Chapter 4 —

After everyone had entered the classroom, the homeroom teacher cleared his throat, smiled, and gestured to introduce the new student: "Come on, everyone, let's give a round of applause to welcome our new classmate."

A burst of enthusiastic applause quickly followed and lingered for a long time.

"Alright, alright, I think our new classmate has grasped everyone's enthusiasm!" The homeroom teacher waved her hand, signaling the students to stop clapping. Once the applause had completely subsided, she gestured towards the white-haired loli and continued her introduction:

"First, this is our little cutie—Yugitoki Mashiro. Don't let her Japanese name fool you; she and her parents grew up in Japan, so she's a true Japanese citizen! Also, despite her young age, she's actually a super-talented student who skipped grades!"

The white-haired loli, Yugitoki Mashiro, stepped forward and bowed slightly, her face expressionless: "Hello everyone, my name is Yugitoki Mashiro. Please take care of me from now on."

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted in the classroom, mixed with whispers from the boys and murmurs from the girls. Yuan Shizhenbai's delicate, loli-like face remained impassive. She straightened up, her gaze sweeping calmly over the entire class, as if scrutinizing a group of insignificant passersby.

"Look, isn't she cute? She should be your type, right?" After Yuan Shizhenbai finished her introduction, I bent my arm and elbowed Lu Lili in the back, getting my **** for the earlier elbow strike.

"Ouch—" The blow to her back caused Lu Lili to let out a muffled groan, then she glared at me fiercely. "I don't like this kind of bean sprout at all. The 'big' older sister next to her is much more to my liking."

"Next up is this—Qian Yanshu." The homeroom teacher then pointed to the tall, black-haired girl. She stepped forward, her slender figure casting an elegant shadow under the classroom lights. The deep blue, high-slit, backless dress swayed gently, revealing skin as white as jade. The curves faintly visible beneath the black veil at the chest made many boys swallow hard.

"If that one was Yuan Shizhenbai, then this Qian is definitely 'Your legs are so white!'" Qian Yanshu stepped forward, and Lu Lili, chin in hand, began his serious beauty appraisal.

"Hello everyone, I'm Qian Yanshu. I hope we can get along well in our studies and daily life. If you need any help, feel free to call me—love you all!" With that, Qian Yanshu elegantly extended her hands in a heart shape, eliciting a chorus of quiet gasps.

"She looks like a cool, aloof older sister type, but she's actually a vibrant young woman?" I raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"Wow, this is the kind of contrasting type? Inspector Si, I feel like I'm about to get an erection!" No wonder Lu Lili, despite being a beautiful girl, is my best friend; our fantasies overlap a lot.

"Wake up, you don't have a little brother." I grinned, ruthlessly shattering her fantasy of getting an erection. But soon, my gaze was firmly drawn to the next girl about to go on stage to introduce herself—

The applause rang out again, this time even more enthusiastic: the boys' eyes burned with desire, while the girls were mostly filled with envy mixed with wariness. The homeroom teacher nodded and continued, "The last one is An Shuangyu. She's a very talented girl, so please take good care of her!"

"An...Shuangyu?!" Hearing the homeroom teacher's words, I was shocked, feeling a mix of astonishment and fear that it was just a coincidence of names: "Is it really her? -- No, maybe it's just a coincidence of names...after all, their appearances are so different."

"Si Sheng, did you just hear that? An Shuangyu, isn't that your childhood sweetheart?" The homeroom teacher had barely finished speaking when Lu Lili dramatically turned around, even more excited than me. Even though her voice was lowered, it still clearly reached everyone's ears.

Upon hearing this, the entire class's gaze instantly turned to me like spotlights. Even the three new students on the stage looked at me—the boys with gossipy smirks, the girls with curiosity mixed with scrutiny, and even the homeroom teacher raised an eyebrow, seemingly waiting for my explanation.

At that moment, I felt like an ant thrown into a hot pan. My cheeks were burning hot enough to fry an egg, my mind was buzzing, and only one thought remained: Lu Lili, you bastard, I'll sew that liar's mouth shut sooner or later!

"Uh… well, no… okay, I do have a childhood friend with the same name as An, but she's not as… pretty as An."

I stammered, trying to smooth things over, but my voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's buzz, only earning me a few low chuckles and Lu Lili's gloating gaze.

Oh no, this misunderstanding is huge! What if they really do share the same name? I'll never be able to stay in class again—whoever it is, please save me!

Just as I was about to explode with embarrassment, An Shuangyu on the stage suddenly cleared her throat. Her voice, though somewhat unfamiliar, brought me unparalleled salvation:

"Ahem, well… hello teachers and classmates, my name is An Shuangyu—you know, the An Shuangyu that Brother Si Sheng… mentioned! This isn't a misunderstanding about sharing the same name… Due to some unavoidable reasons, I was **** to separate from Brother Si Sheng for three whole years. In those three years, I've changed a lot!"

After saying this, she fell silent, just standing there gazing at me "affectionately."

I stared at Xiaoyu's unfamiliar grey-blue heterochromatic eyes, a mix of emotions welling up inside me—I wanted to ask her where the other person had been for the past three years; I wanted to ask her how she had become like this; I wanted to immediately leave my seat and hug her… But in the end, I blushed and turned my head away, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Holy crap, when did you get here!”

Just as I turned my head, Lu Lili's face, with an incredulous expression, suddenly appeared in front of me:

“Si Sheng…brother? ****…separation? Is this some kind of cliché romance novel plot? Dude, your relationship is actually better than you said before—if you're going to do this, what's the point of my life? I might as well just jump off!!”

After these words, the class finally realized what An Shuangyu had just said, and the whole class instantly erupted in chaos. The boys' gazes instantly shifted from gossipy smirks to blatant envy and jealousy. Even though most of them had partners, they all turned to stare at me like cats whose tails had been stepped on, as if I had suddenly become a thorn in their side.

The girls' reactions were more complex. Some bit their lower lips, casting resentful glances as if to say, "Why not me?" or "So I arrived late." Others, their faces beaming, exclaimed, "Wow, so sweet!"

I could smell it; the classroom was now filled with a sour, tinged scent. And as the culprit who had caused this commotion, I couldn't even look directly at the beautiful girl on the podium for long.