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He Youyuan had coasted through life on his looks from the very beginning.

Set that face aside, and he was no different from most boys his age. A little mischievous, though not enough to give anyone a headache. Not fond of studying, but he devoured all sorts of miscellaneous books, his grades hovering somewhere in the middle. He liked video games, liked basketball, liked making bets with his brothers, liked sprawling in the back row of the classroom and laughing without a care in the world. Sometimes he even put on a bit of an act, deliberately showing off in front of girls.

But there was nothing to be done about it — too many people in this world judge by appearances. He didn’t have to do anything at all; just sitting there was enough for people to fall for him.

He knew he was good-looking, and having been admired so often, he couldn’t help feeling a certain pride about it. Even when some people’s affections made him uncomfortable, on the whole he enjoyed the feeling of being liked. He had always believed that when it came to matters of the heart, he was the one holding all the power.

After all, most of the time, a single “Sorry, I don’t like you” was enough to put any relationship to death on the spot.

He had seen too many girls turn awkward, helpless, even a little self-deprecating in front of him. This had taught him early on a simple truth: as long as you don’t take the initiative to like someone, you won’t get hurt.

But he hadn’t fallen for Sour-Face Pineapple. So why did her words still sting him so badly?

She had said he was harassing her.

She had said he had become something ugly.

It felt more like an assault on his character — he, as a person, had been denied from the inside out.

The apartment buildings surrounding the small plaza were quiet, and one by one a few more lights blinked out. He Youyuan still had that bag of snacks tucked under his arm, standing alone in the black throat of the night, his eyes rimmed raw and red. Every so often he couldn’t hold it back, and a tear would fall, which he raised his hand to wipe away impatiently.

He didn’t know how he dragged himself home, his steps heavy as waterlogged cotton. He barely slept that night, tossing and turning, his mind in utter chaos.

The next morning when he got up, the skin around his eyes was still red and swollen — his glasses did nothing to hide it. Anyone could tell at a glance that he had been crying. Not wanting to look so pathetic, he stood in front of the bathroom mirror for a while, then rummaged through his aunt’s makeup cabinet.

He had no idea what products could conceal the traces, so he picked up bottle after bottle, examining each one. Finally, on a small gold bottle, he spotted the words “EYE CREAM” — eye cream, as the name suggested, was meant to be used around the eyes.

He scooped out a large dollop of white cream and smeared it haphazardly around his eye sockets — it did cover things up a little, but the stuff was so sticky and thick that it refused to blend in.

Fine, whatever. If anyone noticed, he’d just say he had an allergic reaction and was applying ointment.

After getting himself sorted out, he tucked a gift box into his school bag and headed off to school.

The morning exam was mathematics, and the afternoon was politics and history. The whole ordeal left him yawning so hard he nearly fell asleep at his desk.

After handing in his papers, He Youyuan shook himself alert and went to Exam Hall One to find Qi Yu.

Through the crowd flowing out, he spotted Qi Yu and Li Kuiyi emerging from the exam hall together, walking and discussing something as they went. His gaze drifted involuntarily toward her — then, just one second later, he guiltily looked away, turning his whole body to the other side. He leaned on the railing of the teaching building’s corridor as if admiring the sunset on the horizon, the very picture of serene indifference.

It was Qi Yu who spotted him first and called out.

“What are you doing here?”

He Youyuan turned around then, keeping his eyes carefully away from Li Kuiyi’s direction, and said with a show of nonchalance: “Waiting for you.”

He pulled the gift box from his school bag and handed it to Qi Yu. “I can’t make it tomorrow night. This is your birthday present.”

Qi Yu asked in surprise, “What happened?”

Li Kuiyi also looked up at him.

“Something came up at home,” He Youyuan said vaguely.

This was obviously an excuse — Qi Yu understood, and Li Kuiyi understood too. Only Qi Yu didn’t know why he had suddenly changed his mind, while Li Kuiyi could guess well enough.

It had to be because of last night.

She tightened her grip on her school bag strap and bit her lip quietly.

Qi Yu didn’t press him for details. Since He Youyuan had already offered an excuse, prying would only be awkward, so he simply said, “We all hope you can come.”

Does she hope that too, He Youyuan wondered.

He stole a glance at Li Kuiyi. She was standing there with her eyes cast down, her face expressionless — just as she had been when she said those things to him last night, giving nothing away.

Something tightened in his chest.

The truth was he wanted to go to the birthday gathering, but he didn’t know whether Li Kuiyi was still angry with him. If his showing up made her unhappy, that wouldn’t be good.

He was hoping that when she heard he wasn’t coming, she would say something to persuade him.

Just then, Xia Leyi and Zhou Ce also walked out of the exam hall. Seeing the three of them standing in the corridor, they came over. Zhou Ce hooked his arm around He Youyuan’s neck and laughed: “Did you do so well today that you want to treat your daddy to dinner?”

He Youyuan had no patience for this nonsense. He drove his elbow into Zhou Ce’s stomach, clean and quick: “Get lost.”

Qi Yu explained to the side, “He said he has plans tomorrow night and can’t come out with us anymore.”

“Huh? What plans?” Xia Leyi also looked a little surprised, staring straight at He Youyuan.

“Family stuff,” he deflected again.

Zhou Ce clearly wasn’t buying it. “What kind of family stuff could you possibly have? Are you ditching us to secretly go on a date with some girl? Don’t be like that — Qi Yu’s birthday only comes once a year. Just tell her you’re choosing your brothers, and after Qi Yu’s birthday is over, you can go apologize to her.”

Xia Leyi listened to Zhou Ce ramble on and couldn’t help rolling her eyes, but she too turned to He Youyuan and said: “Yeah, we rarely get together like this. It won’t be fun without you.”

Qi Yu quietly lowered his eyes and added softly, “Come on. Come.”

Being coaxed by a whole group of people felt genuinely good, and He Youyuan hesitated visibly, his gaze drifting as though torn, while his peripheral vision stole quietly over to Li Kuiyi’s face.

Come on. Coax me a little too.

Li Kuiyi finally moved her lips, her voice very low, almost like a sigh: “Come.”

He Youyuan’s eyes lit up in an instant. He rubbed his nose, as if to hide something, then put on a careless air and thought it over carefully before saying, “Oh, alright then — let me go home and see if I can push that thing back.”

Zhou Ce knew this guy’s character far too well — he was insufferably dramatic. He immediately locked him in a headlock again: “Admit it — you just wanted us all to beg you, didn’t you? I’m telling you, don’t push it…”

On Saturday afternoon, after finishing the geography and biology exams, the students were finally liberated. The moment the bell rang, everyone bolted out like wild horses freed from their reins, as if they couldn’t bear to stay on school grounds a single second longer.

Qi Yu and the others met up at the foot of the teaching building and arranged to take taxis to the restaurant together.

Six people in total — three girls and three boys. He Youyuan wasn’t among them; he said he really did have something to take care of and would meet them there a little later.

They took two taxis and arrived in about twenty minutes. A group was already waiting at the restaurant entrance and came forward warmly when they saw them arrive.

A boy with small eyes, glasses, and a modest height clicked his tongue: “What’s wrong with you No. 1 High School people? You’re so slow — we’ve been waiting out here forever.”

Zhou Ce protested: “What do you mean ‘you No. 1 High School people’? You talk as if you didn’t used to go there yourself.”

The boy let out a mournful sigh. “Can we not bring up this heartbreaking subject? My alma mater rejected me. Very sad situation.”

Apparently he hadn’t made the cut for No. 1 High School, Li Kuiyi thought. But then the boy suddenly narrowed his eyes and let his gaze travel between her and Zhou Fanghua before asking, “May I ask which one of you is the warrior Li Kui?”

Li Kuiyi raised her hand. “Hello, I’m Li Kuiyi.”

“Great name! Li Kuiyi — Li Kui ranks number one!” He rattled it off with a grin, then introduced himself: “Hello, I’m Gao Guang.”

Li Kuiyi: “…”

Gao Guang — a name that literally meant Highlight. Well, that certainly fit.

After introducing Zhou Fanghua and a few others, everyone had more or less made acquaintance, and they chatted and laughed their way into the restaurant’s private room.

When the door to the private room was pushed open, everyone froze.

Inside sat a woman who appeared to be in her mid-forties. Her bearing was refined, her frame slender, dressed in a plain skirt, but the outer corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward, giving her a somewhat sharp look.

Xia Leyi was the first to recover. She stepped forward with a smile: “Teacher Chen! You’re here too — it’s been ages since I’ve seen you at school.”

Li Kuiyi and Zhou Fanghua exchanged a glance: this must be Qi Yu’s mother.

Teacher Chen rose to her feet with a restrained smile. “It has been a long time.”

Then she turned to address the others: “Don’t stand on ceremony, everyone, come in and sit down.”

No one had expected a parent to be present, and a certain stiffness settled over the group. They shuffled awkwardly toward the large round table, glancing at one another, until Qi Yu found a seat and sat down — only then did the others follow one by one.

But then, unexpectedly, Teacher Chen spoke: “Qi Yu, come sit beside me.”

Everyone had barely touched their chairs before they were standing again, all eyes turning to Qi Yu.

Qi Yu’s hand at his side clenched briefly. He paused for two seconds, then slowly rose and went to sit beside his mother.

Once seated, he stared straight ahead, his eyes slightly unfocused, and let out a quiet breath.

A heaviness settled over the private room. Even Gao Guang, who was usually the one cracking jokes, didn’t dare say a word. A parent was already an intimidating enough presence, and this was a parent who was also a teacher — sitting at the dinner table felt no different from sitting at a school desk, and everyone kept their eyes dutifully forward, not daring to wander.

Teacher Chen said: “I’ve already ordered the dishes. I guessed you were almost here a little while ago, so I’ve already asked them to start cooking — the food should come up shortly. You’re all Qi Yu’s friends, so please don’t be shy. Eat well and drink well.”

Everyone smiled along and made agreeable sounds: “Thank you, Auntie, we won’t hold back.”

But what they were thinking was: Please don’t let us have to eat this entire meal in a state of tension.

Then Teacher Chen’s gaze swept lightly across the table and finally settled on Li Kuiyi. “You must be Li Kuiyi?” she asked.

Li Kuiyi was caught off guard by being singled out. She nodded quickly: “Yes, Auntie, I’m Li Kuiyi.”

Teacher Chen nodded in return. “I can tell just by looking — a sharp child.”

Li Kuiyi swallowed awkwardly. “Thank you, Auntie.”

“The day before yesterday…” Teacher Chen spoke slowly, as though retrieving a memory, “the classmate who took our Qi Yu out to eat — that was you, wasn’t it?”