During free activity time, Ning Chao was playing basketball — leaping, passing, shooting — everything flowing smoothly. Yet he was a little distracted, his gaze drifting repeatedly toward the other side of the sports field.

Everyone was out doing something. At the very least, the girls had gathered in groups to play together. Only Liu Sijia was there in her athletic shirt and PE pants, high ponytail up, leaning in the shade beside the football net post.

Some classmates went over to try to be friendly and check in on her, but were discouraged by her gaze and retreated.

Ning Chao kept his eyes on the direction of the sports field, until his teammate had been waiting an eternity for the ball and finally called out: “Ning Chao — what are you looking at?”

“Nothing.” Ning Chao snapped out of it and tossed the ball over.

Lin Weixia and Liu Sijia had barely spoken in three days. Liu Sijia wore an expression of complete indifference, stopped seeking Lin Weixia out on her own initiative, and withdrew back into her own circle — presiding once again as the queen surrounded by her loyal followers.

Before, Liu Sijia would sometimes grow distant, but the two were still friends. Now they were not — they were ordinary classmates who exchanged a word or two in passing.

Lin Weixia felt a quiet ache inside, but she understood: the souring of a friendship is something that accumulates day by day. The best-before date on what they’d had was that rainy day.

It was like bread left too long in the refrigerator. Given enough time, the temperature, the air, the humidity — all of it conspires, and eventually the food goes stale.

Liu Sijia’s birthday arrived suddenly, set for Friday. Holding on to some sense of decorum, she had invited Lin Weixia.

Liu Sijia’s birthday party was on a grand scale. Red and white balloons floated to the ceiling of the brilliantly lit villa, giving it a dreamlike feel.

Many classmates came for her birthday banquet. Liu Sijia laughed and embraced people all around — yet she deliberately left Lin Weixia, whom she had invited, standing to one side.

At the cake-cutting ceremony, the young lady pressed her palms together, her striking face flushed pink: “I hope he’ll come.”

This sentence was both a wish and a declaration of intent. The classmates around her all knew who she meant. A chorus of “oh”s broke out, everyone egging her on: “He’ll definitely come because of you!”

Yet Ban Sheng was late in coming. Halfway through the party, someone glanced toward the arriving guests and let out a cry: “Sijia, look who’s here!”

“Oh my god — it’s Ban Sheng.”

The droop in Liu Sijia’s brows and eyes immediately came alive. Ban Sheng came in carrying a cake, stubbed out his cigarette, and said politely: “Happy birthday.”

The young lady was overjoyed. She made an elaborate scene of ordering the candles to be lit all over again for another round of wishes. The moment the candles were blown out, everyone took advantage of the brief darkness to cause a commotion, and the whole room dissolved into noise and laughter.

Lin Weixia lowered her lashes and quietly made her way to the kitchen to fetch the fruit and help out. She had barely turned when she nearly walked straight into someone’s chest — she instinctively stepped back.

Outside was loud and chaotic. In this enclosed space, there were only two of them.

Ban Sheng had one hand in his pocket, moving slowly closer. His shadow fell across her. Seeing the dot of cream stuck to the tip of her nose, something shifted in his expression as he looked at her:

“What are you nervous about?”

He added unhurriedly: “It’s not like I’m going to kiss you.”

Lin Weixia glanced toward the outside and said quietly: “Why did you come?”

“You weren’t replying to my messages, so I came to find you.” Ban Sheng leaned toward her, his shadow bearing down. His fingers lightly grazed and wiped the cream off the tip of her nose.

Lin Weixia’s mood was not great — she had been quietly subdued for a while. On the surface she appeared serene and untroubled, as she always did. Whatever it was, she tucked it away inside and slowly processed it alone.

But sharp-eyed as Ban Sheng was, he caught Lin Weixia’s mood immediately. He looked at her: “Not happy?”

“Either way it’s because of me — want me to transfer out of Class One?” Ban Sheng made a show of reaching into his pocket for his phone, all ease and swagger — the kind of person who’d say: just give the word and it’s done.

Lin Weixia still had a plate of cherry tomatoes in her arms, and she didn’t try to stop him. She knew he was just trying to cheer her up — Ban Sheng was too proud a person to actually go that far for her.

But the moment she met his gaze, Lin Weixia knew he was serious.

His gaze was direct and sincere, clearly communicating one thing to Lin Weixia: for you, I’m willing to do anything.

Something stirred in her heart. Lin Weixia reached out and pressed the call he had already connected, as if making up her mind: “I’ll handle it — the cause lies with me.”

May arrived swiftly and intensely. Lychees ripened and fell from the trees, occasionally landing on passersby’s heads — a sign that Nanjiang had truly entered the hot, humid summer.

The moment summer began, the Nanjiang Municipal Meteorological Bureau blanketed the entire city with text messages, radio broadcasts, and television announcements, warning residents that there would be heavy rains over the next two days. A red-level alert was about to take effect, and all units and schools were requested to suspend operations and classes as the situation warranted.

The students were buzzing with excitement at the prospect of class being canceled due to the storm — but as it turned out, the storm system bypassed Nanjiang entirely, dropping only a bit of rain. This left the class sighing and lamenting all day.

That evening, Ban Sheng walked Lin Weixia home as he always did. When they reached Shuiwei Lane, he handed her schoolbag back to her.

Lin Weixia took it and, remembering something, spoke to him: “The thing between us — let’s not mention it to others yet. I’m planning to talk to Sijia this weekend.”

Ban Sheng said nothing. His face held no particular expression. His hand hung at his trouser seam, his knuckles visible. Lin Weixia was worried he might lose his temper and go silent on her, so she took the initiative and stepped a little closer, narrowing the distance between them.

His tall shadow dropped down and enveloped her. The breadth of him gave the illusion that she was completely gathered in his arms.

Ban Sheng looked at her and found that Lin Weixia’s eyes were particularly bright in that moment — reflecting his image. His throat shifted uneasily.

Lin Weixia took the initiative and reached out her hand. Her slender white fingers actively hooked around his little finger, resting against it, giving it a gentle shake — carrying the faint suggestion of something playful.

Skin against skin, you could feel the pulse of each other’s blood in that small patch of contact, and even the heartbeat quickened along with it. Lin Weixia felt only that the air around them grew thin. They were standing beneath a sheltering tree. Ban Sheng was angled outward, his broad, straight shoulders blocking them from the view of passersby.

Then, from not far away, came the sound of a voice. Lin Weixia’s heart jumped, and she immediately moved to pull back. But Ban Sheng turned the tables — his wide palm flipped over and his fingers caught her knuckles in a firm hold. His straight neck dipped down toward her, meeting her eyes.

Ban Sheng’s eyes were jet black, carrying an inexplicable magnetic pull. Lin Weixia’s gaze was caught and held imperiously. His hand turned her fingers over and slowly traced a circle against her fingertips, the movement neither light nor heavy — yet full of wordless suggestion.

Their gazes were tangled together. Lin Weixia’s heart contracted. A restless heat surged through her. Ban Sheng caught sight of the slow flush creeping up to Lin Weixia’s ears, framing a face of red lips and white teeth.

Beautiful as a white camellia, blooming without a sound.

“I’ll let you off for now.” Ban Sheng looked at her and said slowly.

Ban Sheng stopped teasing her, bowed his head, and glanced at his phone. “Saturday — come with me to meet a friend of mine first. A friend just got back from abroad, we’re meeting up.”

Lin Weixia understood what he meant. Ban Sheng was bringing her into his circle.

“Maybe next time — let me get a bit more comfortable with you first.” Lin Weixia said.

Besides, she had already promised to help Fang Mo with tutoring on Saturday.

Ban Sheng gave a low, amused laugh, reached out and pinched her face — the feeling beneath his hand so nice he was reluctant to let go. He raised an eyebrow:

“How comfortable is comfortable enough?”

As he spoke, Ban Sheng’s gaze wandered downward with a roguish look: “How about getting comfortable the other way — it’s not out of the question to cooperate.”

“You’re so annoying.” Lin Weixia knocked his hand away immediately.

Ban Sheng had her hand over her phone and asked: “Did you save my number?”

“Yes.” Lin Weixia said.

Ban Sheng raised an eyebrow and operated the phone himself before handing it back to her. Lin Weixia took it and looked — Ban Sheng had set his number in her contacts as an emergency contact, and pinned his messaging conversation to the top. Possessive and domineering.

Once everything was arranged to his satisfaction, Ban Sheng finally let her go.

Saturday came quickly. Lin Weixia stepped out in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, wearing a dark green baseball cap. She stood at the agreed-upon spot waiting for Fang Mo.

When Fang Mo spotted her, she gave an excited wave, and the two of them made their way to an ice dessert shop in the mall. The moment the door swung open, a blast of air conditioning hit them — every pore opening with bliss.

Fang Mo ordered an iced tea to go, and Lin Weixia ordered a cream coffee. The place was fairly quiet. Lin Weixia took out her books and began tutoring Fang Mo in mathematics, planning to go through the key concepts she had summarized before having Fang Mo do practice problems.

After going through it once, Fang Mo still only half-understood. She propped her chin on her books and looked at Lin Weixia, her tone troubled: “Weixia — why exactly did I put in all that effort to get into Shengao?”

“When my mum first found out I’d been accepted to Shengao, she was thrilled. Even though I only got in because my school assigned quota spots there, it still let her hold her head high in front of the neighbors. But after I got to Shengao, I realized the class divides here are real. Every time I work hard, I feel like a headless fly — while they are like the beautiful premium peaches, specially selected. My mum can never hold her head up at parent-teacher meetings, yet she swapped out the family home just to give me a place here to study. This school is saturated with privilege, priority, prejudice, and bullying. Whoever said school campuses were ivory towers — I think it’s more like a miniature version of society. So why did I even come here?”

“It makes me care so much about what they think of me, care about the school’s hierarchy — as if becoming a Class A student means you’re actually worth something.”

Fang Mo was being earnest for once, voicing her worries openly. Lin Weixia’s hand holding the pen went still, her dense lashes lowering:

“For yourself. Sometimes going to a different school doesn’t mean it’ll be any better. The most important thing is to be satisfied with yourself first — only then will others be satisfied with you and see you in a different light.”

“You’re so right, Weixia. Okay — from today on, I’m going to say one thing to myself every day: I am proud of who I am!” Fang Mo suddenly sat bolt upright from the table, her spirits visibly lifting.

Lin Weixia ruffled her hair and smiled: “Alright then — time to focus and get back to the lesson.”

Lin Weixia was extremely patient. Anything Fang Mo didn’t understand, she would explain again and again. By the end, Fang Mo had basically grasped the material and started on the practice problems. Once the exercises were done, Fang Mo handed them over and Lin Weixia began marking them.

After a little while, Fang Mo knocked on the table and gave Lin Weixia a knowing look: “Weixia — something’s going on with you, isn’t it?”

“Hmm?” Lin Weixia was slow to catch on.

Fang Mo pointed with a grin: “Your screen has lit up several times now. Someone’s been sending you messages — aren’t you going to take a look?”

Lin Weixia picked up her phone from the table and began typing replies with her head bowed. When she turned around after sending them, she found a face brimming with gossip waiting for her. She looked helpless, and after a moment’s hesitation, told Fang Mo about the agreement between herself and Ban Sheng.

Fang Mo’s jaw dropped, even drawing out a curse: “Holy crap — it’s Ban Sheng?!”

“Jingbei! I remember the snow there is so beautiful. I remember Jingbei has a very famous aerospace university — and Jingda is so well-known too.” Fang Mo’s face was full of envy. “It’s so wonderful — you both have a goal you’ve set for each other, and you’re working toward it together.”

“But Weixia — it’s the weekend! How come our class’s greatest catch isn’t keeping you company?” Fang Mo poked her on the arm.

Lin Weixia was still marking the exercises, and didn’t even look up, her tone as calm and unruffled as always: “He went to a friend’s get-together.”

“Then why didn’t you go with him?! Aren’t you going to keep tabs on him?” Fang Mo asked.

“Nothing worth keeping tabs on.” Lin Weixia’s tone was light and even.

Fang Mo balled her fist in admiration: “My dear Weixia — I respect you. Even if Ban Sheng chased you first, that doesn’t stop others from going after him. It’s not like you don’t know how popular he is. You’ve seen how the girls at school go absolutely crazy over him. Plus my mum always says guys are flaky and not to be trusted — this is a party, and they’ll definitely have picked one of those moody, dim-lit venues. Once there’s alcohol involved, Ban Sheng sees some girl with a great figure…”

That afternoon, after Fang Mo’s extended speech, Lin Weixia was left feeling somewhat uncertain. After a while, not quite sure what had come over her, she picked up her phone and called.

The call went through. Her heart was a little uneasy. The other end picked up quickly, and a low, pleasing voice came through: “Hello.”

“What are you doing?” Lin Weixia asked.

A light laugh came from the other end. Ban Sheng’s tone was calm and easy, with his characteristic roguish air as he replied: “Oh — checking up on me?”

Lin Weixia’s face flushed warm with embarrassment from his words before she even had a chance to defend herself. Then the audio from the other end of the call suddenly opened up and grew clearer.

The clink of glass, the laughter of three boys talking, Cheng Wusuan’s voice, Li Yiran’s curses mixed in between, the sound of dice being shaken — all of it came through with perfect clarity.

She could even hear the flick of Ban Sheng’s lighter as he lit a cigarette, which words he said, standing up to get a drink, then folding back to sit down again. Everything he was doing — Lin Weixia heard it all with perfect clarity.

Not a single thing concealed.

Open and transparent. She had asked for seven parts of reassurance — he gave her eleven.

Always a little more than what Lin Weixia had hoped for.

“A bit of early practice for phone dates.” Ban Sheng said slowly.