Tao Zhi jumped off the bus, stood for a moment at the stop, then walked along the street.

A night bus brushed past her and continued forward. On both sides of the street, a 24-hour convenience store was lit, casting its light over the dim road.

Back when her grades were good—she couldn’t quite remember when it started—she would probably still get praised at first. But slowly, it seemed to become something taken for granted.

On the other hand, whenever Ji Fan managed to pass an exam, Ji Jin would be overjoyed.

No one had ever told Tao Zhi that as long as one had tried their best, even without achieving results, one could still deserve a reward.

To her, everything in reality had always told her that the result was more important than the process.

Tao Zhi had never thought that one day, she would get a different answer from Jiang Qihuai.

Nor had she thought that one day, because of something like this, in such a way, she would receive a little bit of recognition.

Her heart was still running wildly in her chest. She reached out and lightly patted it, as if comforting a panicked little monster.

Jiang Qihuai had only followed up on her words, “Even kindergarten teachers teach children about the importance of hard work.” She didn’t know why she felt so flustered.

It was just that in that moment, that instant, when she was looked at by those clear, glass-like eyes of his, her heart had raced uncontrollably.

The cold wind swept by, cooling her fevered mind. Tao Zhi took a deep breath of the chilly air, raised her hand to rub her cheeks, and the corners of her lips lifted little by little of their own accord.

Humming a tune, she skipped home in high spirits.

When she entered the house, Ji Fan was sitting cross-legged on the living room carpet, clutching his phone and calling 110 to report to the police.

The lock jingled as the door opened, and when Tao Zhi walked in, she heard Ji Fan’s voice—serious and solemn: “Yes, yes, sixteen years old, a girl, been missing for four or five hours since school ended. I suspect she’s been assassinated.”

“What do you mean scaring myself? Absolutely not, officer. She’s usually pretty annoying, quite a few enemies.”

Tao Zhi slipped on her slippers and craned her neck toward the living room.

Ji Fan’s voice paused. He stared straight at her. “—Sorry, officer, false alarm. She’s back. My mistake. Thank you, and best of luck with your work.”

He hung up, tossed his phone aside, and looked at Tao Zhi expressionlessly.

Tao Zhi looked back at him with the same expression. “What are you doing?”

“Calling the police,” Ji Fan said. “Telling them my sister’s gone missing for four or five hours, not sure if she’s still alive.”

Tao Zhi: “…?”

“During that time, no replies on WeChat or QQ, and when I called, her phone was off,” Ji Fan continued.

The boy’s face was taut, his tone calm.

“My phone was confiscated by Wang Er, so it’s been off,” Tao Zhi said, too lazy to argue with him. She tossed her backpack onto the other sofa, reached for the coconut milk on the coffee table, and said, “Besides, I told Uncle Gu after school that I was going to study with a classmate and would come back later.”

“I know,” Ji Fan sank into the sofa. “Uncle Gu said it was a boy.”

The motion of Tao Zhi pulling the tab on the can froze midair.

Ji Fan climbed up again and leaned over, looking at her warily. “Did you get a new boyfriend again?”

Tao Zhi almost spat out the mouthful of coconut juice she had just drunk.

“What do you mean get a new boyfriend again?” Tao Zhi raised a finger and poked the boy’s forehead, pushing him back until he fell into the sofa again. “I really went to study. Do you think I’m like you? Never doing anything proper and always surrounded by girls.”

“I just transferred schools, I don’t have anything anymore,” Ji Fan struggled to get up again, then suddenly looked at her seriously. “Zhizhi, stop liking men. There’s not a single good one among them.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

Tao Zhi had no idea what kind of nonsense her brother was on about this time.

“The best man I’ve ever met in my whole life is Comrade Old Tao, and didn’t he still split up with Mom just like that?” Ji Fan said casually. “Men always have things in their hearts that matter more than love.”

It was the first time Ji Fan had brought this up.

He had been back for a week. He hadn’t asked about Tao Xiuping, and Tao Zhi hadn’t mentioned Ji Jin either.

Twins probably still shared some small degree of telepathy. Although her rapport with Ji Fan had always been abysmally low since childhood, the boy glanced at her and said, “Mom’s doing fine now. She said she’s been a bit busy lately, but she’ll find time in a few days to come see you.”

Come see you in a few days.

It sounded just like something said out of politeness to a relative’s child.

Tao Zhi’s fingers tightened around the coconut juice can, then she set it down on the coffee table. Lowering her gaze, she stood up and grabbed the strap of her backpack. “I’m tired, got up too early today,” she said lazily through a yawn. “Go to bed early and stop bothering the police for nothing. That’s called filing a false report, you’ll get arrested for ideological education.”

Ji Fan, sprawled across the sofa, made exaggerated faces at her. Tao Zhi pretended not to notice, went upstairs to her bedroom, and closed the door.

She tossed her backpack carelessly onto the floor, then walked to the small sofa at the foot of her bed and fell back onto it spread-eagled.

When she had been running around outside earlier, she hadn’t felt anything, but now that she was lying down alone in silence, she finally felt tired.

Tao Zhi thought her day had really been full of twists and turns.

Hugging a pillow, she took out her phone, tapped it open, admired the five hundred thousand happy beans she had regained, then opened WeChat and sent a message to Jiang Qihuai.

[Zhizhi Grape]: Di di.

[Pretty Girl Boss Jiang Qihuai]: 1

Tao Zhi raised both arms high, watching the phone screen glow for a while before it dimmed again.

She tossed the phone aside, turned over, and buried her head into the soft sofa back.

Her mood, inexplicably, seemed a little better than before.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Tao Zhi was woken up by the sound of her alarm.

A soft melody came faintly from beneath her body. Half-squinting her eyes, still half-asleep, she groped around for a long while before pulling her phone out from under her hip and turning off the alarm.

Tossing the phone aside, she turned over, intending to sleep again.

The weekend morning was quiet. Tao Zhi’s throat ached slightly from sleep, and her whole body felt sore. Propping herself up on one arm, she realized she had fallen asleep on the sofa all night without even a blanket.

She hadn’t even changed her clothes.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, rested for a moment, then walked barefoot into the bathroom.

The marble floor was icy and dispelled her drowsiness. She took a shower, changed into a set of home clothes, and walked downstairs a little wobbly.

Aunt Zhang was vacuuming, she usually slept in on weekends and breakfast hadn’t been made yet.  Seeing her come down, Aunt Zhang looked a little surprised: “Zhizhi, you’re up so early. ”

Tao Zhi gave a hoarse “hm, ” and her voice sounded a little frightening, Aunt Zhang hurried over: “Zhizhi, what’s wrong, do you have a cold?”

“Feels a bit like it, ” Tao Zhi said through her nose.

“Then later Auntie will make you some congee, after you eat take some medicine. ”

She nodded, sniffed, went to the kitchen, took a box of milk from the fridge, poured it into a glass and put it in the microwave.

While waiting for the milk, Ji Fan shuffled downstairs.

The teenager walked into the kitchen with dark circles under his eyes and poured water, looking fairly energetic: “Why are you up so early? ”

Tao Zhi glanced at him, her throat sore so she didn’t want to talk.

Ji Fan looked at her curiously: “You’re in such bad shape, did you stay up all night playing games too? ”

The microwave dinged, and Tao Zhi turned, carrying the milk upstairs.

Ji Fan was completely ignored, he yawned and looked at Aunt Zhang who had walked into the kitchen: “What’s wrong with her? ”

“A little cold, ” Aunt Zhang said while washing a pot, “I’ll make some congee and mix her a sachet to send up, we’ll eat light these few days. ”

Ji Fan nodded and raised his hand: “I’ll bring it to her. ”

This illness of hers lasted several days.

At first they thought it was just catching a chill from not covering up during the seasonal change, but the next night she developed a high fever.

Uncle Gu drove her to the hospital overnight, then called the family doctor to get an IV drip, and only then did the fever subside.

She rested at home for a few days, and Ji Fan acted like her dog for those days.

In the bedroom, Tao Zhi sulked tucked into the quilt, looking disdainfully at the bowl of plain congee on the little tray: “Too hot. ”

Ji Fan scooped a spoonful and blew on it for her.

“It’s already cold, ” Tao Zhi said with disdain, “Why didn’t you put it in the fridge and take it out for me to drink? ”

Ji Fan: “……”

“My mind right now has eight characters——endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, repay evil with virtue. ” Ji Fan put down the spoon and said, “Do you remember when I had a high fever as a child, how did you treat me? ”

Tao Zhi, hoarse: “I took care of you attentively? ”

“You were afraid I’d infect you so you put five masks on me. ” Ji Fan said as he scooped congee, “Nearly suffocated the young master to death. ”

“……”

Tao Zhi almost wanted to laugh: “But I was little then, didn’t you get the school to excuse me? ”

“Yes, ” Ji Fan said, “Wang Zhezi didn’t believe me, he called Old Tao to confirm, this school is too messed up, how do they even control kids who don’t study, now Wang Er can’t catch you to start torturing me, makes me go to the blackboard every day to solve problems. ”

Ji Fan sighed miserably. “Can you get better in the next couple of days? Hurry up and come back to share some of the firepower with me.”

Tao Zhi didn’t speak, only looked at him.

The boy kept talking nonsense as he carefully stirred the porridge with a spoon. Behind the rising steam, his lowered eyelashes looked unusually quiet.

“Ji Fan.” Tao Zhi suddenly called his name.

He didn’t look up. “Hm?”

She asked him, “Will you leave again after coming back this time?”

Ji Fan froze for a moment, then looked up and gave a small, mocking laugh. “Who knows. Is that up to me?”

“Don’t go,” Tao Zhi said softly, half her face buried in the blanket. “Jiejie (Sister) wants to watch our A’Fan grow up.”

She had never said something like that before. The tips of the boy’s ears instantly turned red. He set the bowl of porridge back on the tray and turned his gaze away a little awkwardly.

“You’re only a few dozen minutes older than me, so stop pretending to be an adult! Hurry up and eat your porridge! Or I really will put it in the fridge for you!”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Tao Zhi stayed home for several more days before fully recovering. On Friday, she and Ji Fan went to school together.

The first monthly exam of Experimental No.1 High School was held during the last two days before the National Day holiday. Having missed a week of classes, Tao Zhi saw the seating chart already posted when she returned.

Exam rooms were assigned based on the results of last semester’s final exams. Most students from Class One were placed in the front exam rooms. Tao Zhi, who had practically slept through all her exams last semester, was in the very last room. Jiang Qihuai and Ji Fan were transfer students without previous grades, so they were placed in the same room as her.

Only three students from their class were in the final exam room, looking somewhat out of place amid this school of top achievers.

As soon as Li Shuangjiang saw her, he spread his arms wide. “Boss! Long time no see—you’ve gotten even prettier.”

Tao Zhi raised her hand and gave him a hard slap on the back.

Li Shuangjiang stumbled forward a step from the blow, clutching his chest and coughing. “Our Boss is still as full of energy as ever. I’m relieved. You have no idea what kind of torture Fan-ge’s been through under the Wang Duo Demons this past week.”

Sitting behind them, Ji Fan weakly waved a hand. “I get tormented at school, then have to go home and get tormented by this sick princess. Our family’s Zhizhi gets a fever and she turns into royalty—if she wants stars, this young master has to go to the sky to fetch them for her.”

Hearing that, Li Shuangjiang ran to the last row to give Ji Fan a heartfelt brotherly hug.

“Fan-ge, you’re the real man here.”

“Old Li, you’re the only one who understands me.”

The two boys clung to each other with exaggerated affection, while next to them sat a walking ice chest—completely unbothered, not even glancing their way, emanating cold air.

Tao Zhi looked at him once.

Her last conversation with Jiang Qihuai was still stuck at that succinct “1.” Even while she was home, she hadn’t been idle—chatting lively with Li Shuangjiang and Fu Xiling in the Beautiful Girls’ Justice League group—but he hadn’t said a single word there.

After Li Shuangjiang and Ji Fan finished their nauseating display of brotherly love, they finally let go. He turned to Jiang Qihuai. “By the way, Huai-ge, you’re not coming to the exam tomorrow, right?”

Jiang Qihuai gave a quiet acknowledgment. “Mn.”

Tao Zhi blinked. “You can skip exams this openly?”

“Huai-ge’s going to that competition,” Li Shuangjiang said. “The times clash. Wang Zhezi said he’ll come back to school in the evening to make up the morning exam, I think.”

Tao Zhi found it somewhat unbelievable.

There were actually people who, when given the chance to skip an exam, would choose not to, insisting on taking it later that night instead.

Truly, the art of pretending.

This too was a kind of top-student cultivation.

Because Ji Fan had once lost a fight to Jiang Qihuai ages ago, every time something involved him, his pettiness would flare up—he wouldn’t let go of any opportunity to pick a fight. From the side, he said mockingly, though it was unclear who he was targeting: “You think everyone’s like you? Satisfied with getting three hundred points when they could get three hundred and one. Real top students fight for every single point, you know?”

Tao Zhi rolled her eyes. “If you could skip an exam openly, would you skip it?”

“Those are two different things,” Ji Fan said with complete confidence. “Of course I’d skip.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

After the split into liberal arts and sciences, the monthly exam only lasted one day—Chinese and English in the morning, Math and Science Comprehensive in the afternoon. The exam time started a bit later than usual, at eight o’clock.

Tao Zhi and Ji Fan arrived at the classroom early. The atmosphere of the last exam room was about the same no matter what school you were in. After half a month of suffering in Class One’s rigorous environment, Ji Fan finally returned to familiar territory and instantly came alive, chatting enthusiastically with the other underachievers around him.

Tao Zhi followed her seat number to look around. Her spot was in the second-to-last row, near the middle. A few seats behind her was Ji Fan, and behind him was an empty desk—it should be Jiang Qihuai’s.

It wasn’t time for the exam yet, and half of the seats were still empty. Many students hadn’t arrived.

One invigilator sat in front scrolling on their phone, and the other hadn’t shown up. Tao Zhi reached into her nearly empty backpack, took out a gel pen and a card-filling pen, then pulled a blank sheet of paper.

The invigilator looked up and drawled, “Those who are here, don’t make noise. Hand in your phones if you’re supposed to. The boy in the back—stop chatting already. You’ve been bouncing around all morning. What are you, a social butterfly?”

Tao Zhi took out her phone from her uniform pocket, unlocked it, and was about to power it off. But after a moment’s thought, she opened WeChat instead, deciding to send a precious blessing to the person who had once rewarded her.

[Zhizhi Grape]: I was afraid my blessing yesterday came too early, yet also afraid my encouragement after the bell would come too late. Since the invigilator will confiscate my phone, I send you now my most sincere blessing—may your competition performance stand on one leg like a golden rooster, and rise above the flock of chickens like a crane.

Jiang Qihuai’s side probably hadn’t started yet. Barely two minutes later, Tao Zhi’s phone buzzed.

[Pretty Girl Boss Jiang Qihuai]: Look at the idioms you used, and start worrying about your own Chinese exam.

Still so cutting.

Tao Zhi pouted and started typing again.

[Zhizhi Grape]: Worry about yourself, Your Highness. This Ben Gong is, of course, well prepared.

After sending it, she remembered the misunderstanding this title had caused before. Her mind went blank for a second, and out of guilty conscience or something else, she quickly typed to explain.

[Zhizhi Grape]: By Ben Gong I mean Princess, that’s how princesses refer to themselves! I hope your thoughts aren’t that shallow.

She had originally wanted to add a little explanation—that “Your Highness” could also refer to a Princess Highness, and that her earlier comments about Consort Li had just been a flight of fancy.

Really, they were half-sisters of different fathers and mothers.

She absolutely harbored no other improper intentions.

Yes, perfectly reasonable.

Tao Zhi tapped her phone screen with her fingertip to light it up again, just as she was about to type more—her phone gently vibrated in her hand, interrupting her movement.

She glanced up.

[Pretty Girl Boss Jiang Qihuai]: Mn. Then do well on your exam, Princess.