Tang You, full of excitement, stopped in front of him and blinked, “Have you been waiting long?”

Zhou Qinyao smiled and shook his head, “No.”

As his lips curled up slightly, the atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous.

Tang You shyly tucked her hair behind her ear. “So… what do you need me for?”

Zhou Qinyao retrieved a white box from the back seat. “Here, this is for you. I replaced your SIM card.”

Tang You glanced down— the latest model of the XS.

She was momentarily stunned and looked up in a daze. “For me?”

Zhou Qinyao didn’t say much more. He took out his phone and told her, “I’ve already saved my number in there.”

“…”

“If you need anything, you can reach me.”

“…”

These words carried a strong sense of protectiveness.

It was as if he was saying, *As long as you have this phone, I’ll always be here.*

A wave of sweetness surged through Tang You’s heart.

She accepted the phone, and since it wasn’t password-protected, she pressed the button and it went straight to the home screen.

Instinctively, Tang You opened the contacts.

There was only one entry listed—

**”24-Hour Hotline”**

She couldn’t help but laugh and pointed at it, asking Zhou Qinyao, “What does this mean?”

Zhou Qinyao replied, “It means that no matter what the issue, no matter what time, you can always reach me.”

He paused and added, “I keep my phone on 24/7.”

“…”

Tang You had lived a privileged life, seemingly a pampered young lady, but she rarely experienced this kind of genuine concern and being held close to someone’s heart.

Ever since she could remember, Fang Lai and Tang Yuanxiao had been constantly busy. The family did indeed grow wealthier, but out of the 365 days of the year, Tang You spent most of her time with Aunt Rong.

So now, even such a simple gesture touched Tang You’s fragile and tender heart deeply.

Zhou Qinyao noticed the girl’s eyes inexplicably reddened and, feeling a bit flustered, he pulled her closer and asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”

Tang You quickly shook her head. Then, as if a thought had crossed her mind, she asked with a half-smile, half-tear expression, “Can I call you if I don’t know how to do my homework?”

Zhou Qinyao exhaled, shook his head, and smiled helplessly, “Yes, you can.”

…

The falling leaves drifted silently in the wind, quietly carrying away the tension of the moment.

Although neither of them explicitly stated anything further, both were well aware of their feelings.

For Tang You, Zhou Qinyao was no longer just a secret crush but someone who gave her enough security to sustain her when she woke up in the middle of the night, staring at her empty, lonely bedroom, knowing that he was just across the alley.

Knowing he was nearby was enough to make her feel safe.

Time passed slowly in this unspoken understanding. Even as Fang Lai remained busy in Haicheng, she never forgot to call often. Upon hearing that Tang You was doing well and hadn’t insisted on getting her phone back, Fang Lai gradually let go of her concerns about that “Brother Y.”

By December, autumn had passed, and early winter had arrived.

This week, an education research team from the provincial government was scheduled to visit No. 5 High School to inspect the preparations of the senior class for their upcoming exams. To prepare for the visit, the school organized a general assembly for the students.

Ten rows of students were neatly lined up on the sports field, each class standing in perfect order, listening to the principal explain the key points to keep in mind.

Class A from the International Department happened to be standing next to Regular Class 3.

Since the start of winter, the coursework had become more intense, and Tang You hadn’t seen Cheng Xuan for a few days. When she spotted her from afar standing at the back of the line, she switched places with one of her classmates.

Standing next to Cheng Xuan, she quietly called out, “Xuan Jie.”

Cheng Xuan turned her head and, upon seeing Tang You, smiled and lowered her voice, “What are you doing here?”

“I haven’t thanked you yet for accompanying Jiang Ding to dinner last time.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for.” Cheng Xuan, with her hands in her pockets, leaned her head closer and winked at her, “I was more than happy to do it.”

“Did he treat you to dinner?”

“Yes, it was Western food.”

Hearing this, Tang You felt relieved and thought she should properly thank Jiang Ding another day. He didn’t go behind her back to report to Fang Lai and even treated her friend to a meal.

But Cheng Xuan’s next words made Tang You’s heart skip a beat.

“He even asked for my phone number.”

Tang You’s expression changed slightly, “You didn’t give it to him, did you?”

“Of course I did! He’s my favorite guy!”

“…”

Tang You fell silent, unsure of how to respond.

Cheng Xuan was her best friend, and although Jiang Ding had been like an older brother to her since childhood, he was constantly surrounded by rumors and flings, never settling down.

“Xuan Jie,” Tang You hesitated before trying to warn her, “Jiang Ding likes to have fun. You can admire him, even like him, but don’t get too emotionally involved. What I mean is—”

“I get it.” Cheng Xuan seemed to be pondering something, then suddenly smiled and looked ahead, “Don’t worry, he hasn’t called me once. He’s probably already forgotten about me.”

Tang You thought to herself, *It’s just as well if he has.*

For someone used to flitting from flower to flower, if Cheng Xuan were to get involved, it would only end in heartbreak and pain.

Today was especially cold.

The two of them didn’t talk anymore, quietly listening to the principal’s speech on the stage.

He spoke for nearly twenty minutes, and everyone stood obediently in line. After standing for a while, Tang You suddenly felt a bit unwell.

It happened in an instant—her heart started racing, and her vision became blurry.

Instinctively, she leaned against Cheng Xuan, “Xuan Jie, I feel a bit dizzy.”

Cheng Xuan quickly supported her, “What’s wrong?”