When November arrived, the weather grew colder. Yu Qian shivered and thought to herself that she should wear thicker clothes tomorrow.

During the break, Yu Qian took out a piece of bread and nibbled on it. Jiang Zheng leaned over from the side. “Give me a bite?”

Yu Qian was unwilling, but she was also afraid he would snatch it from her, so she pushed his head away while stuffing the remaining bread into her mouth in one big bite.

Her cheeks puffed up, stuffed full with bread, and she couldn’t chew it down for a long time. Seeing this, Jiang Zheng, worried she might choke, set aside his urge to laugh and quickly opened his water bottle, handing it to her.

Unexpectedly, Yu Qian blinked at his gesture, then reached for an already-opened milk bottle on her desk. She clinked it against Jiang Zheng’s water bottle before tilting her head back to take a big sip.

Jiang Zheng was speechless at her actions. Was she toasting him? Was she trying to swear brotherhood with him?

With the help of the milk, Yu Qian finally swallowed the bread and let out a satisfied sigh.

“Was that really necessary?” Jiang Zheng’s voice carried a hint of exasperation. “I only asked for a bite, and you nearly choked yourself to death.”

“It was absolutely necessary.” Yu Qian nodded firmly. “I can give you a new piece of bread, but you can’t take my last bite.”

The first and last bite of anything always tasted the best.

What kind of bizarre logic was that? Jiang Zheng nearly kneeled before her train of thought.

“The test the teacher just handed out— do you still have any questions? I’ll explain them to you.”

Yu Qian’s eyes lit up at his words. She hurriedly pulled out her math test.

“This one, this one, and these last two problems— I don’t get any of them.”

Jiang Zheng took the test paper, glanced at it, and then patiently began explaining.

If there was anyone who most wanted Yu Qian to study hard right now, it was undoubtedly Jiang Zheng.

He had already confirmed that he would be attending Peking University next year. And since Yu Qian was the girl he liked, of course, he wanted her to go there too. Otherwise, they’d be in a long-distance relationship before they even started dating. Wouldn’t that just be inviting third parties to interfere?

With that in mind, Jiang Zheng took it upon himself to push Yu Qian toward academic excellence. Studying was great— it made her more ambitious and kept away those pesky admirers.

Yu Qian, for her part, was grateful for Jiang Zheng’s generous tutoring and happily threw herself into the embrace of knowledge.

She lowered her head, diligently taking notes. Jiang Zheng bent down slightly, standing by her desk, and caught a whiff of bubblegum scent.

Bubblegum? Why did Yu Qian’s hair smell like bubblegum?

“Little Fish, what shampoo do you use?” Jiang Zheng poked her, trying to confirm his suspicion.

“Hmm? Shampoo?” Yu Qian found the question a little odd, then replied, “It’s one my friend recommended. I forgot the brand, but it smells amazing— like bubblegum.”

So it really was bubblegum-scented. Jiang Zheng’s mouth twitched slightly, feeling a little concerned about Yu Qian’s unique taste.

“Do you want me to find the brand for you? It’s also supposed to prevent hair loss.” Yu Qian enthusiastically recommended it to him.

“Thanks, but no need. I’m not losing hair.”

Hair loss prevention? What the hell? Jiang Zheng discreetly ran a hand through his hair. Fortunately, not a single strand fell. Just imagining himself going bald made him shudder.

But his father was already past forty and still had a full head of thick hair, so he figured he probably wouldn’t go bald either.

Yu Qian, unfazed by her failed sales pitch, simply lowered her head and continued writing.

Jiang Zheng, however, glanced at Yu Qian’s baby-like face and silently resolved to start taking better care of himself. He didn’t want to end up like his father— middle-aged and chubby— standing next to his mother, looking like a rich businessman with his young mistress.

He absolutely didn’t want people mistaking him and Yu Qian for a father-daughter duo in the future.

────ρя


It was finally lunchtime.

Yu Qian stretched lazily and stood up, bouncing on her feet.

“Qianqian, let’s eat out today.” Lin Niannian suggested, already tired of the school cafeteria.

Yu Qian nodded, and the group headed outside the campus.

“Ah! My money!” Yu Qian had only wanted to check the time on her phone, but her money slipped out with it and was instantly caught by the wind, fluttering away.

She watched helplessly as the hundred-yuan bill danced through the air before getting stuck in a narrow gap between two buildings.

Without a second thought, Yu Qian squeezed into the gap. She managed to get inside, but as she reached for the money, she found that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bend down far enough to grab it.

Seeing her struggle, Lin Niannian called out from outside, “Qianqian, come out. Let me try.”

Yu Qian struggled a bit more but ultimately had to give up.

She stepped out and watched as Lin Niannian entered the narrow space. Unlike Yu Qian, Lin Niannian could easily bend her knees and retrieve the money without trouble.

As Lin Niannian handed the bill back to her, Yu Qian felt deeply wounded.

She stood there, stunned, as if struck by lightning. Had she really gained that much weight?

Jiang Zheng chose that moment to add fuel to the fire. “So Little Fish is actually much chubbier than Niannian. I never noticed before.”

Yu Qian shot him a glare of pure resentment. She was not fat!!

Her weight had always fluctuated between 49 and 51 kilograms, perfectly proportionate to her 164 centimeters height!

Noticing her anger, Jiang Zheng quickly tried to remedy the situation. “A little extra weight is good for girls. Chubby girls are cuter.”

Unexpectedly, both Yu Qian and Lin Niannian were offended.

Lin Niannian was upset that Jiang Zheng implied she was too skinny to be cute.

Yu Qian, on the other hand, was angry that not only had Jiang Zheng called her fat, but he had also used the word ‘cute’ to describe her. Every girl wanted to be praised as beautiful and elegant, not childish!

Bai Qiming gave Jiang Zheng a look of pure pity. Offending two girls at once— this guy was truly talented.

At lunch, Yu Qian had no appetite. She barely filled her bowl halfway and picked at her food absentmindedly.

Lin Niannian, affected as well, reverted to her dainty eating habits. Even Bai Qiming shot Jiang Zheng a glare.

After spending time with Yu Qian, Lin Niannian had finally started eating more, but now, thanks to Jiang Zheng, she was back to eating like a fairy.

Jiang Zheng was seriously regretting his words. If he had known, he would have just kept quiet like Bai Qiming. Now Yu Qian was barely eating. What if she lost weight?

Bones weren’t as nice to hug as soft flesh. He still remembered how comfortable it felt when he had carried her after she got hit by the shotput ball. The softness was addictive.

Trying to make amends, Jiang Zheng began serving Yu Qian food, silently praying she wouldn’t lose weight.

After eating, Yu Qian refused to let Jiang Zheng or Bai Qiming pay. With determination, she handed over the hundred-yuan bill that made her aware of her figure, along with two more red bills.

“That will be 853 yuan.” The cashier said with a professional smile.

Yu Qian stared at the three bills on the counter. Was fate mocking her again?

They had only ordered four dishes, why was it so expensive?!

“I’ll pay.” Jiang Zheng said, retrieving her money and handing it back to her before quickly scanning his phone to settle the bill. “Take it as my apology, okay?”

Yu Qian held the bill that had returned to her hand, feeling dejected.

But luckily, her bad mood only lasted an afternoon. By evening, she used that same hundred yuan to buy herself a small cake.

After all, being angry wouldn’t make the fat disappear. And dieting didn’t guarantee weight loss either. Might as well stay the same, at least she had curves in all the right places.

Successfully convincing herself, Yu Qian went back to eating and drinking without a care.