[“I have someone I like.”]

“What do you want to say?”

Unlike his earlier gentle concession, his tone was now cold and sharp, his face visibly irritated, like a large, agitated dog on the verge of snapping.

But she wasn’t afraid of him at all. Perhaps because deep down, she firmly believed that this person in front of her would never hurt her—and that he had far more tolerance for her than anyone else. This gave her the courage to tease him even in such a tense moment.

“Why are you here?” She looked up at him, her eyes warm with a soft smile. “It’s almost nine o’clock—what are you still doing here?”

Her demeanor was completely confident, as if she had already figured him out.

Hou Zihao understood now—so for the past few days, she had known he was secretly escorting her home. Being seen through made him feel slightly embarrassed, which only fueled his anger. Frustrated, he turned around, ready to leave.

—Did he really want to wait outside in the freezing cold for over two hours? Of course not—it was all because he was worried no one would walk her home.

Damn it.

His movement was decisive, clearly not a ploy to lure her back. Zhou Leqi could tell he was genuinely angry this time, so she quickly reached out and grabbed his arm.

He tried to pull his arm away, but she held on tightly. He could easily shake her off if he used a little force, but he didn’t—because he was afraid she might stumble or get hurt.

“Let go,” he said, suppressing his temper, his face cold.

Instead, she tightened her grip. “But I haven’t said what I wanted to say yet.”

“I don’t want to hear it, okay?” He was even angrier. “Do I have to listen to everything you say?”

She didn’t respond, and they both fell silent. For a moment, only the white puffs of their breath surrounded them, intertwining in the icy air.

Zhou Leqi seemed to have a unique talent for controlling the flow of conversation, always managing to steer the rhythm effectively—or perhaps it wasn’t her talent but rather his unconscious willingness to let her take control.

The silence she orchestrated slowly calmed both of their emotions. She tilted her head to look at him. Because they were so close, all she could see was the sharp line of his jaw. But even just that made her heart flutter.

Sigh…

…She liked him more than she thought.

She sighed silently, then suddenly said after a moment’s thought, “Today, I had dinner with Pei Qiming.”

This sentence shattered the calm Hou Zihao had barely managed to regain, and it even made him laugh bitterly. Zhou Leqi saw his Adam’s apple move in irritation. A moment later, she heard him grit out, “Is that what you wanted to say?”

“He confessed to you? Asked you to be his girlfriend?” He sneered. “He sure has guts—if he likes you, why did he let you walk home alone?”

By this point, his tone had grown even harsher, and he muttered a curse under his breath, though it was unclear whether he was angry because Pei Qiming liked her or because he thought Pei Qiming hadn’t treated her well enough.

This person…

Zhou Leqi’s heart softened completely.

“No,” she replied softly. “He didn’t say anything—it was me who said something inappropriate.”

What Zhou Leqi referred to as “inappropriate” was indeed somewhat inappropriate.

That day, she and Pei Qiming went to a Sichuan restaurant near the school to eat boiled fish—a place familiar to both of them. It was an old establishment where Class of 2009 had gathered several times before, a place both Zhou Leqi and Pei Qiming were very familiar with.

Pei Qiming seemed nostalgic about everything in City A, especially things related to high school. This was a common ailment for those who had recently left home and hadn’t fully adjusted to the separation.

He talked a lot, mostly about people and events they both knew well—like how a classmate who was close to both of them was struggling to adapt to the environment while studying in Hong Kong, how a road behind No. 1 High School had been under construction since their sophomore year and still wasn’t finished, or how Teacher Pan’s hair had thinned further and Teacher Feng’s glasses had gotten thicker.

His enthusiasm for conversation was strong, but it didn’t feel like there was any pressure to keep up. Pei Qiming was the kind of person who made others feel at ease, whether they were talkative or reserved.

Zhou Leqi enjoyed spending time with him, but she was certain that their relationship was purely platonic. She didn’t believe Hou Zihao’s claim that Pei Qiming liked her, but his words had left a mark in her mind. She felt that she should clarify things with Pei Qiming to avoid unnecessary trouble and misunderstandings.

She lacked experience in handling such situations, so she didn’t know how to naturally bring up the topic or subtly resolve the issue without leaving traces. In the end, she chose to speak directly.

“Do you like me?” She asked across the steaming bowl of boiled fish.

This abrupt question caught Pei Qiming off guard, making it difficult for him to respond immediately. Of course, he liked her—but he certainly didn’t think it wise to address this matter in a noisy Sichuan restaurant.

So, cleverly, he chose to evade the question, responding as naturally as possible, “Why are you suddenly asking this?”

His expression was calm and composed, appearing perfectly tranquil. Zhou Leqi had never believed that Pei Qiming harbored any special feelings for her, so his convincing nonchalance easily reassured her. She became convinced that his feelings for her were purely friendly.

Relieved, she picked up another piece of boiled fish and placed it in her bowl. Looking up at him with a faint smile, she said, “Nothing, just asking randomly.”

He smiled and refilled her glass of juice, though his mind remained unsettled.

Pei Qiming was also intelligent. He knew Zhou Leqi wouldn’t ask such a question out of nowhere—she must have noticed something or heard something from someone. And the junior named Hou Zihao from a few days ago was hard not to suspect. After all, his obvious affection and possessiveness toward her were unmistakable. That day, he had even pulled her away directly. Could he have said something to her?

While he was quietly pondering, he suddenly heard Zhou Leqi, sitting across from him, say, “But after thinking about it, I feel there’s something I should tell you…”

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at her, smiling charmingly. “What is it?”

She put down her chopsticks, her expression turning serious—as she always did when discussing important matters. Her back straightened rigidly, signaling her earnestness.

Adorably rigid.

Her cuteness made him even more pleased. But then he heard her say—

“I have someone I like.”

“…I told him I have someone I like.”

In the dark winter night, at the narrow entrance of the stairwell, Zhou Leqi’s voice drifted softly into Hou Zihao’s ears.

He had been so worked up by her earlier words that his mind was slower than usual. When he first heard this sentence, he was still lost in various assumptions about her relationship with Pei Qiming.

After a long pause, he finally came to his senses. The implications of her words began to unfold like the aroma of chocolate wrapped in golden foil, making his breath hitch.

He couldn’t quite believe it, so he sought confirmation: “You… what do you mean?”

Damn it—his voice was trembling.

And so was she, whether from the cold or the increasingly intense fluttering in her heart.

She looked up at him, and this time, because he had lowered his head, she could finally see his deep, expressive eyes. They seemed to hold tiny, mesmerizing glimmers that always made her want to give in.

“Hou Zihao…”

She called his name softly, her tone as gentle as if she were whispering a love poem.

“If we both succeed in the college entrance exam… let’s be together.”

When Zhou Leqi finally spoke these words, tantamount to a confession, to Hou Zihao, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

Yes… she liked him.

Liked him so much that she couldn’t help but want to be with him.

When had it started?

From the time he tackled her on the hospital rooftop, pulling her down from the brink of despair? From the night he sat on the floor beside her bed, keeping her company all night? From the moment he took her hand and led her into the hospital?

Or was it earlier?

From the moment she ran into the police station and saw him in the dimly lit office? From the time he appeared at the Cultural Palace bus stop, never failing to accompany her home every night? From the moment he barged into her closed-off, oppressive world and embraced her in every dark corner?

She didn’t know. She had no idea. The only certainty was that by the time she realized it, she had already fallen deeply, deeply in love with him.

Falling for someone like him was incredibly easy.

He possessed all the qualities she admired and desired—brightness, honesty, amiability, and determination. He always seemed to effortlessly dismantle the seemingly insurmountable difficulties she faced, and he was always by her side.

But for her, falling in love with someone was also incredibly difficult. Years ago, when her father Zhou Lei betrayed the family, she had already begun to doubt the concept of love.

What was love? What were promises? What was marriage? How could two unrelated people stay together for a lifetime? Time brought boredom, boredom brought the desire to escape, and escape inevitably led to betrayal and pain—it was predetermined.

She had long stopped believing in love, let alone the naive infatuation of youth. That was just the restlessness of adolescence, a biological illusion caused by hormones—the most unreliable thing in the world.

And yet… she was drawn in.

Not by love, not by adolescence, not by hormones—but by him.

She was drawn to him.

She noticed her desires for him in small moments. For instance, when she watched him play basketball, she wished she could have the privilege of carrying his jacket. Though she usually disliked being noticed or discussed, being with him somehow made it less unbearable. She also wished she could hug him whenever she wanted—or at least lean on his shoulder freely on the bus. She loved his warm body temperature; simply being close to him seemed to carry a romantic significance.

So she surrendered…

To her own rationality, to her pessimistic understanding of all intimate relationships in the world, to the hidden desires buried deep within her heart…

…To him.