Chapter 135: Chapter 135

Everyone says so, but we’re all smart here—who would really show up empty-handed?

Hao Yun suddenly whispered, "Did you invite Qin Xiangge?"

"Of course. It’s my business to invite her; whether she comes or not is up to her."

The star of this party isn’t Qin Xiangge anyway. If she were to come, she’d steal all the attention. Song Xiaojing was secretly hoping she wouldn’t show up.

Hao Yun’s eyes darted around. "What about God Liu? Is he coming?"

Song Xiaojing glanced at her with a smile. "What are you thinking? You’ve never seen God Liu participate in anything extracurricular. I wouldn’t even dare hope."

Hao Yun looked a little disappointed. "It’s so hard to catch a glimpse of him outside of school."

"There are plenty of chances in school—why don’t you take one?"

Hao Yun quickly waved her hand. "Don’t mess with me; I wouldn’t dare."

The new transfer student, Gu Bichen, is quite the heartthrob too. His aura is impressive, and he’s from Jingzhou, but here at Lanya High School, he’s still not as popular as Liu Runxi.

Actually, the most popular students are Jiang Shengyao and Leng Yunyang.

Jiang Shengyao is the eldest son of the Lanya Group, so naturally, everyone fawns over him.

Leng Yunyang has that charmingly roguish vibe that girls love.

These two get the most love confessions as well.

But Liu Runxi—he’s like the unattainable moonlight in every girl’s heart.

Forever distant and aloof, hanging in the sky, something you can only look up at, as if even daring to imagine being close to him is a form of sacrilege.

This stems not only from his low-profile demeanor but also his family background.

Their hesitation to approach him likely stems from this dynamic too.

Just then, a servant led a young man inside. Zhu Ci was the first to leap up. "Gu Bichen?"

Gu Bichen smiled faintly. "What? Surprised to see me?"

Song Xiaojing hurried over to greet him. "Gu, I’m so happy you could make it."

Gu Bichen handed over a gift. "Happy birthday."

Song Xiaojing accepted it with a wide smile.

Gu Bichen had high emotional intelligence and effortlessly blended in with the classmates, chatting with everyone casually.

Someone deliberately asked, "Gu, in the recent test, you were just 0.5 points shy of Shen. Doesn’t that sting a little?"

Gu Bichen’s gaze turned cool as he looked at the male student. "You’ve all climbed mountains before, right? As you go higher, it gets harder. Test scores are similar—when you’re at Shen’s level, even a 0.5-point gap proves there’s still some distance between us. I have much to learn from her."

His answer was impeccably smooth.

"Well said." Suddenly, the sound of applause rang out.

Wasn’t that Gao Yuyue’s voice?

Everyone looked toward the source of the sound.

They saw Gao Yuyue entering, smiling at Gu Bichen.

"Gu, your words really struck a chord with me."

But for the first time, everyone’s gaze swept past Gao Yuyue and landed on the girl behind her.

"Yu’e." Song Xiaojing stepped forward quickly.

Her gaze suddenly froze as she frowned and hesitated, looking at the girl behind Gao Yuyue. "And who is this?"

Could it be a friend of Yu’e’s?

The late afternoon sky was streaked with fiery clouds, and the golden sunset light bathed the small courtyard, casting everything in a golden glow.

Including the girl standing in the glimmering twilight.

"Yu’e, is this your friend? What about Shen? Didn’t you say you’d bring her along?" Song Xiaojing fired off one question after another.

Gao Yuyue swept her gaze around the room without missing the slightly stunned expressions of her classmates, a smile of satisfaction appearing on her lips.

"You really don’t recognize her?"

The girl casually ruffled her hair, seemingly unconcerned about the strong scent of whatever product she’d used—it was overwhelming.

In everyone’s eyes, every gesture she made carried an indescribable charm and effortless sophistication.

Gu Bichen narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled faintly. "Shen."

The realization washed over everyone—this girl was Shen You’an.

What? She’s Shen You’an?

Everyone had grown used to seeing Shen You’an with her heavy bangs covering her forehead, black-framed glasses perched on her nose, and the ever-unremarkable school uniform—a constant image of muted dullness.

But now, standing before them, she had swept back her bangs, removed the thick glasses, and put on fashionable clothes. No one could connect her to the version of Shen You’an they’d known.

This was just... too stunning.

The face was the same, but something about her seemed completely transformed.

Indeed, clothes make the person, just like the saddle makes the horse. With a completely different look, Shen suddenly shone brilliantly.

Especially the pièce de résistance of her outfit—the gold wire-framed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. They replaced the weighty black frames and gave her an air of refined elegance.

The eyes behind the lenses seemed veiled by something turbulent and powerful, shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see clearly—adding a touch of cool detachment and mystery.