In the end, Shi Niannian didn’t take her bicycle. Walking across the empty parking area, she reached the bookstore entrance, where many people were coming and going, almost all students around her age.

She walked with her head down, and Jiang Wang followed two steps behind her.

Next to the bookstore was a bubble tea shop. Shi Niannian joined the line.

Jiang Wang stood beside her. He was tall with long legs and fair skin, quickly attracting glances from the surrounding girls. Some were even more dramatic, already taking out their phones to secretly photograph him.

The two of them didn’t speak the entire time.

Shi Niannian bought two cups of pearl milk tea. Remembering that Jiang Wang had said he didn’t like sweet things, she ordered one with full sugar and another with half sugar.

She handed the half-sugar cup to Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang didn’t move, looking at her with lowered eyelids.

He didn’t want anyone to see what had happened earlier, although such scenes had occurred almost daily at home when he was younger.

Now, he felt irritated and ashamed.

Shi Niannian looked at him calmly, as if everything just now hadn’t happened.

She held out her hand. Jiang Wang didn’t take it, his usual casual smile completely gone.

Shi Niannian lowered her head, gently took his hand, and placed the milk tea in it.

Milk tea is sweet.

Perhaps drinking it would improve his mood a little.

Shi Niannian planned to retrieve her bicycle after finishing the milk tea and sat down in a corner of the shop.

“Do you dislike me?” Jiang Wang suddenly asked.

Shi Niannian was stunned for a moment. Indeed, she couldn’t say she liked him, but that was only because he always said strange things to her and seemed bad.

But he wasn’t bad.

He had saved her twice, which Shi Niannian also remembered clearly.

“No,” she shook her head slightly, drinking her milk tea.

Another silence fell.

Shi Niannian spoke up, her voice clear and crisp: “I don’t dislike you.”

“Heh.” He scoffed lightly, “There are plenty of people who dislike me.”

Shi Niannian didn’t understand this statement. Jiang Ling had mentioned to her the sensation he’d caused on social media and the school forum yesterday—countless girls liked him.

Although she didn’t understand why one race would make those girls want to confess to Jiang Wang, he was popular.

She paused, changing the subject: “Why were you… fighting with that person just now?”

“That guy is considered my father,” Jiang Wang said.

With just one sentence, why they were fighting no longer seemed important.

Shi Niannian’s eyes widened slightly, then thinking this impolite, she quickly said: “I’m sorry, I… didn’t know.”

He shrugged indifferently.

After drinking half, Shi Niannian was full. She stood up and waved to Jiang Wang: “I’m going… back now.”

“Mm.”

She walked out of the bubble tea shop, and for some reason, suddenly recalled Jiang Wang’s smile from earlier—it was lonely.

She stopped in her tracks and looked back.

The young man sat there alone, solitary.

The milk tea in front of him was barely touched as he stared blankly with lowered eyes and no expression.

Shi Niannian took a deep breath and returned to the bubble tea shop.

She bent down and embraced Jiang Wang very gently, her palm lightly patting his back twice.

“Don’t be afraid, Jiang Wang.”

The bangs on his forehead were dark as raven feathers. When he looked up, Shi Niannian had already hastily withdrawn and run away—he could only see her back.

Shi Niannian didn’t go out to play during the National Day holiday. After all, the monthly exam would come right after returning to school, the first test since dividing into arts and sciences streams. She didn’t want to do poorly.

She was good at both humanities and sciences, so she was first in her class throughout her first year of high school. But many students in her grade were heavily biased toward one subject area, and some might perform better than her once humanities scores were excluded.

Shi Niannian knew she wasn’t some academic genius. Only by studying conscientiously could she possibly achieve good results.

“Take a break, don’t put so much pressure on yourself.” Her aunt knocked and entered with fruit, placing the plate beside her desk.

“Thank you, Aunt.” Shi Niannian closed the book she had finished reviewing. “It’s not… too much pressure, I just want to work hard and… do a bit better.”

“If Xu Ningqing were half as well-behaved as you, I’d be burning incense in gratitude.” Her aunt sighed.

Shi Niannian smiled: “Brother’s grades… aren’t bad either.”

Her aunt waved dismissively: “Just so-so.”

At this moment, Shi Niannian had no idea that while she was speaking up for Xu Ningqing, he was on the other side doing his utmost to sell her out.

“Say ‘Xu Ningqing is my daddy’ and I’ll give you Shi Niannian’s phone number.” Xu Ningqing smiled mischievously, opening his phone’s recorder and holding it to Jiang Wang’s mouth.

Jiang Wang couldn’t be bothered with him and said flatly: “Get lost.”

“Brother-in-law, that’s not the right attitude for pursuit.” Xu Ningqing pushed his luck further. “Is that how you talk to your big brother-in-law?!”

Jiang Wang gave him a sidelong glance.

Xu Ningqing laughingly raised his hands in surrender, then doubled over with laughter.

“Alright,” Xu Ningqing said between laughs, picking up a bottle of alcohol. “Drink this, and I’ll recognize you as my brother-in-law!”

…

Midway through her conversation with her aunt, Shi Niannian’s phone suddenly rang.

It was an unlabeled number, showing a local location.

“Hello?” Shi Niannian answered.

Momentary silence on the other end, no sound.

Shi Niannian glanced at her aunt and said “hello” again.

“It’s me.”

A slightly deep male voice with a very distinctive tone.

Shi Niannian was startled.

Her aunt asked: “Who is it? Is something wrong?”

“…A classmate,” she said instinctively. “Asking me about… a question.”

“Oh, then chat with your classmate. I’ll go out first.”

Shi Niannian was so well-behaved that when she said it was a classmate, her aunt assumed it was some girl from her class. Without thinking or asking more, she closed the bedroom door and left.

Jiang Wang stood by the window. Xu Ningqing had already left, leaving him alone in the room. Hearing Shi Niannian’s words, he laughed.

A deep laugh from his throat.

Shi Niannian rubbed her ear and asked: “How did you get… my number?”

“If I want it, would I not be able to get it?” His tone was matter-of-fact.

Shi Niannian didn’t dwell on this question. Her gaze fell on the chemical equation in front of her: “What… do you want from me?”

He laughed: “Weren’t you going to help me with a question?”

“…” Shi Niannian paused, her pen pressing down on the paper, drawing a horizontal line under the chemical equation. “If there’s nothing, I’ll hang up.”

“I’m seriously asking you about a question, little classmate. Will you teach me?”

Shi Niannian thought about how few classes he had attended during this period. His words weren’t very credible, but she still asked: “What don’t you… understand?”

Jiang Wang turned and casually pulled a physics book from the bookshelf, opening a page.

He had studied this before; there were even notes written on it.

He found an exercise question and read it to Shi Niannian.

Shi Niannian took out a draft paper and quickly wrote down the key points he mentioned. Halfway through, she paused, stopped her pen, and waited for him to finish reading before saying: “This isn’t… within the exam… scope.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Wang raised his eyebrows indifferently. “Then what is in the exam scope?”

“Modules three… first two units.” Shi Niannian was a bit speechless and put the draft paper aside. “The question you asked… hasn’t been taught yet.”

Her voice was very soft, mixed with the sound of wind from his end, sweet and gentle. Because she didn’t want to stutter too obviously, she spoke slowly, making the listener’s heart itch.

Jiang Wang ran his tongue along his teeth: “Oh, but do you know how to solve that question?”

“Yes.”

“Teach me?”

Shi Niannian paused for two seconds, said “wait a moment,” and then recalled the question he had just mentioned, writing the steps on the draft paper. Then she patiently, albeit haltingly, explained it step by step.

Considering that Jiang Wang’s grades might not be good, she explained very thoroughly.

“Do you… Understand?” she finally asked.

Jiang Wang hadn’t listened carefully to what she was explaining. He just felt that this girl’s voice was incredible, like it was pinching his weak spot.

How had he never noticed before that fat Fan Mengming had decent taste?

Sweet to the core of his heart.

“I understand,” he chuckled. “Thank you, Teacher Shi.”

On the day of the monthly exam, Shi Niannian woke up very early and rechecked her pencils, erasers, and the like, packing them all into her pencil case.

The monthly exam seats weren’t arranged by test scores; students sat in their usual places, just moving their desks away from their tablemates.

As soon as Shi Niannian entered, several people surrounded her.

“Niannian! My star of hope!” Chen Shushu grabbed her arm. “Remember to give me signals during the math test this afternoon! My life and fortune are in your hands!”

Chen Shushu sat across the aisle from Shi Niannian, with Jiang Wang between them.

Shi Niannian nodded and said, “Okay.”

Others sitting farther away all pestered Chen Shushu to relay the answers to them as well.

The first exam was Chinese. Shi Niannian sat in her seat memorizing ancient poems.

Jiang Wang only came in with his backpack just before the exam started.

Shi Niannian had just stood up, intending to separate their adjacent desks, her hand just touching the desk when she sensed Jiang Wang’s unique scent behind her.

He threw his backpack on the chair: “I’ll do it.”

Shi Niannian released her hand and watched as he effortlessly lifted the desk with his arm.

He made it look so easy.

“Everyone, put away your books and hand in your phones! We’re starting the exam!”

The invigilating teacher walked into the classroom with a stack of sealed test papers.

Jiang Wang sat lazily in his chair. When Shi Niannian returned to her seat after handing in her phone, he stretched out his hand toward her: “Lend me a pen.”

Shi Niannian placed one on his desk.

Jiang Ling turned around and made a series of facial expressions at her, but quickly turned back when the test papers were handed out.

The Chinese test was quite simple. Shi Niannian was very good at Chinese, especially composition. She first looked at the essay question—a standard material-based argumentative essay. After forming a rough outline in her mind, she turned back to go through the questions one by one.

She was extremely focused while doing the test, her back perfectly straight, her bangs clipped back with a hairpin, revealing her smooth forehead.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wang beside her wasn’t so serious. He supported his face with one hand, not looking particularly engaged.

His lofty face still attracted attention as before, but if one looked carefully, one would notice a very faint bruise on his jaw. However, generally no one would look that closely.

It was from when Jiang Chen had hit him last time.

Shi Niannian’s sudden appearance that day made Jiang Wang feel like he’d been slapped in the face. He had no interest in letting others know about his embarrassing family and embarrassing father.

Fortunately, Shi Niannian hadn’t asked much.

The little girl was quite cool, with a completely uninvolved attitude. Jiang Wang really couldn’t tell if she was empathetic or just indifferent.

He looked at the multiple-choice question in front of him, made a couple of marks on the options, and wrote a sloppy “A.”

Suddenly he remembered how the girl had bent down and gently hugged him that day, calmly telling him, “Don’t be afraid, Jiang Wang.”

What could he possibly be afraid of?

In nearly 20 years, it was the first time someone had told him not to be afraid.

He raised his eyebrow disdainfully and carelessly wrote down the next answer.

But suddenly the nerves at the back of his neck twitched, and the girl’s fair, smooth neckline and a pair of black doe eyes appeared in his mind.

He leaned back against his chair and drew in a sharp breath with a “hiss.”