Mid-June 2016, Huaxia.
Jingcheng 101 Middle School.
Zhou Ping rubbed his sleepy eyes, yawning incessantly, preparing to start a new day.
There was nothing he could do; he had been too engrossed in staying up late cultivating immortality last night, and now his eyelids felt heavy as lead.
In the morning's desperate struggle with his blanket, he was gloriously defeated.
Fortunately, his mother's 'Iron Fist of Love' arrived just in time, and only then did the blanket let him off the hook... It truly was a case of troubles never coming singly.
When the boat is delayed, it also encounters a headwind.
This saying couldn't be more fitting for Zhou Ping.
Early in the morning, his parents were each busy with their own affairs, leaving him with a 'figure it out yourself' before sending him off to squeeze onto the public bus.
That bus swayed slowly, and he actually fell asleep standing up.
He finally made it to his stop and got off the bus.
Zhou Ping went to the school gate to buy water and bread; a bottle of mineral water and a bottle of Oriental Leaf tea – this was already muscle memory.
As a result, in a moment of carelessness, he bumped into someone again.
"Ah, I'm sorry!"
Zhou Ping didn't even have time to glance at the coins scattered on the ground, quickly apologizing repeatedly to the figure behind him, afraid the other party would try to extort him.
"It's okay, are you alright?"
A female voice, slightly unique, came through; it wasn't overly sweet, but had a pleasant hint of huskiness.
Only then did Zhou Ping look up.
The girl in front of him wasn't stunningly beautiful, but her features were well-proportioned, and put together, they were pleasing to the eye, the kind that grew on you.
But her figure, tsk, was well-endowed!
Unlike some who were as thin as a stick, or those who were plump in an unhealthy way, this girl's figure had smooth lines, exuding a healthy beauty.
One look and it was clear she had a foundation built from years of dance practice.
"I'm fine, I didn't see you just now."
Zhou Ping examined her carefully, confirming that the girl in front of him was indeed fine, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, bending down to pick up the scattered coins.
Thankfully, both bottles of water and two pieces of bread were safely in the plastic bag.
Otherwise, his breakfast would have had an intimate encounter with the ground.
"I'll help you."
The girl also squatted down, nimbly helping Zhou Ping pick up the coins.
Their hands simultaneously reached for a fifty-cent coin, and their fingertips touched.
It was at this exact moment—
"Boom—"
A sudden roar echoed in Zhou Ping's mind.
Immediately after, the world fell silent.
No, not silent, but all sounds had changed.
The honking of cars turned into deep cellos, the chirping of birds became crisp violins, and even the footsteps of passersby became regular beats... He couldn't explain what this was, where this power came from, or why it had come.
He only knew that something... was different... "Hurry up, or we'll be late."
Song Yuqi's voice entered his ears, pulling Zhou Ping out of that state.
Hearing this, Zhou Ping subconsciously raised his wrist and glanced at his watch.
Seven forty-five!
"Damn it!"
He let out a low cry, no longer caring about anything else.
They grabbed their things and sprinted towards the teaching building.
The wind whistled past his ears, and Zhou Ping felt like he was flying.
Reaching the floor of his classroom, he was about to catch his breath when he saw the girl's steps didn't falter at all, and she went straight upstairs.
Hey, so she was an upperclassman.
He didn't know what possessed him, but Zhou Ping, as if by some ghostly impulse, called out, "Hey, what's your name?"
The girl's steps didn't stop, and her voice floated back from a distance:
"Song Yuqi."
"Song Yuqi..."
Zhou Ping mumbled the name... As expected, he still entered the classroom just as the bell rang.
Thankfully, the podium was empty; his homeroom teacher was probably stuck in traffic too.
His special seat was in the third-to-last row, the prime window seat.
Dubbed 'The King's Homeland,' it was actually a wide-open sanctuary for slacking off.
He couldn't be more satisfied with this spot.
In this 101 Middle School, top students were everywhere, and academic elites were as common as dogs.
Even Zhou Ping, who seemed to be 'slacking off,' could still shock people with his report card.
It was just that the 'involution' trend from junior high had intensified in high school, making it suffocating.
Because of this, he began to truly ponder what kind of life he wanted.
"Old Zhou, a rare sight today, to actually see you late."
His deskmate nudged his arm, a gossipy look on his face.
Zhou Ping glanced at him, then unscrewed his Oriental Leaf tea and took two gulps.
His deskmate was like a Pixiu, only taking in and never giving out; his daily water intake relied entirely on 'begging.'
Either it was someone else's, or he mooched off of Zhou Ping.
"There was a small hiccup on the way."
However, one doesn't hit a smiling person, so Zhou Ping still gave a perfunctory reply.
Just then, Zhang Sheng from the back seat leaned forward, gently poking his back with a finger.
"Old Zhou, big news! Have you heard? Our school seems to have a celebrity!"
"A celebrity? Zhang Sheng, are you still half-asleep? Our school is like a monastery, how could a celebrity come out of here?"
Zhou Ping scoffed, not believing it at all.
Zhang Sheng was about to argue when the classroom door creaked open, and the homeroom teacher walked in with messy hair.
Seeing this, Zhou Ping quickly turned back around.
Well, anything else would have to wait until after class...
The dismissal bell finally dragged Zhou Ping back from his daze.
He lay on his desk, his head buzzing, clearly having slept too deeply.
As for the celebrity gossip mentioned before class, he had long since thrown it to the winds.
What did that have to do with him?
Instead, the figure from the morning, that slightly husky voice, lingered in his mind.
A name subconsciously slipped from his lips.
"Song Yuqi..."
"Song Yuqi? Who's that?"
His deskmate's ears were sharper than a dog's; he immediately leaned over, a mischievous grin on his face, "Old Zhou, not bad, you've already hooked up with a new girl?"
Zhou Ping couldn't be bothered with him, rolling his eyes.
"Get lost, none of your business."
"Hey, wait!" Zhang Sheng from the back seat suddenly leaned forward, "Old Zhou, who did you just say? Song Yuqi?"
He furrowed his brows, trying hard to recall.
"That name... why does it sound so familiar?"
Before he could figure it out, Zhang Sheng's deskmate, a well-informed girl, quickly spoke up.
"You don't know this? The one from our school who's going to the Peninsula to be a trainee is named Song Yuqi!"
"Holy crap!"
Zhang Sheng slapped his thigh, suddenly enlightened.
"Yes, yes, yes! It's her! I knew it sounded familiar!"
He excitedly shook Zhou Ping's chair, his voice changing pitch.
"Old Zhou, you're amazing! How do you know her?!"
The classroom instantly fell silent for a moment, and several pairs of ears around them perked up.
Zhou Ping was completely stunned.
In his mind, two completely unrelated images suddenly crashed together.
That upperclassman who helped him pick up coins, reminded him not to be late, and had a good figure... was the one Zhang Sheng was talking about, who was going to be a big star?
This goddamn... the world was too small, wasn't it?
However, he couldn't tell the truth.
Zhou Ping looked at the people next to him, and those around him who pretended not to care but were secretly listening.
He said indifferently, "I have my own ways."
"Tsk." Zhang Sheng pouted, then slumped back onto his desk.
He 'tsked' with his mouth, but his mind was clear as a mirror.
What 'I have my own ways,' he almost got bluffed by this guy!
What did Zhou Ping's family do?
They owned gold and jewelry stores!
What kind of place was that?
Which female celebrity didn't try to pile on gold, silver, and jewels to make an impression? Which brand would miss the opportunity to hire a celebrity endorser?
Celebrities that others struggled to meet, for Zhou Ping, wasn't it just a matter of them strolling around his family's store?
Thinking of this, Zhang Sheng's gaze towards Zhou Ping changed.
This wasn't just amazing; this was the skill of choosing one's birth!