And so, time rushed past. In the blink of an eye, a week had gone by.

Thus, Liyu’s intense weight-loss regimen had lasted a full week.

Just one week—far too soon to see real results—but Liyu was already cracking under the pressure.

That evening, after finishing their workout, Yumo and Liyu headed to the nearby public library to do homework.

“I just feel like the payoff doesn’t match the effort…” Liyu muttered gloomily.

“But you’ve lost weight! Five and a half pounds!” Yumo consoled her.

“Yet when I look in the mirror… no real difference.”

“Weight loss is about accumulation. Only at the end do you see clear results.”

“Even if you say that…”

Liyu glanced at her reflection in the library’s glossy bookshelves. Her weight had dropped, but not enough to show visibly—not to her own eyes, at least.

“What? Can’t stick with it?”

“Well… not exactly, I guess…”

Yumo suddenly had an idea.

He tore a sheet of scratch paper and scribbled a table with bold strokes.

“‘One kilo, three kilos, five kilos, ten kilos’… What’s this?”

“Rewards for hitting weight-loss goals. Inspired by *The Bucket List*.”

“*The Bucket List*…? Sounds familiar. A famous movie?”

“Something like that. Basically—set phased targets. Every time you hit one, we do something couples do. Track your weight daily. Hit a milestone, and I’ll grant your wish. You decide what it is.”

In truth, it was the classic parent trick: *“Score higher on your exams, and I’ll grant your wish.”* Sweet in theory, but the final say always stayed with the adult.

Yet Liyu’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Any wish? Seriously!?”

“Well… nothing too wild.”

“I lost five and a half pounds this first week! Can I claim my first wish now?”

“Yes…”

“Yay!! My first wish is—”

“Your first wish?”

Seeing Liyu’s excitement, Yumo tensed. *What crazy demand would she make? Would his virtue survive?*

“I-I-I want you to add ‘meow’ to the end of every sentence!”

“…………………………………………………………………………Huh?”

*Snap.*

“What kind of weird request is that?”

“Not allowed…?”

“Fine. Meow.”

“…”

Her expression flickered for a split second.

*Right—Liyu once said he looked like one of the cat-eared leads from that viral dongman “Meow Clan,”* Yumo recalled. *A guy with long bangs and an inexplicably gay aura. She’d seemed pretty into him…*

“Like this? Meow?”

“M-more energetic! Pour your soul into it!”

“‘Meow~!’ Like that?”

“S-so authentic! Exactly like Yu Zihang!!”

“Who’s that… meow?”

“That tragic pretty boy whose wife died, then he got written off, then the author ruined his character!”

“What cursed story is that… meow!?”

“Don’t sweat the details! Can you… can you keep it up all day today? P-please?”

“Understood. A man’s word is his bond… meow!”

——————————

**School—**

Yumo, Zhangyuanzhou, and Liyu had been absent for a week.

That evening, the chemistry lab lost one regular but gained a new visitor.

Linqinglan was tallying supplies as usual. Tasks that once took minutes now dragged on since Yumo’s absence. As for this new assistant…

She was Jing Yiqiu—the undisputed school flower of Haiking’s elite Linhai High. At the pinnacle of beauty among two thousand students, she embodied scholarly grace.

She matched every expectation of a “school flower”: skin like polished jade, raven hair like silk ribbon, a signature white headband holding her locks neatly. Her bangs parted confidently to reveal a smooth forehead. Her face seemed lifted straight from a master’s watercolor—naturally exquisite, untouched by makeup. Her dark eyes held the mystery of frosted obsidian. Even her outfit crystallized the “pure high school girl” ideal: a plaid-blend jacket over thin winter trousers, simple yet sharp.

Even if all high schools in Haiking’s coastal district merged, the title of school flower would still be hers. Linqinglan, praised as beautiful since childhood, couldn’t help but sigh: *The young truly surpass the old.*

But beauty and efficiency were separate matters.

“Teacher, this bottle of indole acetic acid—”

“Third cabinet, second shelf. Next?”

“Methanol, chloroform, phosphoryl chloride, acetone, hydrobromic acid…”

“Lipophilic ones go in the bottom of Cabinet Five. Careful—some are narcotic toxins.”

“Got it, lipophilic…”

“Strong corrosives come to me. Store acids and alkalis separately. Also—”

“P-please wait. Let me sort this out…”

“Ah, sorry.”

Linqinglan snapped back to attention.

Many chemicals here never appeared in textbooks—or even practice problems. It was only natural Jing Yiqiu struggled.

But when Yumo was here… that chemistry prodigy sorted reagents flawlessly without instruction, working faster than his teacher.

Jing Yiqiu wasn’t incompetent. Yumo had simply been *too* good—Linqinglan had grown dependent on him.

“Teacher Lin, did Yumo really handle almost all this alone before?”

“Pretty much… I leaned on him too much. Heh…” Linqinglan admitted sheepishly.

“He’s skilled in chemistry?”

“Extremely. I’ve never seen him miss a chemistry problem. His physics and biology are stellar too.”

“Better than senior Luria’s science scores?”

“Hmm… probably, yes.”

“But his rankings seem average?”

“He’s severely lopsided. His English and Chinese grades are… tragic.”

“I see…”

“I gave you his contact earlier. Ask him if you’re stuck.”

“Mm…”

Jing Yiqiu fell thoughtful.

After night study ended, she washed up, brewed tea, and tackled unfinished homework.

Reaching the chemistry section, she recalled Linqinglan’s words. Hesitating, she finally dialed the unfamiliar boy’s number. He should still be awake.

*Beep—beep—beep—click!*

Connected.

“Hello? Yumo?”

【Yes, meow!】

“??”

The school flower nearly spat out her beauty tea.

“…Yumo?”

【That’s me, meow!】

“…………”

Jing Yiqiu was speechless.

After three silent seconds, she managed:

“I’m the new chemistry rep appointed by Teacher Lin. I’m covering your duties while you’re away. I need to confirm some things.”

【…Who are you, meow?】

“Jing Yiqiu. From your neighboring class.”

【……………………】

Yumo went quiet.

Even through the phone, Jing Yiqiu felt the wave of awkwardness radiating from him.

——————————

Cold sweat poured down Yumo’s face.

*His plan worked—*the school flower called. *But he never expected this death-by-meow opener.*

“What’s wrong?” Liyu looked up from organizing notebooks across the table. Yumo’s heart sank. *His girlfriend was right there. He couldn’t let her catch him talking to the school flower… though she might forgive him? At least drop the meow now!*

Suddenly, Yusuozaai materialized inches from his face. The demon’s single grey-black eye glared, unblinking.

“This was your pact. Backing out?”

“Uh…”

“Would my contractor be so pitiful? Breaking such a simple vow?”

“Mm…”

“Add the meow! Meow!”

“Fine…”

Yusuozaai’s tone turned uncharacteristically fierce, almost angry. Yumo had no idea what a truly furious demon might do—but testing it seemed unwise.

*Especially in front of his girlfriend.*

“So, Jing classmate, what did you want to ask, meow? Meow meow!”

【…I wanted to ask about storing strong alkalis, and where to keep esters.】

“Dry, ventilated Cabinet Four, meow! Keep flammables and oxidizers separate, meow!”

【Could you clarify the categories?】

“Sure, meow! Grab a pen, meow!”

【Okay. Speak slowly…】

…

…

…

Ten minutes later.

“Sigh…”

Yumo stared at the call log, torn between laughter and despair.

*Good news:* He had the school flower’s number.

*Bad news:* She probably thought he was a weirdo with a bizarre speech quirk.

*No matter.* Getting her number was a huge win. Time to cast a wide net! Yeah!

——————————

After asking essential questions, Jing Yiqiu hung up.

Yumo’s meows had burrowed into her brain. *[Checking Yumo’s mental state.jpg]*

“Xiao Qiu, done with your call?” Her mother knocked on the door.

“Done. Here, your phone back.”

She returned the device.

Yes.

That call hadn’t been made from her own phone.

Jing Yiqiu, more guarded than anyone, would never give her number to a stranger.

*Want the school flower’s contact? Not that easy~*