Xiao Chacha spent the entire afternoon sprawled across the desk. By the end, she was lively again. She took one of Lin An’s earbuds, slipped it into her ear, and watched videos with him.

Lin An didn’t seem particularly bothered. When school let out that afternoon, he removed the earbud from her ear and put it back in the case. Then he stood up. He didn’t have anything like a schoolbag.

Still, Lin An wasn’t in a hurry to leave. The classroom was crowded, so he let those eager to go leave first. He wasn’t worried about being a few minutes late. He was always like that.

The classroom gradually emptied. Lin An walked to the door, where Su Yuejin was waiting outside.

Xiao Chacha followed behind him like a clingy little puppy.

“Where are you two going?” she asked, blinking at Su Yuejin.

“To the milk tea shop.” Su Yuejin answered her, then glared fiercely at her. “Are you coming?”

“Yes, yes!”

Xiao Chacha seemed not to notice the warning in Su Yuejin’s eyes. But at that moment, Lin An glanced at her too.

His voice was soft. “If you’re feeling unwell, you should go home and rest early.”

“I want milk tea.” Xiao Chacha looked at Lin An’s face.

“You need to listen.”

“You’re the one who needs to listen, Lin An. You’ve got secrets I haven’t told Su Yuejin about. Maybe one day, if I’m in a bad mood, I’ll…”

Lin An tilted his head slightly and met her eyes.

His smile was refined and easygoing. His voice was warm. But his gaze was cold.

Most of the time, the emotions shown in someone’s eyes were the only ones that truly mattered.

“Are you threatening me?” he asked simply.

The confident, smug look on Xiao Chacha’s face slowly faded.

She realized that no matter what she said—even if she exposed the fact that she and Lin An had slept together—would Su Yuejin really care?

That girl had already fallen into the blind whirlpool called love. She couldn’t pull herself free. As long as Lin An didn’t do anything too extreme, Su Yuejin, with her eyes clouded over, would always choose to forgive him, wouldn’t she?

Then what secret did Xiao Chacha really have?

When all was said and done, the only thing she knew that Lin An didn’t was that a woman named Qin Xueming seemed obsessed with him.

But that was meaningless.

So she stared into Lin An’s eyes for three seconds.

“Got it… I won’t have any.”

She looked terribly aggrieved, but neither Lin An nor Su Yuejin showed the slightest trace of sympathy.

They had both already seen through her nature.

Lin An gently took Su Yuejin’s hand.

“Well, let’s go.”

He walked beside Su Yuejin, shoulder to shoulder. Together, they went down the school building and headed for the milk tea shop outside.

…………………………

It was an autumn afternoon, and the air wasn’t particularly hot. The milk tea shop hadn’t turned on the air-conditioning.

Lin An sat across from Su Yuejin.

She had taken off her black denim jacket. Underneath, she wore a slightly cropped, tight-fitting T-shirt that hugged the shape of her chest. It didn’t reveal any skin, but it was still incredibly sexy.

So Lin An looked twice.

Su Yuejin had no intention of covering herself. Instead, when she noticed his gaze, she inexplicably pushed her chest out a little, looking as though she was enjoying it.

What a lewd girl.

“Just now, Xiao Chacha said there was some kind of secret between you and her…?”

“Hmm? Do you think there is?” Lin An didn’t answer directly. He curved his lips and looked at Su Yuejin’s face.

His question left Su Yuejin at a loss.

On one hand, Xiao Chacha might simply have been trying to make them argue. She could have invented the whole thing to stir up trouble.

On the other hand, Lin An had asked her, “Are you threatening me?” That made it sound as though there really was a secret between them.

“You tell me. I’ll believe you. If you say there is one, then there is. If you say there isn’t, then there isn’t.”

Su Yuejin chose that answer.

“You’re far too obedient.” Lin An looked into her eyes, half amused and half exasperated.

“Because I trust you… Besides, even if there really is a secret, what could it be? It’s not like I don’t know you’re a bad person.”

“Then why are you sitting here drinking milk tea with me?”

“Because I like you.”

Why could she always say the words “I like you” so easily, so frankly, and so purely?

Lin An couldn’t understand it. But perhaps it wasn’t something he needed to understand.

He answered, “There are a few small secrets. But it probably doesn’t matter if you don’t know them.”

“So you just don’t want to tell me.” Su Yuejin pouted slightly, but she had no desire to press him further.

She took a sip of her jasmine milk tea, then frowned a little.

“The flavor’s not bad. But even half-sweet is a little too sweet.”

Lin An took a sip as well. It was fine to him. He wasn’t picky about food, and he didn’t fuss over details.

Milk tea cost twelve yuan a cup. Cola cost three yuan a bottle. Every real man knew which one to choose.

“What do you want me to wear to the anime convention?” Su Yuejin’s eyes held a faint trace of anticipation.

“Ah…? Whatever you want. Anything’s fine. Just wear whatever you like. Don’t worry about me.”

“But I want to wear something you like.”

“I’ll like whatever you like. Don’t worry.”

Lin An gently pinched her cheek. Su Yuejin’s skin was soft and smooth, and it felt pleasant beneath his fingers.

Su Yuejin took small sips of her milk tea, watching the ice cubes slowly melt.

Then she suddenly thought of something.

“Lin An, how much do you know about Xiao Chacha?”

“Ah… Not much. We talk a little more on WeChat. We’ve also played games together for a few nights. We’ve talked about all sorts of random things. I know she used to like girls, that she liked you, and things like that?”

“But now she says she likes boys again.”

“Were you two good friends before?”

“Yes… We were very good friends. But later, we fell out. Things are probably a little better now, but we still haven’t gone back to how we used to be.”

“We ended up heading in different directions. Chacha isn’t bad by nature. But unlike me, she prefers controlling the other person. She wants them to revolve around her, with her as the center of their world.”

“Still, she’s willing to devote herself to them in return. She wants to occupy their entire world, while also allowing them to exist in hers.”

“Complicated,” Lin An said.

“Yeah… But I don’t know what Chacha has become now, either. I just hope she gets better.”

“You can’t even take care of yourself, yet you’ve started worrying about someone else.”

“Not at all. I’m doing much better now. Look… I don’t go to bars anymore, and I don’t smoke. I also have something to do at night, so I’m not as empty or lonely anymore.”

“What do you do at night?”

“Flirt with you, silly.”

“…”

Lin An looked at her helplessly.

Su Yuejin had seemed to be in a good mood lately. Her complexion looked great, too. Perhaps that was what people called the nourishment of love.

But love itself was vague and intangible. In the end, she was simply in a good mood.

Lin An had grown too lazy to keep trying to distance himself from her, again and again.

He had already told her from the start that one day, he would leave. Su Yuejin had accepted that fact, so there was no need to bring it up again.

Let things remain this way.

Autumn was gentle and mild, but winter would always arrive. After hibernation came new life.

Speaking of which, Su Yuejin was genuinely famous at school. It was because of her rebellious outfits, as well as the number of confessions she had rejected.

She had turned down many people. Lin An had learned that recently while browsing the school forum out of boredom.

After thinking about it, he suddenly asked, “Hey, tell me… If an ordinary guy wanted to confess to you, what would he have to do to make you like him?”

“Hmm? Are you planning to confess to me?” Su Yuejin tilted her head, even though she knew that was impossible.

“No. I was just curious.”

“Love letters? Immediate rejection. Bad facial features? Immediate rejection. Sloppy appearance? Immediate rejection. Limited experience? Immediate rejection. A family that’s too poor? Immediate rejection.”

“Anyone who’s dated more than two people? Immediate rejection. Anyone who treats me badly? Immediate rejection. Anyone who thinks too highly of himself? Immediate rejection.”

“Anyone who talks too loudly? Immediate rejection. Guys who look too obedient? Immediate rejection. Guys who can’t look me in the eye? Immediate rejection.”

“And anyone who spends more than two-thirds of the time looking at my chest and legs instead of my face? Immediate rejection.”

Lin An was stunned by her long list of self-important conditions. He gave an awkward laugh.

“Heh… With so many land mines, I’m really sorry.”

Su Yuejin put away her previous proud, self-satisfied expression.

She moved closer to Lin An, then reached out with both hands and held his face, turning it toward her.

“Those were just my arrogant thoughts in the past. Back then, I didn’t believe in love at all.”

“I thought it was vague and unreal. Most people were only lonely and needed someone to rely on. Or they wanted a partner to hold at night, so they wouldn’t have to sleep alone.”

“But after meeting you… I believe in love again.”

“…”

“Do you know, Lin An?”

Her pink lips moved slightly. Her eyes seemed to hold glimmering stars. Her pale-pink lips shone with an alluring, moist radiance.

They looked like something someone would want to bite.

“When I realized that some traits I used to dislike had appeared in you, and I still couldn’t hate them at all…”

“When I even started thinking those traits suited you perfectly, I knew…”

“I couldn’t escape anymore.”

As she spoke, she closed her eyes.

She looked like a little girl who had finished reciting her prayer and was waiting for candy.

“Ah… This…”

Lin An had to admit that, for a moment, her words had genuinely made his heart stir.

But that feeling soon faded into nothing.

The girl before him had trembling lashes and tender lips. Her expression was open and bright.

They were a little too close.

Lin An caught the scent of her perfume again. It smelled wonderful.

He lowered his head slightly. In the end, he still kissed her.

But he discovered that he couldn’t control his heartbeat. A feeling he couldn’t suppress rose within him.

He suddenly felt afraid.

So he only took a brief taste before trying to pull away.

But in the blink of an eye, Su Yuejin had already reached out.

Like a spider catching its prey, she gripped his back tightly.

“You came in for the kiss yourself…” she murmured, leaning toward him again. “Did you really think you could get away that easily, Lin An?”

She closed her eyes.

Lin An kept his open.