Outside the shop, Bei Yao was waiting for him. Her umbrella was folded, and as Pei Chuan emerged, she turned and said, "The rain has stopped."
The weather in City C was always unpredictable, much like human emotions.
When the dismissal bell rang at Third High School, Bei Yao said, "I should head back then."
Pei Chuan's fingers curled slightly, and he murmured softly, "Mm."
Bei Yao had walked quite a distance when she noticed he was still standing there, quietly watching her retreating figure. Almost helplessly, she turned back.
"Pei Chuan, I don't feel like going back anymore. Take me somewhere fun."
Pei Chuan stared at her stiffly. "What?"
Bei Yao thought for a moment. "Are there any interesting places around Third High?"
Pei Chuan pressed his lips together and denied, "No."
The places he frequented were definitely not suitable to bring her to. Yet when she said she wouldn't leave, a faint joy stirred uncontrollably in his heart.
Bei Yao said, "I saw a really interesting little shop last time. Let me take you to find it."
She brought him to a paint mold workshop.
There were only two or three children inside, playing with clay until their hands were completely covered. Suppressing a laugh, Bei Yao pulled Pei Chuan to sit down.
A five-year-old child came over. "Sister, are you going to play with this too?" She opened her palm to reveal a small rabbit-shaped gel mold that had already been dried. Bei Yao said, "No, it's your brother who wants to play."
The child widened her eyes to look at Pei Chuan.
Pei Chuan lifted his gaze to Bei Yao, who was cupping her cheeks and smiling at him.
Pei Chuan felt extremely uncomfortable. He maintained a cold expression but couldn't bring himself to suggest leaving. He could only acquiesce silently, waiting to see what Bei Yao intended to do.
Baking molds was actually quite simple—it was essentially making gel pendants.
You pour colored gel into templates, then put them in the oven to create gel toys or keychain pendants.
Bei Yao hadn't actually tried this before either. She had come here mainly because every child's face was lit up with smiles.
The shop owner brought over a pattern sample and asked what design they wanted to make.
Bei Yao said, "The dragonfly looks nice." Her slender finger pointed at the cartoon dragonfly in front of Pei Chuan. Ignoring her, Pei Chuan picked up the simplest design—a crescent moon and stars.
Amused, Bei Yao watched him work.
The template depicted a night sky with a bright crescent moon and sparkling stars scattered around.
The surrounding children gathered around, chattering like little teachers instructing this clumsy older brother.
"No, you need to make the sky first."
"Oops, the moon melted into the sky."
"Brother is so clumsy."
"You're missing two stars."
Pei Chuan's hands were covered in gel clay. "Be quiet."
He looked up to find her sitting on a small stool directly across from him, chin propped seriously in her hands as she watched him. When their eyes met, she gave him a bright, innocent smile.
Pei Chuan's scolding died in his throat. Almost resigned, he lowered his gaze and continued working with a frown.
The children kept commenting, "Brother, you poured too much."
"This looks so ugly—not as nice as mine."
"Brother, you've got dirt on your face too."
The dried gel clay wasn't easy to wipe off. Just as he was about to scrub his face with the back of his hand, a small, pale hand gently wiped it for him.
It was the first time since growing up that Bei Yao had looked at him this closely.
Most of the time, he preferred silence, his expression icy. With handsome, sharp features, he carried a somewhat cool aura. His eyebrows were sharply defined, giving him a slightly fierce appearance. Yet as she looked at him, her heart felt unexpectedly soft.
He was practically burying his head in clumsy, haphazard work.
As evening lights began to glow, Bai Yutong came to Third High looking for her stepbrother Pei Chuan, and this was the scene she encountered.The children's laughter in the shop was crisp and clear. The sixteen-year-old girl had a fair and gentle face, smiling as she watched Pei Chuan make the mold.
He was not skilled, even quite clumsy.
Yet he lowered his gaze with extraordinary seriousness, even carrying a hint of indulgence and a trace of faint tenderness.
Bai Yutong widened her eyes. She had only ever seen the cold Pei Chuan, the violent Pei Chuan, and the arrogant Pei Chuan. This was truly the first time she had seen him so unresisting and completely unguarded.
Under the light, the most beautiful was the girl opposite him. Before Bei Yao looked up, Bai Yutong hid behind a tree, cutting off their line of sight.
Because Pei Chuan had poured too much colored resin, the mold took longer to dry.
The colored resin smelled like modeling clay, and the keychain he made under everyone's attention was somewhat ugly. It had a hole, perfect for hanging keys.
Bei Yao attached her keys to it: "Oh, it's so ugly."
He glanced at her with a bit of annoyance. Her almond-shaped eyes curved into smiles: "Since it's this ugly, let Grumpy Pei keep it himself."
She lowered her gaze and attached his keys to it.
He could smell the fragrance from the girl's hair, carried by the autumn night breeze, silently making his heartbeat quicken.
The keys, carrying her body warmth, returned to his hand, now adorned with a small crescent moon.
The five-year-old little girl came over and hugged Bei Yao's leg, extremely reluctant to let her go.
Bei Yao crouched down, finding her utterly adorable, and kissed her pink, chubby cheek: "Thank you, little teacher, for teaching your brother. Go find your mom now." The little girl smiled shyly and sweetly.
Pei Chuan's expression turned extremely unpleasant.
He could no longer bear it, afraid of what he might say, and almost turned to leave immediately.
After taking several steps, her voice, filled with confusion, carried on the night wind: "Pei Chuan?"
For the first time, he realized she understood nothing, comprehended nothing. Those emotions raging within him every second and every moment made him secretly rejoice alone, yet also burned him until he was nearly consumed.
He was utterly enchanted by such tenderness, losing all sense of time, yet he also hated this tenderness. Why, why couldn't it belong to just one person?
Pei Chuan closed his eyes, then turned back calmly after a moment: "It's time for evening self-study."
Bei Yao nodded, waving with a smile: "Goodbye."
The path split in two directions. While Pei Chuan was seriously making the mold, Bei Yao resisted the urge to check the time. Only after he left did she hurriedly and regretfully run toward the bus stop.
20:38
Evening self-study had already started long ago. Tonight was Li Fangqun's self-study session, and there was a math test.
Meanwhile, Pei Chuan, who had said he was going to self-study, stood under the newly lit streetlights, watching Bei Yao run away in a panic.
Bai Yutong walked over with a strange expression: "You like her?"
Pei Chuan turned back coldly.
Bai Yutong was frightened by the sudden shift to malice in his eyes and took a step back.
But then she thought, what was there to fear? With Uncle Pei around, could Pei Chuan really cause trouble? Last time when he came to deliver money, he didn't accept it, and she had to pick it up herself—that was truly embarrassing.
Bai Yutong said triumphantly, as if she had discovered some secret: "Tsk tsk, what a pity. He doesn't even know his place. She probably pities you, right?"
The word "pity" was like the sharpest thorn, prying open a corner of his heart he didn't want to touch.
He moved his fingers, producing a faint sound of bones shifting.
Those deepest fears that haunted his midnight dreams—loved ones leaving one by one, cherished things slipping away bit by bit. What he wanted most was nothing but companionship born of sympathy.When he was doing well, people like Wei Wan surrounded him.
Only when he was down would Bei Yao stay by his side.
So, even though that slap didn't actually hurt that much, he desperately longed for her closeness.
These were all stolen moments—Pei Chuan had been deceiving even himself, until someone smugly exposed the truth.
Bai Yutong felt a sharp pain in her neck: "Hel—"
The next moment, her voice caught in her throat.
The October autumn chilled her to the bone. She couldn't utter a single word, the pressure on her neck making it hard to breathe. Her smug smile twisted into panic as she met a pair of pitch-black eyes.
A boy who had practiced boxing for nearly seven years possessed arm strength far beyond her imagination.
He could have strangled her with one hand. Bai Yutong regretted everything—she should have listened to her mother, never provoked him, never tried to threaten him.
Tears streamed down her face as she struggled wildly with all four limbs.
On the quiet street, behind the trees, this boy was ruthlessly brutal.
He watched coldly as she gasped for air.
Bai Yutong grabbed something and struck his hand fiercely.
His gaze sharpened.
It was the small moon pendant that Bei Yao had personally tied for him.
As if waking from a dream, Pei Chuan released his grip. Bai Yutong crouched on the ground, coughing violently as if her lungs would tear. He took a step forward, and she scrambled backward desperately, as if her life depended on it.
"The key. Give it back."
Bai Yutong threw it over, trembling all over. Originally, Cao Li had sent her to ask Pei Chuan if he would return home now that the Pei family was moving, but how could she dare ask now? This dangerous demon was better off never coming back.
There was someone in his heart who couldn't be touched—the mere mention drove him mad.
Watching him walk away, Bai Yutong broke down in terrified sobs.
Almost cursing, she thought: Bei Yao would never like him. With such an extreme personality, he didn't deserve to be loved in this lifetime.
~
When Bei Yao returned, Li Fangqun was sitting at the teacher's podium.
"Reporting in," she said softly. Classmates who had been focused on writing exam papers looked up at her.
Li Fangqun said with a stern face, "Bei Yao, where have you been? How can going to the bathroom take two or three hours?"
Even though Bei Yao had excellent grades, Li Fangqun was inherently impartial and would never tolerate skipping class.
Bei Yao remained silent, tacitly admitting her truancy.
Chen Feifei was frantic, nearly winking and gesturing for Bei Yao to make up an excuse—like stomach pains requiring a visit to the infirmary or some emergency. But unexpectedly, Yao Yao admitted fault herself.
Class 6 of Grade 11 watched Bei Yao in surprise. After all, anyone in the class might skip school, but Bei Yao was the least likely candidate.
Li Fangqun said, "Not talking, huh? Stand outside."
Bei Yao retreated and stood outside the classroom.
The leaves of the plane trees were slowly turning yellow. The arrival of autumn brought crisp, fresh air. Because evening self-study was in session, the campus was very quiet.
She stood in the corridor between Classes 5 and 6 of Grade 11, visible to students from both classes.
Being the school belle, Class 6 students stealing glances at her from time to time while writing their papers, and Class 5 students also curiously peeking out the window.
The top student and school belle skipping class—a rare sight indeed.
In Class 6, Wu Mo couldn't help but curl her lips in delight.
Bei Yao's cheeks were slightly flushed, but her heart was calm, without the shame she had imagined. The cool autumn breeze carried a slight chill.
She had promised herself: she would never lose Pei Chuan again.Li Fangqun was furious and still wouldn’t let Bei Yao into the classroom during the third evening self-study session.
The gossip about the school belle being punished by standing outside quickly spread throughout the school. When Han Zhen heard about it, he couldn’t help but go upstairs.
She stood alone in the night, thin and fragile. Although there were other students around, no one mocked her. Her situation was better than he had imagined. Chen Feifei fetched hot water and quietly handed it to Bei Yao to drink.
She accepted the punishment calmly—neither crying nor feeling humiliated.
Han Zhen hesitated, unsure whether he should approach.
Perhaps because she was well-liked, some classmates even secretly bought grilled sausages for her.
Under the campus lights, though she didn’t accept them, her smiling eyes were captivating.
Chen Feifei, worried that Bei Yao might feel embarrassed, said, "Should I stay and keep you company? The exams are over anyway."
Bei Yao quickly replied, "Go back to class. There’s only one evening self-study session left. If you come out, Teacher Li will be even angrier."
"Alright, but where did you go earlier?"
Bei Yao didn’t lie and whispered, "I went to see Pei Chuan."
Chen Feifei exclaimed, "He’s such a troublemaker!"
Bei Yao laughed, "Nonsense. I went to see him on my own—it has nothing to do with him."
"You’re too kind! He’s as cold as ice and might not even appreciate it!" Chen Feifei grumbled. After a moment, she leaned closer to Bei Yao’s ear and asked curiously, "Yao Yao, you don’t like him, do you?"
Bei Yao froze, her cheeks slowly turning red. She thought seriously and asked, "What does liking someone feel like?"
"Wow! You’re actually considering it? His reputation is terrible—he doesn’t deserve you. Stop thinking about it, forget I said anything. I need to get back to class." Chen Feifei dashed into the classroom. Their Yao Yao was still naive about love, and she didn’t want to be the one to enlighten her, especially if the object of her affection was someone as difficult as Pei Chuan. Han Zhen would have been a better choice.
There were even rumors earlier that Wei Wan, the dancer, was involved with Pei Chuan. Who knew if it was true or not?
The class bell rang, and Han Zhen had to return as well. Her teacher was still in the classroom, and approaching her now would only make things worse.
Holding her cup, Bei Yao pondered Chen Feifei’s question for the first time. Did she like Pei Chuan?
Not as caretaking or pity, but the kind of feeling a young girl has for a boy.
Her heart raced, and the sensation was strange yet not unpleasant.
After standing in the cold wind for several evening self-study sessions, Bei Yao finally warmed up after taking a shower.
She opened her phone, thought for a moment, and searched online:
"What does it feel like to like someone?"
Someone replied: "You’ll know if you kiss them. If your heart races, hormones surge, your head spins, and you feel so excited you could almost die—that’s liking someone."
Is it that scary? Bei Yao thought. It sounds terrifying.
And this method seems so unreliable—can you really tell just by kissing someone?
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