The first thing Jin Yiken did after winning over Dong Xi was to “overturn the verdict” for her.

Their affair wasn’t made public that day, but that evening, the girl who originally posted the photo deleted her album and publicly apologized on the campus network, restating the originally exaggerated course of events, clarifying it was all a misunderstanding. The storm of public opinion had already somewhat subsided after two days. The students’ initial hot-headedness had been slightly corrected by reason. Now with the girl’s mention, quite a few people came out expressing their belief in Dong Xi. The friends who had originally stood on Dong Xi’s side also gradually voiced their support, speaking up for her one by one.

Also that evening, Dong Xi’s account gained one more friend—Jin Yiken.

Once a girl opens the first door to her inner world for a boy, being utterly devoted isn’t far off. Jin Yiken was an old hand in this aspect. His own conditions far exceeded most people, and he had secretly done some things for her. In this situation, making Dong Xi wholeheartedly devoted was entirely possible.

This weekend passed in a daze. Zhuo Qing sent a text message asking if she wanted to participate in a lively class gathering next Saturday. She didn’t reply. Meanwhile, Long Xinyi changed from texting to calling, asking when she would come back for a meal. She said: “Stop scheming. Just hearing your voice annoys me.”

“Don’t be like this, sis. I really miss you. If you don’t miss me, at least think about my mom. She really thinks about you, blaming herself every day for losing her temper that day.”

“I know Auntie’s temper. I don’t blame her, but you, Long Xinyi, don’t drag Auntie into this. Whoever caused the problem takes full responsibility. Don’t think that just because I got a console means I’ve softened. My attitude is still hard. If you really want me to come back, come kneel at my place for three days and three nights.”

Long Xinyi didn’t get angry, still asking in a playful tone: “What exactly is your relationship with Jin Yiken? Tell your brother.”

Long Qi suppressed a breath.

He guessed wildly: “Did you two go all the way?”

“Romantic rivals!” She hung up the phone.

When entering the classroom on Monday morning, Dong Xi was already there.

When Long Qi entered, she was organizing books. A thermos bottle sat on her desk. Long Qi could tell something from just that thermos bottle. At that moment, there was truly a sense of desolation flowing through her heart, and her long standing at the doorway attracted Dong Xi’s gaze. The two people’s gazes quietly met in the morning light.

Long Qi didn’t avoid it, just looked at her like this.

Perhaps affected by the recent rumors weighing on her, this time Dong Xi withdrew her gaze before Long Qi. She continued lowering her head to organize books, her fingers gently smoothing the corner of a page, while the thermos bottle at the corner of the desk had a glaring presence, like someone’s low-key proclamation of territorial ownership. The only thing unchanged was her still reticent appearance.

Long Qi sat back at her seat. When she looked over there again, Dong Xi had just unscrewed the thermos bottle cap and taken a sip of warm tea.

For the following two days, Jin Yiken never made his relationship with Dong Xi clear. He seemed unhurried, very leisurely, and Dong Xi also showed not the slightest bit of restlessness. The only change was probably just that there were always drinks of moderate temperature on her desk.

But at dismissal time each day, she would stay in the classroom to do homework. If Long Qi also stayed, she would leave early.

Alright, at this point it was roughly clear what was happening. That scoundrel Jin Yiken had no intention of bringing Dong Xi to the surface. Hooking up with Dong Xi was one thing, acknowledging her was another. To some degree, he had even persuaded Dong Xi, otherwise she wouldn’t avoid outsiders.

And his abilities didn’t stop there.

During Thursday’s study period, while browsing Dong Xi’s homepage, she came across a comment Jin Yiken left in her album. What he commented on was a photo Dong Xi had uploaded long ago of a corner of her bedroom, and what he wrote was: Isn’t this the room I came to last time?

Long Qi’s brain exploded with a heavy boom.

She immediately stood up from her seat. The sound of chair legs scraping the floor made the classroom noise weaken. A circle of gazes around fixed on her. Her deskmate looked at her, and Dong Xi in the front row also turned her head to pay attention in her direction.

Long Qi’s chest heaved. She looked in Dong Xi’s direction. Because of being watched like this, Dong Xi’s expression slowly changed from initial indifference to a trace of doubt between her brows. The classmates around Dong Xi also looked at her following Long Qi’s gaze, but Long Qi didn’t linger. She took her bag and coat from her seat and walked toward the classroom’s front door.

She left early.

After leaving early, she went to the gymnasium.

At this time every Thursday, Jin Yiken had the habit of leaving early to play ball. As soon as Long Qi entered the venue, she saw him. He was about to shoot when the suddenly approaching footsteps made him turn to look. She walked without stopping to the basketball cart, threw her bag and coat into it, and grabbed a baseball bat from inside.

“Hey.” He said.

She walked toward him with large strides holding the bat.

The basketball fell from his hands to the ground. With each step Long Qi took toward him, he backed up one step. The two grew closer and closer. Later, Jin Yiken dodged behind the basketball hoop. The frame blocked the swing Long Qi aimed at him, and the immediately following swing was also narrowly avoided as he tilted his shoulder.

“Hey!”

“Where did you touch her?” Long Qi followed him, pointing at him with the bat.

Jin Yiken squinted and clicked his tongue.

She swung the bat at him again. He tilted his body back to avoid it, putting his right hand in his sweatpants pocket, walking backward with ease.

“Where!”

He held up three fingers: “Third base, believe it or not?”

Long Qi’s steps stopped. She glared at him and fiercely threw the bat at him!

He turned his body sideways to avoid it. After the bat fell to the ground and she had no more weapons in her hand, only then did he grin at her and change his words: “Second base.”

“Second base isn’t okay either!”

“Her room smells very nice.”

“Stop going on about this stuff.”

“Her hair also smells very nice.”

“Don’t provoke me, you hear?”

He sucked in a breath as if recalling that enjoyable feeling: “Just too inexperienced.”

Long Qi grabbed a ball from the cart to throw at him. He came up and quickly hugged her from behind. Her arms were suddenly restrained, and she was lifted down from the cart by him. He stimulated her by her ear: “Heart’s dead as ash, right?”

“Let go!”

“When I realized I could buy you with money, I felt the same way!”

Long Qi turned around and broke free from his embrace: “She and I are two different things. Jin Yiken, if you’re capable, pursue her openly and honestly! Don’t use methods even I look down on!”

“What about you? You don’t even dare talk to her.”

“It’s not your turn to care!”

When Long Qi stepped back, she stepped on a basketball on the ground and fell backward, falling onto the gymnastics mat behind the basketball hoop. Jin Yiken laughed schadenfreude and extended his hand to her, which she slapped away. Just as he was about to bend down to grab her arm, a light shout came from the gymnasium entrance: “Jin Yiken.”

He turned to look.

On Long Qi’s side, she was blocked by a tall vaulting horse apparatus. She had just been helped halfway up by him when he suddenly let go, causing her to fall back onto the soft mat. While looking over there, he inconspicuously moved the apparatus over, firmly blocking her body.

By the voice, it was Dong Xi.

Jin Yiken and she still had tacit understanding on the point of “avoiding attention.” If Dong Xi discovered too early, it would be unfavorable to both of them. She kept silent and sat further in, while Jin Yiken walked toward Dong Xi.

The two met, the distance between them very close. Jin Yiken’s body blocked Dong Xi’s line of sight looking this way. When Dong Xi spoke, she looked into his eyes. His hand was on her shoulder.

She spoke to him.

Initially, her voice was very light, almost inaudible. Jin Yiken stood close to her responding, the content also inaudible, until later Dong Xi’s voice became slightly louder: “But I’m afraid others will misunderstand.”

Long Qi listened.

Dong Xi said: “I feel someone has already misunderstood.”

“Who?”

Dong Xi didn’t say who it was, only asking: “Can you delete it first?”

Although every word was asking this, her tone was very soft and light. Long Qi could tell that kind of tone was prepared for compromise—that is, even though she was making this request, as long as Jin Yiken said “no,” she would still let him be, let him play, as long as he was happy—that compromising tone.

Jin Yiken didn’t even say “no,” just slowly shook his head.

Dong Xi also didn’t speak, gently nodding.

Then there was silence for a moment.

After holding back for half a minute without hearing any sound, Long Qi glanced out and saw Jin Yiken speaking in a low voice by Dong Xi’s ear.

Like comforting.

While speaking, he gently patted her shoulder with his hand.

Dong Xi’s head was lowered, both hands held together by his other hand. Only after being comforted by him for a while did she nod, saying softly: “Then I’ll go back to class.”

He nodded.

After Dong Xi left, Long Qi came out supporting the pommel horse. Jin Yiken walked toward her. She waved her hand: “Don’t come over. I don’t want to talk to you.”

Then supporting her waist, she slowly walked to the cart to get her bag and coat. He asked: “Do you remember what day this Saturday is?”

“I remember.”

“You remember?”

She said: “I’ll remember until death that day two months ago when you tricked me to another province.”

He smiled: “Qi, if you ask me out alone this Saturday, I’ll part with Dong Xi on good terms.”

“Don’t get too cocky about everything too early, Jin Yiken,” she didn’t turn her head back, walking with a limp, “With this free time, you might as well guard against Bai Aiting for Dong Xi. Dong Xi is too obedient.”

Speaking of Bai Aiting, she saw Bai Aiting after returning to the classroom.

The class had just finished evening self-study. Long Qi entered the classroom holding her waist and happened to hear Bai Aiting asking Dong Xi: “Is it okay?”

Is what okay? What is okay?

Bai Aiting’s hands were propped on Dong Xi’s desk, her appearance very friendly, but Dong Xi had obviously tasted the bitterness of being stabbed by her and deliberately didn’t speak, holding a pen in her hand, her lips and brows indifferent.

“Is it okay?” Bai Aiting asked again.

People in the class were packing their own things. The talking wasn’t loud, but everyone’s ears were perked up.

Dong Xi still didn’t answer, so Bai Aiting repeated: “Really, it doesn’t matter. This Saturday just come. People from the class will also go then. The main reason for inviting you is also because you were originally in the same class as us.”

…

“Plus your family and Yiken’s family live in the same complex, so coming over should be very convenient. Just for the sake of Yiken’s Saturday birthday, come.”

Heavens.

Long Qi heard it and shook her head speechlessly. Bai Aiting’s “magnanimity” and “friendliness” exceeded her imagination. Setting a trap for Dong Xi in the mall last time wasn’t enough. This time she probably wanted to play tricks using Jin Yiken’s birthday party. In any case, it was impossible for her to sincerely invite Dong Xi. According to this person’s level, it was impossible, absolutely impossible.

When Bai Aiting was about to speak again, Long Qi turned toward them: “Langzhu Manor, right?”

Both Dong Xi and Bai Aiting looked over. Bai Aiting was stunned and asked back: “How do you know the complex name?”

“I’m also going Saturday. See you then.”

“You’re also going?”

“Don’t believe me? Ask Zhuo Qing.”

Bai Aiting stopped talking, and at this time the defensive state on Dong Xi seemed to relax slightly. After Long Qi returned to her seat, she heard Dong Xi reply: “I’ll come then.”

But Long Qi’s participation was obviously not in Bai Aiting’s plans, so even though she had persuaded Dong Xi, Bai Aiting’s expression when leaving still wasn’t relaxed. She looked at Long Qi. Long Qi propped her cheek and looked back at her.

Not even three seconds passed before Bai Aiting looked away.