Chu Tao lowered his gaze, his eyelashes covering his eyes, and remained silent for a moment.

On the rooftop, apart from the sound of the wind, there was no other noise. Even Shen Hongfang was waiting for Chu Tao’s response. He even felt a strange sense of relief—finding someone who was equally miserable made him feel, at least, that he wasn’t the only one suffering.

Jiang She felt uneasy, instinctively grabbing Chu Tao’s hand, holding it tightly in his palm, gently squeezing it.

In truth, aside from having money, Jiang She wasn’t much better off than what Shen Hongfang had said. However, he had never doubted his own worth. His confidence came from his own self-acknowledgment.

But he was afraid that Chu Tao might be persuaded by Shen Hongfang.

Yet Chu Tao gripped his hand firmly in return.

Chu Tao’s palm was slightly damp with a light sweat. His skin was soft and delicate, unlike Jiang She’s calloused palms. But this difference made it easier for them to feel each other’s presence more deeply.

Shen Hongfang was a bit confused by their hand-holding gesture. His expression faltered, and for a moment, the strange situation piqued his curiosity. He couldn’t understand why, but his previously resolute mindset suddenly seemed to fade.

Were Chu Tao and Jiang She that close?

Chu Tao raised his eyes and let out a laugh, though there was no humor in his eyes.

“I didn’t expect you to see it so clearly. I thought… we weren’t that close.”

Shen Hongfang snapped out of it, his neck muscles twitching slightly, and slowly shook his head. “We’re still rivals.”

Because they were rivals, because after every exam their scores were inevitably compared, he couldn’t be close enough to Chu Tao to become a true friend.

In fact, he didn’t have any close friends. From a young age, anyone he got too close to would end up on Tang Lingmei’s list, compared to him in terms of grades. Tang Lingmei also taught him not to hang out with those who didn’t perform well in school.

Chu Tao understood, his eyelids trembling slightly. He said in a low voice, “Your emotions are troubled right now. If you act on impulse, you’ll regret it later. There aren’t many people in this world who are carefree. At least, the people around you aren’t. The ones you think are doing well are just stronger than you.”

Shen Hongfang let out a bitter laugh, then tilted his head back, looking at the sky.

The sunlight was too harsh, and he couldn’t open his eyes, but here, it was the place where he could get closest to the sky. Even without looking, he could feel the light.

“Chu Tao, you’re not stronger than me. You’re just not like me, you haven’t reached the end. Your grades have turned around, and everyone praises your efforts. That’s their way of compensating you. But I’m different. I spent so much money on tutoring, but I’m still worse than you. I’m useless.”

Chu Tao sighed.

Shen Hongfang thought it was because Chu Tao had worked so hard by himself that he was now so devastated.

Chu Tao now thought, if he had told Song Mian earlier about how he had been individually mentored by Nian Li Hua for such a long time, maybe Tang Lingmei wouldn’t have pressured Shen Hongfang so much, and Shen Hongfang wouldn’t have become so extreme.

He was about to speak, but before any sound could come out, Shen Hongfang smiled again. His eyes were red, and his smile was full of sorrow.

He clenched his fist, his hand trembling in the drifting dust. “And you know? Today is his birthday. I promised, on his birthday, I would…”

Shen Hongfang’s words trailed off, and two lines of tears slipped from his eyes.

From the fragments of conversation between Song Mian and Tang Lingmei, Chu Tao had vaguely heard about Shen Hongfang’s early love interest.

But from their descriptions, this person seemed insignificant. He was just someone Shen Hongfang had chosen impulsively to relieve his pressure, and once Tang Lingmei had advised against it, this choice had been easily discarded.

But now, it was clear that Aunt Tang had hidden the severity of the situation. That person wasn’t someone Shen Hongfang could simply let go of so easily.

The human heart is always so willful, never willing to listen to any advice.

“Shen Hongfang, I also had tutoring. I’ve been attending classes with Teacher Nian Li Hua for almost two months. My chemistry grades improved so quickly because of those lessons. But, as you know, I didn’t tell my family about this,” Chu Tao said calmly.

Shen Hongfang was stunned for a moment, muttering in disbelief, “Nian Li Hua?”

He knew of Nian Li Hua, of course—he was a prominent teacher at Huainan No. 1 High School, one of the best teachers who had mentored several students who won first prizes in national competitions.

But how could Chu Tao have managed to get tutoring from Nian Li Hua?

His mother had clearly said that the city was strict about teachers providing private tutoring, and well-known teachers like Nian Li Hua would never lower themselves to make extra money this way. Just the lecture fees from different schools every year were enough to cover twice the amount of tutoring fees.

Chu Tao continued, “Also, do you really want his birthday to become your memorial day? Do you want him to remember every year on his birthday that you died that day? If he cares about you too, this day that should be full of happiness would turn into a nightmare. You’re being so selfish.”

At the mention of that person, Shen Hongfang instinctively took a step back, distancing himself from the edge of the building.

It seemed that Chu Tao’s words had affected him. The thought of causing that person harm was unbearable for him.

Thanks to Tang Lingmei’s brainwashing, he already felt that he had wronged that person enough.

No matter what, it couldn’t be today—on his birthday.

Shen Hongfang stepped back again.

The wind on the rooftop was warm, but his heart felt cold, and his fingers were losing feeling.

Having escaped from the position closest to death, Shen Hongfang felt the warmth of the sunlight again.

This day didn’t seem any different. People lived their lives as usual, the sun shone as always, and the teaching building at Huainan No. 1 High School remained its usual brick-red color.

But it was different. It was his birthday, and it had nearly turned into his day of mourning.

And by the way, in this moment, Shen Hongfang realized very clearly just how much he liked that person. He could never let go because of his mother’s words, nor could he let go for the sake of the important grades.

He crouched down, tightly holding his head, softly sobbing. His cries were torn apart and blown away by the wind.

Chu Tao vaguely heard Shen Hongfang repeating in a muffled voice, “Happy birthday, happy birthday, Xi Xun, happy birthday.”

After Shen Hongfang came down from the rooftop, he was kept under close guard by the gatekeeper, and Chu Tao was in charge of contacting Tang Lingmei.

On the phone, Tang Lingmei was still loud and overbearing, not giving Chu Tao a chance to speak.

The idea that Shen Hongfang might want to jump off the building was completely unbelievable to Tang Lingmei. She even suspected that this was a cruel joke made by Chu Tao.

“Tao Tao, how could you do this to Auntie? How could you curse Shen Hongfang like that? Auntie did suspect you of cheating, but it was just a passing comment, and I already apologized to your mom. Why are you being like this, child?”

Chu Tao even found it amusing, but he couldn’t be bothered to argue with Tang Lingmei. “I didn’t even know you suspected me of cheating, but if you don’t come, don’t regret it.”

With that, Chu Tao hung up the phone.

Shen Hongfang had been sitting in a chair, indifferent the entire time. He didn’t care about the gatekeeper’s cautious gaze or Chu Tao’s phone call with Tang Lingmei.

He had even guessed what his mother would say.

Cheating, huh.

This excuse, Shen Hongfang wasn’t sure if Tang Lingmei had come up with it to comfort him or if it was just to console herself.

He understood what kind of person Chu Tao was, and his mother understood too.

It was just that Chu Tao had shattered his mother’s beautiful illusions, and she couldn’t handle it. She couldn’t bear that small break, but since childhood, how many of his illusions had been shattered?

Chu Tao didn’t stay to wait with Shen Hongfang. He wasn’t a person filled with sympathy, and he wasn’t that close to Shen Hongfang. Plus, with the gatekeeper keeping a close watch, Shen Hongfang couldn’t do anything extreme.

And he still hadn’t completed his plan with Jiang She.

Chu Tao turned to Jiang She and said, “The bus to the real-life CS game, it should still be there, right?”

Jiang She smiled and lightly patted Chu Tao’s head.

Two hours later, the two were wearing camouflage outfits, exhausted, leaning against a mud wall, panting heavily.

Their paintball guns were carelessly thrown aside, their helmets crooked on their heads, and their shirt collars undone by two buttons.

In terms of stamina, both of them were about the same, but when it came to aim, Jiang She was a bit stronger. All of Chu Tao’s points were used up, and Jiang She had captured the base.

“I’m so tired, Jiang She.” Chu Tao knocked his helmet lightly against the wall, one leg bent up and the other stretched out lazily.

Jiang She played with the small flag he had taken from Chu Tao’s base, chuckling lightly, “Is this little bit of exercise exhausting you? How will you keep up with me in bed later? I can go for at least four hours.”

Chu Tao glanced sideways, tightening his lips. He grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and threw it at Jiang She.

Jiang She wasn’t angry. He dusted off his camouflage uniform lazily, even too lazy to get up and shake the dirt off.

Chu Tao leaned against Jiang She’s shoulder, the short hairs on his forehead sliding to one side as he moved.

Sweat and exhaustion had taken away the sharpness of the emotions Shen Hongfang had caused him earlier. It was as though what happened at noon had never occurred.

Chu Tao looked at the dust on his palm and softly said, “Now I know why my mom severed ties with Aunt Tang.”

It was because of him, because Aunt Tang had misunderstood that he had cheated.

Chu Tao felt a subtle emotion stir within him. No one likes to be mistrusted, and after Song Mian returned home, she didn’t even ask him once whether there had been any leak in the exam questions.

Jiang She snorted lightly, “Your friend’s mom is really sick.”

Although Jiang She hadn’t experienced much warmth from family, he understood what it should be like to have a normal relationship with parents.

He thought Shen Qing wasn’t much better than anyone else, but he would never punish himself for Shen Qing’s negligence.

Chu Tao said indifferently, “She needs therapy. Actually, if Aunt Tang and my mom didn’t work in the same organization, and if Shen Hongfang wasn’t always overshadowed by my brother’s grades, Aunt Tang wouldn’t have gone so crazy. Their organization hasn’t produced a child who could rank in the top 50 in the class in over ten years. But Shen Hongfang is from the same year as us. If he were one year older or younger, he wouldn’t have to struggle like this.”

Chu Tao stretched out his arm and hooked his finger on Jiang She’s pant leg, muttering, “Jiang She, I really understand everything Shen Hongfang said. If I hadn’t met you, I don’t know…”

Jiang She lifted his chin, making Chu Tao look directly into his eyes.

Chu Tao still had sweat on his face, his eyes moist, and his eyelids flushed from overexertion.

“You wouldn’t be as fragile as him. It’s not because I made you strong; it’s your resilience that attracted me. No one has ever been as captivating as you.”

Jiang She leaned in, kissed Chu Tao’s lips, and with one forceful motion, pressed him onto the ground.

Chu Tao silently responded to his kiss, and the two of them hid in the shadow of the mud wall, resting on the warm sand. No sunlight could peek in on their brief moment of joy.

Finally, Jiang She released him, murmuring, “One day, we’ll wear these outfits again.”