Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Old Shen, do you want a girlfriend or not?
"Thanks to a great discovery 30 years ago, humanity's struggle with monsters entered a new era, allowing us to truly live in peace and prosperity. According to our school's tradition, the school's anniversary cultural festival is in ten days, and our class will start preparing for our program next week..."
The setting sun slanted across Classroom A of the senior third grade, dividing the room with a line of light and shadow. The elegant class teacher stood at the podium, leisurely conducting the class meeting, her graceful handwriting on the electronic blackboard glinting in the sunlight.
The remaining glow of the sunset fell on the face of Shen Mochen, who was sleeping and seated at the last row. He slowly opened his eyes and gently furrowed his brow.
Perhaps because he had just awoken from a haze, Shen Mochen turned his head to look at the evening glow outside the window and stared blankly. The clouds resembled layers of fine sand, or rows of fish scales, with the setting sun sinking among them like melting gold, exuding a peculiar enchantment.
Today was Friday. As school was about to end, anticipation for the upcoming weekend caused a stir among the students, who whispered excitedly to each other.
Shen Mochen curled up slightly, sprawled boredly over his desk.
He had transferred to First Middle School six months ago. Due to his introverted and taciturn nature, soft-spoken and always walking with his head down... he had become the most invisible person in the class. His seat was also tucked away in the corner by the window at the back of the classroom, spending his days next to the trash can.
He had no friends, never stood out, and sat in a remote spot. If not for roll call, nobody would even remember Shen Mochen existed if he were absent. Moreover, his long bangs covered most of his face, establishing a barrier of estrangement that discouraged people from approaching him.
There were once rumors about what lay beneath Shen Mochen's bangs due to an accident that supposedly disfigured him in his childhood, hence the long hair. But as everyone grew accustomed to it, the speculation died down.
These claims had never been confirmed by Shen Mochen himself, and no one bothered to investigate their truth. After all, the dull details of an unremarkable person's life attracted less interest than the trivial matters of a third-tier celebrity.
As his classmates chatted quietly, Shen Mochen, ignored by everyone, just silently listened.
Most of the gossip was trivial, but one thing caught his interest: Gao Le, the leader of Shen Mochen's study group, had confessed to Yange Gu of class C next door and been rejected.
Gao Le was an influential figure in A class, with good academic record and a bold personality, making him quite handsome and popular. Occasionally, a girl would confess to him.
Unfortunately, he was a faithful follower of Yange Gu, class C's beauty. His efforts included but were not limited to: sending her daily good morning and good night texts, writing her love letters twice a week, brainstorming presents for her, and even sometimes spending his own money to ask her friends out, hoping they would bring her along...
Perhaps feeling confident, Gao Le had launched an all-out confession to Yange Gu today only to be spectacularly rebuffed.
It was said that Yange Gu's rejection was quite harsh, making the 1.85-meter tall man burst into tears on the spot.
Overhearing people comfort Gao Le, Shen Mochen couldn't help feeling schadenfreude, thoroughly enjoying the moment.
On normal days, whether it was group assignments or cleaning duties, Gao Le, the group leader, would always pick on Shen Mochen, exploiting his quiet nature without complaint. Now that it was his turn to be unlucky, why shouldn't Shen Mochen laugh out loud?
While he listened, a few girls began discussing the rumor of a 'mysterious young man.'
Lately, this rumor had spread widely among the girls of First Middle School. They claimed to have seen a stunningly beautiful boy wearing the school uniform. This beautiful young man had an ethereal charm and an innate allure that evoked a sense of heartache. Every girl who saw him found him unforgettable...
Logically, such an attractive young man would stand out anywhere, but the odd thing was, no one present at the time recognized him!
Regarding this, some say that the mysterious young man is not a First Middle School student, and he just happened to wear the school uniform for some reason that day; others speculate that it may not have been their school's uniform he was wearing, it just looked similar; some believe he might be a transfer student about to join First Middle School, who would undoubtedly challenge the current top heartthrob; and there are even fanatics who claim this mysterious boy is not human, but a Heavenly God descended to save lost girls... In short, opinions were varied and numerous.
Shen Mochen listened and frowned, at that time the class teacher had already finished discussing the school anniversary event, and clicked on the computer. The study tablets of all the students in the classroom lit up automatically.
The class teacher lightly slapped the podium, his face stern, "These are the results of this TAST mock test. Moreover, your parents should have received this report card too, I hope students who performed well will continue to do so, and those who didn't should reflect seriously, as there isn't much time left till the national exam…"
With a sigh from the students, Shen Mochen also lowered his head to check his test results. With thirty-five students in the class, he was ranked twenty-eighth, falling two places from last time. As for his grade ranking... it's better left unmentioned.
Of course, he didn't care about these. He casually glanced over the overall rankings, dominated as usual by that familiar name.
He unconsciously looked up towards the person, but unfortunately, since they were sitting in the front row, he couldn't see their face, only the light golden hair that shimmered with flowing light under the setting sun.
It seemed she noticed someone looking at her, as the golden-haired girl turned around, and Shen Mochen quickly lowered his head.
The class teacher instructed a few more things from the podium, and just in time, the bell that releases students rang enchantingly, instantly filling the classroom with noise.
Everyone was playfully talking and laughing, while Shen Mochen, in a corner, quietly packed his school bag to go home.
However, for some reason, the usually noisy class suddenly quieted down a bit. Shen Mochen looked up to find the cause and saw a girl with a princess braid standing at the door of Class A looking inside, apparently searching for someone.
The person was none other than Gu Yange, the class belle of Class C.
Shen Mochen glanced at Gao Le, the team leader, whose face glowed red with hope that she might reconsider, then returned to packing his bag. After all, it was none of his business, and he couldn't be bothered to care.
But the next moment, Gu Yange waved at him, her eyes glittering with an indescribable brightness, "Hey, Shen Mochen, come out for a sec."
The noisy classroom quieted down further, as more and more eyes turned toward the once invisible corner.
"...Me?"
Shen Mochen paused for a moment, pointing at himself.
"Yes, come out for a sec!"
Gu Yange lightly stamped her foot, urging him with a voice that surprisingly had a hint of coquetry.
Shen Mochen hesitated for a moment, pursed his lips, looked down to zip up his backpack, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, reluctantly dragged his feet to the classroom door, "May I ask, what is it?"
Gu Yange looked up at Shen Mochen's face, but it was obscured by his long fringe saying nothing clearly.
She touched her neck and her pretty face gradually blushed, maintaining composure, "Do you have a girlfriend?"