“That word ‘take off’… quite the choice…” Anyone overhearing might think they were talking about something else!
Catching onto the key words, Yan Xi suddenly smiled. “Are you admitting defeat?”
Jiang Chizhou glanced off to the side and casually said, “Nope.”
Without hesitation, Yan Xi slapped his handsome cheek, not bothering to look at him. She shoved his face away. “Then there’s nothing to talk about!” She wasn’t going to back down.
Jiang Chizhou grabbed her hand, his fingers wrapping easily around her slender wrist. “The shirt isn’t guilty. We could discuss this rationally.”
Yan Xi raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Go on.”
Jiang Chizhou suggested, “For example, we could take turns. One wears it one day, the other the next. That way, we won’t match.”
His suggestion felt off somehow, and if it were anyone else proposing this, or anyone else listening, it would have been rejected outright. But Jiang Chizhou was the one suggesting it, and Yan Xi was the one listening.
She thought it over, rubbing her chin out of habit, then nodded. “Makes sense.”
“Xiao Xi, we should get going,” Shu Yu reminded her from nearby. Yan Xi blinked, realizing the time. “Right, it’s time to eat.”
As she pushed her bike past Jiang Chizhou, she tilted her head and said, “We’ll discuss this later.”
The four of them left the school in an orderly line. After a short while, Jiang Chizhou sped up on purpose, and Yan Xi, not to be outdone, chased after him. Meanwhile, Shu Yu and Xiao Ran continued to pedal leisurely behind them.
Watching as the two raced ahead and disappeared from view, Shu Yu slowed his bike to a stop.
Xiao Ran, puzzled, also stopped and looked at him. Shu Yu turned around and, in a calm voice, explained, “Sorry, I need to turn here.”
Xiao Ran was surprised—nobody had ever bothered to tell her something like that before.
Shu Yu pointed down a different path, indicating that he had to part ways with them. Xiao Ran nodded and quietly said, “Okay,” though her voice was so soft it almost disappeared into the air.
However, after turning the corner, Shu Yu looped back along another road. He had already passed his turnoff a while ago. He just wanted to spend a little more time with her. But the girl’s attention was always on someone else, her eyes shining brightest only for one person. She didn’t even realize it herself.
—
Despite their bickering, Yan Xi stopped after a short distance to wait for Xiao Ran. She was stubborn like that—if she was waiting, then Jiang Chizhou wasn’t allowed to leave first either.
Leaning on his bike, Jiang Chizhou crossed his arms and casually glanced around before settling his gaze on her. “That Shu Yu, he’s from your middle school, right?”
But he asked too late. Xiao Ran had already caught up, distracting Yan Xi, so she didn’t hear him clearly. “What did you just say?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Chizhou brushed it off, pedaling forward with a sullen expression.
As the three of them arrived at their apartment building, they ran into Zhao Qiujing, Yan Xi’s mother, who was taking out the trash. “Oh, you’re back. Perfect timing—dinner’s ready.”
Yan Xi, always sweet-tongued, hugged her mother’s arm and praised her cooking skills.
Zhao Qiujing, pleased by the flattery, then remembered Jiang Chizhou standing nearby. “Oh right, Chizhou, have you eaten?”
He shook his head honestly. “Not yet.”
“I thought so. You all came home together, and your mom’s not home, right? How about you stay for dinner today?” Zhao Qiujing offered warmly.
They lived next door, and the families got along well. It wasn’t unusual for the kids to eat together at each other’s houses when the parents were busy.
“Hmm…” Jiang Chizhou dragged out the word, pretending to think about it before replying politely, “Well, I’d hate to impose, but thank you, Auntie.”
Zhao Qiujing headed back inside to prepare, while Yan Xi lazily extended her hand, palm up, wiggling her fingers. “Twenty yuan for dinner, and that’s a discount for you.”
If you gave her a toothpick, she’d be chewing it like a big shot.
“Well, Auntie invited me, right? So if I need to pay, I should ask her first.” Jiang Chizhou stood up slowly, making as if to shout, “Auntie—”
Before he could call out, Yan Xi clapped her hand over his mouth. “Jiang Chizhou! Are you a little tattletale? What are you, a kindergartener? Even preschoolers don’t play like this anymore. Grow up.”
He clicked his tongue, his calm demeanor slipping away. “And you’re saying that with your twenty yuan?”
“Xixi, what are you doing? Come help serve the food.” Zhao Qiujing’s voice called from the kitchen.
“Coming!” Yan Xi pressed Jiang Chizhou back into his seat and went to help in the kitchen.
She first served Xiao Ran, then went back for a second round, hearing her mother instruct, “Make sure Chizhou gets more. He’s a growing boy.”
“Got it.” She piled on an extra scoop and brought the bowl to Jiang Chizhou, her voice saccharine as she handed it to him in front of her mother. “Eat up!”
“Thanks,” Jiang Chizhou responded with a smile.
With their fake politeness, the atmosphere around the table felt a little strange.
They had only taken a few bites when Zhao Qiujing got a work call. “I’ve got something urgent to deal with. You three finish on your own.” She turned to her daughter and added, “Don’t forget to clear the table afterward.”
“Got it, Mom.” Despite her playful nature, Yan Xi was responsible enough to handle small chores like clearing the table.
With Zhao Qiujing gone, the atmosphere was still calm. That is, until the front door clicked shut, and Yan Xi sprang back to life like a wild horse freed from its reins.
She hopped over to Jiang Chizhou, held out her fist, and said, “Let’s go.”
Xiao Ran, quietly eating her meal, watched them curiously. They were playing rock-paper-scissors…
Five rounds in, they kept choosing the same hand. On the sixth round, Yan Xi threw rock, and Jiang Chizhou threw paper.
Jiang Chizhou leaned back leisurely, his posture relaxed as he grinned smugly. “You lost.”
Yan Xi pouted, pulling her hand away from his and slumping back into her seat. “Bad luck.”
She and Jiang Chizhou had a silent agreement—if their parents weren’t around to watch, they’d play rock-paper-scissors to decide who would do the chores. It was their unspoken rule, and Yan Xi always honored her losses.
“Sis, I’ll clean up later,” Xiao Ran offered after dinner.
“No need, no need. It’s just a few dishes. I’ll be done in no time.” Yan Xi shooed her cousin away.
Xiao Ran sighed quietly as she left the kitchen. Both her aunt and cousin were always so kind to her, making sure she didn’t have to lift a finger. But that only made her feel more guilty, like she was living off them without giving anything back.
Jiang Chizhou strolled into the kitchen at some point, leaning against the doorframe like he was watching a show.
Feeling his gaze, Yan Xi scrubbed the dishes harder and snapped, “What are you looking at, you jerk?”
It was a phrase commonly used in her class, and it rolled off her tongue naturally.
“I was thinking about helping, but now I see I’m not needed.” Jiang Chizhou pretended to be disappointed and turned to leave.
Yan Xi immediately changed her tune and pulled him back. “No, no! I really need your help, Chizhou! Come wash the dishes with me.”
The two of them squeezed in by the sink. As they bumped into the dishes, the faucet sprayed water everywhere. Jiang Chizhou squinted and complained, “Water splashed into my eyes.”
“Huh?” Yan Xi stood on tiptoe, trying to check his eye. “Let me see.”
Her first instinct wasn’t to ask if he was okay, but to check for herself.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ran, who had poked her head into the kitchen, saw the scene and gasped, covering her mouth in surprise before quickly retreating to her room. She had just missed the conversation in the kitchen.
Jiang Chizhou slowly opened his eyes, staring at Yan Xi’s face up close. He suddenly asked, “Have you gained weight?”
Yan Xi: “???”
Not only did he say that, but he also pinched her cheek. “Your face has gotten rounder.”
Yan Xi could hear her teeth grinding together. “Get away from me, you jerk!”
Did he really just call her fat?!!
Talking about a girl’s weight was a huge no-no, and Jiang Chizhou had just casually dropped that bombshell!
This was unforgivable!
Later, Yan Xi went to grab something from Xiao Ran’s room, which was right next to hers.
After retrieving what she needed, she was about to leave when Xiao Ran stopped her. “Sis, are you…”
She wanted to ask if Yan Xi and Jiang Chizhou were secretly dating.
In the past, a girl who had been close to Xiao Ran had secretly started
dating a boy, and Xiao Ran had unknowingly become a third wheel on several occasions. Eventually, the boy had asked her to give them more space.
Those words had embarrassed Xiao Ran deeply. She had been red with shame and a little hurt, too. Since then, she’d been extra sensitive about the topic of secret relationships.
Yan Xi always said she and Jiang Chizhou were sworn enemies, but from what Xiao Ran had observed, they didn’t act like enemies at all.
They bickered constantly, but their words never truly hurt one another. They competed over everything, and while their battles might seem childish to others, they had a unique understanding between them.
Yan Xi knew all of Jiang Chizhou’s likes and habits, and Jiang Chizhou was particularly indulgent with Yan Xi in certain ways.
It had only been half a month, and Xiao Ran had already noticed so much.
She had once thought their rapport was simply because they had known each other for so long, but after what she had just witnessed in the kitchen, she began to doubt it…
Xiao Ran struggled to find the right words. Yan Xi, being more direct, couldn’t stand the hesitation. “Ran Ran, just say what you want. Don’t be shy—speak up.”
“I was just wondering… are you in love with Jiang Chizhou?”
Jiang Chizhou, who had been about to come over and apologize, froze in his tracks outside the door, careful not to make a sound.