After dinner, Qing Ye and the two others worked until past ten o’clock. Pang Hu offered to escort Shi Min home on his way.

After Xing Wu pulled down the rolling shutter, Qing Ye walked to the stairs and called up: “Are you on the second floor?”

Before she finished speaking, she fell back into someone’s embrace. Xing Wu hugged her from behind: “I’m right here.”

Qing Ye turned around in his arms: “How come I didn’t see you just now?”

“You need glasses. Wasn’t I just crouching there fixing the table corner?”

“What’s wrong with the table corner?”

“My mom keeps saying the mahjong table wobbles, so I’m adjusting it for her.”

Suddenly it was just the two of them at home, and the atmosphere became somewhat ambiguous. Xing Wu took the things she was holding, and Qing Ye told him: “I want to wash my hair.”

The winter here wasn’t like at her old home where she could shower every day, but if she didn’t wash her hair for two days, she’d go crazy. However, washing her long hair was such a massive undertaking that sometimes it would be easier to just take a shower.

Xing Wu glanced at the washing chair: “Lie down, I’ll put away the books and come back.”

So Qing Ye obediently let down her hair and lay on the washing chair waiting for him. Soon Xing Wu came back smoothly, pulled up a chair to sit at her head, tested the water temperature, and then wet her hair. He suddenly asked with amusement: “How did you come up with the idea of having Fatty study opera?”

Qing Ye closed her eyes contentedly and said: “Don’t you notice he doesn’t stutter when he sings?”

“That’s true. He even won our school’s Top Ten Campus Singers competition.”

“What?” Qing Ye opened her eyes in disbelief to look at Xing Wu. Just how casual was this competition?

But when she suddenly opened her eyes, Xing Wu’s face was right above her, so close she could see each of his distinct eyelashes. Her heart started racing chaotically, and then… she blushed.

Xing Wu caught her slightly shy expression, silently curved his lips, and applied shampoo, massaging her long hair while saying: “I heard him say he didn’t stutter when he was little. Later, one night a rat crawled onto his bed and scared him badly. After that, he seemed to develop problems speaking.”

Qing Ye muttered: “Strange.”

“But when he gets excited, his stutter improves.”

“???” So it comes naturally but improves randomly?

Xing Wu had finished rinsing out the shampoo and knew to apply conditioner now. Seeing Qing Ye’s contented expression, after rinsing the conditioner he asked: “Is madam satisfied? My service is very expensive.”

Qing Ye laughed and said domineeringly: “No problem, your lady has money.”

Xing Wu wrapped her wet hair around her front: “I don’t want money, I want the person.”

As he spoke, he bent down and gently bit her soft lips. Qing Ye opened her mouth with a slight gasp, and he took the opportunity to claim her moist lips and tongue. This was Xing Wu’s second time kissing her like this. Her breath carried a faint sweet fragrance – he didn’t know if all girls were like this, but this candy-like sweetness that wasn’t quite candy intoxicated him.

The moment Xing Wu kissed her, Qing Ye’s heart leaped to her throat, even seeming to stop beating from nervousness. That time in the alley had been too sudden, too chaotic, but now she could so clearly feel his kiss, his brows, his warmth, right before her eyes. She had never kissed anyone before, and though it looked simple in movies when it happened to her she was basically in a daze. But as an ambitious top student, how could she submit so easily?

So Qing Ye began to respond to him somewhat clumsily, but she didn’t know that her response made Xing Wu’s mind explode. His arms, somewhat out of control, went around her back and lifted her entire person into his embrace.

Qing Ye softly hooked her arms around his neck, feeling numb all over from his kisses, her body gradually becoming extraordinarily sensitive – so sensitive that through her thick coat, she could feel Xing Wu’s warm hands wandering at her waist. Suddenly a strange feeling arose in her heart, like many small insects gnawing at her heart, making her weak and limp. A soft “mmm” involuntarily escaped from deep in her throat.

Xing Wu’s whole body froze. He abruptly pulled away from her, looking at Qing Ye in his arms with her misty eyes, flushed cheeks, and delicate smooth skin extending into her collar. His blood rushed backward, and he suddenly released her, stood up, and strode out of the backyard.

Qing Ye propped herself up on the washing chair, raising her hands to her burning cheeks, her mind blank.

She sat there recovering for a long while before getting up and walking into the barbershop, plugging in the hair dryer, and sitting in the chair to unwrap the towel and dry her hair.

But seeing her flushed cheeks and hazy eyes in the mirror, Qing Ye felt both embarrassed and shocked. That had been too dangerous – had she and Xing Wu almost set off alarms? She didn’t know if it was that she was too sensitive to him or if his kissing technique was too good – how could a single kiss leave them both so disheveled?

Although Qing Ye had confirmed her feelings and intended to take this relationship seriously, she hadn’t thought about exploring the unknown world with Xing Wu so soon – after all, they had just gotten together.

After this incident, Qing Ye felt that Xing Wu was truly dangerous. Why did she lose all principles, bottom lines, and rationality whenever she encountered him? This person must be toxic.

Just as Qing Ye was lost in these thoughts, the toxic person in question came in. He glanced at her and walked behind her, naturally taking over the hair dryer from her hands. Qing Ye’s heart, which had just calmed down, suddenly started beating again at his proximity. It was as if he had some kind of fatal magnetic field that constantly interfered with her brain waves.

She didn’t know what Xing Wu was feeling now, but she felt she couldn’t stay in the same space with him anymore. Whenever he appeared, even the air became filled with ambiguous feelings, enough to drive one crazy.

To avoid making eye contact with him in the mirror, Qing Ye chose to close her eyes and pretend to sleep.

But after Xing Wu finished drying her hair and turned off the dryer, she fell asleep, just like that, head lowered against the chair back.

Xing Wu had originally intended to wake her to go upstairs to sleep but suddenly felt reluctant. Since school started, Qing Ye only got five hours of sleep each day, sometimes not even that if something came up. Although she could spring up like she was injected with chicken blood when the alarm rang in the morning, people weren’t made of iron after all, and he felt quite sorry for her.

So Xing Wu put down the hair dryer and lifted her in his arms, carefully climbing the stairs. Qing Ye hadn’t moved at all, just curled up in his arms. He thought she was still asleep, but just as he laid her on the bed, Qing Ye grabbed his sleeve with her eyes closed and said drowsily: “I’m sleepy, wake me at five.”

Then she turned over and fell asleep again. It was only just past eleven now – Qing Ye usually wouldn’t sleep until past twelve or one, but now she was so tired she couldn’t even keep her eyes open.

Seeing her this exhausted yet still remembering to make up that hour in the morning, Xing Wu had to admire how impressive good students were at time management. He tucked her in, set the alarm, and soon fell asleep himself.

At five o’clock, Xing Wu’s phone rang. He picked it up to turn it off, then called out: “Qing Ye, it’s five o’clock.”

Qing Ye was facing away from him, completely wrapped in her blanket, not moving. He simply got up and walked to her bedside, pushing her gently: “It’s five o’clock.”

Qing Ye finally got up groggily. When she walked out of the room, at the sink by the door, toothpaste was already squeezed onto the brush, the washbasin was beside it, and Xing Wu had prepared hot water for her. Qing Ye stretched and smiled – a beautiful day.

She had just finished reviewing all the content words, function words, and fixed phrases she had highlighted yesterday when Xing Wu returned, carrying tofu pudding without chili and steaming hot meat buns.

As soon as he entered, Qing Ye smelled the fragrance and turned to ask: “You went to buy breakfast?”

Xing Wu still carried the winter chill from outside. He put the food on the desk and said to her: “Eat first, then study on a full stomach.”

Xing Wu was a standard carnivore – Qing Ye noticed he couldn’t go without meat for any meal, yet never gained weight, though his body was quite sturdy.

She glanced at the meat buns and said to him: “I only eat the skin, not the meat.”

“Who eats meat buns without the meat?”

Qing Ye just smiled at him without speaking. Xing Wu split open the meat buns, eating the meat himself and giving her the skin. Qing Ye held her book in one hand and the bun skin in the other, eating with apparent enjoyment.

Xing Wu opened the tofu pudding. After she finished the bun skin, she started reciting classical texts from memory. Xing Wu urged her: “Eat the tofu pudding first, it’ll get cold later.”

Qing Ye turned her head toward him with her mouth open. Xing Wu raised his eyebrows: “Now you’re going too far.”

Qing Ye stared at him dissatisfied, even throwing a little tantrum. Xing Wu helplessly pulled over a stool, holding the tofu pudding to feed her. She would write one sentence, then turn her head to take a bite.

After Qing Ye finished reciting an entire classical text, she turned to him and said: “Xing Wu, you’re spoiling me. In the future, I won’t be satisfied with anyone else. Have you considered just feeding me three meals a day?”

Xing Wu stood up with a smile: “When you’re as old as my grandmother, I’ll feed you three meals a day.”

“Get lost!” Qing Ye reached out to hit him, but he dodged.

They suddenly fell silent, that phrase “when I go out in the future” suddenly landing in their hearts as if reminding them that time was counting down. But neither wanted to touch on this topic again.

Soon after, Qing Ye packed up her things and left for school. Before leaving, she said to Xing Wu: “Go back to sleep for a while.”

Xing Wu leaned against the headboard, opening his phone: “Can’t sleep anymore. I’ll help someone level up.”

“Do you charge for it?”

“Am I doing charity work if I don’t charge?”

“You’re quite hustling.”

Xing Wu lowered his head and smiled: “Be careful on your way.”

When Qing Ye arrived at school, she found everyone discussing the winter marathon. The class was in chaos, their excitement level matching as if the school was giving out money.

Qing Ye took out her book and asked: “Do third-year students have to participate in the marathon too?”

The class gossip in front turned around immediately, excitedly saying: “We weren’t supposed to, but remember that girl from Class 6 who fainted last week? The school said our physical fitness is poor, worried we might not make it to the college entrance exam, so they’re making us participate too. Plus, we run together with Invocation School every year. They have lots of beautiful girls there – it’s great fun!”

“…” Qing Ye couldn’t understand what was so fun about it.

Just thinking about the word “marathon” gave her a headache. She muttered: “Why do we even have a marathon? Don’t tell me there are spring and autumn trips too.”

Mentioning this made the gossip even more exciting: “We don’t have spring and autumn trips this year, but we have winter camp.”

“Winter camp? What’s that for?” Seeing his excitement, Qing Ye got a little hopeful – would the school take them somewhere scenic for a few days?

But Feng Bao, the usually quiet classmate who blushed whenever he saw Qing Ye, turned around and answered: “They’ll take us to Jin Zhong School for the county’s David Cup.”

The gossip added: “It’s a mathematics competition.”

“…” Qing Ye was speechless. If it’s a math competition, just call it that – why name it the David Cup? Those who know might think of the 20th-century mathematical genius David Hilbert, while others might think of that naked statue standing in the Florence Academy!

At least when Qing Ye first heard “David Cup,” she thought it was some art competition.

Then she inquired further: “Is it held every year? Who participates?”

Feng Bao told her it happened every year, going on for five or six years now, just between An Zhong and Jin Zhong schools, but their school had never won.

The gossip whispered secretly: “I heard from my dad, don’t know if it’s true, but they say Jin Zhong funds this competition, so they leak the questions internally beforehand. That way they can brag about winning the David Cup championship several years in a row and improve their school’s reputation. These past few years, many people from the county have been paying and finding ways to send their kids to Jin Zhong.”

Qing Ye said puzzled: “Why don’t we just not participate then? Why be stupid pacemakers?”

As soon as she said this, Qing Ye figured it out. With Jin Zhong having such good student resources here, it’s normal for them to have some connections. Money talks – when leaders step in to coordinate, saying it’s a county-wide event, how could An Zhong’s school leaders refuse to participate? Moreover, it doesn’t cost them anything, and participating in competitions looks good on paper. How did she end up at such a pathetic school?

She quickly changed the subject: “Then in previous years, our school should at least win the marathon against Anvocation School, right?”

The gossip’s face turned grave: “Never won that either.”

“…” Can I drop out? They’re no good at academics, no good at sports – Qing Ye suddenly felt that An Zhong was quite a peculiar existence in this country. They should scratch off the “Advanced” from that “Advanced High School” sign at the gate.

Sure enough, at noon, Teacher Yang came to class to announce that the marathon would be this Saturday. To demonstrate An Zhong students’ spirit and distinguish them from Invocation School students, everyone must wear their school uniforms.

Finally, he called Qing Ye to his office separately and gave her a brand new set of school uniforms. He earnestly told her that he had specially applied to the school for this and wouldn’t charge her, but asked her not to tell anyone, feeling that opening this backdoor for her was radiating with teaching ethics.

Qing Ye looked at the green and red uniform in her hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She couldn’t escape it after all. She wanted to tell Teacher Yang she’d pay double if she could return the uniform.

When Qing Ye was carrying the uniform back to class, Xing Wu happened to be standing in the corridor talking to boys from the next class. He looked up to see Qing Ye’s dejected face, said goodbye to the others as they returned to class, and turned to face her. Qing Ye glanced back into the classroom and then walked up to him, saying pitifully: “Teacher Yang gave me a set of school uniforms.”

Xing Wu leaned against the corridor, the winter sun shining on his clear, handsome face. He said lazily: “Isn’t that good?”

But Qing Ye looked quite unhappy: “We have to run the marathon this Saturday. Can I not participate?”

Xing Wu looked completely relaxed: “Why not participate?”

Qing Ye looked up at him: “Running a marathon in this uniform would be the shame of my life!”

Xing Wu smiled, his lips curling into an attractive arc: “I’ll wear one with you.”

“You have a school uniform? I’ve never seen you wear one.”

“Isn’t it too ugly? I may be a country bumpkin, but I have aesthetic standards. I’ll look around at home, should be able to find it.”

Qing Ye frantically put both hands on the corridor rail and complained: “I hate running in winter. It feels hard to even breathe. I’d rather write several more classical texts.”

Xing Wu said playfully: “What are you afraid of? If you can’t breathe, I can always give you mouth-to-mouth.”

His burning gaze swept across her soft lips, and Qing Ye immediately blushed guiltily, raising her knee to bump him. Xing Wu didn’t dodge, as if her little action was just like a kitten’s tickle to him.

But their natural playfulness suddenly made everyone in the corridor freeze. Even the people at Class 6’s door across the way stared in horror – Xing Wu was smiling at a girl, smiling? Smiling so bewitchingly? And voluntarily standing there letting her hit him?

When Qing Ye finally noticed the strange looks around them, she immediately switched expressions like a Sichuan face-changing opera, instantly withdrawing her smile and turning back to class, clean and decisive.