After sending Xie Ci back to his hospital room, Xu You went home alone.

During dinner that evening, Xu Zhihua suddenly asked: “What have you been doing on your days off lately, always running out?”

Chen Xiuyun paused in her eating.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Xu You’s back. She gripped her chopsticks tightly. Before she could figure out how to answer, Father Xu had already jumped to the next topic. “Oh right, have your monthly exam results come out yet? What’s your ranking?”

“The results haven’t been posted yet. I don’t know.”

He then asked several more questions about school and studying, which Xu You answered one by one.

Chen Xiuyun, sitting to the side, suddenly spoke up: “By the way, didn’t you say a few days ago that the construction payment came through? Where’s the money?”

Xu Zhiping slammed the table. “Why are you always fixated on this kind of thing? Can’t it wait till later?”

Chen Xiuyun didn’t want to argue in front of Xu You. She forcibly swallowed her frustration before speaking calmly: “My mother hasn’t been well lately. She’s hospitalized…”

“Your mother is so old already, how much treatment can—”

“Dad!” Xu You abruptly shoveled several mouthfuls of rice, suddenly raising her voice to interrupt Xu Zhiping. “Don’t say things like that anymore.”

Xu Zhiping’s expression changed. “What do you mean, don’t say things like that? What does a child like you understand!”

Chen Xiuyun said nothing more. She cleared the dishes and stood up, then walked straight back to her room.

—

Winter in northern cities always came especially early. After successive rains, the temperature dropped vertically.

Unable to go out, Xie Ci could only stay home to recuperate. Because of the cold, his wounds that hadn’t fully healed would often throb with pain, making him even more irritable.

He wasn’t the type to sit still. Taking advantage of the housemaid going out to buy groceries, he simply snuck out onto the street to wander around.

After wandering for a while with no one to hang out with, he went straight to the gates of No. 1 High School. Most of the shop owners around here knew Xie Ci. He randomly picked a bubble tea shop to sit in and called Song Yifan to skip class and keep him company.

Not having seen Xie Ci for a long time, Song Yifan was also very excited. The two chatted aimlessly for quite a while.

“Oh right, Brother Xie! Let me tell you some good news!” Song Yifan suddenly remembered something and slapped his thigh.

Xie Ci looked listless. He frowned and smacked Song Yifan’s head. “Don’t go around calling me that nonsense. What ‘Brother Xie’?”

It sounded terrible.

“Tsk, I’m telling you something serious here!” Song Yifan pulled out a medical examination form from his pocket, opened it with a snap, and handed it to Xie Ci. “Look at this.”

“What is it?”

Song Yifan said proudly: “Your buddy here is going to be a pilot, you know? A fighter pilot, too. Super awesome.”

Xie Ci flipped through the document, staring at Song Yifan in disbelief. “Damn, impressive.”

“Of course.” Song Yifan rolled his eyes and held up his fingers to show a number. “Only two from our school.”

Every year when pilots came to recruit at the school, the physical examination was the strictest. Song Yifan had never had such a comprehensive checkup in his life. During the first round of preliminary selection, as soon as he went in, he was required to strip down to nothing and just stand there completely naked for examination. Fortunately, he was thick-skinned and didn’t care.

Although Song Yifan also liked causing trouble in high school, luckily he followed Xie Ci and developed the same delicate habits as him:

—They rarely got physically involved in fights unless someone really provoked them. Once a group brawl started, both of them would stand far away, afraid of being touched by others. This way they didn’t leave any scars on their bodies. Otherwise, they would have been eliminated in the first round.

“You don’t know—now those teachers in class nag me every day, telling me to study hard and not waste such a good opportunity. They’ve got me scared. They even tell the whole class to supervise me every day, telling me not to fight or cause trouble and injure myself. It’s hilarious—they say it dozens of times a day. There was a student in a previous class they taught who passed the pilot physical exam, but then he went and played soccer, got a fracture, and ended up regretting it bitterly—”

Song Yifan was naturally talkative and got more enthusiastic as he spoke, until he suddenly realized what he’d said. He carefully observed Xie Ci’s expression, afraid of accidentally touching a sore spot. “Ah Ci, why aren’t you saying anything? It’s kind of awkward with just me talking, isn’t it?”

Xie Ci propped his head up with one hand, tapping the glass cup rhythmically with his finger. “Keep talking. I’m listening.”

“I’m done talking.” Song Yifan scratched his head. “You seem like you’re in a weird mood.”

Ever since Xie Ci left the hospital, Song Yifan felt he was becoming increasingly hard to read. Not exactly happy, not exactly unhappy either—his emotions always seemed to be in some kind of blank state.

“Have you seen Xu You lately?” Xie Ci asked.

“Yeah! We’ve run into each other several times. She keeps asking me about you. Tsk tsk tsk, I used to say you were chasing her too desperately, but looking at it now, she actually does worry about you quite a bit.”

“She’s my girlfriend. If she doesn’t worry about me, who would she worry about?” Xie Ci’s face finally showed some smile. He stirred the water in his cup with a spoon, then said casually after a while: “What do you mean I’m chasing desperately? Xu You likes me—she’s just more reserved about it. You guys who haven’t experienced it don’t understand a thing.”

“…..” Song Yifan was speechless. “Fine, fine, fine. Whatever you say. As long as you’re happy, okay?”

—

The last class was biology. The teacher habitually ran over time. One minute before the bell rang, she took out a test paper, saying she needed to explain a genetics problem.

Although the students were dissatisfied, at this critical time, no one complained out loud.

But resentment was inevitable. Xu You accompanied Yu Yi to the bike shed to get her bicycle, then to the school gate. The whole way she listened to her non-stop complaining: “Don’t you think the biology teacher is too calculating? She clearly knows class is about to end, but she always drags it out. I’ve calculated—there’s a traffic light at the school gate that takes 80 seconds to wait for. As long as she runs over, I can’t follow my normal plan to go home for dinner, do practice problems, take a nap…”

Xu You said: “Now every teacher’s time is tight. They explain one problem when they can.”

Yu Yi suddenly asked Xu You: “How many practice sets have you finished?”

Xu You focused on the road. After hearing the question, she thought for a few seconds and answered honestly: “I haven’t been in good condition lately. I haven’t done many extra problems. I don’t remember how many from before.”

Yu Yi said softly, as if sharing a secret: “You know what? Xu Xingchun sits next to me, right? I’ve noticed he basically never does extra practice problems. He doesn’t have any supplementary materials either. He just listens in class and does the homework the teacher assigns.”

Xu You didn’t respond, so she continued: “Even like that, he gets first place every time. How can someone be so amazing? Although he seems a bit aloof, whenever you ask him about a problem, he can always make you understand it super quickly and precisely, cutting right to the heart of it.”

Xu You knew Yu Yi wasn’t jealous but rather admired this type of smart academic genius, so she said nothing and just listened, being a qualified listener.

Girls always had a strong desire to confide, just like her former roommate Chen Xiao.

But Chen Xiao loved telling her gossip, like who was chasing whom today, who got together with whom, which upperclassman liked which underclasswoman.

Chen Xiao didn’t think much of boys their own age, dismissing bookish academic types with contempt. She always had an inexplicable fondness and admiration for upperclassmen, firmly believing that “girls don’t love boys unless they’re bad” was an absolute truth.

Regardless of which type, Xu You found it boring and would think about philosophy in her own mind instead.

Perhaps all females, regardless of age or personality, would unconsciously admire and look up to males with authority and power.

“Xu You, you don’t seem to talk much.” Yu Yi grabbed Xu You’s hand. “Every time we’re together, it seems like I’m always the one talking. I hardly ever see you speak.”

“Really?” Xu You said softly. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t have anything interesting to share.”

Actually, Xu You wasn’t a particularly shy girl—it was just the impression she’d given since childhood. In class, in others’ eyes, she’d always been introverted and quiet. So this type of girl, even the naughtiest boys wouldn’t easily provoke her. But at the same time, she didn’t have great relationships with other girls either.

So Xu You had no idea how to have deep conversations with friends or share interesting life stories.

Until she transferred here and met Xie Ci.

Xu You suddenly thought of him.

It seemed that whenever she was with Xie Ci, he would annoy her into unconsciously talking a lot, sometimes even speaking without thinking.

“Look over there—someone seems to be calling you.” While Xu You was spacing out, Yu Yi nudged her arm.

Xu You made a sound of acknowledgment and looked in the direction she pointed.

Speak of the devil.

By a flower bed near the school gate, several boys and girls stood talking. Their style of dress showed a maturity beyond their age—they were all “famous” people from their grade, very conspicuous standing in a group together.

Xu You immediately spotted Xie Ci leaning against the railing.

Although the sun was out, it was still winter. Just looking at how he was dressed made one feel cold.

Tall and thin, with short black hair, even in the dead of winter he wore a jacket with just a blue T-shirt underneath.

The people beside him were talking to him, but he stood with his hands in his pockets, absentmindedly keeping his head lowered, occasionally looking up at the school gate.

“Hey, that looks like Xie Ci and them. Haven’t seen him at school for a long time.” Yu Yi spoke quietly, not daring to let others hear.

Loose lips sink ships—better to be careful when discussing others.

Especially this group who liked smoking and fighting, hanging out on the streets—delinquents that ordinary people couldn’t afford to provoke.

Although the incident between No. 1 High and No. 2 High had caused quite a stir, as time passed, not many people talked about it anymore.

It seemed like everyone in their grade knew Xie Ci, including good students like Yu Yi who were obsessed with studying.

Xu You looked at Xie Ci a few more times. He finally noticed her too, immediately pushing through the circle of people around him and walking over.

Those few people also stopped talking, their gazes following Xie Ci, consciously or unconsciously sizing up this direction.

Xie Ci casually draped his arm over Xu You’s shoulder, lowered his head to look at her, then smiled at Yu Yi beside her. “Your friend?”

He asked in a low voice.

“Mm.” Xu You removed the hand from her shoulder and looked up to ask: “Why are you here?”

“Xu—Xu You, I need to hurry home, so I’ll go first.”

As if startled by this sudden situation, Yu Yi stared at him in shock. After saying goodbye, she hurriedly pushed her bike away, her steps getting faster and faster, as if fleeing.

Xie Ci sighed. “Is your friend afraid of me?”

“……”

The people waiting over there also gradually came over. An upperclassman’s gaze lingered on Xu You for a moment, then moved to Xie Ci. “Ah Ci, your girlfriend?”

“Yeah.” Xie Ci raised his eyebrows and curved his lips, looking proud—just short of directly saying: “My girlfriend is pretty, isn’t she?”

The upperclassman raised an eyebrow. “You’ve always been best at charming little girls.”

“Get lost.” Xie Ci laughed and cursed.

After exchanging pleasantries with his friends, Xie Ci put his arm around Xu You’s shoulder again. “I’m walking her home. See you guys.”

After his friends left, Xu You asked: “Why did you come?”

“Just wandering by.”

A group of students in uniforms rode past them on bikes, shouting and calling out—it was dismissal time and the road was too crowded. They took a side route back that basically had no people, only occasionally encountering a couple of stray dogs.

After walking a couple of steps, finding the position uncomfortable, he changed to holding her hand instead.

“Your body isn’t healed yet, and you’re wearing so little?” Xu You let him hold her hand.

“It’s fine.” Xie Ci squeezed her hand and smiled. “Are you unhappy to see me? Give me a smile.”

He was always like this—laughing carelessly about everything, using that to brush things off.

Xu You pulled her hand free and unwound the wool scarf from around her neck in circles, standing on tiptoe to wrap it around Xie Ci.

“Your hands are freezing me to death, yet you say you’re not cold.”

Xie Ci said earnestly: “You’re suddenly being so nice to me. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude.”

Xu You glared at him silently.

“No, I have to reward you.” Taking advantage of his height, Xie Ci hooked his arm around Xu You’s neck and planted a kiss on her lips.

His kiss moved from her lips to her cheek, gently sniffing. “What did you put on this morning?”

Xu You turned to avoid him. Xie Ci smiled but didn’t follow like he used to.

“I use Prince Frog fragrance cream, aloe scented.” Xu You glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally.

Xie Ci lowered his eyes, casually kicking aside a pebble on the roadside. The somewhat cold wind blew through his soft black hair.

“Fragrance cream?” After hearing her answer, he turned to look at Xu You, leaning in closer. “What’s fragrance cream?”

“Fragrance cream…” Xu You frowned in annoyance. “It’s face cream for your face. Don’t you understand that?”

Both of them consciously slowed their pace. After passing a hair salon, they would have to part ways.

“Another hometown dialect.” Xie Ci thought of something. “Your dialect is pretty cute. Do you have a nickname? How about I call you Fragrance from now on?”

“Not happening. That’s so tacky.”

“What about Baby?” Xie Ci was most skilled at teasing her—it came naturally.

“……”

“Then what should I call you?”

“Xu You.”

“That’s too formal.” Xie Ci suddenly reached out and pressed his ice-cold hand against her warm neck. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll call you Fragrance from now on.”

“Xie Ci!” Xu You exclaimed, dodging his hand. “That’s freezing!”

“Fragrance, you just felt bad for me wearing so little, and now your attitude changes so fast? Women’s hearts really are as unfathomable as the ocean floor.”

“……”

Xie Ci looked at her expression, smiled, and casually asked again: “Right, Fragrance?”

“You’re the Fragrance!” Xu You was furious. She raised her elbow to push Xie Ci away, then hit him a few more times, still not satisfied.

Xie Ci laughed while dodging, coughed, and let her pummel him randomly. “Okay, okay, I’m Fragrance. I was wrong. So tell me your nickname, okay?”

This person was always coming up with new ideas on a whim!

After a long silence, Xu You finally compromised, saying in a very small voice: “Relatives from my hometown area generally call me A’Chai.”

“What Chai?”

“Chai as in ‘to dismantle.'”

Hearing this name, Xie Ci repeated it in a low voice, his gaze shifting. “Oh… A’Chai.”

Noticing him seriously gazing at her, Xu You couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat.