Chapter Three: Self-Introduction

After enduring countless hardships, the bus finally arrived at the stop. Jiang Muwen followed behind Wen Yichen, squeezing off the bus together. The air around them instantly felt much fresher, making Jiang Muwen want to take a few extra deep breaths.

“Stop breathing so much, we’re going to be late for class,” Wen Yichen said coldly, his well-defined hand unconsciously resting on her head. It was as if he were holding a steering wheel—he gave a gentle twist, turning Jiang Muwen in a new direction, then strode forward with long steps.

Yet Jiang Muwen stood there as if spellbound, staring blankly. This action, so utterly normal in Wen Yichen’s eyes, stirred a wave of emotion in Jiang Muwen’s heart.

Wen Yichen walked a few steps and noticed Jiang Muwen hadn’t caught up. His delicate brows knitted slightly. “Why are you just standing there?”

His words snapped Jiang Muwen out of her daze. She uttered a quiet “Oh,” then hurried to catch up with him.

He was walking so fast that she struggled to keep up.

“Can you slow down…” she called from behind.

“The school gates close in five minutes,” Wen Yichen seemed entirely uninterested in slowing down for her. “I’m not waiting for you.”

Jiang Muwen hurried after him, growing a little tired. “But…you’re walking so fast…”

“Then why don’t you run?”

…

In this way, the two of them squeezed through the school gates just in the nick of time.

All along the way, Jiang Muwen was imagining what Class A would be like. She had long heard that Class A at this school was extraordinary—some students even called it the “immortal class.”

Naturally, Jiang Muwen had made her own inquiries, but to a student like her, Class A was just an unattainable dream. She had never imagined she would one day set foot in Class A’s classroom—let alone enter with Wen Yichen at her side.

In her first year, when Jiang Muwen went on a spring outing with her class, Class A went as well. While she was stuck in evening self-study, the students of Class A had already packed their bags and gone home. While she sat in class grappling with difficult math problems, Class A was happily engaged in extracurricular activities.

In Jiang Muwen’s eyes, it seemed as if Class A never needed to study.

Of course, it might just be that she had never seen them study seriously. Perhaps those students snuck in early-morning study sessions, or maybe they burned the midnight oil at home…

However, all her imaginings about Class A’s diligence crumbled the moment Jiang Muwen stepped inside.

Few students were reading or studying. Most were napping on their desks, or leisurely finishing the breakfast they hadn’t had time for earlier.

Class A was suffused with an unusual atmosphere—as if this top high school in City A had set aside a class just for retirement. The metaphor didn’t quite fit these vibrant young people, but they truly gave Jiang Muwen the illusion of being at a rest home.

If not for the sign bearing “Class A” above the door, she would have thought she’d walked into the worst class.

No sooner had she entered than she spotted Bai Xu in the last row.

Bai Xu was an exceedingly clever boy. He’d been Wen Yichen’s classmate in both middle and high school. After spending time with Wen Yichen, he’d naturally come to know Jiang Muwen as well. The moment he saw them, his face lit up and he waved enthusiastically.

Wen Yichen, spotting Bai Xu, walked straight over, slung off his backpack, and sat beside him. Seeing this, Jiang Muwen followed and sat in front of them.

And so, quite naturally, Jiang Muwen and Wen Yichen became desk neighbors, one in front and one behind.

“Wow—Jiang Muwen, you made it in too!” Bai Xu looked at her, a spark of unexpected delight in his bright eyes.

…Perhaps Bai Xu’s enthusiasm caught her off guard; Jiang Muwen forced a wry smile and nodded in his direction.

This year, Class A only admitted thirty students. She was number twenty-nine.

Soon, class began. The atmosphere in Class A was relaxed. When the teacher entered, the room quieted, but the tension was nowhere near that of other classes.

The homeroom teacher, standing at the lectern, introduced herself briefly, then handed the floor to the students, asking them to introduce themselves in turn—an exercise “to help everyone get to know each other faster.”

One by one, the students stood to introduce themselves. When it was the turn of the girl sitting next to Jiang Muwen, she rose.

She wore her hair in a simple ponytail, her features neat and refined. In profile, she resembled a delicate porcelain doll. “My name is Gu Nianxi—Gu is my family name, Nian is my generation name. My family wanted me to grow up to be a girl full of hope, so they named me Xi…”

Sunlight spilled gently across her profile, casting a soft, beautiful glow.

Jiang Muwen watched Gu Nianxi take her seat. The girl turned, their eyes met, and she offered Jiang Muwen a gentle smile.

…

Jiang Muwen had never been good at self-introductions. She was shy, and truthfully, she felt she had little to say.

With the seat in front of her empty, when the student two rows ahead finished, it was her turn.

She stood awkwardly, waiting for the classroom to quiet, then spoke in a quiet voice. “My name is Jiang Muwen… My father’s surname is Jiang, my mother’s is Wen, so I’m called Jiang Muwen…”

As soon as she finished, a ripple of amusement spread through the classroom. Such a warm-sounding name was rare indeed.

“What if your future husband’s surname is Wen?” someone called out, prompting the class to burst into laughter—not mocking, but lighthearted enough to make Jiang Muwen’s ears flush red.

“So you’d be Wen Mujiang?”

“Or Wen Muwen!”

“I think Wen Mumu is adorable too, haha!”

The more eagerly they discussed, the more embarrassed Jiang Muwen felt.

No one understood why her ears turned pink. The homeroom teacher, seeing how shy she was—her ears still red and at a loss for words—smiled and said, “Jiang, that’s a wonderful name. Please take a seat. Next.”

Yet after the teacher spoke, the boy sitting behind Jiang Muwen did not stand up for a long time.

“Next—” the teacher leaned forward, eyes falling on him, and smiled. “It seems this young man is shy as well.”

Finally, the boy behind her rose slowly to his feet. “My name is Wen Yichen…”