School

The books and test papers piled up on the desks in the classroom were like crumbling city walls. Liu Chang'an's seat was in the last row, yet his desk was the only one where books were stacked neatly, with most of the test papers remaining crisp and clean.

The senior students of the Affiliated High School occupied a separate, old teaching building. The environment was quiet and secluded. Though the classrooms were small, they were packed with seventy students; to save space, aside from single rows along the sides, the middle was filled with three-person rows.

An Nuan and Liu Chang'an sat together, with a well-developed fatty named Gao Dewei sitting right next to Liu Chang'an.

An Nuan sat at her desk with her legs stretched out straight, reminding Liu Chang'an of the large compasses often used by their math teacher. The young girl's slender calves were taut, with subtle, undulating curves in the muscles showing no signs of slackness. Her thighs, round and straight above the knees, were showcased by her athletic shorts, giving An Nuan the kind of figure that girls her age envied most.

Long legs, a slim waist, and yet, she was not flat-chested.

Seeing Liu Chang'an, An Nuan revealed a smile full of anticipation, her eyes brimming with teasing. "You skipped class for no reason. Did Huang Shan punish you by making you copy the school rules?"

"No."

An Nuan felt a bit disappointed, then lowered her voice and said, "I accidentally discovered yesterday that Huang Shan followed me on Weibo."

"Isn't that normal?" Liu Chang'an said nonchalantly. An Nuan was the most popular girl at the Affiliated High School, with over a million followers on Weibo. Liu Chang'an actually knew that her Weibo account was managed by her mother; as a senior, she didn't have that much time to run an influencer account.

"Huang Shan also follows a lot of female streamers. I really couldn't tell," An Nuan chuckled. The reason she was interested in gossiping about Huang Shan was that he and her mother were college classmates, so Huang Shan paid extra attention to An Nuan at school.

"When young, one yearns for their parents; when one knows the beauty of the opposite sex, one yearns for young maidens; when one has a wife, one yearns for one's wife; when in office, one yearns for one's lord; when idle, one yearns for streamers. Isn't this all perfectly normal?" Liu Chang'an said matter-of-factly. "Mencius said so."

An Nuan burst into laughter. "Then you must be the one in that quote who knows the beauty of the opposite sex and yearns for young maidens."

"Young maidens are just girls, which is you," Liu Chang'an glanced at An Nuan.

A faint peach-colored blush spread across An Nuan's delicate, fair cheeks, and she rolled her eyes at him. Perhaps it was because the college entrance exam was approaching and everyone was about to go their separate ways, but Liu Chang'an seemed to be becoming increasingly improper.

He remembered that back in his freshman year, Liu Chang'an had been a bit dull and slow-witted, seemingly lost in a daze every day. It was only gradually that he became normal, no different from the other students.

"Fatty, let me see your notes from yesterday. I wasn't here," An Nuan said to Gao Dewei, leaning past Liu Chang'an. It wasn't just that Liu Chang'an hadn't been at school yesterday; even if he had been, An Nuan wouldn't have counted on him to take notes. In her impression, Liu Chang'an only wrote down reading notes and never took classroom notes.

"Ah, you weren't here yesterday?" Gao Dewei seemed to have just realized it and, startled, handed over his notes. "The content covered yesterday was quite important. You should take a look; it might just be a major question on the college entrance exam."

An Nuan took the notes. Seeing that Liu Chang'an seemed completely unconcerned about why she hadn't been there yesterday, she used Gao Dewei's notes to smack Liu Chang'an on the back. Liu Chang'an countered by bumping her with his elbow.

An Nuan felt a sudden sharp pain, clutched her chest, and slumped over her desk. This jerk!

Just then, Huang Shan walked over. Seeing An Nuan's state, he asked with concern, "An Nuan, has your fever gone down? If you're not feeling well, why don't you go back and rest for another day?"

"No need, I'm just a bit sleepy. I'll be fine after resting for a moment," An Nuan lifted her head and forced a smile.

"Take care of yourself, then. If it doesn't get better, go see the school doctor."

After Huang Shan left, An Nuan turned her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, and glared at Liu Chang'an indignantly.

"My strength increased a bit yesterday, and I haven't gotten used to it yet. I used too much force just now," Liu Chang'an said, feeling a bit embarrassed. An Nuan had been leaning sideways to grab the notes, and Liu Chang'an had originally only intended to bump her arm, not expecting to strike the softness on her chest.

A young girl's chest is often described as soft and supple, naturally delicate and fragile.

"If this were a story from the Biographies of Exemplary Women, I'd have to cut it off!" An Nuan thought of the book, Biographies of Exemplary Women, a piece of feudal dross that Liu Chang'an used to carry around.

"I felt an abnormal sensation in your chest area just now. It might be a symptom of blocked blood flow caused by the high fever, leading to congestion," Liu Chang'an closed the copy of Zi Bu Yu in his hands, pressed his thumb into his palm, and extended his hand toward An Nuan. "I can help you massage it to promote blood circulation and resolve the abnormality."

"Get lost!" An Nuan didn't hesitate to pick up the notes and smash them heavily into Liu Chang'an's palm. She had only added a sponge pad to her bra.

After school, An Nuan asked Liu Chang'an to go home with her, but she had to practice bumping the ball in the gym for a while and told him to wait for her.

Liu Chang'an arrived at the gym and sat in the spectator stands. A while later, An Nuan changed into her sportswear, walked onto the court, waved at Liu Chang'an, and began to practice.

Although An Nuan was a key player on the Affiliated High School's volleyball team and possessed technical skill, Liu Chang'an watched and still felt there was a vast gap between them and the girls of the eighties who aimed to defend national honor with their lives.

This was an era of entertainment to death, where everything was for entertainment. Liu Chang'an's gaze also focused on the slender legs of the beautiful girls. Perhaps influenced by An Nuan, the Affiliated High School volleyball team also considered appearance when recruiting... not to mention that a high school volleyball team could never be truly professional. In his impression, the masculine-featured, muscular female athletes he knew didn't exist on the Affiliated High School team.

There was a volleyball match after the college entrance exam; it would be the last time An Nuan represented the school. During her six years at the Affiliated High School, An Nuan had developed deep feelings for the team. She cherished this opportunity, so even with the exam looming, she would carve out time to practice so she wouldn't get rusty. Besides, An Nuan believed that appropriate exercise kept her body in better condition, which only had a positive impact on her studies.

Seeing Liu Chang'an looking around, his gaze seemingly wandering toward girls other than herself, An Nuan quietly stopped practicing, raised her hand, and swatted the ball toward Liu Chang'an.

As captain, An Nuan had at least that much strength and accuracy. Liu Chang'an heard the wind, reached out, and caught the volleyball steadily in his hand.

"Pretty cool!" An Nuan was startled, then clapped her hands with a smile. Most people would probably bat the ball away or dodge it; very few could catch it so steadily. Although An Nuan hadn't used her full strength, she knew it wasn't easy to catch it so firmly.

Liu Chang'an also raised his hand and swatted, and the volleyball flew toward An Nuan.

Thinking of Liu Chang'an's move just now, An Nuan felt an itch to swat the ball back.

The ball was halfway there when An Nuan realized its trajectory was an arc, so she hurriedly turned sideways and jumped to block it.

"Smack!"

The volleyball slammed right into An Nuan's face. An Nuan stumbled back several steps, let out a startled cry, and fell to the ground, feeling a sharp pain in her nose as blood immediately began to stream down.

Liu Chang'an was stunned. What was the meaning of jumping up and blocking the ball with her face?