Chapter 172
Sunlight dappled through the leaves, scattering golden fragments on the ground.
Xing Nuo, wearing a light blue t-shirt and a helmet, rode his electric scooter to school.
He parked the scooter, hung his helmet on the handlebars, and walked towards the building with his backpack.
The first-year high school students, having just completed registration the previous day, were still unfamiliar with each other, sitting stiffly and shyly in their seats.
But as the teenager entered the classroom, their gazes were drawn to him.
He wore a simple outfit: a light blue t-shirt and jeans, his soft, curly hair framing his delicate features, his fair cheeks still retaining a hint of childish roundness.
His posture was straight, his build slender but well-proportioned, his simple clothes somehow enhancing his natural elegance.
“Good morning!”
Xing Nuo sat down at his desk, his bright, cheerful smile making the other students look away, almost blinded by his radiance.
His deskmate, a shy and introverted boy, stammered a greeting.
The girl in front of them, pretending to take a selfie, secretly snapped a few pictures of Xing Nuo.
The school forum was quickly updated with the new photos.
[3rd floor: More! More! We need more pictures like this!]
[7th floor: As a devout believer in both meat and veggies, I pray to be drowned in pictures of this handsome boy!]
[12th: Ahhhh, he’s my classmate! When he walked in yesterday, my eyes almost popped out! How can someone be so fair-skinned?!]
[17th floor: You guys are so superficial! What about me, just a few rows ahead? Am I not beautiful enough?!]
The post quickly gained traction, the comments filled with excited squeals and declarations of love.
Xing Nuo, oblivious to his newfound online fame, opened his notebook and prepared for class as the teacher entered.
Their homeroom teacher, a stern-looking man with rimless glasses, asked them to introduce themselves, starting from the front row.
Xing Nuo, having grown taller in the past two years, sat near the middle of the classroom, his chin resting on his hand, watching his classmates.
When it was his turn, he stood up, his voice clear and bright, radiating youthful energy.
“I’m Shen Xing Nuo. Nice to meet you all. Hope we can help each other and learn together for the next three years.”
The teacher, impressed by his name and his excellent entrance exam scores, nodded approvingly.
“Shen Xing Nuo, right? Keep up the good work.”
He was worried about handsome boys like Shen Xing Nuo, easily distracted by romance in high school.
Especially someone as beautiful and delicate as Xing Nuo, a magnet for girls.
Xing Nuo nodded and sat down, looking out the window, wondering what they would have for lunch.
After the introductions, the teacher dropped a bombshell.
“We’ll have a placement test this Friday, to assess your understanding of the junior high curriculum. Please prepare accordingly.”
A chorus of groans filled the classroom, their earlier excitement about high school replaced by dread.
Xing Nuo, having anticipated this, Rongcheng No. 1 High School’s tradition,
opened his textbook and reviewed his notes, his expression focused.
Time flew by quickly, and although it was only the first day of school, the teachers, wasting no time, declared:
“We’re already behind schedule!”
Xing Nuo, looking at his new textbooks, along with his classmates, was momentarily stunned.
How can other classes be ahead of us on the first day?
After a long day of classes, his head aching, his stomach rumbling, Xing Nuo walked towards the scooter parking area.
He had bought a new, blue electric scooter for high school, decorated with his favorite cartoon character from his childhood.
The matching helmet had two little leaves that bobbed as he rode.
He saw Shen Baizhou waiting for him, his long legs propped on the ground, looking bored.
A few girls, also getting their scooters, discreetly admired Shen Baizhou’s silver hair, whispering among themselves:
“Is he a first-year too?”
“I haven’t seen him around before. There are so many cute boys in this year’s first-year class!”
“I’m in love!”
Xing Nuo hurried over, swung his leg over the scooter, and leaned against Shen Baizhou’s back.
“Hungry and tired,” he sighed, his usually straight back slumping.
Shen Baizhou smiled, his monolid lifting slightly, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
“High school is tough. I don’t know how I survived.”
He took Xing Nuo’s helmet from the handlebars and gently secured it on his head.
“Let’s go. Shen Yan said he made your favorite dishes for dinner.”
Xing Nuo, his curls flattened by the helmet, but his cuteness enhanced, his eyes crinkling into a happy smile, cheered.
“Yay!”
He leaned against his brother as they rode home.
After they left, the two girls who had been whispering gasped.
“No way! The hotties are together?!”
As they rode past Xing Nuo’s former elementary school and kindergarten, Shen Baizhou chuckled, his voice clear and youthful, unchanged by time.
“You used to be so small, shorter than my leg, couldn’t even climb onto the back of the scooter. I had to buy one with a child seat in front, just to take you around.”
Xing Nuo, his memory sharp, especially for cherished moments, remembered.
He had thought he was a big boy, refusing to sit in the child seat.
But his little legs hadn’t been able to reach the footrest, and after several failed attempts, he had reluctantly climbed back into the front seat, his mouth pouting, under his brother’s teasing laughter.
He looked at the younger children, their backpacks bouncing as they walked home from school, and smiled.
“Now I’m in high school.”
Seven years had passed, and Xing Nuo was now a teenager.
Not much had changed at home. Shen Wen still attended his flower arranging and cooking classes, Shen Yan’s company had grown even bigger, going public two years ago and becoming one of the top 500 companies.
And Shen Baizhou, after graduating, somehow, had become a guidance counselor at his former high school.
Yes, Shen Baizhou, the perpetual student, was now a teacher, although he spent most of his time sleeping in his office, sometimes even staying there overnight.
Xing Nuo, having skipped a grade, was now in high school, no longer the small, frail child who had to look up at everyone.
They reached their apartment building, and Shen Baizhou parked the scooter.
Xing Nuo, jumping off, saw Qi Yao hurrying out of the building.
He seemed to be in a hurry and just waved briefly before running off.
Xing Nuo, looking at Qi Yao’s strong, muscular build, his clothes barely containing his physique, felt a pang of envy.
He flexed his own thin, pale arm, lacking any visible muscles.
But thanks to his years of martial arts training, he did have a thin layer of muscle on his abdomen, more visible when he wasn’t wearing a shirt.
Upstairs, to celebrate Xing Nuo’s first day of high school, Shen Yan had prepared a special dinner.
Mostly vegetables, some cooked with a bit of meat for flavor, but not greasy, a light and refreshing meal.
Xing Nuo smiled and hugged his brother.
“Thank you, Big Brother.”
Shen Yan, seeing Xing Nuo, still a child in his eyes, despite being almost as tall as him, ruffled his hair.
“Let’s eat. What time are your classes?”
Xing Nuo, having washed his hands, popped a vegetable ball into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out, his eyes sparkling.
“Two o’clock.”
Shen Yan hummed and went to get the last dish.
He returned to the table and, tapping Shen Baizhou’s head with his chopsticks, said, his voice slightly sharp:
“Eat slowly. You’ll choke.”
Shen Baizhou, having disliked Shen Yan for years, just snorted and continued eating.
“I know.”
Xing Nuo, sipping his yam and millet porridge, looked at his two brothers, struggling to suppress a giggle.
They had been at odds since he was a child, their bickering a constant presence in his life.
But when it came to him, they would always present a united front, their differences temporarily forgotten.
Shen Wen, arriving a bit later, carrying a bouquet of flowers, smiled and handed them to Xing Nuo.
“Zaizai, how was your first day of high school? Everything okay?”
Although Xing Nuo had grown up, Shen Wen still called him “Zaizai.”
Xing Nuo took the flowers, noticing the mosquito bites on his dad’s neck, and shook his head, his voice filled with concern.
“High school good. Daddy, you need mosquito coil in your room?”
Shen Wen, remembering something, his eyes narrowing, pulled his collar up to hide the bites, and said he was fine.
“No more mosquitoes today.”
Xing Nuo, seeing his dad’s annoyance, quietly sat down and started eating.
He enjoyed the meal.
He disliked greasy food, and Shen Yan, always considerate, had prepared a light and refreshing meal.
After dinner, having taken a short nap, Xing Nuo, his hair still messy, climbed onto the back of Shen Baizhou’s scooter and they rode to school.
The wind in his hair, by the time they reached his classroom, Xing Nuo, having yawned and stretched, felt more awake.
The girl in front of him, unable to contain her curiosity, turned around, her eyes sparkling.
“Xing Nuo, who was that handsome guy who took you to school on his scooter? Which class is he in?”
She wanted to ask more, like why his hair was silver, and if they were close,
but, having just met Xing Nuo, she didn’t want to be too intrusive.
Xing Nuo, his chin resting on his hand, his eyelids drooping slightly, his demeanor mirroring Shen Baizhou’s laziness, said:
“That my Big Brother. He already graduated. Not in our school.”
The girl hummed, about to ask another question, when another girl, her eyes wide with excitement, turned around and whispered:
“Big brother? Like, real brother?”
Xing Nuo, finding the glint in her eyes a bit strange, nodded, a strange feeling in his gut.
“Yes. My real brother.”
