Ye Ning’s gaze drifted unconsciously toward the back row, landing on Xu Zhihe.
Her eyes held a trace of barely detectable probing as a quiet thought bubbled up inside her:
‘Did that child just look at me a moment ago?’
In her memory, Xu Zhihe had always been far more perceptive than other kids her age.
The slightest movement never escaped her notice.
Ye Ning had learned this well from their past interactions.
But back then, Ye Ning had always appeared before her as the Magical Girl, Lark.
Now, she was in the guise of an ordinary student, wearing the same light gray school uniform as everyone else.
The only giveaway was this pink-white long hair—identical to how it looked during her Magical Girl days.
‘But just having the same hair color… she shouldn’t be able to figure out my real identity, right?’
Ye Ning pondered this internally, her gaze lingering on Xu Zhihe’s face for an extra two seconds without her realizing it.
Thinking this, a strange sense of guilt welled up in Ye Ning’s heart.
Her fingertips unconsciously tightened around her backpack strap, her thumb rubbing against the fabric’s texture.
Teacher Li glanced at the empty seats in the classroom, then swept her eyes over Ye Ning and Hua Niao.
A gentle smile appeared on her face as she spoke in a kind tone.
“Students Ye Ning and Hua Niao, why don’t you two take the two empty seats by the window in the back row?”
After saying this, she raised her hand to point toward the window seats at the back of the classroom, signaling for them to go over.
Ye Ning looked in the direction Teacher Li pointed, and her heart instantly sank.
Those two empty seats were right next to Xu Zhihe.
The one in the very last row was positioned directly to Xu Zhihe’s left.
She had no choice but to steel herself.
Picking up her backpack, she walked over with slightly heavy steps.
Reaching the empty seat, she carefully pulled out the chair, trying to minimize her presence as she sat down quietly.
She even deliberately scooted further into the seat, instinctively putting a little distance between herself and Xu Zhihe.
Xu Zhihe showed no reaction from start to finish.
She maintained her previous posture, back ramrod straight, eyes fixed on the blackboard at the front.
It was as if the Ye Ning who had just sat down beside her was nothing more than inconsequential air.
She didn’t even spare her a glance from the corner of her eye.
Her face remained expressionless, thin lips pressed into a straight line.
The aura of detachment surrounding her hadn’t diminished in the slightest, standing in stark contrast to the gradually livelier atmosphere around her.
She was like a quiet iceberg, standing alone in the corner.
Not long after, the crisp sound of the class bell rang out.
The previously quiet classroom was instantly filled with noise.
After all, the class had suddenly gained two exceptionally good-looking transfer students—one gentle and cute, the other cool and stunningly beautiful—instantly making them the focus of the entire class’s attention.
The students excitedly crowded around, most of them clustering near Ye Ning, chattering and asking all sorts of questions.
Their tones were full of curiosity and enthusiasm.
Some asked which school they had attended before, others asked about their hobbies, and some curiously inquired about the relationship between the two of them.
The scene was very lively.
Suppressing the unease in her heart and her preoccupation with Xu Zhihe, Ye Ning maintained her gentle and lovely demeanor, patiently answering every question.
Her voice was soft and sweet, her manners proper and graceful.
Occasionally, she would offer a faint smile to the questioning student, her eyes curving, which made the surrounding classmates like her even more.
The number of people asking questions grew, surrounding her until she was completely hemmed in.
Hua Niao leaned against a chairback not far away, quietly watching all of this.
Occasionally, she would be amused by a student’s question, the corner of her lips curling up.
Right at that moment, a girl with twin ponytails, wearing the same uniform, squeezed her way to the front with some effort.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Ye Ning, her tone urgent and curious.
“Student Ye Ning! Student Ye Ning! When Hua Niao introduced herself earlier, she said her hobby was you, and that you always said you wanted to marry her! Is… is that true?”
The girl’s voice wasn’t particularly quiet.
The surrounding noise instantly died down a bit.
Everyone’s gaze focused on Ye Ning, their eyes full of gossip and anticipation.
“Eh?!!”
The smile on Ye Ning’s face instantly froze.
The corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably; she almost lost her composure.
A flush instantly spread across her cheeks.
She whipped her head around to look at Hua Niao, who was leaning against the chairback in front.
The other girl had a faint smile playing on her lips.
A flash of a glare shot through Ye Ning’s eyes, full of silent accusation—
‘You bad woman! You actually said such nonsense during your self-introduction!’
‘No wonder Teacher Li was looking at me so strangely earlier!’
She took a deep breath, forcibly steadying her mind and trying to suppress the embarrassment and annoyance in her heart.
Clearing her throat, she switched back to that soft, sweet, slightly affected voice.
A gentle, harmless smile reappeared on her face as she spoke in a tone tinged with a bit of coquettish complaint and helplessness.
“Hua Niao, really now, always joking around~ We’re just very good friends, everyone, please don’t take it seriously~”
As she spoke, she secretly shot Hua Niao a glare, her eyes full of warning, signaling her not to spout any more nonsense.
And right at that moment, Xu Zhihe, beside Ye Ning, suddenly moved.
She didn’t look at anyone, nor was she affected by the surrounding commotion.
Her face remained expressionless.
She just silently reached out, gently pushing the armrests of her wheelchair.
Her movements were steady and slow as she glided the wheelchair away from the desk and headed toward the classroom door.
The sound of the wheelchair rolling was very soft, drowned out by the surrounding noise.
If you weren’t paying specific attention, you could hardly hear it.
She didn’t make a single unnecessary sound the entire time.
Ye Ning blinked, her gaze instinctively following Xu Zhihe’s gradually receding back.
A flicker of confusion passed through her eyes—
‘Why did she leave all of a sudden? Was she disturbed by the noise here? Xu Zhihe has always preferred quiet, after all.’
She then withdrew her gaze and, without changing her expression, asked a girl who was laughing beside her, “Um… the one who just left, which classmate is that? She seems like she doesn’t talk much.”
She deliberately acted casual, wanting to learn more about Xu Zhihe’s current situation from her classmates.
“You mean Xu Zhihe?”
The girl beside her stopped laughing.
When mentioning Xu Zhihe, a clear look of approval and admiration appeared on her face, her tone sincere.
“She’s really amazing. Even though she doesn’t talk much usually, she’s a very good person.”
The surrounding classmates also chimed in one after another.
Their faces showed not a trace of prejudice, their tones full of genuine admiration.
“Yeah, yeah. Even though her legs aren’t convenient and she has to use a wheelchair, her academic performance is super good. She’s always in the top three of the grade in every exam. And she’s so pretty! I heard she gets a lot of confessions, from both boys and girls!”
“And she’s super serious and responsible. The class blackboard bulletins are all planned and drawn by her. She always finishes them quickly and well, with really beautiful layouts. No matter what task you give her, she handles it properly and reliably.”
The stone in Ye Ning’s heart quietly settled.
She slowly let out a sigh of relief, a trace of barely detectable relief and warmth flashing through her eyes.
She paused, quickly finding a reasonable excuse in her heart.
She offered an apologetic smile to the classmates around her and said gently, “I have something to attend to. I need to go find the class teacher to ask about the course schedule. I’ll excuse myself for now.”
After saying this, she stood up, carefully squeezed her way out of the crowd, and quickly walked toward the classroom door.
Not long after, she found Xu Zhihe’s figure by the school’s flower bed.
The young girl sat quietly in her wheelchair, facing a patch of roses in full, vibrant bloom.
Her eyes were slightly lowered, long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath them.
It was unclear what she was thinking about.
The sunlight gently bathed her.
Against the backdrop of pink and white rose petals, her already delicate and pretty face appeared exceptionally tender and beautiful.
Yet, it still held no expression.
A faint aura of coolness surrounded her, forming a sharp contrast with the vibrant, lively flowers and plants around her.
Ye Ning instinctively slowed her steps and softened her breathing, quietly moving closer to Xu Zhihe’s direction.
She just wanted to take a distant look, to confirm she was okay, not wanting to disturb her.
But somehow, her steps seemed beyond her control, getting closer and closer.
It wasn’t until she was only three or four steps away from Xu Zhihe that she suddenly snapped back to reality.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She instinctively wanted to step back, but it was already too late.
Perhaps hearing her footsteps, Xu Zhihe slowly turned her head.
Her gaze fell on Ye Ning, still wearing that cool, calm expression—no surprise, no curiosity.
She looked at her directly, as if looking at an ordinary classmate.
“You are… Student Ye Ning?”
Xu Zhihe spoke first.
Her voice was flat and even, without the slightest fluctuation, betraying no emotion.
It was as if she was merely confirming a stranger’s identity.
Her tone held no familiarity, nor deliberate distance, only a kind of pure calm.
Ye Ning’s heart jumped, missing a beat.
She hurriedly suppressed the panic and nervousness in her heart, forcing a gentle, natural smile onto her face.
She nodded lightly and said in a soft tone, “Mm. Nice to meet you, Student Xu Zhihe. I’m Ye Ning, who just transferred in today. We’ll be classmates from now on. Please take care of me.”
“Did Student Ye Ning need something from me?”
Xu Zhihe looked at her, getting straight to the point, not wasting a single extra word.
This was also in line with her typically quiet and reserved personality.
“Ah… well…”
Ye Ning was instantly at a loss for words.
The smile on her face became somewhat awkward and stiff.
She unconsciously scratched her head.
She had originally just wanted to secretly observe Xu Zhihe.
She hadn’t expected to subconsciously walk so close and get caught red-handed.
She hadn’t had time to think of an excuse at all.
In her fluster, she grabbed a reason that sounded somewhat plausible, stammering, “I… I was just thinking, since Student Xu Zhihe usually relies on a wheelchair to get around, there might be some inconveniences at school, like going up and down stairs, or going to the cafeteria… So I wanted to come ask if there’s anything you need help with. If there’s anything inconvenient in the future, you can find me anytime.”
Hearing this, Xu Zhihe lowered her head and lightly patted the armrest of the wheelchair beneath her.
Then she looked up at Ye Ning, her tone still flat and even.
“No need to worry about me. This is the latest model of electric wheelchair. The operation is very simple, it runs quite fast, and the battery life is sufficient. Getting around school isn’t inconvenient. Thank you for your kindness, but there’s no need to trouble you.”
Ye Ning, who was usually eloquent and adept at handling situations, found herself at a complete loss for words, her mind blank, unable to think of anything to say to ease the awkwardness.
Looking at Xu Zhihe’s calm eyes, she could only force a dry laugh and say, “Ah… then… then it’s a really good wheelchair… With such comprehensive functions, haha…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ye Ning wanted to cover her face—
‘What in the world am I saying?! This is so stupid!’
Xu Zhihe gave her a slightly strange look.
Her gaze held a trace of barely detectable confusion, as if she didn’t quite understand why Ye Ning would say such a thing.
This was probably the first time she’d encountered someone like Ye Ning, who spoke incoherently and was awkwardly at a loss.
But she didn’t ask further.
She didn’t press Ye Ning about her real reason for seeking her out.
She just calmly withdrew her gaze, turning it back toward the blooming roses in the flower bed.
She resumed her cool, quiet demeanor, as if the conversation just now had never happened.
Ye Ning felt her cheeks burning fiercely.
She could no longer stand this awkward atmosphere and just wanted to escape this place as quickly as possible.
She hurriedly found an excuse, saying in a rushed tone, “Then… then I won’t disturb you while you enjoy the flowers. I have things to do, so I’ll head back to the classroom first!”
After saying this, she turned around, practically fleeing in a panic, wanting to get away from this place that made her so embarrassed as fast as possible.
But just as she had taken two steps, before her footing was even steady, Xu Zhihe’s voice suddenly came from behind.
It was still that flat, emotionless tone, but it struck her like a thunderclap, instantly freezing her body in place.
“Lark… sister?”