Meisha

Meisha had a head of long, black, shoulder-length hair and large, expressive brown eyes. Her skin was fair, a characteristic of women from snowy regions, with a faint blush on her cheeks. When introducing herself, she always offered a reserved smile, a typical trait of Eastern beauties. In reality, even before noticing her appearance, the moment she heard her voice, one could confidently declare her a beauty.

Ryuseki looked the new girl up and down. She was wearing a pink long-sleeved shirt, a pale white sheer blouse over it, and a purplish-black skirt. Paired with snow-white stockings and black uniform shoes, her slender legs were perfectly showcased. Her attire was elegant, her demeanor refined, and her actions revealed her exquisite upbringing. Looking at her for a few more moments, one would find themselves drawn to her, with an inexplicable urge to abandon everything for her.

"Where would you like to sit? There are two empty seats," the homeroom teacher asked with a smile. "Who do you want to sit next to?"

"Me, me! Come sit here!" The spiky-haired boy from earlier looked like an excited monkey.

Meisha smiled and nodded at the spiky-haired boy before walking down from the podium. The boy was overjoyed. However, Meisha didn't choose to sit next to him. Instead, she walked directly towards Ryuseki.

"You're Ryuseki, right?" Meisha approached him with a smile. "We'll be desk mates from now on. Please take care of me." She put down her bag and sat next to Ryuseki in the seat that previously belonged to Kikka You.

"Huh? Yeah!" Ryuseki only snapped back to reality after she sat down.

"This is the notebook you dropped on the ground earlier!" Meisha handed him the notebook he had dropped that morning, then tidied her textbooks, preparing for class.

As the homeroom teacher left, he paused by the windowsill to take a look at the new student.

"Alright, class! Please take out your books. We're now starting 'Biographies of Contemporary Celebrities'!" A middle-aged man of slightly plump build began his lecture.

Everyone then took out their "Biographies of Contemporary Celebrities" textbooks.

"Class, today in 'Biographies of Contemporary Celebrities,' we're on the third lesson. Today, we'll be discussing the world's most famous explorer – Bu Chun Ernie!" the plump middle-aged teacher exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Bu Chun Ernie: A world-renowned explorer. He ventured alone into all sorts of dangerous places. He once escaped alive from the 'Time Tunnel' in the Devil's Triangle. He has written many famous exploration articles, some of which were even included in elementary and middle school textbooks. I'm sure you've all studied his writings before!" the fat teacher said.

"Yes! We studied his essay, 'Devil's Triangle – Gate of Time!'" the spiky-haired boy stood up, deliberately trying to impress the newly transferred Meisha.

"Wang, you usually don't speak up! Why are you so eager today?" the fat teacher asked with a smile, seeing right through him. He then continued, "Yes! You are absolutely correct! Now, the girl with glasses in front of Ryuseki, you answer this: what other contributions did Bu Chun Ernie make? I see you've been keeping your head down! Try to answer."

However, no one stood up. Ryuseki's new desk mate, Meisha, gently patted the girl with glasses whom the teacher had called upon. But the girl still didn't dare to stand up and answer.

"You don't need to pat her," Ryuseki told Meisha. "Her name is Xu Haoran. She's famous in our school for being afraid of teachers! She has a rare psychological condition called 'Teacherphobia.' She's extremely afraid of teachers!"

"Oh!" Meisha replied softly. "But how can that work?"

"Zhong Xian! I'm so scared!" the bespectacled girl named Xu Haoran tightly gripped the girl beside her, Zhong Xian. This girl must be her good friend! It seemed she trusted Zhong Xian a lot.

"Don't be scared, Xu Haoran! Stand up!" Zhong Xian said softly.

In reality, the fat teacher knew that Xu Haoran wouldn't dare to stand up and answer. He just believed that students shouldn't be like that and wanted to give her some encouragement!

"You can do it, Xu~ Haoran. I believe you can do it!" Meisha gently patted Xu Haoran's shoulder.

This gave Xu Haoran a sliver of courage, and she actually stood up.

At this moment, everyone's attention turned to the shy, bespectacled girl. After all, it was rare for her to stand up during class.

Even Ryuu Mufei turned around and looked at the shy girl with a meaningful gaze.

This was unexpected for everyone, as Xu Haoran had never even dared to stand up in class before. Although she just stood there without saying anything this time, it was still progress for her. This was likely thanks to the newly transferred student, Meisha!

"Alright! You can sit down now!" The fat teacher gestured for Xu Haoran to sit. A slight smile curved his lips, and he continued his lecture.

Inside the classroom, the teacher lectured, the students listened, outside the wind blew, leaves fluttered, and insects chirped.

Before long, an entire class period passed for Ryuseki without him even noticing.

As soon as the class ended, everyone surrounded Meisha, bombarding her with questions! Especially the bespectacled girl, Xu Haoran. The moment the teacher left the classroom, she seemed to undergo a personality change, becoming completely unrestrained, losing all her previous nervousness and shyness.

"Thank you so much for your encouragement!" Xu Haoran said, nodding at Meisha.

Helplessly, Ryuseki ended up going to the playground to chat with Lin Yingbin and Ryuu Mufei. After all, Ryuseki wasn't the type to join in on the commotion.

Unknowingly, it was already time for school to end. During the afternoon dismissal, as Ryuseki was packing his things, everyone said goodbye to Meisha as they left. Afterward, Meisha stopped Ryuseki.

"Can we walk together? We live quite close, don't we?"

Meisha tilted her head, and her smile was incredibly beautiful. Such a countenance was as if she had been blessed by the heavens.

Faced with Meisha's invitation, Ryuseki found himself unable to refuse and could only nod in agreement. Even Ryuseki himself didn't know why he had agreed so inexplicably, but he could feel an irresistible charm emanating from Meisha. However, Ryuseki understood that this wasn't just because Meisha was cute. It stemmed from something else entirely. After all, in terms of cuteness, Kikka You was no less cute than her, but she didn't possess this inexplicable charm.

However, Ryuseki remained silent for the entire walk, simply walking forward as if others weren't there.

"I read the contents of your notebook! I'm sorry for looking at your notebook without your permission!" Meisha said with a smile, sticking out her tongue apologetically.

"It's fine. You've already seen it anyway." In truth, Ryuseki's heart skipped a beat when he heard she had read it.

"Have you and Kikka You been close since childhood?" Meisha asked, keeping pace with Ryuseki. "Why did she move away?"

Upon hearing this, Ryuseki's mood instantly plummeted to freezing point. The events of the past few days flashed vividly in his mind. He looked at Meisha with a dejected expression. "Because she passed away. In a car accident not long ago."

After saying this, Ryuseki lowered his head and continued walking in silence.

"I'm so sorry! Truly sorry." Meisha stopped and bowed to Ryuseki, apologizing profusely. "I didn't know she had passed away. I'm so sorry."

"You don't need to apologize to me. I'm not qualified to accept it anyway."

Ryuseki sighed and quietly walked towards home. The afterglow of the setting sun illuminated their receding figures.