The next morning, Ren Hao, his heart filled with apprehension, ambled towards the school. His flat was not far from the school, a ten-minute walk at most.

Shi Da Affiliated High School, situated on Nan Xinhua Street in Xuanwu District, was a prestigious school in the city, housing both junior and senior high school departments. It had a sterling reputation in Fengyang City, and many parents, even if their children's scores didn't meet the requirements, spared no expense to secure them a spot.

Truth be told, Ren Hao and Jiang Wei's grades were just average, and their performance in exams fluctuated. They had barely made it into the school, squeezing in on the edge of the admission score.

Just as Ren Hao was lost in reflection, his peripheral vision caught sight of Jiang Wei, zooming toward him on a Giant mountain bike. His attire gave Ren Hao a jolt.

A bright red and green short-sleeved shirt, its vividness a bit much. His crew cut had been treated with some sort of gel, every strand standing on end like a spiky hedgehog.

It seemed Jiang Wei had decided to finally find a girlfriend. However, this look might backfire.

Without a word, Ren Hao continued towards the school. He could hear Jiang Wei shouting from behind, "Haozi, wait for me! Why are you walking so fast?" In that outfit, Ren Hao didn't want to be seen with him, making a fool of themselves.

Today's return to school had two main purposes: one was to get measured for uniforms, and the other was to be assigned classes and seats.

On a prominent blackboard, Ren Hao found his name, and then quickly scanned the other students in Class 1. Hmm, it was mostly the same as he remembered, except for a name that seemed unfamiliar: Cui Wenwen.

But Ren Hao wasn’t too surprised. It was normal for memories from ten years ago to fade a bit.

Perhaps this girl named Cui Wenwen was the kind of person who was unremarkable, someone who didn’t leave an impression.

The classroom for Class 1 of the senior high school year, located on the first floor of the teaching building, was now full of students. Everyone was quite restrained, just exchanging casual greetings with people nearby.

Ren Hao's mind was elsewhere. Moreover, he knew everyone in the class too well, so he didn’t bother talking. Jiang Wei, upon entering the classroom, had his eyes fixed on the girl with glasses in the first row, never shifting his gaze. Soon, he finally reluctantly looked away and excitedly tugged Ren Hao’s sleeve. "Haozi, do you believe in love at first sight?"

Ren Hao glanced at the girl Jiang Wei had fallen for, and patted him sympathetically. "You need to be prepared for a long battle. It could last five years." Ignoring Jiang Wei's confused expression, Ren Hao went on to say, "Dong Xue, sixteen years old, third place in the city in the junior high entrance exam. She's passionate about studying, even to a ridiculous degree. The kind who only knows how to study. Hmm, her only hobby besides studying is probably arguing with people."

"My god, how do you know so much?" Jiang Wei stared at him with wide eyes. "You wouldn’t have already set your sights on her, would you? Tsk, no way. You always liked older women."

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"I knew you would like her, that’s why I asked people from her school. Heh, how could I not guess your little secret?" Ren Hao bragged.

"You’re awesome." Jiang Wei swallowed, his gaze returning to Dong Xue, looking her up and down.

Five years later, Ren Hao would address Dong Xue as "little sister-in-law." It was only then that she and Jiang Wei truly came together, a happy ending for two lovers.

In contrast, Ren Hao’s love affair was...

Clap, clap, clap.

Three clear claps were followed by a voice, calm and devoid of any emotion. "Everyone, be quiet."

At the same time, Ren Hao’s gaze became conflicted. He forced himself to remain calm and slowly turned to the woman.

There were so many people in this world, and among them, there was a very special group, when you see them, you would often sigh, "A large forest has all kinds of birds." The woman in front of him was undoubtedly one of these peculiar individuals.

Gu Yueyan, 26 years old, a graduate of the Normal University, later employed by Shi Da Affiliated High School, teaching Chinese language. She was an excellent teacher.

What was strange about her was her personality.

Old-fashioned, indifferent, and desireless, she was the type who wouldn’t change her expression even if a mountain fell on her.

A dark black professional suit hugged the woman’s voluptuous curves. Gu Yueyan crossed her arms and habitually tapped her index finger rhythmically on her upper arm. "My name is Gu Yueyan, from today I will be your Chinese language teacher and class monitor. Now, please put down what you’re doing and come with me to the fourth floor for a physical exam.”

Jiang Wei secretly poked Ren Hao and muttered, "Our class monitor is too beautiful, wow, what a lucky three years ahead of us!" The students had similar reactions to Jiang Wei, their eyes wouldn’t look away.

Ren Hao sighed softly, a heavy sense of melancholy washed over him, and he couldn’t calm down.

Like Jiang Wei, he had also fallen in love at first sight.

On this very same day in the past, Ren Hao had fallen for someone he couldn’t have, his teacher, Gu Yueyan.

The disparity in their family backgrounds, their social status, and moral constraints, all made the self-conscious Ren Hao unable to confess his feelings to her. So, he held it in, for nine whole years, until the moment he died in the car crash, he hadn’t had the chance to say "I like you" to Gu Yueyan.

This regret was a constant pain in his heart.

After everyone followed Gu Yueyan to the fourth floor, Ren Hao paused slightly, looked around, then stuffed a love letter he had hastily written the night before into the lecture notes Gu Yueyan had brought, before letting out a sigh of relief and quickly following them without looking back.

Ren Hao had gone through a lot of inner turmoil before making this decision.

He knew he wasn’t good enough for her, but Ren Hao didn’t want to regret it anymore.

"Boys go to the classroom on the left, girls to the right, line up, don’t be disorderly." After giving her instructions, Gu Yueyan stood there patiently, not saying a word.

Ren Hao secretly glanced at her, his heart pounding. Thinking about her reaction when she saw the love letter, a strange fear washed over him, he was extremely nervous.

The best outcome would be that Gu Yueyan was attracted by his writing, and joyfully accepted his feelings, then married her after he turned twenty-two, had kids, uh, cough, cough, it was undeniable that this possibility, in theory, existed.

Secondly, Gu Yueyan would firmly reject him, and never speak to him again.

The worst-case scenario would be that she handed the letter to the school, and a series of consequences followed, like summoning parents, disciplinary action, or even expulsion. After all, in the traditional social climate of 2001, a student writing a love letter to a teacher was an act of rebellion.

Heaven or hell?

The moment he sent the letter, none of that seemed to matter anymore.

Ren Hao had to take this step, otherwise, he might only be able to live in his memories, forever unable to move forward.