It was quite late last night when Xu Ningqing took Shi Niannian home. If her schoolbag hadn’t been at his place, he would have let her stay overnight and taken her directly to school in the morning.

“Niannian, explain this problem to me quickly!”

After two morning classes, Jiang Ling turned around from her seat and placed a math test paper in front of her.

It was a Tianli 38 practice test.

“Are you going to… find that teacher?”

“Yes, so explain it to me first, then I won’t embarrass myself when I ask him.”

Shi Niannian smiled, looked over the problem, took a piece of scratch paper, and wrote down the basic steps to solve it.

After she finished explaining, Jiang Ling confirmed her understanding and took the paper to Xu Zhilin’s office.

During the long break, everyone gathered to chat.

Shi Niannian’s phone vibrated. She took it out of her pocket—it was a text message from her mother.

It asked her to go to the hospital again in the afternoon to pick up Shi Zhe’s report.

She replied “okay” and put her phone back in her pocket, then picked up her and Jiang Ling’s cups to go outside and fill them with water.

The hot water room was crowded—it was a good place for girls to gather and gossip.

“Have you heard? Cheng Qi announced she’s going to pursue Jiang Wang.”

“Really? With the female school bully and male school bully together, things will get lively around here.”

“Whether she can catch him is another question. My brother who graduated two years ago said that before Jiang Wang stabbed someone, lots of girls chased him, but he never showed interest in anyone.”

“Don’t be stupid. Cheng Qi saying this is just warning others not to be interested in Jiang Wang. Isn’t she always like this? When she dates someone, she’s super high-profile and domineering.”

“Lower your voice,” the girl beside her pulled at her sleeve and whispered, “If Cheng Qi hears you, you’re finished.”

Shi Niannian filled both cups with water and tightened the bottle caps. Her eyelashes trembled slightly at their conversation.

Lost in thought, she walked out without noticing someone beside her.

Jiang Wang walked next to her. Her steps were small, so he had to restrain his stride to keep pace with her.

At the corner, she turned her head and saw Jiang Wang, clutching the water cups as she stepped back.

Jiang Wang curled his lips: “What are you afraid of?”

“Not… afraid.” Shi Niannian continued walking forward.

Jiang Wang was too eye-catching—many people looked their way as they walked.

Shi Niannian buried her head even lower.

“About last night,” he started, then paused.

Shi Niannian waited for a moment before asking: “What… about it?”

“Well,” he laughed lightly, somewhat mischievously, “the bed stuff, you know.”

Jiang Wang was used to being unruly—when guys talked among themselves, they didn’t filter anything. But Shi Niannian couldn’t handle such talk.

Her face reddened, and she glanced sideways. Fortunately, although everyone was watching them, they were far enough away that they shouldn’t have heard Jiang Wang’s comment.

“You’re… crazy,” she angrily cursed.

Jiang Wang was amused by her reaction and swore, “Fuck, little classmate, how come you’re cursing at me?”

Shi Niannian ignored him and walked faster, but Jiang Wang’s legs were much longer than hers, and he could keep up with a normal pace.

Jiang Wang reached out to grab her, but before he could touch her, she slapped his hand away with a loud “smack.”

Quite fierce.

“What did I do to offend you?” Jiang Wang asked with a helpless smile.

Shi Niannian didn’t answer. The gazes around them hadn’t ceased. When Jiang Wang smiled, those looks became more obvious, and whispers reached her ears.

Shi Niannian gently bit her teeth and simply ran toward the classroom.

Jiang Wang watched her retreating figure and licked his lips with a laugh.

He just stood in the hallway. It was the long break after two classes, and he still had his backpack on, clearly having just arrived at school. His laugh rumbled deep from his throat.

Magnetic, with a nasal tone.

Enough to make one’s heart flutter.

When Shi Niannian ran back to the classroom, Jiang Ling had already returned. She placed the cup of water she’d fetched on the corner of Jiang Ling’s desk and noticed her dejected expression.

“Niannian,” Jiang Ling rose from her desk, looking pitifully at her with downturned lips, “I think I’ve been rejected before I even started.”

Shi Niannian was stunned for a moment and glanced at the test paper on her desk. There were several steps written in red pen, not in her handwriting, nor Jiang Ling’s—Xu Zhilin must have taught her how to solve the problem.

“What happened?”

The class bell rang throughout the campus.

Jiang Wang entered the classroom just as the bell rang, with the English teacher following behind him: “Slow down! Go slower! By the time you reach your seat, class will be over!”

Jiang Wang clicked his tongue but had no other reaction.

Everyone burst into laughter.

After spending time together, the students in Class 3 gradually discovered that Jiang Wang might not be as terrifying as rumored.

After all, if he were someone who would stab people whenever displeased, the English teacher would probably need nine lives.

Shi Niannian took out her English textbook, appearing to listen attentively, not sparing even half a glance for him.

It was just an accidental, inappropriate joke, yet she was this angry.

Not long after class started, Jiang Ling reached back and tossed a small paper note onto her desk.

Xu Zhilin seems to have a girlfriend!!!!

Huh? You saw?

Yes, in his office. There was a woman, and she was very pretty.

Is she a teacher at our school?

No way, I’ve never seen her before, and they seemed very close. That woman even pinched Xu Zhilin’s face!!!

From the corner of his eye, Jiang Wang watched the two passing notes back and forth.

At first, Shi Niannian wrote quickly, but suddenly she stopped, several times picking up the pen to write only to put it down again.

She looked like she was dealing with something difficult.

Jiang Ling waited a while without seeing a note, so she leaned back in her chair to bump Shi Niannian’s desk.

Why don’t you ask him?

Shi Niannian wrote quickly, looked up at the English teacher, and swiftly tossed the note onto Jiang Ling’s desk.

The little girl was a good student, her movements careful. She threw it with a “whoosh,” quickly withdrew her hand, lowered her head to look at her book, and pretended to underline a few sentences in her textbook.

Jiang Wang watched and laughed, his voice a bit hoarse.

I’m too embarrassed to ask! Hey, can you help me ask Jiang Wang?

Why ask him…

They knew each other at that time in front of the changing room. Jiang Wang might know if he has a girlfriend!

You ask him yourself.

I’m not familiar with him.

Neither am I.

I think he’s quite nice to you. You’re the only one in our class who gets to hear the boss’s low, rumbling laugh!

After Jiang Ling pestered her for a while, Shi Niannian, being the agreeable person she was, finally promised to find an opportunity to ask him.

Soon, it was time to leave school.

Cheng Qi and her gang hadn’t come to school today, which meant Shi Niannian didn’t have to run out of the school.

She left school and took a taxi to the hospital to pick up her brother’s report.

She carefully noted the doctor’s instructions.

“Thank you… doctor,” she said softly.

The doctor looked back at her, still in her school uniform, clean and neat, coming alone to get her brother’s report—an uncommon sight. He smiled reassuringly: “Don’t worry too much, there will be progress.”

“Mm.” Shi Niannian smiled and thanked him again.

It was already evening when she left the hospital.

Now, at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, the once-abundant cicada sounds had gradually thinned, and the daylight hours were becoming shorter.

The sky was already a dusky yellow, with large swaths of sunset penetrating the clouds, its power undiminished, stretching out eye-searing light.

Shi Niannian slightly narrowed her eyes and held the report in front of them.

The wind blew, outlining her thin figure in the loose school uniform.

She looked outward, then her gaze paused as she saw Lu Ming.

Lu Ming had seen her too, nudging the girl beside her, mockingly pointing in her direction.

Cheng Qi turned her head, a thin lady’s cigarette between her red lips, and seeing Shi Niannian, blew smoke in her direction from afar.

They walked toward her.

Shi Niannian clutched the report and turned to run.

But at this time of day, the hospital was crowded, and she couldn’t run fast. Cheng Qi’s group circled outside to block her and quickly caught Shi Niannian.

She was grabbed by the collar and dragged to a deserted patch of grass nearby, pushed down to the ground.

“First, go to the hearing room, as usual. Put on the headphones inside, press the button when you hear a sound, and make a hand gesture to me if you don’t hear anything,” the doctor said.

Jiang Wang turned and entered the hearing room, a narrow little chamber.

He removed his hearing aid and listened to the sounds from the headphones.

At first, he could hear a few tones clearly, but later he couldn’t hear anything at all. He kept making hand gestures to the doctor standing outside the glass.

Before he finished, the doctor waved for him to come out, sighing almost imperceptibly.

Jiang Wang’s ear had always been under his care, even during that half year in prison. The doctor continued with basic treatment and follow-ups. Although there was progress, the pace was far too slow.

“It’s better than before,” he told Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang: “You say that every time.”

“There is progress. I’m not lying,” the doctor smiled and patted him twice on the shoulder.

Jiang Wang paused for a moment, then suddenly asked: “What about surgery?”

“Haven’t I told you? With your damage, surgery is extremely risky. If it fails, you’ll become completely deaf.”

The terror of school violence—Shi Niannian had experienced it early on.

The malice of young boys and girls was direct and undisguised: mockery, ridicule, shoving, and verbal abuse.

Led by Cheng Qi and Lu Ming, surrounded by a circle of teenagers, they completely blocked her escape route.

They played with her like a game, pushing Shi Niannian back and forth. She stumbled, barely staying upright, her back against the high wall behind her.

“I heard you’ve been quite arrogant lately.” Cheng Qi tightly gripped her jawbone, forcing her face upward.

Shi Niannian struggled a couple of times but couldn’t break free. She looked straight at Cheng Qi without expression.

She had extremely beautiful eyes, effortlessly infuriating Cheng Qi, who lowered her gaze and saw a corner of white paper peeking from Shi Niannian’s pocket.

Even while escaping, she hadn’t forgotten to hide this paper in her pocket.

Cheng Qi snatched it away and unfolded it with a flourish.

Shi Niannian struggled to grab it back, but Cheng Qi dodged and pushed her to the ground again, holding the report high, the sunset bathing her face in a bright yet cruel smile.

She slowly read out the condition written on it—autism.

And the name, Shi Zhe.

“Give… give it back to me!”

Shi Niannian’s usually gentle and soft expression was gone, her breathing ragged and hurried, her reddened eyes glaring.

“Angry now, are we? G-g-give it back to me,” Cheng Qi mimicked her speech.

The surrounding people laughed exaggeratedly, their laughter shrill and piercing, noisily surrounding Shi Niannian like annoying flies.

“So this Shi Zhe is your brother? How pitiful, a stuttering sister and an autistic brother. What sin did your parents commit?” Cheng Qi and those around her laughed. “How did they end up with two children like this?”

As she spoke, two fingers painted with red nail polish dangled the report in the wind.

Shi Niannian secretly clenched her fists.

“What does the report say? Let me…”

Her voice stopped abruptly.

Shi Niannian suddenly lunged forward, like a small beast finally provoked to anger, grabbing Cheng Qi’s collar and pouncing on her.

When she was little, Xu Ningqing often took her with him. This “taking her with him” was probably because he felt sorry for her, keeping her by his side even when he was fighting, not caring if she was scared.

She was scared at first, but later got used to it.

Xu Ningqing was very good at fighting and usually didn’t get hurt much.

So he would fight on one side, while she sat watching on the other. Sometimes when she had a lot of homework, she would squat on the steps and do it herself.

She managed to grab back the report.

The others came to their senses and rushed forward to beat her.

Besides the usual girls who bullied her, there were several boys this time.

Shi Niannian knew she would be done for if captured again, so she grabbed the report and ran.

Ran for her life.

The wind whistled past her ears.

She ran westward, the sunset stinging her eyes, her bangs blown to both sides.

The footsteps chasing behind grew louder and louder.

“Fucking hell! Catch her for me!”

“Die, you stutterer, you’re looking for death!”

…

In the burning sunset, she saw a not-so-real silhouette.

—”Then call me Brother Jiang Wang, and I promise no one will dare bully you in the future.”

The wind brought that sentence to her ears.

Along with the casualness and indifference of the young man who said those words.

Jiang Wang had just left the hospital when his wrist was firmly grabbed by a pair of hands. The grip was strong, nails almost digging into his flesh. He frowned, but before he could react, he turned and met a pair of eyes.

Eyes rimmed with red, showing a hint of fierce fragility, long eyelashes fluttering.

“Jiang… Wang,” she began.

It was just one word, “brother,” not that difficult to say.

She told herself.

Shi Niannian struggled to part her lips, but she just couldn’t do it, couldn’t speak the word.

She dejectedly lowered her head, teeth biting into her full lower lip.

Jiang Wang looked at her, then turned to look at the people running toward them.

Without a word, he pulled Shi Niannian’s slender wrist, bringing her behind him. Only then did he feel that she was trembling uncontrollably.

Cheng Qi’s group stopped in front of him.

His eyes, cold and pitch-black when angry, filled with hostility—no one dared to make a move at that moment.

Shi Niannian was completely shielded behind him, in a fully protective stance.

“Cheng Qi,” his voice grew cold, “I warned you before.”

Just yesterday, Cheng Qi had boasted to her friends that she would win Jiang Wang’s heart. His current stance was completely slapping her in the face.

She narrowed her eyes: “So what?”

“Don’t touch her,” he said with a cold laugh.

He took off his jacket and draped it over Shi Niannian’s head, tilted his head, and took a couple of steps toward the crowd.

“I see you’ve been having quite a bit of fun with her.”