With one sentence, Jiang Wang directly took the issue to a more private and embarrassing level. Shi Niannian once again felt that the three-year age gap between them was almost a generational divide.

Xu Ningqing often spoke without filters, too, but in most cases, he would be mindful of Shi Niannian’s presence. Even on the rare occasions when he did say something inappropriate, she wouldn’t think much about it, just pretending she didn’t understand.

She felt embarrassed, not knowing what to say, so she simply ignored him.

Jiang Wang hadn’t expected that his casual remark would trigger such a chain reaction.

On Sunday, it was Fan Mengming’s girlfriend’s birthday. Under the pretext of introducing her to his friends, he invited everyone out for a meal.

Jiang Wang received Fan Mengming’s message on Friday, which also included an invitation for Shi Niannian. Normally, he would have simply declined such gatherings, but since Shi Niannian was currently giving him the cold shoulder, he had to use this opportunity to agree.

Shi Niannian had a gentle temperament; she wasn’t really angry, just lazily unwilling to respond to him, causing frustration yet making it impossible to be upset with her.

On Sunday morning, Jiang Wang came to pick her up.

When the two walked into the private room together, everyone was already there. As soon as the door opened, everyone’s eyes swept over them.

Everyone had already heard about Jiang Wang dating a second-year high school girl, and they had been incredibly curious for a long time. Today, having heard from Fan Mengming that “Time little sister” would be present, they had been looking forward to it.

They saw the girl standing next to Jiang Wang, small in stature, clean and pretty, especially her eyes, which, set in her features, were inexplicably captivating.

Shi Niannian noticed everyone’s gaze and stood hesitating without moving.

Jiang Wang coughed, leading the young girl to sit at one side.

“Alright, that’s enough, you’ll scrape a layer of skin off her,” Xu Ningqing said leisurely, putting away his phone and leaning against the sofa.

“Brother Xu, you’ve met this little friend before?” someone asked, hearing the familiarity in his tone.

Fan Mengming answered: “She’s Brother Xu’s actual little sister!”

Shi Niannian: “…”

Someone joked: “So should we call her little sister or sister-in-law?”

Shi Niannian lowered her head and peeled at her nails, a habitual action when she felt uneasy. Jiang Wang wasn’t listening to what the people around were saying either, just sitting beside her, his gaze falling on her palm, watching intently.

Fan Mengming’s girlfriend came over to greet her, asking what she would like to drink.

“Anything is fine with me,” Shi Niannian said.

“How about a watermelon juice? Is that okay?”

“Mm, thank you, big sister.”

Fan Mengming laughed: “Time little sister calls my girlfriend ‘big sister,’ which rounded off is like calling me ‘big brother,’ and rounded off again is basically like Jiang Wang having to call me ‘big brother’ too!”

Jiang Wang raised his eyes and glanced at him expressionlessly.

Shi Niannian pondered his logic for a moment, then laughed softly.

Jiang Wang sighed, leaning closer to hook her finger: “Finally laughing, my little ancestor.”

Everyone looked at each other, even believing they might have just witnessed an illusion.

Among these people, although none were as close to Jiang Wang as Xu Ningqing and Fan Mengming, they generally understood him. Back in high school, they had seen Jiang Wang appear completely disinterested in women, so this sudden contrast was difficult to accept.

But the young girl hadn’t realized how rare Jiang Wang’s attitude was, her expression mild, not very enthusiastic.

Fan Mengming invited everyone to be seated.

Xu Ningqing pulled out the chair next to Shi Niannian and sat down, and in the next second, he saw the young girl move her chair closer to him.

Xu Ningqing was startled, turned his head to glance at Jiang Wang, who also looked helpless, and could only approach again with a shameless face.

“Our sister-in-law, what university do you plan to apply to?” one of them asked.

Terms like “sister-in-law” made Shi Niannian uncomfortable. She pursed her lips and only said: “B University.”

“B University?! A scholar!”

She smiled without saying anything.

“The combined IQ of our group doesn’t match our sister-in-law’s, it’s an absolute intellectual crush.”

“No, I’m just… more hardworking, that’s all,” Shi Niannian said.

Everyone at the table paused, realizing that from the time she entered until now, Shi Niannian had barely spoken, and only now did they notice she had a stutter.

A stutterer, able to make Jiang Wang treat her like he was under a spell—it was too strange.

Fan Mengming’s girlfriend was the first to react, tapping her wine glass: “Thank you all for coming to celebrate my birthday.”

After several rounds of drinks.

Jiang Wang leaned over to her side, rubbing her palm, coaxing: “Still angry with me?”

Shi Niannian pushed him, seriously saying: “Don’t come so close to me.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Jiang Wang smiled, their voices unclear to others at the noisy dinner table. “Wasn’t it just…”

“Jiang Wang!” Afraid he would say it out loud, Shi Niannian hurriedly called his name.

She moved her chair closer to Xu Ningqing again. He hadn’t been paying much attention to what they were discussing, but he could roughly guess that the little girl was sulking.

He looked curiously at Jiang Wang, who shrugged helplessly.

After a moment of silence, when Xu Ningqing put down his wine glass, he accidentally glimpsed Shi Niannian’s phone with two messages.

Jiang Ling: Send him this emoji! As a warning!

Jiang Ling: [Image]

The image showed a cat with its legs spread, with a line below: “Promise me you’ll only use your JJ for peeing, okay?”

Xu Ningqing:?

After dinner, Xu Ningqing sought out Jiang Wang.

“Can you still be human?” Xu Ningqing accused. “She’s not even 18 yet, and you’re already thinking about doing that stuff?”

“For fuck’s sake,” Jiang Wang laughed in anger. “Am I not good enough to her?”

“Would I dare do that to her?” Jiang Wang narrowed his eyes. “I just couldn’t help reacting to her, and she’s been upset with me for three days, calling me a pervert and a hooligan, even saying normal boys wouldn’t be like this. Don’t know where she heard such nonsense.”

Xu Ningqing: “…”

Returning home after dinner, Shi Niannian entered to see her mother packing luggage.

It was rare for her parents to stay here for so many days during the winter break.

The house was very quiet, with no sound except for the packing. She paused, walking over: “Mom, are you going back?”

Xu Shu, crouching beside the suitcase, looked up: “No, we’re all going back together.”

She frowned: “Me?”

“Yes, your father’s department has some issues; we need to live somewhere else,” Xu Shu said concisely. “These days, your father will go home first to pack things up, and in a few days, we’ll leave.”

This series of statements was beyond Shi Niannian’s comprehension. It took her a long time to process, and after a while, she finally squeezed out: “Why?”

Xu Shu: “Don’t ask too much. You can start packing these days, your uncle will make arrangements for your school matters.”

She stood dumbfounded for a long time, then said: “I’m not going.”

Her attitude was firm.

Xu Shu, already irritated by a pile of annoying matters, and previously having argued with Shi Niannian over a bracelet, suddenly flared up. She threw down the suitcase and stood up.

“When did you learn to talk back? How old are you?! Can’t your mother control you anymore?” Her raised voice was sharp and piercing. “You won’t go! You think you can continue studying here if you don’t go?!”

Xu Shu’s sharp voice drew over her aunt. Seeing the young girl standing there with reddened eyes, stubbornly trembling, she frowned.

“Oh my, why are you yelling at the child?”

Her aunt took Shi Niannian back to her bedroom, poured her a glass of warm water, and sat down beside her on the bed.

“Niannian, we shouldn’t have kept this from you for so long.” Her aunt’s voice was gentle, like telling a story, a story Shi Niannian didn’t want to hear.

“We originally wanted to find a way to resolve it, thinking you shouldn’t worry about this, but now…” Her aunt sighed. “Your father… Ah, with your excellent grades, how could they be wasted? It’s a lifetime matter. You should go abroad with your parents first, and I’ll have your uncle find you the best school, absolutely no worse than First High.”

She slowly turned her head: “Abroad?”

“…Yes.” Her aunt sighed again. “This is the best option now.”

She didn’t say anything.

On Monday, Shi Niannian was late again.

Not long after the start of the semester, this was already her second tardiness, coinciding with the English morning self-study. Liu Guoqi, standing on the podium playing a listening tape, rebuked: “Look at you and Jiang Wang, how did sitting together infect you with the habit of being late?”

Jiang Wang hadn’t arrived yet either.

Shi Niannian returned to her seat, took out her listening notebook, lay on the desk, trying to empty her mind, and mechanically wrote down answers.

“Niannian, are you okay?” Jiang Ling noticed something was wrong and secretly turned to ask.

She shook her head lightly, her voice a bit hoarse: “I’m fine.”

After the second class, Shi Niannian returned from the office after submitting her homework, and turned to see Jiang Wang coming up the stairs with his backpack slung over one shoulder.

He wasn’t wearing his school uniform, but a black jacket with sports pants, his legs long and slender, head lowered, and bangs drooping to cover his brow.

Shi Niannian’s hand in her pocket tightened, feeling something.

She pulled it out to look—it was a flyer given by someone in a Kumamon mascot suit when she came to school this morning. She had been in a hurry to get to class and hadn’t looked closely, but now she realized it was a poster for a newly opened theme park.

“What are you standing here for?” a voice sounded above her head.

Shi Niannian looked up, watched him for a moment, then suddenly said: “I want to go here.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Wang lowered his eyes to look at the poster in her hand. “Alright, I’ll take you after school?”

Her mind gradually emptied.

She hadn’t paid attention to what she should do about what her mother and aunt had said yesterday. She was captured by a pervading sense of instability, desperately trying to grasp something tangible.

She wasn’t a confident person, nor one with strong opinions, unable to imagine how she would live if placed in a completely new environment.

But perhaps only a passionate love affair could be described as “unforgettable.”

Or rather, trying to be as unforgettable as possible. Shi Niannian wanted what was between them to be as unforgettable as possible.

She said, “I want to go now.”

Jiang Wang knew something was wrong with Shi Niannian. An exemplary student who wouldn’t dare speak idly under a teacher’s nose suddenly holding a theme park poster saying she wanted to skip class—anyone would find it incredible.

“What’s wrong?” he frowned and asked.

She didn’t answer, only saying: “Let’s go.”

Jiang Wang looked at her for a good while, finally compromising: “Alright.”

He threw his backpack over the wall, helped Shi Niannian climb up, then skillfully climbed over and jumped down lightly, reaching out his hand to her again.

The school wall was quite high. Shi Niannian sat on top, looking down, too afraid to jump.

“Come down, I’ll catch you,” Jiang Wang said.

She decided to be bold, closed her eyes, and jumped.

She fell into an embrace, then tumbled, and when she opened her eyes, she was lying on top of Jiang Wang, her hands pressed against the grass beside them.

It had rained the night before, the soil was damp, and she quickly got up, brushing the dirt from her palms.

Jiang Wang curled his lips, getting up slowly, taking off his dirty jacket and draping it over his arm.

The newly opened amusement park was in the south of the city. At the entrance, many people in cute mascot costumes were giving out balloons. Both Shi Niannian and Jiang Wang received one. Monday morning should have seen few people at the amusement park, but probably due to the promotion of its grand opening, it was quite crowded.

Shi Niannian was still wearing her school uniform, with the hood of her white hoodie pulled out, and a fluffy ball hanging at the end.

Jiang Wang tied his balloon string to the fluffy ball on her hood, making it tilt slightly upward.

He just discovered that this little girl was quite brave, daring to try many thrilling and exciting rides.

Coming down from the roller coaster, there was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, but at last, joy spilled from the depths of her eyes.

“Want some ice cream?” Jiang Wang pointed to the side.

It was the kind that was particularly long when put together. Shi Niannian nodded, saying she wanted some.

They queued for quite a while. Jiang Wang didn’t like sweets, so he only bought one, and they sat on a bench to eat.

The young girl’s pink tongue, coated with white ice cream—this kind of image shouldn’t be stared at, as it easily challenges rationality.

Jiang Wang looked away, his arms stretched back on the bench, casually watching the passing tourists.

“Are you hiding something from me?” he asked softly, his tone lazy.

Shi Niannian paused, then heard him say, “Just as long as you haven’t fallen for someone else,” in a half-joking tone.

She bit her lip, her mind blank, following only an impulse to bring her lips to his, the sweetness of ice cream still between her teeth.

“I like you,” she said.

Jiang Wang smiled: “I was going to say, if you liked someone else, it wouldn’t do. I’d have to capture you and lock you up at home.”

Shi Niannian was stunned, still repeating: “I like you.”

Jiang Wang’s heart suddenly stopped. He cradled the back of her head and kissed her, the sensation tingling and numb. Their breathing was light; Shi Niannian didn’t know how to respond, only bewilderedly parting her lips slightly, allowing his tongue to sweep in.

Shi Niannian didn’t have time to feel embarrassed, awkwardly wrapping her arms around his neck.

Only when they could barely breathe did he push away slightly, saying softly: “Tell me when you’ve made up your mind.”

She was dizzy from the kiss, taking a while to realize he was referring to whatever was troubling her, asking her to tell him when she had decided.

They continued wandering around the amusement park. Later, as it got later, the park became more and more crowded.

They walked into a souvenir shop filled with various small toys in Kumamon style. The shop was large, with many children inside pestering their parents to buy things.

Shi Niannian browsed for quite a while, getting pushed around until she was sweating, and when she turned around, she couldn’t find Jiang Wang.

Her eyes widened slightly, and after looking around the mall without finding him, she finally became panicked. Her phone had been left at school, so she couldn’t contact him.

She anxiously ran out of the store but couldn’t find any trace of Jiang Wang outside either.

She didn’t even know when they had started walking separately and gotten lost. This feeling of turning around to find someone missing was unpleasant.

She helplessly clutched her sleeves tighter, then suddenly heard a broadcast echoing through the spacious amusement park.

“Would little friend Shi Niannian please come to the broadcast station upon hearing this announcement? Your boyfriend, Mr. Jiang Wang, is waiting for you here.”

Little friend Shi Niannian, Mr. Jiang Wang, and even “boyfriend.”

The surrounding visitors who heard the broadcast all started laughing.

The broadcast station wasn’t far. Shi Niannian followed the signs and arrived shortly. Jiang Wang was standing there, tall and straight, his brows slightly furrowed.

Tears fell without warning, leaving Jiang Wang stunned when he looked up and saw Shi Niannian.

He rushed over, crouching in front of her: “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

She sobbed, messily wiping away her tears, saying in a tearful voice: “Couldn’t find you.”

Jiang Wang laughed softly, kissing her palm: “It’s my fault. There were too many people there, I couldn’t find you and thought you had already gone out.”

She tilted her body slightly, revealing the balloon Jiang Wang had tied to her hood earlier, and with wet eyes said: “Look at the balloon, wouldn’t that have helped you find me?”

“I forgot about that. I’m sorry, little friend Shi Niannian,” he crouched in front of her, coaxing in a gentle voice.

She bent slightly, hugging him gently: “If I can’t find you in the future… what should I do?”

“I will find you.”