Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life

Chapter 863: Xiao Chong Side Story 1

August 31, 2013, 10:00 a.m.

Xiao Chong, clad in a summer outfit of short-sleeve white shirt and khaki pants, had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, looked handsome, and had a tall stature. He rebelliously tied a small ponytail at the back of his head and stood at the center of the stage in the grand hall, speaking as the representative of the new students.

Below, the freshmen gazing up at him couldn’t help but whisper among themselves, discussing both his unconventional long hair and being shocked by his perfect, jade-like appearance.

His skin was fairer than most of the girls present, seemingly glowing with a jade-like radiance, yet there wasn’t a trace of femininity. Instead, he possessed an indescribable air.

He was clearly just a fifteen-year-old boy, yet he already had a hint of unique masculine charm caught between boyhood and adulthood.

Currently, Xiao Chong was a fifteen-year-old first-year high school student, but twelve years ago, he was an official in the Great Tang.

That year, the floods raged; on his way to disaster relief, he encountered a mudslide. When he awoke again, he was in modern times, having shrunk into a three-year-old child, sitting in the ruins and pulled out by modern soldiers as if he were a radish. The situation was simply bewildering.

Later, he entered a welfare institution and was soon adopted by a couple who could not have children.

The family that adopted him was also named Xiao. Seeing that he tightly held a piece of jade seal carved with the words Xiao Chong, they called him Xiao Chong accordingly.

Due to the drastic change in environment and his sudden shrinkage, his martial arts completely lost, Xiao Chong remained silent about his past, pretending to be a typical three-year-old child, secretly observing this world.

It didn’t take long for him to understand where he was; this was the time Wanwan had spoken of—a thousand years later.

Wanwan said they were separated by a thousand years, belonging to different worlds; it turned out to be true and not a mere excuse.

Ever since discovering he had arrived in the world she once was in, he held onto the hope, however slight, of finding her.

Back in his own world, she said she feared their differences and disliked the rules of high-status families. Now it’s his turn to be in her world where everyone is equal.

Through sheer effort and determination, during the summer after graduating middle school, he found her.

In the Great Tang, he was already of marriageable age, yet in modern times, it’s considered "puppy love"; the thousand-year gap is truly significant.

Thinking of this, Xiao Chong smiled faintly, for no matter what, this was indeed a wonderful era.

This time, there’s no national responsibilities or millennia-long separations; he desires not the worldly affairs but only her.

Standing at the center of the hall, Xiao Chong’s gaze pierced through the bustling crowd, landing on Lin Wanwan, who also wore a school uniform.

In the crowd, Lin Wanwan lowered her eyes, with both hands in her uniform pants pockets, occasionally pulling out a card filled with English words to silently memorize them; nothing from the outside world could affect her.

For her, such a freshman orientation was the most boring and time-wasting event, and regardless of who was speaking on stage, it wouldn’t pique her interest.

With the time spent listening to such motivational speeches, she’d rather memorize a few ancient poems and English vocabulary.

After some time, a sudden boom arose around her, and the hall instantly buzzed like it was filled with hundreds of ducks—apparently, the orientation had finally concluded.

Lin Wanwan lifted her head in confusion and unexpectedly met a deep, probing gaze.

She paused slightly, yet before she could react, the gaze had already merged back into the crowd, disappearing.

Strangely, at that brief moment of eye contact, she felt a surge of familiarity as if those eyes had once pierced through dense fog and appeared in her life.

But of course, that was impossible.

Letting out a small breath, Lin Wanwan followed the crowd out.

After orientation, it’s dispersing; tomorrow marks the official start of school, and her heart felt heavy.

With the start of school, she’d soon have to pay for tuition, textbooks, and other fees.

Lin Wanwan didn’t yet know how to bring these up with her grandfather. Sometimes she felt she shouldn’t be studying, but then she couldn’t resign herself to the bleak fate that awaited without diligent study.

Lin Wanwan lived not far from the school; it was about a twenty-minute walk or just five minutes by bicycle. To save on the 350 yuan per semester dormitory fee, she opted to be a day student.

The weather outside at the end of August was like a furnace. Lin Wanwan’s bicycle chain broke this morning, so she had to walk home.

Under the scorching sun, even Lin Wanwan, who didn’t usually sweat much, felt a thin layer of sweat form on her forehead.