Chapter 11

The very last row was by the door, meaning that in ninety-nine percent of cases, you'd be the first to rush out of the classroom—a coveted spot in any class.

Long Wan, sitting in front, turned around and said, “Our Xuanxuan has been sitting in her throne for an entire semester... and now you’re still sitting here?”

Du Zhengxuan replied, “Yes, of course.”

Long Wan clicked her tongue twice, then turned back to her answers.

For the whole evening study session and three breaks after, Du Zhengxuan didn’t speak to Nakahara Chuuya again.

She had hesitated about whether to say something to him, but their previous conversations had mostly centered on cramming for exams.

Now that the exams were over and Nakahara was more familiar with the environment, continuing to chat as before felt forced, like making small talk just to fill the silence.

After much deliberation, Du Zhengxuan chose to remain silent.

The evening study after the results were released was restless; several breaks were noisy and lively. Long Wan had switched into a short-lived hyperactive mode, constantly turning around to ask Du Zhengxuan questions, making the scene seem no different from usual.

Du Zhengxuan stayed quiet, and Nakahara Chuuya was silent as well.

She let out a slight breath of relief and didn’t wait for Nakahara after school, returning to her usual routine.

If you measured the time students spent on campus, Du Zhengxuan probably spent the least.

She was always punctual, arriving just on time and leaving right on the dot.

By “right on the dot,” she meant rushing out the moment the bell rang. Leaving early meant the hallways and stairs weren’t crowded. Since Du Zhengxuan was fast, sometimes she was already outside the school gates before the dismissal bell had finished ringing.

She sped home like the wind again, enjoyed a refreshing wash, then snuggled under the covers playing on her phone.

She hadn’t seen Nakahara’s more handsome face under the streetlight today, but the newly released episode of her favorite series made up for it.

She happily finished the new episode and, before sleeping, casually pushed her alarm clock back five minutes from six sharp.

The affiliated school’s prep bell rang at 6:30. If she left 15 minutes early, she could stroll to class comfortably. With only 10 minutes, she’d have to ride like racing or run like escaping death to barely make it.

Before Nakahara came, Du Zhengxuan always left at 6:20. She thought even arriving one minute early was a waste of life.

The next morning, she habitually left just on time, but when she locked the door and turned around, she saw Nakahara standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, quietly watching her.

His posture was so cool it reminded her of those motorbike riders parked by the roadside at night.

Seeing this scene, Du Zhengxuan was instantly alert.

She was startled.

“My god, why aren’t you gone yet, dude? You’re going to be late!” she exclaimed, not even having time to appreciate the handsome sight. She grabbed him and hurried him down the stairs.

At her pace, it took five minutes to bike to school. Once there, she'd park and lock her bike, then start running.

The path from the main gate to the teaching building was quite long, and many people dashed along it, all desperate to reach their classrooms before the prep bell—everyone running as if their life depended on it.

Du Zhengxuan ran while taking off her gloves and mask, holding them as she ran.

Halfway, she lost one glove but didn’t look back, sprinting blindly, planning to pick it up after morning reading.

Nakahara disappeared for a bit but somehow caught up again without her noticing.

She followed the crowd up the stairs and had just sat down when the bell rang.

Du Zhengxuan dared not relax. Being the second to last person to enter the classroom, she could feel the homeroom teacher’s gaze fixed on her without even looking up.

She kept her eyes straight ahead, not even daring to breathe evenly—pretending she was calm and unhurried as she walked in, and the bell ringing right as she sat was just a coincidence. She pulled out her book and began to read.

She read absentmindedly, sensing Nakahara paused beside her, patted something, then quietly slipped it into the storage hole in her desk.

She glanced sideways and saw it was her lost glove.

…What a good person. No need to pick it up after class now.

Du Zhengxuan felt touched.

As a thank-you, during the break after morning reading she didn’t nap but quietly explained to Nakahara how seat selection worked.

Typically, two or three days after exam results were released, the homeroom teacher would call students up by rank to choose seats. There was an empty seating chart, and everyone wrote their name where they wanted to sit.

Those with higher scores chose first, while those with lower scores had little to pick from.

The middle group was usually the most conflicted. Besides the seat’s location, they considered who they’d sit next to.

In the days before seat selection, some people arranged with their preferred deskmates. But things were unpredictable; unless two were ranked closely, it was common for others to wedge themselves in.

Explaining this was quite complicated, and Du Zhengxuan’s communication skills weren’t enough to cover everything.

Nakahara nodded, saying he understood.

The small braid hidden under his school uniform bobbed as he nodded.

Du Zhengxuan doubted he really understood.

The first break after morning reading lasted only five minutes. She didn’t have time to say more before the class bell rang again.

More people were awake during the later breaks. Although it wasn’t much, discussing such things publicly felt a bit delicate.

Du Zhengxuan didn’t want to pull Nakahara aside alone and, after thinking it over, decided against it.

Nakahara’s current seat was by the aisle, where teachers occasionally stopped by—not ideal. Perhaps he had already decided where to sit.

Du Zhengxuan didn’t bother further.

With exams over, she gradually returned to her usual routine: studying in class, occasionally chatting about gossip with Long Wan while fetching water or going to the restroom.

In a couple of days, the Qingming Festival holiday would start, and with seat selection underway, the class atmosphere was quite restless.

Du Zhengxuan went to get water with Long Wan, who rambled on about all the loves and hates around the grade’s seat selection, finally dropping a big bombshell:

“Did you hear about the new PE teacher coming?”

Du Zhengxuan did know, but since Long Wan mentioned it, there had to be more detailed info: “What’s the scoop?”

Long Wan looked left and right, lowered her voice: “I heard he’s a foreigner—a total hottie.”

Du Zhengxuan was surprised: “A foreign PE teacher? Our school is that advanced now?”

“I only heard it, but apparently, this new teacher doesn’t ask for much—just wants to work here.”

Du Zhengxuan said, “…A foreign PE teacher’s dream to be at the affiliated school, not bad. By the way, how’s the Qingming holiday schedule?”

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s Qingming again already?”

Long Wan was displeased by her reaction, gesturing with her empty hand: “A foreign PE teacher, friend! Heard he’s that handsome—you’re not you if you don’t ask more questions.”

Du Zhengxuan said, “What use is a handsome but frail PE teacher? Will we even get to meet him?”

“Maybe, maybe,” Long Wan quickly encouraged, “Isn’t the sports meet coming up? Just bring binoculars and you’ll see him.”

“…No, I’m signing up as an athlete,” Du Zhengxuan hesitated but said, “Athletes don’t have to write cheering scripts.”

“Can’t you aim a little higher?” Long Wan looked down on her for trying to take the easy way out.