When the voice faded, everything returned to calm, and the car drove through the endless night.

Chen An remained silent for a long time, and Jingjing thought he was deep in thought. But actually, he wasn’t. He was reminiscing about the aftermath of the event.

A few days later, Sun Chao invited him to a meal as a way of thanking him for taking him to the infirmary. Chen An was very busy over the weekend and declined without hesitation.

Sun Chao was undeterred, though, and when class ended, he came to his table and kept pestering him. After some soft persuasion, Chen An reluctantly agreed.

The restaurant was a world Chen An had never entered. The marble tiles were so shiny they could reflect people, the wine rack stretched all the way to the ceiling, and the overall feeling was very simple.

—Couldn’t afford it.

Every dish on the menu was priced in the triple digits, with the lowest starting at 200. When the food came, it completely shattered his understanding.

A dish the size of a palm with mashed potatoes the size of a fingernail, garnished with an unknown leaf that could be casually picked from the countryside, and a crescent-shaped line of tomato sauce.

The price was 288.

It was still the cheapest dish.

As Sun Chao ate, he kept telling him to eat more and that he could order more if it wasn’t enough.

That meal cost nearly 3,000 yuan. He didn’t eat well, nor was he full.

Afterward, Sun Chao dragged him to a shopping mall. He waited nearby, and when Sun Chao finished paying, he shoved all the bags into Chen An’s arms.

The bags were filled with fashionable clothes and pants, each piece quite expensive. Chen An handed the bags back, but Sun Chao, with his hands in his pockets, impatiently said, “Just take them.”

Forget the prices, Chen An had no idea what to do with such flashy clothes.

Moreover, as a poor student, he needed to maintain an image modest enough to still qualify for financial aid.

Seeing Chen An’s firm stance, Sun Chao’s eyes rolled a few times. “You can wear them for class events. Always wearing the school uniform is embarrassing for our class.”

In reality, it wasn’t that bad. In the eyes of other boys, Chen An was considered handsome.

He didn’t wear shabby clothes even on casual days. Though a bit old, they were clean, neat, and consisted of timeless basics.

Chen An gave in, driven by a sense of collective pride and shame.

He thought this would be the end of it, but a few days later, Sun Chao came to him asking for help: moving tables and chairs and setting up tents for the club event.

“I treated you to a meal, so you can’t refuse this little favor,” Sun Chao said.

The event booths were all set up in front of the stage. Because it had rained the night before, all the equipment had to be moved indoors to the gym the night before and moved back out early the next morning.

The sun had been up for a while, and the sunlight was so intense that it was hard to keep one’s eyes open. Even though Chen An had tough skin and could handle the sun, the heat felt like it was going to melt him as he pulled his cap down low.

Other booths had three or four classmates working together, but the fashion club booth was empty for a long time.

Around 11 am, two boys from class 2 finally came dragging their feet. Setting up the tent required at least two people, and this was the last task left.

Chen An unfolded the iron frame and said to the two boys, “Can you come help?”

The students at Mingde School were all well-off, so Chen An was particularly polite.

But they didn’t respond.

Boy A plopped down into a chair, as if he hadn’t heard, fanning himself with his collar and grumbling, “This damn heat, I’m dying.”

Boy B glanced at him, took out his phone, and impatiently said, “Wait a minute.”

Chen An waited for a bit.

“Go buy two bottles of mineral water,” Boy A ordered, “Get ice-cold ones.”

“I don’t want water, I want an iced Americano,” Boy B quickly added.

The vending machine outside the field had mineral water, but the iced Americano was at the cafeteria building.

“Hurry up,” Boy A urged.

Boy B took out some money and reluctantly said, “Thanks.”

So, Chen An went under the scorching sun to buy a bottle of mineral water and an iced Americano. After they drank and sighed in satisfaction, he asked, “Can we set up the tent now?”

Boy A replied, “Wait until we finish this game.”

Chen An didn’t wait. He decided to try setting up the tent himself so he could return to the dormitory for a shower and some study time.

Just then, a loud crash sounded behind him.

He turned around to see Boy A sprawled on the ground, with Ying Ni standing in front of him, looking furious, and Sun Chao following behind, holding a Starbucks cup.

Chen An didn’t understand what was going on. He instinctively stepped aside and continued to set up the tent, while his neck, exposed to the sun, turned a deep red.

Boy A struggled to get up, groaning in pain. “What the hell are you doing?”

Ying Ni glanced at Chen An and snapped, “Are you paralyzed? Let him do it? Are you sick?!”

Hearing this, Chen An paused and looked back at them, trying to understand who “he” referred to.

Boy B seemed to be feeling wronged. He scoffed, “We’ve been working all morning, moving all the tables and chairs ourselves!”

Ying Ni looked at them coldly, “Is that so?”

Boy A, looking a bit angry, added, “What do you mean, can he move it alone? He can’t do it alone!”

“Oh,” Ying Ni turned her fan to the highest setting, the wind blowing in her face as she looked at them, “Where did you get these chairs from?”

Boy A’s gaze wandered. “From—”

Before he could finish, Ying Ni suddenly lowered her hand and kicked not Boy A, but Sun Chao.

She pointed at Chen An and snapped, “Why did you get him to do it? Can’t you handle things? Pay him back! Now!”

Sun Chao quickly begged, “No, please, don’t, sister.”

It was then that Chen An realized Ying Ni was annoyed with him.

At that moment, he thought that if it weren’t for the fact that he had accepted a favor, he wouldn’t be doing this kind of manual labor in the summer.

So, he lifted the long table, intending to return it to its original spot and leave.

Ying Ni was arguing with Sun Chao, clearly fuming. But when she saw Chen An lifting the two-meter-long table, her mind seemed to suddenly clear.

The table was big and heavy, and Chen An’s shoulder blades stuck out slightly under his thin white T-shirt as he exerted force.

Maybe because his shirt had absorbed some sweat, it became slightly transparent, revealing the fine muscles underneath, or maybe it was his veins bulging on his arm, showing an unexpected strength for someone his age.

Though his figure was lean, he didn’t appear overly thin.

Ying Ni walked over.

After placing the table in its correct position, Chen An casually picked up the empty bottle on the ground. He had a feeling someone was watching him, and when he wiped the sweat off his face and turned around, Ying Ni was much closer than before.

Without waiting for him to speak, she grabbed the water bottle from his hand and commanded, “Don’t pick it up!”

“He’s volunteering,” Sun Chao muttered from the side.

“Who would believe you?” Ying Ni scoffed. “It’s obvious you forced him.”

Chen An thought to himself, “That’s not the way you use that phrase.”

He was also confused because the conversation didn’t seem like she hated his presence. In fact, it seemed like there was a sense of injustice in her tone. But still, he rubbed his palm on his shirt, eager to turn and leave.

“Hey,” Ying Ni called him, lifting her chin and pointing at a chair. “Sit there.”

Chen An had always disliked being ordered around, whether by family, close friends, or classmates. He felt that no one had the right to give orders to anyone else.

People are free and independent.

So no one could force him to do something he didn’t want to.

Yet, inexplicably, he found himself walking toward the chair.

“Drink this,” Ying Ni handed him Sun Chao’s Starbucks cup. “It’s mine, I haven’t drunk it yet.”

Chen An didn’t take it, but Ying Ni forced it into his hands.

The cold mist from the drink traveled to his scalp, instantly cooling him down by half.

During this time, Ying Ni casually observed his hands. After waiting a few seconds with no action from him, she tapped the table. “Do I need to insert a straw for you?”

“I don’t want to drink it now,” Chen An said, lifting his gaze.

He was tall, so sitting down didn’t require him to look up at Ying Ni. She paused, as if considering, and then said, “Fine, drink it later.”

She placed her fan next to his drink, facing his face, adjusting its position several times. She leaned forward, testing the wind, always dissatisfied and pouting.

Ying Ni had dressed up today, wearing light makeup, and her lips were glossy. Below that, her neck and collarbone were exposed. Her off-shoulder top had been open but now seemed stuck in place.

Her face was delicate, with bright, clear eyes, long lashes, and lightly defined brows.