Mid-October
Recently, Xiao Ran had become immersed in her studies. Every afternoon after school, she would go to the library to study with Hu Xiushui, and she wouldn’t return home until 9 p.m. Yan Xi, being used to her own freedom, didn’t like to interfere in other people’s affairs, but Zhao Qiujing wasn’t so at ease. She subtly instructed her daughter, “Xiao Ran, do you have to study so late every day?”
Xiao Ran, having anticipated the question, promptly showed her a study schedule she had prepared, holding the edges of the paper delicately, and said softly, “If you don’t believe me, you can come with me to see.”
Hearing her studious little sister’s offer, Yan Xi immediately retreated, “No, no, please spare me…” She wasn’t going to bother with that. If it weren’t for the pressure of getting good grades, she wouldn’t even bother attending classes.
Yan Xi also privately asked Hu Xiushui about it, and both answers were consistent. Looking at Xiao Ran’s cautious demeanor, she didn’t seem like the type to lie. She was a good student after all.
With that, Yan Xi reported her findings back to her mother, reassuring her. They trusted Xiao Ran and didn’t investigate further.
Late October arrived, and the high school students were busy cramming for the end-of-month exams. The previous month, due to the short time since school started and the long National Day holiday, they had managed to avoid the monthly exams, but there was no escaping the end-of-October tests.
Unlike the usual midterms and finals, every high school monthly exam was taken seriously, with overall scores and rankings meticulously recorded. The workload was heavy, and even Yan Xi, who had turned down invitations from friends to go out recently, began reviewing material from the past two months.
She didn’t like studying with Xiao Ran, who preferred quiet environments and went to the library with Hu Xiushui. Yan Xi, on the other hand, couldn’t stand being in such a silent place for hours—she’d feel suffocated. Instead, she stayed at school, where she could ask for help if she didn’t understand something.
Shu Yu, who had once been quiet, had somehow become more helpful, even going out of his way to offer, “If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”
Yan Xi waved him off casually, “Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Though she said that, she didn’t deliberately seek him out for help, preferring to pester her academically talented deskmate instead.
Golden sunlight poured in through the windows, streaming through the clear glass onto the edge of her desk. Her right arm rested halfway outside, casting shadows in the golden light. Shu Yu, seated behind her, could only see her back. When she turned her head, her ponytail would sway with her movements, radiating youthful energy. Even just sitting there, she exuded an uplifting aura.
Yan Xi had a carefree nature; she never overthought anything and liked to go with the flow, doing whatever felt comfortable. She wouldn’t try to decipher hidden intentions; if someone didn’t say something, she wouldn’t bother to guess. As she often said, “I’ll take you at your word. If you don’t want to express yourself, I’m not going to pry.”
Such a person lived a happy life.
–
Occasionally, though, Yan Xi and Shu Yu would end up discussing questions together, and it was during one such moment that Jiang Chizhou happened to walk in on them.
It seemed his earlier “lesson” hadn’t made her come to her senses. Not only had she not distanced herself from the person who clearly had designs on her, but they were now chatting like that?
Recently, Jiang Chizhou had been in a persistently bad mood, his temper spilling over onto the innocent. Information-gatherer Song Feiyang, who was always roving about with gossip, managed to poke around and uncover the reason behind Jiang Chizhou’s irritation.
When Jiang Chizhou mentioned his attempt to educate her with a political science textbook, Song Feiyang gave him a verbal slap, “Jiang Ge, are you an idiot?”
Jiang Chizhou shot him a sharp glare, so piercing it sent chills down Song Feiyang’s spine. But he braved it and, with a mischievous grin, teased, “You’re trying to feed Xi Jie those ideas, and you expect her to like you? How are you going to chase her?”
Jiang Chizhou: “…”
The water bottle in his hand was crunched under his grip, the plastic making a loud popping sound.
“Who said I’m chasing her?”
That denial had Song Feiyang laughing aloud, “Sure, you’re not chasing her.”
Not chasing her? Then why twist the poor water bottle into a pretzel? That bottle didn’t deserve that!
–
Friday night, the spacious house was quiet.
Song Xian, right on time, called her son, “Chizhou, your father and I are caught up with something here and can’t leave. Remember to visit Grandpa and Grandma Wen tomorrow. The gifts are on the table.”
“I got it,” he replied, holding the black phone to his ear while lounging on the couch.
After a few nagging reminders, Song Xian added, “And don’t forget to eat properly—less takeout.”
“Mm.” Jiang Chizhou acknowledged each of her instructions.
Once the call ended, his long fingers traced a circle on the marble coffee table.
He got up to check the kitchen, but soon came back empty-handed, lazily lying back on the couch, sinking into the soft cushions, his phone screen illuminating his face.
Half an hour later, the takeout arrived.
The next morning, at eight sharp, his alarm rang. Jiang Chizhou got up quickly, tidied himself up, and left, carrying two heavy bags of gifts from the table.
*
Saturday
The bustling snack street was busy from morning till night. Xiao Ran and Hu Xiushui wore aprons, helping out at two adjacent small eateries.
The stores were tiny, with seven or eight tables packed into the cramped space, all within sight of the entrance. But these places were cheap and attracted a steady stream of customers all day long.
Xiao Ran had found this part-time job through Hu Xiushui. They were underage, not meeting the hiring requirements, so the shop owners let them lie about their age, pretending they were “relatives” helping out.
As for why the owners were willing to take the risk of hiring them? It was because they wanted to save money—these girls were cheaper than hiring a regular employee.
For kids who needed money, a few hundred yuan might seem little, but they were already content with it.
Using studying as an excuse, they had actually been working these part-time jobs for almost a month.
They thought they could keep it up, but places as crowded as Xiao Jing’s snack street were prone to trouble.
After lying about their ages, they were targeted by a couple of thuggish young men in their twenties who frequented the shop, persistently bothering Xiao Ran to be one of their girlfriends.
After being rejected several times, the thugs got angry. That day, as Xiao Ran was on her way home, they followed her and cornered her at an intersection.
“What… what do you want?” she stammered.
“You still don’t know what we want?” one of the men sneered. “Xiao Ran, just agree to be my girlfriend, and I’ll give you money. You won’t have to work yourself to death waiting tables every day.”
Their lewd laughter made her sick, but Xiao Ran, with no strength to fight back, was easily restrained.
She struggled desperately, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded, “I’m only 15! Please let me go!”
But the thugs had no patience to listen, roughly grabbing her.
“Help—” Her cry was muffled as they covered her mouth.
Xiao Ran cried in despair, thinking if these men really harmed her today, her life would be ruined.
Just as hope was fading, the situation flipped. The two thugs were suddenly attacked from behind, knocked to the ground. They had brute strength, but their assailant used skill. Realizing they had encountered an expert, the men had no chance to fight back.
Jiang Chizhou, having taken them both down with ease, stepped on one of them and muttered, “Tch, scum.”
The two thugs scrambled away, leaving the frightened girl huddled in a corner.
Jiang Chizhou didn’t reach out to help her but kept his distance, about a meter away. “Hey, are you okay?”
That voice… it sounded familiar.
Xiao Ran looked up, her eyes widening in shock!
Clearly, Jiang Chizhou recognized her as well. His brows furrowed as he scanned her, noting her disheveled hair but otherwise intact clothes. It seemed nothing major had happened yet.
Still, the situation was awkward.
Suppressing her sobs, Xiao Ran leaned against the wall to stand up, but realized she had twisted her ankle. She bit her lip and nodded, limping forward.
“Wait…” Jiang Chizhou called after her, gesturing to the side. “Your backpack’s over there.”
Reminded, Xiao Ran retrieved the bag that had been tossed aside, slinging it over her shoulder.
Noticing her awkward gait, Jiang Chizhou asked offhandedly, “Need to go to the hospital?”
“I just twisted it. It’ll be fine in a couple of days,” she replied. She’d twisted her ankle before and knew it would heal on its own.
“Alright.” He didn’t push the matter, and when they reached
the street corner, he magnanimously offered, “Let’s grab a cab.”
Slowly getting into the cab, and then slowly getting out, Jiang Chizhou just watched from the side, while even the driver commented, “Hey kid, why don’t you help the young lady?”
“Tch…” He wasn’t the type to do things just because of others’ opinions.
When they reached the steps leading to the apartment complex, Xiao Ran hesitated. It was difficult to climb in her current state, so she finally gathered the courage to ask, “Um… could you lend me a hand?”
Already two steps up, Jiang Chizhou turned back, hesitated for a moment, then instructed, “Take out a book.”
Though confused, Xiao Ran obediently opened her bag and pulled out a suitably thick book.
Taking the book from her, Jiang Chizhou rolled it up into a cylinder, gripping one end and offering her the other. “Hold onto this.”
The whole scene looked like something out of ancient times when men and women adhered strictly to propriety.
Xiao Ran found his tone a bit harsh, and it made her nervous.
Jiang Chizhou frowned impatiently, “Are you going to move or not?”
Like someone cowering before a bully, Xiao Ran hurriedly grabbed the other end and used it to help pull herself up the stairs.
Strands of hair clung to her face, tickling her eyes, but Jiang Chizhou didn’t seem to notice—he was focused on walking ahead.
Once they reached the top of the stairs, Xiao Ran let go of the improvised support, sincerely thanking him, “Thank you, Jiang Chizhou.”
“Mm.” He responded with a low grunt, barely acknowledging her.
This version of Jiang Chizhou was different from the one she had known before. As they got closer to home, Xiao Ran made a request, “Could you not tell my cousin about this?”
“Do I look like I have nothing better to do?”
One remark, and he had her at a loss for words. But Xiao Ran understood what he meant—he wouldn’t gossip.
Throughout the entire incident, Jiang Chizhou hadn’t asked her why it had happened. That actually made Xiao Ran feel a little more at ease.
–
Upstairs, Yan Xi, about to take Bian Bian out for a walk, knocked on her neighbor’s door again but got no response.
“That’s strange…”
Where on earth had Jiang Chizhou been all day?