BSS - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The autumn of Deng Chuan's seventeenth year arrived with a quiet calm.
It was a golden October, the sky high and the clouds faint. As she walked along the school path, fallen leaves rustled under her feet. The long road seemed like the beam of a spotlight, and for a moment, the scene felt like something out of a coming-of-age film.
Her surroundings were quiet. Deng Chuan could only faintly make out the occasional birdsong and a few muffled words leaking from a teacher's over-amplified microphone. It was the second period of the afternoon. The third-year students had returned to school after only a three-day National Day holiday. But for Deng Chuan, this was her first day of school this semester. On the very first day, she had been grazed by a car that ran a red light while crossing the street. The leg injury was quite severe, and she had been hospitalized. Neither she nor her family was in a rush for her to return to class. Her academic foundation was solid, and someone with her self-discipline could study anywhere. After coordinating with the school, she had been recuperating in the hospital until now.
Since she was young, Deng Chuan had always been the model "child from next door." She was good-looking, a good student, and obedient. She knew this about herself; she was adept at, and even enjoyed, maintaining a prolonged state of inner calm. This stability gave her immense focus, allowing her to handle anything with ease and efficiency.
The autumn breeze was gentle, much like the seventeen years of her life-subtle and reassuring.
She followed the path to the third-year academic building and, relying on her memory of the classroom layout, found the door to Class 1.
The classroom door creaked softly.
Xu Wei paused mid-sentence and glanced toward the door.
The girl was tall and stood with perfect posture. Her school uniform jacket was loose, yet it still accentuated her well-defined shoulders. Above that was a clean-cut face with fair skin, which made her hair and eyelashes seem as black as ink.
Xu Wei gave her a slight nod and said in a gentle voice, "You must be Deng Chuan. Your seat is over there."
Deng Chuan nodded, found the empty seat, and sat down. A faint scent of laundry detergent drifted through the air.
She took out a pen and some scratch paper. The new semester's textbooks, which had been sitting on her desk since they were distributed, had collected a layer of dust. Deng Chuan took out a wet wipe and cleaned them off. Just then, she felt a light poke on her shoulder. Leaning back slightly and discreetly, she heard Wu Fuwu, the student behind her, whisper near her ear:
"Hey, you all right now?"
She smiled too and said softly, "I'm fine."
Seeing that she had spoken, the students sitting nearby also turned to look at her with concern. At No. 1 High School, classes were assigned based on academic performance, so most of the students in their class had been together since their first year, and they were all quite close.
The seating arrangement must have been shuffled for the new semester. Deng Chuan's deskmate was Jiang Meng. Without Deng Chuan even having to ask, she handed over her notes from the past few days-Chinese, Math, English, and liberal arts. It was a thoughtful gesture, much like Jiang Meng herself, a neat, fair, and delicate-looking girl.
Deng Chuan took the notes and gave her a small, close-lipped smile. Jiang Meng glanced back at her without a word, then propped her chin on her hand and went back to listening to the lecture.
All of this happened quietly. The teacher at the front of the room was still lecturing. After briefly organizing her books and materials, Deng Chuan had a moment to look up, feeling a little lost.
An unfamiliar face.
The woman was wearing black trousers and a white blouse that revealed her delicate collarbones and the smooth lines of her neck. Her long hair fell to her waist, and her expression was placid. Her features had the subtle charm of a Song dynasty landscape painting, evoking distant mountains and winding rivers. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, revealing slender wrists as she held a piece of chalk.
She was going over the final, most difficult problem from the weekly math quiz.
Although Deng Chuan hadn't been in class, her mother had picked up the quiz from school for her. She glanced at the problem being explained; the teacher's approach was basically identical to her own. Unexpectedly, her attention drifted back to the person lecturing.
The woman stood tall, her posture relaxed but not slumped, possessing a composure that went beyond mere elegance. She turned to write on the blackboard, revealing a straight spine that curved softly at her lower back. The fabric of her trousers draped beautifully.
Unexpectedly sensual.
After finishing one part of the problem, she turned to present her work on the board. She took a small step back, leaning her body back slightly with an elegance like someone finishing a dance, held by the waist. Her gaze swept across the room from back to front, gauging the students' reactions.
Deng Chuan sat perfectly still, her head tilted up to watch her.
Their eyes met, then quickly moved on.
Xu Wei's expression remained unchanged as she held the chalk and began explaining the next part of the problem. Deng Chuan lowered her head to jot down notes.
Math class always seemed to fly by. Xu Wei had just finished explaining the entire problem when the bell rang. She put down the quiz and dismissed the class. Many students remained at their desks correcting their papers, and a low murmur filled the room.
Xu Wei placed the chalk back in its box and pulled out a wet wipe to clean her hands.
The noise was coming from Deng Chuan's direction. The moment Xu Wei dismissed the class, Wu Fuwu eagerly tapped Deng Chuan on the shoulder. Jiang Meng also turned around, ready for a chat.
After reassuring her classmates about her leg and listening to their condemnation of the driver, Deng Chuan logically voiced her own question:
"Is she a new teacher?"
"The math teacher. Our old homeroom teacher is on maternity leave, so she's our new homeroom teacher now," Wu Fuwu said, pausing for a moment before adding, "I heard she has a master's from Sun Yat-sen University, which is why she's teaching third-years at such a young age."
"I see," Deng Chuan thought. So that's why. She had known her previous homeroom teacher quite well; she had even visited her in the hospital. But she wasn't familiar with her other subject teachers. That explained why this new teacher's familiar attitude upon her arrival had puzzled her.
Jiang Meng shot Wu Fuwu a glare, then asked Deng Chuan, "Everyone thinks Teacher Xu is beautiful. What do you think?"
Deng Chuan smiled. "She's very pretty."
Her question answered, she didn't dwell on it. "I brought you guys some snacks." She pulled a bag of treats from her schoolbag and passed out chocolates and assorted candies to the students around her.
"Whoa!" Wu Fuwu exclaimed. "I'll take two chocolates!"
"This candy is amazing!"
The group was soon chatting enthusiastically over the snacks, not even noticing when Xu Wei drew near.
When Xu Wei had taken over this class, the previous homeroom teacher had responsibly briefed her on the students. Even as just a subject teacher before, her impression of the class had been excellent. They were attentive during lessons and diligent with their work afterward. Good students always had clear goals and a focused mindset, which made a teacher's job easier.
The previous homeroom teacher, Jiang Qian, had spoken of them with pride. She had been with Class 1 since their first year and knew most of the students well. She had made special mention of Deng Chuan, who had been absent since the start of the term, speaking in a gentle tone: "...Deng Chuan is a wonderful kid. She's a bit more mature than her peers, knows exactly what she wants, and has great leadership skills... You can trust her completely."
Trust a student completely. Xu Wei disagreed and found the idea slightly amusing. An adult's perspective was always different from a student's. Regardless, when it came to classroom management, she was still a novice compared to Jiang Qian. So, she didn't say anything outwardly, but she made a mental note to keep an eye on Deng Chuan.
She had looked over Deng Chuan's report cards from her first year to the present; her rank had never fallen out of the top ten in her grade. Her scores were balanced across all subjects, with no major flaws to be found. Xu Wei had flipped through them briefly before setting them back on her desk, but her eyes had caught the ID photo neatly affixed to the student information form on the cover.
It must have been taken by the school when she started her first year. Deng Chuan was wearing her summer uniform, her posture was erect, and her features were distinct. Her gaze was both clear and sharp as she offered a faint smile to the camera.
Suddenly, Xu Wei understood Jiang Qian a little better. There was something about the spirit of youth that was deeply compelling-and that could make one biased.
Deng Chuan seemed to get along well with her classmates, too. The students in this class were usually very quiet, with little reaction during lessons. With Deng Chuan's arrival, the group finally showed a bit of youthful energy.
The teenagers, dressed in their blue and white school uniforms, had smiles in their eyes that were truly captivating. It was human nature to be drawn to light, and though Xu Wei appeared composed, she couldn't help but be moved.
Just as Xu Wei drew closer, however, she heard Jiang Meng say in a playfully coy tone, "I can't believe you still remember what kind of chocolate I like."
Her voice was soft, tinged with the subtle pride of someone who is used to being doted on.
She raised an eyebrow slightly.
Excited excited excited for this!!!!!
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