Chapter 106: Returning to School

The next day, Zhou Jingchen returned to school to end his leave and attend classes. Upon entering the classroom, he saw three people sitting around his desk and felt as if he had walked into the wrong place.

He stepped back to double-check the sign on the door: Grade 10, Class 1. He hadn't come to the wrong place.

Setting his backpack on the desk, Zhou Jingchen didn't sit down immediately. He crossed his arms and looked at the three of them. "Speak up. What’s going on?"

Han Su let out a couple of chuckles. "We told you we had a surprise for you!"

Zhou Jingchen frowned at this. "This isn't a surprise; it's a shock."

"Hey, brother, how can you call it a shock? We’re just here to keep you company!" Han Su stood up and leaned against him ingratiatingly.

"We?" Zhou Jingchen’s brow furrowed even deeper.

"Uh..." Han Su froze, then raised his hand and slapped himself across the face.

"You and your girl," Yi Ting said, lifting his gaze to answer the question.

Yi Ting’s words made Zhou Jingchen turn serious instantly. "You went looking for her?"

"No, we don't know who she is; we couldn't find her," Han Su said, rubbing his nose.

It wasn't that they didn't want to see her; it was that Zhou Jingchen kept things under wraps too tightly. They only knew the girl was at this school, but they didn't know her name, her appearance, or which class she was in—how were they supposed to find her?

"Chen-chen, don't be so serious. We just felt that the four of us haven't had a proper get-together since Uncle Zhou and the others left, and we wanted to come keep you company," Yu Yang said, sensing his sour mood and leaning in to curry favor as well.

Yu Yang’s words left Zhou Jingchen silent. To the three of them, it had only been a few years since they’d had a proper gathering with Zhou Jingchen. But for Zhou Jingchen, it had been over a decade.

Thinking of the kindness they had shown him in his past life, and how they had never given up searching for him after he went missing, Zhou Jingchen couldn't help but soften.

Forget it. They meant well, and there was no need to be overly calculative with his brothers.

"I'll take you to see her tonight," Zhou Jingchen sighed, relenting.

The three of them lit up instantly. "I knew you were the best, Chen-chen!"

The tone was unbearably mushy. Zhou Jingchen couldn't help but shove them away. "Speak normally, or I’m not taking you!"

"Understood, no problem. Whatever you say, boss," the three said, turning serious in a heartbeat.

Sitting back down at his desk, Zhou Jingchen took out his books to wait for class to begin, then suddenly spoke again, "By the way, the little cutie isn't my girlfriend yet, so watch what you say."

"Understood, boss. No problem, boss."

Rubbing his temples, he felt that life was about to get much noisier with these three clowns around.

Just then, someone poked Zhou Jingchen’s back.

He turned around to see a group of people clustered behind him—all classmates. However, because he had taken leave as soon as school started, he didn't know their names, let alone why they were looking for him.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, looking at them with a puzzled expression.

His question made the group grow excited.

"Hi, Zhou Jingchen! I'm your classmate, Yu Xiaoxue. I wanted to ask if you could give me an autograph?" one girl asked first, her eyes bright and expectant.

"I’m your classmate too, my name is Zeng Lin. Please, an autograph!"

"My name is Yang Qianqian. I want an autograph too!"

"Me too! Me too!"

Once a few led the way, others followed. The group began chattering, their voices growing louder and louder, so noisy that they didn't even hear the bell ring for class.

Zhou Jingchen felt a dull ache in his head. It was truly too loud.

The teacher walked in and, finding the class still in an uproar, turned dark-faced. After holding back for a long moment, the teacher couldn't take it anymore and slammed the blackboard eraser against the podium with a loud *thwack*. "What is all this noise! If you don't want to attend class, get out and stand in the hall!"

Only then did everyone realize class had started. They sheepishly returned to their seats and began to listen attentively.

Once the crowd dispersed, the teacher finally saw Zhou Jingchen sitting in the middle. The teacher had a deep, favorable impression of this star student who had requested leave right at the start of the term.

It couldn't be helped; Zhou Jingchen was not only handsome but also excelled in his studies.