Shi Niannian froze in place, her entire body stiffening. Only her sense of touch remained clear and intense, feeling Jiang Wang’s nose pressed against hers and his short hair slightly prickling as it fell against her ear.

She widened her eyes, unconsciously moving her lips.

Through the mask, they brushed against Jiang Wang’s lips. The warmth penetrated through the thin fabric, like an intimate caress.

She had never been this close to a boy before.

Jiang Wang didn’t kiss her for long. He quickly released her and moved back a little, still tilting his head close before her eyes.

He slowly opened his eyes, deep and dark like a bottomless pool, his long but sparse eyelashes trembling slightly.

Shi Niannian stared at him without avoiding his gaze, bewildered and shocked.

The night was tranquil. The moon hung in the sky outside the window, casting down cold moonlight that illuminated the side of the young girl’s face with a faint, shimmering glow, making her breathtakingly beautiful.

He spoke, his voice hoarse and low: “Can I kiss you one more time?”

The taste of desire is a terrifying thing.

Without waiting for her answer, Jiang Wang lowered his head again, his palm cupping the back of her head as he raised his other hand to remove the earphone from her right ear.

The white earphone cord hooked around his index finger before he tossed it onto the windowsill, then raised his hand to caress her cheek.

The large mask covered most of her face, leaving only her jawline and the soft skin near her ears exposed. Jiang Wang’s fingertips gently brushed over them.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, curling his index finger to lift her chin.

His breath was scorching.

The temperature of his lips gradually rose.

Rationality slowly drained away.

Still separated by that troublesome mask.

His index finger hooked under the edge of her mask, about to pull it down, but before he could apply force, Shi Niannian grabbed his wrist.

He opened his eyes, his breath hot, no longer exerting strength, his voice unusually husky: “Hmm?”

Shi Niannian felt she must be getting a fever again, and she was about to die of anger from him. And he had the nerve to “Hmm?” when he was the one making these strange moves out of nowhere.

She backed away, her back pressing against the edge of the window seat, turning her face aside.

Annoyed and indignant, she gritted her teeth, wanting to curse, but she didn’t know how to.

Then she heard Jiang Wang’s light laughter by her ear, lazy and satisfied.

“You are…”

She opened her mouth, but still couldn’t curse him smoothly and forcefully. Her tone was soft and drooping, unclear whether she was cursing or pouting.

Jiang Wang deliberately teased her: “I am what?”

Shi Niannian looked away: “…Pervert.”

Jiang Wang laughed and said “Fuck” as he put both earphones on her, only to have his hand swatted away with a loud “smack.”

“So fierce.”

“Don’t… touch me.”

“I like you,” he leaned back, looking at her as he asked softly, “Can I kiss you again?”

The young girl didn’t respond, still stubbornly looking out the window, only her fair, slender neck gradually turning a light pink as the color slowly crept upward.

Finally, even her earlobes turned completely red.

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly in an ambiguous smile, asking slowly: “Did you hear me?”

“No!” She denied without thinking, covering her mouth and shaking her head anxiously, “I didn’t hear, I didn’t hear, you’re so… annoying!”

When Shi Niannian woke up again, she was startled to see the view of city skyscrapers before her eyes. A soft blanket was draped over her shoulders. She trembled in surprise, her shoulders shaking, causing the blanket to slide down.

Then came a voice from above her head: “Awake?”

“…”

A moment later, she remembered what had happened the night before.

She had told Jiang Wang to leave but he wouldn’t listen, just stayed there. With only the two of them in the isolation room, Shi Niannian felt too awkward to say she wanted to sleep.

She couldn’t remember when she had fallen asleep last night.

When she woke up, she was leaning against the wall by the window seat with Jiang Wang.

She quickly straightened up.

Jiang Wang tilted his head, squeezing his shoulder: “You’re quite heavy.”

Shi Niannian had slept well. She sat up and stretched her legs to reach for her slippers, but just as she was about to pull herself up, Jiang Wang yanked her back.

Before she could steady herself, she tumbled back onto him.

She instinctively put out her hands to brace herself, not sure what she touched, when she heard Jiang Wang curse under his breath above her head.

“Don’t touch randomly,” Jiang Wang’s voice was a bit hoarse. “Early in the morning, not everywhere can be touched, you know?”

Shi Niannian didn’t understand the hidden meaning in his words, and just followed his gaze, looking directly at her hand that was bracing against him.

It was gripping right between his waist and hip.

She calmly released her hand and stood up again, straightening her clothes.

“I know,” she raised her eyes, her black pupils looking at him. “A girl’s… mouth is what shouldn’t… be touched.”

Jiang Wang was taken aback, finding it amusing: “You’re getting clever now, setting traps for me.”

Jiang Wang didn’t stay long. He had snuck in after all. After seeing Shi Niannian take her temperature to confirm her fever had subsided and watching her take another pill, he left.

Shortly after he left, the nurse came in.

“Hey little student, was that handsome boy just now your boyfriend?” the nurse asked with a knowing smile. “He came to see you so early.”

“…No,” Shi Niannian lifted her bangs to let the nurse take her temperature again with the forehead thermometer. “He’s my… desk mate.”

The nurse smiled knowingly but didn’t say anything, looking at the number on the thermometer: “Your fever’s gone. You can relax now. This special medication reduces fever quickly. You can call your parents to prepare to pick you up, and then come with me for another test.”

“Now?”

“Yes, oh, by the way, did you bring your phone?”

Shi Niannian shook her head.

The nurse took out her phone from her pocket and handed it to her: “Call your family quickly. They must be very worried.”

“Thank you, sister.”

Just as she entered her aunt’s number, her aunt arrived with a bag of breakfast.

In the autumn weather, each rain brought more chill.

After a series of examinations confirmed she had recovered, she was prescribed medication and allowed to leave the hospital.

“I was so scared, but it turned out to be a false alarm. I was worried you’d have to stay in that place alone for several days,” her aunt said continuously.

Shi Niannian noticed the dark circles under her aunt’s eyes and could almost imagine how poorly she must have slept last night.

It was already Friday, and her aunt wouldn’t let her return to school, insisting she go home and rest properly.

During dinner, Xu Ningqing also came by, knocking on her bedroom door and placing her phone, which she had left at school, on her desk.

Shi Niannian looked up at him.

Xu Ningqing tapped his finger on her desk twice: “Jiang Wang asked me to give this to you.”

“…”

Xu Ningqing decided to sit down on the edge of her bed, looking outside to make sure her aunt wasn’t in the living room. “He went to the hospital to keep you company last night?”

“…Mm.”

“Let your brother tell you something,” Xu Ningqing said with a mischievous smile, his almond eyes curving. “For someone like Jiang Wang, you need to play hard to get. Too many girls like him, and he ignores them all, putting on airs. You need to dampen his arrogance a bit, understand?”

“…He and I are just… desk mates.”

Xu Ningqing couldn’t stop laughing, propping his elbow on her bed and giving her a thumbs up: “Great! That’s my sister! What spirit!”

Shi Niannian felt a bit awkward. Xu Ningqing laughed a bit more, then received a phone call and finally left.

The bedroom became quiet again. She looked at the phone lying on the corner of her desk, and just as she was about to pick it up, the screen lit up.

Boyfriend: Little kid, did you get your phone?

“…”

What is this…

She opened it to find that Jiang Wang had changed his contact name to “Boyfriend” in her phone.

With such a contact name sitting in her phone, Shi Niannian’s cheeks grew hot. She quickly changed it back to a proper “Jiang Wang.”

She flipped the phone face down and lowered her head to look at the physics competition problems again.

Magnetic field, coil, resistor R, metal rod ab…

She wrote the answer “B” next to the option, then lowered her head and buried her face in the crook of her arm, hiding her face as it gradually turned red.

Normally, she would have been fine just changing the contact name back.

But last night…

She felt guilty. Whenever she thought about that inexplicable touch last night that could hardly be called a kiss, her heart would flutter slightly.

Finally, she picked up her phone again.

She changed the contact name from “Jiang Wang” to a formal “Grade 2 Class 3, Jiang Wang, Male.”

When she was in her first year of high school, she had added several classmates from other classes due to English competitions. Afraid she might forget who they were, she had used this format for their contact names.

Now Jiang Wang was added as well.

Shi Niannian looked at the list of very regular contact names beginning with “G,” rubbed her hot earlobes, and was finally satisfied.

Monday.

When Shi Niannian returned to school, she was surrounded by a group of people asking how she was doing.

After being assigned to the same class, everyone gradually became familiar with each other. Most were easy to get along with. Huang Yao had even reprinted the physics competition notes she had missed on Thursday night and given them to her. The notes were clear and neat.

The first class was English. As usual, Liu Guoqi started class two minutes early, ignoring the “groans and protests” from below.

“Come on, everyone, take out your textbooks. Midterms are coming soon, and our class is already behind schedule, yet you still have the mood to chat!”

Not long into the class, Jiang Ling, unable to sit still, passed a note to Shi Niannian, reaching back and tossing a crumpled piece of paper onto her desk.

*Niannian, I heard Cheng Qi and Li Lu from Class 9 are both transferring schools.*

*What? Why?*

*I thought you knew! Didn’t Jiang Wang tell you anything?*

*No.*

*I think Jiang Wang must have avenged his love, bravely defeating the villains until they were scattered like fallen flowers! Hahahahaha! That’s so awesome!!*

“…”

Once Jiang Ling’s imagination started, it wouldn’t stop. She kept adding details and sound effects.

Before Shi Niannian could pass the note back, the English teacher spotted it. Liu Guoqi pointed his finger: “What are you two doing during class?!”

Such content in the note certainly couldn’t be seen by the teacher. Shi Niannian quickly clenched the note in her palm.

Before Liu Guoqi could come down, a lazy voice came from the doorway: “Reporting in.”

“You again! You’re late again!” Liu Guoqi’s attention completely shifted to Jiang Wang at the door, roaring, “Don’t think I won’t say anything because you ranked second! How busy are you that you’re late every day? What were you doing?!”

The young man stood against the light at the school entrance, looking somewhat tired, the corners of his eyes drooping, distracted: “Sleeping.”

“Did I ask for your answer?!” Liu Guoqi pointed his finger at him.

Jiang Wang sighed.

Jiang Wang’s school bully authority, just barely re-established, was ruthlessly suppressed by Liu Guoqi pointing at his nose. Below the podium, there was again a wave of painfully suppressed laughter.

Liu Guoqi scolded for quite a while before finally, with an expression of heartache and indignation, waving his hand and letting Jiang Wang return to his seat.

“Passing notes again?” Jiang Wang asked after sitting down.

She responded quietly, opening her palm halfway to reveal the edge of the note.

“Aren’t you a good student?”

Shi Niannian was a bit speechless: “Passing notes doesn’t… mean I’m not… listening.”

Jiang Wang pulled his English book from the drawer, glanced at Shi Niannian, and turned to Unit Three.

He had only dropped out in the second semester of sophomore year, so he should have covered these lessons, but his book was completely blank, like new.

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages over the weekend?”

Shi Niannian lowered her head to take notes: “Who told you to… change my… contact name?”

“Did I change it wrong?” Jiang Wang smiled, twirling his pen in his hand. “That night we even…”

Before he could finish, Shi Niannian urgently wanted to silence him and raised her foot to step on his.

The movement was a bit big and also knocked against the desk.

A loud “bang.”

Liu Guoqi looked over again: “Jiang Wang!”

Jiang Wang:?

“She just got back from the hospital, and you’re bullying your classmate! If you bully her again, you’ll sit by the podium!”

“…”

After Liu Guoqi turned back to continue teaching, Jiang Wang stretched out his long leg, his shoe pressing against Shi Niannian’s foot and dragging it over: “How naughty are you? Who was just trying to step on me?”

Shi Niannian’s leg was trapped by him, and she couldn’t pull it away.

Such a gesture was too intimate, with their calves pressed together through thin uniform pants.

Shi Niannian felt that area burning hot, making her very uncomfortable.

“Let me go.”

“No.”

“Jiang Wang!” She called out in a suppressed voice, her face flushed red.

He responded lazily: “What?”

“I want to listen to the class… let… let me go!”

“Just listen like this.”

Shi Niannian felt this person could always be so annoying. She was flushed with embarrassment and anger.

Liu Guoqi was writing a long, complex sentence on the blackboard and was almost finished. In a moment of urgency, she directly raised her hand and twisted Jiang Wang’s leg hard.

With quite some strength.

She quickly withdrew her leg.

Jiang Wang narrowed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and licked his lips.

When his eyes narrowed like that, they were full of ferocity, somewhat frightening.

Shi Niannian withdrew her hand, shrinking her neck, wondering if she had been too rough just now and whether she should apologize to Jiang Wang.

After a while, he finally laughed softly, his tone lazy and casual, dragging out his words.

“Not bad.”

“…”

Jiang Wang recalled the forum content Fan Mengming had mysteriously shown him over the weekend.

He licked his lips and smiled, tilting his head.

His fingertip caught a strand of her stray hair, twirling it around his index finger as he drawled with a smile: “I heard on the forum they’re saying you’re… the boss’s woman.”

“…”

He smiled: “Pretty impressive.”