Chu Yi.
The boys looked at him with curiosity, intrigued by the newcomer's presence.
The girls, on the other hand, seemed almost dazed—mesmerized by his striking appearance.
"He's so handsome..."
"I've already confessed to him in my heart," one girl whispered dreamily.
The room buzzed with murmurs, all centered on Chu Yi. But he seemed entirely unaffected.
He hadn't come for them—certainly not for nameless admirers. He was here because of Xia Yuehan.
His attention drifted toward Zhang Ting, sitting nearby, and he began to observe her.
She wore a crisp white checkered blouse and snug jeans. Her features were tinged with a touch of sharpness, suggesting a candid and forthright personality.
If he had to judge, he'd give her a solid eighty-seven in terms of looks.
Chu Yi knew exactly who she was—Xia Yuehan's closest confidante. The two were practically inseparable, like sisters. In the original storyline, she had played a significant role in orchestrating moments between Xia Yuehan and Ye Fan.
If he could establish a good rapport with her... then perhaps—
A faint, knowing smile curved on Chu Yi's lips.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ting, seated beside him, was visibly uneasy—as though sharp needles pricked her back, sending shivers through her entire body.
Gone was her usual confidence. She couldn't bring herself to sit still.
He was simply too handsome.
To have such a cool, handsome peer seated right beside her—it was more than she could handle.
A strange warmth crept into her chest. Her thoughts began to scatter.
Why is he sitting next to me? Could it be... he's interested in me?
Her heart raced in chaotic disarray.
"Hi, what's your name?"
"And... could I take a look at your textbook? I haven't received mine yet."
His voice arrived without warning, startling Zhang Ting. She nearly dropped the book in her hands.
After a few seconds of dazed silence, she fumbled to hand it to him.
"Here, you can look at it... It's the workbook."
"My name is Zhang Ting."
With that, she turned away, cheeks faintly pink, and buried herself in her exercises—perhaps to mask her flustered state.
Chu Yi gave a low chuckle, entertained by her reaction.
But he quickly lost interest. She wasn't the female lead in the story, and her background seemed unremarkable.
His gaze shifted upward, to Xia Yuehan seated at the front right.
He hadn't had the chance to really observe her during introductions—now was the perfect time.
Her long black hair flowed like silk, smooth and lustrous. She wore a soft pink jacket, and her slender figure exuded elegance, even from behind.
Very nice. Definitely my type.
At that moment, Xia Yuehan seemed to sense something.
Though she faced away from Chu Yi, a woman's intuition was rarely wrong. She could feel the intensity of his gaze like a flame licking at her back, making it impossible to concentrate.
She shifted uncomfortably, adjusting her clothes in a futile attempt to calm her nerves.
Her mind was no longer on her practice questions.
And yet, she didn't dare look back.
She knew—without question—it was Chu Yi staring at her.
He said he wasn't interested... yet now he won't stop looking at me.
So annoying. I can't even focus.
But still, the idea of confronting him outright—embarrassing him in front of everyone—felt wrong to her.
She had always been the considerate, polite girl. She couldn't bring herself to cause a scene.
Yet someone else had noticed her discomfort—Ye Fan.
He hadn't really been focusing on his work, keeping a side-eye on Xia Yuehan the whole time.
Now, seeing her shift in that nervous, uneasy way, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
Like a vigilant protector, his eyes swept the room—until they locked onto Chu Yi.
The latter was still gazing at Xia Yuehan with barely concealed interest.
Rage surged in Ye Fan's chest. Their eyes met—and for Ye Fan, it was like seeing an old nemesis.
Especially after being nearly humiliated by Chu Yi earlier.
But just then, Chu Yi smoothly averted his gaze, turning his attention down to his book, his expression calm—unbothered.
As if the intense staring from moments before had never happened.
Ye Fan was left choking on frustration, like swallowing a bitter pill. His face twisted in irritation.
Ding ding ding.
Time ticked by slowly. Perhaps because of the looming final test, everyone had fallen into quiet diligence.
The sound of pens scratching paper filled the room—shasha shasha—a soft, steady rhythm of effort.
Then, chaos broke through the silence.
From outside came the bellow of an angry voice:
"Where the hell is Li Linhai?! That bastard better drag himself out here right now!"
The ferocity in the voice caused the classroom to erupt into murmurs and startled glances.
Everyone looked toward the door, then turned their eyes to a corner of the room—where a slightly overweight boy sat pale and trembling.
Chu Yi took in the scene and smiled faintly.
How predictable. This reeks of a setup.
He had a feeling what would happen next: Ye Fan, once again, playing the hero.
Outside the room, a gangly teen with bleached yellow hair leaned toward a tall, muscular youth.
"Boss, no one's responding. That coward doesn't dare come out."
"Damn it," the taller one growled.
"He had the guts to touch my girl, but no spine to admit it? What a pathetic excuse of a man."
"Go. All of you—get in there!"
The leader's eyes burned with fury as he prepared to storm the classroom.
He had every right to be furious—he'd laid claim to a girl and publicly declared her his. And yet, just two days away, and the girl had gone off to a hotel with a chubby nobody?
Who could swallow that?
"But Boss... isn't this kind of serious? I mean, beating someone in another class..."
The yellow-haired lackey hesitated, fear creeping into his voice.
The leader spun and slapped him hard across the face.
"My girl got dragged off to a hotel and you're worried about rules? Get in there. Now!"
Three or four of his underlings charged into the classroom, pushing past the door.
"Who are you people? What do you think you're doing?"
"Get out! You're disturbing our study session!"
Xia Yuehan stood up with righteous fury, her eyes blazing as she confronted them.
"Who the hell are you—" the leader began, but as soon as he saw who it was, his demeanor flipped.
"Ah, Sister-in-law! Apologies, of course you're right. We'll be out of here in a minute."
"Yeah, Sister-in-law, just one minute!" the cronies echoed, fawning over her.
This was, after all, the woman publicly declared to belong to Li Ran of the Li family—one of the famed "Three Young Masters" of their school.
No one dared cross that line.
Even the leader, though his eyes gleamed with desire, knew better than to show it openly.
"You—!"
Xia Yuehan flushed red with anger.
She never agreed to any relationship—yet Li Ran had gone around claiming her as his girlfriend.
It was infuriating and humiliating.
"Enough. Drag that fat bastard out of here!"
"Yeah, hurry up!"
With Xia Yuehan silenced, the gang moved past her and surrounded Li Linhai.
"Aren't you going to act?" Chu Yi murmured with an amused look.
This chubby kid was Ye Fan's loyal follower in the original story.
Why hasn't Ye Fan stepped in yet...?
His gaze shifted to Ye Fan—still calmly reading, unbothered, as though nothing was happening.
"So... you're just waiting for the perfect moment to make an entrance, huh?"
Chu Yi smirked. He understood now.
These thugs had already been beaten by Ye Fan before—they feared him. One word from him would send them packing.
But Ye Fan preferred a dramatic flair.
Well then—if Ye Fan wouldn't seize the stage, Chu Yi would do it for him.
This was, after all, a golden chance to win Xia Yuehan's favor.
Chu Yi stood up.
"Hey, you four pieces of trash—get the hell out."
"Who said that?"
The yellow-haired thug turned, ready to curse—until he saw Chu Yi's sharp, impeccable appearance and hesitated.
"Boss... someone's telling us to get lost."
"Then hit him! Teach him a lesson!"
"Are you all idiots?!"
But the leader ignored Chu Yi and sent a punch straight into the cowering boy's gut.
After all, a stranger's insult was nothing compared to the humiliation of losing his girl.