Chapter 9: Still quite fated

Lanlin Gaozhong gate.

The youth wore a pure blue T‑shirt, revealing cold‑white skin, legs slightly bent, posture casually leaning against the wall.

One hand held the phone, face showing impatience as he flipped through it, the other hand hung loosely at his side.

He lowered his head slightly; the crimson‑dyed bangs fell, just covering his handsome brows, revealing a pair of deep brown, profound eyes.

When the wind brushed his hair tips, the youth's slender, long fingers with distinct joints lifted slightly, and he gave a soft "tsk," his appearance extremely striking.

Gu Xingnan stood nearby, also head down playing with his phone; the two silently passed time in unspoken understanding.

He lifted his gaze and saw a familiar male student.

Immediately after, he smiled warmly, "A Jin, A Ci is here." His voice was warm and smooth like jade.

Jiang Liangjin heard the voice, his cold eyes lifting; his flawless features and sharply defined face became visible, a black mole on the left eye corner adding a touch of allure rather than femininity.

Seeing the male student approaching closer, he slowly straightened his body, his long legs also straightening.

At the same time he put away his phone, his voice languid: "Did you get the thing?"

Yu Ci had come running; hearing Jiang Liangjin's words, he raised his hand, shaking the tablet he held left and right, "Of course, of course!"

Before the two could speak, he feigned mystery, lowering his voice: "By the way, A Jin A Nan, guess what I saw!"

He hadn't intended to let them guess; as soon as his words fell, he went on: "I saw something placed beside your seat, A Jin! Chao Yi said Little Liu Sis arranged someone to sit next to you, a transfer student, a girl, but that person isn't in the classroom, so I didn't see who it was."

The three had originally planned to go out and play for a day, but on the way Yu Ci said something had been left at school and they needed to retrieve it.

Just now, when he returned to fetch things from Class A of Grade 1, he immediately noticed Jiang Liangjin's usually empty neighboring desk, surprisingly stacked with a pile of brand‑new books.

Afterward he asked Chao Yi Xia, who said a transfer student, a girl, was seated there, which genuinely surprised him.

Everyone at Lanlin Gaozhong knows Jiang Liangjin hates having people around him, especially disliking desk mates.

The only ones who often stand and talk beside him are Gu Xingnan and Yu Ci.

Who is Jiang Liangjin?

The sole heir of the Jiang family, the beloved son of the Lanlin school board, he became the school bully of Lanlin just days after the start of Grade 1, and was crowned school prince for his flawless looks.

With such status, who at Lanlin would dare to control him? Even if he missed a whole year of classes, no one would say anything.

To be frank, Jiang Liangjin is also formidable—he's dyed his hair, skipped class, fought, and dabbled in other rule‑breaking.

He goes to school whenever he wants; in class he either plays on his phone or sleeps.

When it comes to exams, if he's in a decent mood he might take first place; if he's feeling bad, he simply doesn't take the test.

His arrogance has reached such a level that the people of Lanlin admire him, yet dare not provoke him.

Yu Ci and Gu Xingnan follow him everywhere; both come from illustrious families, so no one dares to speak against them.

Jiang Liangjin heard that a girl had taken the seat beside him, recalling someone's words that he could only sit with one girl.

Thus, Jiang Liangjin's handsome brows furrowed slightly, his expression turning unpleasant: "Come on, let's go check the classroom."

Having spoken, he lifted his foot and stepped into the Lanlin gate.

Yu Ci and Gu Xingnan exchanged a glance, said nothing, and immediately followed.

Class A of Grade 1.

It was just when the break began.

The students of Class A unexpectedly stared at Jiang Liangjin, who hadn't come to school for a week, and his two brothers beside him.

Someone exclaimed, "How did Young Master Yu bring Young Master Jin and Young Master Gu here?"

Yu Ci is the eldest son of the Yu family, the foremost noble house of West City, always proud and flamboyant.

He is easy to get along with, never seeks trouble; those in West City who know him respectfully address him as Young Master Yu.

Gu Xingnan is the third son of the Gu family, the third‑ranked noble house of West City; he has an older sister who heads the Gu family and dotes on him.

He has a steady temperament, does not compare himself to others, acts low‑key, and most people call him Young Master Gu.

The two have known Jiang Liangjin, son of the wealthiest person of Z Country, since childhood, sharing a deep bond.

With the status of Yu Ci and Gu Xingnan, just like Jiang Liangjin, in C City there's no idle person who would easily offend them.

Chao Yi Xia was the first to react, stepping forward with a teasing tone: "Yo, why did Jin and Xingnan decide to come to school?"

He is the fourth son of the Xia family, the fourth‑ranked noble house of West City, and from childhood has been close to some of the young masters and misses of West City.

His personality is very outgoing, and he can converse easily with Yu Ci.

After speaking, he didn't expect Jiang Liangjin or Gu Xingnan to respond.

This young master, aside from giving face to Yu Ci and Gu Xingnan, is usually indifferent to others, cold and aloof.

Although Gu Xingnan looks like a modest gentleman, he is naturally aloof and not as easy‑going as Yu Ci.

Gu Xingnan casually gave an "uh."

Yu Ci put a hand on his shoulder, in good spirits answering, "Isn't this to meet the transfer student?"

"Someone's sitting beside my seat?"

Jiang Liangjin walked to the side of his seat, saw the stack of books and pens, confirmed it was a girl's doing, and his expression darkened.

Half the students in the classroom quietly glanced over, holding their breath.

Seeing this, as expected, if the transfer student were to meet Young Master Jiang at school, they'd be in trouble.

Yu Ci saw his friend's displeased expression and quickly smoothed things over: "A Jin, don't be angry—just have her move her stuff to the back."

He turned his head to look around and casually asked, "By the way, who's sitting here?"

Bai Yun sat at the front desk; hearing the question, she slightly turned her head: "She asked for leave after eight and left the campus; she's expected back around eleven."

She had just come back from the previous class; Mu Youyu said she needed to take a leave trip off campus, so she told her to return first.

Gu Xingnan heard that, said nothing more, and directly moved Mu Youyu's desk and chair to the last row of the classroom.

"Eh, move it to the back?"

Xia Chaoyi stared, remembering what Mu Youyu had said when she introduced her name, and quickly said: "Xingnan, I was telling you that this transfer student and Jin-ge are still quite fated, their names…"

"Chaoyi," Yu Ci immediately interrupted him, giving him a look, "Can't you see A Jin's face looks awful? Don't talk more."

Xia Chaoyi made a zip-the-lips gesture with one hand and gave an OK sign with the other.

Gu Xingnan finished moving the desks and chairs, walked back to Jiang Liangjin's side, stayed silent for a moment, and asked: "A Jin, are you still going out?"

Jiang Liangjin saw the seat was empty, and his expression gradually calmed.

He closed the book on the desk, then leaned back in his seat, looking relaxed, "I'll leave later."

Jiang Liangjin's seat was the second-to-last row against the wall, with a large empty space beside it.

Yu Ci immediately sat in his own seat; his seat was behind Jiang Liangjin, and Gu Xingnan had always been his desk mate.

Gu Xingnan also sat down beside him; he had originally been in the last row of this line, but after moving Mu Youyu's desk behind him, he was no longer there.

The second class of the morning began.

As soon as the teacher entered, seeing that the three-person group were all present, he was obviously stunned for a moment, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes.

His gaze shifted, and he noticed the empty desks and chairs in the back row.

Some matters about the transfer student that the homeroom teacher had told him flashed through his mind; without asking further, he began the lesson.

Jiang Liangjin, Gu Xingnan, and Yu Ci played with their phones during class; the teacher of Class A had long grown accustomed to it—who wouldn't, given their good grades and family inheritance to look forward to?

As the third class was about to end, the three headed toward the back door, planning to leave Lan Lin.