The sunflower

Yan Luo hurriedly ran downstairs. Breakfast was already laid out on the table, and she grabbed a slice of toast and stuffed it into her mouth. "Slow down when you eat. The driver will take you later. I'll go with you," her mother said, worried that her daughter might choke with her hurried eating. "No need, Mom," Yan Luo said as she swallowed two slices of ham and some eggs. "Qingren is coming to pick me up on his bike. We've already arranged it. We're leaving at half past eight. Don't worry, everyone rides bikes to school. I don't want the driver to take me." Yan Luo checked the time, grabbed her backpack, and headed out. Tang Qingren happened to be downstairs at Yan's house. He was wearing a yellow short-sleeved shirt, denim shorts, and sneakers. His new white bicycle with a brown front basket and a backseat exuded a retro British style. He was standing on tiptoe, waiting for Yan Luo to come out. His tall ponytail fluttered like a black flag in the wind. Tang Qingren glanced towards Yan's house, and the door was opened with a thud. A pair of fair and slender legs squeezed out from the door c***k. As the door opened wider, a figure dashed towards Tang Qingren with light steps. The water-washed denim skirt swayed as Yan Luo came out, followed by her mother and Aunt Gu. Tang Qingren's eyes were fixed on Yan Luo, who was running towards him, but he remembered to greet the elders first. "Good morning, Auntie." "Good morning, Qingren. Be careful when you ride, and go slowly," Yan's mother said with a smile, but there was still a hint of worry in her eyes. After all, Yan Luo was younger than her peers. She had always been driven to and from school since elementary school, and Qingren also lived in the same villa area. The two had been going to school together since junior high, with drivers from both families taking turns picking them up. Yan Luo suddenly requested not to be driven anymore. "Auntie, don't worry. I practiced my biking skills all summer. I'll make sure Yan Miss is safe. Look, I just bought a new bike," Tang Qingren reassured Yan's mother of her concerns. Before Tang Qingren could finish speaking, Yan Luo had already climbed onto the backseat on her own, showing her satisfaction with the new bike. "Mom, don't worry. Let's go back. If we don't leave now, we'll be late," Yan Luo adjusted her sitting position and hugged Qingren's slender waist. "Auntie, we're off," Qingren said as he started pedaling. The two slowly disappeared from Yan's mother's sight. It took about twenty minutes to ride from the Huaibei villa area to the high school section of the First Middle School. As they left their house, they reached Linhai Road. The tall phoenix trees along the road seemed to hold up a parasol for them. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the youthful faces of the girls. Yan Luo enjoyed the refreshing breeze and the freedom of breathing. She had never realized before, when the driver drove, how refreshing the scenery on this road was. She shouted happily, "Tang Qingren, we're going to high school!" She spread her arms wide, and her laughter echoed in Qingren's ears. "Yan Luo, don't get too excited. Hold on tight. Hey, do you think we'll be in the same class? Have you talked to your dad? Will he arrange it for us?" "I did. But who knows? He never likes to owe anyone favors. He probably won't bother to talk to the principal about such a small matter," Yan Luo's father had a personal relationship with the principal of the First Middle School. "He's been on a business trip for a week, and he may have completely forgotten about it." "If we're not in the same class, I'll lose half of my anticipation for high school. I've inquired. Today, there are no classes. We'll register, then check our class assignment, get our school uniforms, meet our homeroom teacher, meet the military training instructor. Tomorrow, the formal military training begins for two weeks, followed by classes," Qingren fully exploited her gossip nature and had already figured out the schedule for the first day of school. "If only you were as diligent in studying as you are in this," Yan Luo said with a smile. "If we're not in the same class, it doesn't matter. We'll still go to and from school together. Hurry up, I can't wait to see the class assignments. I can't just sit on your back seat all the time. Teach me how to ride a bike this weekend." Since the third grade, Yan Luo had skipped grades to join Qingren's class, and the two had been inseparable ever since. "Hold on, we're turning," the bike turned from Linhai Road to Academy Road. The high school section of the First Middle School was at the end of Academy Road. The junior high and high school sections were connected. The high school building was entirely red except for the newly built teaching building. The library, cafeteria, auditorium, and student dormitories tried to maintain their original appearance. This prestigious provincial key middle school with a history of a hundred years was the dream of all students in Wanghai City. Yan Luo's admission to the First Middle School was a foregone conclusion. It was a bit difficult for Qingren to exceed expectations, and his scores were only enough for the Second Middle School. However, fortunately, his scores were close to the cutoff line, so he gladly paid the sponsorship fee to be admitted. As soon as they entered the school gate, they saw a table labeled "New Student Registration Counter" with a banner hanging next to it that read "Welcome New Students." The teachers at the admissions office were patiently repeating the registration process to each new student. "Take out your admission letter, find your name in this book, then pick up your campus card. After that, go to the auditorium to check the class assignments. You must be in your class by ten o'clock and listen to your homeroom teacher's arrangement. Please hurry up." Qingren and Yan Luo approached, received their campus cards, and went to the auditorium together. Qingren pulled Yan Luo and ran. The auditorium was in the middle of the campus, with a large lawn beside it. There were many ancient trees around the auditorium. At the front of the auditorium was the stage, facing the audience seats, and there were stairs leading up to the audience seats, along with seats on the second and third floors, which could accommodate nearly a thousand people. It was the venue for many important events of the First Middle School. The class assignments for the first year of high school were posted on the walls on both sides of the auditorium. The class list for the first year of high school. The first name was Yan Luo, with the student ID 010101. The first two digits represented the grade, the middle two were the class, and the last two represented the student's rank in the class. Yan Luo followed her name down, and suddenly Qingren covered the class list with his hand and started moving it down. 010102.03.04. He moved his hand all the way to the tenth name, squinting his eyes to make sure his name didn't slip out of the gap. "Sis, you can't be in this range. Was the sponsorship fee paid for nothing?" Yan Luo pulled Qingren's hand down forcefully, wanting to see beyond the thirtieth name. "..." Qingren gave her a glance. Indeed, how could he be in the top ten? He moved his hand down to the twentieth name, and Yan Luo saw it from between his fingers. 010135, Tang Qingren. At this moment, Qingren opened his eyes and moved his hand to the thirtieth position, still no sign of his name, his face full of disappointment. Yan Luo raised his hand, and the class list for the first year of high school appeared in front of her eyes. Now she saw her name at a glance, "Ah! 010135, it's me. I'm in Class One, haha." "Hurry up and go to the classroom." Yan Luo turned and walked out of the auditorium towards the classroom.