An Unexpected Choice

Soon, the first period arrived—the homeroom teacher’s class. The teacher, with a ponytail and light makeup, strode briskly into the classroom and began lecturing on yesterday’s exam paper. Since she taught math, the atmosphere was deadly silent. It wasn’t until near the end of class that the students started to grow a bit restless.

Sitting in the very back row, Ye Xingmian struggled to see the blackboard. Not tall enough, she often had to crane her neck past the heads of her classmates just to catch a glimpse. Fortunately, her eyesight was decent; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to see anything at all.

She hadn’t chosen this seat voluntarily. Class 14’s homeroom teacher enforced a seating arrangement based on grades: after every exam, top students got first pick. Ye Xingmian’s grades were poor, her social circle small, and she was slightly introverted. Over time, this lonely corner near the trash can—without a deskmate—had become her permanent spot.

She didn’t really mind, though. Sitting in the front wouldn’t make much difference anyway—she still wouldn’t understand a thing… Even when she stretched her neck to see the blackboard, the content had long turned into incomprehensible hieroglyphics. She was utterly lost.

In the end, she could only tough it out by staring at the test paper on her own.

Besides, she had always been afraid of teachers… Sitting here gave her a strange sense of security.

This class was no different. The girl waited in a daze until the lesson was almost over, having already given up on the teacher’s explanations. Instead, she buried her head in the answer sheet, puzzling over the questions.

Just then, the lecture finally ended. The teacher sat down to rest, but a girl’s voice rang out from the front row.

“Teacher! I want to change seats!”

Frowning, the teacher looked up—but upon seeing that it was Liu Yinuo, her expression softened. After all, as the top student in the class, switching seats was as simple as a single word from her. No one else could object.

With a smile, she said, “Alright. Where do you want to move?”

After saying this, she straightened her face and scanned the other students who were watching the commotion.

“Focus on your own work. You’re always so easily distracted. If you could score as high as your class monitor, you could switch seats whenever you want.”

Sure enough, most of the students deflated at her words. She turned her gaze back to Liu Yinuo.

Liu Yinuo stood up and pointed behind her—directly at the empty seat next to Ye Xingmian.

“That one.”

“Hmm? Are you sure? You might not be able to see the blackboard well from there.” The teacher frowned. Seeing where Liu Yinuo was pointing, the other students stirred, whispering among themselves. The teacher had no choice but to ignore them for now.

“Yes, I’m sure.” She nodded.

Anyone could tell that Liu Yinuo’s request to move was for Ye Xingmian. As the person in question, when the girl looked up at the class monitor pointing her way, she was instantly stunned. Panic surged in her heart.

‘Oh no… how am I supposed to hide now? This is bad…’

She didn’t dare to lift her head. She knew many eyes were on her, so she kept her head down, pretending to study. But her heart had already raced out of control.

Her feelings were complicated: a mix of anticipation and fear. She was afraid to face it—especially after what happened that morning. She didn’t blame the class monitor for losing her composure; she thought it was her own fault for always avoiding her. That thought didn’t scare her—it just made her feel more guilty. And it made her even more reluctant to get close to Liu Yinuo.

“Alright. Then go ahead. Remember to help him with his studies.” The teacher quickly agreed to Liu Yinuo’s request. She trusted this responsible class monitor.

So Liu Yinuo started packing her things, planning to move them after class. But just then, something unexpected happened.

“Hmm? Lin Ziyan? What is it?”

At that, Liu Yinuo stopped packing and glanced at Lin Ziyan in surprise.

‘What’s she up to now?’

Her brow furrowed tightly.

“Teacher, I want to change seats too.” Lin Ziyan’s face was expressionless; she didn’t even look at Liu Yinuo, but the class monitor felt a hint of contempt from her demeanor.

“Oh? You too? Alright. Where do you want to go?”

Lin Ziyan’s grades were good—she ranked third in the class. The teacher thought about it and agreed. But the seat Lin Ziyan pointed to made her frown.

“That one.” She pointed to the same seat Liu Yinuo had indicated—next to Ye Xingmian.

“Hmm? Could you pick somewhere else? The class monitor already claimed that seat.”

“No.”

This instantly stirred up the class. Two top students, both beautiful girls, were arguing over being the deskmate of a nobody. It was too entertaining.

“Can you tell me why?”

“My brother’s grades have always been poor. I want to tutor him.” She brought up her relationship with Ye Xingmian.

“If you really wanted to tutor him, you would have done it long ago. Why wait until now?” Liu Yinuo saw through Lin Ziyan’s provocation and sneered, matching her hostility head-on.

“I never had the chance before.”

“And now is the chance? Just because I want to sit next to him? What kind of mentality is that? I have reason to doubt your motives, Lin Ziyan.”

“You! In any case, I don’t feel comfortable leaving him to you. He’s my brother—our relationship is much closer than yours. Teacher, let me go.”

Seeing them about to argue, the teacher felt a headache coming on. She rubbed her forehead, sensing something complicated between these three, but she didn’t want to get involved.

“Alright, alright, stop fighting. It’s just one seat. No need for this.”

Frowning, she thought for a moment and quickly came up with a solution.

“Since you both want to be his deskmate, let him choose. Whoever he picks, gets the spot.”

“Fine.” Liu Yinuo agreed first. She was confident. Even after her emotional outburst that morning, she believed that if it came down to a choice between her and Lin Ziyan, the timid girl would pick her.

Lin Ziyan hesitated. After all, as far as she knew, Ye Xingmian had just spent the whole night with Liu Yinuo. Who knew what happened between them? Even though she had threatened Ye Xingmian earlier to obey her, she wasn’t so sure now.

But the teacher’s proposal was reasonable, and in front of the whole class, she couldn’t refuse.

Gritting her teeth, she agreed.

“Fine.”

The teacher nodded. Now, almost everyone’s attention was on the girl in the corner.

“Ye Xingmian, you decide. Who do you want as your deskmate?”

‘Huh?’

Lifting her head, the girl looked completely bewildered. What just happened? How did the pressure fall on her?