At the shop entrance, Bei Yao was waiting for him. She had folded up her umbrella. As soon as Pei Chuan came out, she turned her head and said, “The rain has stopped.”

The weather in C City was always unpredictable, like a person’s mood.

The school bell rang at No. 3 High School. Bei Yao said, “Then I’ll head back.”

Pei Chuan’s fingers curled slightly as he said in a low voice, “Mm.”

Bei Yao walked a good distance away, but saw he was still standing in the same spot, quietly watching her retreating figure. She walked back with an almost helpless expression.

“Pei Chuan, I don’t want to go back anymore. Take me somewhere fun.”

Pei Chuan stared at her stiffly. “What?”

Bei Yao thought for a moment. “Is there anywhere fun to go outside No. 3 High School?”

Pei Chuan pressed his lips together and denied it. “No.”

The places he usually went to—he couldn’t possibly take her there. However, when she said she wouldn’t leave, Pei Chuan’s heart couldn’t help but ripple with shallow joy.

Bei Yao said, “I saw a very interesting little shop last time. Let me help you find it.”

She took him to a paint mold-making shop.

There were only a few small children in the shop, playing with their hands covered in clay. Bei Yao suppressed a laugh and pulled Pei Chuan to sit down.

A five-year-old child walked over. “Big sister, are you going to play with this too?” She opened her hands, revealing a dried little rabbit rubber mold in her palm. Bei Yao said, “No, it’s big brother who wants to play.”

The little child’s eyes widened as she looked at Pei Chuan.

Pei Chuan raised his eyes to look at Bei Yao. She was cupping her face, smiling at him.

Pei Chuan felt very uncomfortable. His face was cold, yet he couldn’t bring himself to suggest leaving. He could only tacitly accept it and see what Bei Yao wanted to do.

Baking molds was actually very simple—it was equivalent to making your own rubber pendant.

You pour the rubber into the template by color, then put it in the oven, and you can make a rubber toy or keychain pendant.

Bei Yao had actually never played with this before either. She came in here because every little child had a smile on their face.

The shop owner brought over a pattern sample and asked them what kind they wanted to make.

Bei Yao said, “The dragonfly looks nice.” Her slender finger pointed at the cartoon dragonfly in front of Pei Chuan. Pei Chuan ignored her and picked the simplest crescent moon and stars.

Bei Yao found it amusing in her heart as she watched him work.

The template had a night sky, a bright crescent moon, and sparkling stars all around.

The surrounding children all gathered around, acting as little teachers chattering away with guidance for this clumsy big brother.

“No, you have to make the sky first.”

“Oh no, the moon melted into the sky.”

“Big brother is so clumsy.”

“Two stars are missing.”

Pei Chuan’s hands were covered in rubber clay. “Shut up.”

He raised his eyes. She had moved over a small stool to sit facing him, earnestly propping up her chin to watch him. When she saw him look over, she revealed an innocent and radiant smile.

Pei Chuan’s scolding got stuck in his throat. He almost gave up on himself and lowered his eyes, furrowing his brows as he continued.

The little children continued commenting on him: “Big brother, you poured too much.”

“This is so ugly, not even as pretty as mine.”

“Big brother, you have dirt on your face too.”

The dried rubber clay wasn’t easy to wash off. Just as he was about to use the back of his hand to wipe off what was on his face, a fair and tender little hand gently wiped it for him.

After growing up, this was the first time Bei Yao looked at him so closely.

Most of the time he didn’t like to talk. His expression was cold, his features handsome, with a somewhat cool flavor. His brow peaks were sharp—he could look a bit fierce. But as she looked at him, her heart felt very soft.

He was almost fumbling through this in embarrassment.

As night fell and the lights came on, Bai Yutong came out to No. 3 High School to find her stepbrother Pei Chuan. What she saw was exactly this scene.

In the shop, the children’s laughter was crisp and clear. The sixteen-year-old girl’s face was fair and gentle as she smiled watching Pei Chuan make the mold.

He wasn’t skilled at it—he could even be said to be very clumsy.

Yet he lowered his eyes with exceptional focus, even carrying indulgence and a trace of very shallow tenderness.

Bai Yutong’s eyes widened. She had only ever seen the cold Pei Chuan, the violent Pei Chuan, and the arrogant Pei Chuan who looked down on everyone. This was truly the first time seeing him so compliant and completely unguarded.

Under the lights, the most beautiful one was actually the girl across from him. Before Bei Yao could raise her head to look over, Bai Yutong hid behind a tree, blocking their line of sight.

Because Pei Chuan had poured too much colored rubber, the mold took quite a while to bake dry.

The colored rubber carried the scent of modeling clay. The moon surrounded by stars came out somewhat ugly. It had a hole on top, just right for hanging keys.

Bei Yao attached her own keys to it. “Oh my, so ugly.”

He looked at her with some annoyance. Her almond eyes curved into crescents. “So ugly—you keep it for yourself, Pei the Unhappy One.”

She lowered her eyes and attached his keys to it.

He could smell the fragrance from the girl’s hair. Blown by the autumn night breeze, it silently made his heart beat faster.

The keys returned to his hand with her body warmth, with a small crescent moon attached to them.

That five-year-old little girl came over and hugged Bei Yao’s leg, extremely reluctant to part.

Bei Yao crouched down. Seeing how adorable she was, she kissed her pink, chubby little cheek. “Thank you, little teacher, for teaching big brother. Go find your mommy.” The little girl smiled shyly and sweetly.

Pei Chuan’s expression was extremely unpleasant.

Unable to bear it any longer, afraid of what he might say, he almost turned and left immediately.

After walking several steps, her voice came through the night breeze, puzzled. “Pei Chuan?”

For the first time, he realized she didn’t understand anything, didn’t comprehend anything—those feelings that ravaged him every single minute and second, letting him quietly rejoice alone while also burning him until he was almost completely consumed.

He was so bewildered by this tenderness he couldn’t tell what day it was, yet he also hated this tenderness. Why, why couldn’t it belong to just one person?

Pei Chuan closed his eyes. After a moment, he calmly turned back. “Evening self-study is starting.”

Bei Yao nodded and waved with a smile. “Goodbye.”

One road split in two directions. When Pei Chuan was earnestly making the mold, Bei Yao had suppressed the urge to check her watch. Only after he left did she hurriedly run toward the bus stop in distress.

20:38.

Evening self-study had already started long ago. Tonight was Li Fangqun’s evening self-study session—there was supposed to be a math quiz.

And Pei Chuan, who had said he would attend evening self-study, stood once again under the newly lit streetlamp, watching Bei Yao run away in panic.

Bai Yutong walked over with a strange expression on her face. “You like her?”

Pei Chuan turned back coldly.

Bai Yutong was frightened by the viciousness that flashed momentarily in his eyes and took a step back.

However, she thought again—what was there to be afraid of? With Uncle Pei around, could Pei Chuan really turn the world upside down? Last time when she came to give him money and he didn’t accept it, she had to pick it up herself—that was what was truly embarrassing.

Bai Yutong said with the satisfaction of someone who had discovered a secret, “Tsk tsk, what a pity. You should weigh your own worth. She pities you, doesn’t she?”

The two words “pities you” were like the sharpest thorn, prying open a corner of his heart he didn’t want to touch.

He moved his fingers—a very subtle sound of bones interlocking.

Those things he feared most in the dead of night: loved ones leaving one by one, losing what he cared about bit by bit. What he most wanted to obtain was perhaps only spending time with him out of sympathy.

When he was doing well, people like Wei Wan crowded around him.

Only when he was doing poorly would Bei Yao stay with him.

So, so even though that slap hadn’t hurt that much, his heart still craved her closeness.

These were all things he had stolen. Pei Chuan was deceiving even himself, yet someone had gleefully exposed it.

Bai Yutong felt pain in her neck. “Help—”

The next moment, her voice got stuck in her throat.

The autumn of October made her feel cold all over. She couldn’t utter a single word. The force on her neck made breathing difficult. Her gleeful smile turned to panic as she met a pair of pitch-black eyes.

A young man who had been learning boxing for nearly seven years—the strength in his arms was far beyond what she could imagine.

He could strangle her to death with just one hand. Bai Yutong regretted it. She should have listened to her mother—not to provoke him, and not to try to threaten him.

Tears flowed from her eyes as her limbs struggled desperately.

On the quiet street, behind the tree, this young man’s methods were ruthless.

He watched her struggle to breathe with cold eyes.

Bai Yutong grabbed onto something and hit his hand hard with it.

His gaze focused slightly.

It was the little moon rubber pendant that Bei Yao had personally attached.

As if waking from a dream, Pei Chuan released his hand. Bai Yutong crouched on the ground, coughing her lungs out. He took a step forward. She almost desperately retreated in fear for her life.

“The keys. Give them back to me.”

Bai Yutong threw them over, trembling all over. Originally today, Cao Li had sent her to ask Pei Chuan whether, since the Pei family was moving, he wanted to come back. But now how would she dare ask? This dangerous demon had better never come back for the rest of his life.

There was someone in his heart who couldn’t be touched—mention her and he’d go crazy.

Bai Yutong watched him walk away. The fear of being terrified made her break down crying.

She almost thought like a curse: Bei Yao would never like him. With such an extreme personality, he would never deserve to be loved in his entire life.

~

When Bei Yao returned, Li Fangqun was sitting at the podium.

“Reporting in.” She said softly. The classmates who had been writing their test papers with heads down all raised their eyes to look over.

Li Fangqun said with a stern face, “Bei Yao, where did you go? Can using the bathroom take two or three hours?”

Even though Bei Yao had very good grades, Li Fangqun was inherently fair and impartial by nature, so naturally she wouldn’t overlook the behavior of skipping class.

Bei Yao didn’t speak, tacitly admitting to her act of skipping class.

Chen Feifei was frantically anxious. She was practically making exaggerated facial expressions to signal Bei Yao to make up a lie—like saying her stomach hurt and she went to the infirmary, or that she encountered some emergency situation or something. Who knew Yaoyao would admit her mistake herself?

The students of Class 6, Grade 11, all looked at Bei Yao in surprise. After all, anyone in this class might skip class, but Bei Yao belonged to the least likely category of people.

Li Fangqun said, “Not going to speak? Then stand outside.”

Bei Yao withdrew and went to stand outside the classroom.

The plane tree leaves were slowly turning yellow. The arrival of autumn made the air very fresh. Because it was evening self-study time, the campus was very quiet.

She stood outside the corridor between Class 5 and Class 6 of Grade 11. Students from both classes could see her.

After all, she was the school beauty. Students from Class 6 writing their papers would secretly glance at her from time to time. Those from Class 5 also curiously peeked out the window.

The good student school beauty skipping class—a rare sight indeed.

In the Class 6 classroom, Wu Mo couldn’t help but curve her lips, feeling extremely pleased.

Bei Yao’s cheeks were a bit red, but her heart was very calm. She didn’t have that feeling of shame she had imagined. The autumn breeze was cool, blowing on her with a bit of chill.

She had said she wouldn’t lose Pei Chuan again.

Li Fangqun was quite angry. Even during the third period of evening self-study, she still hadn’t let Bei Yao back into the classroom.

The gossip about the school beauty being punished to stand spread throughout the school in the blink of an eye. When Han Zhen heard about it, he inevitably came upstairs.

She stood thinly in the night. There were also some students around her, but no one mocked her. The situation was better than he had imagined. Chen Feifei had brought hot water and quietly handed it to Bei Yao to drink.

She calmly accepted the punishment—she didn’t cry, nor did she feel humiliated.

Han Zhen hesitated, not knowing whether he should go up or not.

Perhaps because she was well-liked, there were even students who quietly bought her grilled sausages.

Under the campus lights, although she didn’t accept them, her eyes curved beautifully—she was captivating.

Chen Feifei was afraid Bei Yao would feel embarrassed. “Should I come keep you company? The test is over anyway.”

Bei Yao quickly said, “You go back to class. There’s only one period of evening self-study left. If you come out, Teacher Li will be even angrier.”

“Alright, where did you go?”

Bei Yao didn’t deceive her and said softly, “I went to see Pei Chuan.”

Chen Feifei said, “He’s really causing you endless trouble.”

Bei Yao said with a smile, “Nonsense. I went to see him myself—what does it have to do with him?”

“You’re just too nice. I see him like a block of ice—he might not even appreciate it!” Chen Feifei said indignantly. After a while, she asked suspiciously, leaning close to Bei Yao’s ear, “Yaoyao, you don’t like him, do you?”

Bei Yao froze, then her cheeks slowly turned red. She thought seriously for a moment. “What does liking someone feel like?”

“Oh my! You’re actually considering this possibility! His reputation isn’t good at all—he’s not worthy of you. Don’t think about it anymore, don’t think about it. Pretend I was talking nonsense. I’m going back to class now.” Chen Feifei ran back into the classroom in a flash. Their Yaoyao was naive—she couldn’t be the one to help her become aware. If the object of awareness were Han Zhen, that would still be okay, but Pei Chuan was such a difficult guy to deal with.

She’d heard earlier that the dancing girl Wei Wan and Pei Chuan had something going on—who knew if it was true or false.

The class bell rang. Han Zhen could only go back too. Her teacher was still in the classroom—it would be even worse if he went over.

Bei Yao held her cup, thinking for the first time about the possibility Chen Feifei had mentioned. Did she like Pei Chuan?

Not taking care of him, not pitying him, but the kind of feeling a young girl has when she likes a young man.

Her heart thumped rapidly—a somewhat wonderful feeling, but it didn’t seem disagreeable.

After being blown by cold wind for several periods of evening self-study, Bei Yao only warmed up after taking a shower.

She opened her phone and after thinking for a moment, searched online—

“What does it feel like to like someone?”

Someone answered below: “Kiss them and you’ll know. If kissing them makes your heart race, hormones explode, your head spin with dizziness, and you feel excited enough to almost die, then that’s liking someone.”

Is it that scary? Bei Yao thought. So, so frightening.

And this method seemed so unreliable. You could test it just by kissing?