Although Zheng Yangyang’s opening had indeed been embarrassing, Teacher Li was very satisfied because she had greatly livened up the class atmosphere.
That was something ten proper self-introductions couldn’t achieve.
Next up was Wu Chun.
“Hello everyone, I am Wu Chun. The Wu from ‘mouth’ and ‘sky’, and Chun from ‘simple and honest’. I like history and physics. My father is a teacher, also at our school. I admire my father very much, so I want to become a teacher in the future.”
A very standard introduction, but Teacher Li had no intention of letting her go just yet.
“Your father is here too?”
Teacher Li said thoughtfully.
She had heard that the principal’s daughter was a new freshman, but didn’t know who exactly.
She asked without reservation, “It wouldn’t be Principal Wu, would it?”
“I… um…”
Wu Chun was a bit flustered, because her father had told her not to casually mention that she was the principal’s daughter.
Teacher Li smiled and let her go back, saying, “No matter whose child it is, as long as they’re in my class, they must follow the rules. So you two, when the teacher is speaking, don’t make noise. Can you do that?”
Wu Chun and Zheng Yangyang blushed and nodded hurriedly.
“Good, the teacher believes you! Now, the next student…”
The self-introductions of the other thirty-plus classmates each had their own characteristics.
Some were shy, some were indifferent, some had voices too soft to hear, and some had voices like a bell.
But no matter who, Teacher Li responded earnestly, asking at least one or two questions.
Meanwhile, Zheng Yangyang paid special attention to the girl who had clicked her tongue at her.
Her name was Lin Weiwei, putting on airs of a young lady…
After the self-introductions, Teacher Li explained some enrollment instructions.
Soon, it was noon.
“Take the meal cards you got when you registered, go eat first. Return to the classroom within forty minutes. No being late. I will lead the students to the dormitory for an afternoon nap, then come back to the classroom at 2:30. There’s still a lot to do in the afternoon.”
The school environment activated Zheng Yangyang’s long-dormant conditioned reflex.
From her middle and high school days, as soon as she heard the bell, she would race to the cafeteria like a mad dog.
As she lunged forward, she forgot she was still holding hands with Wu Chun, nearly pulling Wu Chun over.
This caused the nearby classmates to burst into laughter.
“Yangyang! What’s the rush?”
Wu Chun straightened herself, laughing in exasperation.
“Sorry, sorry! I… I was afraid there’d be no food left if we were late…”
“Don’t worry. My dad said there’s plenty of food, and there are several cafeterias. There’s no way we’ll miss out on food.”
Only then did Zheng Yangyang scratch her head and sit properly, watching the other classmates file out of the classroom.
That’s right.
This was a prestigious school.
How could they force students to eat like mad dogs?
Zheng Yangyang thought to herself and smiled self-deprecatingly.
Teacher Li watched from the podium, a benevolent smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
These two little ones are quite interesting.
After lunch, it was still early.
Zheng Yangyang and Wu Chun held hands and wandered around the campus for a while.
Although the classic hand-holding among girls felt a bit restraining to Zheng Yangyang, after a while, not holding hands actually made her feel a little empty inside.
When she used to go to school as a boy, she had extremely looked down on girls holding hands, thinking it was shallow, fake, and affected.
But now, she seemed to understand a little.
She even found that walking hand in hand with Wu Chun could save them the trouble of talking.
For example, a gentle tug from Wu Chun meant “This way”; a tight squeeze meant “Don’t be nervous”; a hand shake meant “So happy”…
This was even more efficient than communication between boys…
Thinking that she might gradually come to accept these little habits among girls, Zheng Yangyang felt both a sense of self-defeat and a bit of shyness.
After returning to the classroom, since Wu Chun and Zheng Yangyang were day students, they didn’t have to go to the dormitory for naptime.
Teacher Li said there was a dedicated rest room for day students, but both of them coincidentally said they didn’t want to go.
They would rest in the classroom or wander freely around the campus.
“Alright, you two… If you doze off in the afternoon, I’ll deal with you then!”
Although it seemed like a scolding, the two girls exchanged smiles, both sensing Teacher Li’s goodwill.
During the lunch break, there were a few other day students resting in the classroom like Wu Chun and Zheng Yangyang.
Zheng Yangyang didn’t know if it was a habit from middle school or simply not wanting to go to the rest room, but she knew it was a habit of hers for many years—whether at school or at work, she always rested with her head on the desk.
But Wu Chun was another story.
“Chunchun, go to the rest room and sleep for a while.”
“Not going. There’s no Yangyang in the rest room.”
“Pfft~ You make it sound like we’re a couple…”
“Then I just like you!”
Upon hearing that, Zheng Yangyang, feeling very sneaky, shrunk her neck and glanced around before turning back and lowering her head.
“I like you too, that’s why I want you to go get some good sleep!”
Wu Chun also rested her head on her arms and played with Zheng Yangyang’s hair with her other hand, joking, “I can only sleep well with you by my side!”
‘Why does it sound more and more like we’re a couple…’
But Zheng Yangyang realized that towards Wu Chun, this younger sister she truly liked, she didn’t have that romantic, boy-girl affection.
Instead, when Wu Chun said things that sounded like “couple talk”, she subconsciously wanted to keep some distance.
She knew Wu Chun didn’t have those intentions either.
She was just shocked at herself, or rather, didn’t know why she didn’t want to get too close to Wu Chun in a couple-like “clinginess”…
“Hey, Chunchun, what kind of guy do you like?”
“Wow, Yangyang actually asks this kind of question?”
Wu Chun seemed pleasantly surprised.
“I thought you’d think this sort of thing was childish.”
“Listen to you, making me sound so old…”
Zheng Yangyang pouted.
“You haven’t said yet, what kind do you like?”
‘Perfect, let’s see if my male self has a chance.’
After all, she was actually somewhat confident in her male self, even though those 38 years of life weren’t successful.
Wu Chun’s eyes rolled, and without showing whether she was thinking, she smiled.
“I like a guy like Yangyang.”
Boom!
Zheng Yangyang’s little head exploded.
She subconsciously thought her secret had been discovered.
Then she realized Wu Chun meant a guy with her kind of personality: mature, steady, responsible, always thinking of others…
Sigh, it’s a bit of a pity.
She and Wu Chun were 23 years apart.
Otherwise, Bai Jie might not have had a chance.
No, that’s not quite right either, because 23 years ago, she wasn’t mature and steady at all.
Even if her 15-year-old male self met Wu Chun, Wu Chun wouldn’t have liked her.
So, fate is just that wonderful.
It’s not about two people being destined for something that counts as fate.
It’s about being at the right age, the right time, the right place, and even… the right gender, that counts as fate.
When the afternoon class bell rang, Teacher Li assigned a new task: measuring height and weight.
But only for the boys.
Zheng Yangyang tilted her head and thought, ‘It can’t be gender discrimination, right? I’m a girl now.’
There were already few students in the class.
The boys finished quickly.
Then Teacher Li said, “Girls, follow me to another classroom!”
Wu Chun, having inside information, stood up and whispered to Zheng Yangyang, “Looks like it’s time to measure bust size…”
‘Bust size?’
“Why measure that?”
Zheng Yangyang’s voice was small but couldn’t hide her panic.
“It must be for custom-made swimsuits. This measurement is very important.”
Wu Chun said this and walked out, while Zheng Yangyang quietly sat back down…
Teacher Li’s eyes were sharp.
“Zheng Yangyang, why aren’t you moving? Aren’t you a girl?”
The boys in the class burst into laughter.
“I… Teacher, I…”
She didn’t know how to explain for a moment.
Teacher Li asked in confusion, “Does this question require hesitation?”
Another round of laughter.
‘Looks like I can’t avoid it… If I had known this, I might as well have just followed her. Would have saved me from being laughed at twice…’