Chapter 29: The New Hairstyle

“It’s him, it’s him! When did he get that buzz cut? Wow, he looks so handsome!”

“Chen Ciyi… your new hairstyle is so cool! Ah…”

Hearing clearly what they were shouting, Xu Yannuo felt a cascade of black lines instantly descending from the top of her head. That one snip of the scissors was supposed to make him look ugly, wasn’t it? How could it have… this effect?

Xu Yannuo put down her book and leaned over to look out the window. The front playground wasn’t large, just a wide strip, and from the classroom window, she could clearly see the school gate below. The bright sunlight shone on Chen Ciyi’s tall figure, his clean school uniform making him stand out, his skin dazzlingly pale under the sun. He had shaved off the strange, nearly unsalvageable haircut she had given him, leaving only a very short buzz cut.

He actually looked even more strikingly handsome than before!

By now, he had reached the center of the campus. His strides were long, walking with an air of confidence, just a few more steps and he would enter the teaching building. Throughout this time, many girls upstairs called out to him, but he didn’t glance up even once—until just before entering the building. Suddenly, he looked up and cast a glance in her direction. Immediately, Xu Yannuo saw the corners of Chen Ciyi’s lips curl upward in what seemed like a provocative smile. But it was fleeting, gone in an instant as he stepped into the teaching building.

Then, a girl’s voice drifted over from the window next door, “Who was he looking at just now when he raised his head?”

Xu Yannuo quickly pulled his head back and sat properly in his seat.

Chen Ciyi should be coming upstairs by now. Xu Yannuo absentmindedly stared at the words in her book. After about another minute or so, Chen Ciyi walked in through the back door of the classroom. As he pulled out his chair, he greeted her, “Morning, desk mate. We meet again.”

Xu Yannuo glanced at him. The way he said it sounded almost like a provocation, not to mention that smile he gave her when he looked up at her earlier that morning… Xu Yannuo frowned slightly as she watched Chen Ciyi sit down in front of her. He lazily pulled out his Chinese textbook from the desk compartment, then turned his head to look at Xu Yannuo and smiled, “Like what you see?”

Xu Yannuo didn’t expect him to start with such a narcissistic remark, though admittedly, he did look quite handsome. Xu Yannuo glared at him, “Not good-looking at all. I thought you were trying to get back at me.”

Chen Ci chuckled, “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He flipped through a few pages of the book, “Not now, at least!”

However, the latter half of his sentence happened to coincide with the school broadcast announcement canceling today’s morning exercises. Since their conversation during early self-study had been quiet, Xu Yannuo missed the second part. Right after the announcement, the preparatory bell for class rang, signaling it was time to get ready for lessons.

The first period was Chinese class. The teacher started by testing their recitation of classical Chinese texts, then moved on to teaching the new lesson. After finishing the new material, the Chinese teacher informed them that the mid-morning exercise was canceled and instructed them to use that time to each borrow a classic from the school library. They would read together during evening self-study sessions this week and write a reflection over the weekend. As soon as the teacher finished speaking, the classroom erupted in complaints, with everyone voicing their grievances.

“Ah, teacher, just studying textbooks for school is already exhausting enough. Why do we have to read extracurricular books?”

“Teacher, can we read things like ‘Boys and Girls,’ ‘Zhiyin,’ or ‘Story Club’ instead?”

“Teacher, I’m fine with romance novels too—stuff like ‘The Domineering CEO and His Maids.’ If not, how about sci-fi? Would ‘Doraemon’ work? Just please don’t make me read classics!”

“Exactly, teacher! The moment I start reading classics, I fall asleep instantly, teacher!”

“……”

Xu Yannuo listened to his classmates’ complaints and felt somewhat speechless. Reading the classic literature collected in the school library might, if lucky, help them encounter one or two college entrance exam extension questions. Even if they didn’t, the fact that these works were passed down as classics and reprinted repeatedly meant their content was timeless and worth learning. What could they possibly gain from reading those ridiculous, shallow stories? Meet a real domineering CEO? Domineering CEOs wouldn’t even like brainless, naive sweethearts.

During the second break, their ineffective rebuttals not only failed to gain the Chinese teacher’s approval but also attracted Sister Hua to their classroom due to their loud protests. She gave them a stern scolding. Now, the entire class was dragging their feet, heads hanging low and spirits dampened, as they stood up unevenly and slowly made their way to the library at the back of the building.

Perhaps the language department had coordinated this in advance. Only after leaving the main building and heading toward the library did they realize that it wasn’t just their class assigned this kind of homework—the entire grade might have received the same assignment. The library, usually as deserted as an abandoned building, now had students constantly coming and going at its entrance.

It’s truly a case of forcing students to read by assigning homework when no one usually bothers.

Xu Yannuo followed the crowd to the library. Their class had received the language assignment relatively late, and upon entering, they discovered many books had already been checked out. Several classes had started borrowing them as early as yesterday.

Fortunately, the library had been built large when the school was first established, with an extensive collection. Although few books remained on the first floor, there was still the second floor to explore.

Not many students genuinely enjoyed reading; most came here just to meet the teacher’s requirements. Seeing the crowded swarm of students on the first floor, Xu Yannuo headed straight to the second floor. As she had expected, the second floor had more books and fewer people. However, since it was her first time in the library, she only realized upon reaching the second floor that the sparse crowd wasn’t solely due to students borrowing random books downstairs to avoid climbing up. Another reason was that the second floor had more reference books and fewer literary works. But according to the directory at the entrance, there were still some bookshelves in the back.

Xu Yannuo walked in, passing several rows of reading tables and chairs until she reached the bookshelves at the back. She scanned the labels on the shelves, moving row by row until she finally reached the last two sections. There, she spotted the words “Classics”—Chinese classics on the left and world classics on the right.

She decisively walked to the left. Xu Yannuo carefully browsed the selection, but after scanning two rows, she realized that although the shelves were labeled as classics, most of the books were actually reference materials, with only a few scattered titles that met the teacher’s requirements.

Xu Yannuo used her fingers to pick through the items when someone walked up behind her. From the corner of her eye, she could tell it was a boy—a rather tall one at that. Xu Yannuo didn’t pay much attention and moved aside slightly, but the person didn’t pass by her. Instead, they lingered right behind her. Xu Yannuo froze for a moment, and then she caught a whiff of a pleasant, familiar, and fresh scent.

It was the clean laundry detergent fragrance from Chen Ciyi’s school uniform.

Xu Yannuo turned around immediately and, sure enough, met Chen Ciyi’s gaze. At that moment, the corners of his lips curled slightly, his handsome and narrow eyes lifting at the edges as he gave her a mischievous smile.

Just like what I saw on the playground this morning.