Chapter 2 Chap 2: Dream Of Love

"Good morning, Miss Li."

A voice rang out behind Emma, indifferent but pleasing to the ear deep and magnetic. The greeting lacked respect, even carried a hint of defiance.

Emma hadn't reached her seat yet. Instinctively, she turned to look behind her.

He was wearing black headphones, a backpack slung over one shoulder. His school uniform was neat, though the top button was left undone, revealing his fair skin.

Beneath a black baseball cap, thick black hair was mostly hidden. His eyes were dark, his nose high-bridged, lips curled into a half-smile.

Tall and lean, he stood at the doorway with one hand casually tucked in his pocket, the other raised lazily in greeting.

Emma turned back and headed for her seat.

The classroom was already full 45 students packed in tightly. With narrow aisles between the desks, she treaded carefully, trying not to bump into others.

She kept her eyes on the floor, but her mind was elsewhere.

Oh. That guy... was super popular back in tenth grade.

She figured no one could possibly not know him.

And sure enough, once he appeared, the girls in the class began whispering excitedly, unable to hide their fascination.

"Ethan, do you know what time it is? And you're still saying good morning."

Miss Li glanced at her wristwatch with a stern face. "And another thing how many times do I have to say it? No hats in the classroom."

Ethan glanced indifferently at the slender figure ahead of him before turning to Miss Li. He took off his cap with a look of innocent mischief and said teasingly, "I was afraid it might rain."

After removing the cap, he casually ran his fingers through his neatly trimmed hair.

"If you're afraid of rain, bring an umbrella. Next time come earlier. Aren't you afraid of being late, always arriving last minute?" Miss Li waved him off and pointed to the back of the classroom. "Go on, go on, find your seat."

Ethan was famous in and out of St. Eden High School. He had been in Class 10-A1 before the same class Miss Li had taught.

Miss Li had a love-hate relationship with him.

She loved him because he always ranked in the top three in the whole grade a truly well-rounded student. Never neglecting any subject, he was a model pupil, and a great source of pride for his homeroom teacher. This year, entering 11th grade, he had ranked second overall.

But she also disliked him purely for academic reasons.

Perhaps Ethan was a genius type. He was good at everything but never looked like he was putting in the effort. He never paid attention in class, slept when he wanted, played with his phone whenever.

Yet somehow, he always scored top marks on exams.

"Miss Li, where do I sit?"

Ethan removed his headphones and looked around.

"Next to Lily," Miss Li said after glancing at the seating chart.

Ethan didn't move.

Miss Li realized he didn't know who Lily was, so she pointed, explaining, "Right in front of Andrew Lucas. There's a spot open in front."

"Hey, over here, man." Andrew, sitting at the back, raised his hand and pointed to the spot.

Ethan smirked and walked over. From afar, he noticed the girl sitting right in front of him the same one who had just passed by. Petite and delicate, her bangs covered her eyes.

He glanced at her for a moment, then looked away indifferently and moved to his seat.

Textbooks were already stacked thick on each desk like stones. Emma organized the ones she needed for the first period and began writing her name on each book.

Just as she picked up her pen, her peripheral vision caught sight of Ethan's brand-name soccer shoes.

His uniform brushed against the edge of her desk a slight wave, subtle and fleeting.

A breeze passed by.

He was now seated.

Emma continued writing her name in smooth, neat black ink on the white pages.

The moment Ethan sat down, Andrew couldn't help patting his shoulder and giving him a thumbs-up. "Ethan, you've got guts, almost late on the first day of school."

Before Ethan could reply, Kevin sitting across the aisle - cut in, laughing, "Clearly he stayed up late last night. Come on, tell us - were you on the phone all night with our former class belle?"

Hearing that, **Jason** also looked over with a sly grin.

All three of them turned their attention to Ethan.

Ethan shrugged off his bag, casually untangled his earphones, and frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

His long fingers coiled the cord lazily before shoving it into his backpack.

That vague non-denial only made them more curious.

Jason straightened up and slung his arm around Ethan. "Come on, man. Is it true?"

Kevin smirked knowingly. "Must've been rough on Ha Tam Vu. She chased you all of last semester and failed. Did she finally pull a winning move over the summer?"

Ethan, Andrew, and Jason had all been in Class 10-A1. Kevin had been in Class 10-A6.

They became close through basketball. After playing together for a while, they became tight-knit. Kevin, who had decent grades, also made it into Class A1 this semester a cause for celebration among the group.

The "class belle" they referred to was Angela the performing arts rep of 10-A1. Her specialty was dance. Tall and slender, her long legs were particularly eye-catching.

Apparently, she hadn't done well on her entrance exam this time and got placed in Class A2.

Jason had once liked her too, but she only had eyes for Ethan. So he'd moved on to someone else.

As the teasing continued, Ethan finally rubbed his forehead in frustration and muttered, "I was watching the NBA game last night. Barely managed to get up this morning."

He looked annoyed, clearly suffering from lack of sleep.

Jason laughed. "Damn, and I thought it was something serious."

Andrew, head down playing his PSP, muttered, "Ethan, you're totally wasting all the pretty girls at St. Eden."

At their age, everyone had probably gone through a few crushes. In tenth grade, most guys had dated at least one or two girls a little pride to show off.

A gentle girlfriend was like a flower beautiful and enviable.

But Ethan didn't care. He didn't even look twice.

Back in tenth grade, his desk drawer was always full of love letters. Some girls even confessed face-to-face. Ethan always replied like a model student: "Sorry, I just want to focus on my studies right now."

Kevin once joked: "If I were as smart as you, I wouldn't waste time on basketball or games or even smoking."

Whenever they were hanging out, the guys always said Ethan was just a wolf in sheep's clothing, using every excuse possible to reject girls.

Still, you couldn't say he wasn't a good student - top of the grade time and time again.

Once, Jason asked him the dumbest question ever:

"So what kind of girl *do* you like?"

Ethan, annoyed, muttered, "Pretty face, great figure."

Jason nearly choked. "What, Ha Tam Vu isn't pretty or hot enough?"

Ethan had just shrugged coldly. "She's just... okay."

That's why they said Ethan was wasting all the beauties of St. Eden.

Ethan leaned back in his chair and randomly picked up a textbook, flipping through it lazily. "What's our first class this morning?"

Andrew: "No idea."

Kevin: "No clue."

Jason shook his head. "Don't look at me."

Ethan frowned. "What's the point of you guys?"

"Hey, I don't know, but I can ask." Jason glanced around, then leaned forward and knocked on the back of the chair in front of him. "Hey, hey, gorgeous."

Lily turned her head at the sound, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

She had been copying the class schedule. The boys beside and behind her had been talking so loudly she couldn't help overhearing.

Jason lit up when she turned, immediately putting on his most serious face. "Hey, what's the first period?"

Lily glanced at her schedule. "Chinese literature, period five."

"Oh, oh." Encouraged by her reply, Jason leaned in further. "What's your name? I'm Jason. Nice to meet you."

Lily smiled. "I'm Lily." She even sneaked a glance past Jason.

Andrew, feeling the gaze of the pretty girl, stammered, "A-Andrew Lucas."

Kevin, from the other side, wrapped his arm around Andrew's neck playfully. "I'm Kevin. Hi there."

"Nice to meet you." Lily's eyes shifted to her deskmate - silent, head down, writing.

Ethan finally looked up.

His dark eyes met hers briefly. Straight nose, beautifully shaped lips, no expression at all.

He said plainly: "Ethan."

Lily nodded and smiled.

Jason was dazzled. "We're classmates now, let's look out for each other."

Kevin added shamelessly, "Lily, I heard you ranked third in the grade. Impressive! Now we've got someone to copy homework from."

Lily raised an eyebrow and looked toward Ethan. "There's someone ranked second right here. Why don't you copy his?"

"Oh please, his handwriting is worse than mine."

Lily giggled. "Really?"

Jason nodded solemnly. "One hundred percent."

Ethan continued scrolling through his phone, disinterested. But as Jason got more annoying, he finally muttered, "You trying to die or what?"

Jason zipped his lips.

Lily's smile lit up the room.

At some point, a light drizzle began to fall, cooling the sticky September air. The school's opening ceremony had been canceled due to the sudden rain. The principal's speech was now being broadcast through classroom speakers.

Students were delighted no one wanted to stand outside in the heat.

As the principal's voice boomed with passion, students began chatting quietly among themselves.

Emma was sitting with a round-faced girl with bangs and a shy, reserved demeanor.

After finishing labeling her textbooks, Emma noticed her seatmate glancing at her now and then. She wasn't the type to initiate conversation, so she simply smiled politely and kept to herself.

Eventually, the girl mustered up the courage to speak. "Hi, I'm Seven."

"I'm-" Emma started, but was interrupted by a tap on her back.

She turned around.

Ethan was behind her, but he was facing his friends, not her.

Then she realized Lily was the one calling her.

Lily pointed to her and said to Jason, "This is my sister. We're fraternal twins."

Jason's eyes sparkled. "Whoa, hey there, twin sis. Looking forward to your help!"

Ethan was deep in discussion with the others about the basketball game last night.

But upon hearing Lily's voice, he glanced at Emma.

One thought came to mind They really don't look alike at all.

Under Emma's long bangs was a tiny face. Her dark eyes, distant and cold, held a quiet detachment from the world around her.

Her pale skin and small, soft lips made her look gentle but her expressionless face added a mysterious chill, both beautiful and untouchable.