The trees beside the bench stretched out their branches, staggering to block the neon colored lights from the street.

His coat carried a very faint smell of tobacco. Moonlight fell in layers upon layers, and all sight was swallowed by darkness.

Xu You didn’t dare move. She turned her face to the side, not knowing where to look with her eyes, so she simply kept them tightly closed.

This feeling was too unfamiliar.

Her heart raced, at a complete loss.

Xie Ci breathed somewhat heavily, his arm circling around her waist, pressing her toward himself.

Although thick clothes blocked them, with her back against the hard wood, it still hurt.

“Get up a bit. Don’t press down. It hurts.” Xu You resisted slightly.

Xie Ci’s eyes curved as he smiled.

Immediately after, in the next second, her whole body was lifted up.

Her vision flipped, the position changing to him below and her above.

“Is this okay now?” Xie Ci looked up and asked, his pale neckline stretched taut.

Before she could answer, her lips were bitten again.

He seemed addicted, entangling and holding her, repeatedly sweeping over her lips and teeth.

Faintly, she seemed to hear him sigh softly, “Damn… you’re so thin…”

Her lips were held and carefully sucked.

Xu You’s mind was unclear, her thoughts completely blank. All the strength was drained from her body. “Get up…”

“Can’t get up.”

Who knows how long it was before his lips were willing to leave that bit of warmth.

“Do you like me or not?”

Xie Ci’s hair hung messily over his forehead, his voice hoarse, asking over and over.

“Do you like me or not? Say something.”

“No.” She didn’t hesitate at all.

“Do you like me?”

“No!!!!”

“Do you like me or not? This is your last chance.” He pinched her chin with one hand, threatening.

“No…”

“Damn, you really don’t like me?”

“Really, really—don’t like, don’t like, not even a little bit!”

In the end, Xu You became impatient, shaking her head left and right forcefully, prying open Xie Ci’s hand and breaking free from his restraint.

Half-rolling, half-crawling, she tumbled to sit on the other side of the bench. She pulled up her hood, looking like she refused to continue talking to him.

“Don’t run away.”

His breathing hadn’t even evened out yet when he scooted over again, raising his hand to tug at the white fur trim on her hood.

“Do you like me or not?”

Xu You was silent for two or three seconds, then answered softly, still saying, “No.”

“……”

Xie Ci smiled, pulled off her hood, quickly leaned in, and kissed her cheek again.

What kind of enchantment is liking someone? Even sweetness doesn’t feel cloying.

He pulled back a bit, his gaze fixed on her face. “I’ve lived this long and haven’t begged people more than a thousand times. This time I’m seriously begging you—is it okay or not?”

Xu You averted her eyes. Originally, she didn’t want to smile.

She held it in for a few seconds.

He said seriously again, “Hey, I’m this handsome. Not liking me really isn’t human anymore.”

“Pfft.”

Xu You laughed so hard she choked, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “Can you not be so narcissistic?”

Xie Ci tilted his head, watching her laugh.

The gradually quieting winter late-night road.

Time passed bit by bit.

Both of them were tired. Xu You curled up on the chair, closed her eyes drowsily, her head unconsciously resting on Xie Ci’s shoulder.

The breaking dawn of early morning was about to arrive.

The gradually brightening dawn light emerged from the street not far away.

“Hey, time for school.” The back of Xie Ci’s hand touched Xu You’s cheek.

She woke up, blinked, and discovered a hand blocking her view.

She was stunned for a moment.

In an instant, golden-yellow rosy light scattered from the horizon not far away, passing through the gaps between his fingers. The shadow blocked her eyes.

—

“You You, what’s wrong with you? You look so haggard.”

Zheng Xiaolin went to the back to get a cup of hot water and came back to find Xu You lying on the desk sleeping again.

Zhu Xiaohao, sitting behind her, also noticed something was off with Xu You. Twirling the pen in his hand, he said, “Did the top student catch a cold?”

Xu You was a light sleeper. The classroom was noisy too, so she couldn’t sleep at all. She just couldn’t muster any energy.

She got up, let Zheng Xiaolin in, and rubbed her eyes. “No, I had a bit of insomnia yesterday…”

Just as she was speaking, the English teacher suddenly appeared. Standing at the classroom door, she said, “Group leaders, collect yesterday’s homework. Before school ends, class representatives put them on my desk!”

After finishing, she paused and said meaningfully toward the back of the class, “Those who didn’t hand in homework will stand at the back during afternoon class!”

Xu You had originally wanted to take a little nap, but now there was no time. She sighed, took out her homework from her backpack, and went around collecting it one by one.

Fortunately, she’d found time yesterday to write the English homework.

When collecting at the back rows, a sweet, delicate female voice suddenly sounded in her ear. “Xie Ci, hand in your homework.”

Xu You’s movement of collecting homework froze for an instant, then she said to the next person, “Classmate, English homework.”

Xu Xiaocheng had originally been sleeping on his desk. Half-asleep, he squinted his eyes, fumbling in his drawer.

After fumbling for a long time without finding it, he lowered his head to search messily on the desk.

“Damn, where did my homework go?” Xu Xiaocheng cursed.

Song Yifan, sitting beside him playing with his phone, said lazily, “If you didn’t write it, just say so. You’re putting on quite a show.”

“I did write it, damn it.” Xu Xiaocheng was depressed. He looked up and said, “Wait a sec, I need to search properly.”

“Can’t you be like me and be honest? If you didn’t write it, just copy it directly.”

Song Yifan clicked his tongue twice, then turned to smile at Xu You. “Student Xu, top scholar, let’s make a deal—can you lend me a homework to copy?”

Anyway, this was the long break. Today was Wednesday, no morning exercises, so there was still a long time before class.

Xu You nodded and handed him her homework.

It was just translating a few sentences. Pretty simple and not long either.

Watching Xu Xiaocheng beside him turning everything upside down searching, Song Yifan wrote in a flamboyant scrawl while bantering, “Alright, alright, this year’s Oscar goes to you. Stop looking. Copy with me, Brother Cheng.”

Xu Xiaocheng didn’t even lift his head. “I suggest you immediately drop dead, Song Blackie.”

“Hahahaha damn.”

Song Yifan laughed as he copied, saying to Xu You waiting on the side, “Almost, almost. Give me a few minutes, I’ll be done soon!”

“Wait for me a few minutes too. I’ll find it right away.” Xu Xiaocheng immediately followed up.

Xu You stepped aside, saying quietly, “It’s okay. Take your time searching.”

On the other side.

Yuan Qianqian held homework in her arms, stopping at Xie Ci’s desk.

“Xie Ci, hurry up and stop sleeping. Hand in your homework.” She called out softly and gently.

The person lying on the desk didn’t move a muscle.

Yuan Qianqian bit her lip and good-naturedly patted Xie Ci’s shoulder lightly.

Xu Xiaocheng was still cursing as he searched for his homework.

Li Xiaoqiang, sitting in front of Xie Ci, suddenly slapped his forehead, hurriedly put away his gaming newspaper, and shouted toward the back, “Brother Cheng!! Your homework is with me!!”

Yesterday Li Xiaoqiang had casually taken Xu Xiaocheng’s homework that was on the desk to copy. After copying, he just set it aside and forgot to return it.

Oh my…

“Look at this mess.” Li Xiaoqiang felt embarrassed and chuckled twice, “Hehe.”

“Damn, then hurry up and give it to me.” Xu Xiaocheng rolled his eyes, took a breather, and sat back in his seat.

Li Xiaoqiang found the homework and suddenly stood up, ready to give it to Xu Xiaocheng.

He didn’t expect Yuan Qianqian to still be standing beside him. Turning around, unable to stop his momentum, he knocked the girl over.

“—Aah!” Yuan Qianqian cried out in alarm.

Li Xiaoqiang’s eyes and hands were quick, and he caught her.

He caught the person, but a stack of homework slipped from his hands.

With crackling sounds, it all crashed onto the head of the person who was sleeping.

If only time could flow backward, how wonderful that would be.

Li Xiaoqiang’s movements were stiff as he watched Xie Ci slowly lift his head from between his arms.

With his rising movement, there was a “smack” sound as homework that had been hanging on his shoulder fell onto his lap.

Yuan Qianqian turned pale, crouching down to pick them up one by one.

She had just raised her hand, wanting to remove the homework from Xie Ci’s body, when he blocked her with his arm.

“What are you doing?” He frowned, leaning against the chair back with an irritated look of not being fully awake.

Li Xiaoqiang hurriedly explained calmly, “Homework, turning in English homework. If you don’t write it, you’ll have to stand in the afternoon, Brother Ci.”

But Xie Ci didn’t have time to deal with him. His eyes saw Xu You standing to the side.

Such a big commotion had happened, but Xu You stood with her back to him, not looking this way at all.

Xie Ci lowered his head and raked his fingers through his hair.

Yuan Qianqian was still standing to the side. She bit her lip and said in a low voice, “Xie Ci, are you handing in homework or not? If not, I’m leaving.”

“Huh?”

Xie Ci came to his senses and made an acknowledging sound.

Yuan Qianqian couldn’t help saying, “You’ll have to stand in the afternoon. Aren’t you going to write it?”

“Yeah.” He leaned there lazily, not even lifting his eyes.

After Yuan Qianqian left, Li Xiaoqiang turned around with a complicated expression and said to Xie Ci, “Brother Ci, when dealing with beauties, can’t you put in a little effort?”

Before he could say anything, a voice came from beside him: “If he had to put effort into every beauty, Brother Ci’s heart would have been used up long ago.”

Xu Xiaocheng immediately realized something was wrong after saying it.

Oh no.

Xu You was still standing beside them waiting.

He coughed awkwardly, wanting to cover it up.

Song Yifan glanced to the side. “You—why can’t you control that cheap mouth of yours?”

After a while.

“Hey, which page is the English homework?” Xie Ci pulled out his homework from his desk drawer, pretending to ask.

The person beside him was just about to answer when he turned his head, stretched out his long arm to tug at Xu You. “Which page? Tell me.”

Xu You turned around, her eyes meeting his directly.

“Translation sentences in the book.” She said.

“Which page?”

“…….”

Xu You sighed, took two steps toward him, opened the English book with one hand, and pointed at the book. “This question.”

Xie Ci looked at her, raising his eyebrows slightly. “Give me yours to copy. I can’t do it.”

Why didn’t you copy just now? Now you’re making a scene.

Xu Xiaocheng rolled his eyes.

Xu You’s expression hesitated. She looked toward the back and said, “My homework is with Song Yifan.”

It was someone else’s homework. She had no right to just let Xie Ci copy it like that. That would be too impolite.

“Oh.”

Xie Ci closed the book, saying slowly, “Fine, then I’ll just stand in the afternoon.”

When have you ever honestly stood as punishment?

Xu You said silently in her heart.

“It’s no big deal. Didn’t I just not come to school yesterday? Didn’t I just blow in the wind all night…”

His voice was very low, only the two of them could hear.

Xu You looked at Xie Ci and found it amusing. She shook her head lightly and picked up the notebook on his desk.

“What are you doing?” The corner of his mouth lifted, asking despite knowing the answer.

Xu You answered patiently, “I’ll write it for you in a bit.”

Song Yifan sat right beside them and heard their entire conversation. Actually, he’d finished copying the homework long ago. But he didn’t dare return it directly to Xu You right now.

If he just gave it like that…

Song Yifan figured.

Probably.

This afternoon, Xie Ci would be able to find someone to do him in.