“Class is about to start, everyone hurry over.”

Everyone headed towards the classroom, and Nie Yan and the others entered.

“Bro, do you play Faith?” Zhai Hao asked from the side. Nowadays, everyone’s conversations revolved around Faith, which had become an indispensable part of many people’s lives.

Xie Yao couldn’t help but listen attentively, her gaze lingering on Nie Yan. She felt that Nie Yan was too much like that person. The pronunciation of their names was similar, as were their tone and manner of speaking, and that feeling of familiarity that ran deep in her bones.

Some people have completely different personalities inside and outside the game.

Like her. Xie Yao was relatively quiet in reality, but once she entered Faith, her mind became more active and her personality became more cheerful. In the game, people can always release some psychological pressure.

But some people are very consistent.

“Of course I play,” Nie Yan said. The most common topics among classmates were equipment and levels in the game. Having a high level and good equipment brought prestige, and getting good equipment meant showing it off. Thinking about it, it seemed a bit childish, but it was an indispensable topic for them.

“What level are you?” Zhai Hao perked up as soon as he heard Nie Yan say he played.

“Level 23,” Nie Yan said. He really was only level 23 right now.

Xie Yao beside him showed a clear expression of disappointment. That person had reached level 35 a long time ago, and his level might be even more astonishing now. Hearing Nie Yan say he was only level 23, could it not be him? Xie Yao thought for a moment, considering Nie Yan's low-key personality. Maybe he wouldn't reveal his real level in reality.

So her disappointment eased a lot.

Xie Yao felt an extreme sense of conflict in her mind. She both hoped that Nie Yan was that person, because the two of them were so similar, and this tacit understanding quietly influenced her emotions. Yet, she didn't want Nie Yan to be that person. If that were the case, she didn't know how to interact with Nie Yan.

If the virtual world and the real world were so close for the two of them, would she end up with Nie Yan in the end? Her heart pounded like a deer.

She admired Nirvana Flame (Nie Yan), the leader who stood above the masses and dominated the world, yet the distance between them was so far. If Nirvana Flame walked into her life, how should she handle it?

“I’m level 26. A few friends and I formed a team, six people in total. I’ll bring you to level up together next time,” Zhai Hao said, feeling a little smug. His level was considered quite high among all players. Among the many classmates, only a few could surpass him. Young people always have a bit of vanity. Zhai Hao was considered relatively simple, but he couldn't escape it either.

“Sure, just let me know when,” Nie Yan replied readily. The people in Zhai Hao’s circle were all good friends of Nie Yan’s in his past life, and he definitely wanted to meet them.

“Class Beauty, do you play Faith? Want to come along?” Zhai Hao asked with a bit of anticipation. If Xie Yao joined, those wolves would definitely howl and become hyperactive.

Xie Yao smiled, pursed her lips, and shook her head: “I won’t go. You can invite Xia Ling and the others.”

Few people in the class knew that Xie Yao played games, let alone what level she was or how well she played. Even those girls who played very well in Faith had never seen Xie Yao in the game.

“Okay, but would Xia Ling and the others be willing to come?” Zhai Hao said, looking at the slender figure standing in the distance of the classroom, his expression slightly restrained.

Seeing Zhai Hao’s expression, a smile appeared on the corner of Nie Yan’s mouth. In his previous life, Xia Ling and Zhai Hao were also a loving couple. They stayed in touch throughout college, and later, they were assigned to the same city for work. After an eight-year-long relationship, they finally achieved a positive result, a loving couple who finally got together.

“They would definitely be happy to, but you have to take care of them. Their levels aren’t as high as yours. I can help you ask them,” Xie Yao said, having also seen that Zhai Hao was interested in Xia Ling.

“Then thanks a lot, Class Beauty,” Zhai Hao said, a little excited, looking at Nie Yan, “When do you have time? How about tomorrow? We’ll meet when the game starts.”

Nie Yan thought for a moment, connecting with Zhai Hao and his group was necessary, but he seemed busy tomorrow.

“That works, but we can only play together for about two hours. I have something planned with a friend,” Nie Yan said. He could spare an hour or two, and also meet some of his old friends. In his previous life, they often played games together, and were chased down by the Asskickers United, hiding in the deep mountains and forests to level up. Thinking back to those days of shared hardship, he really missed them. He couldn't forget these old brothers just because he had become successful. He should meet them first and bring them into the Niu Ren Tribe.

“Why are you so busy?” Zhai Hao asked in surprise. Their excuse for finding Xia Ling and the other girls to level up together was also to have more contact with Nie Yan, the new student. Nie Yan’s performance today was truly shocking, and everyone was curious about Nie Yan. If Nie Yan left, what excuse would they use to keep Xia Ling and the other girls?

“I’ll go see you guys. You can continue leveling up after I leave, right? I’ll play with you again another day,” Nie Yan said. This was a rare opportunity for Zhai Hao and Xia Ling to spend time together, and he didn’t want to ruin it.

Zhai Hao thought for a moment and said, “That works too. Since you’re so busy, let’s meet up tomorrow first, and have a good gathering another day. How do we contact you?”

“What’s your name in the game?” Nie Yan asked. If he revealed his name in the game, it would probably cause a major earthquake in the entire class. The name of the Mad Rogue Nirvana Flame was already known to everyone. Although he knew Zhai Hao's name in the game in his previous life, he still asked.

“I’m called Rampaging War Armor, a Berserker,” Zhai Hao said.

“I’ll find you tomorrow,” Nie Yan said. He didn't want to talk about those things in the game here. He would meet Zhai Hao and the others tomorrow and ask them to keep it a secret.

“You haven’t told me what your name is in the game yet?” Zhai Hao said. Nie Yan seemed a bit secretive about things in the game, which made him a little curious.

Nie Yan smiled and shook his head: “We’ll talk about it then.”

“Okay,” Zhai Hao said helplessly. This guy was really pretending to be mysterious.

If Zhai Hao knew Nie Yan’s name in the game, he wouldn’t think that way.

Listening to Nie Yan and Zhai Hao’s conversation, Xie Yao looked at Nie Yan, her clear eyes blinking, her heart even more suspicious. Why was Nie Yan unwilling to reveal his name in the game?

“I’ll go invite Xia Ling and the others,” Xie Yao said, feeling a little smug in her heart. Even if you don't want to say it, you'll still have to reveal it tonight when you go online. Xia Ling is my best friend.

Soon, Zhai Hao received Xie Yao’s reply. Xia Ling had agreed, and there were two other girls accompanying her. They were all around level 21 or 22, not high, but not bad either.

The class bell rang, and everyone sat down in their respective seats.

Nie Yan pretended to look around, walked to Xie Yao’s side, and said with a smile, “What a coincidence, my seat number happens to be next to yours.”

Xie Yao looked at the name displayed on the computer next to her, which happened to be Nie Yan. A girl used to sit next to her, but she transferred away, so this seat had been empty. She didn't expect it to be assigned to Nie Yan.

Xie Yao’s cheeks puffed out. How could it be such a coincidence? There were at least a dozen empty seats in the whole class, and Nie Yan happened to be sitting next to her.

Nie Yan sat down next to her, looked at Xie Yao next to him, and thought to himself, *Beautiful deskmate, we’re sitting together again.*

The beauty remains, only an arm’s length away.

He won’t let her drift away again.

Nie Yan felt that he was really lucky. Although he suffered a lot in his previous life, he was being compensated in this life. There was a saying that was right: God makes people endure hardship so that they know how to cherish it more when they have happiness.

The homeroom teacher, Yang Boyi, came in from the outside and glanced at everyone in the class, his gaze falling on Nie Yan.

Nie Yan met his gaze without fear. In his previous life, Yang Boyi was very strict, but he was fair.

“Today we have a new classmate joining us, and I believe everyone already knows his name. I’ve received news from the school clinic about Liu Rui’s situation. He’s fine, but he’ll probably need to rest for a while. Today’s incident was a sparring match, not a fight, so I won’t say much more. According to the relevant regulations for improving the national quality of the Federation, Nie Yan will not be responsible for this incident. Since Liu Rui is injured and cannot come to school to serve as a teaching assistant, Nie Yan will temporarily take over the position. When Liu Rui returns, everyone will vote and decide.”

Yang Boyi’s words caused a small discussion among everyone. Liu Rui had really suffered this time, and even his position as a teaching assistant had been taken away. However, many people were gloating, after all, Liu Rui had been too popular, which made many people very unhappy.

*Teaching assistant,* Nie Yan couldn't help but feel secretly happy. In the future, he would have the opportunity to find excuses to have more contact with Xie Yao. Teaching assistants have the authority to keep struggling students behind for individual tutoring. Xie Yao wasn’t a struggling student, she was even considered excellent, but it wasn't difficult to find an excuse. There’s a saying: *A waterside pavilion gets the moonlight first.*

Yang Boyi glanced at Nie Yan and said, “There are still many students in our class who are very promising and have a good chance of entering the First Military Academy. I hope you will work harder and not neglect your cultural subjects. To enter the First Military Academy, you must also pass the cultural subjects. Now, let’s do an entrance test.”

Everyone let out a sigh of lament. Several pages of test papers had already been sent via computer. The total score was 1,200 points, covering mathematics, mechanical theory, physics, and so on. These questions were very difficult, but most of them were practical questions.

Nie Yan couldn't help but sigh. This was his high school life!

He turned his head to look at Xie Yao. Xie Yao was looking down at the computer screen, touching the screen with her fingers, concentrating on the questions. Feeling Nie Yan’s gaze, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, exposing the owner’s somewhat uneasy and flustered emotions.

“Focus on the test!” Xie Yao stomped her foot. For some reason, she was always disturbed by Nie Yan’s presence. Maybe it was because of that feeling of familiarity between them. Her tone was less stern and more like a playful spat between lovers.

Hearing his beautiful deskmate speak, Nie Yan didn’t dare to act rashly and focused intently on the computer screen.

Scenes from his previous life flashed through Nie Yan’s mind, filled with a faint warmth, flowing like a clear spring in Nie Yan’s heart.