Today, Jinhe High School was exceptionally lively. The entrance was crowded with various vehicles, parents poured into the campus in groups of two or three, and many middle-aged figures appeared in the Senior Three classrooms.
Luo Ming leaned her head against the window, her slender neck tilted as she stared blankly at the bustling crowd outside. Her gaze was calm and detached, showing no emotion at all.
The sounds of playing and laughing in her ears were exceptionally noisy, continuing for a long time. Those students had happy families; no matter how poor their circumstances were, they wouldn’t forced their children to work. She and Gu Yu were like two outliers, shrinking into a corner where no one noticed them, remaining silent.
‘I don’t need these mundane, mediocre emotions,’ she thought. ‘No matter how strong they are, they can shatter from a single crack. I despise them. All I need is this boy who, even under the strange gazes of the whole world, still huddles with me for warmth. Our love will take root, and not even death can separate us.’
Luo Ming turned her head, poked the corner of Gu Yu’s forehead as he lay on the desk, and asked softly, “What are you thinking about? You’re daydreaming.”
Gu Yu was still in a daze, murmuring under his breath, “No, I was just thinking it might be a bit strange. If she comes to the parent-teacher meeting for me… is she considered my guardian? Would it be inappropriate…?”
“Who?”
Luo Ming asked curiously. As she looked up, she happened to see a woman walking into the classroom. Her exquisite face was adorned with makeup, stunning everyone who noticed her. She looked sophisticated, charming, and cold — yet exceedingly young. Anyone would think she was some student’s older sister.
She had specifically avoided the expensive designer clothes in her wardrobe and chosen a simple yet beautiful outfit: a black overcoat, a deep blue sweater underneath, and wide-legged pants that covered her ankles. Her long hair was tied in a beautiful bun, and a warm smile, like the spring breeze melting snow, graced her face.
Generous and decent, beautiful and moving, she naturally became the focus of the room.
Under many watchful eyes, she walked straight toward Gu Yu. The boy stood up blankly and called out, “Sister Qianxin.”
“So this is Little Yu’s seat. You have such a pretty desk-mate,” she said, stroking the boy’s head with the air of a gentle older sister.
Luo Ming offered a slight smile and responded politely, “You’re teasing me, Sister. A little girl like me who hasn’t grown up yet can’t be compared to someone like you, who can act as Gu Yu’s guardian.”
Yun Qianxin’s expression remained unchanged, the curve of her eyes still soft. She was about to speak when Gu Yu interrupted her.
“Sister Qianxin, please take a seat. The parent-teacher meeting is about to start. Luo Ming and I are going to the back.”
“Mhm, go ahead.”
Gu Yu signaled to Luo Ming with a look, and the two left their seats to sit on the small stools in the back few rows of the classroom. According to school rules, students had to sit in the back and listen to the Class Advisor’s nagging.
Gu Yu was pulled into the middle of several boys he knew. Luo Ming wanted to reach out and pull him back, but she restrained herself. She gave them a cold glance and found an empty seat to sit down.
“Gu Yu, Gu Yu, is that your sister? She’s so beautiful! How old is she? How come we’ve never heard you mention her?”
As soon as they sat down, they couldn’t wait to ask. Clearly, they had noticed his overly beautiful sister. Yun Qianxin’s beauty was entirely different from Luo Ming’s; it was too dazzling and attracted too much attention. For him… he didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing.
“She’s my cousin. It’s nothing worth mentioning, and I don’t remember her age clearly.”
Gu Yu tactfully pushed away the questions about Yun Qianxin. He didn’t want to reveal too much; that was her personal privacy. After all, they weren’t actual relatives, and they had to observe proper etiquette.
The questioning in his ears gradually stopped. The Class Advisor on the podium coughed twice and began to talk skillfully about various educational platitudes. It was the same old routine, and Wang Zhenming, who had been teaching for many years, was already well-versed in it.
Gu Yu looked at the parents filling the classroom and noticed that one seat was awkwardly empty. The seat next to Yun Qianxin was vacant. He stole a glance at Luo Ming; the girl had her head lowered, sitting upright and obediently, lost in thought.
The Class Advisor finished his platitudes and then began to talk about the students’ grades. As expected, he praised the top students and publicly asked the parents about their techniques for getting along with their children.
Gu Yu saw the parents whose names were called stand up one by one. In He Yu’s seat sat a well-dressed, middle-aged man. He had a kind and handsome face, was polite, and spoke elegantly.
The girl did indeed have a very good family background; her elders were glamorous and successful. Such a person might not break his legs, but they likely wouldn’t approve of him as a son-in-law either.
Those top-ranking names were called one after another. The Class Advisor intentionally saved his favorite student for last, his voice tinged with pride. “Finally, we have Luo Ming, who consistently ranks first in our class and the grade. She has been the immovable first place in several mock exams. Luo Ming’s parent…”
He looked at the only empty seat in the classroom and felt a bit embarrassed. Luo Ming had asked him for leave a few days ago, but he had forgotten about it in the busyness of the day. “Since Luo Ming’s parent couldn’t make it today due to urgent business, why doesn’t Luo Ming come up and tell everyone how you study and how you get along with your elders?”
Luo Ming looked up blankly and walked onto the stage, surrounded by everyone’s gaze. She glanced over the eyes staring at her and fixed her sight on Gu Yu through the crowd.
‘What should I say?’ she thought. ‘That “competent” mother who ignores me? Or that useless, alcoholic father I haven’t seen in several years? I don’t even have a parent here to attend the meeting, yet I have to talk about how to get along with elders. How ridiculous.’
Her thick, curled eyelashes cast a shadow. As a cold light swept across the crowd in the classroom, only the boy who was like warm sunshine remained in her eyes. He was her everything.
“I don’t have any special study techniques. I just memorize and practice more. If you do as the teachers say, your grades will eventually go up.” Luo Ming returned to her state of a polite and excellent student, a beautiful smile curving her lips. “The only difference might be that I have very good luck. I met a very important friend who supported and encouraged me to keep working hard. That’s how I achieved today’s results.”
Her gaze remained fixed on Gu Yu from beginning to end, and that flowery smile seemed to bloom for him alone.
The boy felt his heart skip a beat. Luo Ming’s words were very unexpected. The so-called friend was so obvious, yet he didn’t think he held such significance to her.
His racing heart couldn’t be denied; this was a joyful surprise. It turned out he was that important to the girl he liked. He wasn’t the only one who found warmth in their snuggling.
“As for getting along with parents, the gentlemen and ladies before me have already spoken about it, so I won’t say more.”
Luo Ming gave a polite bow and stepped down from the stage amidst the applause. She heard many people around her discussing her, praising her as a role model for students — beautiful, polite, and obedient. They said they would be lucky if their own children were even half as good as her.
She sat back in her seat, and several girls nearby immediately leaned over to ask about that friend. She smiled without saying a word, tactfully rejecting their inquiries. Through her fine hair, she stole a glance at Gu Yu.