At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

"Everyone's back now, let's start taking pictures."

Seeing that everyone had returned, Wang Lei immediately organized everyone to take photos.

As the homeroom teacher, Lao Zhou was naturally pushed to sit in the middle of the first row.

"Girls, stand in the front row. Boys, move back a bit. Taller guys, please go to the very back!"

Holding a digital camera, Wang Lei directed the people to stand in line while gesturing to the viewfinder to ensure that everyone was captured in the frame.

When Xia Kexin heard that she was going to take a picture, her heart tightened. At that moment, her vision was blurry, she couldn't even recognize everyone, and she had no idea where to stand.

Left with no other choice, she could only turn to Zhang Qian, who was standing beside her, for help.

"Qianqian, I..."

"Just come with me when the time comes, and leave the rest to me."

Zhang Qian grabbed Xia Kexin, who was still confused about the situation, and headed straight for the spot directly in front of where Li Xiao was taking pictures.

Everyone had already seen Xia Kexin's trembling fingers as she mustered the courage to add Li Xiao on WeChat in the private room, as well as Li Xiao's double-standard special treatment.

One was a stunningly beautiful woman with hidden depths, and the other was a wealthy young man who drove a Panamera and whose true nature was unfathomable. This kind of situation, which seemed to have come true like something out of a novel, greatly aroused everyone's gossip spirit.

The girls who were originally standing directly in front of Li Xiao almost tacitly exchanged glances and moved to the sides, giving the best spot to Xia Kexin.

Everyone tacitly agreed to let them have their way, and no one spoke up. They just secretly observed the two of them with a kind and slightly teasing look in their eyes.

To be honest, the two of them really do look very well-matched when they stand together, and even Zhao Yue, Lin Xiaoran's best friend, has to admit it.

Compared to Lin Xiaoran, Xia Kexin is clearly more suitable to stand with Li Xiao.

Old Zhou, the homeroom teacher, looked at the two golden couple with a smile in his eyes. He knew a little about Li Xiao's family background.

This kid comes from a very powerful family, far beyond what ordinary wealthy businessmen in county towns can compare to. But what makes him feel gratified is that Li Xiao doesn't have the slightest bit of the arrogance of a spoiled brat. On the contrary, he is much more composed and proper in his dealings with people than most of his peers.

If such a promising talent were to be drawn into a budding romance on the last day of high school, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

Instead of sternly reprimanding him as usual, Lao Zhou pretended not to see anything and turned to explain the details of the photo-taking positions to Wang Lei next to him.

At this moment, Xia Kexin had no idea what was happening outside and could only let Zhang Qian manipulate her like a doll, pressing her into a certain position.

"Alright, you're staying right here, don't go anywhere!"

Without her best friend's guidance, Xia Kexin panicked. In this environment where she had no one to rely on, she subconsciously took a half step back, trying to find some sense of security.

But unexpectedly, his back bumped into a solid, warm chest.

Immediately afterwards, a pleasant, cool scent, a mixture of tobacco and mint, enveloped her completely.

Xia Kexin's already tense body froze in place. Her ears, which were still burning hot, turned bright red. Looking down at her, Li Xiao could clearly see that Xia Kexin's skin had changed from a light pink to a deep crimson.

Li Xiao didn't expect Xia Kexin to be so shy, so he reached out and gently helped her up.

Standing not far away, Lin Xiaoran watched this scene unfold. Seeing the tacit understanding among her classmates that they were a couple, seeing Xia Kexin's ears turn bright red when she bumped into Li Xiao, and seeing Li Xiao's natural gesture as he reached out to help her up, Lin Xiaoran knew that she had truly lost.

But she was unwilling to do so.

Arts and literature representative, school beauty, top ten in the grade—these labels have been attached to her for three years, and she has long been used to the feeling of the spotlight shining on her.

But today the spotlight suddenly shifted away.

The move was so quiet and unnoticed, so natural, that no one even thought to explain it to her.

She looked at Xia Kexin's face, which was slightly flushed with nervousness, at her almond-shaped eyes, which were misty with tears from her nearsightedness, and at her standing there helplessly, yet protected by everyone.

Lin Xiaoran suddenly felt that the past three years had been like that of a leading lady who had meticulously rehearsed the entire performance and was about to go on stage, but the director changed the script, and the audience's attention was completely stolen by a passerby in the corner who didn't have a single line.

Why? Because she's worn glasses for three years? Because she's worn the same old school uniform for three years? Or because of the pitiful way she looked when she came over with orange juice to offer a toast, barely able to speak?

She didn't know why God was treating her this way; everything Xia Kexin had now should have been hers.

Lin Xiaoran's smile remained flawless.

She was too proud. Even though she was burning with jealousy and felt this was all an absurd farce, she absolutely refused to show the slightest sign of defeat at this moment. She maintained her haughty demeanor, her gaze calmly fixed on the camera lens.

"Everyone look at the camera! Smile! Three, two, one, cheese!"

With a shout from the waiter, a flash of white light captured the most delicate moment of this summer of eighteen years old in a photograph.

In the very center of the picture, the girl who had lost the seal of her black-rimmed glasses was breathtakingly beautiful. Her unadorned naivety and shyness, under the humbly protection of the tall boy in the back row, made everyone around her a background figure, even Lin Xiaoran.

"Alright, the photos are done. Brothers and sisters, grab your things, let's head to Golden Diamond KTV! We'll stay up all night, drinking until we drop!" Squad leader Wang Lei shouted at the top of his lungs, instantly turning the sadness of parting into a signal for revelry.

"Brother Xiao, shall we go?"

"I won't go, you guys go ahead."

Wang Lei's smile froze. He had originally hoped to use the KTV to build a better relationship with this young master from a powerful background, but now his plan had completely fallen through.

He reluctantly advised, "Brother Xiao, don't go! Tonight is our last farewell party of high school. What's the point of karaoke without you? You can come sit for a while."

"Yeah, Xiao-ge, let's go have some fun together," Zheng Hao chimed in from the side.

"You guys had a great time. All the expenses at the Gold Diamond tonight will be on my tab. It's on me."

Upon hearing that Li Xiao wasn't going, the light in Xia Kexin's eyes dimmed instantly. She had been thinking that once they got to the KTV, she might be able to muster the courage in the dim lighting and thank him.

But we don't need to anymore.

he's gone.

Zhang Qian was the first to notice Xia Kexin's emotional change.

"Kexin? What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable without your glasses?"

Xia Kexin forced a smile. "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired. Qianqian, I'm not going to the karaoke."