Li Liyan furrowed his brows, the smug smile on the other person’s face piercing his eyes. “When did you two get so close?”

Li Wenshui took a step forward, meeting Li Liyan’s gaze filled with undisguised jealousy, and spoke slowly, “I’ve always been close with Liang Jin.” As he spoke, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and Li Liyan clearly saw the ambiguous red mark on Li Wenshui’s neck. He stared at the mark, his eyes roaming over Li Wenshui’s smug, shallow expression. It couldn’t be—Liang Jin wouldn’t be involved with someone like him. Maybe he was overthinking it?

Li Wenshui pressed his lips together. He wanted to provoke Li Liyan, but he couldn’t openly speak about his relationship with Liang Jin. Instead, keeping the other person guessing was a better approach. “I’ve known Liang Jin since high school. We meet up and ride in the car sometimes. Do I really need to report this to you?” He finished speaking, keeping his gaze fixed on Li Liyan’s face, not wanting to miss any change in expression.

Li Liyan froze for a moment. He wasn’t sure how far Li Wenshui’s relationship with Liang Jin had gone. Were they close friends? Or had they already slept together? Or was Li Wenshui just using Liang Jin to provoke him? The mark on his neck could be fake—there were many possibilities. He desperately wanted to know the answer from Li Wenshui’s mouth. “Liang Jin doesn’t like people with sharp edges like you. And as far as I know, Liang Jin is currently claiming to be single.”

Li Wenshui crossed his arms and replied nonchalantly, “So what if he’s claiming to be single?”

Li Liyan took a deep breath and continued probing, “I still think people should have self-respect and self-love. There’s no need for a relationship that isn’t acknowledged or is kept in the shadows.”

The smile in Li Wenshui’s eyes faded slightly, but he forced a proud grin and tilted his graduation cap toward Li Liyan. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but look at this hat Liang Jin gave me. Doesn’t it look nice?” Li Wenshui was clearly gloating, his expression full of pride.

“Li Wenshui, can you be any more shallow?” Li Liyan didn’t get the answer he was looking for, and the uncertainty in his mind made him restless. Just the fact that Liang Jin had given Li Wenshui a ride to school this morning was enough to make him jealous. The hat in front of him was incredibly annoying. Li Liyan reached out and forcefully knocked it off, causing the hat to fall to the ground. Li Wenshui’s forehead, wrapped in bandages, was exposed to the sunlight.

The field was noisy, with everyone busy with their own things, so almost no one noticed the tension between the two men. Li Wenshui picked up the hat from the ground and, unwilling to back down, shoved Li Liyan. The noise escalated. “Who are you trying to fight with?”

The surrounding people looked over, including the group of admirers around Liang Jin. But with that push, Li Liyan stumbled back several steps and fell to the ground. When he lifted his head, blood was flowing from his nostrils.

Li Wenshui bent down and looked at him. “You’re quite the actor, huh?”

The crowd of onlookers whispered and pointed at Li Wenshui, who had been the one to attack.

Li Qun helped Li Liyan up, while Wu Dongya nervously pulled out a tissue to stop the bleeding from Li Liyan’s nose, pointing at Li Wenshui and saying, “Did he hit you? Don’t be afraid, Mom will stand up for you!” Li Qun glared at Li Wenshui with disgust, silently cursing the persistent little brat. He walked over and grabbed Li Wenshui by the collar, dragging him in front of Li Liyan, furious, “Apologize to Xiao Yan!”

Luo Jianan intervened, “Uncle, don’t be angry. Wenshui definitely didn’t push Liyan on purpose. There are so many people here; if there’s an issue, we can talk privately and sort it out.”

“You don’t need to defend me,” Li Wenshui said, patting Luo Jianan’s hand aside, pulling himself free from Li Qun’s grasp. The injury on his forehead had started bleeding again from the earlier tugging, and he was feeling lightheaded. However, in Li Qun’s eyes, the blood from Li Liyan’s nose was legitimate, but the blood on Li Wenshui’s forehead was well-deserved.

“Why should I apologize to people like you?” Li Wenshui put his cap back on and coldly looked at the united family of three, walking out of the crowd with his head held high.

After Li Wenshui left, Li Liyan’s friends crowded around him, expressing concern and speaking ill of Li Wenshui. They were all speaking in his favor, continuously badmouthing Li Wenshui.

Li Wenshui went to his designated spot in the classroom to organize the students for a graduation photo. Luo Jianan cautiously observed Li Wenshui’s expression and asked, “Wenshui, are you okay?”

“What could be wrong with me?” In front of the students, Li Wenshui was still the imposing class president.

Luo Jianan had many questions he wanted to ask, like why Li Wenshui was always at odds with Li Liyan, or why Li Liyan’s parents had such looks when they looked at him. Although he had known Wenshui for four years, he realized he didn’t know much about him.

The photographer got into position—Li Wenshui sat with the counselor on his left and a classmate who didn’t have the best opinion of him on his right. When the photographer clicked the shutter, the classmate next to Li Wenshui shifted slightly, creating a small gap between them. Li Wenshui smiled, and the picture was frozen—he had graduated.

After the crowd dispersed, Li Wenshui removed his cap and gown, neatly folded them, and returned them to the counselor’s office before walking out of the school. The graduating students gathered in small groups, chatting about where to eat, where to travel, and the upcoming graduation dinner. None of these mattered to Li Wenshui.

He stood under the hot sun, pressing his aching head, sweat dripping down. Taking out his phone, he was about to ask Liang Jin when he would return to the old house to give him a ride. Before he could send the message, a familiar car sped past him. The window was slightly open, and he saw Liang Jin and Su Yangqiu sitting inside.

Li Wenshui put his phone away. It seemed like there would be no ride for him.

“Li Wenshui!” Luo Jianan’s car stopped in front of him, and he poked his head out. “Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.”

Li Wenshui asked, “Where are you going? Is it on the way?”

“I’m going to pick up my mom, and then we’ll go eat. Do you want to join?”

Li Wenshui immediately thought of Luo Jianan’s mother’s previous threat. He took off his cap, feeling the hot wind blow through his sweaty hair. “That’s not on the way. No need to take me; I’ll just take a taxi.”

Luo Jianan hesitated for a moment. “Alright then. If you have time, come hang out. I don’t have much going on lately.”

Li Wenshui waved at him, “Go ahead.”

When Li Wenshui got off the bus, his shirt was already soaked with sweat.

He returned home, turned on the fan, and carefully removed his shirt while thinking about how to deal with the sweat stains. If he didn’t handle it properly, he might have to pay for the damage. The fridge he had salvaged buzzed with noise, and Li Wenshui opened it to grab a half-melted popsicle. He held the popsicle in his mouth and stood in front of the mirror to tend to his wound. Maybe it was because of the heat, but the wound had become infected, and when he pressed on it, pus oozed out. He had no idea when it would heal.

He sat by the window in a tank top, his skin fair and delicate. On his social media feed, his classmates were posting graduation photos, filled with many familiar faces—except for his own. Li Wenshui didn’t post a group photo; instead, he posted a selfie of just himself, congratulating himself on graduating. The number of likes was few. Then, he came across a video posted by Li Liyan. He was dressed in a ski suit, looking fresh and at ease, completely unaffected by the heat. Behind him stood Liang Jin and Pei Zhi. Li Wenshui adjusted the fan to blow directly at his face, but the heat still lingered. He chewed on the popsicle and wondered, what would a ski resort be like? It must be really cool there.

In the evening, Li Wenshui returned to the old house. After cleaning the memorial hall, he went to the vegetable garden. It had been well tended; the damaged areas had been replanted, and a fence had been put up around the perimeter. When had Liang Jin done this? Or had he hired someone? Li Wenshui had no idea. He sent a message to Liang Jin: “Do you want me to cook for you tonight?” — No response.

Naturally, Li Wenshui didn’t bring food to Liang Jin. He made himself a simple bowl of vegetarian noodles for what he considered his graduation dinner. Before he could finish eating, the butler called him to go to Mr. Liang’s study. By this time, the sky had darkened, and unlike the bright sunny day, there was a sense of an impending storm.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, Mr. Liang, sitting at the table drinking tea, slowly said, “Xiao Li, you no longer need to clean the ancestral hall.”