“Great God Hou Yi, please lend me a hand,” Feng Yijiu murmured, gazing up at the blazing sun with a flicker of despair.

Around two p.m.—the peak of Guangdong’s daily heat—if she biked back now, her uniform would be drenched by the time she reached school.

Alas, the sun showed no mercy.

Sighing, Feng Yijiu pulled out an umbrella for one last humanitarian effort.

“Next time I ride my bike at noon, I’m a dog,” she muttered, frowning at the sweat stain spreading across her uniform—then her eyes lit up.

The school uniform shop right by the gate.

Ah, right. She was a rich girl. Relief washed over her.

After changing, she didn’t notice a tiny band-aid had slipped to the floor.

Li Hao, also a day student, usually napped at school since home was far. Normally, he’d be grinding in the game at this hour. But spurred by Feng Yijiu, he’d actually left his phone untouched today, quietly reviewing textbooks to reclaim his pride in the upcoming placement test.

A chair scraped nearby. He glanced up—pale thighs caught his eye. His gaze drifted upward.

Straight into Feng Yijiu’s darkening glare.

“Like what you see?” she teased, pretending to hike up her shorts, eyeing him like he was a creep.

Li Hao almost nodded—then broke out in goosebumps.

*He’s a guy. A guy. A guy…* The mantra echoed in his skull.

Seeing the flustered bookworm duck his head, Feng Yijiu exhaled softly and dabbed her brow with a tissue.

Then—a faint friction. Her expression shifted. Glancing down, a tiny bulge had formed on the left side of her shirt.

She shot a nervous glance at the wooden desk.

*Damn it. Forgot about this.* The sweat had weakened the band-aid’s grip.

Worse: the other one felt ready to retire too. And with the school restroom’s low partitions? Changing there meant social suicide.

This corner was safer. If she hunched down… quick fix.

She casually pulled out two fresh band-aids.

Checked Li Hao—seemed asleep, head down. She breathed easier.

Re-sealed the little troublemaker.

But the second one needed replacing. She tugged gently through the fabric.

Released. The old band-aid dropped.

Hunched low, her right hand slipped the new one underneath.

*Phew.* Done.

Just as she reached for the evidence—*thud*. Li Hao’s foot pinned it like divine intervention.

Grass. Just a plant.

She ground her teeth at that offending foot.

Taking a deep breath, she slumped onto the desk, feigning sleep, eyes locked on his shoe.

*I dare you.*

Minutes later, Li Hao stood to fetch water. Feng Yijiu’s lips curved—then froze.

Empty spot.

Her knuckles whitened.

*Why would you even want that trash?!* she screamed silently at the band-aid stuck firmly to his sole.

Whatever. Just a band-aid.

She didn’t care.

Li Hao returned refreshed, sprawling lazily across his seat.

And there it was—the cursed speck, staring up from his shoe sole.

She sucked in two sharp breaths to stop herself from smacking his belly.

Thankfully, the bell rang.

As the English teacher entered, Feng Yijiu let out a soft huff through her nose.

Coincidentally, Li Hao’s textbook slid halfway onto her desk.

She nudged it back, then shifted her desk outward—leaving a half-centimeter gap.

Li Hao scratched his head. *Why’s my ridiculously handsome desk mate acting weird this afternoon?*

After a beat, he pulled out half a strip of strong mint candy meant to keep him awake.

“One?”

He poked her arm—soft, yielding, like gelatin.

Feng Yijiu eyed his earnest face, then the candy. Her gaze wavered.

Li Hao just smiled, placing the mint between their desks.

She kept busy during class, seemingly unmoved.

But when he returned from the restroom, only one candy remained in the wrapper.

He glanced at Feng Yijiu—face blank, sipping milk.

A fresh carton sat in his desk.

Li Hao smiled. Then noticed the band-aid stuck to his shoe. He peeled it off and tossed it in the trash.

From the corner of her eye, Feng Yijiu finally relaxed.

—Years Later—

“Seriously, we’re not broke—we can afford proper wedding candy. Why’d you buy *so many* mints, you silly boy?” Soon-to-be mother-in-law Dong Shu shook her head. After snagging such a perfect wife, his glory days had vanished.

Li Hao just chuckled. Spotting *her*, he stepped over, gently circling Feng Yijiu’s slender waist, his palm resting softly on her belly.

“You’re beautiful today,” he whispered against her ear, breath warm.

“Ugh, you’re gonna kill me,” she murmured, patting his stomach.

“Why do you always hit my belly?”

“Because I like to. Problem?”