Volume One: High School Days Chapter Sixty: Welcome, Yagyu, to the Team

In September, as the new school year began, one person’s arrival caught the attention of every girl in the school. This newcomer wore a classic khaki autumn trench coat, black jeans, and brogue shoes, striking a balance between stylishness and nonchalance. With headphones on, he swayed to the rhythm of his music from time to time.

When he spotted Tao Nan in the corridor of the teaching building, he took off one of his earbuds and called out, “It’s been two months, and you’re developing better than ever. Want me to give you a physical checkup?”

Tao Nan was left speechless, completely at a loss for words. Seeing Tao Nan’s silence, the newcomer strode straight into the classroom of Class One, Senior Three. Spotting a male classmate, he remarked, “You should shave those whiskers. Right now, you look like an old man. How are you ever going to get a girlfriend like that?”

Then, noticing the class’s chubby girl having breakfast, he sauntered over and teased, “Eat a little less! Can your family still afford to feed you?”

Finally, turning to the fashionably dressed girl sitting beside her, he quipped once more, “And you—I’ve been meaning to ask, why do you doll yourself up every day like you’re on parade? Are you doing some late-night part-time job?”

“Liusheng! It’s the first day of school—why aren’t you in uniform?” The class monitor came over, addressing Liusheng, who had been poking fun at everyone.

Liusheng quickly turned to look at the monitor, who was feeling a bit nervous inside—Liusheng was notorious as the school’s troublemaker, and if he was in a bad mood, a beating was almost guaranteed.

But Liusheng replied, “Ah, my uniform’s still wet from the wash. Besides, I didn’t even bring my backpack—how could I wear the uniform? Tell you what, tomorrow—I’ll definitely wear it tomorrow.”

With that, he slouched into his seat. Tao Nan entered the classroom and said to Liusheng, “You’ve changed.”

Liusheng grinned cheekily. “What, gotten more handsome? Are you going to dump Li Dong and be with me instead?”

At that moment, everyone expected Li Dong to say something, but his voice never came. Curious, Liusheng glanced over—Li Dong was furiously catching up on his homework, having no time to bother with Liusheng.

Liusheng pointed at Li Dong and said to Tao Nan, “Li Dong’s a good guy, you know. He’s got so many good qualities.”

Hearing this praise for her boyfriend, Tao Nan eagerly asked, “Like what?”

Li Dong also turned to Liusheng, waiting for compliments. Not just him—the whole class perked up, eager for Liusheng’s answer.

Caught off guard by Tao Nan’s question, Liusheng paused to think, then said, “Uh… Li Dong has lots of good qualities. Yep, plenty!” He’d only meant to be polite, never expecting to be asked for specifics.

“What qualities?” Tao Nan pressed.

Liusheng, unable to think of anything else, glanced at the class monitor. “He’s got lots of good qualities! Monitor, why don’t you name one?”

The class monitor chimed in, “Li Dong has many good qualities… uh… Liusheng, you’d better say it.”

At that, the whole class burst into laughter.

Li Dong demanded, “Well? What good qualities?”

“Uh… You’ve got plenty. You’ll find out in time,” Liusheng replied, trying to brush it off. But now, he realized that this couple shared at least one thing in common: a relentless curiosity.

The pressure in Senior Three was crushing, as if each student was carrying a mountain on their shoulders. Desks were piled high with books—except for Liusheng’s, which was almost bare. When the teacher entered, she said, “We’re already at the most critical stage of high school—the college entrance exam is right around the corner! Let me remind you: the classroom is for studying. No more sleeping, playing with phones, whispering, or passing notes! The school is not your home—it’s a place to learn.”

Liusheng, playing with his phone, muttered, “So now the school’s not our home. But when it’s time to clean, you tell us the school is our home and we should clean it well.”

The teacher ignored him and started class.

Throughout the lesson, Liusheng kept looking at his phone, occasionally laughing aloud, which drew glances from the classmates sitting nearby.

The teacher was losing patience but didn’t dare confront Liusheng directly. Instead, she said, “School is for learning, not playing. Some students may not study, but please don’t be the rotten apple that spoils the whole barrel!”

Of course, Liusheng knew she meant him. Still playing on his phone, he retorted, “Hey, you’re not a chef. Just teach—why talk about making soup?”

The whole class erupted in laughter. The teacher shouted, “This is a classroom! Quiet, all of you! Let’s continue with the lesson.”

The second period was politics with the homeroom teacher. The first day’s schedule was intense, with the teacher racing through the material, desperate to make up time before the college entrance exam. As a result, many students were left behind.

Students began to grumble, “Way too fast, couldn’t understand a thing.”

“Yeah, it only gets more confusing.”

The teacher heard the murmurs and snapped, “All this is review! You should have learned it before—now you’re in a panic? Where were you then?”

The students hung their heads in silence.

Liusheng put down his phone and said, “If you know students are struggling, why not focus on the difficult parts instead of blaming us? Honestly, you just want to get through the lesson, without caring whether we actually understand.”

The homeroom teacher slammed the book on the desk and barked, “What’s your point? Just because you get good grades doesn’t mean you can speak out of turn!”

Liusheng picked up his phone again and scrolled, saying, “There are no bad students, only bad teachers. If you cared about us, you’d realize every student has their own way of learning.”

The teacher’s face darkened—not because of Liusheng’s words, but because he’d embarrassed her in front of the whole class.

Liusheng used to never study, but it didn’t affect anyone else. Now, having vented all his dissatisfaction, the teacher felt completely humiliated.

After two months of travel, Liusheng had become more open and expressive, saying whatever came to mind and doing whatever made him happy.

At lunchtime, all the Senior Three students stayed at school, eating in the cafeteria while reading, eager to spend even their lunch break studying.

In one corner of the cafeteria—

“Liusheng, you’ve gotten bold! Not even wearing your uniform—what’s your deal?” Ren Xiadong said to Liusheng, who was eating with his headphones on. When there was no response, Ren Xiadong pulled off one of his earbuds and repeated, “I’m talking to you!”

“I heard you—I’m not deaf!” Liusheng replied.

Ren Xiadong wasn’t satisfied. “Then why didn’t you answer? Also, I heard you spent the whole morning arguing with the teachers!”

Liusheng took off his headphones, grinning mischievously, and asked, “So, how was it in the car?”

At the mention of “the car,” Ren Xiadong’s eyes lit up, a look of excitement on his face. “Amazing! Comes with a vibrating feature! Wait—” Suddenly, he turned suspicious. “How did you know?”

“I guessed! Let me guess again…” Liusheng began mimicking a fortune-teller, making a show of calculating. “Still with Lele, huh? Twice, even! Tell us, how did it feel?”

Ren Xiadong was shocked—how did Liusheng know everything? Could he really tell fortunes? But soon he brushed off the question and boasted, “Life’s about trying new things. If you never experiment, you’ll never discover how many wonders the world holds!”

“Lend it to me sometime—I want to try, too. Like you said, life’s about new experiences!”

“You have a car yourself!” Ren Xiadong shot back, then suddenly realized, “Wait, you mean you want to borrow Lele? Wow, you’ve changed! You used to be so proper!”

Meanwhile, in the teachers’ office of Senior Three, Class One—

The homeroom teacher fumed, “Liusheng is completely out of line! If not for his grades, I’d have kicked him out long ago!”

The math teacher agreed, “Yes—today he called me a chef in class, said I was making soup!”

The history teacher chimed in, “He pointed at my nose in class and accused me of taking up their PE period! No consideration for my dignity at all!”

During the lunch break, the teachers finally came up with a solution: transfer Liusheng to the slow class—Ren Xiadong’s class—and let him wreak havoc there. After all, the slow class students didn’t study anyway.

The slow class homeroom teacher was delighted at the prospect of having the top student join, but also worried—what if such a good student was ruined in her care?

That afternoon, accompanied by the slow class homeroom teacher, Liusheng entered Class Two of Senior Three.

As he walked in, all the students in the back two rows cheered in welcome. They were all athletes—bad at studies, but good at everything else—and thrilled to have the school sports team captain join their class.

The homeroom teacher addressed the class, “Liusheng is our year’s top student—after the college entrance exam, he’ll be courted by all the top universities. Everyone, learn from him!”

Then, turning to Liusheng, she said, “Liusheng, you can sit wherever you like.”

Liusheng glanced at the very last row where Ren Xiadong sat alone, still napping. He pointed at Ren Xiadong and said, “I’ll sit there.”

The teacher hesitated—Ren Xiadong was the worst student in class, and if Liusheng sat by him, his grades might suffer.

Liusheng noticed her concern and reassured, “Don’t worry, I’ll still be first in the year every time. But I’m sitting there.”

The slow class homeroom teacher had no choice; she didn’t dare offend her students, who were either athletes or notorious troublemakers—each one more unruly than the teachers. All she could do was pray to get through each lesson in peace.

Liusheng sat down beside Ren Xiadong, who was sound asleep. Leaning close, Liusheng whispered, “Lele’s here.”

At the mention of Lele, Ren Xiadong jerked awake, looking around frantically before asking Liusheng, “Where’s Lele?”

Liusheng laughed and said, “Come on, you can’t go on like this. This is a classroom—a place for studying. How can you only have girls on your mind? Haven’t you heard? There are beauties in books, and gold, too! Crack open a book now and then!”

The whole class burst out laughing. The homeroom teacher added, “Liusheng is absolutely right. Read more, broaden your horizons. Even when he jokes, he sounds scholarly.”

Now wide awake, Ren Xiadong asked, “Why are you here?”

Liusheng leaned back in his chair and replied, “From now on, I’m your desk mate. Get to work! I’ll keep an eye on you—how else can you get into the same university as me?”