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In the end, the box of candy never received an answer.

Le Ya was still pondering on the ride home whether she had said something wrong. But at that moment, Chen Yang seemed to have smiled and didn’t look angry at all.

Boys’ minds were truly incomprehensible.

The next day, when Le Ya mentioned this to Xie Qingyu, the latter laughed for an entire morning before finally answering her question: “Who gives so much candy? One bag is enough—it’s not like it’s saccharin.”

After some careful thought, Le Ya realized she might have overdone it.

After that Friday, she didn’t see Chen Yang again until the weekend, when she was practicing drawing at home and finally found a turning point.

Even though she was in her third year of high school, perhaps because the less time she had, the more she liked doing something, she wanted to draw whenever she had free time.

Though her skills weren’t great.

Over the course of a day, she finished a piece intermittently. Le Ya admired it narcissistically for quite a while, took a photo, and posted it on her rarely used Weibo account.

Her Weibo wasn’t very active; she only logged in occasionally to post drafts of her drawings. It had been half a year since she started using it.

When she logged back in after two weeks, Le Ya discovered that she had gained several thousand new followers. Looking at the comments, she realized her work had been reposted.

She didn’t pay much attention to it—her drawings always had subtle marks that identified them as hers.

Le Ya uploaded the photo she had taken today and, after some thought, added a short paragraph.

[Moon Tooth: Last night I wanted to give a boy a box of candy, but he didn’t seem too happy about it. Sigh.]

A short while later, the distinctive notification sound of Weibo rang out.

Le Ya lay on her bed and scrolled through the replies.

“Probably worried about eating an entire box of candy—he’s probably afraid it’ll expire or make him sick.”

“The comment above is misleading hahaha. He clearly doesn’t want that kind of candy; he wants this kind instead.”

“I just came to look at the drawings. Why am I being dragged into eating candy…”

“Throw the candy at him until he dies! How dare he not like our Moon Tooth’s candy? Teach him a lesson!”

The comments made Le Ya laugh, and her mood improved significantly.

Her fans were really adorable.

Throwing candy at Chen Yang wasn’t realistic. She feared that if she tried, she’d be the one getting killed instead—what a disaster that would be.

If he didn’t want the box, fine. She could eat it herself.

Just as she was thinking this, her phone suddenly rang. The screen lit up, displaying an unfamiliar number.

Le Ya hesitated for a moment before answering. “Hello?”

It was noisy on the other end, but then a somewhat familiar voice came through. “It’s me, don’t hang up! It’s Liang Qian!”

Le Ya suddenly recalled. “The guy with red hair?”

She still vividly remembered the first time she met Liang Qian. Xie Qingyu had also recently referred to him by his red hair when mentioning him.

Girls often used code names when talking about boys.

For example, Liang Qian’s red hair.

As for Chen Yang, Le Ya and Xie Qingyu hadn’t yet come up with a fitting nickname, so they just called him by his name.

“Yes, yes, that’s me!” Liang Qian touched his hair, pleased it had left such a strong impression. “It’s me.”

This hairstyle was evidence from his battle with the homeroom teacher, and he had kept it for an entire semester. Next semester, he could change it.

Rainbow colors sounded nice too.

Curious, Le Ya asked, “What do you want?”

She didn’t know Liang Qian well and wondered why he was calling her.

On Liang Qian’s side, a group of boys gathered around, trying to listen in and offer advice. He pushed them away. “So, are you coming to Yang-ge’s birthday party tonight?”

Le Ya was skeptical. “Didn’t his birthday already pass?”

Liang Qian didn’t even blink. “We’re making up for it.”

The boys around him immediately gave him a thumbs-up.

Le Ya was still doubtful. Though she didn’t know when Chen Yang’s actual birthday was, she replied, “I’m not going.”

Liang Qian persisted. “Are you sure? It’s Yang-ge’s last birthday before graduation. Come on, sis, it’s your chance.”

He said a lot, all aimed at convincing her.

Le Ya had already been wavering, and his persuasion tipped her toward going. “Alright, I’ll come a bit late.”

She could arrive near the end.

Liang Qian cheered internally. “Great! No need to bring a gift—you’ve already given plenty haha.”

Le Ya blushed at his words.

It seemed everyone knew about her gifts now. Would they think she was crazy?

Liang Qian gave her the specific time and location of the gathering.

Le Ya carefully noted everything down.

At 6:30 PM, following the navigation, Le Ya arrived at the venue.

Inside, it was noisy. She pinched her ears and reported Liang Qian’s name at the counter, but got no response. She tried Chen Yang’s name, but still nothing.

Le Ya was confused.

She dialed the afternoon number again, letting it ring for a full minute, but nobody answered.

Standing in the lobby for a few minutes, Le Ya suddenly remembered she had Chen Yang’s WeChat. Surely, the main person himself should be there.

She sent him a message.

Not long after, Chen Yang replied, “Where are you?”

Le Ya responded with “lobby.”

Chen Yang descended from upstairs and saw Le Ya standing alone in the lobby. She wasn’t wearing her school uniform today but her own clothes, which were both exquisite and eye-catching.

Le Ya happened to turn around and softly explained, “Liang Qian told me to come and said I didn’t need to prepare a gift.”

Chen Yang didn’t know Liang Qian had taken the initiative. “Follow me.”

Le Ya followed behind him silently until they entered a private room. The loud singing startled her.

Inside, people were belting out songs with heart-wrenching voices.

Chen Yang kicked Liang Qian. “Turn the volume down a bit.”

Liang Qian, munching on peanuts, complained without looking up. “Yang-ge, you’re such a hassle. If the volume’s too low, what’s the fun?”

He looked up and saw Le Ya behind Chen Yang. He understood.

Liang Qian grinned. “I’ll adjust it right away.”

Chen Yang sat in a corner seat, raising an eyebrow slightly and addressing the still-dazed Le Ya. “Come here.”

Le Ya slowly walked over.

The private room was already filled with people, both men and women, all gathered around playing games. When they saw Le Ya enter with Chen Yang, they all looked up to examine her.

Le Ya kept her gaze forward, feeling tense.

She quickened her pace a little and directly sat next to Chen Yang. The gazes shifted to her.

After a while, things returned to normal.

Chen Yang peeled an orange, his nails sinking into the peel and pulling it out. His long, elegant fingers looked beautiful under the light.

Casually glancing up, he frowned. “Move closer.”

There was enough space between them for another person to sit.

Le Ya argued, “There’s nothing wrong with sitting here.”

Chen Yang narrowed his eyes. “What did you just say?”

Le Ya tightened her lips and moved a little, though only slightly closer than before. She refused to budge further.

Chen Yang handed her the peeled orange. “Here, it’s for you.”

Between the two of them, every small interaction felt formal, even offering an orange.

Le Ya accepted it, peeling off a segment and putting it in her mouth.

The citrus wasn’t sour, sweet upon entry, and particularly juicy.

Someone in front was singing a heartfelt song, their voice better controlled than before. Le Ya wore her hearing aid, which couldn’t handle too much noise.

Before she realized it, she had eaten half the orange. Only when two segments remained did she remember that Chen Yang hadn’t told her to eat it all.

Feeling embarrassed, she offered the last two segments back to him.

Chen Yang tilted his head, his voice rising slightly. “What are you doing?”

Le Ya’s hand trembled. “For you to eat.”

Fine, Chen Yang didn’t know what went through her mind. He took the segments from her hand and popped them into his mouth.

For some reason, they tasted overwhelmingly sweet.

The private room wasn’t lit; only the karaoke screen cast light, creating a half-lit, half-shadowed ambiance.

Le Ya couldn’t clearly see Chen Yang’s expression.

But maybe it was better this way. A handsome face naturally drew attention, and she couldn’t help but admire him.

The people around the table grew tired of one game and began clamoring to switch to another, arguing for a while before finally deciding.

Le Ya found it interesting to listen to.

A long time ago, her birthday celebrations were similarly lively. Everyone in her family would bring her gifts and sing the birthday song with her.

But ever since then, she hadn’t celebrated like that again. She didn’t have friends like that anymore, and birthdays passed quietly.

Le Ya’s eyes held a hint of envy.

Suddenly, the room fell silent. Chen Yang noticed something was off and stared at her.

Feeling his gaze, Le Ya turned her head slightly.

Their eyes met, and he saw the shimmer of unshed tears in hers.

Liang Qian suddenly raised his head and waved something in his hand. “Yang-ge, Le Ya, don’t you two want to play?”

By naming them, everyone’s eyes turned toward them.

Chen Yang saw Le Ya’s obvious reluctance written all over her—from head to toe, even in her hair. If he agreed, she would glare at him.

He smiled faintly. “You guys go ahead.”

Only then did Le Ya breathe a sigh of relief.

It was her first time in such a place, and she had never played those games before. Her previous life had been calm and obedient.

Chen Yang watched her sitting properly and suddenly remembered something.

The last time she had given him a small handful of candy, he had only eaten a few pieces when he had time, leaving the rest forgotten in his pocket.

The private room was extremely noisy, and Le Ya stared blankly at the table.

Suddenly, someone next to her called out, “Le Ya.”

Though not loud, she heard it clearly because they were close. She instinctively turned her head. “What?”

Before she realized it, a piece of candy was shoved into her mouth.

Le Ya hadn’t reacted yet, but this one must have been an escapee—it was terribly sour. Her eyes instantly squinted shut.

The sudden sourness made her want to swallow it quickly.

Everyone at the table couldn’t help but look over. Feeding candy like that shocked many—Chen Yang had never done that to anyone before.

Le Ya coughed violently.

She hadn’t bitten the candy but swallowed it whole, and it got stuck in her throat, making her incredibly uncomfortable. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Chen Yang frowned slightly, glanced at the candy wrapper in his hand, and realized he had accidentally picked the sourest one. He pulled out a tissue.

Leaning closer, he asked, “Does it hurt? Open your mouth and let me see.”

Le Ya nodded, then shook her head. Her watery eyes sparkled like morning dew, paired with her flushed face, giving her a unique charm.

It hurt, yes, but she couldn’t open her mouth.

Chen Yang wasn’t upset. He placed the tissue in his palm and gently pressed it against her chin. “If it hurts, spit it out.”

His voice was low, tinged with a rough edge.

Le Ya instinctively leaned closer to his hand.

To others, the intimacy was obvious, but to her, it was unknowable.

Everyone at the table stopped what they were doing, staring intently, swallowing hard. First, the candy-feeding move, and now this—it was as if they weren’t even considered human.

Le Ya covered half her face with her hand and coughed violently a few times. Finally, the candy lodged in her throat came out. Chen Yang wrapped it in the tissue and smoothly tossed it into a nearby trash can.

She exhaled deeply, coughed softly twice more, and mostly recovered, though a slight sour taste lingered.

Chen Yang asked, “How do you feel?”

“Better,” Le Ya replied, then tilted her head to scold him. “Why did you suddenly feed me candy, and it was sour!”

Chen Yang looked down at her. “It was from you.”

Le Ya scowled. “Then you should have eaten it yourself.”

She suddenly thought of the Weibo comment about being afraid the candy would expire if uneaten. It had been two days, and he still hadn’t eaten them. It seemed he truly didn’t like them.

She wouldn’t give him any more in the future.

Chen Yang didn’t intend to dwell on it with her now. Suddenly reaching out, he used the pad of his index finger to wipe away the tears she had coughed out.