Revel in your heart

During the rush hour, the crowd on the bus was congested, with loaves turning into biscuits by the time passengers boarded and disembarked.

Ximena White maneuvered through the crowd onto the bus, finding a corner to stand in. Despite her petite stature, she found no advantage in such a crowded carriage, still squeezed to the point of almost tiptoeing to maintain her balance.

Today marked the first day of Ximena White's high school reopening, but her early morning good mood was depleted by the unfavorable environment.

She sighed, stretching on tiptoes to reach the overhead handrail.

As the bus stopped, another batch of people surged in. Despite the crowded carriage, pedestrians always tried to maintain a certain distance from the girls. Any crossing of this acceptable safety range easily heightened vigilance.

Ximena White sensed a hint of threat as a greasy and lecherous-looking man came up beside her, standing directly behind her and brushing against her body almost imperceptibly.

Stiffening momentarily, she began to try to move her position, but it was too crowded. Maintaining balance was challenging, let alone moving.

The urban rush hour traffic conditions weren't favorable, with frequent braking of vehicles. The man behind her became even more intrusive, taking advantage of the swaying of the bus to press his lower body against her.

Having always walked to school since childhood, Ximena White had never encountered such a situation. Her mind went blank for a moment, and she felt on the verge of tears.

She glanced sideways, locking eyes with a pair that seemed somewhat cold and indifferent, yet seemingly seeing through her embarrassment.

Ximena White was certain that from his position, he could clearly see what was happening.

Without much time to think, she sent him a pleading look for help.

The entire carriage paid no attention to the inconspicuous incident in a small corner. Ximena White was unsure if the person would help her.

Seconds felt like centuries. The boy released his grip on the handrail and squeezed behind Ximena White, effectively separating her from the man behind her.

Ximena White then moved to the spot where the boy had just stood, and the two instantly exchanged positions.

The man seemed unwilling, glaring at the boy, attempting to follow Ximena White. However, the boy timely lifted his hand to grasp the overhead rail, completely thwarting the man's intention to move.

Ximena White breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the boy with gratitude. However, he showed no intention of accepting her thanks, his gaze fixed outside the window, as if nothing had happened.

Freed from the predicament, Ximena White almost spoke but refrained. How could she start a conversation? Anything would be too awkward.

Though the two were close, there was no physical contact, maintaining a psychologically acceptable distance.

Contrastingly, the arm of the lecherous man occasionally brushed against the boy.

Quietly observing him, Ximena White noticed his towering figure. She estimated that she only reached his shoulder, and she could easily see his Adam's apple and clavicle with a slight tilt of her head. His jawline was smooth and natural, his nose high and straight, almost heavenly in profile. His complexion was fair and delicate, but... was he monolid?

From her angle, it was unclear, but that one glance she stole earlier left a lasting impression. People with monolids seemed to have a colder gaze, and the boy's demeanor struck her as aloof.

Hmm, he was bordering on being unfairly handsome.

Perhaps Ximena White's gaze was too noticeably intense; the boy glanced at her askance, prompting her to quickly restrain herself.

...

The journey lasted about fifteen minutes. Upon reaching the destination, Ximena White intended to thank him, but to her surprise, it seemed the boy was also getting off at this stop. She watched as he seemingly inadvertently but forcefully bumped past the lecherous man. The man, losing balance, stumbled into a plump lady beside him.

"You rascal!! Pervert! Taking advantage of the crowd, come with me to the police station…"

The commotion caused by the plump lady instantly put the lecherous man in a state of public condemnation, rendering him speechless.

Ximena White felt relieved.

Finally squeezing off the bus, she looked up and found the boy right in front of her.

Ximena White hesitated, watching as the boy took out a pack of wet wipes from his backpack. Extracting one, he disdainfully wiped the area where the lecherous man had brushed against him.

Ximena White couldn't pinpoint what exactly tickled her funny bone about this scene; nonetheless, she let out a soundless chuckle, successfully catching the attention of the boy in front.

Seemingly feeling it was unfair, Ximena White quickly controlled her expression, lowering her head and murmuring a thank you as she passed by him.

The school entrance bustled with activity, with many students dressed casually like Ximena White. Most wore neat and uniform white tops with black-striped track pants.

On the first day of school, due to delays in factory deliveries, the uniforms for the freshmen were postponed, forcing them to attend in casual attire.

Less than fifty meters from the school gate was the bulletin board, displaying the class division for the freshmen and the list of students after the division into science and humanities for the sophomores. The area in front was crowded with students.

Glancing at the time, Ximena White struggled to squeeze through the crowd, finally finding her name. When she reached the location of her class, the bell for class had already rung, and the classroom was unusually quiet.

A middle-aged man stood at the podium, his speech interrupted by her sudden arrival. Dozens of eyes below turned to her in unison.

Ximena White was not accustomed to being scrutinized. She stuttered out a report and stood in place, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Being late on the first day of school would surely leave a bad impression on her class teacher, Ximena White thought regretfully.

"Come in, come in. It's alright. I arrived early out of my own haste. The second bell hasn't rung yet. Come in and find a seat," the teacher said, sporting rimless glasses, appearing shrewd and capable but speaking with a gentle and affable tone.

The students stirred, engaging in small discussions.

Clutching the straps of her backpack tightly, Ximena White made her way inside, scanning the classroom for remaining seats. She realized there was no need to look around; only the last two seats in the back row of the second group were vacant.

After settling down, she promptly turned her attention to the podium.

"So, let's continue... "

"Report."

The teacher's words were interrupted again.

Two words, neither light nor heavy, yet warm and cool. Ximena White couldn't help but think of the boy on the bus. Was his voice similar to this?

She instinctively glanced towards the source of the voice, but what she saw left her stunned.

Could it be... that the boy from earlier was also here?

What a coincidence? No wonder they got off at the same stop and neither wore school uniforms.

The teacher continued to warmly invite him in, but the boy, nonchalant, surveyed the entire classroom from the doorway. It wasn't until he spotted

the sole remaining seat that he stepped forward. As his gaze swept across Ximena White's face, he paused for a moment before casually continuing forward.

The chatter in the classroom grew louder than before. Ximena White heard several subdued voices, particularly prominent among them, "So handsome."

"Everyone quiet down. Now that everyone should be here, let's continue our discussion from earlier. Firstly, welcome everyone to high school after enduring the grueling high school entrance examination. Starting from today, I will be your class teacher. My surname is Walker, and you can call me Mr. Walker..."

Ximena White wanted to focus but found her thoughts uncontrollably drifting towards the person sitting beside her.

The teacher was speaking, and it was evidently not an opportune time for conversation. But given that he had just helped her out tremendously, it seemed inappropriate not to say anything.

She was contemplating striking up a conversation with her new desk mate during the first lesson when she noticed him pulling out his phone from his backpack. He opened a game, boldly displaying it on the desk, taking advantage of the students in front to block the teacher's view.

Ximena White was all too familiar with that game interface; she had been playing it every day this summer and only uninstalled it a week before school started. Seeing the screen now, she felt the itch to play again.

Today was the season's summary. She wondered what rank she had dropped to...

Glancing at her new desk mate, Ximena White noticed that he wasn't gaming anymore, but was instead lying on the desk with his earphones in, apparently taking a nap. The pure white earphone cable against his fair skin made him appear even paler.

The books of the new desk mate were stacked together, placed in the top left corner of the desk. Ximena White felt he probably hadn't even touched his books, yet to her surprise, the topmost book had majestic characters written on its cover—

Mason Lewis.

"Everyone, please quiet down! Mr. Walker is here!" A student near the door announced, restoring order to the classroom that had resembled a bustling marketplace for the past half an hour. In less than two minutes, the entire floor fell silent.

Students hurriedly stuffed unfinished card games and snacks into their desks, barely managing to swallow what was in their mouths before Mr. Walker entered the room.

Ximena White, seated at the back of the classroom, observed everything.

The new classmates seemed rather entertaining.

Mr. Walker entered with something in his hands and immediately instructed the students to distribute it.

"Everyone, take a look. This is the dormitory preference form. If any of you wish to reside on campus, take the form back and discuss it with your parents. Those deciding to live in the dormitories should hand the form to the class monitor tomorrow morning, who will then submit them to me. Class monitor, ensure that this task is ca