His words came out of nowhere, leaving Tao Zhi momentarily stunned.

“What boyfriend?”

Jiang Qihuai said nothing, merely pushed his phone forward.

The screen stopped on the group chat they had opened earlier—the last message was from Li Shuangjiang and Fu Xiling, when they had just come home and seen Ji Fan’s message.

Tao Zhi hadn’t checked the group that night. Seeing that conversation now—and recalling the two of them standing dazed in the doorway earlier, as if struck by lightning—she suddenly felt like laughing.

But what caught her attention was something else entirely.

“You actually didn’t leave the group?” Tao Zhi scrolled twice to read the rest of the chat, then lifted her head. “You even went through the messages.”

Jiang Qihuai pointed at his phone. “That stupid group kept pinging.”

Tao Zhi tapped the top-right corner to check—sure enough, it was muted.

Setting the phone down on the table, she said with a straight face, “Your Highness handles state affairs day and night. It would be better to spend less time reading such idle gossip.”

Jiang Qihuai: “…?”

“Besides,” Tao Zhi continued, tapping the phone screen with her fingertip and speaking solemnly, “this humble official has yet to take a wife. That is my sworn brother.”

Jiang Qihuai looked at her blankly. “Speak properly.”

Tao Zhi was long used to his cold, expressionless manner. Unfazed, she went on cheekily, “Your Highness, shouldn’t you eat? If you wait any longer, your food will get cold. That cashier up front—whose daughter is she from which noble family? She’s been watching you for a while now, waiting for you to go reheat your lunch box.”

Jiang Qihuai had just picked up his chopsticks when he lowered his voice and called out icily, “Tao Zhi.”

Tao Zhi shrank her neck, shut her mouth, and turned her eyes toward the window, quietly sipping her Yakult.

When Jiang Qihuai ate, he was very quiet, almost soundless.

Tao Zhi leaned her head on her hand, lazily staring at the stream of people passing by outside the window, saying nothing.

That golden retriever from before had been brought back again by its owner, this time with a Samoyed by its side, the two dogs playfully interacting.

Tao Zhi watched with great interest.

For a while, silence fell between the two of them.

Yet it wasn’t awkward—rather, it felt somewhat peaceful.

The peace was broken by a phone ringing.

The sound came from Tao Zhi’s jacket pocket. She unhurriedly fished out her phone, yawning before answering, “Hello—”

“When are you coming back? You sent someone over and basically sent yourself off too?” Ji Fan’s voice was loud as soon as the call connected.

Tao Zhi tore open a pack of chocolate sticks. “Mind your father’s business.”

“Look at that, just look at that attitude,” Ji Fan said sorrowfully. “I was only calling to show some concern—and to tell you, grab me a bottle of cola on your way back. Pepsi, not Coke.”

Tao Zhi disagreed. “Coca-Cola forever the god.”

“Coke has no soul,” Ji Fan declared. “Pepsi is the true king.”

Tao Zhi: “I’m drinking Coke.”

On the other end, Ji Fan clacked away at his keyboard.

“So now I don’t even have the right to drink the cola I like?”

Tao Zhi couldn’t be bothered to deal with him and hung up right away.

She stood, went to the shelf, took a bottle of Coca-Cola, paid for it, then placed it on the table before sitting back down to continue eating her chocolate sticks.

Jiang Qihuai watched the girl sitting beside him, crunching away at her snacks like a hamster. His eyes seemed to ask: Why did you come back again?

Tao Zhi pressed her index finger against the end of the chocolate stick, frowned, and said with some dissatisfaction, “Why do you keep chasing people away?”

“Didn’t you get a phone call?”

Jiang Qihuai was almost done eating. Tao Zhi glanced at the time, tossed the Coke into her bag, and said, “Alright then, I’ll go back.” She stood and walked toward the door. The automatic doors opened before her, and she waved a hand at him. “See you tomorrow.”

The young girl had her hands tucked into her jacket pockets, carrying a big bag in one hand, skipping lightly as she left the convenience store.

The wind outside was a little strong. Under the dim streetlights, the shadows of the trees swayed. Her hair was left loose, not tied up, falling casually over her shoulders, curling slightly at the ends and brushing against her collar. The light gave it a soft, gentle sheen, making her whole figure look warm and tender.

When she turned the corner and disappeared from sight, Jiang Qihuai withdrew his gaze.

The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

“Ding-dong.”

It was a WeChat notification.

Jiang Qihuai lowered his head, set down his chopsticks, closed the lunch box lid, and picked up his phone to open the message—and found it was from that same group again: The Beautiful Girls’ Justice League.

The very group he had muted.

At some point, Tao Zhi had unmuted it for him.

And even left a message inside.

Zhizhi Grape: 【Forgot to throw away the wrapper. Please toss it for me. My gratitude is beyond words.】

Jiang Qihuai: “…”

He turned his head slightly and saw, on the table where the girl had been sitting, a dark blue chocolate stick wrapper lying there.

Li Shuangjiang: 【What, what? What wrapper?】

Zhizhi Grape: 【None of your business. Go do your homework.】

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The next morning, Ji Fan was awakened by Tao Zhi’s pounding on his door.

The boy had stayed up gaming until past four in the morning. He had barely fallen asleep when the knocking started—urgent and relentless, like a ghost demanding his soul.

Tao Zhi stood outside holding a cup of milk, sipping leisurely while knocking on his door three times every ten seconds.

“Ji Fan.”

“Ji Fan—”

“Ji Fan, ah.”

“Classmate Ji Fan, time to get up.”

“Get up and go to school, Ji Fan.”

She kept it up for about five minutes.

The door suddenly swung open.

Ji Fan stood there in black sleep pants, bare-chested, his face dark and scowling.

“What do you want!” he snapped.

Truly, a hereditary temper upon waking.

Tao Zhi took a slow sip of her milk. “It’s seven o’clock. Get up and go to school.”

“I just got back! Just got back!” Ji Fan, with dark circles under his eyes, rubbed his messy bed hair. “Can’t I rest at home for two days?”

“You, little classmate, why don’t you like studying at all?” Tao Zhi imitated the tone of the grade director, frowning as she scolded him. “Since you’re back, of course you should study hard right away. Or do you want your elder sister to go suffer through that awful school all alone?”

“From the moment you went out of your way to buy Coca-Cola for me last night, our friendship was over,” Ji Fan said, leaning weakly against the doorframe, eyes half-open. “Besides, I came back secretly. Dad doesn’t know, and the school hasn’t been notified, right?”

“I told them,” Tao Zhi said after draining the rest of her milk and licking the corner of her mouth. “Last night, I told Dad the good news right away. He said he’d call Old Wang today and have you report in directly.”

Ji Fan: “Who the hell is Old Wang?”

“The homeroom teacher,” Tao Zhi said. “Now hurry up and wash your face and get dressed. Don’t make me grab a basin of cold water to help you shower.”

Ji Fan slammed the door shut.

Half an hour later, Tao Zhi was dragging a half-dead Ji Fan—bright and lively herself—into the school. Ji Fan had to report to Teacher Wang first, while Tao Zhi went to the classroom alone.

Morning self-study had just begun. The class was quiet. For the first time since the start of the term, Tao Zhi had finished all her homework—with the help of Fu Xiling and Song Jiang yesterday. Now, sitting at her desk with nothing to do, she suddenly felt strangely empty.

Right before class started, Teacher Wang came back to the room, followed by Ji Fan.

“Class is starting, wake up everyone. If you’re sleepy, stand up and stretch. Zhao Mingqi, stop sleeping—what, you stayed up all night playing ball again? Those still finishing homework, wrap it up quick before I lose my temper.” Teacher Wang clapped the desk. “Also, we have a new transfer student joining us today—class monitor.”

Tao Zhi looked up.

Teacher Wang said, “After class, take the new student to get his books and uniform.”

Tao Zhi answered with a nod, glancing at the person standing on the podium.

The new student leaned against the blackboard, dark circles nearly reaching his lips, his head bobbing with sleepiness.

“Ji Fan,” Teacher Wang called.

Hearing his name, Ji Fan forced himself to stand up straight.

“Are you so tired you can sleep standing up?” Teacher Wang scanned the room, then gestured toward the back. “Go sit there for now. If you have any questions about your studies, you can ask your classmates. Don’t be shy.”

Ji Fan nodded.

The only empty seat in the class was beside Jiang Qihuai. Ji Fan shuffled toward the back, pulled out the chair, and sat down, ready to slump forward.

Just as his arm rested on the desk and his head was about to drop, he froze.

It was as if something had just dawned on him. He turned his head toward his new deskmate.

Jiang Qihuai also turned his head.

Ji Fan stared at him.

Jiang Qihuai’s gaze swept over the gold-and-red, flashy, extremely non-mainstream baseball jacket Ji Fan was wearing.

Ji Fan looked him up and down—from hair to chin—frowning deeply, thinking for a long while before asking hesitantly, “Jiang Qihuai?”

Jiang Qihuai finally moved his eyes away from that ugly jacket.

Ji Fan: “Holy shit, it is you? What the hell are you doing in the experimental class?”

Jiang Qihuai raised his eyebrows.

That expression clearly said—Who are you again?

Ji Fan was about to speak, but Teacher Wang started the lesson on the podium.

Jiang Qihuai turned his head back immediately, entering the “I’m in class—anyone dares talk to me and they die” mode, not sparing his new deskmate even a single extra glance.

His new deskmate, who had slept less than three hours, was dizzy and half-conscious. Without bothering to think further, he slumped over the desk and began to sleep.

Even the group discussions in the middle of class couldn’t wake him.

He sprawled across the entire desk while Fu Xiling, sitting nearby, didn’t dare say anything—she had to rest her papers on a stack of books to keep writing.

Until the class finally ended.

Tao Zhi had spent the whole period playing a gacha mini-game on her phone. When the dismissal bell rang, she drew her final white card, threw her phone into the desk with dissatisfaction, and stood up.

Ji Fan was snoring.

Tao Zhi stretched lazily, turned around, and smacked the back of his head with her palm.

“Fuck!” The boy, jolted awake from deep sleep, shuddered in fright and shot upright. “Who the hell hit me!”

The curse rang out like thunder. The whole class went silent instantly, everyone turning to look. Li Shuangjiang, who had been stuffing a wafer into his mouth, froze mid-bite—wrapping paper and all went in.

Tao Zhi ignored him. She grabbed Ji Fan by the collar and dragged him out of his seat; the chair clattered loudly against the floor. Once he saw who it was, his bravado evaporated on the spot. “Hey, hey—slow down, slow down! My jacket’s new, okay? It was expensive!”

The disciplinary committee member was left dumbfounded by the scene. “What the hell… did we just get another boss transferred in? Even the school bully’s got a school bully now?”

Zhao Mingqi hooked an arm around his neck. “Wait—those two know each other?”

“You two know each other?” Tao Zhi asked the same question once they were in the hallway.

Ji Fan cautiously straightened his expensive collar. “Who?”

“Jiang Qihuai.” Tao Zhi fished a piece of milk candy from her uniform pocket as she led him out of the teaching building, across the greenery toward the library to collect his uniform.

“Didn’t I hear you call him just now?”

“Oh, him.” Ji Fan thought for a moment. “I guess you could say we know each other. We fought once.”

Tao Zhi stopped in her tracks, thinking she’d misheard. “You two what?”

“Fought. When I first transferred to the affiliated school.” Ji Fan snatched the candy from her hand, peeled it open, and popped it into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly, “That bastard was super arrogant, acting all high and mighty just because he had good grades.”

That much was true.

Tao Zhi nodded in agreement.

“I couldn’t stand him, so I picked a fight on purpose,” Ji Fan went on.

This time, Tao Zhi couldn’t defend him. “…You really are asking for it.”

She thought Ji Fan was a bit too lawless—picking on someone like Jiang Qihuai, who was clearly a studious nerd.

“The damn bastard nearly sent me to the hospital,” Ji Fan said, exhaling in lingering fear. “He’s pretty fucking good at fighting, too.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

Tao Zhi: “?”