Reborn as a high school freshman with an awakened system, a fat boy transforms into a male god.

Shen Qingzhi looked at him for a few seconds, then spoke, her voice a few degrees colder than usual: "You ranked first in the city in the high school entrance exam, and instead of attending Experimental High School, you transferred to No. 1 High School?"

"I'm number one wherever I go, including at No. 1 High School."

"Zhao Jiahao, didn't I tell you this after the high school entrance exam?"

"What did you say?"

"I've said it before, I want to focus on my studies, so please stop bothering me."

Zhao Jiahao's smile didn't fade, but there was a momentary lapse in his eyes. That lapse was so brief that it would be completely unnoticed unless someone was watching him intently.

"I know. But for you here, No. 1 High School is the best." Then he resumed his previous expression, his voice still calm: "You ranked third in the city in the high school entrance exam, why did you give up Experimental High School and come to No. 1 High School to avoid me?"

Lin Bei stood to the side, not saying a word from beginning to end. His gaze lingered on Zhao Jiahao's face for a moment, then shifted away, his mind racing.

He felt like he'd heard the name Zhao Jiahao somewhere before. Not in this life, but in a previous one. It was blurry, like a photograph that'd been soaked in water—the outline was still there, but all the details were gone.

In my previous life, there was indeed a transfer student who was good-looking, had good grades, and came from a wealthy family. After that student transferred, he did indeed revolve around Shen Qingzhi.

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The story circulated among the students for a while. Some said Shen Qingzhi was annoyed by it, while others said the boy later transferred to another school. No one knew the specifics, and everyone just talked about it as gossip for a few days before forgetting about it.

Lin Bei wasn't familiar with Shen Qingzhi at that time, and he had absolutely no connection with that transfer student. He had only heard people mention it during breaks, saying that something seemed to have happened to her family, but no one could say exactly what it was, and then no one mentioned it again.

The person standing before him now was that person. Zhao Jiahao. That morning, Shen Qingzhi sat on the sofa without speaking, without turning the pages of a book, and without touching her water glass, because of him.

Shen Qingzhi's voice came from the side, clear and calm: "Zhao Jiahao, you're good in every way, but don't be so self-righteous. My choice has nothing to do with you; it's just that No. 1 Middle School is close to my home."

Zhao Jiahao paused for a moment, the smile on his lips fading slightly before returning to normal: "Okay then, I'll transfer here on Monday anyway, then we can see each other every day again."

Shen Qingzhi lowered her head, her voice as cold as December water: "You're really annoying. Whatever."

After saying that, she stopped looking at him and turned her head, her gaze falling on Lin Bei's face before shifting to Su Wantang. She paused for a moment, then looked away: "If you don't mind, I'll accompany you for a stroll?"

Su Wantang stood beside him, still holding the small cloth bag in her hand. When she heard those words, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. Then she nodded to Lin Bei, a small but clear gesture.

Lin Bei said, "Okay."

Shen Qingzhi ignored Zhao Jiahao and turned to walk to Lin Bei and Su Wantang's side. She didn't stand too close, keeping a step's distance, the hem of her coat swaying gently with her steps.

Zhao Jiahao stood there, stunned for a long while. He looked at Shen Qingzhi's back, then glanced at Lin Bei standing next to her, his gaze lingering on Lin Bei for a moment.

Then he turned around, walked towards the dark gray sedan, opened the passenger door, and bent down to get in. The door slammed shut with a dull thud, sounding somewhat abrupt amidst the noise of the street.

After taking a few steps, Lin Bei glanced back at what was behind him.

The dark gray sedan hadn't started yet; the window was half-rolled down, revealing a young face.

Zhao Jiahao was looking at him through the car window. In the instant their eyes met, his expression was unclear. The car window quickly rolled up, the car slowly started moving, and merged into the traffic on the street.

Lin Bei withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward. Su Wantang walked to his left, and Shen Qingzhi walked two steps to his right.

The three people were separated by a distance that was neither too close nor too far, like fellow travelers who had just met and had not yet found their rhythm.

People came and went around them on the commercial street; some carried shopping bags and walked by, while others drank milk tea as they went.

The streetlights shone down from above, casting the shadows of the three people on the ground with a small gap between them.

A night breeze swept in from the end of the commercial street, causing the shop signs to sway gently. Lin Bei paused for a moment as he passed a men's down jacket store.

A dark gray short down jacket hangs in the shop window. It has a simple design with a stand-up collar and no extra embellishments. The light shines down from above, illuminating the outline of the down jacket clearly.

"Wait for me." After saying that, Lin Bei turned around and pushed open the glass door of the store.

Su Wantang and Shen Qingzhi stopped at the same time and waited for him at the store entrance. Through the glass, they could see Lin Bei walk in, pause by the shop window, and reach out to touch the cuff of the down jacket.

The shop assistant came over and said something to him. He nodded, took the shirt off the rack, tried it on, then took it off and went to the cashier to pay.

The whole process took less than three minutes. When he came out carrying the paper bag, Su Wantang's gaze lingered on him for a moment before shifting away.

"Did you buy it?" she asked.

"Hmm. My old one isn't very warm anymore." Lin Bei shook the paper bag in his hand, his tone casual.

Shen Qingzhi stood to the side, her hands in her coat pockets, her scarf fluttering slightly in the wind. She glanced at the paper bag in Lin Bei's hand but said nothing.

The three walked for a while longer. Not far ahead, a women's down jacket store's signboard was lit with a warm yellow light. Several down jackets in soft colors hung in the window: light beige, dusty rose, and a light blue one, in the very center.

Lin Bei's gaze lingered on the light blue down jacket for a moment.

Shen Qingzhi saw it too. She slowed her pace, her gaze falling on the dress for a moment, then she turned her head, glancing at Lin Bei and then at Su Wantang.

She stopped and stood under the streetlight. A gust of wind blew, lifting a corner of the hem of her coat before letting it fall back down.

"Lin Bei," she said softly.

Lin Bei turned around and looked at her.

"I won't disturb you any longer, I'll head back now," Shen Qingzhi said. "You two go ahead and explore."

Lin Bei paused for a moment. He looked at her standing under the streetlight, her scarf fluttering slightly in the wind, the collar of her coat neatly turned up. Her expression didn't change much, but her fingers curled slightly inside her pocket.

Without waiting for Lin Bei to say anything more, she took half a step back, as if she didn't want to waste their time. Then she turned her head to look at Su Wantang, her gaze lingering on her face for a moment before she nodded slightly as a farewell.

Then she turned around and walked back the way she came.

She walked slowly, without looking back. Her figure in the dark coat gradually shrank in the crowd of people on the commercial street, and slowly became blurred in the interlacing light and shadow of a few streetlights.

Lin Bei stood there, watching the figure walk away, without calling out to her.

Su Wantang didn't say anything more. She stood next to him, glanced in the direction Shen Qingzhi had disappeared, and then looked away.

Lin Bei turned around, his gaze falling on the window of the women's clothing store. The warm yellow light softened the outline of the light blue down jacket.

"Let's go," he said.