After dinner, Ban Sheng hailed a cab to take Lin Weixia home. Lin Weixia had just opened the car door and settled into her seat when a slender figure slipped in sideways beside her.

Lin Weixia looked at him with a puzzled expression. Ban Sheng leaned back against the rear seat with an utterly carefree air and said simply, “Keeping you company on the way back.”

Lin Weixia turned to look out the car window. The phone in Ban Sheng’s pocket chimed with a notification. He pulled it out, swiped the screen with his thumb, and found a string of messages from Qiu Minghua.

Qiu Minghua: 【Boss Ban, I got picked on.】

Qiu Minghua: 【You have to help me get even.】

Qiu Minghua: 【What the hell, walked out of the internet café and got into it with those guys from No. 7 High. I’m waiting for you to show up.】

Qiu Minghua: 【??? What’s going on — are you just going to ignore me?】

When he got to that last message, Ban Sheng sent back a string of ellipses, then typed a single line in the reply box: 【Too occupied.】

The implication being that he already had someone else to look after.

A second later the screen lit up again, Qiu Minghua firing off a row of question marks at machine-gun speed: 【??? Who? Who are you looking after — say it.】

The more frantic Qiu Minghua got, the less Ban Sheng said, playing the subtle tease to perfection. He simply switched off his phone screen and left him dangling.

Ban Sheng personally saw Lin Weixia to the roadside. She pushed open the car door and stepped out. The road was scattered with shallow puddles; Lin Weixia held her umbrella and focused on stepping around them, when Ban Sheng’s unhurried, relaxed voice drifted from behind her:

“Lin Weixia.”

Lin Weixia turned around, bewildered. Ban Sheng sat inside the car, looking at her alone: “Good night.”

A sweep of headlights flashed in the distance, landing just right in Ban Sheng’s eyes.

Like a shooting star streaking past.

Once the Winter Solstice passed, Nanjiang seemed to finally welcome a proper winter. People traded up to light woolen overcoats and jackets. Shengao’s school-issued winter uniform was still the regulation plaid skirt — compared to summer, it now came with an added pair of knee-high socks.

To celebrate the arrival of Christmas, the school permitted each class one free-activity evening study session. Class Two of Year Two chose a gift exchange for the holiday evening.

Every student was required to buy one gift, wrap it, and bring it to the party in presentation form. On Christmas Day everyone would draw lots together.

After class, students whispered among themselves about what to buy, stealing glances every so often at the person they quietly admired, hoping they would draw their gift — hoping fate’s coincidence might fall on them.

The girls had crowded around Liu Sijia, all talking over one another, draping themselves over her shoulders: “Sijia, what are you planning to give?”

“Please — whatever she gives, those boys will be scrambling for it. But more importantly, Ban Sheng will definitely recognize Sijia’s gift at a glance.”

At the mention of Ban Sheng, Liu Sijia’s glacier-cool, beautiful eyes warmed with a smile, making her already alluring face more captivating still.

Rumors linking Liu Sijia and Ban Sheng had grown fewer, yet everyone had long since tacitly accepted them as a perfect match. After all, Liu Sijia’s feelings toward Ban Sheng had grown more and more apparent. Compared to the queen who once held herself at arm’s length, she had by now quietly begun to pursue him.

Fang Mo looked at Lin Weixia, who had both ears firmly shut to the world outside her textbooks, and heaved a sigh, her face a portrait of misery: “Weixia, don’t you even want to think about what gift to bring? I’m worried to death. Those A-students basically all come from wealthy families — whatever they bring will definitely get picked. What if nobody picks mine? Oh no, that would be so embarrassing.”

Lin Weixia had been buried in a physics problem; she finally solved it, let out a breath of relief, smiled, and reached over to pinch Fang Mo’s round cheek: “I’ll pick yours.”

“Wuwuwu, you’re the best.” Fang Mo immediately grabbed onto her arm.

After morning exercises, the students dragged their feet back upstairs. As usual, Liu Sijia wove through the crowd and came over to hook her arm through Lin Weixia’s, walking back to the classroom together.

Fang Mo hadn’t returned yet. Liu Sijia leaned against Lin Weixia’s desk and chatted with her while Lin Weixia, having nothing else to do, sorted through the mess on her desk.

“Guess what gift I chose?” Liu Sijia’s red lips opened and closed.

Lin Weixia pulled out exam papers and sorted them, smiling as she replied, “I couldn’t possibly guess.”

“Here, take a look.” Liu Sijia fished something out of her pocket.

Lin Weixia looked over. Resting in Liu Sijia’s pale, slender palm was a silver lighter. Along the edge was engraved the word Zorro, gleaming with a silver sheen, and the body’s lines were beautifully designed.

Liu Sijia truly did like Ban Sheng — that proud, beautiful girl had memorized what brand of cigarettes he smoked, ate the candies he favored, and had quietly sent him milk before he told her to stop.

Lin Weixia looked at those fox-like eyes glowing in front of her, lips moving slightly. Liu Sijia spoke again: “What about you — what are you planning to give?”

Lin Weixia shook her head. “Haven’t thought about it yet.”

That evening, Lin Weixia came home and sat at her desk, chin in hand, drifting. She still hadn’t figured out what to bring for the Christmas gift exchange. It seemed like she didn’t have anything particularly worth giving.

Maybe she could give a book — she could wrap it nicely and tuck a bookmark inside. Lin Weixia was propping her head up, lost in thought, when her phone buzzed and vibrated on the desk beside her.

She picked up the phone, swiped to answer, and a clean, bright voice came through the earpiece: “Sis, emergency — I need you!”

“Go ahead and be in your emergency, then.” Lin Weixia’s tone was characteristically unhurried.

“Hey, Sis… don’t hang up! Give me a break, please!” Gao Hang rattled on in a panic.

At No. 18, Third Lane, a young man in a white hoodie stood in front of a shop, wearing a pained expression. When he saw Lin Weixia arriving fashionably late, the furrow in his brow finally eased.

“Sis, you always pick things up fast no matter what — just give it a try,” Gao Hang said.

Gao Hang had been playing the balloon-shooting game at this shop for a full hour. He’d lost every coin in his pocket down to the last, and he absolutely refused to believe his luck. He was determined to walk away with something from that shop today.

Lin Weixia picked up the air gun, closed one eye to sight the target, and tested the feel of it, then said, “I’m not very good at this.”

She fired a shot. It missed, just as she’d expected. Gao Hang sighed at the sight. The shop owner, cracking sunflower seeds and watching TV, glanced over at the frail-looking young woman across from him and chuckled: “If anyone could hit it, a small operation like mine would go bankrupt.”

The words had barely left his mouth when bang bang bang rang out — balloons popped open one after another in rapid succession, like flowers blooming in sequence. Gao Hang immediately broke into applause and whistles.

The shop owner stared with wide eyes as Lin Weixia hit his balloons one after another. How could a girl who looked so quiet and refined be so utterly merciless with an air gun — sharp, clean, decisive, and hitting one hundred percent of the time?

In the end, Lin Weixia won the shop’s largest pink stuffed doll and a basketball. When it was all over, Gao Hang shoved the basketball into her arms and flashed a grin of white teeth:

“Thanks, Sis.”

Lin Weixia reluctantly took the basketball. She pointed at the half-person-height doll in his arms, thinking it might actually work nicely as a gift exchange item.

Gao Hang reflexively hid it behind his back, a suspicious flush rising to his cheeks. Lin Weixia understood immediately, and her tone turned teasing: “Oh~ There’s a girl you like.”

She turned and headed off toward home. Gao Hang, afraid his sister would tell on him, chased after her and changed the subject: “Sis, you’re amazing — how do you hit every single one?”

“The first shot was to test the aim. The owner had lowered the sights, so you just have to aim lower than the original position.”

“Sis, you’re incredible.”

On Christmas Day, the basketball club required all members to attend a meeting — everyone had to be present. Lin Weixia had been absent for a long time, but this time she had no choice but to go.

The two girls walked arm in arm toward the meeting room. Liu Sijia had tied her hair into a high ponytail with a red hair tie today, with perfume on, drawing frequent glances from passersby along the way.

“My gift is in blue wrapping paper, with the character Jia written on the bottom,” Liu Sijia said. She had also posted a photo on Weibo with the caption: Waiting for that person. The client suffix on the post was the letter S.

At the sight of that letter, everyone knowingly gave it a like. All that fanfare was essentially her way of announcing to the world that this gift was from her, Liu Sijia — no one was allowed to touch it except Ban Sheng.

After the meeting, Lin Weixia was responsible for returning the equipment to the equipment room while others gradually left. Liu Sijia was chatting with someone not far away, waiting for her.

Lin Weixia was walking through the corridor on her way to wash her hands when suddenly an overpowering force grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the equipment room. She was pinned against the wall behind the door, a commanding shadow looming over her. Ban Sheng pressed close, his dark eyes bearing down:

“What did you bring as a gift?”

Not far outside the door, Liu Sijia was chatting and gossiping; the smile on her face faded slightly. She seemed to catch two figures flashing past for a moment, but when she looked carefully, there was nothing — only the equipment room door trembling once, dust drifting in the air.

Liu Sijia called out toward where Lin Weixia should be: “Weixia, are you done yet?”

The voice reached Lin Weixia’s ears. She kept her eyes open looking at Ban Sheng — he was still pressed against her, unwilling to let her go.

“I brought a book,” Lin Weixia said. Only then did Ban Sheng slowly release her.

Christmas Day had the entire school buzzing with the festive energy of exchanging gifts. Boys and girls in the class gathered to discuss the weather and talk about their wishes.

Someone asked Lin Weixia: “Hey, Weixia, what’s your Christmas wish?”

“World peace.”

“Could you be any more perfunctory?” Li Shengran scoffed.

“I want to see the sea.” The smile on Lin Weixia’s face remained faint as ever.

Liu Sijia reached out and tapped her forehead, laughing dismissively: “You were daydreaming — what kind of wish is that?”

“Right — you can drive there or take the subway. Personally, I’m not keen on the beach — I’m afraid of getting a tan,” Qiu Minghua said, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

Ning Chao glanced at him and snorted with a laugh: “With your complexion, do you even need the sun? You already look like a seaside kid who grew up on the beach.”

The entire group burst out laughing. Qiu Minghua turned red in the face with anger and swore he was going to fight Ning Chao. Lin Weixia smoothed back a strand of hair from beside her ear and couldn’t help joining in the laughter.

Ban Sheng sat in his own seat, neck bent forward, completely absorbed in examining the structure of a drone in his hands, from beginning to end not joining in the conversation.

Or rather, he hadn’t been listening at all, and cared even less what anyone else had said.

When it came time for the gift exchange, the whole class was in an uproar. To create atmosphere, the class monitor dimmed four of the six classroom lights, leaving only two on, making the entire space feel hazy and dim, with an undercurrent of secret excitement.

Students went up to choose gifts in lottery order. Everyone had put genuine care into their gifts. Some of the wrapping looked expensive at first glance — it wasn’t hard to guess those came from the A-students.

The basketball had been casually nudged into an unnoticed corner by other students browsing the gifts. Lin Weixia kept her eyes fixed on that basketball and let out a breath of relief when she watched Qiu Minghua pick it up midway through.

Lin Weixia herself went up and chose something that looked like it was wrapped like a postcard.

After the gift exchange wrapped up, everyone packed their things and headed home. Lin Weixia tucked her gift into her bag. Liu Sijia came running over, excitement plain on her face.

“He didn’t draw my gift — I don’t know who ended up with it,” Liu Sijia said, then pivoted, arching a fine eyebrow. “But I drew a gift that is very Ban Sheng.”

Lin Weixia looked over. In Liu Sijia’s hands was a green brocade box, and resting on top of it was a string of exquisitely handcrafted star-shaped light bulbs. When Liu Sijia flicked the switch, the bulbs lit up all at once, twinkling and glimmering before her eyes — like stars in the sky.

“Doesn’t it look just like a starry sky? This style practically announces it came from Ban Sheng — someone who loves astronomy.” Liu Sijia’s eyes were brimming with delight.

Ning Chao, who had already left through the school gates, sneezed. He immediately suspected someone was talking about him and pulled his jacket zipper all the way up to his throat. Someone nearby noticed his finger was covered with a bandage, with a faint seep of blood, and asked: “Ning-ge, what happened to your hand?”

“Scraped it on a tungsten wire,” Ning Chao said indifferently, brushing it off. “Let’s go.”

On the other side, Liu Sijia was still chatting with Lin Weixia. Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward the fourth row, where she saw Ban Sheng’s arm draped over Qiu Minghua’s shoulder as he leaned down and said something to him.

And at some point, it seemed he had lazily glanced over toward Lin Weixia.

Qiu Minghua had actually given the basketball to him.

Lin Weixia’s heart lurched with a sudden unease. She hurriedly pulled Liu Sijia out through the school gates, the wind rushing past her ears feeling oddly warm.

That evening, after washing up at home, Lin Weixia’s hair hung damp down her back. She tilted her head and toweled it dry, then picked up her phone, found that profile photo of a dark icon, and sent a message:

“How did you know the gift I sent was a basketball?”

Five minutes later, a notification sounded. Even through the screen, you could feel Ban Sheng’s unhurried pace.

Ban: 【Just to be safe — your little brother told me.】

That was simply how he operated: he would only make a move when he had absolute certainty — and pursuing Lin Weixia was no different.

Lin Weixia, still not satisfied, kept pressing, typing into the message box and sending: 【Give the basketball back to Qiu Minghua. How did you even get him to agree?】

Five minutes later, the phone screen lit up again — his words carrying Ban Sheng’s good mood and patience in every character.

Ban: 【He’s been wanting to borrow my seaside villa and gear. He wants to go surfing this weekend — I gave him the green light this time.】

【He was only too happy to agree.】

The next morning, the cold front had completely moved on. The moment the sun came out, warmth spread in every direction. Lin Weixia arrived at school early and caught sight, at a glance, of a basketball sitting on Ban Sheng’s chair.

As more and more students filed into the classroom, everyone was discussing the basketball on Ban Sheng’s seat. On the surface it was plain enough — nothing from any prestigious brand, clearly the kind of sports equipment from a wholesale shop, looking rather cheap even.

Yet at the same time it wasn’t plain at all. Written across it in bright, bold strokes were three characters: Ban Sheng’s.

Those three characters undeniably declared this object as his possession.

During the second-period exercise session, Lin Weixia deliberately dragged her feet — waiting until everyone else had gone downstairs before she stood up and walked over to Ban Sheng’s seat.

Clang. A sound came from behind her. Lin Weixia turned around. Ban Sheng was leaning against the back door, one hand tucked in his pocket, a section of exposed wrist bone clearly defined. He could tell at a glance what she was planning to do.

A pair of pitch-dark, unmistakably sharp eyes pinned her in place, making her afraid to move. His tone was that of a scoundrel:

“The characters were painted on by me with a spray paint marker. They won’t come off.”