September 1, the first day of school.
Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan got up early. After breakfast, they headed to school together to register.
They didn't need their parents to accompany them; they had each other.
They were nearly sixteen, after all, and independent enough to manage on their own. If they could avoid bothering their parents, they would.
More importantly, Shanhai High School's senior division was close to home, only a few hundred meters away. It took just a few minutes to walk there.
"Xiao Chen, school's so close that we won't even need our bike. What a shame."
Shen Qinghan wore a pale blue dress that showed off her fair, slender legs. As she walked along the street beside Lin Zichen, she suddenly felt a little out of sorts and couldn't help sighing with regret.
"Not really. We can still ride it on weekends. There's nothing to be sad about."
"Then we can go out for rides on the weekends. I'll give you a lift. My legs are really strong now, so carrying you won't be a problem!" Shen Qinghan said, her clear eyes shining as she looked at Lin Zichen.
Lin Zichen smiled. "Sure. I'll look forward to seeing your cycling skills."
The two of them walked and chatted along the way.
As they neared the intersection up ahead, Shen Qinghan pointed across the road at a barbershop and said uncertainly, "Xiao Chen, look at the person in that barbershop. Is that Zhang Kai?"
Zhang Kai?
That loudmouth from the Martial Arts Team back then?
Lin Zichen followed Shen Qinghan's gaze and sure enough spotted the Zhang Kai from their old Martial Arts Team.
But Zhang Kai was no longer the sunny, short-haired boy he'd once been. Now he had an earring in his left ear, his right eye hidden behind a slanted fringe, and his hair dyed all sorts of colors. He looked like a flamboyant, rebellious youth straight out of a subculture.
A flashy motorcycle was parked in front of the barbershop. It was probably his.
His grades in the cultural subjects were so bad that he couldn't get into high school. Did he end up as one of those rebellious youths with flashy bikes? The thought left Lin Zichen feeling wistful.
Still, he didn't dwell on it. He and Shen Qinghan soon continued on toward school.
Senior Division, Shanhai High School.
New Student Welcome Hall.
The so-called welcome hall was really just a spacious corridor beneath one of the teaching buildings.
Each new student homeroom teacher had a desk and chair there, where they waited for their class's new students to come register.
There were also plenty of older students volunteering to welcome newcomers. The place was quite lively.
Lin Zichen looked around and quickly found the welcome desk for his class—Class 1 Grade 1. He immediately led Shen Qinghan over.
"Hello, teacher. We're here to register."
"You're here early."
The muscular man seated at the Class 1 Grade 1 welcome desk replied casually. He finished responding to a WeChat message on his phone, set it down, and looked up at them.
The moment he saw Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan's striking looks, he was dazzled.
He took out the registration form and had them check off their names. Then, unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "You two are both so handsome and beautiful. Are you siblings?"
"We're not siblings. We grew up together—we're childhood friends." Lin Zichen picked up the pen on the desk and checked the box next to his own name, then marked Shen Qinghan's name below it too.
The muscular man glanced at where he'd checked the boxes, and his eyes widened. Then his face quickly broke into a broad smile. "So you're Zichen! I've heard your name so many times. I'm finally meeting you in person."
Lin Zichen had been the most outstanding student in Shanhai High School's junior division. Many teachers in the senior division had heard of him, though few had actually met him.
"May I ask how I should address you, teacher?" Lin Zichen asked politely.
The muscular man chuckled. "My surname's Han. You two can just call me Old Han."
"So you're Teacher Han. Hello, Teacher Han," Lin Zichen said with a smile.
"Hello, Teacher Han..." Shen Qinghan echoed him, her voice soft and a little timid, giving the impression that she was somewhat shy.
"Haha, hello to you both!"
Han Yuanfeng laughed heartily. He seemed very approachable.
Then he called to a volunteer not far away. "He Xu, could you show them around the school and introduce them to the different areas?"
"No need, Teacher Han. We'll look around by ourselves."
With that, Lin Zichen led Shen Qinghan away from the corridor.
They spent more than ten minutes walking around the school.
Then they realized that Shanhai High School's senior division was basically an enlarged version of its junior division.
The gardens and buildings had exactly the same style.
After looking around, they decided there wasn't much else to see and headed for their classroom.
Third Teaching Building.
Class 1 Grade 1.
When Lin Zichen led Shen Qinghan inside, the classroom was empty.
They'd arrived too early. They'd come to register right after breakfast, and most of their classmates probably weren't even awake yet, let alone in the classroom.
Besides, registration lasted all day. They could sleep in at home and come by in the afternoon after lunch.
"Xiao Chen, there are photos of all the teachers on the back wall. They look like they were just put up. Let's go take a look!"
As she spoke, Shen Qinghan hurried to the back of the classroom and curiously examined the photos hanging on the wall.
Lin Zichen walked over too. Each photo had a brief description of the teacher beneath it. He guessed they'd been put up to help new students get to know their teachers quickly.
The school had really gone the extra mile with this. It deserved extra credit.
There were four photos in all, all of male teachers, each representing one of the four main subjects in high school.
The first photo: Martial arts teacher and homeroom teacher, Han Yuanfeng.
The second photo: Wilderness Survival Course teacher, Cheng Bei.
The third photo: Gene Fusion Course teacher, Liu Deren.
The fourth photo: Mechanical Modification Course teacher, Cai Yuanfei.
Besides basic information about the teachers, the photos also had descriptions of the four main subjects beneath them.
Martial arts: Mainly physical training and learning martial arts techniques. Practice-oriented.
Wilderness survival: Mainly learning a variety of survival skills, such as climbing, starting fires by rubbing sticks together, and finding water sources. Practice-oriented.
Gene fusion: Mainly learning about gene fusion technology. Students also needed to identify different Exotic Beasts and understand the traits and habits of known species. Lessons were mostly textbook-based and theory-oriented.
Mechanical modification: Mainly learning about mechanical modification technology, as well as recognizing different materials and alloy equipment. Lessons were textbook-based and theory-oriented.
"Xiao Chen, there are so few courses in high school—only four. That's a lot fewer than in junior high."
After reading the course descriptions beneath the photos, Shen Qinghan couldn't help feeling pleased.
Lin Zichen poured cold water on her enthusiasm. "Don't get too excited. The fewer the courses, the harder they are. And these are only the main subjects. You'll still have Elective Courses to take later."
"That's fine. Elective Courses are just cultural subjects and classes based on your interests. They won't be a problem for me." Shen Qinghan declared with complete confidence.
She'd placed in the top hundred across the district in the cultural subjects, after all. She had every right to be a little proud.
Lin Zichen only smiled and said nothing. He was happy to see Shen Qinghan feeling proud.
He'd been dazzling since childhood, but he wasn't afraid of Shen Qinghan becoming proud. What worried him was her feeling inferior.
Pride at least meant she was happy. By contrast, feeling inferior meant she was deeply unhappy—and she might even become depressed one day.
He didn't want his own brilliance to undermine Shen Qinghan's confidence and make her feel inferior or withdraw into herself.
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