Extra Chapter Three: Little Wen Can (6)

Little Wen Can was already in the classroom. Even though the teacher had not yet arrived, she sat obediently in her seat.

Seeing other children crying loudly as they searched for their parents, a look of confusion appeared on her small face. Why were they crying when there were so many other children to play with? She couldn't understand it.

Observing the scene, it was clear that none of the other children were in a state to play with her, so she scanned the room, hoping to find someone who wasn't crying.

And sure enough, she did.

A young boy with a cold expression sat at his desk. Compared to the rest of the children, his demeanor was incredibly aloof, as if he were completely indifferent to the chaos around him.

Finding him intriguing, Little Wen Can walked straight over to his seat, completely forgetting her father's warnings about not getting too close to boys.

"Hello, my name is Wen Can. What’s your name?"

The boy seemed a bit surprised that someone had come to speak to him—or perhaps surprised to find another child who wasn't crying. After all, the classroom was currently filled with a cacophony of wails.

A hint of warmth touched his otherwise expressionless face as he replied with just two words: "Huo Yu."

He hadn't wanted to come to kindergarten in the first place; he found the other children childish, and it seemed his assessment had been correct. In truth, this was the finest aristocratic kindergarten in City A. Only those with significant status, influence, or wealth could enroll their children here. Yet, precisely because of this, these children were deeply reliant on their parents and had rarely been separated from them, which explained the sea of tears. Furthermore, they were only three or four years old, so it was understandable that they could not yet control their emotions.

As the last few parents departed, only a handful of children had stopped crying. Wen Can scanned the room again before returning her gaze to Huo Yu.

"Huo Yu, shall we sit together?"

Huo Yu cast a cold glance at the tiny girl beside him and replied curtly, "Whatever."

Wen Can had only just sat down when the teacher entered.

"Hello, children. I am your teacher, you can call me Teacher Chen." Standing at the podium, Teacher Chen broke into a cold sweat as she took in the scene. Despite her years of teaching experience, she felt a bit intimidated facing the children of so many powerful figures, terrified of upsetting any of these little masters. She had arrived late because the principal had kept her back for a long lecture.

Scanning the room, Teacher Chen immediately noticed the two children sitting quietly in the corner. Seeing how well-behaved they were, she turned her attention toward the others to begin the soothing process.

Teacher Chen was experienced, and before long, she had calmed the majority of the children. Seeing the classroom quiet down, the remaining children felt a bit shy and forced themselves to stop crying. Though they continued to hiccup from the lingering effects of their long outburst, the initial chaos had subsided.

Teacher Chen picked up her roster and spoke, "Children, today is your first day of kindergarten. There are so many of you here, so why don't we introduce ourselves and get to know each other?"

The children, having gradually accepted reality, replied in unison, "Okay," though their voices still carried a hint of grievance.

"Let's start with the first row," Teacher Chen said patiently, pointing to the row furthest from Wen Can and Huo Yu.

The children's emotions stabilized, and they took turns introducing themselves. Their speech was confident—a testament to their upbringing—a far cry from the tearful state they were in when they first arrived.

Sitting in the very corner, Wen Can and Huo Yu were naturally the last to introduce themselves. Wen Can glanced at Huo Yu, and seeing his look suggesting she go first, she didn't hesitate to stand up and introduce herself with grace.

When it was Huo Yu's turn, he simply said, "Hello everyone, my name is Huo Yu," before sitting back down.

Teacher Chen didn't comment on the briefest introduction in the class and instead began discussing the rules. "Children, we will be studying together in this class from now on. We must remain quiet during lessons, answer questions actively when asked, and get along with our classmates. Can you all do that?"

"Yes!" the children replied in unison.

When the break finally arrived, Wen Can turned to the boy beside her. "Class is finally over. Huo Yu, why don't you talk? You can tell me anything you want."

She didn't understand; she had waited so long for the break to play with him.

Huo Yu wondered what there was to talk about, but he replied, "Talk about what?"

Wen Can tilted her head, thinking for a moment, but couldn't come up with a topic. She blinked her eyes in confusion. "I don't know."

Seeing her earnest, milky-voiced response, Huo Yu couldn't help but smile.

It lasted only a second, but Wen Can caught it. "Huo Yu, you just smiled! I saw you!"

Caught in the act, Huo Yu blushed, but he didn't try to argue. He simply turned his face away, remembering his mother's teaching that he must never tell a lie.

At lunchtime, Wen Can sat beside Huo Yu again. After the meal, her smartwatch began to ring.

"My little treasure, did you eat your lunch? Are you having fun at school?" Gu Zehuai’s voice came through the watch after she pressed answer.

"I ate all my lunch, Daddy. I made a new friend at kindergarten today. I'm so happy."

Gu Zehuai was happy to hear his daughter had made a friend, but he didn't forget to ask, "Sweetheart, is this new friend a boy or a girl?"

"It's a boy," Wen Can answered honestly.

Gu Zehuai felt a bit uneasy. He knew there would be both boys and girls at kindergarten, and it wasn't strange for her to make friends with a boy, but he couldn't help but be on high alert. *Yes, that's it,* he told himself, trying to stay calm.

After asking a few more concerned questions, Gu Zehuai hung up the phone and turned to report the news to his wife.