Little Sweetheart

Gu Siyi's father, Gu Zhiyuan, Xia Guangyu, and his wife, Peng Ling, were university classmates and close friends due to their shared interests. Gu Zhiyuan played matchmaker for Xia Guangyu and Peng Ling, and as their peacemaker, he smoothed over several of their arguments. When they finally tied the knot, best man Gu Zhiyuan was jokingly said to be even happier than if it were his own wedding.

But as life went on, their paths diverged.

Xia Guangyu, born into a family of officials, naturally went into politics. Gu Zhiyuan, on the other hand, was set on making his fortune in business. One went north, the other south, and as their positions changed and geographical distance grew, they drifted apart. The real turning point came after their children were born. Gu Zhiyuan's business expanded rapidly, eventually reaching a national scale. This inevitably led to dealings with government regulatory agencies. During one development project, Gu Zhiyuan asked Xia Guangyu for a favor in obtaining a permit, but was refused. After that, their relationship truly cooled.

A while ago, Gu Zhiyuan and Xia Guangyu had a chance encounter. They talked about their children, and Xia Guangyu offered to help transfer Gu Siyi to Longxing High School. Longxing High School was the top high school in C City and renowned throughout the country. The Gu family had been heartbroken over their daughter, who was well-behaved and clever but struggled with her studies. Naturally, they were overjoyed at this opportunity. To help Gu Siyi adapt to the new environment, they brought her to C City before school started to meet Xia Zhijun.

Time flew by, and it was soon the end of August.

After completing the enrollment procedures for Longxing High School, Mr. and Mrs. Gu accompanied their daughter to the school to register.

The school was located in the new district of C City. Both the junior high and senior high were on the same campus, covering a large area with luxurious facilities. The best teachers in the city were concentrated here. As a top-ranked school, the annual enrollment was limited, and countless powerful and wealthy families tried every means to get their children in, making the competition fierce. Fortunately, the Xia family had paved the way; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to get their daughter in even with their money.

The couple walked around the campus with their daughter, feeling quite pleased.

Xu Jiahui said, "To send you to this school, your father will have to work for several years for free. We're back to square one."

Gu Zhiyuan said, "To send you to this school, your mother bought fewer bags and cosmetics."

Gu Siyi translated in her mind: "...Study hard and make progress every day."

"To send you to this school, your father switched from drinking '82 Lafite to Erguotou."

"To send you to this school, your mother's bags went from Hermes to Coach, and even those are knock-offs."

Gu Siyi continued her mental translation: "Strive to improve and be self-reliant."

Two boys passing by chuckled and looked back at them, laughing.

Gu Siyi: "..." Just messing with their child, you know?

The three of them arrived at the student dormitory. There were two dormitory buildings, one for boys and one for girls, standing side by side and separated by a path. The buildings looked nice, and the facilities were good. The four-person dorm rooms had wardrobes, desks, private bathrooms, and even a small balcony. Xu Jiahui was very satisfied. After all, their daughter was used to being pampered and they didn't want her to suffer.

The couple had lunch with Gu Siyi off campus and then left.

As Gu Siyi watched her parents leave, a wave of sadness and reluctance washed over her.

This was the first time she had ever been away from home, alone in a strange city, on a strange campus. Her nose tingled, and she fought back the urge to run after her mother and hold her back.

Gu Siyi returned to the school and walked around to familiarize herself with the surroundings.

Class registration wasn't until tomorrow, so she had the rest of the day free.

She came to the school's bulletin board and saw the list of the top 100 students in the high school entrance examination.

In first place was Xia Zhijun, his name shining brightly.

Gu Siyi looked over each of his scores one by one:

Full marks in Math? Full marks in English? Full marks in Physics? Full marks in Chemistry?

...What did he eat growing up? Brain gold?!

Gu Siyi struggled to digest that row of terrifying scores. Compared to this genius, she wasn't just a slacker, she was practically academic dust.

Gu Siyi then went to look at the class placement list. Among the last few names in Class 1, Grade 10, she saw "Gu Siyi." Glancing upwards through the list of names, she saw the name at the top – Xia Zhijun.

"Wow, I saw Xia Zhijun! I'm so lucky to be in the same class as him!"

"Me too! It's a good thing the school didn't arrange us by score from highest to lowest!"

"I'm in Class 13, sob sob... so far away from you guys. We were all in the same junior high, why couldn't they put us in the same class..."

"It's okay, we're all in the same building, I'll come find you to play."

"Hey hey hey, Xia Zhijun is coming, Xia Zhijun!"

The excited chatter of a few students reached Gu Siyi's ears.

Following their voices, Gu Siyi turned her head to look.

Xia Zhijun was walking among a group of boys, wearing a blue and white basketball uniform. His black, short hair shone with a subtle glow under the sun. Several boys around him were about his height, but he was the most eye-catching of the group, instantly capturing everyone's attention.

The first time Gu Siyi saw Xia Zhijun, she was amazed. The second time... she was still amazed. Especially surrounded by a group of boys, he appeared even more dazzling and outstanding.

However, she didn't want to attract attention by greeting him in public, but not greeting him seemed impolite. As they approached, she quietly retreated into the crowd.

The teenager walked with a lazy gait and an indifferent expression. His thin lips were pressed together, exuding an air of untouchable aloofness. Even though the girls around him had their eyes shining with excitement, they were held back by his inherent coldness, none daring to approach him.

The group of boys passed the bulletin board without stopping and walked away.

Gu Siyi breathed a sigh of relief. She had scanned the entire list of new Grade 10 students, and there were no familiar faces. It seemed she wouldn't be encountering any old friends in this new place.

After wandering around the vast campus, she felt like a fish out of water, baked by the scorching sun. Then, the tea shop on the first floor of the school cafeteria came into view, and Gu Siyi's spirits lifted. She quickly climbed the stairs and pulled open the door. A wave of cool air hit her face, and she sighed in relief.

After buying a super fruit jasmine tea, Gu Siyi walked inside, looking for a place to rest.

At a table against the wall sat four or five boys, each tall and imposing.

Of course, the most eye-catching was still Xia Zhijun. He leaned back lazily in his chair, holding his phone horizontally, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Ah Jun, sell me!"

"Just sell, sell! Sell for Ah Jun's five consecutive kills!"

Oh, they were playing a game together.

Xia Zhijun freed a hand to grab the cup on the table, but seeing it was empty, he put it down again.

Just as Gu Siyi was about to turn and leave, Xia Zhijun looked up, his gaze colliding with hers.

"..." Gu Siyi was certain that he had seen her.

Although his gaze lingered for only a second before returning to his game.

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