My Sister Is Acting Strange - Chapter 6 - New School

On Monday, Tang Huaijin woke up a bit late because he hadn’t slept well the night before. After hurriedly preparing breakfast for his sister, he knocked on her door.

His sister seemed half-asleep, mumbling a response without much movement.

After calling a few more times without any reaction, Tang Huaijin didn’t have time to wait any longer. He reminded her not to be late for work and then headed out.

He rushed to the bus stop, only to see the No. 9 bus, which passed by Rose Elite High School, just pulling away.

A figure with a ponytail in the back of the bus looked somewhat familiar to Tang Huaijin.

After waiting for a while, Tang Huaijin boarded the next No. 9 bus.

…

Rose Elite High School was expansive, with its own sports field, a standalone library, and even an auditorium dedicated to speeches.

The guard at the school gate was no longer an old man but a burly figure who carefully checked Tang Huaijin’s admission letter before letting him in.

After reporting to the academic affairs office, he learned that he was assigned to Science Class Three.

In the senior year, there were three classes each for arts and sciences. The class teacher, referred to as the counselor, didn’t teach but was responsible for students’ personal issues.

Since he arrived late, the six students who were supposed to be led by their respective counselors had already been taken to their classes, and the counselor for Class Three hadn’t waited for him.

Given that being late on the first day was indeed inappropriate, Tang Huaijin didn’t feel the teacher was at fault.

After inquiring about the location of his class from the dean of students, Tang Huaijin found his classroom. The door was closed, indicating that class had already started, so he knocked on the door.

“Reporting.”

“Come in.”

Tang Huaijin pushed the door open and entered, greeted by dozens of curious eyes.

“Wow!”

“Is he the new student?”

Someone nudged their desk mate, who was looking down.

“Look, a handsome guy.”

Tang Huaijin’s appearance caused quite a stir in the class.

“Quiet!”

The woman at the podium tapped the blackboard. Her voice wasn’t loud, but the class immediately fell silent.

She wore a black professional suit, her black hair cascading down the sides of her neatly buttoned jacket, giving her a dignified appearance. Her fair face showed no signs of makeup, with slightly thin lips and a delicate nose above which were a pair of somewhat stern phoenix eyes.

She turned to Tang Huaijin, her gaze calm and unruffled, and said, “Hello, I’m Shen Yiqiu, the counselor for Class Three.”

“Hello, Counselor Shen,” Tang Huaijin replied with a smile.

Shen Yiqiu nodded and stepped down from the podium, saying, “Please introduce yourself to the class.”

Tang Huaijin nodded, walked up to the podium, and elegantly wrote his name on the blackboard with chalk. His neat handwriting caught Shen Yiqiu’s attention for a brief moment.

Turning around, Tang Huaijin scanned the class and said, “Hello everyone, my name is Tang Huaijin. I don’t have many hobbies, but I’m good at a lot of things. I hope we can have a great time together during our senior year.”

His confident yet humble demeanor easily won the class’s favor, and many applauded. Shen Yiqiu also nodded approvingly.

“Thank you.” After expressing his gratitude, Tang Huaijin turned to Shen Yiqiu again, “Counselor Shen, where should I sit?”

“You can sit in the back row for now,” Shen Yiqiu replied, her tone softening a bit.

Tang Huaijin moved to the back row, noticing that all but the two seats on the far right were empty.

Two girls were seated on the right. Tang Huaijin sat next to them and greeted them.

“Hello.”

The girl on the left had an oval face and a gentle smile, with faint dimples on her cheeks. She responded, “Hello, I’m Bai Yuerou.”

After introducing herself, she gestured to the girl next to her, who was glaring at Tang Huaijin, and said, “This is Xia Xinya.”

Unable to discern the source of the girl’s hostility, Tang Huaijin still smiled and nodded.

Shen Yiqiu wrote her contact information on the blackboard and said, “This is my contact information. Those who haven’t noted it down can do so now. Also, during the self-study class, the monitor will take the new student on a tour of the school. The rest of you, please study quietly.”

“Yes, Counselor,” Bai Yuerou stood up and nodded to Tang Huaijin before leaving the classroom.

Tang Huaijin quickly followed her, surprised to learn that this seemingly gentle girl was the class monitor.

As they left the teaching building, Bai Yuerou smiled and said, “You didn’t expect me to be the monitor, did you?”

Tang Huaijin was indeed surprised and replied, “Yeah, I thought the monitor would be someone with a more assertive presence.”

“Well, it’s a voting system in our class,” Bai Yuerou said with a hint of helplessness. “They probably chose me because I seem easy to push around.”

Tang Huaijin couldn’t help but laugh, “Sorry…”

Bai Yuerou gave him a playful glare, “Let’s go get your school uniform first.”

“Sure.”

The school uniform was simple, with a jacket resembling a bomber and tapered pants, crafted with exquisite workmanship and adorned with a rose-colored embroidery.

“Wearing the uniform isn’t mandatory, except for school speeches or events,” Bai Yuerou explained, usually clasping her hands in front of her, exuding an air of intellectual elegance.

Afterward, she led Tang Huaijin to the library, which was vast and spanned three floors. Tang Huaijin’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Noticing his eager expression, Bai Yuerou chuckled, “You should have had your photo taken at the academic affairs office, right? The student card will be issued soon, and you can use it to borrow books. Do you like reading?”

“Yes, it’s one of my few hobbies,” Tang Huaijin nodded.

“The more civilized, the lonelier,” Bai Yuerou’s smile was gentle, never showing her teeth, yet it never felt perfunctory, reflecting her good upbringing.

Tang Huaijin replied with a smile, “Marquez, ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude.'”

It was simple; anyone who had read “One Hundred Years of Solitude” would remember that line.

“Loneliness is the best form of social interaction.”

“Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost.'”

Bai Yuerou’s eyes sparkled, and her questions came faster, yet Tang Huaijin answered them just as swiftly.

Eventually, Bai Yuerou found herself struggling to recall more good books.

Tang Huaijin timely added, “I think loneliness is when the person you’re facing, their emotions and your own, aren’t on the same frequency.” He winked at Bai Yuerou, “I bet you’ve read it.”

“It’s ‘Eleven Kinds of Loneliness,'” Bai Yuerou’s eyes shone with delight, “You’re amazing.”

“You’re amazing too,” Tang Huaijin sincerely praised. He rarely encountered peers with such a vast knowledge of literature.

He guessed she had read the book because her reading style suggested a sense of solitude and feeling misunderstood.

Bai Yuerou’s outwardly gentle smile seemed to keep others at a polite distance, and she maintained a fixed distance while walking.

The two left the library, chatting and laughing, and Bai Yuerou’s attitude became much warmer after the exchange, as if they shared a mutual understanding.

Suddenly, Tang Huaijin’s smile froze.

Bai Yuerou curiously asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… nothing,” Tang Huaijin shook his head.

A prompt appeared before him, reminding him of the system he had almost forgotten.

“Task: Become desk mates with Bai Yuerou.”

“Task reward: Receive a book inspiration and outline (masterpiece).”

“Failure penalty: None”

“Accept” “Refuse”

Oh, this…

Tang Huaijin had been writing a novel, serialized on a certain website.

However, the difference between online novels and traditional books was significant, and he had considered submitting to a publisher but eventually gave up.

One reason was the lack of time and energy, and the other was insufficient life experience.

After weighing the pros and cons, Tang Huaijin chose to accept.

Continuing to chat with Bai Yuerou, Tang Huaijin casually asked, “By the way, why do you sit in the back row as the class monitor?”

“Xiaoya dragged me to sit in the back,” she explained, “That’s the girl sitting next to me.”

Tang Huaijin nodded thoughtfully and asked, “So you can choose your own seat?”

“Yes, those who rank high in the monthly exams get priority in choosing seats.”

“So, theoretically, I could sit next to you?” Tang Huaijin asked with a playful smile.

“In theory, yes,” Bai Yuerou blinked and smiled back, “But you’ll have to see if Xiaoya agrees.”

“Xiaoya… her full name is Xia Xinya, right?” Tang Huaijin recalled the girl’s unfriendly gaze, “She doesn’t seem to like me much…”

“She’s just not very sociable; she’s actually a good person,” Bai Yuerou said, a bit exasperated when talking about her friend, and smiled helplessly.

As they spoke, the bell signaling the end of class rang, and they had only visited a few places.

They exchanged a glance, and Bai Yuerou smiled sheepishly, “I haven’t even shown you the cafeteria yet.”

“It’s okay, there’s plenty of time in the future,” Tang Huaijin smiled.

After bidding farewell to Tang Huaijin, Bai Yuerou left to pick up the next class’s materials from the teacher’s office.

Returning to the class, Tang Huaijin was about to sit down when someone behind him spoke, the tone unfriendly.

“New guy, come out for a second.”

The classmates turned curiously, but upon seeing who it was, their expressions froze, and they wisely turned away.

Finding it amusing, Tang Huaijin looked towards the voice, seeing a girl with an annoyed expression standing at the classroom door, looking at him impatiently.