Chapter 313: Childhood Ties in the Classroom

The Three Little Ones spotted Lin Zheng Ran and headed over one by one.

This left Zhang Xin Long’s heart racing, his face turning a noticeable red.

His voice started stuttering as he smoothed his hair and quickly composed himself, then ducked his head low:

“Hey Big Lin, you’re really here… and they’re really here too!”

Lin Zheng Ran thought that despite his friend’s bold talk, he was genuinely innocent when facing pretty girls.

Zhang Xin Long swallowed hard, frozen in place with his head down, face flushed red as he sat there.

But from the corner of his eye, he confirmed they had sat down next to Lin Zheng Ran—all three of them.

Once Heqing sat down, she pulled a pack of snacks from her pocket and handed it to Lin Zheng Ran with a sweet smile, “Here, for you. We just bought these from the school supermarket. You’re here so early, Lin Zheng Ran.”

Lily turned to Lin Zheng Ran and whispered, “We were planning to wait for you, but we saw your message and you beat us here.”

Han Wenwen smiled warmly, “These snacks are tasty, Brother Zheng Ran.”

Lin Zheng Ran took the pack of snacks and replied, “I didn’t expect you three to take so long getting ready.”

Their simple chat suddenly left the nervous Zhang Xin Long baffled.

With a puzzled look, he slowly raised his head toward Lin Zheng Ran and poked his arm gently, timidly asking, “Buddy, what’s going on?”

Lin Zheng Ran popped a snack into his mouth and looked at the tense Zhang Xin Long, confused. “What do you mean? Nothing’s going on.”

“Wait, are you saying you know these three beauties?”

The Three Little Ones heard a boy talking to Lin Zheng Ran and glanced over curiously.

This embarrassed Zhang Xin Long, who coughed quickly and lowered his head again.

He was innocently shy.

The Three Little Ones exchanged glances.

Zhang Xin Long whispered to Lin Zheng Ran again, “Are these three girls your friends?”

Lin Zheng Ran finished his snack and said bluntly, “Not just friends—they’re actually my…” He noticed all the boys and girls in the large classroom watching him.

After all, everyone’s eyes had turned their way when Heqing, Han Wenwen, and Lily sat beside him.

Jiang Jingshi was watching too.

Lin Zheng Ran knew he couldn’t just say ‘girlfriends,’ so he explained, “They’re all my childhood friends—we grew up together.”

The room fell silent.

“What?” Zhang Xin Long numbly lifted his head to stare at Lin Zheng Ran:

“What are you talking about? Buddy, what’s a childhood friend? Are you saying there are really girls who grow up with a boy? I don’t believe it.”

“There are, buddy, and I’ve got three of them,” Lin Zheng Ran answered seriously.

Han Wenwen leaned in with a sly smile and murmured:

“It’s not just that, though. We all like Brother Zheng Ran and want to be his girlfriend. Right, Heqing and Lily?”

Han Wenwen’s bold words shocked everyone, though she didn’t spell out the relationship, it cleared up future confusion. Lily and Heqing blushed but nodded in agreement.

That solved things for the Three Little Ones, but it created trouble for others.

In that moment, everyone’s eyes widened, and Zhang Xin Long’s pupils filled with red veins.

Lin Zheng Ran just chuckled.

An endless silence hung in the air…

And as expected, Lin Zheng Ran faced a wave of judgments.

“What kind of life have you been living, man!” The outburst came not from Zhang Xin Long, but from the surrounding boys who couldn’t hold back.

“You sneaky guy! Have you got all three school beauties wrapped up?”

“What did I just hear? They all like you, buddy!”

“This is only the first day of school! You’re going too far!”

Once the first complaint broke out, the boys’ chatter erupted everywhere.

The whole classroom reeked of jealousy and resentment.

Of course, the girls were talking too, but they focused on how Lin Zheng Ran had such charm and good looks—not like some idol, but with an undeniable appeal and warmth.

As the old saying goes, the more sought-after something is, the more people want it—simple truth.

Lin Zheng Ran was used to this kind of attention.

It always started like this at the beginning of every school year.

When he turned, Zhang Xin Long was gone from his side, off making new friends somewhere.

From afar, Zhang Xin Long shot Lin Zheng Ran a blank stare and said, “Sorry, buddy, I don’t think we can be friends anymore. There’s an unfixable gap between us. Goodbye, my former bro Big Lin—I’ll always remember you.”

Lin Zheng Ran wiped sweat from his forehead.

Heqing whispered an apology, “Lin Zheng Ran, it looks like you won’t make any guy friends in college either.”

Han Wenwen understood people well and smiled, “I figured this would happen before school started, but I bet you’re used to it, Brother Zheng Ran.”

Lily sighed, thinking that even someone as strong as Zheng Ran gains some things but loses others.

Up at the front, Jiang Jingshi had heard everything.

She was surprised that such a charming girl would say that so openly in front of everyone.

It confirmed her suspicion—Zheng Ran’s three childhood friends really all liked him.

And they liked him boldly.

Jiang Jingshi rapped on the desk sternly, “Alright, quiet down! No more talking!”

Her voice cut through, and the large classroom finally fell silent.

Lily looked up front, not having paid much attention to the teacher when they entered.

But that “quiet” sounded familiar, and the teacher’s face rang a bell—had she seen her somewhere before?

Lily struck a thoughtful pose, one arm across her chest and a hand on her chin, pondering.

From the corner of his eye, Lin Zheng Ran saw Lily’s expression and thought, this silly girl still hasn’t realized that’s Jingshi.

Jiang Jingshi glanced again at Lin Zheng Ran and the Three Little Ones.

A twinge of jealousy stirred in her.

Just then, two more girls walked in—one with long hair flowing, the other with a poised demeanor.

Naturally, it was Jiang Qian and Fang Meng.

Fang Meng greeted, “Hello, teacher.”

Seeing more attractive girls enter, the boys in class lit up with hope!

Because Jiang Qian and Fang Meng were just as stunning as the Three Little Ones, if not more, with their cool vibe drawing even more interest.

Jiang Jingshi turned to the door, “Come in and find a seat.”

As she spoke, Fang Meng and Jiang Qian froze.

Sisters always recognize each other, no matter the outfit or glasses.

Jiang Jingshi smirked at her shocked sister.

Jiang Qian caught on quickly, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

Fang Meng just marveled at how far the eldest miss would go for Lin Zheng Ran—even becoming a counselor was part of her plan.

Under everyone’s gaze, Jiang Qian huffed at her sister, flipped her hair, and strode toward Lin Zheng Ran.

She greeted him, “What a coincidence, running into you again, Lin Zheng Ran.”

Then she and Fang Meng sat in the row behind Lin Zheng Ran and the Three Little Ones.

Facing the classroom full of confused and desperate looks from the boys, Lin Zheng Ran sighed helplessly.

All the guys had that ‘I want to kill him’ expression. Great.