Qin An stepped slowly into Class 2, Grade 6. Not sharing a class with the little tyrant left him feeling oddly disappointed. It was like entering unfamiliar territory—so new he didn’t even know where to sit.

"Qin An! You’re finally here!" A petite girl blocked his path, hands on her hips, face flushed with anger.

She wore a pink dress. Its ruffled collar framed her delicate features. No flashy decorations adorned the simple fabric, yet it radiated quiet grace—drawing eyes and holding them. A bow tied in her glossy black hair made her look even sweeter. At twelve, she’d just begun to blossom. Her snow-pale cheeks, slight curves beneath the dress… she’d grow into a breathtaking beauty.

*What does someone dazzling like my sister have to do with a nobody like me?*

"Stop spacing out! Get to your seat. Hand me the test paper I gave you yesterday—I’ll check your answers."

She slid into her chair first. Qin An hesitantly pulled out the seat beside her. *What if I sat in the wrong spot? How embarrassing.*

"The test paper…" She held out her hand. Confused question marks hovered over Qin An’s head.

"You forgot?!" Her voice rose. "The teacher assigned me as your study buddy! I gave you a practice test after school yesterday—all content for today’s quiz! I told you to finish it at home and bring it back for me to grade!"

Qin An rummaged through his backpack. After a frantic search, he pulled out a crumpled sheet—wrinkled like a cabbage leaf. An Qi’s expression shifted rapidly. Finally, fury won out: "You absolute idiot! I give up on you!" She whirled away, but not before Qin An spotted a small damp patch on the floor—her tears. *Not a great omen for my first day—making the prettiest girl in class cry.*

"Isn’t that Qin An? The one who hangs out with the little tyrant?"

"So what if he’s the tyrant’s friend? He made Goddess An Qi cry—I’d kill him for that."

"Better not. Rumor says he’s vicious. And strong."

Qin An didn’t chase An Qi. He wouldn’t know what to say anyway. But thanks to this, he’d become the class enemy—male and female alike.

An Qi returned just as class began. Her eyes were red-rimmed. Catching Qin An’s glance, she shot him a venomous glare. Then she scribbled on a note: *I’m furious. I’ll never speak to you again. Cross this no-man’s-land line on the desk, and I’ll kill you.*

Her neat, rounded handwriting mirrored her delicate features. *Truly, the writing reflects the person.*

She shook a tiny fist at him, then made a comically fierce face. Qin An nearly choked laughing. An Qi pinched the soft skin on his waist—hard. He winced, gasping. Only after swearing desperately not to laugh did she reluctantly let go.

She drew a chalk line down the center of their shared desk—a wiggly "no-man’s-land" snake. Qin An just smiled. *Feels like stepping back into a pure, distant childhood.*

School was strange and new. No harsh drill instructors. No bloodshed and slaughter in every lesson. No constant threat of death. Freedom felt unreal. The only rule? Whenever his mind wandered during class—or his arm drifted past the chalk line—An Qi would smack his hand or deliver a sharp walnut punch to his head. "Sit up straight! Hands on the desk!" she’d hiss. Still furious, she refused to speak, communicating only through notes.

A slightly plump female teacher entered, arms full of white exam papers. *So this is the quiz An Qi mentioned?*

Math.

Qin An’s mind processed the numbers like a computer. After one scan, most answers were already locked in. Technically, his education barely reached elementary level. But as a hitman, he’d mastered diverse skills—many assassins held doctorates in chemistry, physics, or biology.

He reached for a pen. Then froze. *I don’t even have one.* An Qi noticed his panic. She slid a pink ballpoint pen toward him, along with a note: *Do well. Fail this, and I’ll never forgive you.*

The pen carried her faint, sweet scent. It sharpened his focus instantly.

Mimicking his old handwriting carefully, he finished quickly. Only then did he realize—the questions matched the crumpled practice test almost exactly. *No wonder she exploded when she saw a blank sheet. This little tutor wasn’t bluffing.*

He scribbled extra steps on a few problems to seem less perfect, then laid his head down to sleep.

An Qi seethed watching him nap minutes into the exam. *I should wake him up!* But her eyes flicked to the chalk line. Her hand darted out—then snapped back. *Is he really asleep?* After checking twice, she settled back, tense.

The exam ended. Class ended. Qin An still slept. Unbearable.

An Qi had an idea. She yanked his arm across the chalk line—then thwacked his knuckles with a walnut punch.

Qin An jolted awake, rubbing his head in confusion. An Qi bit her lip to stifle giggles. She spun away, fleeing the classroom without a backward glance.

Qin An smiled faintly. *I woke up when she grabbed my arm. Just didn’t expect the walnut punch.*

The rest of the day dragged. Not one word passed between them. Qin An didn’t mind—he’d once lain motionless for a day and night on a stakeout. But An Qi fidgeted. Notes piled up on her desk. He stayed silent. By the end of class, she couldn’t even recall the subject. *Maybe this silent treatment was a mistake…*

Boys flocked to An Qi, but she dismissed them all. *They only lift skirts, bully girls, and shout for attention. Zero gentlemanly charm.* Her father, a busy CEO, barely noticed her. Her mother had left long ago—but one phrase stuck: *"Any man who likes you just for your looks is no good."* Back then, she didn’t know what a "man" was. *Probably like boys, right?*

Girls avoided her too. Her beauty drew too many male eyes. Friendly overtures met icy indifference.

She had only one true friend: Qin An. The boy who shared her name’s "An." She’d been curious about him—silent, solitary, only seen with the little tyrant. *How can he stand such loneliness? I cry alone in my room sometimes… but I can’t tell Dad. He’d just ignore me. Or worse—dislike me more.*

When the teacher announced paired seating and study buddies, An Qi panicked. *What if I get a mean girl? She’ll pull my hair! What if I get a perverted boy? He’ll… he’ll…* Her mind conjured nightmares.

Then—surprise. She got Qin An.

Day 1: Total silence.

Day 2: One exchanged note.

Day 3: Their first words: "Good morning."

She became his study buddy. She learned: he *could* speak. He just waited for others to start.

They’d been desk partners for a month today. *Our one-month anniversary… and he makes me cry. Such a jerk.* But… but…

The little beauty wavered between pride and what she thought was friendship.