Chapter 157: Homeroom teacher

“Please quiet down, everyone. Today, there’s something special happening in our class.”

As soon as the bell rang, the previously rowdy classroom instantly fell silent.

The homeroom teacher—who also taught Chinese—stepped onto the podium with light, measured strides and tapped the blackboard with a piece of chalk.

“Today, a new classmate will be joining us. She’s a very beautiful girl. Let’s give her a warm welcome.”

Applause rose at the teacher’s cue.

At the same time, the Chinese teacher made a welcoming gesture toward the door.

Only then did Su Xiaoxiao—half-hiding her face like a pipa player—step inside with a shy demeanor.

The moment her petite figure appeared at the doorway, the entire class fell into complete silence.

All eyes were instantly drawn to that pure white, shoulder-length hair that seemed to shimmer like moonlight descending to earth.

Her long hair cascaded softly, almost glowing. A small butterfly hair accessory adorned her head, and a faint, sweet fragrance drifted from her as she moved.

Glossy white stockings delicately outlined the shape of her slender legs, paired with simple black shoes. The hem of her white pleated skirt modestly covered her thighs—innocent yet faintly bashful, radiating the perfect aura of a well-behaved student.

Then gazes shifted to her exquisite, jade-like face.

She looked so young—like a delicate porcelain doll, almost as if she belonged in junior high.

Whispers immediately spread through the classroom.

“Wow, she’s so pretty.”

“Wow, she’s so cute.”

“Wow, she’s adorable!”

“Hey!”

“Wasn’t that the girl we saw at the school gate this morning—the one who fell into the fountain together with the class president? So she really is the new transfer student. I’ve definitely never seen her before.”

“Yeah, I think she bumped into the fountain with our class rep earlier? Her clothes look different now, though. She should be fine, right…?”

Under the scrutiny of so many eyes, Su Xiaoxiao’s gaze darted around in confusion. She didn’t know where to look.

She quietly scanned the familiar faces of her classmates.

Yet this strange mix of novelty and unease kept washing over her.

‘W-What’s going on? It’s just introducing a new student—do I really need to be stared at by this many people at once?’

Her heart pounded furiously.

‘Calm down. Stay composed. Take it easy.’

Su Xiaoxiao calmly accepted the chalk, wrote her name neatly on the blackboard, placed both hands politely in front of her, gave a small bow to the class, and introduced herself:

“Hello, everyone. My name is Su Xiaoxiao. Starting today, I’ll be a student in Class 2 of the third year. Please take care of me…”

“Su Xiaoxiao is quite petite and very small and cute. Classmates, please don’t bully her just because of that—especially you few mischievous boys who always cause trouble.”

The homeroom teacher casually reached over and patted her on the head.

Su Xiaoxiao’s expression instantly turned aggrieved.

With the teacher’s height, she would normally have to stand on tiptoe just to reach Su Xiaoxiao’s head. Now she could rest her hand there so naturally.

‘Is it because I’m too short…? Today people keep patting my head. Being treated like a little kid is really annoying… but… it actually feels… kind of nice? Like being spoiled.’

“Besides that, there’s one more thing I must tell everyone. Our original classmate, Su Mu Zhe, has had a family emergency and has already gone abroad. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to continue studying with us.”

“Huh—? What? Su Mu Zhe left school?”

“Family emergency… nothing bad happened, right?”

“He never mentioned anything about this at all. I hope he’s okay…”

The classmates’ reactions caught Su Xiaoxiao somewhat off guard.

She had always been lazy at school—never participated in activities, never volunteered to help, never ran for class committee positions. She even skimped on daily responsibilities.

She had always considered herself a very unqualified student.

As a result, she hadn’t built much of a social circle in class. She was practically invisible.

Some of the quieter girls had such low presence that she couldn’t even recall their names right away.

Yet now, hearing that “he” had left, her classmates were actually showing this much concern.

A faint thread of warmth—and guilt—stirred in her heart.

“So, for the time being, Su Xiaoxiao’s seat will be arranged in Su Mu Zhe’s former spot. Until new textbooks arrive, feel free to use the ones already in that desk. Is that alright, Su Xiaoxiao?”

“Yes, no problem at all.”

Hearing the teacher refer to both names as though they belonged to different people felt strangely surreal.

Su Xiaoxiao walked lightly down from the podium—her footsteps so soft they made no sound at all. She drifted to her seat like a piece of cotton candy floating through the air.

As expected, Liu Qingqing sat there with a dazed, wooden expression.

Ever since the teacher announced that Su Mu Zhe had left school, she had remained frozen in place, staring blankly ahead.

Su Xiaoxiao forced a polite smile, tilted her head slightly, and asked in a soft, courteous voice:

“Excuse me… may I sit in the seat next to you?”

She had to act distant at first. She couldn’t come across as too familiar right away. She needed to be perfectly polite and proper.

After all, Liu Qingqing had been her desk mate for so long—they knew each other inside and out from sitting side by side every day. Any slip-up could easily raise suspicion.

Liu Qingqing snapped out of her daze like someone waking from a dream. She hurriedly nodded and patted the empty seat beside her.

“Y-Yeah, sit here. Anyway… anyway, no one’s using it. The desk is a bit messy—I’ll help you tidy it up.”

“It’s fine. I can do it myself.”

Su Xiaoxiao hung her schoolbag on the back of the chair, gently lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands, smoothed it under her bottom, and only then sat down.

This was the habit her little sister had taught her at home: when a girl sits while wearing a skirt, she should smooth it underneath first—for the sake of “health.”

Su Xiaoxiao wasn’t entirely sure what “health” meant in this context, but she did know that sitting directly down would feel cold against her skin.

After introducing the new student, the homeroom teacher began the lesson.

Today’s Chinese homework disaster had been narrowly avoided—no one was going to chase after someone who had already “left school.”

Normally, Su Xiaoxiao would secretly read novels during Chinese class. Today, however, she sat up straight and attentively listened to the teacher’s lecture.

The desk and chair felt slightly different in height—sensation-wise.

Liu Qingqing kept biting the end of her pen, her mind clearly wandering. She couldn’t focus at all. She doodled aimlessly on her textbook with a pencil, the chaotic scribbles mirroring her current state of mind.

‘What the heck…’

‘He never told me anything about leaving school…’

‘So suddenly… not even a single word beforehand. I’m his desk mate—I should’ve been the first to know, right?’

‘If I’d known, I would’ve just done the math homework myself yesterday. It’s not like I really can’t do it…’

‘And I ended up getting scolded for nothing. What a huge loss.’

‘How’s he going to make it up to me… you big idiot…’

Liu Qingqing stealthily took out her phone, opened QQ, navigated to her contact groups, found Su Mu Zhe, and sent him a very angry emoji.

“Ding.”

At the exact same moment, the phone in Su Xiaoxiao’s shirt pocket chimed with a message notification…

Su Xiaoxiao—who had been earnestly attending class—froze instantly.

She sensed Liu Qingqing’s burning, suspicious gaze slowly turning toward her.

A cold sweat broke out down her back.

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