Xiang Di didn’t know anything. She only knew that she hadn’t had time to say goodbye to Bai Jiangxin before he had already left.

Xiang Di shrugged. Forget it, anyway she could still see him tomorrow.

After all, this was the first time in three years of high school that she and Bai Jiangxin had made plans to meet during a vacation period.

If you round it off a bit, what difference was there between this and a date, hehe.

Holding onto this thought, Xiang Di happily walked on the way home. After getting on the bus, even though she wasn’t listening to music, her body was still swaying rhythmically from side to side.

Even Liang Qianqian, who was going home with her, noticed her happiness and asked her, “Is going to eat buffet together next week really making you that happy?”

Already long accustomed to using another excuse to conceal the fluttering in her heart because of a certain person, Xiang Di nodded. “Yeah, it’s a buffet, you’re not looking forward to it?”

“That’s true.” Liang Qianqian thought about it. “People with money are really different. A buffet that costs several hundred per person, they can just treat people like that. Baby, do you think the Bentley I saw at school that day might belong to Zhou Linxiao’s family?”

“Possibly.” The timing matched up. That day happened to be the day Zhou Linxiao came to school to register.

Liang Qianqian said enviously, “So nice. I really want to know what it feels like to come to school in a Bentley.”

“Then you can just tell Zhou Linxiao directly.” Xiang Di said, “Tell him you want to experience his family’s Bentley. He’ll definitely agree.”

Just like not long ago, because of some indescribable reason, she had become very interested in Bai Jiangxin’s family’s Rolls-Royce, and he had agreed to try to have his parents drive that car over during the parent-teacher meeting so she could experience what it felt like to sit in a Rolls-Royce.

However, Liang Qianqian said, “Ah, isn’t that too straightforward? I’d be too embarrassed to say it.”

“This is considered straightforward?”

Just asking to ride in a car, it’s not like asking to have sex.

Liang Qianqian said a little embarrassedly, “I’m mainly afraid Zhou Linxiao will think I’ve never seen the world, so I want to put on a bit of a front in front of him.”

Xiang Di froze for a moment. Could it be that Qianqian has feelings for Zhou Linxiao…

Just as the seed of suspicion poked its head out, Liang Qianqian said again, “How about you go with me to say it? If the two of us go together, I won’t feel that awkward.”

Xiang Di hesitated. “But I’m not very interested in Bentleys.”

Liang Qianqian: “You’re not even interested in Bentleys? Then what kind of car are you interested in?”

Xiang Di didn’t hesitate. “Rolls-Royce.”

Liang Qianqian twitched the corner of her mouth. “That’s because you only know the brand Rolls-Royce, right?”

“I also know Ferrari and those, okay?” Xiang Di said indignantly. “It’s just that among the three thousand weak waters, I only take one ladle.”

Liang Qianqian: “……It’s just a car, not a person. You’re even doing the loyalty thing.”

Xiang Di pursed her lips and said softly, “I’m loyal to cars and to people, okay.”

She thought Bentleys were very good, and she also admired Zhou Linxiao, whose family owned a Bentley. She did not deny that Zhou Linxiao was indeed very handsome, very charming, very outstanding, and that below probably looked very big, but overall, her appreciation for Zhou Linxiao was still quite pure.

If we’re talking about not being pure, she only had that toward one car and one person—the Rolls-Royce that was most suitable to lie on and have sex, and the person she most wanted to have sex with.

Although her heart was yellow, she was only yellow toward one person!

How is this not considered loyalty!

Liang Qianqian didn’t hear Xiang Di’s muttering and hooked her arm, asking her to go talk to Zhou Linxiao together.

“Baby, you’re seatmates with Zhou Linxiao, your relationship with him is better than mine. I’m embarrassed to look for him alone. Go with me to talk to him, please.”

No way! She had to remain loyal as a Rolls-Royce car fan. Xiang Di had to uphold the loyalty in her heart, so she said, “You can ask the class monitor to go with you. The two of them have an even better relationship.”

Liang Qianqian immediately refused. “No. If I look for Ye Minjia, he’ll definitely laugh me to death and say I’m a country bumpkin.”

“Country bumpkin?” Xiang Di sized Liang Qianqian up from head to toe, looking at her long, straight hair and tall figure. Even the school uniform looked like a runway outfit on Qianqian. Her backpack was the hottest trendy brand right now, and the shoes on her feet were also the latest style. Xiang Di couldn’t understand it. “The class monitor says you’re rustic?”

“Sharp-tongued. If he doesn’t mock me for a day, he’ll die.” Liang Qianqian ground her teeth. “I’m such a handsome person, one-of-a-kind mixed-blood godlike face in the idol circle, aristocratic temperament, and he calls me Nicholas Zhao Si¹Nicholas Zhao Si (尼古拉斯·赵四) is a Chinese internet meme character. He comes from a Northeastern Chinese rural sitcom called 《乡村爱情》(Country Love). A meme symbol for “country bumpkin, ridiculous-looking person.”. I’m speechless.”

Xiang Di: “……”

Not wanting her friend to leave regrets in the final year of high school, Xiang Di ultimately agreed.

Sorry, Rolls-Royce, I still love you the most.

“Thank you, baby!” Liang Qianqian said excitedly, wishing she could kiss Xiang Di’s tender little face a few times. “You say, next week when we go eat buffet, if we tell Zhou Linxiao we want to sit in his family’s Bentley, will he drive the Bentley to pick us up to go eat buffet?”

Liang Qianqian had already immersed herself in the beautiful fantasy of sitting in a Bentley. “Then should I dress more grandly that day, so I can match that Bentley?”

Xiang Di nodded. “Indeed.”

Liang Qianqian: “But if only I dress grandly, I’ll look like such a show-off. Baby, you should also dress up a bit then.”

Xiang Di: “But I’m planning to wear the school uniform.”

If Qianqian hadn’t brought it up, she really had planned to wear the school uniform, after all, it’s dirt-resistant and comfortable, and at this stage, who still has the mind to think every day about what to wear.

Liang Qianqian was helpless. “There’s only this one day of vacation in a whole week. No need to wear school uniform. Anyway, I’m definitely going to dress nicely, fiercely blind Ye Minjia that dog thing’s dog eyes, let him say I’m a country bumpkin again.”

Xiang Di frowned, her expression suddenly becoming complicated.

Right, there’s only this one day of vacation in a whole week. No need to wear the school’s unified uniform. You can wear nice private clothes.

And you still have to see someone…

Liang Qianqian: “Right?”

At this time, the bus had already arrived at Xiang Di’s stop. She quickly stood up, her eyes lighting up. Looking at Liang Qianqian, she said firmly, “Right, you’re right. You must wear something nice. I’m leaving, bye!”

Xiang Di ran off the bus. Liang Qianqian suddenly thought that only she dressing nicely wasn’t enough, and hurriedly opened the window, shouting at the figure that had just gotten off and was sprinting away.

“You also have to dress nicely that day! I can’t be the only show-off!”

She didn’t get a reply, because Xiang Di had already completely run out of sight.

Liang Qianqian sighed helplessly, thinking that this kid really is so simple, kind, and plain. Clearly has such a pure and cute face, yet doesn’t know how to make use of it to blind boys’ eyes.

─── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ───

Xiang Sheng was sitting on the sofa playing on his phone while waiting for Xiang Di to come home from evening self-study. He had his head lowered when he suddenly heard the sound of the front door being opened.

“Back—”

Before the word “back” could be spoken, something flashed past in front of him. Xiang Di’s bedroom door opened, and then quickly closed again.

Xiang Sheng sat on the sofa stunned for several seconds, almost thinking a ghost had entered the house.

Could it really be a ghost?

There was no movement at all from Xiang Di’s room for a long time. After hesitating for a moment, Xiang Sheng cautiously walked to her bedroom door, knocked, and asked, “Who’s inside?”

“Me.”

The familiar voice made Xiang Sheng let out a breath. Good thing it wasn’t a ghost.

“Is someone chasing you all the way to our doorstep? You ran so fast you left an afterimage.”

The person inside didn’t reply. Xiang Sheng knocked again, his tone turning serious. “Don’t tell me some pervert followed you home?”

“I’m talking to you. If there’s a stalker following you home, tell me right away. While the pervert hasn’t run off yet, I’ll hurry and deal with him. Don’t hide by yourself and get scared.”

“There’s no pervert. Where would a pervert come from.” Xiang Di said. “I’m changing clothes. I’ll talk to you later.”

“It’s so late, where are you going after changing clothes?” Xiang Sheng frowned. “Don’t tell me you think that just because Mom and Dad aren’t home, you can do whatever you want. I’m telling you, as long as I’m at home, you’d better behave—”

Before he could finish speaking, the door opened.

“……How do I look like this?”

Xiang Di looked at him nervously, her tone also very unnatural.

It was normal for her to feel unnatural. Although Xiang Sheng was her own biological older brother, he was still a man. Ever since she entered middle school and developed a clear concept of matters between boys and girls, and at that time Xiang Sheng happened to be in high school, which was also the period when boys began to awaken toward girls, the two siblings living under the same roof during that time were practically more distant than strangers.

Later, Xiang Sheng went out to attend university, and his monthly living expenses doubled compared to high school. Sometimes when Xiang Di didn’t have money, she would ask him for some pocket money. Bit by bit, their sibling relationship was repaired again.

But that repair was limited to continuing to quarrel. It did not include asking her own brother to help look at her outfit.

He had hardly ever seen her wear clothes other than a school uniform, let alone a skirt. Xiang Sheng brewed for a long time before squeezing out one sentence: “Spring has come?”

Xiang Di: “……You just need to evaluate whether it looks good or not.”

The little girl’s long hair was loose. Because she usually tied it up, her hair naturally had a fluffy curve. A light-colored knitted top paired with a long skirt that reached past the knees—very gentle and delicate matching. It did look good, but Xiang Sheng just couldn’t praise it.

He was used to mocking her. He had never praised his little sister a few times in his life. If he said it looked good now, he would disgust himself to death.

After a long while, Xiang Sheng only squeezed out one sentence: “……Aren’t you cold wearing a skirt in this weather?”

Xiang Di: “I’m wearing leggings underneath. So, how is it?”

“……Average.”

Xiang Di’s face immediately fell.

Xiang Sheng was just about to say something to remedy it when he heard Xiang Di suddenly snort.

“You don’t know shit about aesthetics.” She looked at him with disdain. “Forget it, I’ll go ask Auntie.”

Then she turned around and closed the door again.

Xiang Sheng: “……”

It took him a long while to react. He knocked again, his tone extremely unconvinced. “Who has no aesthetic sense? If I had no aesthetic sense, could I be an internet celebrity? Could I have that many face fans? Do you know how many Carnival gifts I received yesterday?”

“And also, you previously told me that the boys in your class are more handsome than me. Where are the photos? Take them out and let me see. You don’t want the 2,500 anymore?”

Inside the room, Xiang Di didn’t want to bother with him.

Just because she said he had no aesthetic sense, he broke down this badly. Was that necessary?

“I’ll take photos for you sooner or later. Why are you in such a hurry?” Xiang Di retorted. “To put it plainly, you just lack confidence in yourself. You also know in your heart that an old man who has already graduated as a fourth-year college student can’t compare to an eighteen-year-old male high school student in the prime of youth, so you’re anxious.”

“Laughing to death, I lack confidence?” Xiang Sheng said. “With my temperament and looks, believe it or not, if I stroll around your school once, your whole school will immediately be shaken, and all the boys will collectively feel ashamed and hang themselves?”

Xiang Di couldn’t be bothered with him.

Hanging themselves was an exaggeration, but causing a small commotion was actually true.

Last time Xiang Sheng came to her school to deliver cream puffs, he had only stood at the school gate for a while during lunch break. Somehow, someone happened to take a photo of him and post it on the school’s confession wall.

Footnotes

• 1
  Nicholas Zhao Si (尼古拉斯·赵四) is a Chinese internet meme character. He comes from a Northeastern Chinese rural sitcom called 《乡村爱情》(Country Love). A meme symbol for “country bumpkin, ridiculous-looking person.”