After Confessing To My Childhood Friend - Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Switching Seats
◎ Secretly Holding Hands Under the Desk ◎
Zhu Ling’s physics class was just like her—
Strict, meticulous, and fast-paced to the point of being overwhelming.
After enduring four morning classes, Chen Mengyin naively thought she had adapted to the pace of the experimental class. But after only ten minutes of Zhu Ling’s physics class, she was immediately brought back to reality. Her hand was practically smoking from taking notes, and she still had to keep up with every concept Zhu Ling explained. It was pure torture.
“Ahh…”
Finishing the last line of notes, Chen Mengyin let out a painful sigh. She rotated her aching wrist and turned to look at her deskmate Ye Siying, only to find her notes were not only neat but she also looked completely at ease, as if this was nothing.
Chen Mengyin: Is this what it means to be trained in the experimental class?
She shook her head to throw away those messy thoughts and forced herself to refocus on the lesson.
Ten minutes later…
Chen Mengyin couldn’t take the heavy atmosphere anymore. Despite Ye Siying looking at her with a mix of admiration and “Are you serious?”, she boldly raised her hand to ask questions (or rather, cause a little trouble).
“Teacher, I don’t quite understand electromagnetic induction. Could you explain it again?”
“Teacher, what about electromagnetic fields and waves…?”
“Teacher…”
Zhu Ling, writing on the blackboard, suddenly paused, leaving a deeper chalk mark than usual. She turned her head, ready to warn Chen Mengyin to behave in class—but seeing the unusually lively atmosphere and the increase in engagement from the students, she ultimately swallowed her words.
Fine. A bit of liveliness isn’t a bad thing for young people.
Of course, this thought was tossed out the window a few minutes later.
After the umpteenth question from Chen Mengyin, Zhu Ling finally sighed and said, “Enough.”
She had never encountered a student like Chen Mengyin—so full of questions! And they weren’t just meaningless interruptions—she genuinely had things to ask!
In all her years teaching the experimental class, Zhu Ling was used to students saving their questions for after class or during evening study. No one ever interrupted class like this and completely disrupted her teaching rhythm.
At last, the two periods of physics class ended. Zhu Ling weakly announced the break, feeling more exhausted than she ever had after just two classes.
Chen Mengyin beamed, “Goodbye, teacher~”
Zhu Ling: …So tired.
Once Zhu Ling left the classroom, Ye Siying patted Chen Mengyin on the shoulder and laughed, “Wow, Mengyin, that’s the first time I’ve seen Teacher Zhu look so defeated. You’re amazing.”
Their front-desk classmate turned around to join the conversation.
Lin Xiaoqian chuckled, “Right? Weren’t you afraid she’d scold you?”
Chen Mengyin looked puzzled, “I wasn’t trying to cause trouble. Why would I get scolded?”
To Lin Xiaoqian and the others, Zhu Ling was always strict in class, and unless absolutely necessary, they never dared raise questions during lectures. But here was Chen Mengyin, just transferred into the experimental class, and already pushing Zhu Ling to her limits—and didn’t even get scolded!
It felt surreal. By the end of class, several students had even plucked up the courage to ask their own questions—Ye Siying included.
Ye Siying grinned mischievously, “Haha, if this keeps up, Zhu Ling is going to break.”
Lin Xiaoqian laughed, “Stop torturing poor Teacher Zhu.”
Chen Mengyin objected, “How can this be called torture? It’s called dedication to learning! Setting a good example! A student who loves learning as much as I do—Zhu Ling’s probably secretly thrilled!”
Ye Siying and Lin Xiaoqian both booed her.
Ye Siying warned, “Sure, sure. Just don’t blame us if Teacher Zhu wants to return you.”
Chen Mengyin gasped, “How dare you, Ye Siying! Speak to me like that again, and I won’t bring you snacks anymore!”
Ye Siying instantly gave in, “Sorry! I was wrong!”
Chen Mengyin patted her shoulder, “Good. Admitting your mistakes shows character.”
Ye Siying rolled her eyes: Give this girl a little attention and she starts acting like a queen!
The bell rang for the next class. After two intense physics periods, it was time for the class meeting. As the homeroom teacher, Zhu Ling was on her way back to the classroom.
Chen Mengyin and the others quickly straightened up and sat properly, waiting for her.
When Zhu Ling arrived, she immediately announced two things—one good news and one bad news for Chen Mengyin.
Good news: They were rearranging seats.
Bad news: Evening study time was being extended.
Chen Mengyin didn’t know whether to feel happy or depressed. She wanted to be happy, but what if Zhu Ling didn’t seat her next to Zhirou? Then it’d all be for nothing!
When the class heard about the extended evening study, everyone started murmuring in protest, chattering in hushed tones that Zhu Ling couldn’t decipher.
Seeing the noise escalate, Zhu Ling lightly tapped her ruler on the desk. The room fell silent instantly.
Zhu Ling said, “Let’s handle the seat change first. I hadn’t considered everyone’s height when assigning seats earlier, so some taller students are blocking the view of those behind them.”
She had only noticed this issue during class.
Chen Mengyin and Xie Zhirou were significantly taller than the average girl in the class (who were mostly around 158 cm). Students sitting behind them had to crane their necks or lean awkwardly to see the blackboard.
Zhu Ling hadn’t wanted to interrupt the physics lesson, so she waited until this class to bring it up.
Looking at the unusually tall duo, she had no choice but to seat them together—in the very back row.
She had long suspected Zhirou was going to ask for a seat change after the next quiz (as she usually rearranged seats based on grades). But this time, due to Chen Mengyin’s height, she had to do it early.
Chen Mengyin was stunned. Did Zhu Ling just say I get to sit with Zhirou in the back row?
Her deskmate Ye Siying noticed she hadn’t moved and gave her a sharp pinch on the arm.
Ye Siying: “Snap out of it! Your Zhirou is waiting for you!”
The whole class burst into laughter at that. Even Zhu Ling on the podium couldn’t help but smile.
She teased, “What’s wrong, Mengyin? Don’t want to switch seats? If that’s the case—”
“Switch! I’m switching!” Chen Mengyin panicked, her voice rising an octave. “Teacher, can’t you just let me enjoy the moment for a little longer?!”
Zhu Ling had been teaching for over ten years and rarely had a student so bold as to joke with her during class. But somehow, this newly transferred Chen Mengyin had no fear—chatting non-stop, asking questions that exhausted her more in two classes than a full teaching day normally would.
At first, she was worried Chen Mengyin’s behavior would disrupt class discipline. But over time, she realized her energy had livened up the class and even inspired more engagement from the students. It was unexpected—and quite welcome.
Since it wasn’t a formal lesson, Zhu Ling relaxed a bit and smiled. “Alright, get moving. You and Zhirou will take the last desk in the third row. Yingxia, move to sit with Siying.”
Chen Mengyin cheered, “Roger that! Mission accepted, Commander!”
She hoisted her heavy desk like it was nothing and dashed to the back, as if a ghost were chasing her.
Xie Zhirou, who looked soft and delicate, was surprisingly strong. She gripped the desk edges, and with her slender arms showing veins from the strain, she lifted the desk and carried it over with ease.
When Mengyin finally set her desk down, Jiang Yingxia was still slowly packing her things. Mengyin walked over.
“Let me help you move. Is this everything?”
Jiang Yingxia blinked, then nodded.
As Mengyin carried the desk over, she called out, “Make way, I’ll be quick!”
Jiang Yingxia’s desk was moved just as swiftly. Ye Siying gave a playful wave from her new spot before whining, “Mengyin! Just because we’re not seatmates anymore doesn’t mean you can forget your poor ex-desk partner who’s starving for attention!”
Mengyin patted her shoulder, “Got it, my dear Siying.”
Jiang Yingxia shyly thanked her. Chen Mengyin waved it off. “No biggie. Gotta head back now—Zhu Ling’s probably giving me the death stare.”
Zhu Ling made a helpless expression—She hadn’t even said anything yet.
The class laughed quietly.
Back at her new seat, Chen Mengyin flashed a bright smile at Xie Zhirou and gave her a high-five.
“This is awesome. We’re seatmates now!” she beamed. “All thanks to our height!”
Xie Zhirou’s eyes sparkled. Under the cover of the desk, she reached over and quietly held Chen Mengyin’s hand.
Chen Mengyin’s cheeks turned red, and she gently returned the squeeze.
Zhu Ling hadn’t noticed the little hand-holding. With the seat change done, it was time to talk about evening study.
She straightened up and said, “You all heard earlier—starting tonight, evening study will be extended. It’s already been decided, so no amount of fussing will change it.”
“Fifth High School started this system last year. Compared to them, we’re still lucky.”
“This year, let’s all work hard and aim for great results in the college entrance exam.”
“Oh, and one more thing—on your way home from evening study, don’t take shortcuts, even if they save time. Stick together, and if you’re a day student, post a message in the group once you get home.”
The class responded weakly, “Got it—”
Zhu Ling understood they were sulking about the evening study change, but she didn’t hold it against them.
“Not much else for today—it’s only the first day of school. Use the rest of the time for self-study. Don’t be late for evening study, alright?”
This time, the students’ response was even more scattered, clearly expressing their displeasure. To Zhu Ling, it was childish—but expected.
She shook her head and sat down to work on tomorrow’s lesson plans behind the podium.