Chapter 244 – Meeting Xie Yao Again (1/2)
Chapter 244 – Meeting Xie Yao Again
Nie Yan put down the game helmet on the side of his bed. Today was the first day of the school year. As a newly enrolled transfer student, he was allowed to start a few days later than everyone else in order to get settled into his new environment. But he badly wanted to see Xie Yao again, so he packed his bag before heading off for school.
Nie Yan’s parents, who had gone off to work early in the morning, left breakfast for him on the table. Since the company was just established, there were a lot of matters to attend to.
In the previous timeline, Nie Yan felt neglected being left in the villa all by himself, causing his juvenile mind to develop a rebellious personality. He vowed he would never repeat his past mistakes with this new life that was given to him.
A 50-year-old chauffeur awaited Nie Yan at the villa entrance and drove him to school.
Huahai Affiliated High School, a place very familiar to Nie Yan; it held many memories he still cherished even after a lifetime.
The school campus was beautiful, a shaded pathway enclosed by dense shrubbery and flowers along with a flowing miniature creek. Osmanthus trees lined both sides in a neat row. Even though they weren’t yet in bloom, Nie Yan recalled how their fragrance filled the school grounds.
Everything was just as he remembered.
Although there were some slight differences, many things were pretty much identical to the previous timeline. History only began to slightly deviate when Nie Yan awoke in the past.
Many students were already milling around in the third-year classroom of Class 3. It was the beginning of the new semester, so everyone was busily reconnecting after the summer break. Gathered in cliques, they were having lively discussions. Only after the bell rang would they finally settle down for class.
This was a multimedia classroom, with computers molded into the shape of desk and seat. Sitting was very comfortable. The facilities here were clearly better than the ones in Nie Yan’s old school back in Ningjiang.
Nie Yan’s eyes scanned through the crowd before finally stopping on a familiar face. She wore a bright yellow blouse and a light blue skirt, and glowed with a youthful radiance. Her beautiful smile was especially dazzling. She was like a crane among a flock of hens.
She was surrounded by eight female classmates. They were happily chatting about what they did over the summer holidays.
Xie Yao’s image resonated with the one engraved in his heart. After seeing her again, Nie Yan could no longer remain calm.
Even though Nie Yan had matured into an adult, the feelings that accumulated over two lifetimes had increasingly weighed on him.
Only after a long while did Nie Yan finally suppress the feelings in his heart. He walked toward Xie Yao.
Xie Yao noticed an inconspicuous young man approaching her and looked at him with a curious glint. She felt he was extremely familiar, as though they had met somewhere before. But when she carefully examined his appearance, nobody came to mind.
“Hi,” Nie Yan greeted.
Xie Yao nodded, then asked with a somewhat doubtful expression, “Hi, have we met somewhere before? You are…?”
“I’m Nie Yan (聶言). That’s Nie with a double ‘ear’ (耳), and the Yan in ‘language’ (語言),” Nie Yan introduced himself.
“Oh! It’s you!” Xie Yao exclaimed. She wore an expression of amazement along with pleasant surprise. She recalled the time they first met in Ninjiang, and how she mistook him for a middle schooler back then. But now, he looked like a completely different person—much taller, and more muscular too.
Nie Yan laughed. “You’ve remembered. I just transferred to this school, and happened to end up in this class. I’m your new classmate, so please treat me kindly.”
“What a coincidence! Welcome!” Xie Yao said in a cheerful tone. When she looked at Nie Yan, another figure popped into her mind—someone she knew from a game, who led a powerful band of experts and took the virtual world by storm. She didn’t know what corner of the planet this mysterious player lived in, but she couldn’t help but feel that these two people were somewhat alike. As her thoughts turned to this person she deeply admired, ripples surfaced in her heart and her cheeks flushed red.
“Thank you.” Nie Yan nodded.
A female classmate standing beside Xie Yao nudged her and asked in a gossipy tone, “Ah? Xie Yao, who is he?
“Right! Tell us! He’s tall, and kinda cute… Wait! Don’t tell us he’s your boyfriend!?” another female classmate chimed in, covering her mouth with one hand as she giggled.
“No, stop speaking nonsense! He’s just a friend I met not long ago,” Xie Yao exclaimed in embarrassment, then turned to Nie yan with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, they always blabber like this. Don’t mind them.”
A student who noticed this scene unfolding from the other side of the classroom walked over.
Nie Yan’s expression turned frosty when he saw this person. Destiny would inevitably force enemies to cross paths again. The grievances between him and Liu Rui weren’t something easily explained in a few short sentences. In the previous timeline, were it not for Liu Rui constantly putting him down, he wouldn’t have developed such a low self-esteem. Whether in terms of background, appearance, or studies, he always lost to Liu Rui. It was only after he matured into an adult that he realized none of these things mattered at all in the face of true love. However, by the time he understood this truth of life, Xie Yao was already taken away from him.
In this life, Nie Yan would take back everything he lost. He would crush Liu Rui beneath his feet, and all the bullying he received in his past life would be paid back in full.
“Hello, who might you be?” Liu Rui offered his hand, revealing what he thought was a bright and elegant smile.
“Hello, my name is Nie Yan. I’m a new transfer student.” Nie Yan shook hands with Liu Rui in a graceful manner. Now that he had a more mature outlook on life, he understood some actions no matter how superficial still needed to be done, even more so since he was in front of Xie Yao.