The hushed chatter buzzing around Chen Yuanchu was like summer mosquitoes droning in his ears. He had just shoved his schoolbag into the desk compartment and hadn't even settled into his seat when he keenly picked up on the strange looks from the surrounding classmates. Most of those gazes were fixed on the girl beside him, the one hunched over her work, carrying a mix of surprise, sympathy, and a barely concealed hint of envy.
Chen Yuanchu was not at all surprised by this. He glanced sideways at his new desk mate—Lin Wanqiu. Even if he knew nothing about so-called "campus celebrities," the cold aura emanating from this girl and the contradictory reactions from the boys around her—simultaneously fearful and eager to get close—were enough to tell him she was no ordinary student.
Bits and pieces from the whispered conversations pieced together a rough outline: she was the class monitor, held the power to deduct points, supposedly kept a little notebook recording disciplinary violations, and was universally known as the "untouchable flower" of the class. More importantly, she was beautiful.
That kind of beauty often came with a sense of distance, making the opposite sex either unusually restrained in her presence or overcompensating with clumsy attempts to show off. Chen Yuanchu had a calm state of mind—not feeling inferior, nor finding anything particularly special about it. To him, this was simply another phase of his cultivation journey down the mountain; his Dao heart was firm, and external things rarely stirred him.
Desks and chairs were arranged. Seeing that the tip of Lin Wanqiu's pen had paused, as if she had temporarily finished her current task, Chen Yuanchu naturally initiated a topic.
"Are you the class monitor?"
"Mm."
Lin Wanqiu answered quickly this time. She had no desire to relive the awkwardness of being stared at silently by this Taoist until she was forced to respond.
"Is President Zhou your father?"
…
The pen tip came to a complete stop. Lin Wanqiu turned her head, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny and curiosity, yet she found no trace of mockery or deliberate fawning on Chen Yuanchu's face. His tone was as flat as asking "nice weather today, isn't it?"
"Did he tell you that?"
She didn't answer directly, but fired back with a counter-question, her dominant personality on full display.
"Not exactly. I just picked up on it from the resemblance between you and President Zhou."
"Did he arrange for you to be my desk mate?"
"You'd have to ask President Zhou about that. I didn't know beforehand either."
Chen Yuanchu spoke nothing but the truth. He genuinely hadn't known President Zhou's daughter was in Class Three, nor had he expected to be assigned as her desk mate. But thinking about it more carefully, the arrangement clearly carried a sense of looking out for him—Lin Wanqiu was the top science student in the entire grade, and his foundation was weak, so this was clearly a "pairing for tutoring" setup.
Lin Wanqiu saw through it all crystal clearly. Had it not been for her father's decision, Teacher Zhang would never have dared randomly assign her a desk mate. Being the top in class, finding her a desk mate could only mean one thing—having her help guide someone along.
After those brief exchanges, Lin Wanqiu didn't dislike Chen Yuanchu. She simply wasn't accustomed to being interrupted while doing problems. As for his Taoist robe, she initially thought it was a bit of a bid for attention, but given his handsome features and composed demeanor, she reluctantly accepted it.
This was an unfair accusation against Chen Yuanchu. He had worn Taoist robes year-round on the mountain. When he rushed down, he hadn't prepared any regular clothes, nor did he pay much attention to the school's dress code. After all, he was a Taoist—why would a Taoist wear anything other than Taoist robes? But since he had already received his new school uniform, he would change into it tomorrow. He didn't care about others' gazes, but since he had entered a secular school, following the rules was part of his cultivation.
"Are you a Taoist?"
"Yes."
Chen Yuanchu answered with natural conviction, as if responding to a question about whether someone was male or female.
Lin Wanqiu's curiosity deepened further. She simply could not fathom when her father had gotten involved with Taoist circles. But setting that aside, as class monitor, she owed a basic level of care toward a new classmate—even if she wasn't particularly skilled at showing it.
"If you don't understand anything in the future, feel free to ask me. Class matters, schoolwork."
What should have been a warm gesture came out of her mouth with a cold, businesslike stiffness. Lin Wanqiu turned her attention back, thinking this was probably the extent of her exchange with this new desk mate for the day.
Anyone else, faced with such an "ice queen," would likely have the sense to back off—particularly an eighteen-year-old boy who cared about his pride. But Chen Yuanchu had no such concerns. He seized the opportunity and tossed out the questions closest to his heart:
"Is the cafeteria serving food right now?"
"Yes."
"Can I get it packed?"
"Add one yuan."
"Is it fine to leave books in the classroom?"
"It's fine."
"Okay, thanks."
He asked with absolute seriousness, no trace of joking. After getting his answers, Chen Yuanchu picked a few required textbooks, stuffed them into his backpack, neatly tucked in his chair, and stood up to leave.
Seeing that he even had to ask such common-sense questions, it was clear he knew nothing about school life. Lin Wanqiu couldn't help but add a reminder:
"Evening self-study starts at six-thirty."
"Doesn't it start at six forty-five?"
"Our class rule is six thirty in the classroom."
"Okay. Teacher Zhang approved that I don't have to come tonight, but thanks for the reminder anyway."
…
Watching the little Taoist's departing back, the space beside Lin Wanqiu was empty once more. Although the extra desk and chair were a bit of an eyesore, she hadn't quite found a reason to change desk mates.
As long as you don't make mistakes, I won't bother moving you.
Lin Wanqiu spread out her test paper again, her mind settling back into the ocean of problems. Those classmates who had bet that Chen Yuanchu wouldn't make it through tonight were likely to be disappointed.
…
Chen Yuanchu had no idea he had already been added to the "Desk Mate Observation List."
After running around for most of the day, it wasn't until this moment that he truly had leisure time to himself, wandering alone across campus.
The sun was setting in the west, stretching the shadow of the teaching building to great length, and a warm orange spread across the red running track. Tomorrow was the official first day of school, but most of the new first-year students and the older second and third-year students had already arrived.
Telling them apart wasn't difficult. Students like Chen Yuanchu—not wearing the school uniform, wandering around everywhere—were most likely freshmen.
That Taoist robe really did stand out too much on campus. Chen Yuanchu kept catching whispers from passersby.
"Why is there a Taoist at school?"
"Oh, but he's kind of handsome…"
Having grown up in the deep mountains with an extremely narrow social circle, Chen Yuanchu rarely thought about his own appearance. In his master's words, he was "not bad-looking." One point eight meters tall, tall and upright, features well-proportioned, his temperament carrying a composure and detachment rarely seen in young men.
He was somewhat curious too—wondering what he would look like once he changed into the school uniform tomorrow.
After a simple stroll, Chen Yuanchu arrived at the cafeteria.
It was past five in the afternoon, and quite a few students had already come to buy food. Fortunately, there was no long queue at the windows yet. Chen Yuanchu stood to the side and observed other people's process for a while before taking out his meal card and stepping forward.
The cafeteria lady serving the dishes visibly froze when she saw the young man in the Taoist robe.
"What would little master like to order?"
"Please, one portion of braised pork, one of shredded pork with dried tofu, one of shredded potatoes, and one of vegetables. Packed to go, please."
"One yuan extra for packing."
The lady worked quickly, pulling out takeout containers and dishing out the food briskly. Perhaps because the Taoist robe looked so upright and dignified, the hand that had been shaking all afternoon actually steadied for Chen Yuanchu. She packed his meal full to the brim, not a single tremor.
Chen Yuanchu thought for a moment, then added: "Auntie, please pack another set exactly the same."
They were all local home-style dishes, nothing his palate wasn't used to. Getting an extra portion meant he could bring it along when he went to find President Zhou later. Whether the man ate it or not, the courtesy had to be observed.
Soon, both steaming hot meals were packed and ready.
"Does little master have a meal card? If not, you can scan the code or pay cash here."
"I have one."
The lady completed the transaction skillfully. Including the two-yuan packing fee, the total was eighteen yuan.
Two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes—only eight yuan per set. Quite affordable for a small town at this price level. On the mountain, the master and disciple cooked for themselves, with Chen Yuanchu handling the cooking. Occasionally, when he went out to perform rituals and missed meal times, he would grab fast food outside.
Chen Yuanchu took the meal boxes and pressed President Zhou's meal card against the card reader.
Beep—
Transaction successful. Balance displayed: 782 yuan.
President Zhou's teacher card came with 800 yuan in monthly meal allowance. With Chen Yuanchu's appetite, that was more than enough. Today was the last day