The sound of the door opening was unmistakable. Yan Xi had a few seconds to react and run, but she stood firm, staring straight ahead.

Jiang Chizhou stepped out, his damp hair tousled, standing on the absorbent mat with wet footprints trailing behind him. As expected, he wasn’t wearing… a shirt.

A gray towel was wrapped securely around his lower body, revealing his well-defined abs. His muscles were clearly cut, with sharp lines running down his torso. As Yan Xi’s gaze moved upward, she noticed his prominent collarbones. It suddenly hit her—this wasn’t the little boy she remembered.

Heat rushed through her as she realized she was staring. Jiang Chizhou, noticing her wide-eyed gaze, scowled, “Had enough of a look?”

Standing just a meter away from him, Yan Xi could have easily moved closer. She eyed him curiously and asked, “Is this… an eight-pack?”

“Yan Xi! Are you even a girl?” Jiang Chizhou was getting flustered under her heated gaze. He quickly snatched the clothes from her hands and turned to go back into the room.

The door slammed shut with a loud *thud*, and once he was inside, Yan Xi stuck out her tongue at the door and made a face. “It’s not like I asked to see anything, stingy…”

But before she could finish her words, the door creaked open again with a sharp “click—.”

Startled, Yan Xi jumped back. Jiang Chizhou stood there, straight-backed, still shirtless, with his clothes draped over his arm.

Switching roles, Jiang Chizhou now held the upper hand. He gestured for her to come closer. “Come on, take another look.”

Yan Xi: “…”

Suddenly, she didn’t feel like looking anymore.

“What, lost your nerve?”

“Lost my nerve? As if!” She puffed out her cheeks and stepped forward, inspecting his body close enough to see every freckle and mole.

Jiang Chizhou was definitely blessed. Even after spending hours under the sun, his skin remained fair, though not delicate like a girl’s, but healthy and vibrant. Water droplets fell from his hair onto his arm, and he casually wiped them away with his thumb. Lifting his eyelids, he asked, “Seen enough?”

Yan Xi swallowed hard, her throat visibly moving as she pretended to be unimpressed. “It’s alright. Not bad, I guess. But you’re nothing compared to some of the handsome guys I’ve seen.”

A shadow crossed Jiang Chizhou’s eyes, and his lips curved into a smirk. “Who else have you been looking at?”

Just then, Jiang’s mom, Song Xian, returned home, shocked to see the scene in front of her. Her keys slipped from her hand and fell to the floor. “What are you two doing…”

Caught off guard, Yan Xi instinctively shoved Jiang Chizhou away and quickly retreated, her heart racing as she tried to explain to his mom. “Aunt Song, I just came by for some water… heh… nothing else.”

Jiang’s mom’s full name was Song Xian.

“But I just saw you two—” Song Xian started, but Yan Xi quickly grabbed her arm, steering her away and cutting her off.

“Did you go shopping today, Aunt Song? The elevator was broken earlier. Did you take the stairs up? You must be tired. Want me to turn on the AC?”

“No, I took the elevator, I’m fine.” Song Xian had been thoroughly distracted by Yan Xi’s chatter, her thoughts wandering away from the awkward scene she had just walked in on. “The AC is already on.”

“Really?” Yan Xi tilted her head, wondering when it had been turned on. Perhaps Jiang Chizhou had done it when he got home.

Song Xian, completely sidetracked now, started talking about her shopping trip. “The mall had some sales today. I bought a few new outfits.”

Yan Xi gave an awkward laugh, stealing a quick glance toward the bathroom.

Song Xian, excited to share her purchases, pulled out several items for Yan Xi to see. She held up two T-shirts, one black and one white, before picking up the white one. “This one might not suit me, but it’s perfect for young people like you.”

Yan Xi hadn’t been paying much attention.

Song Xian enthusiastically held the T-shirt against Yan Xi, nodding in approval. “It looks great. You’d look wonderful in this. Why don’t you take it?”

“Oh, no, that’s alright…” Yan Xi knew Song Xian’s idea of a sale still involved high-end items, and she felt embarrassed to accept.

“Don’t be shy. We’re practically family.” Song Xian quickly folded the T-shirt and put it into a bag, pressing it into Yan Xi’s hands. “It’s brand new. The tags are still on. Trust me, it’ll look amazing on you.”

“Aunt Song, I really can’t accept this,” Yan Xi tried to refuse again.

But Song Xian was insistent. “It doesn’t suit me, so it’ll just go to waste. Better you wear it, and I can admire how good you look in it.”

The T-shirt had a bold design with some English letters and a few bright, blended colors. Yan Xi hadn’t bothered to figure out what the letters meant, but the design was cool and unique.

In the end, she couldn’t refuse and ended up taking the white T-shirt.

It took forever for Jiang Chizhou to come out of the bathroom, even after Yan Xi had received the shirt. As soon as he emerged, Yan Xi immediately left, handing the task of dealing with his mom back to him. “I’ll be heading home now.”

She put on her best cute and polite voice, as she always did around adults.

“Come over anytime!” Song Xian called after her, fond of the girl. She had always wished for a daughter, but complications during Jiang Chizhou’s birth had left her unable to have more children.

As soon as Yan Xi left, Song Xian turned her attention to her son. “Zhou Zhou, I bought you some new clothes today. Come and have a look…”

Jiang Chizhou: “…”

He suddenly wanted to drag that girl back here.

—

In less than a minute, Yan Xi had made it back home, which was one of the benefits of being neighbors with Jiang Chizhou—everything was close by!

Her parents hadn’t returned from work yet, but Yan Xi noticed Xiao Ran’s shoes by the door, indicating she was home. She knocked on her door. “Ran Ran?”

The door was slightly ajar, and Xiao Ran quickly came out upon hearing her. Seeing that Yan Xi had returned safely, Xiao Ran finally relaxed. “Sis, are you okay?”

“What would be wrong with me?” Yan Xi was puzzled.

Xiao Ran hesitated. “About the money earlier…”

“Oh, that? It’s all taken care of,” Yan Xi said, brushing it off. “Not only did I clear the 500 yuan debt, but I also secured my pocket money for the whole semester!”

Her mom only gave her enough allowance for small things, but Jiang Chizhou was different. He had always been the one with the most pocket money in their group. Back when she used to dislike him, it might have even been out of jealousy over his allowance.

After hesitating a bit longer, Xiao Ran cautiously asked, “Sis, are you… close with Jiang Chizhou?”

“No way!” Yan Xi shook her finger in front of Xiao Ran’s face and clearly enunciated, “We’re sworn enemies!”

“Oh.” Xiao Ran was a quiet person and had only asked out of concern. Hearing Yan Xi’s confident response, she relaxed.

Yan Xi’s nonchalant tone reassured her. No one would speak so casually about someone they genuinely disliked.

—

A week into the school term, the classrooms were lively with chatter, even about minor things like the air conditioning.

“This AC isn’t blowing any cold air.”

“Be grateful. In middle school, we didn’t even have a working fan.”

Students made friends quickly, and Yan Xi, with her outgoing personality, easily became popular in her new class. Her striking appearance also left a lasting impression.

“Yan Xi, there’s something on your nose.”

“You don’t get it—that’s a beauty mark!”

A beauty mark on a beautiful face—indeed, it was fitting.

Soon enough, everyone in her class knew her as “the girl with the beauty mark.”

By the end of the first week, it became widely known throughout Class 3 of Grade 10 that there was a “beautiful girl with a beauty mark.”

Over in Class 1 of Grade 11, Song Feiyang returned from the campus shop with a few bottles of water. Passing Jiang Chizhou’s desk, he set one down for him.

After handing out the drinks, he circled back to Jiang Chizhou and leaned against the stack of books on his desk. “Hey, Jiang, have you heard? There’s a girl in Class 3 of Grade 10 with a beauty mark. Sounds like it might be Sister Xi.”

Being older than Yan Xi, Song Feiyang had taken to calling her “Sister” after she’d overheard him call Jiang Chizhou “brother” and demanded equal treatment.

“What’s that got to do with me?” Jiang Chizhou muttered, reaching for his book.

But Song Feiyang’s arm was still on the pile of books, so Jiang Chizhou yanked one out, using it to shield his face.

Back in Class 3 of Grade 10, a girl approached the second row, where the class rep for Chinese sat. “Mr

. Qu said he’s a bit busy, so he asked you to go to the office and get his lesson plan. It has a USB drive inside. Use it to lead the class in previewing the lesson.”

The Chinese class rep clutched her stomach and called over to her deskmate. “Yan Xi, could you go for me? I’m not feeling well.”

As Yan Xi turned, she noticed a pack of sanitary pads in the class rep’s pocket. She nodded and agreed to help, following the other girl out.

However, when they reached the office, they couldn’t find the lesson plan and USB drive.

A nearby teacher exclaimed, “Oh! I just remembered. The class rep from Class 1 of Grade 11 came by to pick up some homework earlier and must have accidentally taken it.”

Hearing that they needed to go to the senior class, the girl beside Yan Xi seemed excited. “Do you know? They say the two most handsome guys in the school are in Class 1 of Grade 11!”

Yan Xi didn’t know, but she didn’t want to kill the girl’s enthusiasm. “I’ve heard a bit about that.”

The girl then asked, “Do you know Jiang Chizhou?”

“…” Yan Xi froze for a second before quickly shaking her head, her expression totally calm. “Nope. Don’t know him.”

As they reached the door of Class 1, there was indeed a pile of exercise books on the teacher’s desk. While the girl explained their purpose to a student sitting nearby, a loud voice called out, “Jiang Chizhou! It’s your turn for cleaning duty today.”

The boy, who had been lounging with his legs crossed, only realized it was his turn when his name was called. Lazily, he got up from his seat, only to find himself locking eyes with Yan Xi, who was flipping through the exercise books at the front.

The eye contact wasn’t the issue.

The issue was that they were both wearing identical T-shirts—except for the color, one black and one white!

“Didn’t you say you didn’t know him?”