Chuyun glanced at Han Youwei, who was still lazily sprawled over her desk. Seeing she hadn't heard, he instantly breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Su Minghao and whispered irritably, "Watch your words. Han Youwei and I are completely innocent—don't wrongfully accuse us."

"Tsk, still pretending?" Su Minghao sneered with disdain. "Who in class doesn't know by now? You two spent the whole afternoon exchanging glances. Where you went, she followed. When you came back, she came back. Didn't you see the heartbroken looks on all the guys' faces?"

Chuyun was dumbfounded. Exchanging glances? He'd nearly cried from frustration with this silly girl Han Youwei—even tying her shoelaces for her! How had it turned into "exchanging glances"? That was utterly absurd.

Every time he left, Han Youwei trailed after him like a shadow. He went out, she went out. He returned, she returned. He headed to the boys' restroom, and she followed—well, to the door at least. By now, Chuyun felt utterly tortured by her, as if dealing with a three-year-old.

Su Minghao patted Chuyun's shoulder and murmured teasingly, "But as your good buddy, I won't tell Lin Waner or your sister about this. Feeling touched? If you really wanna thank me, just hand over that Saint-tier shield in your stash."

"Touched my foot!" Chuyun shot back, annoyed. "Scram, go home. I'll give it to you tonight, fine?" He saw right through Su Minghao—this was just a ploy for the shield. How ridiculous.

"Heh, I'm off then!" Su Minghao suddenly shouted loudly. "Won't disturb your little two-person world!" With that, he bolted out of the classroom.

Hearing "two-person world," Han Youwei instantly perked up. She looked at Chuyun with puzzled eyes. "Chuyun, what does 'two-person world' mean?"

Chuyun decided: no helping Su Minghao tonight. He must've done this on purpose. But how to explain? He couldn't just say it meant couples. After a moment's thought, he offered a strained explanation: "Uh... it means... two people playing together. That's a two-person world."

"Oh, really?" Han Youwei's moon-shaped eyes sparkled brighter. Was she in a two-person world with Chuyun now? She felt so happy. A honey-sweet smile spread across her face as she cooed in an overly sugary voice, "Then I want to spend every day in a two-person world with you, Chuyun!"

"Pfft!"

Chuyun had just taken a sip from his thermos, feeling thirsty. At Han Youwei's bold words, he couldn't hold back and spat the water out.

In that instant, Chuyun deeply understood the meaning of "trapped by one's own doing." He knew Han Youwei was overthinking again with her not-so-bright brain. Luckily, the classroom was empty—otherwise, he'd never clear his name.

Han Youwei, seeing him spit out water, grew instantly worried. She gently patted his back with genuine concern. "Chuyun, did you choke? Let me pat you—I remember my mom doing this for me."

"..."

Faced with Han Youwei's inexplicable motherly aura, Chuyun felt like crying. His lips twitched as he muttered, "Thanks so much, Han Youwei."

"Ehehe, no need to thank me!" Encouraged by his thanks, Han Youwei patted even harder.

"Stop! Han Youwei, that's enough—I'm fine!" Chuyun quickly called out.

"Oh... okay then." Han Youwei reluctantly pulled her hands back. This rare chance to care for Chuyun was hard to let go.

"Huh, why are my palms red?" She murmured, puzzled, staring at her hands.

Chuyun leaned over. Her once-pale palms were now bright red. "You're hopeless," he sighed. "Who told you to pat so hard?"

"Ehehe, I didn't know it'd turn out like this!" Han Youwei tilted her head, stuck out her pink tongue, and tried to charm her way out.

Suddenly, Han Youwei remembered: school was over. Why wasn't Chuyun petting her head yet? She stole a glance at him. Had he forgotten? Should she remind him? But wouldn't that be too forward?

After some inner struggle, her desire for comfort won out. Blushing shyly, she looked at Chuyun and softly prompted, "Chuyun... hurry up and pet me."

"Huh?"

Chuyun was confused. Pet her? He had no clue what she meant.

"It's that petting!"

When Chuyun still stared blankly, Han Youwei—desperate to be petted—instinctively grabbed his hand and placed it on her head.

Seconds later, realizing how bold she'd been, Han Youwei turned into a steaming girl. Wisps of white vapor seemed to rise from her head. Her cute face flushed crimson, so red it looked like it might drip water if poked.

Chuyun finally got it: head-petting! This afternoon's torture had made him forget. But seeing his hand already on her head, he wondered: was she taking another step down the "free giveaway" path? He'd never met a girl so eager to give herself away.

As he pondered, his hand moved on its own, gently ruffling Han Youwei's hair.

Inside Han Youwei's mind, a chaotic scene unfolded. If someone peeked in, they'd see a tiny black figure, a tiny white figure, and a miniature Han Youwei sitting duck-style, lost in thought.

The black and white figures faced off across the tiny Han Youwei, arguing fiercely.

White figure: "Master, how shameless! You put his hand on your head yourself!"

Black figure: "Nonsense! Master promised Chuyun he'd pet her head!"

White figure: "But you can't just give yourself away like that!"

Black figure: "Master knew Chuyun was shy—that's why she took initiative! Right, Master?"