Returning to '97, creating a new life

The summer vacation ends and the new school year begins; the day before school starts is the return-to-school day.

A bus route.

Xu Kai, wearing Nike sneakers, sweatpants, a white T-shirt, a black sports jacket, and a backpack, walked slowly to the bus stop. His imposing presence became normal when he faced Dong Bin at the bus stop.

"hehe."

Seeing Xu Kai walk over, Dong Bin waved and grinned, revealing his white teeth.

"Why did you get off the bus early?"

Dong Bin: "I left early, so I got off the bus ahead of time to wait for you."

Both of their homes were on the same bus route leading to a high school. Dong Bin was supposed to board the bus two stops earlier than Xu Kai. They had agreed on a time, and since they were almost at the same point, there was a high probability they would meet on the same bus. However, Dong Bin left home early, rode two stops, and got off early to wait for Xu Kai to take the next bus together.

Xu Kai smiled. After resuming training with the high school basketball team, he had gotten used to Dong Bin sticking to him.

The car arrived, and the two got in.

Dong Bin's height wasn't even considered exceptionally tall. The two of them casually stood holding onto the handrail in the middle of the car, instantly becoming the focus of attention.

Even if someone is not good-looking or has a face full of acne, they will still be the focus of attention in a crowd. What's more, the two of them are much, much higher than the base score. Xu Kai, in particular, has a healthy, glowing complexion, a neatly trimmed buzz cut, no acne marks or scars on his face, regular features, and bright, piercing eyes. With his 185 cm height and clean and neat attire, he looks like a sunny, athletic young man who has stepped out of a comic book. He attracted the attention of many girls and even women on the bus.

Having arranged to go to and from school together with Dong Bin, Xu Kai didn't ride Yunshang's motorcycle. There was no need to be so ostentatious. Getting up early to bask in the sunshine and taking the bus was quite comfortable.

As a key provincial high school, the school gate is less than 30 meters away from a bus stop with multiple bus lines. When Xu Kai and Dong Bin arrived at the stop, there were at least 20 students of different grades from No. 1 High School on the bus. As soon as they got off the bus, the eyes that were already watching them became even closer.

Is this athletic, sunny boy also from our high school?

"Brother Kai, Da Binzi!"

As soon as I got off the bus, I saw a figure running towards me from a telephone pole: "Haha, buddy, aren't you a good friend? It's your first day officially registering at school, and as your senior, I specially brought you into the school."

If Dong Bin is a wall in the eyes of ordinary people, then Fei Wenxin, who is two centimeters taller than him, is a figure that can "touch the sky." With his long legs and arms, even though he is very thin, he still has a strong sense of intimidation.

When these three people stand together, the sense of oppression is doubled. No matter how society changes, their height and strength give people the first impression that they are not to be trifled with, and no one would want to mess with them.

Xu Kai glanced sideways at Fei Wenxin. He knew all too well how shameless this kid was after getting to know him. During the summer vacation, even though it was several kilometers away, this kid would ride his bicycle from home to the arcade in the garage every day. According to him, he won more than 200 yuan there in the last ten days and even insisted on treating Xu Kai to dinner. After all, he never missed lunch or dinner at the arcade every day.

Dong Bin and he developed a kind of best-frenemy relationship. In many three-person friendship groups, the other two besides the leader have a similar relationship, with the two of them revealing each other's secrets for fun.

"You've been spotted."

As Dong Bin raised his chin, Yunshang, dressed in matching outfits, walked over.

How could they not be a couple? Yesterday, Xu Kai and Yun Shang went shopping together and bought more than one set of similar clothes and shoes.

Yunshang, who was usually quite stunning even among the boys, looked up at the three guys and never imagined that she would one day become a "shorty." Before this, many boys would have to look up at her.

"I checked, you and Dong Bin are both in Class 4." Yun Shang glanced at Xu Kai's backpack, looking as if she hadn't expected it, and took out a blue thermos from her own backpack: "I forgot to buy it yesterday."

Xu Kai took the thermos. Judging by its weight and feel, he unscrewed it and found warm water. Without a doubt, he brought it to his lips and took a small sip. It was water that had been specially cooled to a temperature of around 50 degrees Celsius to suit his taste.

"It was arranged by Ms. Park; we're in the same class..."

Before Dong Bin could finish speaking, Fei Wenxin glared at him and said, "You're so talkative, do you need to say it?"

Unaware of what was happening, Yunshang also took out her own pink thermos and, like Xu Kai, drank water as she walked towards the school.

Dong Bin and Fei Wenxin glared at each other behind, playfully patting each other and pretending to steal a peach as they entered the campus.

Many freshmen, seeing such an eye-catching and attention-grabbing pair, did not consider Xu Kai and Dong Bin to be freshmen. Indeed, they did not seem like freshmen. First of all, the school was not unfamiliar to them at all; they were already very familiar with it and had long since adapted to the school where they would live and study for the next three years.

It wasn't until they reached the floor where the first-year students were located that the new students realized, "Are these people even new students?"

Fei Wenxin leaned against the back door and didn't enter the classroom, while Yunshang followed him in. Given their height, even if it was a temporary seat, it was inevitable that they would choose the last row.

Xu Kai chose a seat by the window, and Yun Shang took out a brand new tablecloth from her bag and laid it out for him. She also placed a cushion of moderate thickness on the chair: "Once the teacher confirms the seats, you can tie yourself to the chair."

As he spoke, his hands were busy wiping the tables and chairs with a brand-new small towel.

The twenty-odd people already in the classroom were dumbfounded. Holy crap, what kind of goddess is this? This stunning beauty is taking care of a boy like a warm, comforting daughter. Are we even in high school? Is this still a high school?

Yunshang finished arranging everything before letting Xu Kai sit down. She liked how obedient he was when she needed him. If they weren't at school, she would have cupped his face and kissed him: "Baby, you're so good."

She stood up, turned around, looked around, and scrutinized every girl. Since it was the first day back to school and no school uniform was required, she arrogantly came to the class to declare her dominance, displaying herself like a peacock spreading its tail feathers. Don't overestimate yourself; if you don't have my face, don't come near me.

Xu Kai was happy to be treated like a little boy occasionally, which he found quite wonderful. As for the so-called "gold digger" and "pretty boy" gossip, he didn't care at all.

"I'm going upstairs now, I'll come down to find you later."

Other things that freshmen need to get familiar with, such as getting meal cards at the cafeteria, Xu Kai had already taken care of.

As Yunshang left, Fei Wenxin waved at the back door, saying, "I'm leaving now. Come find me upstairs if you need anything."

A one- or two-year age difference has nothing to do with the gap in many applications, but during school years, especially in junior and senior high school, being one grade higher can create a psychologically overwhelming sense of superiority.

Yunshang came to assert her dominance, and Fei Wenxin, as her senior, came to support the two.

Given Dong Bin's appearance and demeanor, even some mischievous kids in the class would have to think twice before throwing a punch the size of a sandbag at their face.

"Hey bro, what's up?"

Even in a top-tier high school like No. 1 High School, not everyone is a bookworm. There are also some who are quick-witted and have lively personalities. Before the teacher assigns seats, these people will subconsciously sit in the back. This is the place where they feel comfortable and can breathe fresh air.

A boy with a lot of acne sitting in front of Dong Bin turned around, smiled at Xu Kai, and then raised his chin to ask Dong Bin what the relationship was between the stunningly beautiful woman with such a powerful aura and this guy.

"Is there even a need to ask?"

Dong Bin knew that these two were not afraid at all, so he didn't hide anything.

The boy gave Xu Kai a thumbs up: "Hello, my name is Bai Rui. I came from No. 9 Middle School. We'll be in the same class from now on."

Xu Kai chuckled, secretly suppressing his habit of extending his hand to shake hands, as shaking hands between students seemed too pretentious: "Xu Kai, formerly a sports recruit at Tie Er Middle School."

"Dong Bin, from Tieyi Middle School, was specially recruited for basketball."

Bai Rui looked Dong Bin up and down, then smacked his lips: "You don't need an introduction. With that height, it's a waste that you don't play basketball."

Xu Kai noticed the many glances and stares around him and said, "We've only grown tall, not smart. We'll have to rely on everyone to help us with our homework from now on."

After saying that, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to the surroundings, looking as if he believed that his brothers would rely on each other in the future.

The sudden self-deprecating introduction and the unabashed attitude were not something the students of this age were used to. Many of them were stunned for a moment, and many of them smiled. The awkward atmosphere that Yunshang's aura had created in the room just now vanished.

The "special" behavior displayed by Xu Kai and Dong Bin was easily defused by Xu Kai's self-deprecating humor: "We're good at sports, not academics."

Showing vulnerability is the best way to eliminate the sense of distance between strangers.

Bai Rui was very talkative and quickly struck up a conversation with Dong Bin about basketball, comics, and games, but never about studying.

Xu Kai listened from the side, occasionally joining in with a few words.

Students entered the classroom one after another. Those who arrived first found their preferred seats, while those who arrived later had to sit temporarily in the front seats. Many people sat down and looked around. If they could run into someone from their previous middle school, they would feel much more relaxed.

Xu Kai is not at all resistant to high school life, and even looks forward to it. It has nothing to do with anything else. If there is something that is easy to understand and interesting, he still wants to learn more knowledge in these three years.

Just like in his final year of junior high, he might not be able to understand the advanced material due to his limited understanding, but he could learn the basic material with seriousness and focus. In class, he still hoped to learn as much knowledge as possible, regardless of whether he would use it in the future. He believed that knowledge could never be acquired through cramming; it was accumulated little by little over many years.

For him, academic qualifications are important, as is knowledge. At least on this campus, there is a relatively concentrated reading environment, even for extracurricular books.

"Um?"

Some familiar figures walked into the classroom. If their faces hadn't grown up proportionally, even if one opened up the river of memories spanning at least thirty years, one might not be able to remember such an elementary school classmate.

Xu Kai's elementary school wasn't in the railway system, but in the city. Back then, there wasn't a distinction between key elementary schools, but the junior high school in that school's district was the Fifth Middle School. As the city's top key junior high school, the Fifth Middle School had a very high percentage of students who got into the First High School. He was already mentally prepared to run into his elementary school classmates.

"Zhang Peng," Xu Kai waved and greeted him.