The shrill ring of her alarm tore through the quiet room.
Lu Hua groaned, blindly swatting at her phone until the noise stopped. The screen read 5:36 AM. She stared at it for a moment, debating her life choices, then dragged herself out of bed.
She went through her usual morning routine without much thought. Washed her face, brushed her teeth, hair tied up, uniform on. She grabbed her bag from the floor and slung it over her shoulder, glancing at the kitchen as she passed.
Her stomach growled, but she ignored it.
Not in the mood.
Without a word to anyone, she slipped on her shoes and left the house.
The morning air was cool, carrying that faint, damp smell of early city streets. A few other students were already making their way to school, heads down, earbuds in. Lu Hua walked past them, hands in her pockets, not in the mood for conversation.
She wasn't thinking about Mr. Cheng. Or her parents. Or that smug kid from yesterday.
Just getting through the day.
Lu Hua reached the school gates just as the sun started peeking over the rooftops. The courtyard was already filling up with students, some half-asleep, some too loud for this early.
She spotted Sheng Yue leaning against the wall near their classroom door.
"Morning," Sheng Yue called out.
Lu Hua gave a short nod. "Hey."
"How are you?" Sheng yue asked.
"Tired."
'Sheng Yue yawned, same."
They slipped into the classroom together. Most of the seats were still empty, sunlight spilling across the floor. Lu Hua dropped into her usual seat by the window, propping her chin on her hand.
The bell rang.
Mr. Cheng walked in, looking as miserable as ever, with a file tucked under his arm. "Alright, settle down," he muttered, though no one was particularly loud.
Then the door opened again.
A boy stepped in.
Tall, dark-haired, with a sharp, indifferent expression like he couldn't care less about any of them. His uniform collar slightly undone, hands in his pockets, eyes as unreadable as glass.
"This is Zhang," Mr. Cheng announced, not even bothering with a full name. "Transfer student. He'll be joining this class."
The boy gave a small nod, not bowing, not smiling. He didn't introduce himself. Didn't have to.
"Go sit… there," Mr. Cheng pointed — to the empty seat beside Lu Hua.
Of course.
Zhang made his way over, his footsteps unhurried. He pulled out the chair beside her and sat down without so much as a glance.
Lu Hua side-eyed him once, then looked away. She wasn't about to entertain whatever attitude he was carrying.
As Mr. Cheng started droning about chemical reactions, Lu Hua felt a shift — a sense that someone was watching her.
She looked over.
Zhang was staring straight ahead, face blank, but at the corner of his mouth was the faintest twitch. Not a full smirk. Not enough to call him on it. Just enough to be irritating.
Lu Hua scowled, turning her attention back to the board.
Arrogant.