1 Summer

Prologue.

In the summer of 2018, the sky was bright and the heat was incomparable to the past summers.

Underneath a large oak tree, two figures could be seen laying down on the grass under the shade. One was sitting cross legged looking dazedly at the sky, while the other kept pulling on the grass on the ground.

"So, what do you plan to do during the summer?" the boy with shaggy hair asked. His countenance exuded laziness from his looks to his actions.

The girl, whose hair had been swept up in the light breeze, snapped out of her daze. "I don't know yet. I'll probably just laze around again. Study for the gaokao. Play instruments. Laze around. Do chores."

"Eh...? But that's boring. Why don't we just hang around with Cheng Muyi? His house is huge and there're no people to bother us."

The girl pinched the boy's ear, to which the latter whined, and replied in a annoyed manner, "Cheng Muyi is spending summer break with his parents abroad. Nobody will be in the house except for his distant uncle. Do you still dare hang out at his house?"

The boy swallowed his grievances and only pouted.

It was such a waste to spend their summer break indoors. Since they were well off, the boy wanted to enjoy his summer break with his friends.

"Fine... Then why don't we just go to the pool with the others or... I don't know, go camping at the mountains behind us." the boy gestured at the magnificent small mountain behind their school.

Although it looked big, the walk from their school to the mountain still took a few kilometers to reach. And the fact that there was ongoing road construction in the mountains, it was very dangerous to camp out with friends.

Not to mention that they were underaged, they were also unskilled with survival and probably wouldn't last a night in such conditions.

The girl shook her head. "Too much of a hassle to plan."

"A picnic?"

"Then where would we go for a nice picnic?"

The boy then frowned again. She was right. Although there were several parks in town, nowhere was suitable to relax without disturbance from other people.

He raised his hands up to surrender and exasperatedly said, "I give up! Then what do you think we should do during the summer break?"

The girl lifted the corners of her lips into a smile. But somehow the smile made the boy get goosebumps.

"Join summer classes!"

"No way!" the boy vehemently shook his head and protested. "I've had enough of studying. Why would I study some more?"

The girl flicked his forehead and shook her head. "Stupid! Of course there are benefits."

"Like what?" the boy felt curious as he rubbed his forehead that had turned red from the impact. She hit really hard.

"Let me list it out for you." the girl held out her fist and began to list out the pros with her fingers.

"First, classes are held in one building, which means that departments are mixed, giving you a chance to interact with your crush. Second, not many people even register for summer classes and as you know your crush is addicted to studying."

The boy's eyes sparkled and carefully listened to her words without a shred of doubt, making the girl inwardly snicker. It was true that love can make people go blind.

"Third, you'll be able to learn from your crush. Get brownie points and progress your relationship to another level. Fourth, you'll improve your image of a hardworking scholar in front of her and boast your good humor. And then lastly, you'll improve your overall reputation as an upright student from the teachers!" the girl smiled.

The boy, who had been disgusted by the thought of studying again, turned a total 180 and began to give off a different feeling. He looked more determined and shed the hint of laziness in his tone.

"Do you think that by doing so, she'll like me?"

The girl didn't want to get the boy's hopes up and bluntly said," There's no assurance that she will. But sometimes in life you've got to take risks. And this is the chance to take it. Charge forward fearlessly without a shred of hesitation."

The boy nodded again, his eyes sparkling in anticipation of the future where he dreamt of being admired by the girl of his dreams.

Then he suddenly realized something and said, "Then... where should I register for the summer course?"

The girl gestured at the imposing building in the front of their school. The administration building!

Almost all matters of the school were handled in the administration building. Even the student union resided in the administration building. No one challenged their authority in the Hua Institute.

"Thanks! I'll just go register my name at the office then i'll return here. Since no classes are held today, we'll go home, okay?"

The two of them had been hanging out under the shade of the oak tree for a few hours now. Their bags were used as a cushion so after the boy handled his matters, they would be able to go straight home.

The girl nodded as she watched the boy's manner of almost skipping to the admin office. It made her smile.

In the administration building, the student union was in the third floor, which had a good view of the entire compound. If one were to view Hua Institute from an aerial perspective, the placement of infrastructure was similar to that of a lotus.

While the administration building served as the base of the lotus and the forefront of the Institution. It wouldn't be unusual to see that the administration building look far more extravagant and imposing than the other buildings.

The five points of the lotus were the departments, with the center serving as a place where extracurricular activities are held. A complete court, a swimming pool, and another floor that served as a grand hall for events, Han Institute was prestigious. The four departments specialized in different tracks and strands for students.

Respectively, each of them had their own personal specialization. Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, STEM, and ABM. The style of teaching in Hua Institute combined western and eastern, striking a balance towards modernism and conservatism.

Although it provided elite education, Hua Institute admits students from all walks of life, evaluating character before competence above all.

As the girl looked up from her thoughts, she met gazes with a boy around her age with neat hair and a handsome face. He exuded the aura of a refreshing gentleman, comparable to those celebrities she often saw on the internet.

When a strong breeze flew by, it made her blink and when she opened them again, the boy had already walked away.

His straight back made her curious, but it soon died down to indifference.

'Whatever. Maybe it was my imagination...'