Chapter 3 – If Not for Her Being Cute…

It was only four in the morning.

Glancing at the time on her bedside clock, Lin Chuge pulled the blanket back over herself.

Today’s dream was even more absurd than all the previous ones.

What did it have to do with Pei Zhou? And in the dream, Pei Zhou even seemed to be protecting her?

This was the first time she had ever dreamed of someone other than her parents protecting her.

How rare.

Was it because she saw Pei Zhou at the school gate yesterday afternoon that she dreamed of him?

But…

Lin Chuge felt muddled and confused.

She and Pei Zhou had never had any real interactions, yet the dream seemed to carry some kind of hidden meaning.

Still, she knew Pei Zhou and Pei Du were cousins. But compared to the “male-god” level Pei Du, Pei Zhou’s popularity among classmates was far less than his excellent cousin’s. As for looks, however, they were indeed cut from the same mold.

Thinking about this, Lin Chuge suddenly felt she and Pei Zhou shared a bit of the same plight.

Both seemed to live under someone else’s light.

So what did today’s dream actually mean?

As Lin Chuge lay on her bed pondering, she gradually drifted back into sleep.

And she dreamed again.

This time she once again saw the grown-up Pei Zhou.

For some unknown reason, he looked furious, his anger truly frightening. But his anger wasn’t directed at her—it was aimed at his cousin Pei Du, and at Shen Xueyao, who seemed rather close to Pei Du…

Pei Zhou said: “I don’t think she’s that bad.”

“Someone dies suddenly in their twenties—why shouldn’t I feel unjust?”

Pei Du’s deep eyes stirred with a ripple. Lowering his voice, he asked: “Do you like Lin Chuge?”

At those words, Pei Zhou smiled slightly.

Lin Chuge couldn’t hear his reply clearly. The noise of her alarm clock pulled her out of the dream. She stared blankly at the ceiling, her face strangely hot, her palm pressed to her chest as she realized her heartbeat was racing uncontrollably.

Could this be—

Something that might really happen in the future?

Pei Zhou… secretly liking her?

The thought made Lin Chuge shudder, utterly incredulous.

But she had already dreamed of something as ridiculous as glimpses of the future.

Compared to that, Pei Zhou liking her didn’t seem completely impossible.

She just didn’t know when it could have started.

Lin Chuge remembered the one biggest intersection she had ever had with Pei Zhou—one of the shadows of her life.

It happened not long after the start of her first year of high school.

She had arranged to meet Xu Luoluo outside of school to go shopping for new clothes. But being unfamiliar with the surroundings, she accidentally wandered into the mouth of an alley. Inside was Pei Zhou, just finishing a fight with some students from another school.

Lin Chuge still remembered the scene vividly.

Pei Zhou had blood on him, a fruit knife in his hand stained with more blood, while the other student lay at his feet begging for mercy.

She had never seen such a bloody, violent scene up close before, and froze where she stood. Pei Zhou, still holding the knife, looked her up and down, while the beaten student seized the chance to scramble away as fast as possible.

She wanted to leave too.

But before she could take a step, Pei Zhou clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Just leaving like that?”

She froze instantly, not daring to move, let alone confront someone holding a knife.

Her mind was still dazed. She instinctively widened her eyes and managed only a single word: “Ah?”

That earned her a half-smile from Pei Zhou, which somehow looked even more frightening than when he wasn’t smiling.

She had no idea what he wanted to do, if he might suddenly snap. Left with no choice, she grit her teeth, tried to appease him, and dug into her schoolbag for her favorite pink piglet band-aid. Carefully, she stepped forward and stuck it onto a small cut on his cheek.

Then, Pei Zhou let her go.

The moment she left the alley, she quickly called Xu Luoluo.

But she never told anyone about this incident.

First, because she worried if word spread Pei Zhou might trouble her. Second… well, being scared witless wasn’t exactly something to be proud of.

Now that she thought of it—

Could it be that Pei Zhou had secretly liked her ever since then?

After all, her little piglet band-aid really was especially, especially cute!

Thinking of this, Lin Chuge grew angry remembering how she hadn’t managed to hear Pei Zhou’s reply in her dream. She smacked the quilt.

Reality might never let her see that day, and now even the dream wouldn’t satisfy her?

Too much!

Lin Chuge puffed her cheeks. Without hearing his answer, was she supposed to just assume Pei Zhou liked her?

Her alarm clock dutifully rang again.

Checking the time, she pushed the thoughts aside, got out of bed, and went to wash up.

·

After washing, tying her hair into small pigtails, and putting on her uniform, Lin Chuge slung her schoolbag over her shoulder and went downstairs. Having dreamed all night, she hadn’t rested well, and dark circles sat under her eyes. Yet when she reached the first floor, she found she wasn’t the only “panda” in the house.

“Dad, Mom, morning.”

She entered the dining room, saw her parents at the table, and asked, “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

Indeed, they hadn’t.

While their daughter had been buried in her books all night, they had spent the whole night worrying.

But of course, they couldn’t say that to her. Lin Yuqing forced a smile. “Just some company business to handle.”

Chi Haiyin added, “I was waiting for your dad, so we went to bed late.”

Lin Chuge believed them and reminded, “Still, you should both take care of your health and not stay up too late.”

Both parents quickly agreed.

She nodded, sat down, and started eating breakfast.

After the meal, she said goodbye to her parents and, as usual, went to school by car.

Once she was gone, Chi Haiyin returned to the dining room, exchanged a look with her husband, and they both sighed.

Chi Haiyin asked, “Did you notice the dark circles under Chuchu’s eyes?”

“I did.”

Lin Yuqing thought a moment and said, “Maybe something’s happening at school. I’ll ask around in the next couple of days.”

Chi Haiyin suggested, “You can ask Bo Nian—he’s close with Chuchu, maybe he knows.”

“Mm.” Lin Yuqing nodded. “I’ll talk to him later.”

Meanwhile, Lin Chuge arrived safely at school.

She originally intended to focus on class, but the teacher’s voice kept blurring into thoughts of Pei Zhou and her dream.

After the second period ended, there was a thirty-minute break.

Lin Chuge and Xu Luoluo went to the restroom together, then back to the classroom where Lin Chuge rested her head on the desk for a while. Finally, she made up her mind and poked her best friend sitting in front. “Luoluo, come with me to Class Six, okay?”

Xu Luoluo turned back. “To find Song Bonian? Sure, I’ll go with you.”

Lin Chuge didn’t explain further, just stood up, took Xu Luoluo’s hand, and said, “Let’s go.”

Class Six was on the same floor as their Class Three.

In less than a minute, they reached its door.

Just then, Song Bonian spotted them and walked out of the classroom smiling. “Looking for me?”

Xu Luoluo teased, “Why does it have to be you she’s looking for?”

Only Lin Chuge pressed her lips together, silent. Her eyes slipped past Song Bonian to peer inside the classroom. Not seeing who she was searching for, she withdrew her gaze, lips tightening again.

Pei Zhou wasn’t there.

Song Bonian noticed her searching look and immediately realized she was here for someone else.

Turning back toward the classroom, he asked, “Who are you looking for in our class? I can call them for you.”

Lin Chuge shook her head. “No need, I think they’re not here.”

“Is it something important? You can tell me, I’ll pass it on later.”

She shook her head again. “No, it’s fine.”

Song Bonian glanced at her distracted expression, then at Xu Luoluo.

Xu Luoluo shrugged, equally surprised that Lin Chuge wasn’t here for Song Bonian.

“You can’t even say who you’re looking for?” Song Bonian pressed.

Lin Chuge really didn’t want to answer.

She looked up at him and said, “It’s nothing, I’ll tell you next time.”

Then she turned to Xu Luoluo. “Let’s go back.”

As she pulled Xu Luoluo to turn around, she nearly bumped into someone.

Her gaze froze on his face. Lin Chuge was stunned, then her cheeks flushed red-hot.

She stammered, “P-Pei Zhou…”

Though only a second-year, the boy was already over 1.8 meters tall. Hearing his name, he raised a brow. As the girl before him blushed deeper, his eyes glinted with an unreadable look. On his handsome face, a faint smile appeared.

“Looking for me?”

His voice was unhurried, low and magnetic.

Indeed, she had come to find him.

But running right into him so unexpectedly, Lin Chuge was dumbstruck, unable to say a word.

Instead, Pei Zhou studied her for a moment and said, “Oh, I remember you. The little pig band-aid, right?”

Lin Chuge: “…”

This person… actually remembered her?

So clearly, after a whole year? Could it be that what she dreamed of was real?

How terrifying. Too terrifying!

When Pei Zhou asked again, “What did you want?” Lin Chuge quickly grabbed Xu Luoluo, but without answering, bolted back toward her classroom, face burning. Then she abandoned her friend and ran into the restroom.

Splashing cold water on her face, she gradually calmed down.

Looking at her flushed reflection in the mirror, she lowered her head and finally let out a long sigh.

Pei Zhou, for his part, was briefly baffled by her reaction.

But really, it wasn’t so hard to understand.

Tch.

Seeing him made her blush and stammer—what else could that mean?

Of course he remembered her and that pink piglet band-aid.

In that kind of situation, she was the only one who had dared come close and stick a band-aid on him.

He remembered clearly: after school that day, he had run into students from the sports school bullying some younger middle schoolers in the alley, demanding their wallets. He fought them off. Unexpectedly, they had knives, and he almost got hurt.

Luckily, he beat them down.

But just as he resolved the mess, a little girl with pigtails and a sweet, innocent face appeared at the mouth of the alley.

Her uniform was familiar—he instantly recognized her as a student of Yinghua.

He wasn’t worried about classmates tattling or the school calling his parents. What he hated was unnecessary trouble.

So when he saw the little girl trying to run away silently, he decided to scare her into keeping quiet. Normally, someone would quickly promise never to tell. But this girl…

He watched her rummage in her bag.

Then she carefully approached, and before he could react, a pink band-aid was stuck onto his cheek.

After doing something so ridiculous, she asked him in all seriousness, “Better now?”

He had been speechless then.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

If not for her being cute, he wouldn’t have let it slide so easily.

As Pei Zhou was recalling that first meeting, a voice came from the side. “Don’t mess with her.”

He turned to see Song Bonian, who wore a serious expression.

“Don’t mess with who?” Pei Zhou asked with a mocking smile.

“Lin Chuge.”

“So that’s her name…” Pei Zhou’s eyes glinted with a hint of menace. He patted Song Bonian’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

Song Bonian frowned, glancing past him uneasily.

How could Chuchu get involved with someone like Pei Zhou?

For her, Pei Zhou was far too complicated.

She probably didn’t even understand the situation.

Thinking of her odd behavior these past few days, combined with her reaction upon seeing Pei Zhou just now, an unbelievable suspicion rose in his mind.

Could it be… Chuchu was beginning to feel her first stirrings of love—for Pei Zhou?