Although Qiu Li wasn’t treated well at home and wasn’t favored within the Qiu family, they were still a prominent household that cared a great deal about appearances. So, at least on the surface, they made sure not to mistreat him. That’s why he attended the most prestigious—and most difficult to get into—international kindergarten in Rong City, where all the students came from wealthy or influential families.

Enrolling wasn’t exactly complicated, but it wasn’t simple either. Yan Xiao finally completed all the admission procedures by Friday and was personally brought to school by her mother.

In the original world, Yan Xiao’s family hadn’t been well-off, and she’d never set foot in an elite international school like this.

Though she had previously rejected the idea of kindergarten because it felt “beneath” her, now that she was actually here, she couldn’t help but be curious.

Chen Ziyi had heard all kinds of stories about kids struggling on their first day of school—some friends even sent her videos of their children bawling at the gates. So she arrived mentally prepared for tears and tantrums.

But what happened instead?

As soon as they reached the school gate and exchanged a few words with the teacher, her daughter looked up with her little face, cheerfully said, “Bye, Mommy!” and marched through the gate with her backpack on, strutting in like a little general. She was so joyful, she looked like a bird flying into the woods—leaving Chen Ziyi, who’d been ready for kisses, hugs, and last-minute coaxing, standing there with her arms awkwardly empty.

Watching her daughter walk away without even a backward glance, Chen Ziyi suddenly felt a twinge of melancholy. But since classes were about to start, she could only bid the teacher farewell and promise to come back in the afternoon to pick her up.

The kindergarten was enormous.

The kindergarten was even bigger than the elementary school Yan Xiao had attended before. Since she was new, the teacher gave her a special tour, explaining what each building was for—mainly focusing on the areas used by the lower kindergarten classes.

Yan Xiao was very satisfied with the school—until the teacher mentioned that the lower and upper classes were in different buildings. That, she wasn’t too happy about.

The kindergarten was divided into three levels: lower, middle, and upper classes. Each level had its own building, with only the play area and cafeteria shared among them.

That meant she wouldn’t be able to see Qiu Li all the time, which also meant she couldn’t constantly rack up “negative points.”

There was nothing she could do about the three-year age gap between them. After thinking about it for a moment, she decided not to dwell on it. They were at least in the same kindergarten now, which meant her chances of seeing him had greatly improved. During breaks and lunch, she could always go find him in Building 1, where the upper class was.

The arrival of a new classmate instantly sparked curiosity among the kids in her class. Yan Xiao was not only pretty, but she also seemed to have a close relationship with the genius from the Qiu family. Within half a day, she’d already become the most popular child in the lower class.

But all Yan Xiao could think about was—

What’s Qiu Li doing right now?

What class was he in?

It’s been so long—does he still remember her?

If he doesn’t… then all her hard work gaining those negative points was for nothing!

She pondered all morning, and finally during lunch break, she seized the opportunity—using a mix of charm and cute pleading—to convince the teacher to let her eat in the adjacent upper kindergarten dining room.

At first, she thought it would be hard to find him. But as she pretended to be casual, carrying her little lunch tray, the moment she stepped into the upper class dining hall, she spotted Qiu Li sitting alone in a corner, head down, keeping his distance from everyone.

He stood out like a sore thumb.

The weather was beautiful that day. Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, casting a soft glow around the boy’s pale, delicate profile. His raven-black lashes fluttered in the light—though he looked utterly cold.

Looking at Qiu Li, who radiated a strong “keep out” vibe, Yan Xiao felt as if he and the empty space around him were shouting at her: “Target me! Come on, target me!”

Her blood surged with determination.

Carrying her tray, she squeezed in beside him at the table. Seeing the unmistakable displeasure on his face—and the flicker of surprise in his eyes when he saw her—filled Yan Xiao with both satisfaction and delight.

He still remembered her! Wonderful!

All her hard work last weekend hadn’t been for nothing!

Qiu Li stared, shocked and confused, with just a hint of secret happiness even he didn’t fully realize.

Why was she here?

Qiu Li’s gaze lingered on Yan Xiao for a moment before shifting to look behind her.

There was no one else—just a few curious classmates casting glances their way.

He was a little confused.

She was so small, and no one was with her. How did she end up here on her own?

He remembered that she didn’t go to kindergarten.

Seeing Yan Xiao beaming up at him, clearly delighted, Qiu Li—who was always calm in front of others—suddenly felt a bit nervous.

He thought about how he had wrongly blamed her last week. After a brief hesitation, he wondered if maybe he should treat her a little more kindly.

But it had been a long time since he’d smiled at anyone. He was afraid that if he smiled awkwardly, he might scare her instead. His mouth twitched a few times, and in the end, he gave up.

Yan Xiao noticed every single expression on his face. Seeing how flustered he was—unable to even speak, his lips twitching at the corners—she was even more pleased with herself.

“You…” Qiu Li finally managed to suppress the faint joy rising in his chest. He asked in a cold voice, “What are you doing here?”

It wasn’t like he meant to be so stern.

In the past, there had been people who pretended to befriend him just to mess with him. So even though… even though he felt that this cute little girl in front of him probably wouldn’t do that, he was still on guard.

Qiu Li’s “What are you doing here?” was clearly meant out of concern, but to Yan Xiao, it sounded more like: Who said you could come here? Don’t touch my desk! Stay away from me!

Yan Xiao blinked, instantly understanding. So his aloofness really did run deep—it was in his bones. Even as a child, he was wary of the world, refusing to let anyone get close.

Still, his voice was kind of nice.

Clear and cool—like the sound of a dew drop falling from a leaf into a quiet pool at dawn.

This was the first time she’d ever spoken to him. As she thought about that, she said, “I came to school, of course. Our classroom is super noisy. It’s quiet here, so from now on, I’m going to eat my lunch here.”

Qiu Li: “…”

He had been so surprised earlier, he hadn’t even noticed she was wearing the school uniform.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and in front of him was a pair of bright eyes smiling up at him. For a moment, Qiu Li thought… maybe this kindergarten wasn’t so bad after all.

Watching the future villain’s stunned expression as he processed her plan to invade his desk space every day at lunch, Yan Xiao quietly marked up another point in her mental “annoyance meter.”

At this rate, she was definitely going to max it out and be done in no time!

Yan Xiao’s little face was practically glowing with joy.

Qiu Li glanced at the girl sitting across from him, her smile so wide her eyes had turned into crescents. Some of the wariness in his eyes faded. He lowered his head and gave a soft, almost imperceptible “Mm” in response.

But that simple “Mm” sounded very different to Yan Xiao’s ears.

Cold. Dismissive. So casual it felt almost sarcastic. But—she loved it!

With that goal achieved, Yan Xiao happily dug into her lunch. As she ate, she noticed Qiu Li subtly pinching the edge of his lunch tray and ever so slightly sliding it away from hers, widening the distance between the two.

Yan Xiao: “…”

Seriously? He hated physical contact that much? Not even willing to let their lunch trays touch?

Yup, he was definitely a loner.

She muttered to herself in her head for a moment but didn’t push her tray any closer. Kids were young—it was normal to have little quirks. Besides, she had already achieved her mission by squeezing in at his table and eating with him. There was no need to push her luck just to make him utterly miserable.

…What if she really annoyed him enough to snap and take her out now? Then she’d really become cannon fodder!

No, slow and steady. Patience was key.

Meanwhile, Qiu Li, thinking he was being stealthy, had moved his tray outward to give her a bit more space. Seeing that Yan Xiao didn’t seem to notice—just cheerfully eating her fish balls—he pursed his lips. It’s fine, he thought. Give it time. She’ll notice eventually…

After lunch, Yan Xiao’s teacher came over to get her. It was time for the afternoon nap.

The teacher had been watching from just outside the classroom when Yan Xiao walked in with her lunch tray.

Working at this school, she’d seen plenty of children from powerful families, and she knew the situation with the Qiu family inside and out. The other kids didn’t like to play with Qiu Li, and there wasn’t much the teachers could do about it. Every child here was someone’s precious darling, each from a more impressive background than the last. They couldn’t exactly force them to play with someone they didn’t want to. And Qiu Li’s aloof personality didn’t help matters either…

So most of the teachers just turned a blind eye.

That’s why, when she saw that the person Yan Xiao had come to eat with was Qiu Li, she was genuinely surprised.

They couldn’t make the kids play with Qiu Li if they didn’t want to—and likewise, if Yan Xiao did want to play with him, they couldn’t exactly stop her.

Seeing that the two of them were getting along just fine, she gave a quick heads-up to the older class’s teacher and returned to check on her own class during lunchtime.

“Nap time?” the teacher said as she approached, looking at Yan Xiao’s big, blinking eyes. The little girl tried her usual trick: “Teacher, can I skip nap time today?”

The teacher smiled as she picked up her tray. “No skipping. Everyone needs their rest. Come on, let’s head back. Your friend has to nap too.”

Yan Xiao wanted to say, Qiu Li’s not my friend, but if she said that now, it’d be harder to trick the teacher into letting her come back to the older class next time. She paused, then reluctantly lowered her head and nodded. “Okay…”

To make it more convincing—so it’d be easier to visit again in the future—she even turned back as she left and waved her tiny hand at Qiu Li. “Bye-bye!”

It was Yan Xiao’s first day at school, and the teacher didn’t yet know her personality or habits. She simply assumed that Yan Xiao and Qiu Li were already close—after all, the whole city knew the Yan and Qiu families had a good relationship.

“That’s better. You can come play with your friend again tomorrow.”

Qiu Li stared blankly at the small figure being led away by the teacher, hand in hand. He didn’t even manage to say goodbye—his mind was still echoing with the teacher’s words: your friend.

It took him a long moment to snap out of it. In his wide, blinking eyes, something quietly began to melt.

Friend?

So this is what having a friend feels like…

=^_^=

Author has something to say: Little Qiu Li: She said I’m her friend. I’m so happy! (#^.^#)

Xiao Xiao: One lie takes a hundred more to cover… ┓(;´_｀)┏