Liu Benyu stood under the pavilion, cradling a basketball, glaring at Lin Shu and Gu Chuchu as they strolled over.

"Benyu, I’m here to set things straight today. I like Senior Lin Shu."

"Isn’t Senior Lin Shu dating someone else? That senior, Su Nuan—isn’t that you?"

"Right. Senior Su Nuan *is* his girlfriend. And so am I. Who says you can only have one? We confessed together, and he accepted us both."

"You’d rather be his… side piece than accept my confession? What’s wrong with me? I play ball too—I was captain of the middle school team!"

"Senior Lin Shu outshines you in every way. You’re not even worth the dirt under his shoes."

"Senior Lin Shu will solo me. If I win, you leave Gu Chuchu alone. Stop messing with her."

Liu Benyu hurled the basketball at Lin Shu. Gu Chuchu flinched behind him. Lin Shu swatted it aside—it ricocheted across the court.

*Why does everyone want to settle things with basketball? Is the court just a pickup spot now?*

"Challenge me anytime—solo or full game. I’ll play when I’m free. But neither of us gets to decide who Gu Chuchu likes."

Lin Shu ruffled Gu Chuchu’s hair. She squinted, leaning into his touch.

"Just empty words. Gu Chuchu’s been fooled by your smooth-talking player act."

Gu Chuchu tugged Lin Shu’s sleeve, tiptoed, and blinked up at him. "Senior~"

*Backup plan time.* Su Nuan had vetoed it, but Lin Shu knew his cue.

No hesitation. If he hesitated, Liu Benyu would spot the fakery.

*It’s just a staged kiss. But we never practiced…*

Lin Shu bent down. No turning back now. He stayed still, letting Gu Chuchu take the lead.

Gu Chuchu stretched onto her toes, arms straining around his neck. Her flushed cheeks drew closer, eyes soft, lips—thin as cicada wings—brushing his.

A soft, damp warmth met his dry lips. Lin Shu’s eyes flew wide. *This wasn’t the plan! Where’s the angle? Liu Benyu saw everything!*

It felt like a heartbeat. Or an eternity.

Their lips parted. Gu Chuchu slid her arm around Lin Shu’s waist, thigh pressed against his. "Believe me now? We’ve been together for ages. We’ve done… much deeper things."

"Gu Chuchu, I misjudged you. I never thought you’d be so reckless…"

Liu Benyu spat curses, face twisted, then stormed off. *Good. With her self-sabotage, he’ll never bother her again.*

"Was this really okay? I told you to value yourself more."

"It’s perfect. I think I really *do* like you, Senior. More than I realized. How about I become your fake girlfriend? A real one would be even better—I’ll do it better than Senior Su Nuan."

*She figured us out?* Only his sister knew the truth. He’d added her to their chat last night—but she’d never spill. *Do Su Nuan and I really look that unconvincing?* Tian Peng had transferred schools over it…

But faking a relationship with Su Nuan was *to reject Gu Chuchu*. Making *her* the fake girlfriend would backfire. And she’d just confessed again—straight to the point.

"This wasn’t the deal! What did you do to my boyfriend?"

Su Nuan shoved between them, yanking Lin Shu’s arm.

"Doesn’t matter. I stole Senior’s first kiss." Gu Chuchu flashed a V-sign.

"Lin Shu hasn’t had a ‘first kiss’ in ages. From the first to the hundredth—it’s all mine. You’re just eating my leftovers."

"Really? I doubt it. Senior Su Nuan’s too pure. Her first kiss’s still intact, right? Gotta run for lunch—Mom’ll nag. Bye, Seniors!"

Gu Chuchu winked one eye, bowed with hands pressed together—a show of fake apology, really a victory lap.

"That brat. Gets her way and acts smug. Should’ve never ‘lent’ you to her today."

Su Nuan planted her hands on her hips. "I *told* you not to use that backup plan! I warned you about Gu Chuchu! Why’d you let her push you around?"

"I thought she knew how to fake a kiss. Wanted to end this fast."

Su Nuan smacked his head. "Idiot! Can’t you see she’s been scheming to take advantage? First your nose, then your forehead—next it’ll be your lips! You *wanted* to kiss her, didn’t you? All men are the same—no self-control."

"What man *has* self-control?"

"Then why not accept Gu Chuchu? Most guys get girlfriends just for… *that*. Is it because you like your sister?"

"*Cough—cough—*"

Her bluntness choked him.

"Don’t girls want it too? If things flow naturally… it’s fine. As long as both agree."

"But you can’t marry your sister. You’ll marry someone else someday, right?"

"I haven’t thought that far. Right now, I just want to protect my sister. Keep my promise."

Su Nuan filed away the word *promise* but didn’t press. Pushing too hard would ruin her fake-girlfriend act.

"Benyu forgot his ball."

Other students had already grabbed it, shooting hoops. They wouldn’t steal it—just assume it was a friend’s. Only later would they face the choice: keep it, leave it, or turn it in.

"A guy who forgets his precious basketball can’t love anyone properly," Su Nuan sniffed.

*What logic is that?* Lin Shu had never forgotten a ball—he couldn’t afford to. His only loss was a mix-up at dusk, when he’d carried the wrong one home carefully, not dribbling to avoid collisions.

Su Nuan took his hand, walking toward the gate.

"Chuchu seemed to spot our fake relationship. Even offered to be your fake girlfriend. Was she bluffing? Or did she find proof?"

"*Chuchu* now? How cozy."

Su Nuan’s tone turned icy.

"We were pretending to date today. Full names felt too stiff."

"That’s Gu Chuchu’s trap. Either way, she won today. Whether she guessed or knew—we still have to keep pretending. Or all our effort’s wasted. Unless you want *her* as your fake girlfriend? Dumping me, your ex-fake? We signed a contract. Breaking it?"

*You promised no flirting. Zero compliance.*

"Why would I need a fake girlfriend? No one else likes me. Who’s there to ward off?"

"What about those fangirls under the Confession Wall? All begging for your contact. One-game wonder, huh?"

"They’ll lose interest in days. Chase the next pretty face on the wall."

"Was that your first kiss just now?" Su Nuan traced her crimson lips with porcelain fingers.

"I… guess so." Lin Shu touched his own lips, recalling the warmth, the dampness—until Su Nuan pinched his palm.

"Daydreaming? Enjoy it? Want more kisses? You don’t have to take responsibility. Or will you ‘take responsibility’ after kissing her?"

She’d cornered him. He’d meant to free Gu Chuchu from Liu Benyu’s advances. Instead, her fake confession had turned real.

*I’ll ask my sister tonight. My personal love-advice guru.*

They reached the bike racks. Su Nuan released his hand. Lin Shu pulled out his bicycle.

Su Nuan rubbed her lips again, then pinched his, flattening them.

"See you afternoon. Brush your teeth before eating. Gu Chuchu’s got bad breath."

*I should’ve stolen your first kiss. Or ‘practiced’ when she doubted us… I’m the real idiot.*

*Next time, I’ll use Gu Chuchu as an excuse to claim your second kiss. Your hundred-and-first. You can win once. I’ll win ten thousand times. You’re just here to make our fake relationship last longer.*

Lin Shu arrived late at the bar. Liang Caiyi was already cleaning alone—still blonde, not dyed black. No uniform today, but a jacket tied at her waist.

They’d fallen into this routine: closing the bar together.

"Where were you? On a date with your girlfriend?" Liang Caiyi snapped.

"Something like that."

"Damn real-life player. Taking all the perks."

"You look more like one than I do."

"My only friend’s locked at home. What ‘real life’?"

"Aren’t you in a band? Playing guitar?"

"Just a makeshift group. Not even real friends."

Her voice lacked conviction.

"Fight with Auntie Liang again?"

"When *don’t* we fight?"

Lunch had been tense. Auntie Liang usually started conversations—any topic—that always spiraled into scolding Caiyi. Caiyi would talk back, then bolt after eating. Today, she’d left her bowl half-full, chopsticks clattering on the table.

"Caiyi—" Auntie Liang reached out, regret flashing in her eyes.

"Auntie, let me go." Lin Shu stood up.

"Trouble you again, ah… Caiyi’s gotten so stubborn."

*Auntie Liang would only make it worse.* Caiyi was rebellious, yes—but her mother’s methods were flawed too.

Caiyi hadn’t gone far. She crouched outside the shop, face buried in her knees, muffled sobs shaking her shoulders. Her jacket lay forgotten on the floor—no immodesty, just raw hurt.

"What happened with Auntie today? Don’t you fight every day?"

"None of your business."

"I don’t care—but I want to eat in peace. Is it school? Or the hair dye?"

"Both."

"Your dye’s almost gone anyway. What’s the harm in going back to black?"

Lin Shu grabbed a strand of Liang Caiyi’s dark hair. Compared to their first meeting, her dyed golden locks had faded, the ends now darker, with fresh black roots growing near her scalp.

"If I surrender and dye it back, Mom’ll pile on more demands. Next, she’ll force me back to school—study hard, quit music, cram for high school entrance exams."

"Aren’t all those just a student’s duties… except quitting music?"

"You don’t have to dye it back. I’ve got a solution. But you *must* return to school. Are you being bullied there?" Lin Shu couldn’t help asking—after what happened to Gu Chuchu.

"Who’d dare bully *me*?"

"True."

Lin Shu fell silent. Only the roar of traffic filled Caiyi’s ears. "What’s your trick to skip dyeing my hair *and* school?" she pressed.

No reply.

"You’re just tricking me, aren’t you?"

Caiyi lifted her tear-streaked face—only to find Lin Shu gone. Fury flared.

Inside the shop, Lin Shu told Auntie Liang and his dad, "Caiyi’s outside. Didn’t run far."

"Knew that stubborn girl couldn’t get far," Auntie Liang sighed, relief softening her sharp tone. *Mother and daughter, truly alike.*

Lin Shu pulled a white sports cap from his backpack. Caiyi wiped her eyes hastily when he stepped out. "I wasn’t crying."

She muttered under her breath: "Big liar."

Lin Shu placed the cap on her head. Too loose. He adjusted the strap at the back until it fit snugly.

"It’s filthy! Stinks!" The cap bore sweat stains from his bike rides under the sun, smelling faintly sour.

"You don’t want to dye it back? Just wear this until your roots grow out. Like when someone shaves their head, or a bad haircut forces a buzz cut—you hide it with a cap till it grows."

"Are you stupid? My hair’s not *that* short! Braid it into a bun? Takes forever. Or stuff it under a hair net like a wig? Uncomfortable. No way."

"Not like that. A ponytail through the cap’s back hole. Give me your hair tie."

Caiyi handed him the black hairband from her wrist.

Lin Shu slid it onto his own wrist. Combing her hair with his fingers, he gathered her long locks, tied a ponytail, fluffed it upside down, then secured it with a strand of hair. Spreading his fingers, he looped the hairband around the ponytail twice.

"Cap, now."

He placed it back on her head, letting the ponytail slip through the hole. Golden strands still glinted in the tail, but from the front, it looked normal. Tucking the whole tail inside would work too.

"How’s it feel?"

Lin Shu snapped a photo of the back of her head and showed her.

"So-so. Since when do guys know how to braid hair? Got a cross-dressing hobby? Don’t worry—I’ll keep it secret from your dad and my mom. If we team up to lie to her, she’ll believe you."

"Why’d you jump to *that*? I just help my sister sometimes."

"I’m not your sister. Don’t get fresh."

"Never thought of you as one. I’ve only got one sister."

"Fine. Since this works, go back to school. Give Auntie Liang peace of mind."

"Maybe… if teachers stop hassling me."

"Even faking ‘good student’ mode would make her nag less."

"Wish it were that simple."

Lin Shu reached for the cap. Caiyi clamped her hands over it. "Aren’t you giving it to me?"

*Shameless.* Well, it wasn’t expensive. Worn-out. No sentimental value.

"Exchange: you attend class."

"Deal. So you *are* agreeing to help me lie to Mom?"

"Never agreed to that."

"Doesn’t matter. I’ll tell her *you* convinced me to return. She’ll pester you endlessly—then you’ll get fed up and just tell her whatever to shut her up. I’ll be free and easy. Perfect."

"Whatever. Can we eat now?"

"Not going back. Can’t stand seeing Mom’s face right now." Caiyi hugged her knees, turning away.

*Still sulking.* Lin Shu couldn’t face his dad and Auntie Liang without her. What if she ran off while they ate?

"Lunch at my dad’s shop, then?"

*Gurgle…*

A stomach growled—a cute, untimely protest.

"Since you’re starving," Caiyi stood reluctantly, stamping numb feet, "I’ll grace your family’s cooking with my presence. As thanks for the cap." She patted her flat stomach instinctively.