Being the school beauty was as easy as reaching into a bag for Nangong Ruihui. Her looks didn’t need anyone’s approval. But she didn’t want to be the school beauty. Being the school prince sounded pretty nice too~

At least... it wouldn’t attract so many animals who thought with their lower halves. What Nangong Ruihui hated most was people going into heat for her for no reason behind her back. Just thinking about it made her sick.

Back to the present, nighttime was when Mu Yao had the most energy in a day. He loved the quiet of the night more than anything. Sometimes he even wondered if being nocturnal was the body clock that suited him best.

Bouncing along every few steps, Mu Yao locked onto Nangong Ruihui, who was walking toward the classroom not far ahead. But their relationship was still lukewarm. Otherwise, Mu Yao could’ve hugged him from behind without asking.

“Rui—hui!”

Mu Yao shouted, then spread his arms and ran toward Nangong Ruihui.

Nangong Ruihui didn’t turn around, but she felt the “killing intent” behind her. Mu Yao’s killing intent. She could also guess what he wanted to do. If he really dared to do something too intimate, she’d heartlessly shove him to the ground.

She should be able to do it, right? No, she definitely could!

“Ruihui...”

When he reached Nangong Ruihui’s back, Mu Yao suddenly stopped. He didn’t dare hug him after all. Instead, he lightly patted his shoulder, afraid that going too far would make him dislike him.

“So it’s Yaoyao. Come on, let’s go to evening self-study together.”

There it was again, that smile as warm as a spring breeze. But what the real Nangong Ruihui was thinking was: Just wait till I ditch you later, you little brat~

It wasn’t that Nangong Ruihui disliked Mu Yao. But Mu Yao was acting way too eager to get close to her, and the more she thought about it, the weirder it felt.

As for Mu Yao: He should be close to falling for me by now, right? If I just try a little harder... if you don’t fall for me, how am I supposed to make you look shocked later? Mya-hahaha~

Ditching Mu Yao wouldn’t be hard. How could a flower vase possibly outrun her? She was good at both the fifty-meter sprint and the thousand-meter run.

Just as Nangong Ruihui was about to start running, Mu Yao grabbed her wrist and looked up at her with an adorably pleading face.

“Ruihui, I ran too fast just now, and I’m a little out of breath. Can we walk slowly?”

“Sure... my ass!”

Nangong Ruihui pretended to agree. Then, while Mu Yao wasn’t paying attention, she suddenly shook off his hand and ran.

Mu Yao froze. His brain crashed for a few seconds. Then a stubborn urge rose up inside him. He had to catch Nangong Ruihui. He wanted to ask why she had suddenly run off. They’d clearly held hands that very afternoon.

His steps came fast and tight. Mu Yao had already sprinted once and was exhausted. Running again was too much for him, and the distance between them only kept growing.

“Ah—!”

He wasn’t watching his step and tripped over a stone. Mu Yao went down face-first into the dirt and stayed sprawled on the ground without moving.

Nangong Ruihui stopped. She had heard Mu Yao’s yelp, crisp and bright, echoing across the whole open space.

What am I supposed to do with you... You’re already this old and you still do the classic flat-ground fall.

Nangong Ruihui shook her head and turned back. She couldn’t just leave Mu Yao lying there motionless. If he was hurt, she needed to get him to the school clinic quickly. After all, he had fallen because of her.

Rumors spread through the crowd at once—

“Look, President Nangong is bullying the new girl~”

“Really? No way. President Nangong may be cold, but he’s not a bad person. Why would he bully someone?”

“You just got here, so you don’t know. I saw it with my own eyes. He shook off that girl’s hand and ran off by himself. He’s probably only coming back to help because he’s afraid people will talk.”

“That happened?? Poor thing. She’s probably another one of President Nangong’s admirers. Why are they all so determined to suffer...”

“Exactly.”

...

“Hey. If you’re not dead, get up and move. This isn’t concrete. You’re not gonna die from a fall like that.” Nangong Ruihui poked Mu Yao’s soft arm with a finger.

“...”

“Come on, get up. At worst, I won’t ditch you again, okay? I was wrong. Is that good enough~”

Nangong Ruihui had never lowered herself like this before. She was already being very respectful to Mu Yao. If he still kept pretending and refused to get up, she was really going to leave. He couldn’t just take advantage and still act spoiled.

“Hmph!”

Mu Yao lifted his head. A little face full of grievance, smudged with dirt, appeared before Nangong Ruihui’s eyes. It only made her feel guiltier.

“You said it. No going back on your word~” Mu Yao puffed out his lips.

“I won’t. Would I, Nangong Ruihui, make promises carelessly? Impossible.”

“That’s good. But what if you ditch me again next time?”

“Whatever you say should happen, happens.”

“Kiss me once~”

“Okay...”

She agreed helplessly. Mu Yao’s temperament was basically that of a clingy little girl. He hadn’t been like this when he was little. Back then, he’d been stronger than all four of his older sisters.

Wait, why had she absentmindedly agreed to Mu Yao’s request? Crap, she’d fallen for it!

It’s not that your sis isn’t calm enough. It’s just that this girl is too cute. Nangong Ruihui came up with a barely passable excuse for herself.

Mu Yao was very light. Nangong Ruihui got him up without any effort. But the next second, Mu Yao threw himself right at her, leaving Nangong Ruihui stuck and unable to advance or retreat.

“Hey, what are you doing? No throwing yourself into my arms. Are you hurt? If you are, I’ll take you to the school clinic.”

“N-no, that’s not it. I didn’t...”

Mu Yao didn’t want this either. He wasn’t hurt, but after that fall, his body felt a little drained. He wanted something to lean on, and Nangong Ruihui beside him was obviously the best choice.

It wasn’t that he wanted to throw himself into her arms. He wasn’t that frivolous.

“Your face is all dirty. I’ll take you to the restroom to wash up. If nothing was wrong, why were you chasing me?”

“You’ve got the nerve to ask. If you hadn’t run, would I have chased you?” Mu Yao’s resentment flared up again. Nangong Ruihui was the culprit. But seeing as he had come back to help him up, he’d let it slide for now.

Using tissues she kept on her, Nangong Ruihui dabbed the extra water off Mu Yao’s face, then led him into the classroom.

The classroom had none of its usual noise. Everyone seemed to be deliberately waiting to welcome a newlywed couple, just for Nangong Ruihui and Mu Yao, who arrived last. In their eyes, the two had already started a sweet, passionate romance.

Mu Yao had run too fast earlier, and one of his oversized girls’ leather shoes had flown off. His creamy white over-the-knee sock, wrapped around his small foot, had been left exposed. Nangong Ruihui had even crouched down to put the shoe back on for him.

Just thinking about it made Nangong Ruihui want to laugh. It was way too airheaded and cute. He’d be perfect as her little sister. And yet this innocent, inexperienced girl was actually her fiancée. It was unbelievable. Being sisters might’ve worked. No, wait, brother and sister.

“So... are you mad at me?” Nangong Ruihui asked.

“I was pretty mad, yeah. But when I think about how the one who hurt me was Ruihui, I’m not mad anymore. Because Ruihui and I have a marriage arrangement~”

“...Let’s just read.”

Nangong Ruihui felt she never should’ve asked. Silly little Mu Yao was teasing at her heartstrings again, whether on purpose or not.