Shen Yue

The girl in sight had a somewhat plump figure, looking like she enjoyed her meals very much.

Her face was round and chubby, but upon closer inspection, one could notice that her features weren’t unattractive—instead, they carried a unique kind of beauty.

Moreover, her skin was exceptionally fair.

Most importantly, she seemed very approachable.

In an instant, the gazes of all the classmates in the classroom converged on Shen Yue.

The girls’ eyes held varying degrees of envy.

After all, who wouldn’t want to sit close to a drop-dead gorgeous guy?

However, reality was unkind—the only vacant seat left in the class was this one, leaving them no choice but to watch longingly.

Noticing the stares directed at her, Shen Yue immediately lowered her head, nervously fidgeting with her fingers as if trying to hide herself.

Without hesitation, Gu Luo strode toward the empty seat.

His tall, handsome figure drew many sidelong glances from the girls.

After sitting down, he placed his backpack in the desk drawer, planning to move it to the back locker after class.

"Alright, settle down. Let’s start going over the problems," Old Wang said, tapping the blackboard before picking up the exercise book to begin the lesson.

Meanwhile, at his desk, Gu Luo noticed his empty workspace and whispered to his deskmate, "Shen Yue, um... I haven’t gotten my materials yet. Could we share yours?"

"Ah..." Shen Yue was momentarily stunned.

But she quickly snapped out of it and nodded eagerly. "Of course, of course."

Carefully, she placed the exercise book between them, then added apologetically, "Sorry... I didn’t notice earlier..."

"It’s fine, don’t worry about it."

Gu Luo glanced at the book and saw neat, delicate handwriting—every stroke reflecting diligence and attentiveness.

He couldn’t help but compliment, "Your handwriting is really beautiful and tidy."

"Thank you..."

Their conversation ended there.

Up front, Old Wang continued explaining the problems. Every time he asked if there were any questions, one voice would inevitably ring out—"Nope! These problems are so easy, solved in a flash!"

The speaker was a short-haired boy who looked lean but brimming with energy, his eyes shining with confidence.

Old Wang seemed slightly exasperated but only cleared his throat. "Then let’s move to the next one. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask me after class or during self-study. Or better yet, discuss them with your classmates first."

"No way anyone would struggle with these, teach! Relax!"

"Piece of cake!"

"..." Old Wang just gave him a sidelong glance but didn’t press further.

Watching this, Gu Luo’s lips twitched.

Was this "show-off dude" a standard feature in every class now?

Shen Yue noticed the complicated expression on Gu Luo’s face. After a brief hesitation, she quietly explained, "That’s Situ Wenyao... He’s quite lively and outgoing..."

"If there’s anything you don’t understand... I can discuss it with you after class..."

Describing an attention-seeking show-off as "lively and outgoing."

Framing teaching as "discussing."

She really was an incredibly gentle girl... Gu Luo had formed some impressions of his deskmate.

Though she seemed too timid, lacking confidence.

But that was understandable. Teenagers at this age were deeply self-conscious about their height, appearance, figure, and other rigid standards.

Being too fat, too short, too plain, too poor, or even having skin too dark or "assets" too big or small could make them insecure.

It was only human—everyone went through this phase.

As a top-tier heartthrob with maxed-out charm, Gu Luo wasn’t in a position to judge.

The best he could do was stay grounded.

Of course, that didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate beautiful girls.

Everyone had an eye for beauty.

"A compound surname? That’s rare," Gu Luo said with a light smile. "Thanks for introducing me to the class."

"It’s... no trouble..."

Shen Yue instinctively lowered her head again.

She wasn’t used to talking to such a handsome guy—her heart was a mix of nervousness and quiet delight.

At the front, Old Wang lectured for a while longer before setting the exercise book down and sitting on his stool. "That’s it for the lesson. Self-study time now."

"If you have questions, come ask me. Keep it down if you’re discussing with classmates."

The classroom immediately buzzed with murmurs—some discussing problems, others chatting secretly. Not a single student went up to ask the teacher anything.

Sipping his goji berry tea, Old Wang couldn’t help but sigh. "You kids are born in the best of times. No heavy academic pressure."

"From childhood, you get to leave school by 4 PM every day, plus weekends off."

He paused, then forced a bitter smile. "Not like back in our day—up at five in the morning, in class by five forty. We’d rush through washing our hair just to steal a few extra minutes of sleep. In winter, the water would freeze in our hair."

"At night, self-study sessions dragged on till ten. We only got half a day off every three weeks."

"And if you were at a less privileged school, the dorms didn’t even have air conditioning or hot water."

Down below.

The students kept whispering among themselves, barely registering Old Wang’s words.

For one, they’d heard it all before. For another, they’d never lived through it—how could they possibly relate?

Old Wang gave a slight shake of his head but understood. It was just like when he was a kid, listening to older generations talk about how they barely ate meat a few times a year. Impossible to truly grasp.

Guess time really does come full circle.

Shen Yue closed her workbook and leaned toward Gu Luo, explaining in a low voice, "Mr. Wang and some of the younger teachers born after 2000 bring up their past experiences every now and then."

"Understandable."

Gu Luo chuckled. With nothing on his desk to occupy him, he pulled out his phone under the table and sent a message to Gu Ximan.

Shen Yue, seeing this, turned her attention to her own business.

[Gu Luo: Ximan, sneaking any phone time in class?]

An almost instant reply.

[Gu Ximan: Of course not! (dog head.jpg)]

Reading the message, Gu Luo couldn’t help but smile and typed back.

[Gu Luo: We’re in self-study here. What about you? Sitting far from Lu Xuexue?]

[Gu Ximan: Teacher’s in the bathroom. Xuexue’s right in front of me.]

Neither pushed it too far, exchanging just a few more lines before letting the conversation drop.

Tucking his phone away, Gu Luo’s gaze settled on his deskmate, Shen Yue.

She was completely absorbed in drawing.

The sketch was of some anime girl—one Gu Luo vaguely recognized thanks to Gu Ximan’s obsession with anime, though the name escaped him.

What stood out, though, was Shen Yue’s incredible skill.

The character leaped off the page, not just in precise outlines but in the way she’d perfectly captured the girl’s spirit.

Those lively eyes, that playful expression—it was as if the character might step right out of the paper.

"That’s amazing," Gu Luo blurted out.

Shen Yue startled at the sudden voice, her hand jerking and leaving a stray line across the drawing.

Gu Luo immediately apologized. "Sorry, I shouldn’t have spoken up like that."

"...It’s fine." Shen Yue didn’t seem annoyed, just slightly flustered as she shifted the paper aside. She picked up an eraser and carefully began removing the unwanted mark.

"But your drawing’s seriously impressive. Could I see some of your other work?" Gu Luo asked earnestly.

"Um..." Shen Yue hesitated but eventually reached into her desk, pulling out a sketchbook.

She placed it slowly on Gu Luo’s desk.

"Thanks."

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