"If I knew Liu Jiang didn't like me, I'd definitely be very sad. At school, shouldn't students listen carefully to teachers and be liked by them?"

Only then did Zhou Siyue stop. He leaned back, his gaze resting on her for a moment, then lowered his head, smiled, and shook his head: "Who told you that students must be liked by teachers?"

"...?"

"Are you here to study? Or to seek affection?"

"..."

"Students and teachers have an equal relationship; respect is mutual. Similarly, I prefer math and dislike Chinese, so Zhan Wenli doesn't like me. Isn't that normal? If Zhan Wenli still liked me despite this, shouldn't I feel creeped out?"

'Right, right, everything you say is right.'

"Everything has relativity. When we make a choice, we're simultaneously abandoning the other side of that choice. The balance of interests will be broken; there's no way to have the best of both worlds in this world. For example, you want to live, right? You have to eat, right? That means you'll get fat."

Ding Xian didn't understand the first half of the sentence, but the second half...

"Who are you calling fat?"

Zhou Siyue smiled faintly: "I didn't say you. I was just giving an example. Why are you getting so agitated?"

Ding Xian stared at him, a faint smile playing on her lips. With lightning speed, she grabbed the Chinese textbook from the desk and swung it at him. Zhou Siyue blocked it with one hand, then seized it with the other, chuckling as he scolded, "You've gone rogue."

"Ding Xian."

A voice suddenly came from the doorway.

Both of them stopped at the same time, instantly wiping their smiles, and looked towards the door. You Keke was standing there, beaming.

Outside the classroom, the wind was strong, making You Keke's skirt, which reached her upper thighs, flutter gracefully, lighter than a butterfly.

Ding Xian sighed inwardly and got up to go out.

You Keke pulled her to the stairwell and whispered, "Want to eat lunch together?"

She had thought that after National Day, this matter would probably be forgotten. Unexpectedly, You Keke still remembered and even came to find her on the first day back to school.

You Keke swung her arm, and the large waves on her chest swayed back and forth with it, making Ding Xian's head ache.

"Alright."

At lunchtime, You Keke was already waiting at the entrance.

Girls with beautiful looks and good figures always easily attract the attention of boys. The students in Class Three were no exception; several boys' gazes lingered on You Keke as they passed by.

As soon as Ding Xian stepped out, You Keke affectionately linked her arm, walking with her towards the cafeteria.

Song Ziqi, behind them, was stunned. He said to Zhou Siyue, "Holy cow, where did that beauty come from? Do you think this little girl attracts beauties more than us? How come all the beauties want to be friends with her?"

Zhou Siyue, hands in his pockets, looked casually at Ding Xian's small back and said indifferently, "Probably because she's a good contrast."

Song Ziqi gave him a sideways glance, looking thoroughly exasperated.

For several days in a row, You Keke and Ding Xian were inseparable during lunch breaks.

She had thought You Keke would use this connection with Ding Xian to ask to chat with Zhou Siyue, to get to know him and such. But she didn't mention it at all. Instead, they just talked about girls' little secrets.

"Why don't you wear a bra? And you wear these camisoles. Be careful, your breast shape might not develop well later."

"Don't always wear pants. Try wearing skirts."

"Your hair is too ordinary. You should get a haircut like mine."

To these kinds of questions, Ding Xian always responded with silence, trying to end the topic as quickly as possible and finding an excuse to rush back to the classroom.

After this kind of interaction continued for a week.

Ding Xian finally couldn't take it anymore and couldn't help but tell You Keke: "Keke, if you like Zhou Siyue, you should bravely go after him yourself, instead of trying to use me to bridge the gap. Last time, when I helped you deliver the love letter, Zhou Siyue was already very angry with me. I'm afraid... I can't help you anymore."

'Finally, she said it.'

You Keke looked at her shrewdly for a moment, then burst into giggles after a while: "To be honest, I'm very lazy and don't like actively pursuing boys."

"Huh?"

'What kind of thought process is that?'

You Keke sighed: "I don't know why, but girls always like to make things difficult for other girls. Pretty girls always seem to be disliked, though not absolutely. It's probably my personality; I'm careless and don't pay attention to what I say, always offending people. When I first started hanging out with you, I never thought of using you to get close to Zhou Siyue. I just purely felt very comfortable with you."

"Then what about Zhou Siyue..."

"Usually, when I send a love letter, the boy will come looking for me the next day. If he doesn't, it means he's not interested in me. Why would I keep pestering him? So many days have passed, and he hasn't responded, which means he's not interested in me. Besides, I've heard Zhou Siyue's name before; I was already prepared to be rejected. And, I just thought it would be cool to be with him, that's why I wanted to pursue him."

'Pfft.'

It was the first time Ding Xian heard someone describe Zhou Siyue this way. Ding Xian only thought of someone like Xia Sihan as 'cool'.

"He's... cool?"

You Keke sat on a bench by the lake, her two fair, tender legs swinging back and forth. She nodded as a matter of course: "He's handsome, has good grades, lots of friends, and everyone recognizes him wherever he goes. Wouldn't it be cool to be his girlfriend?"

"...Just because it's cool?"

"Yes, just because it's cool." You Keke smiled: "You don't think that liking someone at our age is true love, do you? Don't be silly. The road ahead is so long. How do you know if the next one won't be even handsomer, richer, and have more friends? Anyway, I won't hang myself on one tree."

As they walked back, they ran into Kong Shadi at the stairwell.

You Keke, linking arms with Ding Xian, said, "I'm leaving. I'll come find you tomorrow."

Ding Xian stood at the classroom door and nodded slightly.

Just as she turned around.

Her shoulder was forcefully bumped. The impact made her lose her footing, and she stumbled sideways, falling directly onto Zhou Siyue, who was taking a nap.

The boy's back was warm from the sun. She covered Zhou Siyue completely beneath her, her soft chest colliding with his hard back, and Ding Xian's face instantly flushed.

The desk and chair let out a sharp "creak" from the impact.

Ding Xian lay sprawled on Zhou Siyue.

She heard a muddled, very short and abrupt sound from beneath her—

'Fuck.'

'It's over. The person who never swore just swore.'

Ding Xian was on the verge of tears.