So formidable.

"Auntie!" Shen Mo came up to Cheng Mengfei, rose lightly on her toes, and smiled, appearing to be in a very good mood.

Cheng Mengfei patted the back seat of the electric bike. Shen Mo was wearing a dress, so she climbed on, sitting sideways with her backpack, and after Cheng Mengfei settled herself in, Shen Mo wrapped her arms around her waist.

"Hold tight," Cheng Mengfei reminded her, starting the electric bike and riding toward the school gate.

These days, motorcycles outnumber electric bikes by far; electric bikes are still a novelty. Many students watched them curiously. Some from Class Four had come out early; upon seeing Cheng Mengfei, a few discreetly stepped aside, pretending not to notice, silently praying the homeroom teacher hadn't seen them either. Others greeted her openly, and Cheng Mengfei responded with a smile.

Cheng Mengfei had already gone home to change clothes, so she didn't have to worry about her dress. She soon sped away from the crowd of students.

The town's streets weren't bustling, but every now and then a shop's lights shone. Their route was well-lit, and Cheng Mengfei slowed the bike, asking, "Mo-mo, how did the first day of school feel?"

The evening breeze lifted Cheng Mengfei's long hair, leaving behind a fresh scent of shampoo in the air. Shen Mo inhaled it, thinking of her newly acquainted deskmate, and replied softly, "It was pretty good."

Cheng Mengfei acknowledged her, then asked, "Have you met that boy who sits next to you?"

"Sort of... I suppose?" Shen Mo ducked her head behind her aunt, feeling inexplicably shy. "His name is Fang Chang'an."

"Mm." Cheng Mengfei rode slowly, reminding her little niece, "His family isn't doing well, but his grades are excellent and he's very mature—a good student. Since you'll be sitting together, don't throw tantrums or bully him."

"Why would I bully him?" Shen Mo protested quietly, cheeks puffed in indignation.

"I'm just reminding you ahead of time. It's best to get along, and no one should bully anyone."

Shen Mo's parents were rarely home; she'd been raised by her grandparents, who cherished her like a precious jewel. Cheng Mengfei, newly married, wasn't planning on children soon, but she cared for her niece as if she were her own daughter.

The girl was clever and well-behaved, endearing to all. But from a teacher's objective viewpoint, Cheng Mengfei saw that Shen Mo's pampering had given her a bit of pride.

She had a good impression of Fang Chang'an, who was also related to two teachers at the school. She'd already asked them to keep an eye out. If there were any conflicts between the two children, it would be difficult to handle.

"I haven't had time to look at your test paper yet. Did you find today's exam questions hard?"

"A little bit."

"Then you'll have to work hard. Look at Fang Chang'an—he handed in his paper early, and I think he got most of the answers right. His entrance exam score was twenty points lower than yours. If you can't beat him next time, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

"...Oh."

The girl responded gloomily, paused, and then asked, "How many points did he get?"

"It's not officially graded yet, but I estimate he'll get over ninety."

Her little niece had scored double hundreds before, and Cheng Mengfei worried she might not understand what that meant, so she explained further: "This placement exam was quite tough, because if students do well, they get proud and stop working hard. At the meeting the other day, the two teachers who designed the test guaranteed no student would score over ninety."

She couldn't help but laugh, "I bet Teacher Zheng will remember Fang Chang'an now."

Shen Mo couldn't help but smile too. "Fang Chang'an is that impressive?"

"Yes, so sitting next to him, you shouldn't let him outshine you, right?"

"Mm."

There were no mobiles in those days, and at their age, romance was out of the question. After school, Fang Chang'an found himself bored. The classroom lights wouldn't go out until ten, so he simply stayed to read.

Wang Ke and Wang Hao, seeing he hadn't left, didn't hurry home either. Zheng Lili, seeing Wang Ke still there, lingered as well. They chatted idly, discussing the test answers.

A handful of others remained in the classroom. By half past nine, the entire school building had quieted down. More people left. After Wang Ke and Zheng Lili departed, Wang Hao thought about going home and called out to Fang Chang'an.

Fang Chang'an had already read through his Chinese textbook in detail. In this life and the last, he remembered anything he set his mind to; he might not recite it word for word, but he recalled the gist. So he left the classroom with Wang Hao.

Three or four students still lingered, absorbed in their books or memorizing vocabulary. As he left, Fang Chang'an couldn't help but reflect—most of the time in his previous life, he was among those students, never leaving until the lights went out.

On his way out, Fang Chang'an noticed the classroom door lock had been left on the door, open, but couldn't remember who had the key.

Probably Teacher Cheng had quietly handed it to someone.

Stepping out of the building, Fang Chang'an glanced at the field and said to Wang Hao, "You go ahead."

Wang Hao was surprised. "What about you?"

Fang Chang'an pointed to the still waterlogged field. "I'm going for a run."

Wang Hao was baffled; he couldn't imagine anyone willingly going for a run. In elementary school, whenever the school made him run, he'd escape if he could, and he dreaded the thought that middle school would require running too.

Fang Chang'an understood, but didn't explain further. He smiled, "Go on, I'll be back soon."

Wang Hao hesitated, said nothing, and left, glancing back as he walked, as though checking if this impressive roommate might actually be crazy.

Fang Chang'an had always preferred quiet over activity, and his health had been poor since childhood—worst in middle school. He remembered in his previous life, the most extreme case was in eighth grade: every month that winter, he spent at least ten days getting IV drips in the infirmary, spending more on medicine than on living expenses.

Each time, he had to call his uncle because he didn't have enough money, and thinking back, those years had really been a burden on his uncle and aunt.

By high school, his body had grown, but he was still frail. In eleventh grade, he was already 182 centimeters tall, but weighed only 106 pounds. He hadn't thought much of it then, but after graduation, when his weight increased to 150, he finally realized how absurdly thin he'd been.

Forty pounds! Even if it were pork, at future prices, it would have been enough for his startup funds—why would his parents need to work away from home?

Fang Chang'an only became conscious of exercising in high school. Without access to a gym, he just ran, though often sporadically. By college, he began running regularly—five kilometers every evening unless weather or illness prevented it.

Even after graduation, he insisted on at least three kilometers every evening. Although not a muscleman, his physique was lean and strong, and his stamina exceeded most.

Of course, he'd never admit that he'd heard running helps men's endurance and that's why he'd stuck to it.

Now, Fang Chang'an's body was extremely weak. He remembered that in ninth grade, because the high school entrance exam included a thirty-point PE test, he started training, but couldn't even meet the girls' passing standard.

During the exam, the examiner was his uncle's old classmate. His uncle had spoken to him, so Fang Chang'an barely scraped by with twenty-eight points. Not giving him full marks wasn't due to lack of connection, but because his performance was so poor.

After his rebirth, Fang Chang'an was first preoccupied with the water disaster, then worried about his family's future, and hadn't had time to think about his health. Now, with school providing idle hours, he definitely needed to prioritize training.

The field was decrepit; though the sun had shone for three days, water still pooled everywhere. Fortunately, the track was dry.

Fang Chang'an warmed up carefully, anxious not to injure himself, and started jogging in the empty field.

The whole field was uneven, but the track was passable. The PE test required a four-hundred-meter run, so the outer lane was marked with white lime, but after the recent rain, it hadn't been repainted and was invisible now. The inner lane was lined with red bricks embedded in the soil, still clearly visible.

Any hope for a rubber track was pointless; it was all coal clinkers and gravel. Fang Chang'an wore sandals, and after a few steps he had to stop, lifting a foot and shaking it like he'd been shocked.

He managed to shake the coal bits out of his sandals, took a few more steps, and had to stop again, repeating the dance.

"Damn it... Run your sister's run!" Fang Chang'an cursed furiously.