“You’re really just too easy to bully.”

Wednesday afternoon after school, Xu You and Fu Xueli stayed behind for classroom duty.

One by one, people gradually left the classroom empty. The dim yellow light of the setting sun’s afterglow enveloped the entire campus.

“Xu You.” Fu Xueli covered her mouth and nose with one hand while wiping the blackboard, calling Xu You’s name.

She was turning the stools upside down onto the desks one by one, holding a broom in her hand. Hearing this, she made a sound of acknowledgment.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m telling you, when dealing with people like Xie Ci, you need to be more assertive.”

Fu Xueli tossed the eraser onto the podium and dusted off her hands. “Next time he teases you, just slap him. Make him know what power means.”

Xu You continued sweeping with her head down, seriously pulling various bits of trash out from the corners. Listening to Fu Xueli’s endless chatter.

“But from what I know, in the entire grade, there should be quite a few underclassmen too.”

She poked open a bottle of yogurt and put it to her mouth to sip. “It seems like quite a lot of people secretly have crushes on Xie Ci. People are always coming to our class asking for his contact information.”

“Mm…” Xu You caught sight of someone outside the window with her peripheral vision.

Fu Xueli continued talking, rambling on nonstop: “So he changes girlfriends quite frequently and quickly, but each one is just for fun.”

Xu You finished sweeping and scooped the trash into the trash can. She wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand and looked back somewhat puzzled: “Xueli… why… are you telling me all this?”

“Huh?”

After hesitating for a long time, Fu Xueli walked over, hands propped on her knees, looking at Xu You from the side. “I think Xie Ci might like you a little.”

“………..”

“It’s true. I’ve hung out with him for so long, and this is the first time I’ve seen him be so patient in teasing a girl. Plus, the more I think about it now, the more something feels off. Song Yifan told me that when someone harassed you in the exam room, Xie Ci got angry right on the spot.”

Xu You hurriedly interrupted her, her face turning bright red. “Don’t say anymore, you’ve misunderstood, really…”

She backed up two steps, picked up the trash can, and fled in panic.

“I’m going downstairs to dump the trash.”

—

Fu Xueli sat on the desk with nothing to do, swinging her two slender white legs, drinking yogurt and playing on her phone while waiting for Xu You to return.

After a few minutes, she grew impatient waiting. She jumped down from the desk and ran to the classroom door, preparing to take a look.

Before she could rush out of the classroom, just reaching the doorway, Fu Xueli held onto the door frame, her figure pausing.

Xu Xingchun was holding his schoolbag in his hand, leaning against the wall outside, his expression bland as he looked at her.

“You… what are you doing here?”

He remained silent, not speaking.

Fu Xueli bit her lip, muttering a few words quietly.

Xu Xingchun silently watched her small movements. After a long while, he finally spoke: “You want to break up with me?”

“Y-yes.” Every time Fu Xueli saw him like this, she lost her confidence. She stammered for a bit, but still mustered up the courage to say: “Is there a problem!”

She had already begun to tire of this kind of controlled life, from middle school until now.

Xu Xingchun was her deskmate in seventh grade. At first, she always liked asking him to help get water for her. During class when she’d fidget around, she also liked having him watch if the teacher was coming. Later, knowing his grades were good, she directly made him pass answers during exams, and had him write her homework too.

In eighth grade, the two were still in the same class. She bullied him as always, and Xu Xingchun continued to silently endure it.

But for some reason, in ninth grade he confessed out of the blue, and the two got together in a muddle.

After they started dating, Fu Xueli learned that Xu Xingchun was far from as easy to bully as he seemed. In others’ eyes he was a top ten excellent class monitor, but actually his personality was repressed and stuffy, with an especially strong possessiveness.

He managed her like managing a daughter.

After starting high school, the level of busyness couldn’t compare to middle school. Xu Xingchun didn’t have that much energy, but what remained unchanged was that he still liked to manage her, even interfering to the point of what friends she made.

For someone like Fu Xueli, naturally carefree and unrestrained, loving freedom—this beautiful young girl—although she liked handsome guys, she really didn’t want to hang herself on one tree…

She was still reminiscing about the past when Xu Xingchun had already walked right up to her.

“Fu Xueli.” He always liked to call her name with both given and family name.

The person being called felt a thump in her heart.

There were heavy shadows under his eyes; he clearly hadn’t slept well for many days.

Xu Xingchun paused for a moment, suppressing his voice, saying lowly: “No breaking up. I don’t agree.”

In his usually calm eyes flowed suppressed, complex emotions.

The wording was too forceful, easily provoking the rebellious heart of the young girl who refused to admit defeat.

“Why should I? You’re so selfish.” Fu Xueli countered without courtesy.

After shouting, she realized the two were too close. She wanted to back away, but he grabbed her in one motion.

“Right, I’m just that selfish.”

“………”

Xu Xingchun was impatient to continue this nonsense with her. He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and directly blocked those chattering red lips.

He kept plundering, wetly biting her, their exhaled breaths tangling together.

Yes, he was selfish.

He just couldn’t stand her getting close to others for the sake of having fun. These emotions that he didn’t have for other people—but she invested so much energy that made him too jealous. Since childhood, he’d never been able to stand her smiling at others.

Watching her carefree appearance.

Xu Xingchun really wanted to tear out his heart and show it to her.

—

At dusk, the ground that had been scorched by the sun all day began to radiate heat.

Golden sunset glow was scattered everywhere across the No. 1 High School campus. In the distance were some boys who had finished playing basketball, walking out the school gate in twos and threes.

Xu You sat on the stairs, her chin resting on her knees, her hair hanging down to the bend of her legs, staring vacantly straight ahead.

In her head she kept replaying that scene she had accidentally seen just now…

She had only looked once before fleeing in panic. As if she had accidentally glimpsed some huge secret.

The class monitor actually…

Actually kissing Xueli.

—

The hot wind in the dusk carried the scent of gardenias, blowing the leaves with a rustling sound.

Xu You was still sitting on the steps in a daze when the sunset glow before her eyes was blocked by a dark shadow.

From above her head came a familiar voice:

“Are you sitting here admiring the scenery?”

Xie Ci was wearing a sleeveless white basketball jersey, his right arm holding a basketball, looking down at her.

He had just finished playing ball. His short black hair was soaked, his pitch-black pupils frighteningly bright.

Xu You didn’t respond to him, lowering her head again, focusing on looking at the ground.

Xie Ci smiled.

He tossed the basketball to the people waiting in the distance, tilted his head, signaling them to go ahead.

Those buddies over there saw that Xie Ci seemed to have a situation and tactfully made a gesture.

The basketball hit the ground, thump thump thump.

The footsteps in the distance, the laughing and talking of the crowd gradually faded away.

Xie Ci slightly moved his neck, crouched down, his elbow bent and resting on his knee, looking up at her face.

Xu You sat on the steps, a bit higher than him.

“Tsk, still mad at me? It was just making you call me older brother once, wasn’t it?”

After saying it himself, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Xu You lifted her eyelids, glaring at him in what she thought was a threatening manner.

After glaring, still not satisfied, she huffily rolled her eyes at him again, twisting her head to the side, not saying a word.

A smile played at the corner of Xie Ci’s mouth. He extended one finger, brushing it across her chin, asking: “Are you a little mute?”

His fingertip traced across a patch of tender white skin, with a tingling sensation.

Xu You instinctively dodged his hand, and in her urgency pushed him.

Clearly she hadn’t used much force, but somehow he went along with it and fell backward, his hand still gripping her arm.

A moment of spinning and turning.

The two both tumbled to the ground. Xu You was pulled into his embrace, their position with her lying on top of him.

Having just finished exercising, Xie Ci’s body had a slight smell of sweat, his skin still radiating heat. Xu You’s nose bumped into his shoulder.

He lay sprawled on the ground, looking up at her so close at hand, his lips curving.

Xu You struggled to get up, but was held in place at the waist by Xie Ci’s single hand, thrashing about continuously.

“What are you doing! Pervert.” Xu You bit her lip, her cheeks flushed, bright crystalline moisture in her eyes from embarrassment and anger.

The sensation in his arms was warm and soft. With a clean, light jasmine fragrance.

He blew at the stray hair falling by Xu You’s cheek, leaning slightly closer to her ear, laughing lowly: “You.”