A Kiss for Life - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The first day of senior year arrived early, under the scorching August sun, with everyone buried in a haze of resentment.

But in Class Seven’s classroom, seeing the door plaque change from “Grade 11” to “Grade 12” still brought a wave of emotions.

Their homeroom teacher, Mr. Cui, was giving his usual opening speech. Standing at the podium with a beaming smile as bright as a chrysanthemum, he greeted them in a near-gentle tone, “Did you all have a good summer break?”

Oh, sure. A wonderful time indeed.

His question was met with gritted teeth, sarcastic chuckles, dramatic eye-rolls, and lethargic responses of “Yeah—super—happy.”

Squinting with amusement, he replied, “I knew you had fun.” But his tone betrayed his true thoughts: seeing you all miserable makes me happy.

Before anyone could throw a shoe at him, his smile vanished, replaced by a strict and sharp gaze sweeping across the classroom. “You all look so down. Do you think teachers get longer vacations than you?”

“Not happy about it? Well, too bad.”

“This is your final year. Get it together. One summer break is nothing compared to your future. In the grand scheme of things, it’s completely insignificant. Think long-term!”

“Comfort is not for warriors. You all need to pick up your weapons and stay sharp. This is the last year—no one gets left behind. Get moving!”

“Next June, no one is allowed to lose!”

…

(Countless other motivational speeches omitted, not that anyone was really listening.)

The class was already used to Mr. Cui’s split-personality level acting skills, secretly rolling their eyes.

They grumbled about how annoying he was, but deep down, they knew—this was senior year.

If the so-called “opening ceremony” had ended there, it would have been just another cliché, uneventful start to the school year. But that day, two students arrived—two figures that would become legendary in Class Seven.

Just as the warning bell rang, a knock sounded at the door.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.

Standing at the doorway was the grade director, Duan Yidao, knocking lightly on the doorframe. Beside him stood two girls, one slightly ahead of the other. The one in front was unfamiliar—a round-faced girl with a bob haircut, eyes lowered, looking quiet and obedient.

Oh. A cute girl.

A few boys in the back whistled.

The round-faced girl lifted her head, her sharp gaze sweeping across the room. Unexpectedly, her eyes were as cold and sharp as blades, radiating an intense hostility.

The classroom fell silent for a moment before she turned away, looking impatient.

“Mr. Cui, this is a new transfer student and a subject transfer student. They’ll both be joining your class,” Duan Yidao gestured for the round-faced girl to wait a moment, then pulled Mr. Cui and the other girl into the hallway.

Inside the classroom, the round-faced girl was left alone with over forty pairs of eyes staring at her.

After a moment of silent staring, she seemed to grow impatient, raised her chin, and slowly scanned the room. Then, in a cool, detached voice, she said, “What are you looking at?”

Her lips naturally curved slightly upward, making it seem like she was always smirking. But combined with her sharp gaze, that smile carried an eerie edge.

Strangely, under that gaze, every student in Class Seven instinctively lowered their heads.

Mr. Cui soon returned, his chrysanthemum smile back in full bloom. “Alright, our class has gained two new members this semester. Lin Yue doesn’t need an introduction—you all should know her.”

Wearing the No. 11 High School uniform, Lin Yue stepped into the room, her eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on a seat by the window in the second row. A bright smile spread across her face.

The class erupted into a buzz of excitement, mixed with teasing whistles.

“Whoa, impressive!”

“Isn’t she the one who wrote love letters to our class president for a whole year?”

“She actually transferred from science to humanities for him!”

“Six hundred points on the transfer exam? That’s insane!”

…

Amidst the commotion, Shen Jinian, seated at the second-row window seat, didn’t even lift his gaze. He lounged lazily against the back of his chair, absorbed in a military magazine, brows slightly furrowed as if the outside world had nothing to do with him.

If one looked closely, they would see he was actually spacing out. Not completely indifferent—he had glanced up when the round-faced girl entered.

Lin Yue pressed her lips together, slightly disappointed.

But… there was still time. From now on, they were in the same class.

Opportunities would come.

With that thought, her smile deepened.

Mr. Cui pulled Lin Yue to the podium. “This is Lin Yue from the former Science Class 14. She passed the subject transfer exam at the end of last semester and chose to study in our class. Everyone, welcome her!”

Lin Yue bowed slightly, smiling gently. “I’m Lin Yue. Please take care of me!”

The class applauded, studying her with curiosity. Their thoughts condensed into a single phrase—

Incredible.

At No. 11 High School, after subject selection in sophomore year, there was only a one-month window to switch tracks. During this time, a simple application form signed by the principal was enough to transfer from science to humanities or vice versa. But such cases were rare.

After that window closed, students had to pass an exam to switch subjects.

The test was notoriously difficult, designed to assess whether the student had an exceptional talent that made transferring essential. While not the hardest test ever, it had a steep requirement—scoring at least 600 points.

For a student who had stopped studying unrelated subjects after subject selection, passing this exam required extraordinary memory, comprehension, and self-learning ability.

And Lin Yue, ranked within the top 50 in science, had faced opposition from both parents and teachers. The academic office would have labeled her request “unreasonable” and dismissed it outright. To raise the bar further, they might have even made the test more difficult.

Yet, against all odds, Lin Yue had broken through and successfully transferred—directly into Class Seven. This feat alone was enough to put her among the school’s top ten most talked-about students of the year.

The power of love!

The class collectively marveled at her as if she were a divine being.

Lin Yue basked in their admiration, straightening her back and lifting her chin slightly, her lips curling into a satisfied smile.

Mr. Cui, pleased with the prospect of having a top student join the humanities side, pointed to an empty seat. “You can sit next to Lu Ye. Lu Ye, raise your hand.”

In the last row, a lazy-looking boy raised his head, flashing a carefree grin. He glanced at Shen Jinian and smirked. “Isn’t the seat by our class president open too?”

The class burst into laughter. Everyone knew Lin Yue was here for Shen Jinian.

Lin Yue’s heart pounded as she bit her lip shyly, stealing a hopeful glance at Mr. Cui.

Mr. Cui’s eye twitched. “Sit wherever you want. There are only two empty seats.”

“Thank you, teacher!” Lin Yue said joyfully, carrying her bag over to Shen Jinian’s side.

Gently, she explained, “I’m nearsighted. I can’t see well from the back. Can I sit here?”

Shen Jinian finally lifted his head.

The air around him was ice-cold, as if his very presence was enough to send chills down one’s spine.

His gaze alone had once captivated countless girls—and scared away just as many.

That was why he never had a seatmate.

Lin Yue held her breath, terrified he would outright refuse.

Instead, Shen Jinian stood up, shifted slightly to the side, and wordlessly made space for her.

His indifference remained unchanged.

But as he glanced toward the podium, his gaze briefly landed on the round-faced girl.

She stood there, arms crossed, exuding impatience.

Shen Jinian sighed.

Looks like she still hasn’t changed.