Ye Chen was busy wiping the desk.
The two girls stood to one side.
"Let us help too."
Ye Chen smiled faintly. "No need. Dirty work like this is for us boys; you two only need to stay pretty."
Boo!
A chorus of boos rippled through the Classroom.
"What was it you just said?"
You warned everyone not to hit on the two beauties.
But what are you doing right now?
Aren't you openly dating them?
So what you really meant was: nobody else can date them—only you can!
Xia Yingluo and Li Sitong stood nearby, their delicate faces flushed under the stares of the class.
Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo had become the most stunning scenery in the Classroom.
Every smile, every frown, captivated the boys.
Some of the boys were practically drooling at the two beauties.
They were simply too lovely.
Almost transcendently beautiful.
At that moment, Su Xiaonuan was also watching the trio.
She had, in fact, seen Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo before.
But the two parties didn't know each other; it had been only a passing glance.
Of course she knew both girls were gorgeous and outstanding.
Yet Su Xiaonuan believed she was no worse than either of them.
But today, seeing them up close, she felt a flicker of self-doubt.
The two girls were stunning—and exceptional.
Li Sitong radiated youthful energy, while Xia Yingluo exuded gentle warmth.
Even Su Xiaonuan herself was drawn to their auras, let alone those wolf-like boys.
Besides, she noticed that Ye Chen's relationship with both seemed far from ordinary.
Why was Ye Chen so nice to both of them?
What baffled her more was that the two girls appeared used to it, with no hint of jealousy between them.
Shouldn't they be at each other's throats if they were rivals for the same man?
Su Xiaonuan hated this feeling.
Since childhood, wherever she went she'd been the center of attention; boys orbited her.
Yet her standards were high—so far only one boy had entered her heart.
That boy was Ye Chen.
From their first encounter in the cafeteria, Su Xiaonuan had felt something for him.
As days passed, his figure lingered in her mind.
Finally she identified what that feeling was.
She worked hard because of it.
Yet when the results came out, she was stunned again.
Ye Chen was first, Xia Yingluo second, Li Sitong third—and she was still fourth.
Her shock surged; Ye Chen had predicted it again.
At last she understood what she felt for him.
It was Love at First Sight.
She had thought that existed only in novels, but now she believed it.
She realized she had already fallen for Ye Chen.
A girl should stay reserved, yet she couldn't maintain that reserve in front of him.
Especially after Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo's declarations during the Flag-Raising Ceremony—she felt a crisis.
So Su Xiaonuan wanted to get closer to Ye Chen, even if only as a friend.
Yet Ye Chen's attitude toward her was cold—so indifferent it hurt.
She had assumed he was simply aloof.
But she discovered he treated Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo completely differently—so thoughtful, so warm, almost doting.
Su Xiaonuan felt aggrieved, her eyes filled with conflict.
Still, she wouldn't admit defeat.
Yes, the two girls were outstanding, but she was no worse; she would not lose.
Arched brows raised, a determined glint flashed in Su Xiaonuan's beautiful eyes.
After wiping the desk and chairs, Ye Chen gestured gallantly.
"Ladies, please be seated."
"Thank you."
Blushing, Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo took their seats.
Watching their adorable reaction, Ye Chen smiled inwardly.
In his past life, both girls had come to the Hospital to care for him—more a sentiment.
Now, looking after them came from genuine affection.
They had barely settled when an elderly man entered the Classroom.
Gray-haired and bespectacled, he carried himself with quiet dignity.
All three teachers were retired from Provincial Key Middle School, veterans of the craft.
His gaze swept the room as he smiled mildly. "Hello, I'm Su Ming. I'll be your Chinese Teacher for this Sprint Class. Pleased to meet you all."
The students straightened up, regarding Teacher Su with admiration.
Su Ming chuckled. "Actually, your principal invited us, and at first none of us wanted to come—retirement is comfortable, tending flowers and plants. But we're old; if we can still cultivate talent for the country and contribute to education, that's far more meaningful than gardening. So here we are."
Ye Chen's eyes showed respect at those words.
Too many teachers tutor only for money; educators with such ideals were rare—and worthy of the highest esteem.
Su Ming continued, "Since we're here, we'll give it our all. We've set one goal for this Sprint Class: send every one of you to Huaqing University or Peking University—without exception."
As he spoke, his confident gaze swept across the students.
"No exceptions?"
Gasps erupted; mouths fell open across the room.
Even Ye Chen was startled.
After all, Huaqing and Peking were the nation's top schools; for one school to place a couple of students was already outstanding.
All thirty making it seemed impossibly hard.
Yet Su Ming's declaration ignited their fighting spirit.
It was their shared dream; no one wanted to lag behind... By the end of the lesson Ye Chen was secretly impressed.
These veteran teachers from the key school were superb.
The material was nothing new to Ye Chen, but for Li Sitong, Xia Yingluo, and the rest it was invaluable.
After school, Teacher Ye's mini-class resumed.
Outside the gate, Ye Chen produced a test paper.
"Xu Liang, this is a paper I tailored for you. Take it home and go through it carefully; just do it tonight, all right?"
"Huh?"
Xu Liang blinked, but being longtime brothers he understood instantly.
Watching Xu Liang cycle off, Li Sitong asked suspiciously, "Why did you send Xu Liang away? Plotting something?"
Ye Chen grinned. "Of course not. We need to discuss the Hot Pot Restaurant—trade secrets."
The three arrived at his house.
Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo found nobody home.
For some reason they felt Ye Chen was acting odd—like he was hatching a scheme!