Tang You was completely unaware of what was happening on the racetrack.

She didn’t know what Zhou Qinyao said to the people around him that left them all stunned, while he walked away with a faint smile.

Watching him walk toward her, Tang You felt an incredible sense of peace.

No one knew that her teacher had approved half a day off for her. To avoid arousing Uncle Yang’s suspicion, after a round of fun, Zhou Qinyao took Tang You back to school.

Not long after, Uncle Yang’s car arrived at the school gate. Tang You pretended as if she had just finished school and naturally got into the car.

Zhou Qinyao didn’t leave immediately; he stayed at the station watching her.

The nanny car slowly drove away, and as it passed by the man, Tang You lowered the car window, looked at him from afar, and mouthed, “Bye-bye.”

Zhou Qinyao responded to her with the same mouthing, “Bye-bye.”

A single glance conveyed endless reluctance.

Even as the car turned the corner, Tang You still looked back longingly.

Uncle Yang noticed her unusual behavior from the rearview mirror and asked curiously, “Miss, what are you looking at?”

Tang You sat properly, a subtle, sweet smile that only she could understand slowly forming at the corner of her mouth.

“Nothing.”

When she got home, Tang You was in a great mood. After dinner, her foreign language teacher came as usual to give her lessons, and even the teacher praised her for her refreshed state.

Tang You felt that even playing the violin tonight was smoother than usual.

After the lesson ended at 8:30 PM, as Tang You went downstairs to see the teacher off, Aunt Rong happened to come in from outside, holding a small cardboard box.

Seeing Tang You, Aunt Rong handed her the box. “Miss, someone just delivered this. They said it’s your package.”

Tang You: ?

She hadn’t bought anything.

The box didn’t even have a proper shipping label, so Aunt Rong was already a bit suspicious. Seeing the surprise on Tang You’s face, she became even more cautious.

“Don’t touch it, Miss!” Aunt Rong immediately found a pair of scissors and cut open the box. “Let me see what it is!”

Tang You opened her mouth, but before she could stop her, the box was already opened.

Inside was a bag, and Aunt Rong pulled it out.

“…?”

The bag was filled with various kinds of candy—gummies, milk candies, marshmallows, lollipops—all in a big colorful mix.

Seeing nothing unusual, Aunt Rong hesitated and looked up. “Miss, did you buy this candy?”

By this time, Tang You already had a strong premonition and knew who had sent the candy. She hurriedly nodded, “Yes, yes, I forgot. I ordered a bag of candy from a local supermarket this afternoon.”

Hearing this, Aunt Rong finally relaxed and handed the bag to her.

Tang You’s heart was pounding. After Aunt Rong left, she quickly grabbed the candy and ran back to her bedroom on the second floor.

She locked the door, then took out the phone Zhou Qinyao had given her from the inner layer of her school bag.

Every day before coming home, Tang You would cautiously turn off the phone, afraid that it might accidentally make a sound and be discovered by Aunt Rong. She would only secretly take it out when she went to bed.

She pressed the power button, and after a few brief seconds, the phone screen lit up.

Along with the light, there was also a text message notification.

Tang You’s heart began to race with nervous excitement.

This phone only had one contact saved—Zhou Qinyao’s number. So if it wasn’t spam, it had to be from him.

She opened the message box, and sure enough—

24-hour service hotline: [What’s your favorite flavor?]

Attached below was a picture of various candies.

Perhaps because Tang You’s phone was off and she hadn’t responded, Zhou Qinyao sent another message after a while:

[I bought a bit of each flavor. It’ll be delivered to your home soon.]

After reading the messages, Tang You leaned against the door and secretly smiled.

This feeling of being cared for and loved, known only to herself, was too beautiful. She used to find life dull and boring, with nothing but violin practice and classes every day. But now, with Zhou Qinyao, everything seemed brighter, more vivid, and worth looking forward to.

She poured all the candies into the small drawer by her bedside, then took out one wrapped in clear packaging, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth.

Under the light, the dimples on her cheeks appeared as she quietly savored the sweetness that seeped into her heart.

At ten o’clock, Aunt Rong brought up her bedtime milk.

Tang You was about to reply to Zhou Qinyao’s message when she heard a knock on the door, quickly hiding the phone under her pillow.

After finishing the milk, she went to the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth. Once she was done with everything, she closed the door and hid under the covers.

The room was dark, with only the faint light from the street lamp outside casting a soft glow inside.

It was subtle, but tonight, it felt inexplicably warm.

Tang You held her phone for a long time before finally sending a message:

“Thank you, I got it. It’s very sweet.”

Less than a minute later, Zhou Qinyao replied:

“You’re welcome, good night.”

Seeing those few simple words on the screen, the young girl smiled shyly and contentedly.

She put down the phone and tried to fall asleep, taking advantage of the drowsiness that came after her bath. But—

As soon as she closed her eyes, all she could see were images of racing on the track with Zhou Qinyao.

Scene after scene, frame by frame, it was always his handsome, cold face.

Tang You tossed and turned, unable to calm down.

Earlier, she couldn’t sleep because of too much pressure; tonight, she might have overindulged, feeling drowsy yet too excited to sleep.

She pulled out her phone from under her pillow, hesitating for a long time before finally dialing the number.