Childhood Chronicles: C01

01: School Transfer

This novel was posted on cntranslationss [dot] com, by anasiana. If you're not reading it there, you get what you get ￣へ￣)

_{Noticing the movement from that direction, Miss Sun felt a bit irritated. Why did this child come here? Did he come just to make small talk during class? "Ye Cheng, stand up and answer this question."}
Before he had turned thirty, Ye Cheng's father had remarried, and his partner this time around was a young businesswoman who had started her own toy company. Upon her first meeting with Ye Cheng, she had gifted the boy a teddy bear so enormous, that he couldn't manage so much as to wrap his arms around it.

Noticing the movement from that direction, Miss Sun felt a bit irritated. Why did this child come here? Did he come just to make small talk during class? "Ye Cheng, stand up and answer this question."

_{Ye Cheng hurriedly ran his finger over the page, "Here, here—look here." After saying this he slid the book a bit more in between them, inching towards the other until they were quite close, close enough for them to clearly make out the fine hairs on his ear. But Ye Cheng paid no mind to any of this, his only worry being the boy beside would be unable to study properly since he had their book.}Ye Cheng droned through that lesson no differently as he would if listening to tongues. The task was no easy feat to endure, as only until the bell tolled to announce the end of class was he finally able to relax.

Ye Cheng hurriedly ran his finger over the page, "Here, here—look here." After saying this he slid the book a bit more in between them, inching towards the other until they were quite close, close enough for them to clearly make out the fine hairs on his ear. But Ye Cheng paid no mind to any of this, his only worry being the boy beside would be unable to study properly since he had their book.

_{Towards this new transfer student, the young students were thick with curiosity. Especially since a student transferring to that elementary school was something that rarely happened. There was a ten-minute break between classes, and for nearly half of it, the boy sitting in front of Ye Cheng couldn't help himself from turning around, his eyes fixed on Ye Cheng's face.}
And for this gift, Ye Cheng had given her his sincere thanks.

Towards this new transfer student, the young students were thick with curiosity. Especially since a student transferring to that elementary school was something that rarely happened. There was a ten-minute break between classes, and for nearly half of it, the boy sitting in front of Ye Cheng couldn't help himself from turning around, his eyes fixed on Ye Cheng's face.

_{"Yeah. My uniform from last semester can't fit me any more." The boy let out two giggles. "My mom said I'm growing too fast, and clothes are expensive."}Before he had turned thirty, Ye Cheng's father had remarried, and his partner this time around was a young businesswoman who had started her own toy company. Upon her first meeting with Ye Cheng, she had gifted the boy a teddy bear so enormous, that he couldn't manage so much as to wrap his arms around it.

"Yeah. My uniform from last semester can't fit me any more." The boy let out two giggles. "My mom said I'm growing too fast, and clothes are expensive."

_N/A
For the eleven-year-old boy, his reaction towards his family again becoming one of three people was nothing especially big—at least, not as big as his father, Ye Chenghui, had expected. Apart from his son not calling his new wife mother at the time, a completely natural act, he had thought the boy would at the very least cry a little, maybe also scream a bit, too.

N/A

_{But all this assertion of his proved was that this man did not understand his son, Ye Cheng, as the one who understood the boy best was his own mother. A woman who always declared her son was a sensible and intelligent child.}Ye Cheng soon began chatting with a boy named Tao Lu in a friendly manner. even managing to ask about the matter regarding the textbooks at some point.

But all this assertion of his proved was that this man did not understand his son, Ye Cheng, as the one who understood the boy best was his own mother. A woman who always declared her son was a sensible and intelligent child.

"The affiliated experimental middle school has teachers and facilities which are much better than Chengcheng's current school. We can't allow the boy to lose at the start now, can we? It won't be long before school starts back up again, so it'll be done before in time for him to start classes."

_{But just then, the teacher walked in and everyone was asked to look at the last exercise.}
But all this assertion of his proved was that this man did not understand his son, Ye Cheng, as the one who understood the boy best was his own mother. A woman who always declared her son was a sensible and intelligent child.

But just then, the teacher walked in and everyone was asked to look at the last exercise.

_N/AThe affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.

N/A

Ye Cheng, this sensible lad, was well aware his father had wanted a new woman of the household, someone similar to himself. That way, Ye Chenghui never had to again grumble about trivial household chores. So when Zhou Ni arrived, Ye Cheng exhausted all his strength to a considerable degree to accept her.

_{But just then, the teacher walked in and everyone was asked to look at the last exercise.}There's no need for me to trouble the person up in front.

But just then, the teacher walked in and everyone was asked to look at the last exercise.

_{'Gu Shao-fan.'}"Oh, by the way, I still don't know your name. My name is Ye Cheng." Although it wasn't long since he had introduced himself, Ye Cheng took a notebook and very very carefully wrote the two characters of his name. "It's a nice name, right?"

'Gu Shao-fan.'

_{As a person local to the area, Ye Cheng had also surely known of that school, and it was indeed an excellent school. Students from its main affiliated elementary school had an easier time when entering it, and it was one of the key middle schools in the city.}But from what Ye Cheng had seen, his deskmate was a person of few words. While he chatted on for long stretches of time, the boy beside him would only utter an 'Mn' in return. In addition, his expression was also rather cold.

As a person local to the area, Ye Cheng had also surely known of that school, and it was indeed an excellent school. Students from its main affiliated elementary school had an easier time when entering it, and it was one of the key middle schools in the city.

_{"One that's not too far from here, actually. The one on Lotus Street. I used to see students from your school around all the time. I even thought your uniform looked way better than mine—the quality was quite nice too."}
Ye Cheng, this sensible lad, was well aware his father had wanted a new woman of the household, someone similar to himself. That way, Ye Chenghui never had to again grumble about trivial household chores. So when Zhou Ni arrived, Ye Cheng exhausted all his strength to a considerable degree to accept her.

"One that's not too far from here, actually. The one on Lotus Street. I used to see students from your school around all the time. I even thought your uniform looked way better than mine—the quality was quite nice too."

_{But two years ago, this woman, Ye Cheng's mother, had suddenly left them.}The blame for this could only be laid on Ye Cheng and his parents, who should've made sure beforehand whether the books used by affiliate primary schools were the same as those stipulated for use in compulsory education courses. The contents in the other textbook were far more expansive than those commonly used, and the difficulty was also more advanced.

But two years ago, this woman, Ye Cheng's mother, had suddenly left them.

_{But from what Ye Cheng had seen, his deskmate was a person of few words. While he chatted on for long stretches of time, the boy beside him would only utter an 'Mn' in return. In addition, his expression was also rather cold.}
Zhou Ni was a woman with a frank and outspoken character. After all, being an introverted woman in the business world would not be good in any respect. So, following her marriage to Ye Chenghui, the two quickly discussed the matter of getting Ye Cheng transferred from school, a matter which was to be regarded as her first step into being assimilated into the new family unit. Her way of thinking was quite clear, she and Ye Cheng were both still young and soon they would have a child of their own. Such a thing would be good for Ye Cheng as it would also be good for their family. These goals of Zhou Ni were neither short-term nor shallow.

But from what Ye Cheng had seen, his deskmate was a person of few words. While he chatted on for long stretches of time, the boy beside him would only utter an 'Mn' in return. In addition, his expression was also rather cold.

_{"Huh? You don't have to..." Ye Cheng shook his head. "I can just share with my deskmate, right?"}"The affiliated experimental middle school has teachers and facilities which are much better than Chengcheng's current school. We can't allow the boy to lose at the start now, can we? It won't be long before school starts back up again, so it'll be done before in time for him to start classes."

"Huh? You don't have to..." Ye Cheng shook his head. "I can just share with my deskmate, right?"

_{Noticing the movement from that direction, Miss Sun felt a bit irritated. {Why did this child come here? Did he come just to make small talk during class?} "Ye Cheng, stand up and answer this question."}Somewhat frigidly, Ye Cheng rose to his feet with little haste. Biting his lips, he scanned through the book idly. He was so nervous he couldn't even pick up the book. But out of nowhere, the page of the book turned, and a rather graceful finger pointed towards a paragraph.

"This is our new transfer student, and he will be studying in the same class as you all from now on. So you should all help one another, understood? Come along no, introduce yourself." The last sentence was directed towards Ye Cheng. The homeroom teacher was now done speaking, so everyone's attention was now focused on Ye Cheng.

_{Ye Cheng turned to the front, but Tao Lu never looked back. Ye Cheng was shocked by this for a bit but then figured the other boy must've been busy taking notes or something and had no time to turn back just to talk with him, thus never taking the matter to heart.}
As a person local to the area, Ye Cheng had also surely known of that school, and it was indeed an excellent school. Students from its main affiliated elementary school had an easier time when entering it, and it was one of the key middle schools in the city.

Ye Cheng turned to the front, but Tao Lu never looked back. Ye Cheng was shocked by this for a bit but then figured the other boy must've been busy taking notes or something and had no time to turn back just to talk with him, thus never taking the matter to heart.

_{Maybe it was because his voice was nearly a whisper, or maybe it was because the way he spoke was slower than most because Ye Cheng felt as though his voice sounded like it had been soaked in iced water: frigid and cheerless, yet unusually crisp.}"This is our new transfer student, and he will be studying in the same class as you all from now on. So you should all help one another, understood? Come along no, introduce yourself." The last sentence was directed towards Ye Cheng. The homeroom teacher was now done speaking, so everyone's attention was now focused on Ye Cheng.

Maybe it was because his voice was nearly a whisper, or maybe it was because the way he spoke was slower than most because Ye Cheng felt as though his voice sounded like it had been soaked in iced water: frigid and cheerless, yet unusually crisp.

_{Ye Cheng, this sensible lad, was well aware his father had wanted a new woman of the household, someone similar to himself. That way, Ye Chenghui never had to again grumble about trivial household chores. So when Zhou Ni arrived, Ye Cheng exhausted all his strength to a considerable degree to accept her.}Done with introducing the new student, Miss Sun began her class. Turning around, she erased Ye Cheng's name from the board and then wrote the subject of the day's class.

_{'Gu Shao-fan.'}
Ye Chenghui thought it over for a while. "Would getting him transferred to that school not be difficult?"

'Gu Shao-fan.'

_{Ye Cheng reacted very quickly, immediately picking up the book and smoothly reading out the contents of the paragraph, before casting a pair of wide blinking eyes towards Miss Sun. Miss Sun frowned but said nothing else about it. "Alright. Please return to your seat."}Hearing his name called suddenly, Ye Cheng jumped in fright. He was only a bit familiar with this language class, so how would he know where the answer in that paragraph was?

Ye Cheng reacted very quickly, immediately picking up the book and smoothly reading out the contents of the paragraph, before casting a pair of wide blinking eyes towards Miss Sun. Miss Sun frowned but said nothing else about it. "Alright. Please return to your seat."

_{"What does a little kid like him know? If we gave him a choice, he would not want to even go to school half the time, and playing around like mad would be best." Ye Chenghui made this choice on his son's behalf with nary a second thought, and this newly found wife of his could not be any more satisfied.}
Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.

"What does a little kid like him know? If we gave him a choice, he would not want to even go to school half the time, and playing around like mad would be best." Ye Chenghui made this choice on his son's behalf with nary a second thought, and this newly found wife of his could not be any more satisfied.

_{For the eleven-year-old boy, his reaction towards his family again becoming one of three people was nothing especially big—at least, not as big as his father, Ye Chenghui, had expected. Apart from his son not calling his new wife mother at the time, a completely natural act, he had thought the boy would at the very least cry a little, maybe also scream a bit, too.}Ye Cheng's ears flushed, but he still managed to maintain a straight face as he spoke. "Hi, everyone. My name is Ye Cheng. The Ye, from yezi (leaf), and the Cheng from chenggong (success). I hope we can all be friends in the future."

For the eleven-year-old boy, his reaction towards his family again becoming one of three people was nothing especially big—at least, not as big as his father, Ye Chenghui, had expected. Apart from his son not calling his new wife mother at the time, a completely natural act, he had thought the boy would at the very least cry a little, maybe also scream a bit, too.

The bell announcing the resumption of classes rang, and Tao Lu turned back around. The class was also a Language Arts class, so, naturally shifting to his left, Ye Cheng then asked, "Um... can you share your book with me?"

_{Somewhat frigidly, Ye Cheng rose to his feet with little haste. Biting his lips, he scanned through the book idly. He was so nervous he couldn't even pick up the book. But out of nowhere, the page of the book turned, and a rather graceful finger pointed towards a paragraph.}
Zhou Ni let out a laugh. "So long as Chengcheng is willing, I will find a way. Connections are a thing one can always find." Her brows then drew into a slight knit, her mind clearly in thought. "However, Chengcheng is doing just fine in his current school, so transferring him with such little notice might make him unwilling, wouldn't it?"

Somewhat frigidly, Ye Cheng rose to his feet with little haste. Biting his lips, he scanned through the book idly. He was so nervous he couldn't even pick up the book. But out of nowhere, the page of the book turned, and a rather graceful finger pointed towards a paragraph.

_{But just then, the teacher walked in and everyone was asked to look at the last exercise.}Towards this new transfer student, the young students were thick with curiosity. Especially since a student transferring to that elementary school was something that rarely happened. There was a ten-minute break between classes, and for nearly half of it, the boy sitting in front of Ye Cheng couldn't help himself from turning around, his eyes fixed on Ye Cheng's face.

But just then, the teacher walked in and everyone was asked to look at the last exercise.

_{The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.}The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.

The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.

Before he had turned thirty, Ye Cheng's father had remarried, and his partner this time around was a young businesswoman who had started her own toy company. Upon her first meeting with Ye Cheng, she had gifted the boy a teddy bear so enormous, that he couldn't manage so much as to wrap his arms around it.

_{Maybe it was because his voice was nearly a whisper, or maybe it was because the way he spoke was slower than most because Ye Cheng felt as though his voice sounded like it had been soaked in iced water: frigid and cheerless, yet unusually crisp.}
Zhou Ni did indeed find a connection rather quickly. Then, no more than half a month had passed since the two had decided the matter before Ye Cheng was standing in the classroom of his new school with a book bag on his back.

_{It made Ye Cheng feel slightly depressed. {Did he not like me? In my old school, I had a lot of friends, you know!}}The bell announcing the resumption of classes rang, and Tao Lu turned back around. The class was also a Language Arts class, so, naturally shifting to his left, Ye Cheng then asked, "Um... can you share your book with me?"

It made Ye Cheng feel slightly depressed. Did he not like me? In my old school, I had a lot of friends, you know!

_{Zhou Ni let out a laugh. "So long as Chengcheng is willing, I will find a way. Connections are a thing one can always find." Her brows then drew into a slight knit, her mind clearly in thought. "However, Chengcheng is doing just fine in his current school, so transferring him with such little notice might make him unwilling, wouldn't it?"}But from what Ye Cheng had seen, his deskmate was a person of few words. While he chatted on for long stretches of time, the boy beside him would only utter an 'Mn' in return. In addition, his expression was also rather cold.

Zhou Ni let out a laugh. "So long as Chengcheng is willing, I will find a way. Connections are a thing one can always find." Her brows then drew into a slight knit, her mind clearly in thought. "However, Chengcheng is doing just fine in his current school, so transferring him with such little notice might make him unwilling, wouldn't it?"

_{"What does a little kid like him know? If we gave him a choice, he would not want to even go to school half the time, and playing around like mad would be best." Ye Chenghui made this choice on his son's behalf with nary a second thought, and this newly found wife of his could not be any more satisfied.}As he spoke, Miss Sun immediately wrote Ye Cheng's name on the blackboard. After she was done, with the chalk in hand, she scanned the classroom.

_{"I'll be getting mine next semester. The teacher said it'd be coming with the next batch. Do you guys have to buy a new uniform every semester?"}
"This is our new transfer student, and he will be studying in the same class as you all from now on. So you should all help one another, understood? Come along no, introduce yourself." The last sentence was directed towards Ye Cheng. The homeroom teacher was now done speaking, so everyone's attention was now focused on Ye Cheng.

"I'll be getting mine next semester. The teacher said it'd be coming with the next batch. Do you guys have to buy a new uniform every semester?"

_{And for this gift, Ye Cheng had given her his sincere thanks.}There's no need for me to trouble the person up in front.

And for this gift, Ye Cheng had given her his sincere thanks.

_{But two years ago, this woman, Ye Cheng's mother, had suddenly left them.}His deskmate had most likely heard everything he and Tao Lu had just spoken of, so Ye Cheng did not have to explain the situation again. Pausing for only a few seconds, that deskmate of his then silently pushed over his book. But Ye Cheng was surprised by the other person's apparent unwillingness to look at the book together with him. The book was lent to him while his deskmate only looked at the blackboard, as though he had no intention to look down and read from the book again. Anything Ye Cheng thought of, he simply asked directly. "Why won't you look at the book, huh?"

But two years ago, this woman, Ye Cheng's mother, had suddenly left them.

_{Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.}"Yeah. My uniform from last semester can't fit me any more." The boy let out two giggles. "My mom said I'm growing too fast, and clothes are expensive."

Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.

_{For the eleven-year-old boy, his reaction towards his family again becoming one of three people was nothing especially big—at least, not as big as his father, Ye Chenghui, had expected. Apart from his son not calling his new wife mother at the time, a completely natural act, he had thought the boy would at the very least cry a little, maybe also scream a bit, too.}
Ye Cheng's ears flushed, but he still managed to maintain a straight face as he spoke. "Hi, everyone. My name is Ye Cheng. The Ye, from yezi (leaf), and the Cheng from chenggong (success). I hope we can all be friends in the future."

_{"My name is Gu Shaofan."}Somewhat frigidly, Ye Cheng rose to his feet with little haste. Biting his lips, he scanned through the book idly. He was so nervous he couldn't even pick up the book. But out of nowhere, the page of the book turned, and a rather graceful finger pointed towards a paragraph.

"My name is Gu Shaofan."

_{Before he had turned thirty, Ye Cheng's father had remarried, and his partner this time around was a young businesswoman who had started her own toy company. Upon her first meeting with Ye Cheng, she had gifted the boy a teddy bear so enormous, that he couldn't manage so much as to wrap his arms around it.}As a result, he focused the entirety of his attention on his deskmate. Naturally, he believed having a friendship between them was important, but being friends with a deskmate was even more so. After being suddenly thrust into this new environment, and having to say goodbye to all the teachers he knew and all the classmates he was close with, saying Ye Cheng wasn't the least bit upset about it would be a lie. However, Ye Cheng had taken after his mother, his character was one quite cheerful and lively. So as long as he was willing, there would never be any awkward silences, This skill of his made him able to always quickly make friends out of strangers.

_{"Huh? You don't have to..." Ye Cheng shook his head. "I can just share with my deskmate, right?"}
As he spoke, Miss Sun immediately wrote Ye Cheng's name on the blackboard. After she was done, with the chalk in hand, she scanned the classroom.

"Huh? You don't have to..." Ye Cheng shook his head. "I can just share with my deskmate, right?"

_{Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.}Noticing the movement from that direction, Miss Sun felt a bit irritated. Why did this child come here? Did he come just to make small talk during class? "Ye Cheng, stand up and answer this question."

Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.

_{"The affiliated experimental middle school has teachers and facilities which are much better than Chengcheng's current school. We can't allow the boy to lose at the start now, can we? It won't be long before school starts back up again, so it'll be done before in time for him to start classes."}Zhou Ni let out a laugh. "So long as Chengcheng is willing, I will find a way. Connections are a thing one can always find." Her brows then drew into a slight knit, her mind clearly in thought. "However, Chengcheng is doing just fine in his current school, so transferring him with such little notice might make him unwilling, wouldn't it?"

_{Ye Cheng droned through that lesson no differently as he would if listening to tongues. The task was no easy feat to endure, as only until the bell tolled to announce the end of class was he finally able to relax.}
"Ye Cheng, you can take a seat in the first group of that row in the back." She used the hand holding the chalk to point towards the seat near the window, the only one within the class which was empty.

Ye Cheng droned through that lesson no differently as he would if listening to tongues. The task was no easy feat to endure, as only until the bell tolled to announce the end of class was he finally able to relax.

_{Ye Cheng then mouthed a thank you to the other boy, he was ignored by the other but cared little about that. After class was done, Ye Cheng blabbered away at his deskmate.}"Ye Cheng, you can take a seat in the first group of that row in the back." She used the hand holding the chalk to point towards the seat near the window, the only one within the class which was empty.

Ye Cheng then mouthed a thank you to the other boy, he was ignored by the other but cared little about that. After class was done, Ye Cheng blabbered away at his deskmate. "How did you know where the answer was? Did you study ahead? No wonder you gave me your book and never looked at it. At first, I thought you were just embarrassed about sharing your book with me. But what's there to be embarrassed about, we're all boys here. So um... did you just study ahead for that class or have you done it for the other classes too? I can't believe there really are people who do that nowadays. I just thought it was just something teachers said to trick me. Right, Tao Lu?"

_{Glancing at him, his deskmate then took his own black rollerball pen and neatly wrote three characters below Ye Cheng's, stroke by stroke. They were both still young, so the characters he wrote couldn't be said to have any sort of style, but his penmanship was incredibly neat.}
With quickness, he obediently made his way over to the seat the teacher had pointed to, his Micky Mouse book bag on his back. Then he tried as best he could to pull out his pencil case and books while making as little noise as possible. He had received his course schedule earlier, and the first class he had that day was Language Arts. During the entire process, his new deskmate never turned to face him once. It was only when Ye Cheng turned to him to give a friendly hello, did he finally turned slightly in Ye Cheng's direction, whispering a hello to him in return.

Glancing at him, his deskmate then took his own black rollerball pen and neatly wrote three characters below Ye Cheng's, stroke by stroke. They were both still young, so the characters he wrote couldn't be said to have any sort of style, but his penmanship was incredibly neat.

_{Ye Cheng soon began chatting with a boy named Tao Lu in a friendly manner. even managing to ask about the matter regarding the textbooks at some point.}Glancing at him, his deskmate then took his own black rollerball pen and neatly wrote three characters below Ye Cheng's, stroke by stroke. They were both still young, so the characters he wrote couldn't be said to have any sort of style, but his penmanship was incredibly neat.

Ye Cheng soon began chatting with a boy named Tao Lu in a friendly manner. even managing to ask about the matter regarding the textbooks at some point.

_{It made Ye Cheng feel slightly depressed. Did he not like me? In my old school, I had a lot of friends, you know!}
That little adult-like kid, the way he acted made Ye Cheng quite fascinated.

It made Ye Cheng feel slightly depressed. Did he not like me? In my old school, I had a lot of friends, you know!

_{Ye Cheng reacted very quickly, immediately picking up the book and smoothly reading out the contents of the paragraph, before casting a pair of wide blinking eyes towards Miss Sun. Miss Sun frowned but said nothing else about it. "Alright. Please return to your seat."}
Done with introducing the new student, Miss Sun began her class. Turning around, she erased Ye Cheng's name from the board and then wrote the subject of the day's class.

_{"My name is Gu Shaofan."}'Gu Shao-fan.'

"My name is Gu Shaofan."

_{01: School Transfer}
Ye Cheng looked at the subject and was left confused. Why was it not the same as the one in my textbook? It clearly stated Lesson Eighteen there too. He stole a glance at the textbook belonging to his deskmate, noticing the book the other boy had was different from his own.

01: School Transfer

_{There's no need for me to trouble the person up in front.}
The blame for this could only be laid on Ye Cheng and his parents, who should've made sure beforehand whether the books used by affiliate primary schools were the same as those stipulated for use in compulsory education courses. The contents in the other textbook were far more expansive than those commonly used, and the difficulty was also more advanced.

There's no need for me to trouble the person up in front.

_{But just then, the teacher walked in and everyone was asked to look at the last exercise.}"I'll be getting mine next semester. The teacher said it'd be coming with the next batch. Do you guys have to buy a new uniform every semester?"

But just then, the teacher walked in and everyone was asked to look at the last exercise.

_{The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.}Hearing his name called suddenly, Ye Cheng jumped in fright. He was only a bit familiar with this language class, so how would he know where the answer in that paragraph was?

The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.

_{His deskmate had most likely heard everything he and Tao Lu had just spoken of, so Ye Cheng did not have to explain the situation again. Pausing for only a few seconds, that deskmate of his then silently pushed over his book.}
Ye Cheng droned through that lesson no differently as he would if listening to tongues. The task was no easy feat to endure, as only until the bell tolled to announce the end of class was he finally able to relax.

His deskmate had most likely heard everything he and Tao Lu had just spoken of, so Ye Cheng did not have to explain the situation again. Pausing for only a few seconds, that deskmate of his then silently pushed over his book. But Ye Cheng was surprised by the other person's apparent unwillingness to look at the book together with him. The book was lent to him while his deskmate only looked at the blackboard, as though he had no intention to look down and read from the book again. Anything Ye Cheng thought of, he simply asked directly. "Why won't you look at the book, huh?"

_{'Gu Shao-fan.'}For the eleven-year-old boy, his reaction towards his family again becoming one of three people was nothing especially big—at least, not as big as his father, Ye Chenghui, had expected. Apart from his son not calling his new wife mother at the time, a completely natural act, he had thought the boy would at the very least cry a little, maybe also scream a bit, too.

'Gu Shao-fan.'

_N/ANoticing the movement from that direction, Miss Sun felt a bit irritated. Why did this child come here? Did he come just to make small talk during class? "Ye Cheng, stand up and answer this question."

N/A

_{Ye Cheng hurriedly ran his finger over the page, "Here, here—look here." After saying this he slid the book a bit more in between them, inching towards the other until they were quite close, close enough for them to clearly make out the fine hairs on his ear. But Ye Cheng paid no mind to any of this, his only worry being the boy beside would be unable to study properly since he had their book.}Somewhat frigidly, Ye Cheng rose to his feet with little haste. Biting his lips, he scanned through the book idly. He was so nervous he couldn't even pick up the book. But out of nowhere, the page of the book turned, and a rather graceful finger pointed towards a paragraph.

_{The blame for this could only be laid on Ye Cheng and his parents, who should've made sure beforehand whether the books used by affiliate primary schools were the same as those stipulated for use in compulsory education courses. The contents in the other textbook were far more expansive than those commonly used, and the difficulty was also more advanced.}
Towards this new transfer student, the young students were thick with curiosity. Especially since a student transferring to that elementary school was something that rarely happened. There was a ten-minute break between classes, and for nearly half of it, the boy sitting in front of Ye Cheng couldn't help himself from turning around, his eyes fixed on Ye Cheng's face.

The blame for this could only be laid on Ye Cheng and his parents, who should've made sure beforehand whether the books used by affiliate primary schools were the same as those stipulated for use in compulsory education courses. The contents in the other textbook were far more expansive than those commonly used, and the difficulty was also more advanced.

_{"This is our new transfer student, and he will be studying in the same class as you all from now on. So you should all help one another, understood? Come along no, introduce yourself." The last sentence was directed towards Ye Cheng. The homeroom teacher was now done speaking, so everyone's attention was now focused on Ye Cheng.}Zhou Ni was a woman with a frank and outspoken character. After all, being an introverted woman in the business world would not be good in any respect. So, following her marriage to Ye Chenghui, the two quickly discussed the matter of getting Ye Cheng transferred from school, a matter which was to be regarded as her first step into being assimilated into the new family unit. Her way of thinking was quite clear, she and Ye Cheng were both still young and soon they would have a child of their own. Such a thing would be good for Ye Cheng as it would also be good for their family. These goals of Zhou Ni were neither short-term nor shallow.

The next class was also Language Arts, and it wasn't just this language class, Ye Cheng had none of the books for any of the other classes. When Tao Lu saw Ye Cheng's book wasn't the right one, he enthusiastically expressed his intention to lend Ye Cheng his while he, himself, would just share with his deskmate.

_{As he spoke, Miss Sun immediately wrote Ye Cheng's name on the blackboard. After she was done, with the chalk in hand, she scanned the classroom.}Hearing his name called suddenly, Ye Cheng jumped in fright. He was only a bit familiar with this language class, so how would he know where the answer in that paragraph was?

As he spoke, Miss Sun immediately wrote Ye Cheng's name on the blackboard. After she was done, with the chalk in hand, she scanned the classroom.

_{With quickness, he obediently made his way over to the seat the teacher had pointed to, his Micky Mouse book bag on his back. Then he tried as best he could to pull out his pencil case and books while making as little noise as possible.}
The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.

With quickness, he obediently made his way over to the seat the teacher had pointed to, his Micky Mouse book bag on his back. Then he tried as best he could to pull out his pencil case and books while making as little noise as possible. He had received his course schedule earlier, and the first class he had that day was Language Arts. During the entire process, his new deskmate never turned to face him once. It was only when Ye Cheng turned to him to give a friendly hello, did he finally turned slightly in Ye Cheng's direction, whispering a hello to him in return.

_{"Oh, by the way, I still don't know your name. My name is Ye Cheng." Although it wasn't long since he had introduced himself, Ye Cheng took a notebook and very very carefully wrote the two characters of his name. "It's a nice name, right?"}
The baby fat of the little boy's cheeks shook as he laughed happily. "Then... why aren't you wearing one now, too?"

"Oh, by the way, I still don't know your name. My name is Ye Cheng." Although it wasn't long since he had introduced himself, Ye Cheng took a notebook and very very carefully wrote the two characters of his name. "It's a nice name, right?"

_{"One that's not too far from here, actually. The one on Lotus Street. I used to see students from your school around all the time. I even thought your uniform looked way better than mine—the quality was quite nice too."}For the eleven-year-old boy, his reaction towards his family again becoming one of three people was nothing especially big—at least, not as big as his father, Ye Chenghui, had expected. Apart from his son not calling his new wife mother at the time, a completely natural act, he had thought the boy would at the very least cry a little, maybe also scream a bit, too.

_{But after he spoke, Tao Lu's brows raised strangely. It seemed as if he wanted to say something, but all he did was frown and let it go. "Oh, is that so? Well, if you need anything just ask me, okay?"}Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.

But after he spoke, Tao Lu's brows raised strangely. It seemed as if he wanted to say something, but all he did was frown and let it go. "Oh, is that so? Well, if you need anything just ask me, okay?"

_{Ye Cheng then mouthed a thank you to the other boy, he was ignored by the other but cared little about that. After class was done, Ye Cheng blabbered away at his deskmate.}With quickness, he obediently made his way over to the seat the teacher had pointed to, his Micky Mouse book bag on his back. Then he tried as best he could to pull out his pencil case and books while making as little noise as possible. He had received his course schedule earlier, and the first class he had that day was Language Arts. During the entire process, his new deskmate never turned to face him once. It was only when Ye Cheng turned to him to give a friendly hello, did he finally turned slightly in Ye Cheng's direction, whispering a hello to him in return.

_{But after he spoke, Tao Lu's brows raised strangely. It seemed as if he wanted to say something, but all he did was frown and let it go. "Oh, is that so? Well, if you need anything just ask me, okay?"}
"I'll be getting mine next semester. The teacher said it'd be coming with the next batch. Do you guys have to buy a new uniform every semester?"

_{Unknowing whether it was simply his own misconception or not, Ye Cheng swore he could sense the curious expressions on practically every child on him as far as he could see.}N/A

Unknowing whether it was simply his own misconception or not, Ye Cheng swore he could sense the curious expressions on practically every child on him as far as he could see.

_{The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.}
"Yeah. My uniform from last semester can't fit me any more." The boy let out two giggles. "My mom said I'm growing too fast, and clothes are expensive."

The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.

_N/AYe Cheng droned through that lesson no differently as he would if listening to tongues. The task was no easy feat to endure, as only until the bell tolled to announce the end of class was he finally able to relax.

N/A

_{Ye Cheng, this sensible lad, was well aware his father had wanted a new woman of the household, someone similar to himself. That way, Ye Chenghui never had to again grumble about trivial household chores. So when Zhou Ni arrived, Ye Cheng exhausted all his strength to a considerable degree to accept her.}"Oh, by the way, I still don't know your name. My name is Ye Cheng." Although it wasn't long since he had introduced himself, Ye Cheng took a notebook and very very carefully wrote the two characters of his name. "It's a nice name, right?"

_{Zhou Ni was a woman with a frank and outspoken character. After all, being an introverted woman in the business world would not be good in any respect.}
Ye Cheng soon began chatting with a boy named Tao Lu in a friendly manner. even managing to ask about the matter regarding the textbooks at some point.

Zhou Ni was a woman with a frank and outspoken character. After all, being an introverted woman in the business world would not be good in any respect. So, following her marriage to Ye Chenghui, the two quickly discussed the matter of getting Ye Cheng transferred from school, a matter which was to be regarded as her first step into being assimilated into the new family unit. Her way of thinking was quite clear, she and Ye Cheng were both still young and soon they would have a child of their own. Such a thing would be good for Ye Cheng as it would also be good for their family. These goals of Zhou Ni were neither short-term nor shallow.

_{"Yeah. My uniform from last semester can't fit me any more." The boy let out two giggles. "My mom said I'm growing too fast, and clothes are expensive."}
The next class was also Language Arts, and it wasn't just this language class, Ye Cheng had none of the books for any of the other classes. When Tao Lu saw Ye Cheng's book wasn't the right one, he enthusiastically expressed his intention to lend Ye Cheng his while he, himself, would just share with his deskmate.

"Yeah. My uniform from last semester can't fit me any more." The boy let out two giggles. "My mom said I'm growing too fast, and clothes are expensive."

_{Ye Chenghui thought it over for a while. "Would getting him transferred to that school not be difficult?"}
"Huh? You don't have to..." Ye Cheng shook his head. "I can just share with my deskmate, right?"

Ye Chenghui thought it over for a while. "Would getting him transferred to that school not be difficult?"

_{"One that's not too far from here, actually. The one on Lotus Street. I used to see students from your school around all the time. I even thought your uniform looked way better than mine—the quality was quite nice too."}The next class was also Language Arts, and it wasn't just this language class, Ye Cheng had none of the books for any of the other classes. When Tao Lu saw Ye Cheng's book wasn't the right one, he enthusiastically expressed his intention to lend Ye Cheng his while he, himself, would just share with his deskmate.

_{Ye Cheng's ears flushed, but he still managed to maintain a straight face as he spoke. "Hi, everyone. My name is Ye Cheng. The Ye, from yezi (leaf), and the Cheng from chenggong (success). I hope we can all be friends in the future."}Ye Cheng turned to the front, but Tao Lu never looked back. Ye Cheng was shocked by this for a bit but then figured the other boy must've been busy taking notes or something and had no time to turn back just to talk with him, thus never taking the matter to heart.

Ye Cheng's ears flushed, but he still managed to maintain a straight face as he spoke. "Hi, everyone. My name is Ye Cheng. The Ye, from yezi (leaf), and the Cheng from chenggong (success). I hope we can all be friends in the future."

_{As he spoke, Miss Sun immediately wrote Ye Cheng's name on the blackboard. After she was done, with the chalk in hand, she scanned the classroom.}
There's no need for me to trouble the person up in front.

As he spoke, Miss Sun immediately wrote Ye Cheng's name on the blackboard. After she was done, with the chalk in hand, she scanned the classroom.

_{As he spoke, Miss Sun immediately wrote Ye Cheng's name on the blackboard. After she was done, with the chalk in hand, she scanned the classroom.}Unknowing whether it was simply his own misconception or not, Ye Cheng swore he could sense the curious expressions on practically every child on him as far as he could see.

As he spoke, Miss Sun immediately wrote Ye Cheng's name on the blackboard. After she was done, with the chalk in hand, she scanned the classroom.

_{For the eleven-year-old boy, his reaction towards his family again becoming one of three people was nothing especially big—at least, not as big as his father, Ye Chenghui, had expected. Apart from his son not calling his new wife mother at the time, a completely natural act, he had thought the boy would at the very least cry a little, maybe also scream a bit, too.}Ye Cheng reacted very quickly, immediately picking up the book and smoothly reading out the contents of the paragraph, before casting a pair of wide blinking eyes towards Miss Sun. Miss Sun frowned but said nothing else about it. "Alright. Please return to your seat."

_{"Ye Cheng, you can take a seat in the first group of that row in the back." She used the hand holding the chalk to point towards the seat near the window, the only one within the class which was empty.}
But after he spoke, Tao Lu's brows raised strangely. It seemed as if he wanted to say something, but all he did was frown and let it go. "Oh, is that so? Well, if you need anything just ask me, okay?"

"Ye Cheng, you can take a seat in the first group of that row in the back." She used the hand holding the chalk to point towards the seat near the window, the only one within the class which was empty.

_N/A"My name is Gu Shaofan."

N/A

_{"Yeah. My uniform from last semester can't fit me any more." The boy let out two giggles. "My mom said I'm growing too fast, and clothes are expensive."}Ye Cheng looked at the subject and was left confused. Why was it not the same as the one in my textbook? It clearly stated Lesson Eighteen there too. He stole a glance at the textbook belonging to his deskmate, noticing the book the other boy had was different from his own.

"Yeah. My uniform from last semester can't fit me any more." The boy let out two giggles. "My mom said I'm growing too fast, and clothes are expensive."

_{The bell announcing the resumption of classes rang, and Tao Lu turned back around. The class was also a Language Arts class, so, naturally shifting to his left, Ye Cheng then asked, "Um... can you share your book with me?"}
The bell announcing the resumption of classes rang, and Tao Lu turned back around. The class was also a Language Arts class, so, naturally shifting to his left, Ye Cheng then asked, "Um... can you share your book with me?"

_{The next class was also Language Arts, and it wasn't just this language class, Ye Cheng had none of the books for any of the other classes. When Tao Lu saw Ye Cheng's book wasn't the right one, he enthusiastically expressed his intention to lend Ye Cheng his while he, himself, would just share with his deskmate.}His deskmate had most likely heard everything he and Tao Lu had just spoken of, so Ye Cheng did not have to explain the situation again. Pausing for only a few seconds, that deskmate of his then silently pushed over his book. But Ye Cheng was surprised by the other person's apparent unwillingness to look at the book together with him. The book was lent to him while his deskmate only looked at the blackboard, as though he had no intention to look down and read from the book again. Anything Ye Cheng thought of, he simply asked directly. "Why won't you look at the book, huh?"

_{The bell announcing the resumption of classes rang, and Tao Lu turned back around. The class was also a Language Arts class, so, naturally shifting to his left, Ye Cheng then asked, "Um... can you share your book with me?"}Hearing his name called suddenly, Ye Cheng jumped in fright. He was only a bit familiar with this language class, so how would he know where the answer in that paragraph was?

_{"Hey, which school did you go to before this one?"}
His deskmate had most likely heard everything he and Tao Lu had just spoken of, so Ye Cheng did not have to explain the situation again. Pausing for only a few seconds, that deskmate of his then silently pushed over his book. But Ye Cheng was surprised by the other person's apparent unwillingness to look at the book together with him. The book was lent to him while his deskmate only looked at the blackboard, as though he had no intention to look down and read from the book again. Anything Ye Cheng thought of, he simply asked directly. "Why won't you look at the book, huh?"

"Hey, which school did you go to before this one?"

Zhou Ni did indeed find a connection rather quickly. Then, no more than half a month had passed since the two had decided the matter before Ye Cheng was standing in the classroom of his new school with a book bag on his back.

_{Unknowing whether it was simply his own misconception or not, Ye Cheng swore he could sense the curious expressions on practically every child on him as far as he could see.}That little adult-like kid, the way he acted made Ye Cheng quite fascinated.

Unknowing whether it was simply his own misconception or not, Ye Cheng swore he could sense the curious expressions on practically every child on him as far as he could see.

_{01: School Transfer}"Oh, by the way, I still don't know your name. My name is Ye Cheng." Although it wasn't long since he had introduced himself, Ye Cheng took a notebook and very very carefully wrote the two characters of his name. "It's a nice name, right?"

01: School Transfer

_{Ye Cheng then mouthed a thank you to the other boy, he was ignored by the other but cared little about that. After class was done, Ye Cheng blabbered away at his deskmate.}
Ye Cheng hurriedly ran his finger over the page, "Here, here—look here." After saying this he slid the book a bit more in between them, inching towards the other until they were quite close, close enough for them to clearly make out the fine hairs on his ear. But Ye Cheng paid no mind to any of this, his only worry being the boy beside would be unable to study properly since he had their book.

_{But two years ago, this woman, Ye Cheng's mother, had suddenly left them.}
Noticing the movement from that direction, Miss Sun felt a bit irritated. Why did this child come here? Did he come just to make small talk during class? "Ye Cheng, stand up and answer this question."

But two years ago, this woman, Ye Cheng's mother, had suddenly left them.

The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.

_{Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.}As he spoke, Miss Sun immediately wrote Ye Cheng's name on the blackboard. After she was done, with the chalk in hand, she scanned the classroom.

Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.

_{Noticing the movement from that direction, Miss Sun felt a bit irritated. {Why did this child come here? Did he come just to make small talk during class?} "Ye Cheng, stand up and answer this question."}Breathing out a long sigh, Ye Cheng then turned to his deskmate with a grin, the little dimple on the left side of his face giving his smiling face a hint of mischief.

_{And for this gift, Ye Cheng had given her his sincere thanks.}
Hearing his name called suddenly, Ye Cheng jumped in fright. He was only a bit familiar with this language class, so how would he know where the answer in that paragraph was?

And for this gift, Ye Cheng had given her his sincere thanks.

_{"What does a little kid like him know? If we gave him a choice, he would not want to even go to school half the time, and playing around like mad would be best." Ye Chenghui made this choice on his son's behalf with nary a second thought, and this newly found wife of his could not be any more satisfied.}"What does a little kid like him know? If we gave him a choice, he would not want to even go to school half the time, and playing around like mad would be best." Ye Chenghui made this choice on his son's behalf with nary a second thought, and this newly found wife of his could not be any more satisfied.

_{"What does a little kid like him know? If we gave him a choice, he would not want to even go to school half the time, and playing around like mad would be best." Ye Chenghui made this choice on his son's behalf with nary a second thought, and this newly found wife of his could not be any more satisfied.}The bell announcing the resumption of classes rang, and Tao Lu turned back around. The class was also a Language Arts class, so, naturally shifting to his left, Ye Cheng then asked, "Um... can you share your book with me?"

_N/A
Somewhat frigidly, Ye Cheng rose to his feet with little haste. Biting his lips, he scanned through the book idly. He was so nervous he couldn't even pick up the book. But out of nowhere, the page of the book turned, and a rather graceful finger pointed towards a paragraph.

N/A

_{Ye Cheng soon began chatting with a boy named Tao Lu in a friendly manner. even managing to ask about the matter regarding the textbooks at some point.}Ye Cheng then mouthed a thank you to the other boy, he was ignored by the other but cared little about that. After class was done, Ye Cheng blabbered away at his deskmate. "How did you know where the answer was? Did you study ahead? No wonder you gave me your book and never looked at it. At first, I thought you were just embarrassed about sharing your book with me. But what's there to be embarrassed about, we're all boys here. So um... did you just study ahead for that class or have you done it for the other classes too? I can't believe there really are people who do that nowadays. I just thought it was just something teachers said to trick me. Right, Tao Lu?"

Ye Cheng soon began chatting with a boy named Tao Lu in a friendly manner. even managing to ask about the matter regarding the textbooks at some point.

_{That little adult-like kid, the way he acted made Ye Cheng quite fascinated.}Unknowing whether it was simply his own misconception or not, Ye Cheng swore he could sense the curious expressions on practically every child on him as far as he could see.

That little adult-like kid, the way he acted made Ye Cheng quite fascinated.

_{Ye Cheng hurriedly ran his finger over the page, "Here, here—look here." After saying this he slid the book a bit more in between them, inching towards the other until they were quite close, close enough for them to clearly make out the fine hairs on his ear. But Ye Cheng paid no mind to any of this, his only worry being the boy beside would be unable to study properly since he had their book.}
Ye Cheng reacted very quickly, immediately picking up the book and smoothly reading out the contents of the paragraph, before casting a pair of wide blinking eyes towards Miss Sun. Miss Sun frowned but said nothing else about it. "Alright. Please return to your seat."

_{The baby fat of the little boy's cheeks shook as he laughed happily. "Then... why aren't you wearing one now, too?"}
Breathing out a long sigh, Ye Cheng then turned to his deskmate with a grin, the little dimple on the left side of his face giving his smiling face a hint of mischief.

The baby fat of the little boy's cheeks shook as he laughed happily. "Then... why aren't you wearing one now, too?"

_{That little adult-like kid, the way he acted made Ye Cheng quite fascinated.}Maybe it was because his voice was nearly a whisper, or maybe it was because the way he spoke was slower than most because Ye Cheng felt as though his voice sounded like it had been soaked in iced water: frigid and cheerless, yet unusually crisp.

That little adult-like kid, the way he acted made Ye Cheng quite fascinated.

_{But after he spoke, Tao Lu's brows raised strangely. It seemed as if he wanted to say something, but all he did was frown and let it go. "Oh, is that so? Well, if you need anything just ask me, okay?"}"What does a little kid like him know? If we gave him a choice, he would not want to even go to school half the time, and playing around like mad would be best." Ye Chenghui made this choice on his son's behalf with nary a second thought, and this newly found wife of his could not be any more satisfied.

_{Hearing his name called suddenly, Ye Cheng jumped in fright. He was only a bit familiar with this language class, so how would he know where the answer in that paragraph was?}
Ye Cheng then mouthed a thank you to the other boy, he was ignored by the other but cared little about that. After class was done, Ye Cheng blabbered away at his deskmate. "How did you know where the answer was? Did you study ahead? No wonder you gave me your book and never looked at it. At first, I thought you were just embarrassed about sharing your book with me. But what's there to be embarrassed about, we're all boys here. So um... did you just study ahead for that class or have you done it for the other classes too? I can't believe there really are people who do that nowadays. I just thought it was just something teachers said to trick me. Right, Tao Lu?"

Hearing his name called suddenly, Ye Cheng jumped in fright. He was only a bit familiar with this language class, so how would he know where the answer in that paragraph was?

_{That little adult-like kid, the way he acted made Ye Cheng quite fascinated.}
Ye Cheng turned to the front, but Tao Lu never looked back. Ye Cheng was shocked by this for a bit but then figured the other boy must've been busy taking notes or something and had no time to turn back just to talk with him, thus never taking the matter to heart.

That little adult-like kid, the way he acted made Ye Cheng quite fascinated.

_{The bell announcing the resumption of classes rang, and Tao Lu turned back around. The class was also a Language Arts class, so, naturally shifting to his left, Ye Cheng then asked, "Um... can you share your book with me?"}Done with introducing the new student, Miss Sun began her class. Turning around, she erased Ye Cheng's name from the board and then wrote the subject of the day's class.

_{Breathing out a long sigh, Ye Cheng then turned to his deskmate with a grin, the little dimple on the left side of his face giving his smiling face a hint of mischief.}
As a result, he focused the entirety of his attention on his deskmate. Naturally, he believed having a friendship between them was important, but being friends with a deskmate was even more so. After being suddenly thrust into this new environment, and having to say goodbye to all the teachers he knew and all the classmates he was close with, saying Ye Cheng wasn't the least bit upset about it would be a lie. However, Ye Cheng had taken after his mother, his character was one quite cheerful and lively. So as long as he was willing, there would never be any awkward silences, This skill of his made him able to always quickly make friends out of strangers.

Breathing out a long sigh, Ye Cheng then turned to his deskmate with a grin, the little dimple on the left side of his face giving his smiling face a hint of mischief.

_{It made Ye Cheng feel slightly depressed. {Did he not like me? In my old school, I had a lot of friends, you know!}}"Huh? You don't have to..." Ye Cheng shook his head. "I can just share with my deskmate, right?"

It made Ye Cheng feel slightly depressed. Did he not like me? In my old school, I had a lot of friends, you know!

_{Hearing his name called suddenly, Ye Cheng jumped in fright. He was only a bit familiar with this language class, so how would he know where the answer in that paragraph was?}N/A

Hearing his name called suddenly, Ye Cheng jumped in fright. He was only a bit familiar with this language class, so how would he know where the answer in that paragraph was?

_{Zhou Ni did indeed find a connection rather quickly. Then, no more than half a month had passed since the two had decided the matter before Ye Cheng was standing in the classroom of his new school with a book bag on his back.}With quickness, he obediently made his way over to the seat the teacher had pointed to, his Micky Mouse book bag on his back. Then he tried as best he could to pull out his pencil case and books while making as little noise as possible. He had received his course schedule earlier, and the first class he had that day was Language Arts. During the entire process, his new deskmate never turned to face him once. It was only when Ye Cheng turned to him to give a friendly hello, did he finally turned slightly in Ye Cheng's direction, whispering a hello to him in return.

_{Ye Cheng looked at the subject and was left confused. Why was it not the same as the one in my textbook? It clearly stated Lesson Eighteen there too. He stole a glance at the textbook belonging to his deskmate, noticing the book the other boy had was different from his own.}
But from what Ye Cheng had seen, his deskmate was a person of few words. While he chatted on for long stretches of time, the boy beside him would only utter an 'Mn' in return. In addition, his expression was also rather cold.

Ye Cheng looked at the subject and was left confused. Why was it not the same as the one in my textbook? It clearly stated Lesson Eighteen there too. He stole a glance at the textbook belonging to his deskmate, noticing the book the other boy had was different from his own.

_{"My name is Gu Shaofan."}
It made Ye Cheng feel slightly depressed. Did he not like me? In my old school, I had a lot of friends, you know!

"My name is Gu Shaofan."

_{Ye Cheng's ears flushed, but he still managed to maintain a straight face as he spoke. "Hi, everyone. My name is Ye Cheng. The Ye, from yezi (leaf), and the Cheng from chenggong (success). I hope we can all be friends in the future."}The baby fat of the little boy's cheeks shook as he laughed happily. "Then... why aren't you wearing one now, too?"

_{But from what Ye Cheng had seen, his deskmate was a person of few words. While he chatted on for long stretches of time, the boy beside him would only utter an 'Mn' in return. In addition, his expression was also rather cold.}As a person local to the area, Ye Cheng had also surely known of that school, and it was indeed an excellent school. Students from its main affiliated elementary school had an easier time when entering it, and it was one of the key middle schools in the city.

_{Unknowing whether it was simply his own misconception or not, Ye Cheng swore he could sense the curious expressions on practically every child on him as far as he could see.}"Hey, which school did you go to before this one?"

Unknowing whether it was simply his own misconception or not, Ye Cheng swore he could sense the curious expressions on practically every child on him as far as he could see.

_{Done with introducing the new student, Miss Sun began her class. Turning around, she erased Ye Cheng's name from the board and then wrote the subject of the day's class.}
"Oh, by the way, I still don't know your name. My name is Ye Cheng." Although it wasn't long since he had introduced himself, Ye Cheng took a notebook and very very carefully wrote the two characters of his name. "It's a nice name, right?"

Done with introducing the new student, Miss Sun began her class. Turning around, she erased Ye Cheng's name from the board and then wrote the subject of the day's class.

_{Unknowing whether it was simply his own misconception or not, Ye Cheng swore he could sense the curious expressions on practically every child on him as far as he could see.}
Glancing at him, his deskmate then took his own black rollerball pen and neatly wrote three characters below Ye Cheng's, stroke by stroke. They were both still young, so the characters he wrote couldn't be said to have any sort of style, but his penmanship was incredibly neat.

Unknowing whether it was simply his own misconception or not, Ye Cheng swore he could sense the curious expressions on practically every child on him as far as he could see.

_{The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.}For the eleven-year-old boy, his reaction towards his family again becoming one of three people was nothing especially big—at least, not as big as his father, Ye Chenghui, had expected. Apart from his son not calling his new wife mother at the time, a completely natural act, he had thought the boy would at the very least cry a little, maybe also scream a bit, too.

The affiliated school uniform was also tracksuits, but its overall design wasn't done as haphazardly. Its simple blue and white design made the kids look as though they actually had some spirit.

_{Done with introducing the new student, Miss Sun began her class. Turning around, she erased Ye Cheng's name from the board and then wrote the subject of the day's class.}As he spoke, Miss Sun immediately wrote Ye Cheng's name on the blackboard. After she was done, with the chalk in hand, she scanned the classroom.

Done with introducing the new student, Miss Sun began her class. Turning around, she erased Ye Cheng's name from the board and then wrote the subject of the day's class.

_{But all this assertion of his proved was that this man did not understand his son, Ye Cheng, as the one who understood the boy best was his own mother. A woman who always declared her son was a sensible and intelligent child.}
Maybe it was because his voice was nearly a whisper, or maybe it was because the way he spoke was slower than most because Ye Cheng felt as though his voice sounded like it had been soaked in iced water: frigid and cheerless, yet unusually crisp.

_{Zhou Ni let out a laugh. "So long as Chengcheng is willing, I will find a way. Connections are a thing one can always find." Her brows then drew into a slight knit, her mind clearly in thought. "However, Chengcheng is doing just fine in his current school, so transferring him with such little notice might make him unwilling, wouldn't it?"}Ye Cheng hurriedly ran his finger over the page, "Here, here—look here." After saying this he slid the book a bit more in between them, inching towards the other until they were quite close, close enough for them to clearly make out the fine hairs on his ear. But Ye Cheng paid no mind to any of this, his only worry being the boy beside would be unable to study properly since he had their book.

_{'Gu Shao-fan.'}Ye Cheng then mouthed a thank you to the other boy, he was ignored by the other but cared little about that. After class was done, Ye Cheng blabbered away at his deskmate. "How did you know where the answer was? Did you study ahead? No wonder you gave me your book and never looked at it. At first, I thought you were just embarrassed about sharing your book with me. But what's there to be embarrassed about, we're all boys here. So um... did you just study ahead for that class or have you done it for the other classes too? I can't believe there really are people who do that nowadays. I just thought it was just something teachers said to trick me. Right, Tao Lu?"

'Gu Shao-fan.'

_{Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.}The blame for this could only be laid on Ye Cheng and his parents, who should've made sure beforehand whether the books used by affiliate primary schools were the same as those stipulated for use in compulsory education courses. The contents in the other textbook were far more expansive than those commonly used, and the difficulty was also more advanced.

Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.

_{Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.}
"My name is Gu Shaofan."

Those curious words of his were no exaggeration, as the ability to have a child attend that school requires parents who are quite capable.

Author's Note:

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Notes:

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Childhood Chronicles: C01

01: School Transfer

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