Yu Qian picked up her phone and saw the name ‘Jiang Zheng’ displayed on the screen. She let out a breath of relief. Thankfully it was a number she recognized. Otherwise, she would have been so startled that she might have thrown her phone away.

“Hello.” Yu Qian answered.

“I knew you hadn’t slept yet.” Jiang Zheng said. “How is it? Staying in the hospital alone— isn’t it terrifying?”

“I’m not a coward. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Even as she said that, hearing Jiang Zheng’s familiar, teasing voice made her feel inexplicably at ease.

Curious, she asked, “How do you know I haven’t slept yet?”

Jiang Zheng let out a chuckle on the other end. “I live right across from you. When have you ever turned off your lights before 10:30 at night? It’s only a little past 8:00 now. You might even have a late-night snack before bed.”

Yu Qian was speechless. How did he guess so accurately? She had indeed sent the caregiver auntie out to buy her a snack because she was hungry.

After a brief silence, Yu Qian spoke with some difficulty, “Tell me the truth, Jiang Zheng, are you spying on me?”

She swore that even if he admitted it, she wouldn’t beat him to death. At most…… she’d just cripple him.

“Tch, do you think you’re Xi Shi or Diao Chan^[1]two of the four legendary beauties? What’s there for me to spy on? Watching your two ugly dogs fight outside is more entertaining than watching you.”

Yu Qian: “……” She felt deeply offended.

But she had to admit that chatting with Jiang Zheng made her fear completely dissipate.

A long while later, the caregiver auntie finally returned with her late-night snack and Yu Qian hung up the phone.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m, she couldn’t help but yawn. Though her toes still throbbed with a dull pain, it was within a bearable range. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

Long after she had fallen asleep, Wang Hui arrived. Seeing that Yu Qian was sleeping soundly, she gently tucked the blanket around her daughter before settling down on one of the beds.

────ρя


Early the next morning, Wang Hui brought in a wheelchair, intending to take Yu Qian home.

“Mom…… I don’t think I need a wheelchair. I can still hop on one foot.” Yu Qian protested. She had only suffered a fracture. Surely it wasn’t serious enough to warrant a wheelchair.

“And risk injuring your other foot too?” Wang Hui refused to let Yu Qian act recklessly, forcing her into the wheelchair before pushing her into the car.

Wang Hui had originally planned to request a month-long leave for Yu Qian, allowing her to fully recover before returning to school.

But Yu Qian refused. After a long standoff, Wang Hui finally compromised, shortening her leave to just one week.

Lying in her room, Yu Qian felt utterly drained as she waited for her private tutor to arrive. Was her mother joking? She was in her final year of high school!

Taking a month off? That could cost her a spot at Peking University! The pressure was immense.

────ρя


Yu Qian tried her best to focus as her tutor explained math problems. Even though she had already learned this material once, math still felt like the most terrifying thing in the world.

In her past life, Qi Yu had always tutored her. But now, Qi Yu was only in her second year of high school. Sometimes, when Yu Qian subconsciously asked Qi Yu for help, she would only get a long, silent ellipsis in response.

Finally, after enduring a week of sick leave, Yu Qian eagerly grabbed her crutches and headed back to school.

The tutor had been helpful, but nothing compared to the atmosphere of learning in school.

Yu Qian’s return instantly became the talk of the entire campus.

The video of her throwing the shotput ball had become the most popular post on the school forum.

As she walked through the hallways, she once again saw two girls whispering to each other while glancing at her.

What could she do? She could only smile. Keep smiling. If she wasn’t embarrassed, then the awkwardness belonged to others.

The moment she stepped into the classroom, her classmates immediately swarmed around her.

“Qianqian, is your foot better?”

“Yu Qian, I heard you broke your leg?”

“Yu Qian, did you know? You’ve got a new nickname online— ‘The Shot Put Smasher’!”

“Yu Qian……”

Surrounded by chattering voices, Yu Qian felt like her ears were about to explode.

Jiang Zheng walked over, reaching out to push aside a few of the boys blocking the way. Creating a path for Yu Qian, he turned and said, “Can’t you see she’s still hopping on one foot? Make way for her already.”

Jiang Zheng supported Yu Qian with both hands and guided her to her seat.

The other classmates exchanged glances.

“Sorry, Yu Qian, I got a little excited when I saw you just now and didn’t remember your foot.” A girl said with some embarrassment.

“It’s fine, really. My foot is almost healed, so it’s no big deal.” Yu Qian quickly shook her head.

“Yu Qian, here, this is for you.” Her deskmate, Lin Li, handed her a box of chocolates.

Yu Qian took it in surprise, watching as Lin Li smiled shyly and said, “I wanted to visit you at home, but I was afraid of disturbing you. This is my gift for you.”

“Thank you.” Yu Qian looked at Lin Li, feeling touched. What kind of warm-hearted boy was this? He’s even warmer than a heating pad.

Lin Li usually reminded her about class, patiently answered her questions, shared his snacks, and willingly took on extra work during cleaning duties. His shy yet refreshing smile…… Honestly, he was exactly the kind of kid Yu Qian imagined her future son to be.

Yu Qian thought that if she had a little brother or son like this, she would definitely flood her social media with pictures, boasting about him every chance she got.

Jiang Zheng, watching Yu Qian accept Lin Li’s gift with a beaming smile, felt an inexplicable bitterness rise in his heart.

It was just a box of chocolates, was there a need to smile that brightly like a grinning fool? As expected, pets and their owners were alike. He had bought Yu Qian plenty of things before, yet he had never seen her smile at him like this.

And this Lin Li, did he even know what giving chocolates meant? It was obvious he had ulterior motives! Did he not realize Yu Qian was still underage?!

Just as Jiang Zheng was grumbling internally, Lin Niannian and Bai Qiming entered through the doorway.

“Qianqian, these are for you.” Lin Niannian handed Yu Qian a bag of snacks. “All the ones you bought before got eaten by Ah Zheng, so I restocked them for you.”

“Thank you, Niannian.” Yu Qian happily accepted the snacks, completely unfazed by the fact that Jiang Zheng had devoured her previous stash.

Jiang Zheng had always helped himself to her snacks. He often bought her snacks as well, and he made sure to inform her whenever he took hers.

“I mean, Niannian, she’s already getting gifts from others. Who would even care about your snacks now?” Jiang Zheng’s comment was as irritating as ever.

Lin Niannian shot him a glare and Jiang Zheng awkwardly looked away.

Bai Qiming observed Jiang Zheng. He had always been sharp-tongued, but he had never spoken to girls in this way before. Yet today, both his tone and expression seemed…… jealous? A thought flashed through Bai Qiming’s mind.

────ρя


That afternoon, during PE class, Yu Qian was excused from activities due to her injured foot, so the teacher allowed her to move around freely.

After half the class, the teacher announced free time, and the students erupted in cheers.

Jiang Zheng, his forehead glistening with sweat, lifted the hem of his shirt to cool himself off.

“Where’s Yu Qian?” He glanced around but didn’t see Yu Qian, so he nudged Bai Qiming beside him.

Bai Qiming didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he asked, “You’ve been paying a lot of attention to Qianqian lately, haven’t you?”

Though phrased as a question, Bai Qiming’s tone made it sound more like a statement.

“Have I?” Jiang Zheng’s hand froze, his expression slightly stunned.

“Both Qianqian and Niannian aren’t here, but you only noticed that Qianqian was missing.” Bai Qiming looked directly at him.

Having known Jiang Zheng for over a decade, Bai Qiming had realized Jiang Zheng’s feelings before even he did— just as Jiang Zheng had once noticed Bai Qiming’s unusual attention toward Lin Niannian.

“She’s like a sister to you, right? Which means she’s like a sister to me too. It’s only natural for me to look out for her.” Jiang Zheng felt a little panicked, but his stubborn mouth refused to admit anything.

Bai Qiming didn’t argue. He simply said, “As long as you know what you’re doing.”

He wasn’t trying to force Jiang Zheng into admitting anything. He just understood Jiang Zheng’s personality too well. Sometimes, his emotional intelligence was as low as a clueless little kid.

As he didn’t understand his own feelings, his actions were just like those of a boy who deliberately teased a girl he liked to get her attention.

As a friend, Bai Qiming had to step in and remind him, before Jiang Zheng ended up sabotaging his chances and regretting it later.

Jiang Zheng wanted to argue back, but no words came to him. He remained uncharacteristically silent even when Yu Qian and Lin Niannian returned, drawing curious glances from both girls.