In the classroom, the piled-up textbooks and exam papers on the desks resembled a broken city wall. Liu Chang’an’s seat was in the last row, but the only neatly arranged books on his desk were a stark contrast to the others. Most of the exam papers were brand new and clean.
The students of Class 3, High School Division, were cramped in a single, old teaching building. The environment was quiet and peaceful, but the classroom was small, with seventy students squeezed in. To save space, there were single-row seats on both sides of the room, and three-person seats in the middle.
An Wan sat with Liu Chang’an, and next to Liu Chang’an was a well-developed chubby boy, Gao De Wei.
An Wan sat up straight, her legs stretched out straight, reminding Liu Chang’an of the compass used by their math teacher. The girl’s slender legs were taut, with a gentle curve, and not a single hint of relaxation. Her knees were slightly bent, and her thighs were round and straight, clad in athletic shorts. An Wan had the enviable figure of a girl her age, with long legs, a slim waist, and no flat chest.
When she saw Liu Chang’an, An Wan flashed a somewhat expectant smile, with a hint of teasing in her eyes. “Didn’t you get punished for skipping classes, and weren’t you supposed to copy the school rules?”
“No.”
An Wan looked slightly disappointed and whispered, “I found out yesterday that Huang Shan follows me on Weibo.”
“That’s normal, isn’t it?” Liu Chang’an replied nonchalantly. An Wan was the most popular girl in school, with over a million fans on Weibo. Liu Chang’an knew that her Weibo account was actually managed by her mother, and as a high school student, she didn’t have the time to maintain a popular online presence.
“Huang Shan follows many female hosts; it’s hard to tell.” An Wan chuckled, with a hint of curiosity about Huang Shan’s motives. Huang Shan and An Wan’s mother were university classmates, so Huang Shan showed extra care towards An Wan at school.
“People admire their parents when they’re young, admire beauties when they’re old, have a wife, and admire their wife. Isn’t that normal?” Liu Chang’an asked rhetorically, quoting Mencius.
An Wan burst out laughing, “Then you should be the one who admires beauties!”
“Beauties refer to young girls, like you,” Liu Chang’an said with a glance at An Wan.
An Wan’s face turned pink, and she shot him a white-eyed glance, perhaps because of the approaching college entrance exam, and everyone was about to part ways. Liu Chang’an seemed to be getting more and more idle.
Remembering his freshman year, Liu Chang’an was a bit dull, as if he stared into space every day. He gradually became normal, indistinguishable from other students.
“Fat brother, can I take a look at your notes from yesterday? I didn’t come to school,” An Wan asked Gao De Wei while leaning over Liu Chang’an. It was as if Liu Chang’an didn’t care about her absence, and took his notes. In fact, Liu Chang’an rarely took notes during class.
“Ah, you didn’t come?” Gao De Wei seemed to have just realized and handed over his notes, “Yesterday’s lesson was important, take a look, and who knows, it might be on the college entrance exam.”
An Wan took the notes, seeing Liu Chang’an’s indifference to her absence. She borrowed Gao De Wei’s notes and playfully hit Liu Chang’an on the back with them. Liu Chang’an retaliated with a gentle elbow strike.
An Wan yelped in pain, covering her chest, and suddenly felt angry at this scoundrel!
At that moment, Huang Shan approached, concerned about An Wan’s condition, “An Wan, didn’t your fever subside? If you’re not feeling well, you should go rest for a day.”
“I’m fine, I just need to rest for a bit,” An Wan forced a smile.
“Take care of yourself, and if you’re not feeling well, go see the school doctor,” Huang Shan said before leaving.
An Wan turned her head, her face flushing red, and glared at Liu Chang’an.
“I got a bit stronger yesterday, but I’m not used to it yet,” Liu Chang’an said, somewhat embarrassed. Earlier, An Wan was reaching out to get the notes, and Liu Chang’an just wanted to tap her hand, but accidentally hit her soft chest.
A girl’s chest was often described as soft and delicate, vulnerable to hurt.
“If this were a legend, I would have been beheaded!” An Wan thought of the book “Liectrous Woman” that Liu Chang’an used to read.
“I felt an abnormal sensation in your chest area, possibly due to a blockade in blood circulation caused by excessive heat,” Liu Chang’an said, putting down his “Zi Bu Yu” book and gesturing to help An Wan.
“Get lost!” An Wan refused without hesitation, slamming the notes on Liu Chang’an’s hand. She had only added a foam pad to her bra.
After class, An Wan asked Liu Chang’an to walk her home, but she needed to practice volleyball at the gym first, so Liu Chang’an waited for her.
Liu Chang’an arrived at the gym, sitting in the bleachers, and soon An Wan changed into her athletic uniform and came onto the court, waving at Liu Chang’an before starting to practice.
Although An Wan was the main player on the school volleyball team, Liu Chang’an still felt a significant gap between them and the dedicated female athletes of the 1980s.
This was an era of excessive entertainment, and Liu Chang’an’s gaze was fixed on the beautiful girls’ long legs, perhaps influenced by An Wan. The school volleyball team even considered physical appearance during recruitment…
After the college entrance exam, there would be a volleyball tournament, which would be An Wan’s last time representing her school. An Wan was very attached to the team, so she would make time to practice, even with the exam looming, as she believed that moderate exercise would help maintain her physical condition and have a positive impact on her studies.
As Liu Chang’an gazed around, his eyes seemed to be wandering among the other girls. An Wan subtly stopped her practice, raised her hand, and tossed the volleyball at Liu Chang’an.
As the team captain, An Wan had the strength and accuracy to hit the volleyball. Liu Chang’an heard the wind sound and stretched out his hand, firmly catching the ball.
“Wow, that’s impressive!” An Wan exclaimed, then laughed and clapped her hands. Most people would either dodge or hit the ball, but few could catch it so steadily.
Liu Chang’an also raised his hand and tossed the volleyball back at An Wan.
Thinking about Liu Chang’an’s earlier action, An Wan felt tempted to hit the volleyball back.
The ball flew in an arc, and An Wan realized it only when it was halfway there. She hastily sidestepped and jumped to block it.
“Bang!”
The volleyball hit An Wan’s face, and she stumbled backward, crying out in shock, feeling intense pain in her nose, and suddenly blood started flowing.
Liu Chang’an was taken aback – what was the point of using her face to block the ball?
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