The Exchange Student Chasing Dreams, Chapter 1

　　It was a late June morning, the sun high in the sky. Under the scorching sun, students hurried into the school; today was the day the final exam results would be announced.
　　Xia Meng had just entered the gates of Yilin Affiliated Middle School when a voice called out to her. "Good morning, Xiao Meng!" Shu Qin's voice was as loud as ever. Seeing her good friend, Xia Meng excitedly pounced on her.
　　"Shu Qin, let me tell you, I dreamt last night that I got first place in the whole school and even received Mona Lisa's blessing!"
　　Upon hearing this, He Xinyue, Lu Jingya, Yu Tingting, and Li Zheng, who were just entering the school, burst into uncontrollable laughter.
　　"That's the biggest joke I've heard all year!" Li Zheng reached out and poked Xia Meng's bun. "Is the pressure too much? The exams are over, try to relax!"
　　Seeing Xia Meng's dazed look, Shu Qin worriedly touched her forehead. "It's not hot! You shouldn't have a fever, why are you talking nonsense?"
　　"Shuqin, you don't believe me either?"
　　"But it feels so real." Xia Meng was clearly still in a dream, muttering to herself, "Could dreams reflect reality?" "You said it yourself, it was a dream!"
　　A soft laugh reached Xia Meng's ears, and the six people present looked over to see Bing Lansha and Lu Bin walking into the school together. The laughter came from Bing Lansha, and it wasn't sarcastic, just pure amusement.
　　"Good morning." After greeting everyone, Bing Lansha came to Xia Meng, "Getting first place is definitely not a dream, but pretending to be Na Lisa is a character in a painting!" She and Lu Bin had heard Xia Meng's voice from afar.
　　It was as if her words had awakened her from her dream, and Xia Meng finally realized the difference between reality and dreams. For a moment, she refused to accept it and hung her head dejectedly.
　　"Have you run into any problems?" Lu Bin was about to offer to help her with her revision when Li Zheng interrupted, "What problems could you possibly have that require Mona Lisa's help?! Hahaha!"
　　"You idiot—" Xia Meng raised her foot to kick him, just as the bell rang. They didn't dare delay any longer and quickly ran to the classroom.
　　Seeing the report card in front of her, Xia Meng gasped several times, immediately understanding the meaning behind the sharp look that her homeroom teacher, Wang Meilin, had given her when she handed her the report card. After carefully reviewing the exam paper, she felt like banging her head against the wall. She always called Li Zheng "pighead," and in fact, she truly lived up to that name.
　　It turned out that Xia Meng had filled in the wrong answer sheet, causing her exam score to plummet by over a hundred places, dragging down the entire class and lowering the class's overall ranking in the grade. Meanwhile, Shu Qin, Lu Bin, Li Zheng, and others maintained their top-ten rankings, and even Mo Guai, who was usually at the bottom of the class, squeezed into the top one hundred.
　　After receiving her report card, the school officially announced a holiday. Dejected, Xia Meng declined Shu Qin and the others' invitation to go shopping and returned home alone. Unexpectedly, her mother, who was supposed to be at work, arrived home early, telling her that she had just received a call from Principal Bing, who would be visiting their home later.
　　The principal's personal visit was never good news; Xia Meng felt like she was going to her execution, thinking the school was targeting her. The plummeting grades would have warranted criticism and education, or even expulsion... but unexpectedly, Principal Bing didn't mention the exam scores at all. Instead, he solemnly placed an invitation in front of them—an invitation to study abroad from a prestigious school in the distant art capital of Paris.
　　Only Xia Meng was selected, to exchange schools with a girl of the same age from that Parisian school as an exchange student. No reason was given, and no conditions were set that would increase the financial burden on her family.
　　Faced with this sudden stroke of luck, Xia Meng and her mother were apprehensive and hesitant to accept. Yi Lin, as their guarantor, relieved their worries. Principal Bing said that Xia Meng only needed to obtain her passport; someone would be there to meet her after the plane landed.
　　Faced with this sudden stroke of luck, Xia Meng and her mother were apprehensive and hesitant to accept. Yi Lin, as their guarantor, relieved their worries. Principal Bing said that Xia Meng only needed to obtain her passport; someone would be there to meet her after the plane landed.
　　"I...can I know why?" Xia Meng actually wanted to ask: Could it be that Yi Lin was abandoning her and sending her abroad? But when she saw the school's information in the materials, she was terrified. She tugged at her mother's sleeve and secretly asked, "Mom, do you have relatives in France who didn't tell me?"
　　Principal Bing promptly interrupted Xia Meng's nonsensical speculation.
　　"Xia, you are very fortunate to have been recognized by a famous French scholar. He has designated you as an exchange student to study in Paris, and he will be fully responsible for your food, clothing, and accommodation during your studies in Paris."
　　"I don't understand, why did he choose me?"
　　"You should be able to meet him when you get there. Why not ask him directly and let him tell you the answer in person."
　　Upon learning of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Shu Qin and her group of friends surrounded Xia Meng, staring at her for several minutes as if she were an alien, before praising her good fortune. Lady Luck was truly too kind to her.
　　Xia Meng just kept smiling foolishly; it seemed that dreams really could become reality. Two months later, when she boarded a plane to Paris and arrived in the country she had always longed for, she still felt like she was in a dream.
　　A polite foreign man in a British uniform greeted Xia Meng. Remarkably, he spoke Chinese. He took Xia Meng's suitcase and said, "Miss Xia, hello! I am the butler sent by Mr. Thomson to pick you up. Because Mr. Thomson is attending an academic conference abroad, he cannot personally receive you. But please rest assured, he has already arranged your living arrangements in Paris before he left."
　　Xia Meng suddenly came to her senses, her mind racing. So, Professor Thomson had chosen her to be an exchange student?
　　She had so many questions that needed Thomson's answers, but here she couldn't even see him.
　　However, she quickly put these questions aside. The butler led her to a luxury car, and soon they arrived at a traditional French villa. The magnificent architectural style left Xia Meng speechless. What followed was even more beyond her imagination, leaving her overwhelmed and unable to think about anything else.
　　"Miss Xia, today's breakfast is a croissant, a medium-boiled egg, with butter, applesauce, and cornflakes in milk."
　　"Miss Xia, these are the clothes, boots, and school supplies Mr. Thomson instructed us to prepare especially for you."
　　"Please wait a few seconds, Miss Xia. A bee will fly by fifty meters ahead of you; please don't let it harm you."
　　"Miss Xia, are you fastening your seatbelt? The car will arrive at the Blue Maple Noble Academy in Paris at 7:45 sharp. You have ample time to enter the classroom a second before the bell rings, without disturbing your elegant demeanor."
　　"Well then, Miss Xia, have a pleasant day."
　　*Pfft!*
　　No! Hold it in! Be elegant!
　　Forty minutes later, outside the Blue Maple Noble Academy gates, a stretched Lincoln silently pulled up, and a girl in a Gothic-style long dress stepped out calmly. A beaded flower adorned the top of her unique bun, shimmering in the sunlight. The wind lifted the butterfly-shaped purple silk at her collar, dancing with it, reflecting in her bright, captivating dark brown eyes, giving her an aura of both dynamism and mystery.
　　The moment she stepped into Blue Maple Noble Academy, she drew everyone's attention. The air was thick with the fragrance of flowers; rose petals drifted through the air, landing on her hair, collar, lips, fingers… and even her eyelids. Unaware that she had become one with the beautiful scenery, she was completely absorbed in the enchanting landscape of the foreign campus, utterly captivated.
　　Suddenly, a boy wearing headphones and rollerblading came hurtling towards her. With a loud "bang," the girl, unable to dodge, was knocked to the ground.