The next day was Christmas.

Her aunt, refusing to feel old and keeping up with trends, especially bought a Christmas tree for home, decorated it beautifully with small colored lights, and placed gift boxes of various sizes underneath.

“Niannian, get up, you’ll be late for school,” her aunt knocked on her bedroom door and called.

Shi Niannian bounced up from the bed, looked at the time—the 7:50 morning reading class, and it was already almost 7:30.

She had forgotten to set an alarm yesterday and somehow slept so deeply.

When she opened her eyes, her phone was beside her face, next to a somewhat old, repeatedly folded speech.

Last night…

Shi Niannian recalled while brushing her teeth.

Jiang Wang’s magnetic, deep voice with its hint of laughter seemed to still be in her ear—”You miss me.”

Shi Niannian felt a tickle in her heart, as if brushed by a feather. She didn’t think or didn’t want to think about it. After two more seconds of silence, she had said “good night” to Jiang Wang and hung up the phone.

Shi Niannian looked at herself in the mirror. That bit of impulse and courage from the night had passed, and now awake, she felt embarrassed. She splashed cold water on her face to keep her cheeks from looking so red.

She didn’t dare dawdle anymore—she was about to be late for school. Eventually, her uncle drove her to school.

“Goodbye, Uncle.”

The car stopped at the school gate, and Shi Niannian said goodbye, tugging at her backpack strap as she ran toward the classroom.

Just as she ran into the teaching building, she saw Jiang Wang on the stairs, his back to her, walking up lazily.

Shi Niannian stopped her steps. She should greet him, but the events of last night made her feel embarrassed, unsure how to speak. Following behind Jiang Wang would make her late.

After hesitating for a moment, she tightened her backpack strap, preparing to rush past him without saying hello.

As she passed Jiang Wang with her head down, she smelled the pleasant scent of soap on him. Recently, he rarely smelled of cigarettes—only occasionally when he went out during class breaks and returned with a faint tobacco smell, indicating he had gone out to smoke.

Many random thoughts flashed through her mind.

Just as she was about to step up another stair, a force came from behind.

Her backpack strap was pulled…

Jiang Wang unhurriedly pulled her toward him: “Didn’t see me?”

She pretended to be casual, shaking her head: “How are you… So early today?”

Jiang Wang didn’t expose her pretense, speaking casually but with a hint of mischief: “Didn’t you say you missed me yesterday?”

Shi Niannian blushed, stammered for a while, and said indignantly: “I did not.”

So the two walked up the stairs side by side. Jiang Wang, as naturally as could be, took her backpack off her shoulders and lazily hung it over his own as they continued up.

Just as they entered the classroom, the bell rang, but the teacher hadn’t arrived yet.

As soon as Shi Niannian walked into the classroom, she noticed everyone’s gaze turning toward them. She looked down at her clothes and pants—she had left in a hurry this morning, but surely she hadn’t worn anything wrong.

Only after reaching her seat and having Jiang Wang return her backpack did she realize.

When Jiang Wang entered the classroom, he was carrying her backpack on his shoulder. The two of them coming to class like this looked as if they had arranged to come to school together.

Christmas was a very popular holiday among the students at school. The whole day was bustling with activity, and some people specially bought postcards and greeting cards, writing blessings to give to others.

Shi Niannian hadn’t prepared any cards, but she did receive quite a few.

The second rehearsal for the New Year’s Eve gala began during evening self-study. The requirement was that performers could come without makeup and hairstyling, but should wear their performance costumes. Shi Niannian, as the student representative speaker, naturally only needed to wear her school uniform.

However, she needed to wear the autumn school uniform. The teacher in charge felt that the winter school uniform color was too somber and didn’t show the students’ vigor. Besides, the auditorium had heating, so there was no worry about being cold.

In the New Year’s Eve gala program, after the opening act came the principal’s speech, followed by the student representative’s speech.

The backstage was too noisy.

Chen Shushu, representing Class 3, Grade 2 with a ballet dance scheduled as the third performance, was chatting with Shi Niannian backstage.

When the host in front said, “Please welcome the student representative,” Shi Niannian finally walked onto the stage from one side.

At this point, it was just a rehearsal. Below the stage, all the students were busy preparing for their turns to go on stage, and not many people paid attention to her speech, but Shi Niannian was still a bit nervous.

This was her first time in such a setting, and despite the cold winter, her palms were sweaty.

The speech didn’t require her to speak without notes. She held a folder with the paper inside, her face hidden behind it, and began to speak: “Respected leaders and teachers, dear classmates… I am Shi Niannian from Class 3, Grade 2.”

She had practiced these words countless times over the past few days. As she spoke, she could almost hear Jiang Wang’s voice teaching her to read. She paused for two seconds after each sentence, which didn’t sound strange to those listening below.

At first, she was speaking quite well, but as she reached the latter half, she became increasingly unsure.

At one point, her mouth couldn’t form the words properly, and she stuttered several times.

The teacher in charge, standing below the stage, not aware of Shi Niannian’s condition, frowned and asked through a microphone: “What’s going on? Are you not familiar with the script yet?”

Shi Niannian apologized, when suddenly her gaze wandered and caught Jiang Wang walking in through the door.

Across the crowd in the auditorium, their eyes met from a distance.

The young man was tall with long legs, standing out in the crowd. Some nearby rehearsing girls saw him, quietly pointed him out to their friends, then turned to look at Shi Niannian on stage, chattering among themselves.

Shi Niannian suddenly became calm and started reading again.

This time, she read smoothly.

After successfully finishing, the host returned to the stage, and Shi Niannian ran off from the side of the stage, nearly bumping into Chen Shushu.

“Oh!” Chen Shushu, wearing a ballet tutu, almost fell. “Running so fast, going to find your Jiang Wang?”

Many people at school rumored and assumed they were already together. Shi Niannian didn’t know how to explain, and Jiang Wang naturally wouldn’t explain such things.

Chen Shushu had a good relationship with her and knew they weren’t together, but she still teased her for fun.

“No,” Shi Niannian stammered, unable to say anything else. In the end, she just smiled at her and ran down the steps to the side.

She looked around the crowd and found Jiang Wang.

In front of him stood a girl wearing another school’s uniform, with long, flowing hair—a striking figure from behind.

The girl was about 1.7 meters tall, still half a head shorter than Jiang Wang, and was looking up, saying something to him. Shi Niannian lowered her gaze; their shadows overlapped, extending to the tips of her feet.

She recognized her—it was the girl she had met during the physics competition, Sheng Xiangwan.

Sheng Xiangwan had come specially today to give Jiang Wang a Christmas gift. She had planned to come yesterday on Christmas Eve, but heard from a friend at First High School that Jiang Wang wasn’t at school, so she had abandoned the idea.

She was holding a light blue gift bag, extending her arms straight out.

Jiang Wang had always been laid-back, looking both roguish and bad, but this was exactly what Sheng Xiangwan liked.

He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling faintly on the bag in her hands, and then shifting to Shi Niannian standing behind.

The young girl stared back at him in a daze, looked for two seconds, then turned away to watch the performance on stage.

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t reached out to take what Sheng Xiangwan was offering.

“Take it back,” he said, his voice turning cold.

In the past, there had indeed been many girls who liked and pursued him. Occasionally, when he returned to school, his desk would be stuffed with unfamiliar items—love letters or small gifts.

Jiang Wang didn’t care about this and didn’t have a rule about not accepting gifts. Since they were given, he accepted them.

But now it was different.

He had indicated last time that he already had a girlfriend, yet she still came and was seen by Shi Niannian. Jiang Wang was sensitive to the changes in Shi Niannian’s attitude toward him, so he couldn’t bear to let her suffer this discomfort.

Chen Shushu was now performing on stage.

Shi Niannian looked up, watching, when suddenly a familiar scent approached.

Jiang Wang stood beside her, tilting his head to ask: “Want to go sit over there for a bit?”

“Mm,” Shi Niannian responded.

She carefully concealed the strange, uncomfortable feeling in her heart.

She glanced at Jiang Wang’s hands—no gift bag.

So the corners of her mouth curved upward.

They sat down in the first row of the viewing area.

Jiang Wang turned his head and looked at her for a while, then raised his hand to adjust her hair.

Shi Niannian tilted her head, wanting to avoid it, but ended up being held in place by a hand on the back of her neck. Jiang Wang’s hand was hotter than usual, burning against her nape.

His hand was large, easily able to cover her entire neck. Then his other hand removed a small colored paper from her hair that had fallen on her while she was on stage.

“Why are you avoiding me?” Jiang Wang laughed at her.

Shi Niannian straightened her hair again, saying nothing.

He leaned closer, their shoulders touching, and nudged her cheek, his breath hotter than usual: “Are you jealous?”

“I am not,” she said softly.

Jiang Wang leaned back against the chair, lazily draping his arm around the back of her seat.

His voice was a bit casual: “Then why are you avoiding me? I didn’t even take her gift. If you’re going to blame me for this, I’d be too wronged.”

Shi Niannian said slowly: “Who’s blaming you?”

Her gaze involuntarily fell on Sheng Xiangwan below the stands. She was also looking at her. Shi Niannian blinked and looked away.

Somehow, she had a strange feeling of having won a battle.

She was sitting to one side, her thoughts wandering, when suddenly her ears caught some burning words.

“Hey, I’ve liked you for so long, when will you finally let me kiss you?”

“Wh-what?”

She jumped in fright. People were all around, everyone preparing for the New Year’s Eve gala. Jiang Wang’s sudden statement gave her a feeling of daylight indecency.

Jiang Wang’s dark, deep eyes looked at her, his voice growing hoarse: “If not a kiss, can I at least get a hug?”

Shi Niannian looked at him in disbelief. How could this person’s face be… so thick?

“You’re a high school student, how can you… say such things?” she said, very seriously.

Jiang Wang was amused by her, tilting to lean half against her: “I should be in college already, so why can’t I say it?”

“I’m still a high school student,” she said, her ears red. “I can’t… listen to this.”

“…”

Alright then.

After evening self-study ended, Jiang Wang walked Shi Niannian home.

They were both quite quiet the whole way, not saying much. Under the streetlights, their shadows—one short, one long.

The tree branches were bare, and the wind howled as it blew past.

“I have a competition the day after tomorrow, Saturday. Will you come watch?” Jiang Wang asked.

Shi Niannian was surprised: “Swimming?”

He smiled: “What else?”

“What time?”

“One o’clock in the afternoon.”

Shi Niannian nodded, said “Okay,” and agreed.

Before they knew it, they were almost at her uncle’s house. Jiang Wang took the backpack off his shoulder, and Shi Niannian reached her arm back through the strap, putting it on properly.

“I’m here.”

He made an “Mm” sound, stopped his steps, tugged at her wrist, then let go.

Shi Niannian watched him take out a pink-blue rectangular box from his pocket, very exquisite, with a beautiful bow tied on top.

There was a string of flowing English words on it, probably a brand name, but Shi Niannian didn’t know much about these things and didn’t understand.

“This is for you,” he said, handing it over.

Shi Niannian didn’t reach out, asking: “What is… this?”

“A gift,” he tilted his head and coughed. “Isn’t it Christmas?”

“But I didn’t prepare anything,” she felt a bit embarrassed.

The box turned in Jiang Wang’s hand, and he urged: “Do you want it or not?”

“I want it,” Shi Niannian said.

She did want it.

“I do,” she added, taking it and placing it in her palm. The corners of her lips turned up slightly. “Thank you.”

She smiled beautifully, her eyes bright and curved like a crescent moon. Jiang Wang’s heart stirred, and he suddenly felt that if he could have this smile, he would be willing to give anything.

However, this scene didn’t last long. Suddenly, a female voice came from behind: “Niannian?”

Her aunt had just remembered that she had left two pots of flowers outside to bask in the sun this morning and forgotten to bring them back in. In the middle of winter, leaving them outside overnight would probably freeze them to death. As a result, when she opened the door, she saw Shi Niannian standing with a tall, handsome boy.

Shi Niannian hurriedly responded, stuffing the box into her pocket, too flustered to say anything to Jiang Wang. She roughly pushed him and ran back.

“Auntie!” She ran over, helping her carry one of the flower pots.

Her aunt looked back: “Is that boy Jiang Wang?”

“Ah… mm.” Shi Niannian hesitantly responded.

“He walked you home? Are you two very close now?”

“No,” Shi Niannian lowered her head, holding the flower pot. “Not… very close.”

The wind blew, carrying the young girl’s sweet voice, which happened to say such heartless words.

Not very close.

Jiang Wang stood in place for a while, grinding his teeth lightly, and after a long time, curved his lips, a low laugh rippling out.

Little white-eyed wolf.