The class bell rang quickly.

After returning to her seat, Yunque took several seconds to settle her emotions.

But even with eyes open or closed, Lu Rangchen’s words — “then you treat me pretty well” — kept ringing in her mind.

The boy’s tone had been lazy and nonchalant, with a kind of indulgent teasing she couldn’t quite name. It took real effort for Yunque to hold herself back from dwelling on it.

Fortunately, the last class before the end of school was self-study.

The teacher wasn’t present to supervise — only the class monitor would occasionally manage the noise level.

Classmates were snacking, playing on their phones — no one noticed that Pang Shuo came back to the classroom about ten-plus minutes later.

Yunque glanced at him.

The guy still had that sour, put-upon expression, like the world owed him money. Only this time, he didn’t make such a loud scene.

She looked away quietly.

Yunque focused her energy on the test paper in front of her, and at a rapid-fire pace knocked out several multiple-choice questions.

After a good while.

Pang Shuo finally cracked. Irritably, he said, “Did you really have to blow this up into such a big deal?”

After all these days, this was the first time he’d voluntarily spoken to her.

But Yunque’s fingertip merely paused — and very quickly returned to writing at its normal pace.

She didn’t even lift her gaze. She had absolutely no intention of engaging with him.

Only now did Pang Shuo see clearly what kind of person Yunque really was. Quiet, not much of a talker, easy to get along with — all of that was just her protective coloring.

Decisive and resolute was her true nature.

In short, an extremely tricky person to deal with — even more of a headache than Lu Rangchen.

But regret was useless now.

If he didn’t want his parents to be called in, Pang Shuo had no choice but to compete against her tomorrow.

Thinking this, the boy looked utterly fed up, but had no option other than to pull out his books and start reviewing.

……

After school, the news that Pang Shuo and Yunque were to compete alone against each other quickly spread.

Yunque had told Xu Linda about her visit to Zheng Guoxiong.

Xu Linda was astonished. “So that was your plan — I thought you were going to have someone beat him up.”

Yunque glanced at her quietly. “Where would I even find someone to beat him up? I’m not a thug.”

“You have a younger brother — didn’t you say he’s really good at fighting at his vocational school?”

“Ye Tian is already enough of a headache at the best of times. There’s no way I’d let him help me vent my anger.”

Xu Linda, exasperated at her stubbornness, said, “Well then you could find Lu Rangchen — Deng Zhe even said, if Pang Shuo keeps bullying you, they’ll take care of it for you.”

Any time Lu Rangchen’s name came up.

Yunque went mute like a deaf-mute.

She shook her head. “I don’t want to bother him.”

Being accused of cheating was the kind of thing that could only be resolved through real ability — the kind that made the other side genuinely admit defeat from the heart. It was a matter of her pride.

Even if Lu Rangchen offered to help on his own, she would still refuse.

Xu Linda didn’t understand the kind of pride that came with being an academic high-achiever. She only found it a pity that Yunque couldn’t come with her to the archery range over the weekend.

Though it was some consolation that Lu Rangchen wasn’t going either — so in a certain sense, it wasn’t too much of a loss.

Hearing that he wasn’t going, Yunque asked, “Does he have something on?”

“No idea. Not even Deng Zhe can find out what he’s up to.”

At that point, the two of them had reached the school gate.

Xu Linda said goodbye and waved.

Yunque turned toward the subway, making her way home with a mind full of anxious thoughts.

One part of her was worried about the test the next day, and the other part kept wondering what on earth Lu Rangchen would be doing tomorrow.

She couldn’t help thinking of the snippet of conversation she’d overheard at the basketball court.

Lin Zhinian had asked Lu Rangchen to go with her to buy study aids, and then to a trendy new little café for tutoring.

Lu Rangchen had said “we’ll see” at the time.

So… did that mean he agreed?

Her mind spun in uncontrollable, chaotic loops all through dinner that evening — she barely tasted a bite.

That was the first time she felt it — that being secretly in love with someone wasn’t only the inexpressible sweetness of it. There was also the inescapable worry and jealousy that had nowhere to go.

She was ashamed of her own ugliness.

But she was powerless against it.

—

After an entire night of staying up to review.

The next morning at nine o’clock, Yunque arrived punctually at Zheng Guoxiong’s office.

It was the weekend; no teachers were in the office. Yunque and Pang Shuo ran into each other at the door first.

Perhaps this experience had taught him a lesson.

Pang Shuo was noticeably more subdued.

Not long after, Zheng Guoxiong came in holding his tea cup.

He seemed none too pleased about having to come in and invigilate on his day off. Zheng Guoxiong looked haggard, walked in, and casually pointed the two of them toward seats.

Yunque chose a desk by the window with no teacher assigned to it.

Pang Shuo sat in the empty space to her right.

Before handing out the papers to them, Zheng Guoxiong suddenly remembered something, and raised his voice to ask Pang Shuo. “Did you apologize?”

Pang Shuo had no choice but to look toward Yunque and muttered a perfunctory “Sorry.”

Yunque’s expression remained neutral and she made no sound.

Zheng Guoxiong clicked his tongue. “Louder — you haven’t eaten?”

Being scolded like that made Pang Shuo even more aggrieved, and he could only say “sorry” again, in a thick, muffled voice.

This time Zheng Guoxiong was more or less satisfied, though he still couldn’t resist “warning” Pang Shuo — telling him that if he bullied a female classmate like this again, he’d have his parents called in to deliver the apology in person.

Pang Shuo didn’t dare say a word, and swallowed his humiliation with a sulky “I know.”

Since it was a combined test covering all subjects, Zheng Guoxiong gave them two and a half hours to answer.

Yunque took the paper and focused her entire mind on it.

After doing a few questions, she found that this time the teachers had set problems that were far more manageable for her than she’d expected.

By contrast, Pang Shuo — whose daily study volume was nowhere near hers — was visibly struggling.

The minutes ticked by, second by second.

Zheng Guoxiong disappeared from sight before long.

After about an hour and a half, Yunque started reviewing her answers.

At some point, Zheng Guoxiong had returned and was standing at the office doorway with his tea cup.

She had no idea who he was chatting with, but he said something unusually casual: “Having to drag you all in to practice on a perfectly good weekend — your team coach has no sense of priorities. Does he think competition is more important than the university entrance exams? What if it interferes with your studies — will he take responsibility?”

Hearing the words “team.”

The tip of Yunque’s pen stalled without warning.

Before she could think further, she heard a male voice reply with great conviction: “Teacher, you’re misunderstanding Coach Qu — I came in to practice today with Lu Rangchen entirely on my own initiative. Staying home gets boring anyway.”

Zheng Guoxiong let out a surprised exclamation and straightened right up.

Lu Rangchen’s voice rang out at that moment — unhurried and playfully irreverent.

The boy’s resonant, clear voice moved through the air of the corridor, measured and calm as he laughed. “Our Coach Qu always says — work hard, play hard.”

The instant those words fell.

Yunque’s heart seized — like a chrysalis wrapped tight in silk.

When she looked up again, Lu Rangchen’s tall, upright silhouette had just flashed past the doorway.

Having just exchanged a few words with Zheng Guoxiong, the boy — his lips curved in an easy, unhurried smile — was there for just that one brief instant, and his gaze landed with perfect precision on Yunque.

As though.

He had passed this way.

Only for this one second.

……

The hour that followed left Yunque in something of a daze.

There were two major questions she didn’t review with her full attention — but that was as far as her remaining focus could carry her.

Though it wasn’t entirely without consolation.

At the very least, when Pang Shuo handed in his paper, his expression was far more wretched than hers.

She had no mind to think too much. She just felt a dull ache in her head, and the moment she gathered her things and walked out of the office, she instinctively looked toward Class A.

Only to find Class A was already locked up.

A faint, indefinable sense of disappointment rose in her chest.

Yunque looked away and headed out of the teaching building to the convenience store.

Her phone powered on, and Xu Linda had sent her a message asking how the test went.

Yunque stood at the refrigerated section of the store, picked out a bottle of green plum iced tea, and typed back a reply, saying it went okay.

After paying, she turned to walk out.

It was then that two figures walked toward her — one tall, one shorter.

The shorter one was in a full athletic outfit with a backpack. The taller one wore a casual jacket over a T-shirt with jeans — with that easy, lingering swagger about him.

A composed, unruly sharpness like early autumn — even more striking than usual, recognizable at a single glance.

Yunque’s footsteps stopped.

The moment she spotted him, Lu Rangchen happened to look her way too.

The boy’s dark eyes were deep and unfathomable, the corner of his mouth drawn up just barely.

He didn’t seem at all surprised to run into her here. He said something in an unhurried way to the boy beside him with a tilt of his head.

That person glanced at Yunque, found nothing remarkable about it, and walked on into the store behind them.

The sky wasn’t great.

Heavy clouds churned and spread toward the horizon, and the daylight seemed to find no way to break through.

Yunque stood where she was, holding the bottle of green plum iced tea she had just bought, watching as Lu Rangchen stopped in front of her.

The boy had one hand casually in his pocket, the other shoulder carrying a loosely slung backpack. He tilted an eyebrow down at her. “Finished?”

“……Finished.”

Yunque’s voice was very soft — as if she were afraid that even slightly more volume would shatter the beautiful dream before her.

Lu Rangchen gave a small nod, his voice even and magnetic. “Then let’s go eat.”

—

Since the school cafeteria didn’t operate on weekends, that day Lu Rangchen chose a Hunan-style restaurant just outside the school.

He even checked with Yunque first whether she could handle spicy food.

She couldn’t really, actually.

But Yunque still said it was fine.

It was also on the walk over that she learned the boy who had come with Lu Rangchen was named Tian Zhuang — a name that suited him perfectly; he was built solidly and powerfully, yet without being heavy, and there was an honest, good-natured humor to the way he carried himself. He wasn’t quite as witty and quick-tongued as Deng Zhe and Zhou Chuang, and was slightly awkward around strangers.

So Yunque didn’t really join in his and Lu Rangchen’s conversation — she simply listened quietly as they talked.

Things like: someone from the team failed the latest fitness test and got punished by the coach; someone had been secretly dating someone else and their parents had been called in; and whatever game they were all hooked on lately.

Lu Rangchen wasn’t one for many words.

But when others spoke to him, he would habitually listen with genuine attention.

He seemed to be in a good mood; when talking to Tian Zhuang, the corners of his mouth would curve upward without him realizing it, and that relaxed, at-ease quality softened the cold edge he usually carried, making him look all the more compelling.

Yunque couldn’t help stealing a few more glances at him.

But only up until the second before his eyes might turn toward her — the instant she sensed Lu Rangchen was about to look her way, she would look away and bow her head over her phone.

This went back and forth a few times.

Lu Rangchen apparently had enough of being stared at halfway through. He simply fixed his gaze straight on her and waited for her to look up.

Feeling his eyes on her, Yunque’s ears turned red in an instant. Fortunately, the server began bringing out dishes at that moment, and she was “spared.”

But just as the three of them picked up their chopsticks and had barely eaten a few bites, Feng Yanlai called — saying the apartment was leaking and the unit downstairs had flooded.

Feng Yanlai was away on a business trip and had absolutely no way to get back; all she could do was call Yunque on the phone to figure out what had happened.

Yunque held her phone and froze. “I’m not home right now.”

Feng Yanlai paused, and when she spoke again her tone had changed entirely. “You’re not home? Then where are you?”

She seemed to pick up on the sound of a male voice in the background, and asked alertly, “Who are you with?”

The new phone’s volume was quite loud.

Lu Rangchen didn’t need to make any effort — he heard every word of Feng Yanlai’s sharp question.

Seeing Yunque’s eyes dart around in panic, he raised his voice. “Auntie?”

“……”

Yunque nodded numbly.

Lu Rangchen said, “Give me the phone.”

Their fingertips brushed his faintly cool hand accidentally. Yunque obediently handed over the phone.

Then she watched as Lu Rangchen, entirely composed, said, “Auntie, this is Lu Rangchen.”

Hearing it was him.

Feng Yanlai’s attitude did a complete one-eighty.

Like someone clutching a lifeline, she stopped caring altogether why these two were eating together, and immediately implored him to go with Yunque to the apartment and deal with it.

Yunque was mortified.

She tried to grab the phone back and tell Feng Yanlai not to trouble anyone — but she was deflected directly by Lu Rangchen.

The boy’s clear, deep eyes slanted at her as he spoke with calm certainty into the phone. “Auntie, this is my family’s property. It’s the least I can do.”

At that, the matter was settled.

By the time Yunque came to her senses, Lu Rangchen had already picked up his jacket and was telling her to come with him.

Tian Zhuang made a noise of protest. “You two are just leaving like that? The food just finished coming out.”

Lu Rangchen said flatly, “Eat. I’ll cover it.”

And then, true to his word, he left five hundred yuan at the front counter without blinking.

Yunque was stunned by his outrageous generosity, and a powerful surge of guilt rose in her. But the situation was urgent — there was nothing she could say. She could only hurry after him and get into a taxi.

The back seat was spacious enough, but Lu Rangchen’s height and long legs made it feel narrow. Yunque sat beside him, a little confined, and told the driver the address of the apartment complex.

It was close by — just the base fare.

Yunque pulled out some loose change from her bag.

Lu Rangchen glanced at her from the side, watching this behavior of hers — like a child fishing coins out of a piggy bank for pocket money — and for no particular reason, let out a quiet, derisive laugh.

Yunque’s hand, gripping a ten-yuan bill, tightened.

Looking at the boy’s face — beautiful enough to induce self-consciousness, yet right there so close to her — she stammered, “What are you laughing at?”

Perhaps the embarrassed expression made her look rather stiff.

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow, eyes fixed on her without moving.

Yunque blinked — clear and translucent, slightly rattled yet still obedient and guileless.

Something rose in Lu Rangchen’s throat, inexplicably itchy. He leaned in with a playful, devil-may-care air.

In the space between their breaths, the scent of dark, woody sandalwood swept in like a tide.

Lu Rangchen looked at her with the nonchalance of someone who never played by anyone else’s rules. “You’ve been stealing glances at me so many times — can’t I laugh at you once?”