"Junior Xia Chuan, is that you?"

Hearing that familiar voice, Xia Chuan ignored his exhaustion and turned toward the speaker.

It was a pair of lovebirds... wait, no!

Just an ordinary couple.

Xia Chuan didn’t know the girl—he could count all the women he knew on one hand. But the guy? They had history.

"Senior Liu Ziyang... you’re here too."

The voice belonged to Liu Ziyang, the senior Liu Yixia liked. Xia Chuan always used his real name privately, so he almost didn’t react in time. But he managed it.

His feelings about Liu Ziyang were complicated. Liu was a good person—never looked down on Xia Chuan, even when others isolated him. That fit his "sunshine prince" rep at school.

But Xia Chuan disliked him. Reasons? He was too perfect, too much of a golden boy to hate. Not the main issue though. The real problem was he was Liu Yixia’s crush.

Xia Chuan wasn’t a saint. As her backup option, he’d wished Liu Ziyang dead. As a junior, he respected him as a great senior.

So he’d always felt torn.

Seeing Liu Ziyang now should’ve sparked resentment—even hatred. After all, Liu Yixia’s grudge against him tied back to Liu.

But it didn’t. Just a casual, "Hey, long time no see."

Xia Chuan didn’t understand why. Before he could figure it out, Liu Ziyang’s reply cut him off.

"Just finished dinner. Taking a walk to recover."

Liu Ziyang lightly touched the cuts on his face, smiling easily.

"Oh, I see."

Xia Chuan pretended not to care but stole a glance at the wounds.

Liu Ziyang had external injuries too, worse than his own—he’d been knocked out cold. From the healing, he was almost back to normal.

*Great for you. Your savior here still has a huge bruise on his back.*

Xia Chuan felt a pang of bitterness staring at Liu’s face.

Then he shrugged it off. Liu didn’t know he’d been saved. A true 21st-century good Samaritan never leaves a name.

*Sigh. Keeping my deeds anonymous.*

Just as Xia Chuan sank into this fantasy, Liu Ziyang shattered it.

"Forgive my boldness—but were you the one who saved me that day, Junior Xia Chuan?"

Xia Chuan froze, caught off guard.

Seeing his reaction, Liu Ziyang chuckled. "So it was you."

"Fine. It was me."

His anonymous-hero dream crushed, Xia Chuan dropped the act.

"Thanks, junior. Without you, I’d be in much worse shape."

Liu Ziyang sincerely thanked him for that day.

"Thank you for helping Ziyang," the silent girl beside him added softly.

"Ah, don’t get the wrong idea! I only helped because Yixia was there with you."

Flustered by their gratitude, Xia Chuan blurted out the lie. Truth was, even if Liu stood alone, he couldn’t have walked away.

"Even as a side effect, I’m still grateful," Liu Ziyang replied warmly, amused by the tsundere act.

After the awkwardness faded, Xia Chuan calmed down. Wait—how did Liu suspect him? He’d been unconscious that day.

"Senior, why did you think it was me?"

"Not much to it. Too many clues. First, the alley was deserted. Few would risk helping against a dozen thugs. You were the only passerby—that’s point one. Second, your injuries. You’re a strong fighter, Xia Chuan. A few guys couldn’t leave marks like that. You must’ve fought at least ten. Matches the number. Plus, your healing timeline fits mine. But that only made me suspicious. What confirmed it was..."

Liu Ziyang paused.

"What?"

Xia Chuan tensed like a criminal under interrogation.

"Oh—I wasn’t fully knocked out. I saw you lure them away."

"... ..."

Xia Chuan went silent, mind blank.

It felt like someone fed him chocolate, then shoved a giant pile of shit down his throat.

After a long pause, one thought exploded in his head:

*You wanna fight? Just say it! Why the dramatic buildup, you @#$%&!*

"Something wrong, junior?" Liu Ziyang asked innocently, seeing Xia Chuan’s strained face.

*Total scheming bastard.*

"Hmph (damn it)."

Xia Chuan shot back sourly.

"Just kidding. You’re not mad, right? But seriously—thank you."

Sensing his irritation, Liu Ziyang apologized quickly.

"No."

Xia Chuan waved it off. He wasn’t petty, and it was just a joke.

"By the way—who’s this?" He finally noticed the girl.

"Oh, this is—"

"My girlfriend."

She cut Liu Ziyang off.

Xia Chuan blinked, then stared at Liu Ziyang for answers.

After a moment, Liu Ziyang sighed and nodded.

*Die already, life winner!*

Inside, Xia Chuan screamed. If thoughts could kill, Liu Ziyang would be dust by now.

Wait.

Did Liu Yixia know about this girlfriend?

He remembered Liu Yixia’s crush. What would she do?

His frustration cooled instantly.

"Senior, who else knows about your girlfriend?"

Xia Chuan tested him.

"Only you so far."

So Liu Yixia didn’t know.

Xia Chuan got his answer.

Without Liu Ziyang as a rival, he should’ve been thrilled—ready to swoop in. But he wasn’t. If anything, he wanted to fix things for Liu Yixia.

He didn’t understand. His feelings for her felt... hollow.

Maybe because her happiness came first.

He wanted to save her crush, but couldn’t break up a couple. What now?

His brow furrowed slightly.

Headache.

"Junior Xia Chuan, you okay?" Liu Ziyang asked, concerned.

Snapped out of it, Xia Chuan decided to drop it. Cross that bridge later. Since only he knew, Liu was hiding it too—Liu Yixia probably wouldn’t find out soon.

"Nothing. I’ve got stuff to do. Gotta go."

He needed to leave. His stamina was back, and he couldn’t waste time training.

Okay, fine—he just didn’t want to be the third wheel.

He ran off before Liu Ziyang could stop him.

Watching Xia Chuan’s retreating back, Liu Ziyang shook his head with a wry smile.

---

Xia Chuan only slowed after reaching the park’s far end.

He checked his watch. Twenty minutes wasted chatting. As a model student who slept by 9:30 PM, he’d run another half-hour.

He headed to the park’s edge and started jogging...

He only managed seven kilometers.

His legs felt numb. Another step, and cramps would hit.

"Getting old," Old Man Xia muttered, flopping onto a stone bench, mourning his lost youth.

After resting, he headed home.

But before exiting the park, a familiar voice called out.

"Xia Chuan!"

He turned. A girl stood at the street corner, holding a little girl, waving.

It was Mo Yao.

"What brings you here?"

Xia Chuan hurried over.

"Ran out of soy sauce. Just buying a new bottle."

Mo Yao lifted her bag.

"But I cooked recently—the bottle’s barely used. And you bought soy sauce at the park entrance?"

Xia Chuan eyed her suspiciously. The supermarket was far off. No casual stroll would bring her here, especially with a sauce bottle.

*Did she come just to see me?*

"Uh, b-bought an extra bottle... for backup. Problem?"

Mo Yao’s calm face flushed instantly. Her flustered explanation only confirmed his guess.

"Ah, Miss Mo Yao—always so thoughtful."

Warmth spread in his chest. He wouldn’t ruin her cover.

"Not at all. Since we bumped into each other, let’s walk back together."

Mo Yao kept her voice steady, but inside, she was burning with shyness.

"Yeah. Let’s go."

Xia Chuan smiled.

---

Their dorms were far apart. Neither rushed. Five minutes passed, and they’d barely covered half the distance.

"Tired from running earlier?" Mo Yao asked.

"Nah, fine."

Xia Chuan couldn’t admit he’d collapsed like a dead dog on that bench. Bad for his image.

"So you are tired. Wait here."

Ignoring his reply, Mo Yao dumped her bag and Qian Yu into his arms. She dashed to a nearby convenience store.

Xia Chuan stared, bewildered.

She returned quickly, holding two ice cream cones.

Volume 1: I, the Fake Delinquent, Became a Dad (End)

"My grandma told me, 'If you're tired, eat something sweet,'" Mo Yao declared, handing over an ice cream cone with mock seriousness.

"You just wanted one yourself and felt bad eating alone, so you bought this for me too, right?" Xia Chuan took the ice cream with a black line of exasperation on his face, eyeing her suspiciously.

Mo Yao couldn't hide her emotions well. True to form, her face instantly turned flustered after his words.

So easy to read, Mo Yao-sama.

"But of course not—you bought it because you worried I was too tired, right?" Xia Chuan added, deciding to stop teasing her. With her thin skin, she'd probably die of embarrassment.

"Of course! Haha..." Mo Yao turned her head away to mask her awkwardness.

"Let's go home. It's late." Seeing her frozen in place, Xia Chuan nudged her to hurry.

"Oh, right." Mo Yao snapped out of it and started walking.

Neither spoke on the way home. Mo Yao was too busy savoring her ice cream cone.

Xia Chuan disliked cones—in summer, they only offered fleeting coolness, nothing more. He preferred ice pops. Still, since Mo Yao bought it, he took two small bites.

If he ate sparingly, Mo Yao barely got a taste. Unlike him, she preferred slow, deliberate licks to melt it gradually. Her pink tongue glided across the cone's surface, oddly suggestive.

Xia Chuan's mouth went dry watching her.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" A shout jolted the daydreaming pervert back to reality.

A stranger sprinted toward them at full speed. No time to dodge!

Before Xia Chuan could react, the man barreled between them, shoving the slender Mo Yao aside.

"Sorry! Emergency!" By the time Xia Chuan steadied himself, he only caught the man's retreating back and a fading apology.

"Rushing to your death?!" Xia Chuan muttered, though the man was long gone. "Mo Yao, you okay?" He turned to find her with a mournful face. His heart lurched.

"Wallet stolen?" he asked urgently—thieves often struck that fast.

Mo Yao shook her head silently and pointed downward. Xia Chuan saw an ice cream cone stuck upside down on the pavement. The collision had knocked it from her hand.

How much did she love these things?

"Don't be sad. I'll buy you another."

Mo Yao shook her head again.

"My treat—I insist."

Still, she refused.

"Then eat mine. I barely touched it." Xia Chuan said it casually, joking to remind her of the "horror" of cones and make her accept.

But his plan backfired. Mo Yao's eyes lit up. She took a huge bite from his ice cream—right where he'd just eaten.

Xia Chuan froze. An indirect kiss? His heart hammered wildly, a sensation he'd never felt before.

Why do you always do embarrassing things with such a calm face? He blushed fiercely.

Oblivious, Mo Yao beamed triumphantly, as if saying, "You offered—it's mine now!" Streetlights clearly showed Xia Chuan's flushed cheeks. Only then did she realize her mistake. Her own face burned crimson.

"I-I'm going home!" she stammered, snatched Qian Yu from him, and fled.

Xia Chuan stood alone, ice cream in hand, stunned. Mo Yao was far away, but his racing heart wouldn't slow. He didn't understand this fluttering—not even with Liu Yixia had he felt it. He wasn't stupid; he guessed why. But what did it matter? He couldn't stay forever. One day, he'd leave. The thought turned his warmth to gloom.

"Xia Chuan, why aren't you coming?" A familiar voice called from a street corner. He looked up.

A beautiful girl stood there, holding a baby, waving under the lamplight. Her blush hadn't faded, but she waited, calling his name. She'd never left.

Xia Chuan smiled wryly. Why overthink it? At least... at least he was still by their side now. That was enough.

In the neon-lit street, the boy answered and ran toward her.