Ever since graduating high school, Chen Cheng had never returned to her alma mater or attended any high school reunions.
She had always been somewhat withdrawn and indifferent, rarely taking the initiative to maintain friendships. As a result, no matter how close she had been with her friends from elementary school to college, they eventually lost contact.
It wasn't that she didn't want to keep in touch—she was just afraid of being rejected, afraid of being seen as annoying, afraid of this, afraid of that…
Fortunately, An Yuan had been her childhood friend, and no matter how busy he got, he always made time to message her and chat about life, keeping their brotherly bond intact.
As they walked through the school hallway and neared the classroom, a wave of drowsiness hit Chen Cheng. She yawned repeatedly, struggling to stay awake.
Following behind An Yuan, she stopped at the familiar classroom door. Peeking inside through the front entrance, she saw stacks of textbooks and test papers piled high on desks. Some students were playing on their phones and goofing around before morning self-study, while others had their heads buried in books, focused on reviewing.
Chen Cheng wasn't sure where her seat was—or even if this was the right class. She stood frozen at the door…
"Chen Cheng! Good morning!"
A male student greeted her, his face slightly flushed.
After a brief hesitation, she walked forward nervously, picked up a stack of test papers from a desk, glanced at them, and finally felt relieved. She took her seat next to the boy.
So this really is my spot!
First group, fourth row… She had never sat this close to the front before.
"You haven't put your phone away yet."
"I'll do it when the bell rings."
Her deskmate seemed rather considerate, easing the nervousness in her heart. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye—he looked familiar.
What was his name again? Pan… Pan…
Pan Jie!
He was a dark-skinned, skinny guy—small in stature but full of energy. In her past life, he had been the sprint champion at their school's sports meet and had even competed at the city level.
Since he was a boarding student, Chen Cheng had never really interacted with him before. But now that they were deskmates, it was probably because they were around the same height.
Chen Cheng stuffed her bag into the desk drawer and yawned as she turned to look at An Yuan, who sat in the second-to-last row.
His deskmate was still Li Wanyi—the same fiancée who had cheated on him. She was the class beauty, tall and elegant.
Chen Cheng narrowed her eyes.
These two had probably grown close during high school while sitting together. Later, they ended up in the same city for university and officially became a couple in their sophomore year. Their relationship had seemed strong, and An Yuan had never spoken ill of her.
That was, until the moment before Chen Cheng's time-travel incident—when, in An Yuan's most difficult times, Li Wanyi had cheated on him.
To be honest, Chen Cheng had never liked this woman.
Ever since An Yuan started planning to buy a house and settle down with her, he had less and less time to game with Chen Cheng. And whenever they were on a voice call, she would often hear Li Wanyi scolding An Yuan for being unambitious.
It's just a break to play a game with his bro—what's the big deal?!
Seeing An Yuan chatting and laughing with Li Wanyi now, Chen Cheng was furious.
Dude, she just cheated on you! How are you this forgiving?!
Rolling her eyes, Chen Cheng heard the morning study bell ring. She got up and placed her phone into the classroom's wall-mounted storage pocket.
Great. Senior year all over again…
Time for a nap first!
She rearranged the stacks of textbooks and test papers on her desk to form a makeshift barrier, adjusted her posture, and leaned forward, resting her face in her arms.
Ahhh, school desks are just too comfy to sleep on~
As soon as she lay down, the exhaustion from pulling an all-nighter washed over her.
"Chen Cheng… Chen Cheng…"
"Hmm?"
Something suddenly tapped against her desk.
Dazed, she groggily lifted her head, first noticing Pan Jie's anxious face beside her. Then, she sensed an overwhelming aura of terror from behind.
The entire class had fallen silent.
Slowly, hesitantly, she turned to look.
The homeroom teacher was standing right there, towering over her with an expressionless face.
"!!!"
Chen Cheng had thought she had grown immune to the homeroom teacher's presence after all these years.
But now, seeing her homeroom teacher again—her heart skipped a beat in fear.
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
"Mm…"
Chen Cheng quickly realized that the whole class was watching her like an entertaining show. Her thin-skinned face instantly flushed red. She lowered her head, fiddling with her nails, looking pitiful.
I'm probably going to be sent to stand outside in disgrace…
But the homeroom teacher didn't say much and simply walked past her to the podium, using the morning self-study period to start a lecture.
"I called you so many times, but you wouldn't wake up."
"Thanks."
Chen Cheng casually responded, causing her deskmate, Pan Jie, to turn red in an instant. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and chuckled, "No problem, no problem."
Why are you blushing like a bubble teapot?!
Chen Cheng knew she was beautiful now, but was a simple "thank you" really enough to make someone blush?
She crossed her legs, rested her chin on one hand, and absentmindedly twirled a pen between her fingers. As the teacher's lecture went in one ear and out the other, she let out a soft sigh.
Pan Jie kept sneaking glances at his peculiar deskmate from the corner of his eye.
His previous deskmate had been quiet, always maintaining a distant attitude toward boys, never showing the kind of expressions Chen Cheng was making now.
Her posture was casual, almost lazy, yawning every now and then. Yet, from the tips of her hair to her toes, there was something captivating about her.
Could she… like me?
Just as he was thinking that, Chen Cheng casually tucked her hair behind her ear and turned toward him with a puzzled look, blinking her eyes.
Pan Jie reflexively looked down, pretending to take notes.
Chen Cheng: Why is this guy acting so weird?
<+>
Two groggy lessons passed, and then it was time for morning exercises.
The previously quiet classroom instantly turned into a noisy marketplace. Chen Cheng quickly got up and turned to look for An Yuan.
"An Yuan—"
In just two periods, several old friends had already gathered around An Yuan. They were his familiar high school buddies, laughing and chatting with him, completely unaware of Chen Cheng calling out to him.
Even in this parallel world, An Yuan's social skills remained unchanged. He adapted quickly and was thoroughly enjoying this second chance at youth and senior year life.
Seeing this, Chen Cheng felt annoyed.
You dragged me into this time-travel mess, turned me into a woman, and now I have no friends, but you seem to be having a blast, huh?
"Come here for a second!"
Chen Cheng grabbed An Yuan's arm and pulled him into an empty corner. She angrily grabbed his collar and looked up at him, fuming like a little cat baring its claws.
"What's wrong?" An Yuan leaned back awkwardly. Chen Cheng's chest was almost pressing against him, so he raised his hands in surrender and whispered, "The whole class is watching—can we talk in private?"
Seeing his confused expression, as if he had no clue what was happening, Chen Cheng blinked.
She took a step back, face slightly red, crossed her arms, and let out a cold huff to cover up her embarrassment.
"It's nothing, really…" She quickly searched for an excuse and, spotting the perfect one, smirked. "I just saw you chatting so happily with Li Wanyi. What, do you want to get cheated on again?"
She had always disliked Li Wanyi, and now she could finally badmouth her openly.
"Uh…" An Yuan rubbed his nose in frustration.
Wait, don't tell me you still have feelings for her?!
"As your bro, I have to warn you—stay away from bad women, unless you want to be cheated on again." Chen Cheng stood on her toes and patted his shoulder with an exaggerated old-man tone.