But less than an hour after Lin Ruixue went to find Si Qing, she came back—with Si Qing practically dragging her along. Si Qing had learned that Lin Ruixue’s older brother really was the ill-tempered Lin Ran, and she refused to believe it until she’d seen him for herself.

The whole way back, Si Qing kept saying that if Lin Ruixue’s brother really was that Lin Ran, then her life was going to be miserable from now on. With his awful temper, who knew when he might snap and beat her, yell at her, or kick her out of the house? Si Qing made it sound absolutely terrifying.

Lin Ruixue felt a little troubled. Part of what Si Qing said was true: Lin Ran’s temper really was strange. One moment he seemed perfectly fine, and the next he looked ready to throw you out. But after spending some time with him, Lin Ruixue had somehow started to feel that he was actually a pretty good person. She couldn’t quite explain why. Of course, most of the time she was still walking on eggshells, afraid Lin Ran might suddenly hit her for real.

“Xiaoxue, if he ever bullies you, tell me. I’ll beat him up for you! I’ve trained, after all. Most guys can’t take me!” Si Qing declared confidently.

Lin Ruixue didn’t really want to call her out. Si Qing’s “training” amounted to one month of taekwondo lessons. Just one month, and then she quit. If they actually got into a fight, she’d be right back to pulling hair and scratching faces.

They didn’t talk much more about Lin Ran. Si Qing was far more interested in the upcoming start of school. Once classes began, they’d be high school students—and not just any high school students. They’d be going to the prestigious No. 5 High School in Ark City.

“Xiaoxue, do you think people at No. 5 High School will look down on us? I heard it has the highest admission requirements of any high school in Ark City. Our school and No. 5 High School partnered up this year, so they lowered the score cutoff for students from our school by quite a bit. But we basically got lucky. Your grades just happened to meet the requirement. I had it rough—I only got in because Dad pulled some strings. Sigh. Still, I heard their uniforms are really pretty, and the teachers are great too. Oh, and after school starts, you have to be careful. Especially around those bald teachers with comb-overs. You never know when one of them might try something!”

“And I heard a lot of people chose No. 5 High School. If anyone bullies us, we’ll stick together!”

“I’ve been doing some research lately, so I know a little about No. 5 High School. A week after school starts, they’ll hold an entrance exam and sort everyone into classes based on their scores. You’ll definitely be in Class A at the very least, Xiaoxue. I’ll probably end up in Class B or C. I heard everyone in Class S is a top student. The top thirty in the whole year are all in Class S, then ranks thirty-one to seventy go into Class A, seventy-one to one hundred and ten into Class B, and everyone below one hundred and ten goes into Class C.”

Si Qing kept telling Lin Ruixue everything she’d learned about No. 5 High School lately, brimming with excitement and anticipation for the high school life that awaited them.

Lin Ruixue was already used to Si Qing’s nonstop chatter. Most of what Si Qing said came from the internet or friends around her, so it wasn’t all that reliable.

They chatted as they walked, and soon they reached the Jiaheyuan residential complex. When they got downstairs, Lin Ruixue hesitated. After spending some time around Lin Ran, she’d realized he didn’t like strangers. And Si Qing had nearly gotten into a fight with him before. Lin Ruixue had a feeling she’d get scolded as soon as they went inside.

But she couldn’t refuse Si Qing, who dragged her upstairs.

The person who opened the door wasn’t Lin Ran, but his friend Su Shijie. As soon as Su Shijie saw Lin Ruixue and Si Qing, he put on his most gentlemanly smile. Si Qing was instantly transfixed. One look at him, and she decided he was hundreds of times better-looking than the thugs who hung around outside the girls’ school whenever classes let out or a break began.

“You’re back, Xiaoxue. Is this your friend?” Su Shijie greeted her with a smile, his flirtatious eyes narrowing.

Lin Ruixue nodded. She was more afraid of this guy called Su Shijie than she was of Lin Ran.

“Handsome, are you Xiaoxue’s big brother?” Si Qing asked with a beaming smile.

“Me? You could say that, I guess. Oh, I almost forgot—come on in, both of you. Next time, give us a heads-up before you visit so we can get some fruit or something ready!” Su Shijie smiled as he ushered Si Qing and Lin Ruixue inside.

But just as Si Qing was mentally labeling Su Shijie as the real big brother, he called toward the bedroom, “Hey, A-Ran! Your little sister brought a friend over. Stop doing practice problems and come say hello.”

“...” Su Shijie got nothing but silence in reply.

Su Shijie was speechless. That was one of Lin Ran’s defining traits. When he was focused on something, he took it so seriously that you could yell right in his ear and he still wouldn’t notice—unless you grabbed his ear and shouted at him. He was especially like that when doing practice problems. Of course, it was also possible he’d heard them and simply didn’t want to answer.

In the living room, Su Shijie gave Si Qing a brief introduction and explained that he was a close friend of Lin Ran, Lin Ruixue’s older brother. He was staying here for a few days. Si Qing was so caught up chatting with the smooth-talking Su Shijie that she forgot why she’d come—until Lin Ran walked out of the bedroom to get a drink of water.

Lin Ran came out of the bedroom holding a cup. He glanced at them, went to pour himself some water, then coldly warned them before heading back in: “If you want to chat, go outside. Don’t make noise in the house. I’m warning you this time. Next time, you’re on your own.”

Su Shijie rolled his eyes.

After Lin Ran went back into the bedroom and shut the door, Su Shijie lowered his voice. “Don’t mind him. He’s always like this. No wonder he barely has any friends.”

“We didn’t even do anything to him. Why’s he acting like that?” Si Qing asked, baffled.

She genuinely didn’t understand why Lin Ran had taken such an instant dislike to them. They hadn’t done anything. Even if you ran into a complete stranger on the street, they wouldn’t act like that. Lin Ran really was strange.

“Who knows? But we’d better keep our voices down. From what I know about him, the next time he comes out, he’ll definitely start hitting people!” Su Shijie said seriously.

“No way!” Si Qing said, suddenly a little scared.

Su Shijie nodded solemnly.

“But it’s no big deal. Don’t worry—I’m here. That guy wouldn’t dare hit you. By the way, you said you’re coming to No. 5 High School next term, right? What a coincidence. Lin Ran and I both go there. If there’s anything you want to know before school starts, just ask me. If I know the answer, I’ll tell you!” Su Shijie said with a big smile.

Then Si Qing started asking Su Shijie about No. 5 High School. He did give her a rundown, but when he brought up one particular person, Su Shijie went out of his way to bad-mouth her.

“As your senior, I have to warn you about something. When school starts, stay away from a girl named Bao Xinrou. Remember, stay away— as far as possible. Don’t ask me why. I can only tell you that Bao Xinrou is extremely violent and loves picking on people. She’ll beat you up at the drop of a hat. This is the hard-earned wisdom of a senior with a whole year of experience, so make sure you remember it. But it shouldn’t be a big problem. When school starts next term, Baozi will be a senior in her graduating year, and she’ll have more schoolwork to deal with, so she won’t be able to throw her weight around as much. Still, be careful!” Su Shijie did his best to smear Bao Xinrou, whom he despised.

Si Qing and Lin Ruixue both nodded to show they’d remember.