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Le Ya had purchased several packages, all from different stores. Some arrived in the morning, while others came in the afternoon.

She hadn’t checked her phone during evening study, so she didn’t notice that the logistics department had even called—though the call went unanswered.

Since the address required a phone number, she used her own.

Xie Qingyu suggested, “You should quickly call the delivery person to ask where the packages are now. They’re probably not at the security office, right?”

Packages without personal sign-off were usually taken back to their delivery points. It was already past ten o’clock, so they’d likely deliver them tomorrow.

Le Ya hummed in agreement and dialed the delivery person’s number.

After pressing the call button, she suddenly remembered—it was already past ten. The delivery point was probably closed by now.

However, the other side picked up.

Le Ya explained her situation, and the delivery person asked, “I’m about to sleep. What package is it? When did it arrive?”

“It arrived today,” Le Ya replied, listing each of the packages one by one.

The delivery person naturally remembered the larger items delivered to the school since there were quite a few, and he personally handled them. However, because the call wasn’t answered earlier, he took them back.

He asked, “I’m off work now. Can I deliver it tomorrow?”

Le Ya responded, “Sure, just leave it at the security office. I’ll pick it up later.”

The delivery person said, “Alright, any other issues?”

Xie Qingyu gestured toward the phone, and after thinking for a moment, Le Ya said, “Can you remove my phone number? Please don’t let it show.”

This request puzzled the delivery person.

Le Ya casually made up an excuse, “Because I’m still a student, if the school finds out, they might investigate. Could you help me handle it?”

Upon hearing this, the delivery person understood. “Alright, I’ll mark it out. You can pick it up from the security office tomorrow.”

Le Ya sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

She hadn’t expected the delivery person to be so accommodating. Hopefully, he really did remove her phone number.

After hanging up, Xie Qingyu became animated. “Oh, I really want to know what the guy will look like when he gets the packages. Will he be thrilled?”

Le Ya said, “You’re overthinking it. How could he be thrilled to death?”

Xie Qingyu disagreed as they walked toward the school gate. “Don’t you remember what you wrote in the notes?”

Le Ya suddenly recalled.

The note said it was from a girl who had a crush on him.

Fearing he wouldn’t accept packages from strangers, combined with other factors, she and Xie Qingyu had discussed it for a while before deciding to write that.

After all, no matter what, if a girl secretly liked him, he wouldn’t reject her feelings.

“The last time we went, he seemed pretty shy,” Xie Qingyu recalled the scene from a few days ago and guessed, “So he should be shy about this kind of thing too.”

Bringing up this topic made Le Ya inevitably think of the boy pretending to be Chen Yang.

His personality was completely opposite from the real Chen Yang.

The bespectacled, well-behaved student in the classroom fit her image of Chen Yang better. After all, her father would likely choose someone like that, right?

Le Ya frowned. “Do you think he’ll figure out it’s from me?”

Xie Qingyu said, “How could he figure it out? Even if your phone number is on it, he won’t know it’s yours. Only a few of us know your number. If a stranger calls, just refuse to answer or say it’s a wrong number.”

Hearing this, Le Ya felt somewhat reassured.

The two parted ways at the school gate. Xie Qingyu’s brother was already waiting nearby and greeted her.

Le Ya got into her car.

It was already past ten o’clock, and there weren’t many people on the streets—mostly students and parents picking them up.

The streets were beautifully lit, creating a stunning night view.

Jiangcheng’s nightscape was renowned. A casual photo with a phone could capture breathtaking beauty, and photography enthusiasts often posted such images online.

Le Ya reviewed the packages several times, feeling a bit excited inside.

She rarely hid anything from Le Yi Jian. Even if she did, they were very trivial matters—like when someone at school called her names. Le Yi Jian would cover for her.

But something as big as this—her father actively hiding it from her, and her doing it covertly—gave her a subtle thrill.

It was akin to the nervous excitement of sneaking peeks at romance novels under the covers at night, fearing discovery by parents.

When she got home, Le Ya asked, “Is Dad back?”

The driver replied, “Mr. Le is still at the company.”

Le Ya nodded, estimating that her father would return late again tonight. She didn’t expect Aunt Zhang to be absent as well.

Walking further inside, she discovered a note left by Aunt Zhang. Her grandson had a high fever and was hospitalized, so she had taken leave. Tonight’s supper was kept warm in the kitchen.

There wasn’t much to eat late at night, but Aunt Zhang had prepared nourishing porridge, which warmed her stomach nicely.

Le Ya sipped the porridge while listening to music.

Suddenly, the house phone rang.

Thinking it was her father calling, Le Ya didn’t check the number and directly answered, “Hello?”

A man’s voice came through, sounding formal. “Sorry to disturb. Is this Mr. Le Yi Jian’s residence?”

Le Ya: “Yes, I’m his daughter.”

The voice replied, “Hello, this is Jiangcheng Psychiatric Hospital. Mrs. Le’s mental condition has improved significantly, and she wishes to speak with the family.”

Upon hearing the hospital’s name, Le Ya’s smile gradually faded until her expression turned blank.

Thinking she hadn’t heard, the caller repeated the question. “Hello? Is Miss Le still there?”

Le Ya tightened her grip on the phone. “I’m here.”

“We’ll connect you now.”

“Okay.”

Le Ya glanced at the number—it was indeed the hospital’s number. She had seen it long ago and remembered it all these years.

There was silence on the other end, likely notifying someone.

Le Ya crouched by the coffee table, her face somewhat pale.

Soon, a female voice came through, “Le Ya?”

Hearing this voice, Le Ya’s vision blurred for a moment. She remembered clearly how long it had been since she last heard it.

She hummed softly, not speaking.

The woman paused briefly before asking concernedly, “Are you doing well? Are you eating on time? Are you…”

Several questions were thrown at her in succession.

Unable to wait for her to finish, Le Ya couldn’t help but interrupt, “Isn’t the answer obvious? Dad takes good care of me, and I’m doing fine.”

The woman continued, “Alright, I won’t ask this anymore… Has your father found a new girlfriend? He promised me he wouldn’t give you a stepmother. If he did, it means he broke his promise.”

Le Ya replied swiftly, surprising the other party, “No.”

She then went on to chatter about her life in the hospital.

Le Ya had never visited a psychiatric hospital, except perhaps when she was very young and went alone. That time, she only saw the main gate.

That door had separated her from the world inside.

Lost in thought, the woman’s voice on the other end continued, “… Mommy has recovered now, Le Ya. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. You’ve grown up so much, and your birthday is coming soon. Can you talk to your dad and let me come home?”

Le Ya reminded her, “My birthday has already passed.”

The startling statement seemed to embarrass the woman on the other end, but she persisted, “Mommy sees too many patients here, so I got confused. It’s my fault for mixing up your birthday… Please forgive me…”

Suddenly, Le Ya felt weary—an overwhelming sense of exhaustion washing over her.

Her birthday was in April, and everyone in the family knew it. Even the driver would wish her a happy birthday when he took her to school, Aunt Zhang would prepare longevity noodles, and her father always took leave to spend the day with her.

It was already October now—six months after April. Could anyone really mix up dates like that?

Le Ya waited until the other side finished speaking before replying slowly, “I won’t say anything to him. You should talk to Dad yourself.”

“Le Ya, are you still upset with Mommy for what happened back then—”

“Goodbye.”

Le Ya abruptly hung up the phone and collapsed onto the floor. The soft sofa behind her offered no sense of security.

The porridge on the table had long gone cold.

________________________________________

At the nearby sports stadium.

Although it was already past ten o’clock, there were still quite a few people around. Behind the stadium was a vocational boarding school, and many boys would sneak out during evening study sessions to play basketball by climbing over the walls.

This was the final evening study session, unlike at First High School—a public school where evening study ended at ten.

One boy sat panting on the ground, waving his hand. “I’m done, I’m done. If we keep playing, someone’s going to end up in the hospital.”

Another boy collapsed beside him. “Right, right.”

Others, though silent, shared the same sentiment, tugging at their clothes to cool down.

When they first saw Chen Yang, wearing the uniform of First High School and playing basketball alone, they thought he looked decent enough and tried to invite him to join.

To their surprise, he emotionlessly declined.

Clearly, this guy had an attitude. A few of them got fired up, nearly starting a fight, but eventually, they challenged him to a game.

And they got utterly crushed.

Chen Yang appeared slightly younger than them, his face finely sculpted, with almost no flaws visible—except for the girlish band-aid on his cheek.

Everyone had underestimated him, and now they were left in awe.

After tossing the basketball aside, Chen Yang sat on the steps. His black hair was slightly disheveled after the game, and his pale face gave him an air of sickly elegance.

Anyone could see the audacity in his pitch-black eyes.

He casually responded, “Alright, we’re done.”

Hearing this, the boys were overjoyed. They quickly scrambled to their feet. “That’s great! We need to get back to studying anyway. We’ll leave now. Maybe we can have a rematch next time, hahaha!”

In an instant, they vanished.

Liang Qian sat in his spot, lighting a cigarette, and spat, “That brat’s so arrogant, acting all high and mighty with our Brother Yang.”

Zhao Mingri laughed loudly. “Studying? Even if we’re bad, we’re still better than them. Plus, they’re just skipping class to be here.”

Hearing this, Liang Qian suddenly burst into laughter, draping his arm over Zhao Mingri’s shoulder. “Remember your English essay last time? That was something else.”

Zhao Mingri’s expression froze. “Shut up.”

Liang Qian cleared his throat but couldn’t suppress his grin. “You’re truly impressive for writing something like that. A true master.”

Last month’s English exam had an essay topic about high-speed trains, as they’re widely used nowadays. The prompt asked students to introduce them to foreigners visiting the country.

But Zhao Mingri didn’t know how to write it, so he simply wrote, “There’s no train station here.” Naturally, his English teacher mocked him mercilessly for it.

Zhao Mingri kicked him.

Liang Qian turned his head and looked up at Chen Yang, who was sitting one step higher. “Brother Yang, are you heading back now?”

It was almost eleven o’clock, and they still had class tomorrow.

They were used to staying out late, and their families wouldn’t say much about it. But Liang Qian was worried about Chen Yang’s father losing his temper again—when he did, things always escalated into a fight.

Chen Yang took a swig of water. “In a bit.”

After taking off his uniform, he revealed a black short-sleeved T-shirt underneath. Despite the intense exercise, it wasn’t soaked with sweat.

Liang Qian silently marveled.

This was one reason why girls liked Chen Yang. Who wouldn’t prefer someone clean and fresh-smelling? Unlike them, sweaty from playing sports—destined to be unloved.

Chen Yang squeezed his mineral water bottle, instantly flattening it.

He tilted his chin. “Give me my uniform.”

Zhao Mingri handed over his uniform and casually remarked, “Brother Yang, that band-aid of yours is so cute. It hasn’t even fallen off yet.”

Chen Yang furrowed his brows slightly and hummed in response, saying nothing.

Liang Qian’s eyes darted around. “It just shows the quality is good. How can it compare to those bought randomly by others? Our little Yueya sure knows how to pick things.”

This flattery reached the skies, but thinking about the person who sent the band-aid, it wouldn’t be long before they started calling her “Sister-in-law.” Zhao Mingri didn’t bother arguing with him.

Chen Yang fished his phone out of his uniform, unlocked it smoothly, and opened it.

There weren’t many messages on WeChat since his contact list was sparse. However, just as he opened the app, a new message popped up.

He clicked on it, not expecting Le Ya to still be using her phone so late.

——”The other party requests to add you as a friend.”

After a moment, Chen Yang’s lips curved slightly.

He stood up directly from the steps, draping his uniform over his left shoulder. The night breeze tousled his bangs as he walked away without looking back.

Zhao Mingri was confused. “What’s going on? Why’d he leave without saying anything?”

Liang Qian was also puzzled. When Chen Yang left, he noticed the interface on his phone looked like WeChat. What was the rush?

He called out, “Brother Yang, are you heading home?”

Chen Yang had already reached the entrance, several meters away from them. His features were refined, but his expression was unclear under the streetlamp.

“A good student shouldn’t linger outside.”