Yellow Hair struggled up from the ground, and without another word, the two of them were instantly locked in a scuffle.

Duan Yuwei’s hair practically stood on end from fright, letting out a couple of screams, quickly scrambling out of the way.

In the space of a few short minutes, the scene spiraled completely out of control, leaving Feng Ning momentarily speechless.

As expected, the idol-drama scenario of a hero saving the damsel didn’t play out smoothly.

The moment of glory lasted only seconds — Yellow Hair’s backup swarmed in too. Jiang Wen and the others were only three people, and quickly found themselves outnumbered, gradually falling into a losing position.

These young masters, raised in the city, too well-protected from childhood, hadn’t taken even the slightest beating from the real world, thinking wherever they went they’d be the toughest — but their actual fighting ability was nowhere near comparable to street thugs.

The gang zeroed in on their stomachs, throwing punches viciously; just as it looked like the heroes were about to be beaten into the ground like dogs, Duan Yuwei tried to step in to break it up, but her legs went weak at the sight of the brawl, and she didn’t dare move.

“Stop fighting, stop fighting, what’s going on over there!” A few patrolling security guards arrived from a distance.

The thugs caught in the middle of the brawl saw things had turned bad and cursed their way out, running off in the opposite direction.

The security guards had been called by Meng Taoyu. Once they arrived, recognizing everyone present as students from Qide, they asked what had happened.

Meng Taoyu’s eyes were still red; she mustered up her courage, pointing a trembling finger at Duan Yuwei. “It was her… it was her.”

Duan Yuwei, her confidence gone, shot her a glare, but knowing things had blown up too big now, lowered her head and didn’t dare say anything.

Meanwhile, Zhao Binlin and Xi Gaoyuan also climbed up off the ground, cursing under their breath. The two of them were mostly fine, having taken some minor internal bruising, no visible blood.

Jiang Wen, having traded blows directly with Yellow Hair, had drawn most of the attacks. His brow bone was scraped raw, the wound split open, oozing a trickle of blood.

He said nothing, casually wiping it off.

After a while, the homeroom teacher and the grade director both arrived, taking all those involved in the fight away.

Brought back to school for questioning, it took a long, drawn-out while before the full story came out — that they’d actually intervened out of righteous duty. So Duan Yuwei and Meng Taoyu were kept behind, while Zhao Binlin and the others were released from the disciplinary office.

Outside, the sky had already dimmed to dusk, a faint drizzle beginning to fall. The group of them, grubby all over, looked more than a little worn out.

Xi Gaoyuan slung an arm around Jiang Wen’s neck. “Who knew, top dog, you get this wild once a fight breaks out.”

Jiang Wen’s expression was languid, his hair a bit messy; he brushed it back absently.

Zhao Binlin raised a hand and thumped Jiang Wen. “You forget? When we were kids, he was always the most ruthless one in a fight. Just gone straight for a while now.”

He hissed. “Go easy.”

Following his instincts, Zhao Binlin teased slyly, “Tell me, be honest, what kind of love potion did Feng Ning slip you.”

The one being teased ignored him completely.

Xi Gaoyuan knew Jiang Wen had been in a rotten mood lately; only now catching on, he couldn’t help but ask, “So what’s the situation with top dog these days, anyway?”

“No situation, just being strung along, hanging in limbo.” Then immediately followed up with, “Being strung along would be one thing, but he’s stubborn too, won’t even admit it — so blind when you’re in the middle of it, so blind.”

Jiang Wen’s expression shifted slightly.

“I’m telling you, this girl’s got some real skill, playing hard to get, letting the line out to reel in the big fish — trying to hook Jiang Wen for good?”

Zhao Binlin, catching the bad edge in his tone, quickly said, “No, no, no, Feng Ning’s not the type to play games, I was just joking around.”

Xi Gaoyuan still found it absurd. “Damn, good-looking as he is, letting himself get played by a woman like this, does that even make sense?”

Jiang Wen finally lost patience and cut them off. “Stop it, this is really annoying.”

Xi Gaoyuan pressed him. “So do you like her, or not?”

“…Don’t know.”

“Just think about it for a bit, what’s the big deal about dating, chasing a girl, not embarrassing at all, you’ll have to take that step eventually.”

Before they could keep talking, Zhao Binlin’s sharp eyes caught sight of Feng Ning.

She stood up from the stone bench, dusted off her pants, and looked over at them. “Let’s go, heroes, my treat.”

Feng Ning didn’t ask their opinion, picking a restaurant herself. Though its sign was worn and faded, the hygiene inside was decent enough; the young masters reluctantly accepted it.

Normally, they wouldn’t even spare a place like this a passing glance.

After quickly ordering, Feng Ning stepped out for a bit. When she came back, she was carrying a plastic bag.

The food came out fast — glistening green stir-fried pork intestines, rich braised marinated meat, and fragrant little lamb chops still steaming hot. Xi Gaoyuan poked at it with his chopsticks fussily, took a bite, and his eyes lit up, finding the taste unexpectedly good. Everyone was hungry, and they all dug in with relish.

After eating for a while, Feng Ning set down her chopsticks, silently watching the others still eating across from her, cleared her throat. “I have to say, you all looked pretty cool cursing up a storm earlier.”

Before anyone could react, still chewing, they went quiet, then heard Feng Ning add sarcastically, “Though you did look pretty pathetic getting beaten up afterward too.”

“Damn it.” Hearing this, Xi Gaoyuan was reminded of the embarrassing scene again and got worked up. “One of these days I’ll get people together, beat the hell out of that bunch, don’t let me catch them again.”

Feng Ning crossed her arms. “If the teachers hadn’t shown up today, the three of you would probably be lying in the hospital right now.”

Zhao Binlin rubbed his nose, shouting spiritedly, “You don’t understand the meaning of youthful recklessness, do you? So what if we end up in the hospital, not a bad life experience either.”

“Ending up in the hospital would be lucky. What if you ended up in the morgue instead?”

Zhao Binlin was left speechless for a moment.

When Feng Ning lectured people, her demeanor was completely different from her usual playful self, her voice turning quite stern: “I know it’s not my place to criticize you three. But I still want to say — know when to yield, that’s the mark of a wise man; a moment’s bravado isn’t worth it, act within your means.”

While the other three were still stunned, she switched back to her relaxed self. “Learning to bow your head is a required course. If you can’t learn it now, that’s fine. It just means you haven’t fallen hard enough yet, haven’t been hurt badly enough yet. Sooner or later, once you’ve been hurt so deeply you can’t forget it, you’ll learn.”

She said all this with weighty sincerity, and the table fell silent for a good while. Jiang Wen looked up, and his gaze met Feng Ning’s.

Zhao Binlin, unable to argue back, clapped exaggeratedly. “Bright lights and good wine, drowning us all in a daze — listening to Sister Ning lecture us on the ways of the world.”

Xi Gaoyuan’s expression turned a bit odd. “Feng Ning, why do you sound so much like a school disciplinary director?”

Feng Ning glanced at him, answering with total seriousness, “You’re not wrong, that’s one of my dreams.”

Zhao Binlin was cracked up by her.

A few bottles of beer sat on the table; Feng Ning popped the caps one by one, handing them to Zhao Binlin and Xi Gaoyuan. Then she grabbed a fresh glass, poured a small amount, and set it in front of Jiang Wen.

She took a big gulp from her own bottle first, then raised it slightly, saying to them, “Anyway, thanks for today.”

Baffled for a couple of seconds, Xi Gaoyuan followed suit and took a swig. “First time meeting a girl like you, quite refreshing.”

Zhao Binlin got excited too. “How about switching to baijiu?”

“Forget it, school tomorrow, this is enough of a gesture. I’ll treat you all to bubble tea another day, as much as you want.”

Jiang Wen looked at the glass in front of him, estimating it was at most two mouthfuls of alcohol. He was silent for a moment, then finally spoke: “What’s this supposed to mean?”

“People who can’t hold their liquor should drink less, so nothing goes wrong.” Feng Ning laughed softly, her meaning implied.

Midway through the meal, Zhao Binlin suddenly said, “Ah, I’m going to the bathroom.”

After a while he came back, leaning in to whisper to Feng Ning, “Didn’t you go buy something earlier? Did you pay the bill?”

Feng Ning’s expression stayed composed. “I said it’s my treat, just eat.”

Zhao Binlin got anxious. “If people find out, us three going out to eat and having a girl pay for us, how embarrassing is that.”

Feng Ning smiled, very wickedly, very mischievously. “Want me to teach you a trick?”

“What?”

Feng Ning lowered her voice, leaning in to whisper something into his ear.

Not long after, Xi Gaoyuan suddenly stood up from his seat too, using the exact same line, word for word: “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Feng Ning waved her hand. “Alright, alright, sit back down, don’t sneak off to pay the bill, I said today’s on me.”

Xi Gaoyuan frowned. “How can that be right?”

“How about this then.” Feng Ning slapped the table with one hand, announcing: “None of us pay today. Dine and dash!”

The other two exchanged glances.

Feng Ning pointed at herself. “In a bit, I’ll run first.” Then she pointed at Xi Gaoyuan. “Then you run.”

Then she pointed at Zhao Binlin. “You follow after him, Jiang Wen brings up the rear.”

Feng Ning laughed happily, clapping her hands with delight. “Everyone remember to be quick about it, run fast, whatever you do, don’t get caught.”

Xi Gaoyuan looked at Zhao Binlin’s face and immediately caught on, laughing uncontrollably, chiming in, “Sure, let’s do it, whoever doesn’t run is a coward.”

“Deal.” Feng Ning blinked slyly, lowering her voice. “Everybody ready?”

Zhao Binlin and Xi Gaoyuan nodded, bracing themselves.

“3, 2, 1 — run!”

The moment she gave the order, she shot out like a gust of wind.

The server standing nearby jumped, startled, and before she could recover, two more gusts of wind blew past. She put a hand to her chest, catching her breath, shaking her head, unable to make sense of these high schoolers’ antics.

Jiang Wen sat alone, and once everyone else had all run out, he slowly stood up and went to the front counter to pay.

Just as he opened Alipay, someone yanked his arm. He turned around to see Feng Ning, panting, an expression of exasperated affection on her face. “Already settled, you silly goose.”

Once outside, they discovered it had started drizzling, a light rain falling softly. Xi Gaoyuan and Zhao Binlin were already long gone.

Feng Ning looked left and right. “You’ve got injuries, can’t get them wet. Come on, let’s go take shelter under that pavilion over there.”

Jiang Wen didn’t object, silently following along, sitting down on the bench next to Feng Ning.

She lowered her head, opened the plastic bag, rummaged through it with a rustling clatter, and pulled out hydrogen peroxide, iodine, band-aids, cotton swabs.

“Know how to use these?” She held them out to him.

Jiang Wen looked at them for a couple seconds, then shook his head.

Feng Ning grew a little impatient. “Straighten your knee.” She crouched down in front of him.

She studied it for a couple seconds first before getting to work. Having tended to Meng Hanmo’s wounds so many times, she’d grown quite skilled at it.

The instant the antiseptic touched his skin, Jiang Wen instinctively flinched.

Feng Ning’s hand paused, glancing up. “Hurts?”

“It’s fine.”

She slowed her pace. “It will sting a bit, just bear with it.”

Jiang Wen watched her carefully applying the iodine, a little lost in thought.

A single lamp hung overhead, barely lighting this small patch of world. Everything beyond it had blurred into the night and rain. Feng Ning’s eyes narrowed, her face cast in strange, shifting shadows by the light, a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

It was just like the first time they’d met — that same distant-yet-close smile of hers, the one that had bewitched him into losing his mind and letting her walk off with his clothes.

By the time he came back to his senses, he realized he’d already fallen into her trap.

Jiang Wen’s heartbeat picked up, bit by bit, fragments flashing through his mind, along with Xi Gaoyuan’s words.

He could no longer tell whether there was any element of playing hard-to-get in the way she treated him.

If she really was playing that game — then what about him?

Was he willing to sink into it all the same?

Feng Ning looked up, and her eyes met Jiang Wen’s directly.

The two of them stared at each other without a word; the emotion in his eyes was unconcealed, and Feng Ning understood it the moment she saw it.

He asked, “Are you this nice to everyone? Doesn’t your boyfriend mind?”

At such close distance, Feng Ning quirked her lips slightly, giving him a smile. “Jiang Wen, I already told you before, didn’t I?”

He was dazed for a moment. “What.”

“Call it me being full of myself, call it me flattering myself if you want, but I’ll say it again.”

Feng Ning gazed at him steadily, her tone certain. “Don’t fall for me.”

Jiang Wen didn’t respond.

He knew perfectly well she had a boyfriend. He knew perfectly well he’d been turned down clearly, more than once now — anyone with sense, anyone with a shred of shame, would have backed off by now.

The drizzle outside the bus shelter hadn’t stopped; in the flickering lamplight, it seemed to be coming down even harder now.

Time stretched on slowly.

At some point, Jiang Wen felt utterly disappointed in himself. Because he heard himself say,

“—What if I already have?”