In mid-March 2011, the third week of the second semester for the first-year high school students.

On Friday after school, Chen An and Luo Zan had dinner and went to the library to study.

On the way there, Luo Zan asked him, “Are you going to Shi Feiyu’s birthday?”

Shi Feiyu invited everyone in the class, and the party was going to be held in a detached villa that was specially designed for parties. According to the class monitor, it had everything – a chess room, KTV, a movie theater, and so on.

Luo Zan grew up in a small apartment in a crowded building, and apart from going to an internet café once when he registered for an exam, he had rarely been to any entertainment venues. He couldn’t imagine how these things could be found in a house. He was both envious and curious.

Chen An was appointed as the class physics representative. He had just joined the school a week ago and had not yet built strong relationships with his classmates, so collecting homework was a difficult task for him.

The party was a good opportunity to get familiar with the classmates, but he had signed up for a part-time teaching assistant position with the school’s work-study program and might need to take care of application procedures on Saturday.

During the time Chen An was thinking, Luo Zan stopped walking. “I want to go, but I don’t want to see…” he said, glancing around to make sure no one was behind him, then frowned and said the word “Ying.”

Ying referred to Ying Ni, Shi Feiyu’s girlfriend.

Luo Zan disliked her high-and-mighty attitude. But the real reason was that two days ago, Ying Ni sent him a box of Bawang shampoo.

She told him to wash his hair properly and get rid of the dandruff, or else she couldn’t bear it and would have to change classes.

Actually, his classmates in the neighboring seats had always been critical of him, but they only complained behind his back. No one had pointed it out directly. But after Ying Ni said this, Luo Zan became the target of blatant ridicule. After this incident, his dislike for Ying Ni grew to an extreme.

A gentle breeze blew through, and the rustling of tree leaves interrupted Chen An’s thoughts.

Noticing Luo Zan’s anxiety and fear, he comforted him, “She probably won’t go.”

Luo Zan’s eyes lit up. “Really?” But then he remembered her relationship with the birthday boy, and his eyes quickly dimmed again. “But she’s Shi Feiyu’s girlfriend, how could she not go?”

Chen An fell silent for a moment and briefly described the scene he had witnessed when he came out of the office that day.

The class teacher had lectured for a long time, but Ying Ni insisted on taking her book back, and the two of them had a long, tense tug-of-war. It lasted so long that by the time Chen An finished distributing the papers for the entire grade, the teacher was exhausted and had “sent” Ying Ni out.

Because he had witnessed her blackmailing for money, Chen An didn’t want to confront her directly, so he waited for two minutes before going out.

When he opened the door with his homework, he saw Ying Ni and Shi Feiyu standing not far away, blocking the way to the classroom.

The hallway wasn’t narrow, but they were standing in such a way that Chen An could only walk through the middle.

After calculating the gap, he realized that his arm could fit through, but the problem was that the two of them were arguing, and it seemed like the conflict was escalating.

Shi Feiyu was scratching his head, saying, “It’s hard to get a break, and you hang out with Yu Jiaojiao for the whole day. What should I and my two bros say, following you all the time?”

Ying Ni crossed her arms and turned her face toward the sky.

“And you already said it, you can’t just change your mind and tell him not to come,” Shi Feiyu said anxiously, “Come on, Ni Ni!”

“Fine.” Ying Ni turned her head, and when Shi Feiyu smiled and went to pinch her cheek, she slapped his hand away. “Either I’m there or he’s there, but not both.”

“……” Shi Feiyu put his hand down, frowning in confusion. “Why can’t we all just hang out for my birthday?”

When Ying Ni heard this, her eyes suddenly widened. “Shi Feiyu – are you yelling at me?”

Shi Feiyu was confused. His temper flared up. “I didn’t yell at you. You’re the one yelling at me, alright!”

“Who’s mom?!” Ying Ni shoved him and stared at him, asking, “Who’s mom?”

Seeing that Ying Ni was really angry, Shi Feiyu immediately softened, smiling. “My mom, my mom, I’m sorry, my mom.”

Ying Ni snorted, turned around, and walked away. Shi Feiyu immediately jogged to follow her.

Chen An thought, finally, they left. He bent down, adjusted his homework that had shifted, and was about to step forward when he suddenly heard an angry shout ahead. “Get lost! I’m not going anymore!”

Looking in the direction of the voice…

The boy had one hand on the railing, the other clutching his stomach, frowning and gritting his teeth in pain.

And the culprit, walking briskly away, had a high ponytail that swung back and forth.

Though Chen An didn’t know much about Ying Ni, from the few days he’d been in school, he understood a bit about her character. Proud people wouldn’t admit to their mistakes, nor would they go against their decisions.

Luo Zan, after hearing the story, said, “That’s good. I think Shi Feiyu will break up with her sooner or later. Not only is he stupid, but his temper is bad.”

Chen An didn’t like to judge people and didn’t make assumptions easily. He silently listened to Luo Zan vent. Before entering the library, Luo Zan asked him again, “Are you going? If you go, I’ll go.”

Chen An knew that Luo Zan was trying hard to fit in but was afraid of being discriminated against if he went alone. He wanted to go with someone else, especially someone who was also a public welfare student, so they could look out for each other.

Whether he went or not didn’t matter to him, but for Luo Zan, it could be a big deal.

“I’ll go,” Chen An nodded.

Luo Zan smiled widely. He was much shorter than Chen An and had to tiptoe to try to hook his neck, but it was futile. “What do you think we should give as a gift?”

Chen An thought for a moment. “How about a book?”

Luo Zan nodded repeatedly, agreeing, “That’s good, that’s good! We’ll each buy one!” It’s inexpensive but still looks thoughtful.

The next morning, the two of them went to a bookstore outside of school.

Chen An didn’t know Shi Feiyu well, but because he was the class representative, he knew that Shi Feiyu wasn’t good at his studies. So, he chose an easy-to-read bestselling novel for him.

Luo Zan, just before paying, changed his mind and, after some hesitation, picked up a high-end badminton set worth 138 yuan.

“Shi Feiyu is really good at badminton. He just got second place in his group,” Luo Zan carefully put the set into his backpack. “He might not be into books, but he’ll definitely use the badminton set,” he said, then glanced at the novel in Chen An’s hands. “How about you get something sporty too? Maybe wristbands?”

Chen An said, “I’ll just get this book.”

Shi Feiyu didn’t lack wristbands, and even if he did need them, he could never afford the brand Chen An could buy.

“Alright, alright,” Luo Zan asked again, “What should we wear? Our school uniforms? Do you think it would be weird if I wore a hat?”

“It’s not weird,” Chen An replied, “I’ll wear one too.”

Luo Zan smiled again, happier than he had been in a long time.

After lunch, the two of them took the bus to Shi Feiyu’s villa. Led by the class monitor, they went straight to the KTV room on the third floor.

As soon as they entered, Chen An was hit by the strong smell of smoke. Some were singing, others playing cards, and the room was dark, more like nighttime than the middle of the day. The flashing lights were more dazzling than those on the plaza.

Luo Zan was stunned by the KTV room, which was bigger than the classroom, while Chen An immediately noticed Ying Ni among the crowd.

The sofa was arched, with gemstone-like decorations along the edge, sparkling brightly. Ying Ni sat in the center, under a pearl the size of a fist.

She looked as regal as a princess from a medieval European film.

“Ying Ni’s here,” Chen An shifted his foot. “Let’s go to the other side.”

“Okay…” Luo Zan, more concerned about the boys in the corner smoking, was startled. “They’re smoking.”

Chen An tapped his arm, signaling him that it was okay.

Luo Zan was an outstanding student, and since he was little, he had only attended the best school in his county. He never associated with troublemakers—those who went to internet cafés, smoked, or fought.

The sight before him was a huge shock, and he almost wanted to turn back to the dormitory.

“They won’t inhale fully. Look…” Chen An lowered his voice and explained, “They’re exhaling in a messy way.”

Luo Zan frowned. “But they’re still smoking?”