Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

"Hey sister, move aside a little, you're stepping on my shoe!"

"Sorry, I'm just taking a picture, I'll leave right away~"

Three days later, on the day the results were released, the area around the school bulletin board was packed with people.

The midterm exam results are out, and as is customary, the school will post the students' total scores in order on this day, from the top scorer to the lowest scorer, without missing a single one.

He Ziyu was very disgusted by the No. 8 Middle School's bizarre practices in his previous life. After all, he and Jing Ran were always at the bottom of the class, and the feeling of being publicly executed was not pleasant.

But this time was different. This time he had expectations for the rankings, so he dragged Jiang Chengyu over early in the morning to find his name.

"Brother Yu, you search from the front, and I'll search from the back. That way we'll save time."

"it is good."

The notice board was filled with names, and He Ziyu's eyes ached from looking at it, but he still couldn't find his own name. To make matters worse, the people next to him kept pushing and shoving, which made him even more annoyed.

"Hey, don't push!"

A gentle voice suddenly reached his ears, and He Ziyu felt a thud on his shoulders as he realized that Jiang Chengyu had moved to his side at some point and was using his body to shield him from the crowd.

He Ziyu: "You finished searching so quickly?"

"Mm." Jiang Chengyu nodded.

"Then please help me check the second half. I can't find my name anywhere. I don't know if I'm seeing things..."

"No need to look anymore," Jiang Chengyu called out to him, "Your name is up ahead."

"Ahead?" He Ziyu was slightly taken aback.

Jiang Chengyu nodded, pulled him to the left side of the notice board, and pointed to the names on it.

"122. He Ziyu"

Looking at the number in front of his name, He Ziyu felt a little dazed.

There are about 350 students in each grade at No. 8 Middle School. 122 means that he is about to enter the top 30% of the grade, which is far beyond his expectation of the top 50%.

"I took a picture for you. Let's go over there first."

"Uh-huh."

He Ziyu and Jiang Chengyu walked to the side, and He Ziyu took out his phone to check the specific scores for each subject.

I did well in all three main subjects, but my grades in the minor subjects, history and politics, were slightly weaker, and I even failed both.

However, this did not affect his good mood.

It's remarkable that he's made such progress in just two months, and it means that as long as he keeps at this pace, he'll catch up with Jiang Chengyu sooner or later.

"By the way, Yu-ge, what rank did you get? I was so busy looking at my own scores that I didn't even ask you."

Jiang Chengyu's lips parted slightly, but before he could speak, someone from the student council came over to greet him.

"The student council president is awesome! He's number one in the grade again!"

"Aren't you going to treat everyone to bubble tea to celebrate?"

He Ziyu: "..."

Okay, he took back his bold statement.

Jiang Chengyu chatted with the student council members for a few minutes, watched them leave, and then turned back to He Ziyu's side.

"Ayu, you did very well on this exam, completely beyond my expectations. I believe that soon you will be able to..."

"I know," He Ziyu interrupted Jiang Chengyu, "Do you think I'll feel uncomfortable because I heard you got first place in the grade and think there's a huge gap between us?"

Jiang Chengyu pursed her lips, expressing her attitude through silence.

He had seen how hard He Ziyu had worked during this period, so he was even more worried that He Ziyu would take this achievement as his ceiling and lose the motivation to move forward.

Looking at the young man carefully protecting his emotions, He Ziyu felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He smiled and gently tugged at Jiang Chengyu's sleeve. "Don't worry, Brother Yu, I'm not uncomfortable at all. On the contrary, I'm very happy. After all, you are the person I like and the goal I follow. The higher your position, the more room I have to improve."

Jiang Chengyu's eyes flickered slightly, his dark pupils reflecting He Ziyu's bright smile.

"Besides, you've been outstanding for a long time, I'm used to it. The day I decided to be with you, I was already prepared for a long haul." After saying that, He Ziyu began to analyze logically, "Look, I've improved by more than a hundred places in just two months, so I might be in the top fifty in the final exam, and then twentieth the next time..."

As Jiang Chengyu watched He Ziyu's earnest explanation, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, quietly settled down.

He Ziyu is still the same He Ziyu, positive and optimistic, radiating brilliance.

If that's the case, what else does he have to worry about?

……

When the two returned to the classroom, it was a chaotic mess of chatter.

It should have been morning reading time, but everyone was discussing grades, even the slackers who usually didn't take studying seriously were involved.

Before he even returned to his seat, He Ziyu heard someone mention his name.

"It's really unusual that Young Master He didn't come in last place this time. Do you guys think he cheated?"

"I guess so, otherwise how could he have improved so much all of a sudden?"

"I guess he copied from the class monitor; they sit in front of and behind each other, so it's easy for them to cheat."

"Won't their true colors be revealed in the next class placement exam?"

"Waiting to be proven wrong~"

The laughter from the group was unfriendly and clearly mocking.

Jiang Chengyu frowned and made a move to step forward, but He Ziyu grabbed his arm.

He Ziyu: "It's alright, Brother Yu, don't mind them."

After his rebirth, he no longer cared much about the opinions of these passersby. After all, people can say whatever they want, and it would be even more of a loss for Jiang Chengyu if he got into a conflict with these people and got a grudge from his teacher.

Jiang Chengyu stopped in his tracks, but his brows furrowed even more tightly.

He couldn't tolerate anyone slandering He Ziyu, not even the slightest bad thing about him. Just as he was struggling with whether to listen to He Ziyu and let things go, Jiang Nanqiao appeared in front of everyone.

"You lot, why aren't you studying during morning self-study? What are you gossiping about? You all did well on the exams, right? Did you rank in the top 300 of the grade? Cheating... Don't you have any idea how strict the proctors are? If you don't want your eyes, just throw them in the trash. Stop making things up and disgusting people." Jiang Nanqiao put her hands on her hips, her mouth chattering like firecrackers. "Oh, right, the homeroom teacher is going to talk to the bottom-ranked students one by one after school today. You guys should worry about yourselves first."

After Jiang Nanqiao finished speaking, everyone looked at each other and remained silent.

If someone else had said that, they might have been able to argue back, but Jiang Nanqiao was also a top student, second only to Jiang Chengyu in her grade. She had the confidence and the right to put on a superior attitude.

During the stalemate, the school bell rang, and Bao Yuan walked in carrying the test papers, followed by a girl with long, flowing hair, wearing a white shirt and jeans.

The girl has delicate features and skin as smooth as porcelain. Her legs, encased in jeans, are straight and long. One side of her shirt is casually tucked into her waistband, giving her an intellectual yet slightly cool look.

The boys in the class were quickly drawn to it.

"My god, this girl is so beautiful..."

"Is it from our school?"

"Nonsense, of course not. If there were girls like that at No. 8 Middle School, would I still be single?"

The commotion was so loud that Jiang Chengyu also looked over.

I was stunned at first glance.

Bao Yuan walked up to the podium under everyone's gaze and said in a deep voice, "Classmates, we have a new student transferring to our class today. Now, please let her introduce herself."

Upon hearing this, the girl turned around and looked at everyone.

"Hello everyone, my name is Han Zhiruo. I originally attended Seaper High School in the United States, but I was fortunate enough to transfer to No. 8 High School this semester. I hope you will all take good care of me."

Han Zhiruo...

Han Zhiruo...

Han Zhiruo?!

He Ziyu was slightly taken aback, thinking he had misheard.

On the stage, the girl's fair face was without makeup, yet she was breathtakingly beautiful, especially her eyes, which were as bright and dazzling as the starry sky in midsummer.

The girl held the chalk, wrote her name on the blackboard, then put the chalk back in the slot and rubbed it between her fingertips.

Even his little gestures are exactly the same as Jiang Chengyu's.

"You've just returned from abroad, so your grades might not be up to par. You should sit in the front for now."

"Okay, thank you, teacher."

Han Zhiruo was seated in the first row, to Jiang Nanqiao's right, arranged by Bao Yuan.

He Ziyu scratched his palm, his feelings somewhat complicated.

He didn't know if Jiang Chengyu knew about Han Zhiruo's transfer to No. 8 Middle School, but one thing was certain: Jiang's parents were already taking action.

"This girl is really pretty..." Jingran remarked inappropriately from the side.

He Ziyu ignored him, his gaze fixed on Han Zhiruo.

This is the girl that Jiang's mother said was "the most suitable daughter-in-law for the Jiang family."

Before today, he had imagined what Han Zhiruo would look like, thinking she would be the kind of girl who wore a dress, spoke softly, and would occasionally act coquettishly.

It wasn't until he saw it with his own eyes today that he realized this girl was more sophisticated than he had imagined.

She seems to possess a magical charm that makes it impossible to feel jealousy; one can only admire her, and even want to get closer...

"Um, since you didn't take the exam, you can borrow my paper."

Seeing that Han Zhiruo's desk was empty, Jiang Nanqiao kindly pulled a chair next to her and spread out the papers.

Han Zhiruo parted his thin lips slightly and said thank you.

"Don't mention it, we're all classmates~" Jiang Nanqiao said with a smile. "I'm the class's Youth League Secretary, my name is Jiang Nanqiao. If you have any questions in the future, you can come to me."

Han Zhiruo nodded, his gaze falling on Jiang Nanqiao's name at the top of the exam paper.

Nan Qiao Nan Qiao.

There are tall trees in the south, but one cannot rest there.

Just by hearing her name, you can tell how important she is to her parents.

Before long, Bao Yuan began to go over the test paper, while Jiang Nanqiao kept her head down and took notes diligently.

Suddenly, the pen stopped, Jiang Nanqiao looked up, picked up a strand of Han Zhiruo's hair and put it to her nose.

"Your hair smells so good! What shampoo do you use? Can you recommend one to me?"

When Han Zhiruo met Jiang Nanqiao's inquisitive gaze, a barely perceptible ripple stirred in the depths of her eyes.

……

Throughout the class, He Ziyu barely listened to the lecture.

His mind was in turmoil. He didn't know whether he should tell Jiang Chengyu that he actually knew Han Zhiruo's identity, nor did he know whether he should tell Jiang's mother that she had invited him to dinner.

Just as he was struggling with this decision, a slender figure walked over from afar and stopped beside Jiang Chengyu.

"Jiang Chengyu, it's been a long time."