Nie Yan put down his helmet. Today was the day to go to school. Although as a freshman he could have gone a few days later, he was eager to see Xie Yao and thus packed his things and headed off.
Nie Yan’s parents had left him some breakfast before going to work. Their company had just started, and there were many things to deal with.
In his previous life, Nie Yan felt lonely and neglected staying alone in the villa, which led to his rebellious teenage mentality. In this life, he would not follow the same old path again.
Nie Yan took a car to school driven by a fifty-year-old driver.
Huada High School, an institution Nie Yan had been very familiar with in his previous life, held many of his memories.
The environment here was very pleasant, with shady paths lined with blooming flowers and flowing streams, giving off a fresh and pleasant feeling. Rows of sweet osmanthus trees stood neatly on both sides, lush and green. It wasn’t yet the season for them to bloom, but Nie Yan remembered how their rich fragrance could spread far and wide when they did.
Everything matched perfectly with his memories.
History had changed slightly, but many things still followed their original trajectory until Nie Yan’s appearance caused a deviation.
Inside the classroom of Class 3, Senior 2, many students were already there. At the beginning of the new semester, everyone was busy socializing, gathering in groups and chatting enthusiastically. Lessons would start soon.
This was a multimedia classroom, with desks shaped like computer tables, very comfortable to sit in. The hardware facilities here were clearly much better than those at Ningjiang High School, where Nie Yan had previously studied.
Nie Yan scanned the crowd with his eyes and finally spotted a familiar figure. She wore a bright yellow T-shirt with a light blue skirt, looking youthful and vibrant. Her bright smile made her stand out among everyone like a crane among chickens.
Around her were seven or eight girls chatting happily about what had happened during summer vacation.
The beautiful figure overlapped perfectly with the unforgettable image in Nie Yan’s mind, making his heart unable to calm down.
After experiencing two lifetimes, his mindset had matured, but his emotions had become increasingly profound with the passage of time.
After a while, Nie Yan managed to suppress his excitement and walked toward Xie Yao.
Xie Yao noticed someone approaching and curiously looked at Nie Yan a few times, finding him very familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before. But when she looked at his face, she couldn’t recall at all.
“Hello,” Nie Yan greeted Xie Yao.
Xie Yao nodded and showed a slightly puzzled expression, saying, “Hello, I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere. Who are you?”
“I’m Nie Yan,” he introduced himself.
“Oh, it’s you!” Xie Yao exclaimed, showing a look of surprise and disbelief. She recalled their first meeting in Ningjiang. Back then, Nie Yan was thin and now he looked completely different—much stronger and taller.
Nie Yan smiled and said, “You finally remember me. I just transferred to this class and am a new student here. Please take care of me.”
“What a coincidence! Welcome!” Xie Yao said happily. Looking at Nie Yan, a different image suddenly popped into her mind—the guy who led a large group in the game, a mysterious figure somewhere in the world. The two actually looked somewhat alike. Thinking about the man she admired, her heart fluttered slightly, and a blush passed across her cheeks.
“Thank you,” Nie Yan nodded.
A girl beside Xie Yao nudged her and asked in a gossipy tone, “Who is he?”
“Yeah, he’s kind of cute, and his physique is good. He’s not your boyfriend, is he?” another girl added with a grin.
“No, don’t say such things. He’s just a friend I met not long ago,” Xie Yao explained awkwardly, giving Nie Yan an apologetic smile. “They always speak without thinking. Don’t take it to heart.”
Someone from a distance noticed the situation and walked over.
When Nie Yan saw that person, his eyes suddenly turned cold. It was Liu Rui. It seemed that enemies were destined to meet again. The grudge between him and Liu Rui couldn’t be explained in a short time. In his previous life, Nie Yan had been repeatedly humiliated by Liu Rui, which made him very self-conscious. Whether it was family background, appearance, or academics, Nie Yan couldn’t compare to Liu Rui in any aspect. Later, as his life experiences increased, he realized that love had nothing to do with these things. By the time he understood, he had already missed Xie Yao.
In this life, he would get everything back. As for Liu Rui, he must be crushed underfoot. Whatever Liu Rui had done to him in the past, Nie Yan would repay it in full.
“Hello, may I ask who you are?” Liu Rui extended his hand with a smile he thought was sunny and handsome.
“Hello, I’m Nie Yan. I just transferred here,” Nie Yan politely shook hands with Liu Rui. With a mature mindset, he understood that some superficial gestures were necessary, especially in front of Xie Yao.
“No wonder. Do you know Xie Yao from before?” Liu Rui asked. Seeing Nie Yan, a sense of crisis arose in his heart—he was a strong competitor!
“We’ve met once,” Nie Yan smiled. His expression remained natural, showing no hostility.
Liu Rui relaxed, thinking they must be very close, but it turned out they had only met once.
Xie Yao showed a hint of impatience. Liu Rui was being too nosy about her affairs. She had initially had a slight fondness for Liu Rui, thinking he was talented and excelled at everything. However, as her horizons expanded, she realized how naive she had been before. There were many people better than Liu Rui. His flaws gradually surfaced—his arrogance, self-righteousness, and his overly attentive behavior toward her, which had even become annoying.
Nie Yan casually chatted with a few people around him. They all had a good impression of him, finding him humorous and interesting without being frivolous.
“Nie Yan, have you practiced Taekwondo? You look really muscular,” a girl curiously asked.
“I haven’t practiced Taekwondo. I only did mixed martial arts,” Nie Yan replied. As a guy, if he hadn’t practiced anything, he would definitely be looked down upon.
“Mixed martial arts focuses more on practical combat. Are you really good at fighting?” The girl’s eyes sparkled with interest. In her opinion, men who practiced mixed martial arts were more attractive than those who practiced Taekwondo.
“You know martial arts? Let’s spar. I’ve been training with Master Yang for a while,” Liu Rui suddenly said. While interacting with everyone, he felt his spotlight had been completely overshadowed. He urgently wanted to regain some attention.
Xie Yao’s bright eyes curiously looked at Nie Yan. She found him to be a truly amazing person, completely different from when she first met him. It was hard to imagine they were the same person.
“Master Yang…” several girls whispered in awe.
Upon hearing Liu Rui’s challenge, Nie Yan’s eyes flashed with a murderous intent. “Kid, I’ve been waiting for you a long time.” In his previous life, it was Liu Rui’s repeated provocations during physical education class that had driven Nie Yan to confront him. Of course, the result was disastrous. Nie Yan was severely injured, his neck stepped on by Liu Rui while he lay on the ground, and he had to admit defeat in front of the whole class. That incident had the greatest impact on Nie Yan, directly causing him to miss nearly a month of school.
Liu Rui was the class assistant, skilled in both mixed martial arts and Taekwondo. In his previous life, how could Nie Yan have been any match for that guy! Liu Rui somehow found out that Nie Yan had a secret crush on Xie Yao and deliberately made him look bad in that class!
Kid, this time you’re asking for it yourself! Nie Yan’s heart turned as cold as ice. He would definitely repay every humiliation Liu Rui had imposed on him in his previous life!
Liu Rui unintentionally caught a glimpse of Nie Yan’s gaze and felt a chill in his heart. When he looked at Nie Yan again, Nie Yan had already returned to his normal self, chatting and laughing with others.
Was it just an illusion?
Nie Yan continued chatting while occasionally glancing at Xie Yao. Her beautiful face gave off a soft, radiant glow. Her slightly tight T-shirt highlighted her slender figure, making hearts flutter.
In his previous life, Nie Yan had only dared to secretly watch her from a corner. This time, the change in mindset allowed him to appreciate her beauty openly.
Feeling Nie Yan’s gaze, Xie Yao felt her heartbeat quicken slightly, her cheeks warming. She turned the conversation to something else with the girl beside her, feeling slightly embarrassed. However, in her eyes, Nie Yan was much more pleasant to look at than Liu Rui.
“No thanks. I’m not that good at mixed martial arts. I might end up embarrassing myself,” Nie Yan pretended to decline.
Liu Rui became more convinced that Nie Yan’s skills were definitely poor. This was a great opportunity to make Nie Yan look bad!
“It’s okay, we’re just playing around, having a little sparring match. If you don’t know something, I can teach you. I’ve just been appointed as the class assistant by Master Yang. He will be our homeroom teacher this year,” Liu Rui said proudly.
“Wow, Liu Rui didn’t mention this before,” a girl exclaimed.
Liu Rui smiled smugly but tried to appear nonchalant, “It was just a regular test, not an official one.”
“That’s still impressive.”
“Yeah, it’s the First Military Academy’s test!”
“I’m sure I can’t match you. I only know some basic martial arts moves,” Nie Yan said, precisely playing on Liu Rui’s personality. Once this guy latched onto someone and found them easy to bully, he would never let go easily. Nie Yan was waiting for Liu Rui to take the bait!
“It’s okay, we’ll just spar a little,” Liu Rui said magnanimously.
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