Chapter 742: Chapter 742: Seventeen Years Later
In the blink of an eye, seventeen years have passed.
Jinghua University.
Classroom, self-study period.
The windows were open, allowing the cool air to flood the windowsill. A heavy rain had just passed, and even the air felt damp, carrying with it the scent of fresh grass.
Liang Yin didn’t particularly like that smell.
She sat by the window seat, propping her chin with her hands, staring absentmindedly at the scenery outside.
The single-person desk was tidily arranged, with a thick stack of books neatly piled up.
An old pencil case, looking like it had been in use for a long time, was also there. She had bought this pencil case back in primary school, used it with care until university, and had developed a fondness for it. Even though the zipper had broken, she was still reluctant to throw it away.
The girl at the neighboring desk was not paying attention, engrossed in chatting about everything from last night’s TV show to which SK2 or Ocean Secret mask had better moisturizing effects.
The boys in the back row were enthusiastically discussing the new game release on STEAM.
Liang Yin snapped back to reality, lowered her head, casually holding a pen, twirling it between her fingers, and continued reading her book, occasionally underlining and taking notes.
At twenty, Liang Yin was strikingly beautiful, with porcelain-like skin, willow-shaped brows, and almond eyes, the very picture of a beauty in the making. Yet, this pretty face was adorned with a pair of thick black-framed glasses.
Just at that moment—
A girl from the back row suddenly exclaimed, "It’s Huo Linzhou!"
The entire classroom instantly went into an uproar.
Nearly half of the girls surged to the window.
Liang Yin was sitting by the window, and in no time, she was surrounded by a dense crowd, making it nearly impossible for her to breathe.
She raised her head, seeing the fervent gazes of the girls all directed outside.
She followed their line of sight.
In the corridor, a group of boys passed by the window, among them, a particularly eye-catching young man with short fresh-cut hair.
He wore a tracksuit, and from her angle, she could only catch a fleeting glimpse of his profile. His natural straight nose ridge and the perfect alignment with his brow created a clear, naturally prominent angle, adding a sense of dimensionality to his entire face.
The sharp-jawed line gave off a youthful and bright aura, yet full of a heroic spirit.
The young man was holding a basketball, absentmindedly spinning it on his fingertips.
It was Liang Yin’s first time seeing such beautiful hands, almost like they were carved from jade.
From her vantage point, she could even see his long joints and well-trimmed nail beds.
Liang Yin stared at those hands and suddenly remembered she had seen this person before.
That time in the cafeteria, she had bumped into him, and the books in her arms scattered everywhere.
As she crouched down to pick up the books, that hand was faster, collecting the books one by one.
She looked up and got a close view of his full face.
Huo Linzhou’s features were tremendously refined, yet carried an air of clean elegance. His skin was very fair, and his eyes were almond-shaped, misty and beguiling.
She looked at him.
He also took her in.
The first thing he said wasn’t "sorry," but rather—"Have we met somewhere before?"
Liang Yin snapped back to reality, hearing the girls’ infatuated chatter around her.
"Ah! Huo is really handsome!"
"His nose is like a masterpiece, a show of Nuwa’s craftsmanship!"
"I wish I could slide on his nose!"
"Hahaha! Nana, what you said is so..."
"I heard he got early admission to Jinghua University at sixteen, studying a combined bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral program. That’s just unreal!"
"Great family background, high status, so handsome, and a top student!"
Huo Linzhou had always been a legendary figure at Jinghua University. In high school, he excelled in all subjects and won various awards internationally. Because of this, he was offered early admission to Jinghua University at sixteen, becoming the dream guy of many girls.
As everyone couldn’t take their eyes off Huo Linzhou, following immediately behind him was the foreign language teacher.
She carried a stack of test papers as she passed by the window.
The classmates quickly dispersed like birds scattering in fright, returning to their seats.
Finally, Liang Yin could breathe in fresh air.
The foreign language teacher pushed open the door and walked in: "The results of the last foreign language test are out."
She placed the test papers on the podium and began to announce names and scores.
"First place in this exam... Liang Yin, 659 points."
Amidst the exclamations,
Liang Yin stood up, walked to the podium, and took her test paper.
The teacher praised her endlessly: "Liang Yin, congratulations. Not only were you first in the class, but you were also first in the grade."
Liang Yin replied, "Thank you, teacher."
"However, was it because you didn’t manage your time well this time? Many questions at the end were left blank. If you could manage your time better, perhaps you could score even higher."
Liang Yin replied, "Yes, I’ll make sure to manage my time better next time."
She remembered staying up late the night before the exam, causing her to feel sleepy during the test after finishing a few pages, calculating her score to be sufficient, and then napping on her desk for a while, leaving the rest blank as she felt too lazy to write.
She took her test paper and walked back to her seat, unexpectedly locking eyes with the girl sitting next to her.
"Second place... Chen Shanshan, 592 points."
The girl stood up with a sullen expression.
Classmates couldn’t help but discuss: "The gap between first and second place is so wide!"
"Shanshan did really well this time, but... she’s still far from Liang Yin."
"Liang Yin is known as a top student, always in the library, how can anyone compare to her!"
"..."
Liang Yin returned to her seat, looking at the test paper in her hand, then folded it and placed it in the desk’s cubby.
After the dismissal bell rang.
She packed up her books, preparing to stand up.
A figure blocked her desk.
Liang Yin looked up.
Chen Shanshan, with arms crossed, glared at her with an unfriendly expression.
Liang Yin smiled faintly, adjusted her glasses, and asked gently, "Chen, is there something you need?"
"Liang Yin, with such an outstanding result in this exam, the scholarship for the year must be yours, right?"
Liang Yin smiled but said nothing.
Chen Shanshan said, "Originally, the scholarship was supposed to be mine! But then again, who would have thought you needed the money more than I did? After all, coming from such a remote mountain village to such a big city, your family must struggle to support you in such a good university, so you’re fighting hard just to get the scholarship, aren’t you?"
Liang Yin still said nothing.
Beside them, a male student chimed in: "Shanshan, Liang Yin comes from a poor background, her family can’t afford her university, so besides studying, she also has to work part-time to support herself."
"Part-time work?" Chen Shanshan scoffed, "What part-time work? Liang Yin, I think she’s been kept by some rich man, being sponsored by some big boss! Liang Yin, if I were your mother, I’d be so moved! You’re willing to be a mistress just to study, it’s quite an achievement."