Chapter Two: The Vagabond Xiao Lin

Inside Classroom One. The usually quiet room was now filled with a growing murmur.

“Why isn’t the teacher here today? It’s been ten minutes already.”

“Maybe he forgot.”

“Forgot? That’s impossible. He could be sick, you never know…”

This was supposed to be a math class, but the teacher had not arrived. Many students whispered in confusion about this unprecedented event.

The class monitor, seeing the chatter escalating, slapped his desk and stood up, “What are you all doing? This is class time. Keep quiet and work on your assignments.”

Liu Xiaoming, the class monitor, hailed from the northeast, a hefty figure of one hundred and eighty pounds and six feet tall. His booming voice was legendary at Innovation High School.

His thunderous shout startled the chatting students into silence. Liu Xiaoming nodded in satisfaction, “I’ll go to the office and see if the teacher is there and find out why he’s not come to class.” With that, he stood and walked toward the office.

He had barely reached the classroom door when it swung open.

“Liu Xiaoming, what are you doing? Who gave you permission to leave your seat?” The teacher, having just opened the door, spotted Liu Xiaoming about to step out and scolded him with a sharp glare.

“Uh… Teacher, since you hadn’t come for so long, I wanted to check the office and see if you were there,” Liu Xiaoming replied meekly.

The students below quietly muttered to themselves: The monitor always roars at us like a tiger, but when he faces the teacher, he turns into a docile kitten.

“I got held up by something. All right, go back to your seat,” the teacher waved him off.

Liu Xiaoming scampered back to his seat.

The teacher walked to the podium with a stern expression, cleared his throat.

“Everyone, put your assignments aside for a moment. I have an announcement. Our class is welcoming a new member. Come, let’s give a round of applause.”

A wave of enthusiastic applause followed.

“Come in, Yuqing!” the teacher called with a smile toward the door. Many students were curious about the new arrival, especially since she managed to coax a rare smile from the usually stone-faced teacher.

As they wondered, Wang Yuqing stepped lightly into the classroom, stopping at the center. She looked around at her new classmates and spoke sweetly, “Hello, everyone! I’m Wang Yuqing, transferred from East Sea City First High School. From now on, we’re classmates. Please take care of me.” She bowed slightly.

The class fell silent. The boys collectively drew breath—she was stunning!

Wang Yuqing stood with elegance, her presence like an orchid in the shade. Her features were refined and ethereal, skin as pale as snow, cheeks smooth as silk. When she smiled, dimples appeared, delicate as ripples on a lake, evoking a gentle, dreamlike comfort.

“A goddess—she’s definitely a goddess! She’s even prettier than Meng Ranran from our school.”

“Haha, looks like the campus beauty rankings are about to change.”

“She looks just like the girl I keep seeing in my dreams…”

After a brief hush, the classroom erupted in excitement once more.

“What’s the matter with you all? Is this a marketplace? Quiet!” The teacher, seeing the chaos, puffed his cheeks and glared in exasperation.

Suddenly, the teacher seemed to notice something.

“Xiao Lin! Xiao Lin! Stand up right now—you… you… how dare you sleep in class!” The teacher’s furious shout drowned out all chatter, and the students’ gazes immediately shifted to the back corner.

When Wang Yuqing entered the class, her beautiful eyes quickly searched for a familiar figure, but found none. Now, hearing the teacher call Xiao Lin, and seeing everyone’s attention fixed on the last row, confusion crossed her face as she looked in the same direction.

There, a solitary desk sat in the corner, distinctly separated from the others like a boundary between two realms. Amid a pile of thick books, only a head was visible. Not even the teacher’s angry shouts could rouse him—it was as if a strong wind swept over a mountain ridge, yet the mountains remained unmoved.

There was no doubt: the boy asleep at his desk was Xiao Lin, a legend in the class.

Mention his name, and the teacher would grit his teeth. But you couldn’t call him a troublemaker or a bad kid. He didn’t skip class, fight, or cause mischief like others. He simply had his own way—always following his own standards and ideas, never swayed by anyone. His appearance was perpetually untamed, with a hint of coolness and maturity, yet still somewhat boyish, giving him a unique charm. His personality was like the wind—nothing seemed able to make him pause. Yet, this did not make him lonely; on the contrary, girls adored him. The boys admired him too, for his basketball skills and his easygoing, generous nature. All in all, he was a boy with a captivating aura.

Seeing no sign of him waking, the teacher’s face turned livid. Xiao Lin’s habit of sleeping in class was no rare occurrence. Every time the teacher scolded him, Xiao Lin would remain unbothered—never explaining, never arguing, letting the words wash over him and continuing as he pleased, leaving the teacher feeling as if they’d punched a pillow.

This time, the teacher finally lost patience and strode to Xiao Lin’s desk. He grabbed a book from the pile, ready to strike. By coincidence, before the book could fall, Xiao Lin woke up.

He stood up as if nothing had happened, stretched lazily, and seemed entirely indifferent to the teacher standing before him.

“Xiao Lin, what do you think you’re doing? Do you even acknowledge me as your teacher?” The teacher could barely contain his fury.

“I’m not doing anything. Please continue. Just pretend I don’t exist,” Xiao Lin replied coolly.

From the moment Xiao Lin stood up, Wang Yuqing’s gaze never left him. After three years apart, Xiao Lin had grown taller, his handsome face still defined, skin bronze, eyes deep and spirited, nose prominent, lips alluring, brows relaxed. Yet the youthful energy he once had was replaced by a hint of wildness, and Wang Yuqing felt a sadness lingering around him.

“Xiao Lin, do you even want to stay in this class? I can transfer you out in a heartbeat, you know!”

Xiao Lin glanced at the teacher, “Do as you wish.”

“You…” The teacher was nearly driven mad.

Just as the teacher teetered on the edge of a breakdown, a gentle voice spoke.

“Teacher, where should I sit?”

“Ah, Yuqing! Where would you like to sit? How about the first row?” The teacher’s tone softened instantly, turning to Wang Yuqing with a more accommodating manner, ignoring Xiao Lin.

All the boys watched Wang Yuqing, secretly hoping the beautiful girl would sit beside them.

Except for Xiao Lin. He merely glanced at her, a brief flicker of surprise in his eyes at her beauty, but then quickly withdrew his gaze and lay his head back down on his desk.