Teng Yi noticed Ruan Yu’s gaze and pulled off the black hair tie from his wrist.

“This is yours. I kept forgetting to return it to you,” he held it out to her.

This black hair tie was one Ruan Yu had used for a long time. The band had become thin and stretched out, having lost most of its elasticity. When she’d lost it before, she hadn’t paid much attention and had already replaced it with a new one. She hadn’t expected him to keep it for her.

Could it be that he had been wearing it on his wrist these past few days?

“Thank you.”

Ruan Yu took it and placed it in her pocket, unable to resist glancing at his wrist again. Both his wrists were bare, without any accessories or even a watch.

Inexplicably, she remembered what Jian Xiangxiang had said about Fang Wan and the several-thousand-yuan watch that Fang Wan had given him.

Why wasn’t he wearing it?

Lost in thought, her steps halted until Teng Yi urged her forward, and she continued climbing.

When they reached Teng Hao’s door, Teng Yi knocked and waited for a response before pushing it open.

Teng Hao was inside doing homework. He had recently gotten a haircut and was still in his school uniform, looking every bit the student.

“Brother, weren’t you in a hurry to get to the practice room? Why did you come back?” Teng Hao didn’t even lift his head.

Ruan Yu looked at Teng Yi – so he was in a hurry to leave.

Teng Yi didn’t answer but knocked on the door twice more.

Teng Hao turned to look and saw Ruan Yu. He quietly gripped his pen tighter, his brows furrowing then relaxing, then furrowing again.

“Come here and apologize,” Teng Yi commanded.

Teng Hao seemed reluctant, but under Teng Yi’s watchful gaze, he obediently stood up and walked over, stopping in front of Ruan Yu. Although Teng Hao was three years younger than Ruan Yu, he was much taller than her.

He looked down at her, his gaze the same as when they first met.

“I heard you caught a cold?”

“I’m better now,” Ruan Yu tried to control it, but her voice was still somewhat hoarse.

“Why are you such a weakling?”

The words slipped out of Teng Hao’s mouth, but Teng Yi’s glare made him swallow his next words.

“Why so chatty when you’re supposed to be apologizing?”

“Fine, I’ll apologize, but brother, don’t forget what you promised me,” Teng Hao pursed his lips, showing a hint of stubbornness.

Teng Yi remained silent, maintaining an expressionless face as he stared at Teng Hao. After being stared at for a while, Teng Hao’s confidence wavered. He turned to Ruan Yu and suddenly performed a perfect ninety-degree bow.

“I’m sorry,” he enunciated slowly and seemingly sincerely.

If not for the previous conversation, Ruan Yu would have believed he was genuinely sorry.

But precisely because of that earlier exchange, she knew Teng Yi must have promised Teng Hao something to secure this apology, and probably not something simple.

“Hey, I apologized so formally, shouldn’t you show some response?” Teng Hao grew annoyed seeing Ruan Yu’s impassive expression.

“What kind of response do I need to show?” Ruan Yu looked at him. “My presence here shows I’ve already moved past it.”

“Can’t you at least say ‘it’s okay’?” Teng Hao pressed on.

Ruan Yu deliberately refused to comply and asked, “Should I return a ninety-degree bow?”

“…”

Teng Yi laughed as he listened to their bickering.

“Alright, I’m leaving now,” he said as he turned, giving Teng Hao’s head a light tap as he did so. “Get back to your homework.”

Ruan Yu’s gaze followed him. He noticed and nodded to her before departing.