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Chapter 1 Transfer Schools
On both sides of the road, there were verdant and lush forests. The branches and leaves swayed, and layered shadows flashed frame by frame like film, and were imprinted into Jian Chi’s eyes through the car window.
“Ten minutes to reach Saintston College.” The driver broadcasted for the third time. His hands in white gloves turned the steering wheel steadily and drove deep into the path.
Jian Chi retracted his gaze, slowly relaxed his stiff body from the two-hour drive, and leaned back on the leather seat of the car. He could feel the slight tension in the neckline of his uniform, he didn’t know how many times he had already raised his hand to loosen the tie today.
He was still not used to a Western-styled uniform, or it’s better to say, he had never worn it like this before. Just like on the verge of arriving at Saintston College, it made him feel uneasy and unfamiliar.
When Jian Chengchao received the admission letter and uniform sent together, he looked a little more excited than Jian Chi. While measuring Jian Chi’s waist with his hu kou (web between the thumb and forefinger of a hand), he wiped the end of his eyes full of fine lines with his rough hands, and kept saying ‘Son, I’m not dreaming right?’ and ‘it’s really a notice from Saintston’.
In fact, Jian Chi didn’t expect everything to happen so quickly. It was as if the plan that should have been in the memorandum book had become a reality ahead of time.
As the capital, Chuanlin had the best college teachers in the country and it also was the most expensive. After his grandfather died, Jian Chengchao made a decision to sell his family’s dry cleaner store and take Jian Chi to his mother’s hometown, Chuanlin.
Jian Chi searched the internet for high school places in Chuanlin early in the morning. Unfortunately, there were only a few high schools that accepted midway transfers. Fortunately, St. Seton was the only school that could waive all tuition fees if given a scholarship.
The words ‘exemption from tuition’ made Jian Chi stop the mouse and click on the application form for the entrance examination.
He didn’t have much confidence, so he sent application emails to three other high schools that were also among the best, and then took the Seton Scholarship Test in Yuncheng.
The results of the exam came out a week later and the school sent an admission letter and a uniform in the afternoon the next day.
Everything went smoothly, too smoothly.
Until he got into the limousine assigned by the school, Jian Chi still had a surreal feeling.
He arrived in Chuanlin last night and he hadn’t had time to go sightseeing in the surrounding area to see the scenery and people that his mother often told him about before her death. But since stepping foot on this unfamiliar land, Jian Chi has an inexplicable peace of mind, knowing that there would always be opportunities to see it in the future.
“We’ve arrived.”
The driver pulled Jian Chi back to reality, opened the trunk, revealing a travel bag containing all his luggage for the trip. Jian Chi said ‘thank you’ to the driver who helped him take down the travel bag. The other party smiled politely and said, “I hope you can create a good memory in Saintston.”
I hope so. Jian Chi silently mouthed in his heart.
In front of the main entrance of Saintston College was a wide avenue. The black guardrail outlined an eagle and lion, and the marble on the side was engraved with the English word ‘Saintston College’.
Jian Chi looked up at the fountain in the distance and the teaching building directly opposite. In fact, it did not look like a teaching building, but more like an ancient European architectural framework, which was more stunning than the pictures on the official website.
“Hey, you, I’m speaking to you.”
The slightly exaggerated tone did not match the sacred building, Jian Chi turned around, and a boy in the same uniform raised his chin and raised his eyebrows at him with his arms crossed.
Saintston’s uniform was a dark blue uniform vest. The left chest of the jacket was embroidered with the school badge and the shield at the bottom. The right side was a golden lion with a blue background, while the left side was a white sword and shield with a red background. The ‘ST’, the school’s abbreviation, was sewn with intertwining gold and dark blue thread below.
This was undoubtedly a majestic pattern, but it would show a different effect on different people, such as the boy in front of him.
He looked at Jian Chi without hesitation, “Are you Jian Chi?”
Jian Chi nodded slightly, “Is it Senior Han?”
Before leaving, he received an email from the school, which detailed the senior who would come to receive him and the process of the first day of class. Fortunately, Jian Chi had browsed the photos on the Internet early on , which weakened the expectations in his heart, so he did not feel angry or dissatisfied with the contempt in the other party’s eyes.
Han Fang didn’t seem to want to talk, so he threw a document bag to Jian Chi neatly, frowning and looking at his watch. Jian Chi noticed what he was holding in his hand, “Are there any other transfer students today?”
“Yes, there is one more,” he laughed, an uncomfortable and mean laugh, “The transfer student who is ten minutes late on the first day. It seems necessary to let him understand the first rule of Saintston is punctuality.”
Just as Jian Chi was about to say something, there was the sound of hurried footsteps behind him, the wheels of the suitcase rolling on the ground, and a clear voice rushing over.
“I’m sorry I’m late. There was a traffic jam on the road just now, I’m really sorry!”
The boy had soft black hair and a faint blush on his cheeks because of the jog. To Jian Chi, he blinked his deer like eyes, showing a shy and curious smile. He stretched out his hand and said, “Hello, my name is Bai Xiyu, a transfer student from the sophomore department, are you too?”
Jian Chi nodded as a greeting, then found that the boy in front of him had two shallow dimples when he smiled. He held out a hand to the one that Bai Xiyu held out, “My name is Jian Chi.”
For an eighteen-year-old boy, the skin on his hands was too slippery and too soft. Jian Chi looked at Bai Xiyu, who was half a head shorter than himself, and did not dare to exert too much force.
“Alright, alright, I don’t want to see you guys hit it off here,” Han Fang shoved the document bag in Bai Xiyu’s arms and interrupted unceremoniously, “Inside, you can find the school maps, student handbooks, two dormitory key and email account password – coursework will be sent by email in the future. Right, there is also a student account, student ID and HS invitation code. As for the class schedule, it is in your account and all other matters are also written in the student handbook. Are there any other questions?”
Bai Xiyu seemed confused, he raised his hand and asked hesitantly, “Senior, is this all?”
Han Fang sneered unceremoniously: “What more do you want? A withdrawal notice or a reward for being ten minutes late today?”
Jian Chi didn’t know if the school had sent Han Fang over after understanding his character first. Bai Xiyu blushed, appeared fuming, and looked at Jian Chi as if asking for help.
“Can you explain it a little bit?” Jian Chi said appropriately to ease the awkward atmosphere, “What’s the HS invitation code for?”
“High Society, do you know this software?” Han Fang raised his chin, as if to show his arrogance, “It’s normal if you don’t know, this is a social software launched by the High Society Club and only members of the club are eligible to get the invitation code. Saintston is kind enough to give every incoming student a free invitation code, but obviously, this only plays a role for you poor students.”
“Poor students?” Bai Xiyu bit his lower lip and argued, “We were admitted to the school only after being awarded a scholarship, why should we be called poor students?”
“Scholarship? Come on,” Han Fang sneered oddly, “Saintston rarely recruits poor students in the fourth semester, you two are just lucky this time, remember to cherish it, after all, this is the closest distance between you and the upper class. It is very likely to become a lifelong topic for conversation. Well, there will be classes later, if there is no problem, I will go first.”
“What kind of person is that!” Bai Xiyu threw a fist at the back of Han Fang’s departure and muttered angrily.
When Jian Chi saw Bai Xiyu who was so angry that he couldn’t speak, his inner impression of him changed from ‘a boy who looked weak’ to ‘a boy who looked weak but had a straightforward personality’. He changed the topic in time and calmed his upset mood, “Should we go to the dormitory to put away our luggage first?”
“Yes, I would have forgotten if you didn’t remind me,” Bai Xiyu hurriedly took out the dormitory key and a card from the document bag, “I’m in… Building B, 516. It should be the fifth floor, how about you Jian Chi?”
Jian Chi took out the card with the room number on it, “407, Building B.”
When Bai Xiyu heard it, he immediately said excitedly, “We’re just one level apart, we can visit each other in the future.”
Jian Chi didn’t answer. He smiled politely, not too unaccustomed to saying things like ‘visit each other’ to people who had just met for less than half an hour.
He put the key in his pocket and wanted to take out the school map to find the direction of the dormitory building. Just as he reached into the document bag, he bumped into a hard object.
“Hey,” Bai Xiyu slowly opened his eyes, “Is this… a brooch?”
A white gemstone brooch was lying still in Jian Chi’s palm, and the pattern on the corners surrounded the gemstone, reflecting a pure and clear light from the sun into his eyes.
Jian Chi heard a surprise ‘I have it too’ coming from his side. He slowly closed his palms. He could feel the sharp edges and corners slicing across his skin, pressing against his wrists heavily.
He recalled that there was a brooch on Han Fang’s chest just now. It was the same style as the one in his hand, only the gemstone was changed to yellow.
Now it seems that this was not the personal ornament he thought.