An Baili gazed at Chu Jingyi’s back and lightly poked Lu Li. “Why are you picking on Jingyi? Her expression breaks my heart. You’re such a meanie.”

I wasn’t deliberately picking on her, Lu Li argued inwardly.

He opened the gift box Chu Jingyi had given him. As expected, it contained a brand-new notebook and a fountain pen. It wasn’t expensive, either—just a thirty-yuan pen from the student store.

Lu Li felt a little disappointed. Not because the gift was cheap, but because he’d hoped the class monitor would give him something more special. A pen and a notebook were gifts anyone could give for a birthday. They felt completely lacking in sincerity.

The disappointment lasted only a moment. Lu Li didn’t take it to heart. He simply assumed that this blockhead was bad at expressing herself.

“Happy birthday, darling,” An Baili said with a sweet smile. “I didn’t prepare a gift. Can I owe you one for now?”

“Sure.”

Whether An Baili gave him a gift or not didn’t really matter. Making up with her was already the best present he could’ve received.

Before long, the class monitor returned to her seat after checking attendance. She looked a little listless, as if something was troubling her.

Lu Li glanced at her. In the end, he decided to keep his question to himself. Restraining one’s curiosity was one way for a man to maintain his charm. Not digging into every little thing was an art in itself.

An Baili had no such reservations. She grabbed the class monitor and began whispering girl talk.

“Jingyi, why were you gone so long?”

Chu Jingyi was terrible at keeping things to herself. “I—I went to see the homeroom teacher. I wanted to… to change seats.”

Lu Li’s ears twitched quietly.

“It’s not that I don’t want to sit with you,” Chu Jingyi added quickly. “It’s just… I can’t see the blackboard well from the back. It’s inconvenient.”

She hurried to explain, afraid An Baili might misunderstand.

“If I sit in the front, I can still come find you after class. I can still hang out with you two.”

An Baili’s feelings grew complicated. She answered with an absent “Oh,” but said nothing else.

On one hand, she really did want more time alone with Lu Li. On the other, she liked Chu Jingyi, this pure-hearted girl. Right now, Jingyi looked as if she were walking the same path An Baili once had.

Back then, when she watched Lu Li and Wen Amber grow closer and closer, she’d felt exactly the same way.

It was jealousy.

When timid An Baili felt jealous, she showed it. She’d make a fuss and act unreasonable. Chu Jingyi, usually so open and graceful, became like a hedgehog when jealousy struck, curling up alone in a corner.

Only An Baili understood such girlish troubles best. She glanced at Lu Li, who was secretly listening with his ears perked up, then angrily pinched the flesh at his back.

“This is all your fault.”

“What is?”

“Nothing!”

The day’s classes ended quickly.

When school let out, Chu Jingyi left unusually early. She was normally the last person to leave the classroom. Locking the door, checking the cleaning, and wiping the blackboard were usually her responsibilities.

Lu Li called out to the blockhead several times, but she acted as if she hadn’t heard him and hurried away with her head down.

Chu Jingyi carried her schoolbag to the school gate. Only then did she remember that she’d left her umbrella behind.

But she had something weighing on her mind, and the girl didn’t want to turn back. She was afraid she’d see Lu Li and An Baili acting lovey-dovey again.

She’d never really understood what being boyfriend and girlfriend meant. She’d thought it only meant going to school together and eating meals together.

Wasn’t that the same as being friends?

But that morning, when she saw how carefully Lu Li looked after An Baili, something inside the blockhead had begun to ferment. It was like a cabinet growing mold on a rainy day, or a jar of pickles knocked over in the kitchen.

That indescribable taste lingered in her heart, impossible to forget.

This isn’t what best friends are supposed to feel…

Even someone as clumsy as her had finally realized it. Best friends didn’t feel sad like this.

Then what kind of relationship was it?

The blockhead didn’t head home. Instead, she wandered aimlessly through the commercial street outside the school.

Young couples walked around in pairs, chatting and laughing. She was the only one left all alone.

A fine drizzle began to fall. Chu Jingyi found a restaurant and crouched beneath its awning to escape the rain. She looked utterly pitiful.

She didn’t want to go home. She didn’t want to return to school for her umbrella, either. She only wanted to walk around for a while.

Anywhere was fine, as long as she didn’t have to see Lu Li.

A young couple sharing an umbrella passed in front of her.

The girl complained to her boyfriend, “You said you didn’t like her! Then why did you bring her egg tarts? I want some, too!”

“Don’t start. I only think of her as a little sister. Why are you always jealous?”

“If I didn’t like you, why would I be jealous?”

The couple gradually disappeared into the distance, but their words continued to circle through the blockhead’s mind.

Just as she sank into thought, a figure appeared before her.

“You dummy. You forgot your umbrella.”

Lu Li stood in front of her, holding an umbrella and wearing an easy smile. He offered her a pretty little blue umbrella decorated with rippling patterns.

Chu Jingyi didn’t take it right away. She turned her head and looked past him.

“…Where’s Baili?”

“She went home first. Something came up.”

“Why are you here, too?”

“You idiot. I’ve been following you this whole time. Why did you come wandering around the commercial street instead of going home? And why are you crouching outside someone else’s restaurant? The owner’s been watching you.”

Chu Jingyi’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“I just wanted to clear my head.”

Lu Li pulled the blockhead to her feet.

“Come celebrate my birthday with me.”

This time, she didn’t refuse.

“Okay.”

Chu Jingyi tried to open the second umbrella, but Lu Li stopped her.

“One umbrella is enough. You hold yours too low and keep poking me in the neck.”

Chu Jingyi obediently tucked herself beneath Lu Li’s battered black umbrella. After a long silence, she finally asked hesitantly, “Lu Li, do you think I’m sick?”

“What kind of sickness?”

“Do you think I’ve fallen for you?”

The question came so abruptly that Lu Li couldn’t help looking down at her.

Chu Jingyi only came up to his shoulder. She stared at him with a blank, bewildered expression. Her eyes were as clear as an autumn sky. She looked dazed and lost.

Did she even understand what liking someone meant?

A light rain fell upon the streets, soft as silk. The grass seemed green from afar, yet almost colorless up close. Even though late autumn had already arrived, Lu Li felt that the scene before him was more beautiful than early spring, when all things came to life.

“Why do you say that?”

“I think I’m sick. I don’t want to see you, and I don’t want to see Baili, either. You’re both my friends. You’re both important to me. So why do I feel this way?”

Her expression was so lost that Lu Li felt a pang of pity.

“Am I not supposed to feel like this…? I’m sorry. I’ve never felt this way before. I—I don’t know what to do to feel better. Lu Li, can you tell me the answer?”

The answer?

Lu Li remained silent for a long time as he wandered through the drizzle with Chu Jingyi.

Perhaps she already had the answer in her heart. If so, why had she asked him?

Lu Li slowly opened his mouth and let the wind carry away his voice.

Chu Jingyi listened blankly without saying a word.

*

At five in the afternoon, Lu Li returned to the low-rent housing district.

He immediately noticed an A4 sheet of paper taped to his front door. Its edges were uneven, and it had a large arrow pointing left.

Was this some kind of prank?

His older sister still hadn’t returned. It could only be a prank, right?

Lu Li followed the arrow with his eyes. The neighboring door was half-open. Apparently, a new tenant had moved in.

A trace of understanding flashed through Lu Li’s mind.

He remembered the banging noises he’d heard next door that morning. He also remembered An Baili arriving late to school.

So she’d been moving in early this morning?

Lu Li lightly knocked on the neighbor’s door.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

There was no response.

After hesitating for a moment, Lu Li slowly pushed the door open. He had a feeling this was one of An Baili’s tricks.

Beyond the door was a clean living room. A note was stuck to the wall on the right.

“Please close the door behind you (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))♡”

It was indeed An Baili’s handwriting.

What was she up to this time?

Lu Li closed the door and continued deeper inside. He followed the arrows stuck along the wall until he reached the bedroom.

His expression gradually became more and more colorful.

Inside the bedroom sat an enormous gift box.

How enormous was it?

Big enough to hold An Baili herself.

“Baili, what are you doing?”

The gift box shifted slightly. Then the lid was pushed open, and An Baili poked her head out.

“You already guessed it was me. That ruins the surprise!”

An Baili had clearly dressed up for the occasion. She even had a huge ribbon tied into a bow on top of her head.

“Happy birthday, Li! I’m your birthday present!”

An Baili hopped out of the gift box. Her expression held a little shyness, a little joy, and a little anticipation.

Only then did Lu Li realize that she’d changed into a playful birthday outfit decorated with red ribbons. She awkwardly covered herself with her hands.

“I’m still not used to this… Did you close the door properly?”

The sight left Lu Li staring for a moment.

Seemingly satisfied with his reaction, An Baili grew a little bolder. She lightly tugged at the ribbons around her outfit, then blushed and lowered her gaze.

“Li,” she asked shyly, “when are you going to unwrap your present?”