The class received a transfer student, an overseas Chinese returning from Vienna.

Ah Heng found herself almost mesmerized by the tall girl at the podium. She had never seen such a beautiful girl before. She couldn’t quite describe the girl’s appearance, but looking at her, she inexplicably thought of a magnet.

Ah Heng glanced at everyone’s expressions and knew they were all like little iron filings, instantly drawn to this magnet.

However, compared to seeing Yan Xi, she felt something was somehow missing.

“I’m Chen Juan, just returned from Vienna. Everyone can call me Rosemary.” When the girl smiled, her features resembled a rose, charming with an innate nobility.

Rosemary is beautiful…

Ah Heng broke into a slight sweat, unconsciously turning her eyes. As expected, the two boys behind her had hearts in their eyes.

“Beauty oh beauty, wow, such beauty…”

“Rosemary, hehe, Rosemary, hehe…”

Ah Heng’s mouth twitched. Looking up again, she saw the girl standing before her, wearing a rose-colored silk scarf around her neck, vivid and dazzling, tied in a butterfly knot that hung slightly over her shoulder.

“May I sit here?” A smile, her lips curved with allure.

Ah Heng nodded, staring at her blankly – this girl was tall. By Ah Heng’s estimate, she was about 1.80 meters, with long straight legs, a perfect model’s figure.

Mary sat down gracefully and spoke, her voice somewhat husky and deep, but pleasant: “Your name?”

“Wen Heng.” Ah Heng smiled slightly.

“Gentle and forever?” Mary’s eyes sparkled with an intense charm.

Gentle and eternal? Ah Heng was stunned.

“It’s the ‘double person’ radical, not the ‘vertical heart’ radical.” Heng, not Heng (eternal).

Mary frowned, speaking apologetically: “Sorry, my spoken Chinese is okay, but I’m not good at writing characters.”

Ah Heng said “Oh,” nodded, and carefully wrote the character “衡” on the desk with her finger, each stroke clear and neat.

“Very difficult.” Mary shook her head, her expression bewildered.

“It’s alright, learn slowly.” Ah Heng smiled gently, looking kindly at the girl.

Yan Xi snickered: “Wen Heng, will your Beijing accent take until the year of the monkey to learn?”

“I’m not a turtle, I don’t crawl!” Ah Heng sniffled.

Meanwhile, Xin Dayi smoothed his hair and smugly approached: “Mary, hello, I’m Xin Dayi, I also have an English name, called Eve.”

Yan Xi and Ah Heng both broke into a sweat: “Since when did you have an English name?”

“I just made it up, got a problem?” Xin Dayi smiled ingratiatingly at Chen Juan, “I was born on New Year’s Eve, so I’m called Eve.”

Ah Heng shuddered.

“You shameless thing, utterly shameless!” Yan Xi punched Xin Dayi hard, laughing while scolding, “If a Japanese girl comes tomorrow, are you planning to take a Japanese name like ‘Aunty Period’?”

Chen Juan laughed like blooming roses: “Eve, what an interesting name.”

“Hehe.” Xin Dayi’s face suddenly turned red, and he shyly hid behind Yan Xi, only his black, tough head showing.

“And you are?” Chen Juan looked at Yan Xi, her expression somewhat unreadable.

“Yan Xi.”

“Yan Xi?”

“The ‘Yan’ of Yan Xi, the ‘Xi’ of Yan Xi.” Yan Xi raised an eyebrow, his tone pure and decisive.

He was Yan Xi, naturally unlike Wen Heng who would gently write her name on the desk to help others remember.

When fate brings people together, those meant to remember will remember, those who don’t, so be it.

A name, that’s all.

“Are you female?” Chen Juan asked, quite frankly.

Yan Xi’s expression cooled.

Ah Heng responded gently: “Yan Xi is a boy.” Her expression was serious and certain as if stating the most significant truth in the world.

The flower-like youth, whose complexion had cooled somewhat, gradually warmed again. Ignoring Mary, he turned back to chat casually with Xin Dayi.

Mary’s expression became very subtle, her features showing faint, nearly indiscernible anger, but in a blink, she was once again as frank and charming as a dew-covered rose.

Ah Heng frowned, and rubbed her eyes, thinking she must be seeing things.

After school, she was walking home with Yan Xi and Dayi when they encountered Si Wan and Mary.

“Si Wan, you know Mary?” Xin Dayi called out.

“Huh?… Ah.” Si Wan seemed a bit off, answering perfunctorily.

“Really?” Xin Dayi got excited.

“Yes.” Mary smiled, “I met Wen Si Wan online, we’ve always gotten along well. Coincidentally, when I returned to study, I met Si Wan in person and found we’re at the same school as seniors, quite a coincidence.”

Xin Dayi slapped his thigh hard, grinning from ear to ear. What a fucking coincidence, how wonderful!

“Si Wan is my childhood friend, we’re close.” Xin Dayi zoomed over to Si Wan on imaginary wheels, arm around his shoulder, showing off their supposed inseparable relationship.

Si Wan shook off his goosebumps.

Mary’s fingers lightly touched the corner of her eye, her features phoenix-like: “I initially mistook Yan Xi for a girl, I feel quite bad about it.”

Yan Xi lifted his head, speaking indifferently: “You’re not the first.”

Mary smiled: “Fortunately you’re not a girl.”

“If Yan Xi became a girl, he definitely couldn’t get married! The burden would fall on me and Si Wan for the rest of our lives, even tightening our belts wouldn’t be enough for this little devil’s spending!” Xin Dayi felt this hypothesis was a terrifying nightmare.

Si Wan nodded, deeply agreeing.

Yan Xi smiled coldly: “If I were a woman, have you looked at yourselves? Such crooked melons and split dates, would you be worthy of me!”

Before Si Wan and Dayi could react, Ah Heng’s face had already turned red.

If Si Wan and Dayi who were so good-looking weren’t worthy of Yan Xi, then someone like her… the future looked quite worrying…

“Yan Xi, can you not be so narcissistic?” Xin Dayi finally reacted, feeling provoked, “Who’s a crooked melon and split date? My looks are genuine idol material!”

“African idol material?” Yan Xi sneered.

“You’re racist!” Xin Dayi raged.

“Yan Xi, the Lord says all His children are angels, regardless of skin color.” Si Wan’s handsome little face was particularly earnest.

Yan Xi’s eyes were dark and bright, gleaming like water: “Si Wan, did your Lord tell you about one angel child who was born without wings?”

“Never heard of it.” Si Wan was stunned, “Why?”

Yan Xi’s fair fingers lifted Xin Dayi’s chin playfully, smirking: “He was so damn white they couldn’t tell where the wings were!”

Xin Dayi was dumbfounded, finally stammering through gritted teeth: “Yan Xi, you can’t be this poisonous with your words!”

Yan Xi laughed heartily, childishly innocent: “Our Aunty Eve is such a white child, oh my, look at this big face white as dumpling flour, how could he be African? I was wrong earlier, brother.”

“Yan Xi, I’ll fight you!” Xin Dayi was crying, his bronze-colored face showed not a hint of whiteness turned purple-red despite its sharp, handsome features. He rolled up his sleeves and charged at Yan Xi with his head sticking out.

“Miss Mary, sorry you had to see this joke, my childhood friend is quite immature, really sorry.” Yan Xi glanced at the charging youth and spoke coolly, emphasizing “childhood friend” heavily.

Xin Dayi slammed on the brakes, looked up at Mary, and twisted his face into a grin: “Yes, yes, we childhood friends get along so well, never fight.”

“Oh, Eve, what’s wrong child, that smile looks like you’re crying?” Yan Xi blinked, patting the youth’s shoulder with extreme concern.

Ah Heng stood to the side, feeling sympathy for Dayi, thinking to herself that Yan Xi was too mean, too mean, though she was struggling to hold back her laughter.

Mary laughed heartily, very frankly, showing no restraint typical of interactions with unfamiliar people.

Hearing Mary laugh, Xin Dayi, with tears in his eyes, stared at Yan Xi like Pikachu’s 100,000-volt light bulbs.

Yan Xi cheerfully walked ahead with his backpack, as if nothing had happened.

Si Wan deliberately moved closer to Ah Heng, asking softly in a volume only the two of them could hear: “How did Yan Xi and Mary get along today?”

Ah Heng was a bit confused: “He called her beautiful, barely spoke two sentences.”

Si Wan let out a sigh of relief.

“What’s wrong?” Ah Heng was curious.

Si Wan hesitated, pausing: “You don’t know, Yan Xi has had an issue since childhood – he can’t stand seeing others who look better than him. I’m worried he’ll give Chen Juan a hard time.”

Ah Heng looked gently at Si Wan, pressed her thin lips together, smiled slightly, and remained silent.

Mary lived close to school. Her parents hadn’t returned to China with her, so she lived alone in an apartment with plenty of space, which was why she invited Si Wan and the others to visit. But since they weren’t familiar yet, after exchanging a few polite words, everyone parted ways.

“Yan Xi, could you give me some face in front of Chen Juan next time?” After walking a few steps, Xin Dayi couldn’t hold back anymore and spoke toward Yan Xi.

Yan Xi stopped, turned back, looking at Xin Dayi in confusion: “When has young master not given you face?”

“You just made me look worthless in front of Mary, how am I supposed to face her?” Xin Dayi was embarrassed.

“Now I don’t understand – what do you mean ‘face her’? What, before she came along, you weren’t facing anyone?” Yan Xi spoke flatly.

“Yan Xi, stop messing with me, you’re not stupid, how could you not understand what I mean?” Xin Dayi grew anxious.

Ah Heng was surprised; she rarely saw Xin Dayi take Yan Xi’s words so seriously. This youth was usually easygoing, never taking Yan Xi’s sarcasm to heart, so today’s behavior was unusual.

Yan Xi burst out laughing, sighed, and waved his hand: “Alright, alright, I get it, you just want to pursue the girl, look at your tiny ambition!”

Si Wan had been listening back and forth for a while before catching on, blurting out: “No!”

“What’s not allowed?” Yan Xi tilted his head.

“Dayi and Mary – that’s not allowed!” Si Wan frowned.

Xin Dayi was dumbfounded: “Why not? Even Yan Xi agreed!”

“It’s just not allowed!” Si Wan bit out the words, internally agitated.

“Do you like Mary too?” Xin Dayi rubbed his head.

Xin Dayi’s feelings for Chen Juan could be called love at first sight, a strange feeling, like having just eaten two big bowls of rice, with something indescribable filling his heart.

Since childhood, the courtyard had mostly been full of boys. Besides Er Er and the girls in class, he’d never had contact with other females. He saw those female classmates as brothers and treated Si Er like his own sister. This sudden blooming of the iron tree, this heart-stirring impulse in the dead of winter, was truly a first in his life.

However, if his brother fell for the woman he’d fallen for at first sight, that would be indescribably awkward.

“Of course not!” This wasn’t the case, as Si Wan answered extremely smoothly, extremely emotionally.

“Then why?” Yan Xi was stunned, looking faintly at Si Wan.

Si Wan opened and closed his mouth, finally dropping his handsome face, choosing his words carefully: “Mary is 1.80 meters tall, even taller than Ah Heng, while Dayi is only 1.79 meters – don’t you think they’re mismatched?”

Ah Heng’s face reddened again. As a girl, her height of 173 centimeters was rather tall, and when she was young, she worried she wouldn’t be able to get married because of it.

Later she thought, if she really couldn’t get married and had no one to support her, she’d earn money with her writing like ancient scholars. However, such a grand survival plan never dared show its face again after seeing Yan Xi’s calligraphy and paintings.

Now, Chen Juan was even taller than her, which was quite troubling.

Xin Dayi felt his male pride wounded and glared at Si Wan, shouting: “I’m only seventeen, I’m still growing!”

“Chen Juan is only fifteen, you think she won’t grow anymore?” Si Wan gave the hot-headed youth a look.

“She’s only fifteen?” Ah Heng was surprised.

“Mm, Chen Juan is quite young, she’s a special recruit, and has won international awards for violin.” Si Wan glossed over it in one sentence.

Yan Xi had already walked far ahead. In the sunset alley, the orange afterglow shot straight through, but on the youth’s form, it became beautiful and warm.

Hearing Si Wan’s words, Xin Dayi’s eyes lit up, and he grabbed Si Wan, asking endless questions.

Ah Heng just nodded, her eyes fixed ahead, unconsciously taking bigger steps, slowly walking toward Yan Xi.

“Wen Heng, let’s have braised spare ribs tomorrow, I want small braised ribs.” The youth didn’t turn around but spoke while yawning.

“Okay.”

Hehe.

“Wen Heng, join the Spare Ribs Cult.”

“The Sixteen Rakshasas?” With the Four Heavenly Kings and Eight Arhats taken, what was left for her?

“Be the cult leader’s chief cook and big ladle.”

“Isn’t it chief cook and ladle master?”

“With me, it’s a big ladle. Big Ladle? Wen Big Ladle? Hm? Hmm?”

Wen Heng: “…”

Ah Heng felt like she was getting to know Xin Dayi anew.

The usually loud Xin Dayi, who never spoke without shouting, had learned to lower his voice…

The Xin Dayi who never fixed his hair, letting it grow wild, had started using hair mousse…

The Xin Dayi who used to eat meat down to the bone had started taking small bites and wiping his oily mouth with a handkerchief while drinking soup…

The Xin Dayi who never liked music class and used to secretly spit through the door crack at the music teacher had started singing the Yellow River Cantata…

“Aunty, keep singing and see if I don’t end you!” Yan Xi furiously swung his beloved pink piggy lunchbox at Xin Dayi.

“The wind is howling, horses are neighing, the Yellow River is roaring, the Yellow River is roaring, ah ah ah oh oh oh wo… Ouch ouch, that hurts, Yan Xi don’t think I won’t fight back… Ah Heng, don’t just stand there grinning, help block for me…”

“Oh.”

Ah Heng nodded, picked up a golden piece of spare rib from the lunchbox, and poked it in front of Yan Xi.

The youth released his grip, but the spare rib, turned around, and Xin Dayi had already slipped away.

“Brother, great favors need no thanks!” Xin Dayi bowed to Ah Heng with tears in his eyes.

“Brave warrior, you’re too kind!” Ah Heng solemnly returned the gesture.

Just as Yan Xi had spit out the bone and was about to speak, Ah Heng extended another piece of spare rib, and he swallowed his words.

After a lunchbox of fried spare ribs went into his stomach, Yan Xi patted his belly, narrowed his eyes, and stared at Xin Dayi.

“Aunty, don’t say I didn’t give you face in front of you-know-who, but next time you dare poison my ears, just try it!”

“When you sing, I’ve never complained…” Xin Dayi held his head high.

“Why would you complain about young master’s melodious singing!” Yan Xi widened his eyes with an incredulous expression.

Ah Heng broke into a cold sweat, remembering how spectacularly off-key Yan Xi had been when singing the national anthem, wandering through eighteen mountain bends.

Were all Imperial City people’s faces this thick? It made her, only half an Imperial City person, blush deeply.

“Does Yan Xi sing well?” Mary turned to smile at the two, “Eve’s voice quality is quite good, just needs more practice.”

Yan Xi nodded, his expression natural.

“Hehe.” Xin Dayi became shy, his large, sturdy frame trying hard to shrink behind Yan Xi’s small frame.

Yan Xi slapped him: “Damn, why are you blushing! Are you a man or not?”

Xin Dayi looked at Yan Xi with a suggestive expression, quite pitiful.

“Well, our Eve has great musical talent, when we formed a band in kindergarten he was the lead singer! Beautiful Rosemary, since you study music, you could exchange more with our Eve, maybe cultivate a Michael Jackson Aunty, what do you think?”

Yan Xi got goosebumps as he looked at Mary, rattling off the words without stumbling.

Mary paused, then after a moment nodded, her rose-like alluring smile blooming clearly.

Truly, a smile that could topple cities.

Xin Dayi blinked his eyes, secretly stealing glances at Mary, his face growing redder.

Mary looked at Xin Dayi, finding this bear-like youth attempting girly gestures inexplicably interesting, her smile deepening, the phoenix-tail corners of her eyes becoming enchanting.

“Yan Xi, I heard from Si Wan that you play piano very well. When you have time, we could try playing together, my violin and your piano, and learn from each other.” Mary lightly extended her thumb, touching the corner of her eye.

Ah Heng noticed that Mary tended to make this small gesture when thinking.

“Heh, we’ll see when there’s a chance.” Yan Xi lightly buried his dark head in his crossed arms, speaking indifferently.

Mary turned away without taking offense.

In just one glance, Ah Heng thought she saw contempt in her eyes. She returned her gaze to Yan Xi, seeing the youth’s soft black hair, felt reassured, her face settling into a gentle smile.

This was the warmth of clear mountain waters, worlds apart from the earlier hint of contempt, like ice and fire on opposite shores.

Yan Xi was simply Yan Xi, neither particularly cold nor particularly thorough.

He was this person, standing in this place, unmoved and unangered, and that was enough.