As soon as Elizabeth left, the classroom once again turned into a bustling market.
After not seeing each other for a winter break, some students who were close gathered in twos and threes, starting small tea parties.
The cliques in the school did not have a fixed pattern:
They might be divided into academic overachiever groups or academic underachiever groups based on grades.
Some might also become best friends because of their skin color.
Even more, different small teams would gather based on appearance or personal preferences.
"Hi, Mike. Want to come over to my place for a chat? Many people are very interested in your affairs..." Georgie came to the front row and invited him.
Thanks to Mike, Georgie now had some popularity in the class.
It was strange to say, some people might not have much talent in academic performance, but they just had a unique affinity for making friends.
Not long after the new school year began, Georgie, relying on his unconventional talent, gathered a small group of academic underachievers in the class.
Mike, whose situation was different from his, although his popularity in the school continued to rise during the past half-semester, his relationship with his classmates was not good.
Thinking about it, it was true. For someone who was overly excellent in all aspects, if he was not willing, even if ordinary people wanted to build a good relationship, there would be a natural barrier.
Mike was in this situation now.
Perhaps he didn't even notice that in the eyes of his classmates, he had a certain "unapproachable" aura about him.
Although this situation was not terrible, being detached from the group was certainly not a good thing.
Georgie most likely realized this, so he wanted to introduce some new friends to Mike.
"Next time." Mike glanced at the academic underachiever group newly gathered in the back row, then looked at Paige beside him who was looking at him, and rejected Georgie's proposal.
It proved that Mike was not interested in ineffective "socializing."
"Please, Mike, help me out. It won't take up too much of your time..." Georgie also glanced at his academic underachiever group in the back row, then turned and whispered pleadingly.
Alright, looking at Georgie, he was overestimated before.
The reason he came to invite Mike was entirely to show off in front of his new friends with something no one else could do.
Poor vanity at play...
And his little trick, of course, did not escape Mike's eyes.
Just as Mike was about to refuse again, Regina also came to the first row.
"Paige, how about I take you to meet some new friends?" Regina asked.
Just arriving in a new environment, meeting more friends would be very helpful for Paige to integrate into the new group.
"Go ahead, Paige." Mike also clearly realized this, so he gave his opinion to the little girl who looked to him for advice.
Most of the girls with Regina were members of the Mike Fanclub. It was conceivable that they would certainly not bully Paige.
Besides, with Mike and Regina watching, the little girl would not suffer any losses no matter what.
And being able to make more friends was indeed a good thing for a little girl who lacked playmates.
The clever Paige also understood this, so after greeting Mike, she followed Regina to the girls' side.
At the same time, Georgie, seeing that Mike had finished dealing with the little girl's matter, spoke again pitifully: "Mike..."
"Stop, control your expression." Mike interrupted Georgie speechlessly, then got up and said, "Let's go, let's chat in the back row."
"Yes—"
Seeing Mike being so considerate, Georgie cheered excitedly.
Then, as if he had completed a difficult task, he puffed out his chest and led Mike to the back row.
By then, apart from some students with reclusive personalities who stayed alone in the corners, only Sheldon in the first row remained, studying the new textbooks alone as if no one else was there.
...
Time without a teacher always passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, it was lunchtime.
"How do you feel? Paige." In the school cafeteria, Mike, who had gotten two servings of food, asked the little girl following him.
"Not bad, the classmates here are very friendly, and the atmosphere is more relaxed than my previous school." Paige thought for a moment and replied.
Because her father was a dentist, Paige's family's financial situation was not bad, so she had attended a private high school before.
Compared to the highly competitive private high school, the atmosphere of a public high school, which was more hands-off, was obviously much more relaxed.
"That's good." Seeing the little girl gradually becoming more cheerful, Mike smiled knowingly.
In fact, for super prodigies like Paige and Sheldon, which school they attended was not important.
Instead, a relatively relaxed environment was more conducive to their growth.
After all, for geniuses, having a healthy mental state was more precious than having profound knowledge.
Along the way, after responding to some students' greetings, Mike also led Paige smoothly to the center of the cafeteria and sat down.
"Mike, did you watch Regina and their performance the night before yesterday?" At the dining table, Regina asked.
Compared to boys, girls were clearly more talented in gossip.
The performance Regina mentioned was the debut performance of the three girls from The Plastics on the "Welcoming Spring" stage, broadcast nationwide.
Compared to local Christmas programs, the "Welcoming Spring" stage, which was broadcast nationwide, was larger in scale and more influential.
Most of the people who could participate in the performance were nationally renowned star.
And the fact that the three girls from The Plastics were fortunate enough to participate in such a stage performance was enough to show the importance "Miracle" Company placed on them.
Of course, from another perspective, it also proved that the three girls indeed had great potential to become star.
"Yes, their performance improved a lot in basic skills compared to before," Mike said truthfully.
In fact, a few days before The Plastics appeared on the national stage, the three girls specifically called Mike to inform him of this good news.
The performance results were not bad; the three girls proved with their strength that they had not let down their efforts during this period.
Putting aside professional critical eyes, the girls' debut performance this time was very successful.
However, Mike still underestimated the destructive power of the three vibrant and beautiful girls.
"I heard that reporters are already digging deep into Regina and their backgrounds..." Mary said seriously, "Mike, the fact that you wrote songs for them probably won't be kept secret. Those reporters might come to school to harass you soon."
The sudden emergence of The Plastics were a surprise to many audiences across the country this spring.
And The Plastics, which gained popularity, would obviously drive many reporters crazy.
For the sake of performance, those entertainment reporters probably wouldn't mind acting as "paparazzi" to collect some sensational news.
"It's fine, I can handle it." Mike, with his extraordinary physique, did not take the reporters to heart.
After all, in his opinion, according to normal procedures, even if he couldn't afford to provoke those reporters, he could just avoid them.
"As long as you know what you're doing..."
Seeing Mike's calm expression, Regina did not say more on the matter.
Then, led by her, everyone at the dining table, including Cady and Paige, started chatting about the new school year.
Of course, Mike mostly played the role of a listener, with the three girls doing most of the talking.
On the other side, Tam and Sheldon, as school outcasts, still went to their usual spot in the library to have their lunch.
"Sheldon, how do you feel about the new school year?" To make the atmosphere less dull, Tam, who pulled out his homemade curry rice, started looking for a topic.
"It feels pretty good to be able to return to school to learn knowledge." Sheldon, holding his wrapped sandwich, thought for a moment and said seriously, "Of course, if the classmates in the class could be quieter when I'm studying, that would be even better."
"Uh, alright—" Tam, who wanted to actively lead the conversation, was also an academic overachiever, but he still couldn't quite understand Sheldon's obsessive attitude towards studying.
Thus, the conversation stopped here, and Tam also lowered his head, slowly eating his curry rice.