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The final evening self-study session was about to begin. There were very few students outside, and it wasn’t uncommon for only one or two people to pass through the hallway in half an hour.

It was now deep winter, and the cold at night was biting. Le Ya had already donned her down jacket, wrapped up like a little polar bear.

Seeing that Le Ya wasn’t speaking, Chen Yang asked again.

Le Ya deflected the topic. “If there wasn’t any scaring, then there wasn’t. But he really left because of you, right?”

Chen Yang said, “Are you saying you wanted to accept his apple?”

It was just an ordinary box with an ordinary apple inside—how could she possibly fancy it? He truly didn’t understand.

Thinking back to the scene from earlier, anger surged within him.

Le Ya shook her head. “No, not at all.”

She realized that Chen Yang really had a tendency to jump to conclusions. Even when she hadn’t meant anything by it, he would assume otherwise.

Le Ya explained, “I was going to reject him anyway, but then you suddenly appeared and scared him off.”

Though, in truth, he hadn’t been all that scared—it was more like he chose to leave on his own.

Le Ya repeated, “I didn’t want to accept it.”

Hearing her explain herself over and over, Chen Yang’s initial displeasure completely vanished, and he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Le Ya didn’t know why he suddenly laughed.

She said, “Someone took a picture of the balloon incident tonight. Next time, don’t do something like that again. If we get caught, my parents will be called in.”

Chen Yang’s gaze darkened. “Alright.”

He had deliberately chosen a dark spot precisely to avoid being seen, yet they still got photographed.

Chen Yang furrowed his brow, taking a deep breath to suppress the rising irritation in his chest.

Looking at the petite girl in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to lose his temper. Lowering his head, he said, “It’s for you.”

Reaching out, he placed something into the back of Le Ya’s hat without letting her see what it was.

Le Ya felt a sudden weight.

She reached back hesitantly and whispered, “What did you put in there this time? I only realized the balloons were there after returning to the classroom.”

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Yang tapped her nose lightly. “Guess.”

Le Ya dodged his hand. “I’m not guessing.”

Since he had already tapped her nose, Chen Yang withdrew his hand, a faint smile lingering on his lips. “You’ve got quite the bold attitude these days, daring to talk back like that.”

Le Ya pouted but didn’t argue further.

Her hat felt heavy as it sagged slightly. She assumed it must be something substantial. Chen Yang’s movements had been too quick for her to catch a glimpse earlier.

The bell rang suddenly.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Le Ya said, “Class is starting. You should go back now.”

She was close to the back door and could easily slip back inside. Not forgetting, she added another reminder before closing the door behind her.

The door shut out the cold air.

The classroom remained lively with laughter and chatter, even though the bell had rung. It would take at least a minute for things to settle down.

Le Ya returned to her seat and reached for her hat.

She didn’t dare turn it upside down, fearing that whatever was inside might fall and hit her on the head, which would hurt.

“Here,” Xie Qingyu suddenly extended her hand, passing something to Le Ya.

Le Ya was surprised to feel the hat lighten.

Xie Qingyu said, “I saw you struggling for a while, so I took it out for you. You’re not mad, are you? Catch.”

In her hand was an apple, though it differed slightly from those bought at the convenience store—though apples generally looked the same.

Le Ya accepted it, feeling its chill. “Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for? We’re close friends.” Xie Qingyu nudged her. “I saw everything.”

Though many girls on the main campus had seen Chen Yang, quite a few didn’t recognize him. Class One alone had plenty who didn’t.

In winter, no one opened the windows, so there were only a handful of people passing by outside.

Xie Qingyu had gone out to fetch water and only noticed Chen Yang standing there after recognizing that it was Le Ya.

Her impression of Chen Yang was vague at best. The deepest memory she had of him was the time Le Ya recounted how he had mistaken someone else for delivering something.

Other than that, the most recent memory was tonight’s bunny balloons.

Though Xie Qingyu wasn’t into romance herself, she thought Chen Yang’s intentions were crystal clear. Only Le Ya remained blissfully unaware.

Homeroom teacher Ms. Jiang had already arrived at the podium. The classroom quieted down, and Le Ya straightened up, staring at the apple.

She hadn’t expected Chen Yang to give her another apple.

The bunny balloons were still tied to the window. She had assumed they were the gift, never expecting there to be more.

A crumpled piece of paper flew over from behind.

Le Ya unfolded it. It was written in Xie Qingyu’s handwriting: “Yue Ya, what exactly is your relationship with Chen Yang?”

What kind of relationship?

Le Ya was momentarily confused by the question. Though she hadn’t experienced much, she wasn’t naive either.

Upon being asked, she instinctively began to think along those lines.

Ms. Jiang descended from the podium and began walking up and down the aisles. Every time she passed Le Ya’s side, Le Ya grew tense.

Only after she moved away did Le Ya pick up her pen to write.

She crumpled the note and placed it sideways on Xie Qingyu’s desk behind her.

Using her book as cover, Xie Qingyu unfolded the note. It contained only three simple words, devoid of much meaning.

Le Ya packed up her things and took the balloons down from the windowsill. She tied the strings of the three balloons together.

Xie Qingyu asked, “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Le Ya shook her head. “You go ahead. I’ll wait a little longer.”

“Ah,” Xie Qingyu was surprised but nodded. “Alright, I’ll go first. Be careful, okay?”

Le Ya replied, “I know.”

When most of the students had left the classroom, Le Ya opened the window to take a look. Many classrooms had already turned off their lights.

She then left Class One with the string of balloons in hand.

The bunny balloons floated above her head, bobbing up and down as she walked, their ears fluttering adorably.

Most of the people had already left the school, and when Le Ya exited through the main gate, there were only about a dozen people outside.

In winter, no one wanted to linger outdoors.

Le Ya didn’t see her family’s car and called the driver: “Uncle, it’s me, Le Ya. You’re not here yet?”

The driver replied, “Miss, I got into a minor scrape on the way. It’ll take a bit more time to resolve. Can you wait a little longer?”

Le Ya nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her and chuckled softly. “It’s fine. I’ll wait.”

The driver added, “Then, Miss, find a warm place to stay. I’ll come over as soon as I’m done.”

Le Ya hummed in acknowledgment and hung up.

She hadn’t been standing outside for long when all the lights in the Senior Three teaching building went out, and almost no students were left at the school gate.

Le Ya started to recall the various ghost stories Xie Qingyu had told her. Looking back, the darkness behind her seemed eerie.

Her hands holding the balloon strings felt cold. She had forgotten to bring gloves today, so she decided to tie one end of the string to her backpack.

That felt much better.

Le Ya then went to the convenience store across the street—the same one where she had first met Chen Yang. The same shopkeeper was still there.

The store now had air conditioning running. She bought some snacks, stuffed them into her pockets, and waited by the entrance for the driver to arrive.

It was at this moment that she noticed someone outside pushing a wheelchair.

Le Ya observed for a while and realized the person seemed stuck somewhere, unable to move forward. On this cold day, his hair was being blown around chaotically.

After some thought, she pushed open the door and walked over.

Upon getting closer, she saw the wheelchair’s wheel was stuck in a hole. The area outside was heavily trodden, and some tiles had broken loose.

The person might have genuinely been unable to get out.

Le Ya spoke up. “Let me help you.”

Though she wasn’t strong, it was easier to push from behind than for the person in the wheelchair to lift it themselves.

Within a minute, the wheelchair was freed from the hole. Le Ya pushed it to a flat area nearby and smiled. “There you go.”

For the first time, Le Ya admired her own strength.

At this point, the person in the wheelchair finally turned his head. “Thank—”

He didn’t finish his sentence. His eyes suddenly widened, and the remaining word stuck in his throat. Then, abruptly, he shoved her to the ground.

Le Ya hadn’t anticipated his actions and fell unprepared. Her hand instinctively braced against the ground, causing sharp pain.

She hissed and pulled her hand back to inspect it—it was scraped.

Le Ya rarely got injured; the last time was long ago. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

It wasn’t from the pain—it was from the injustice.

She had kindly helped this person, so why was she shoved instead? She finally understood how those who were victims of scams must feel.

Le Ya looked up at him. “Why did you push me?”

The man in the wheelchair was middle-aged, with messy hair and wearing a thick cotton coat. He leaned over the backrest of the wheelchair, staring at her intently without blinking.

Le Ya felt a chill run down her spine. She sensed she was being targeted. After getting up, she stepped back cautiously.

His gaze followed her every move, and his heavy breathing was clearly audible even from a distance.

The streetlights flickered intermittently, and occasionally a car passed by.

Le Ya’s breath caught. She thought of various news stories—girls like her were often the easiest targets.

Her earlier sense of injustice was now replaced by fear.

She wiped her hands on her clothes, and without thinking of anything else, she feared he might be faking his disability. Turning around, she ran toward the small shop across the street, the balloons bouncing wildly behind her.

Once inside the shop, the shopkeeper was startled. “What happened?”

Le Ya snapped out of it, patted her chest, and shook her head. “I was scared by someone outside. It’s fine now.”

From where she stood, she could still see the middle-aged man across the street. He was looking this way, just as before.

Le Ya asked, “Boss, do you know who that person is?”

The shopkeeper followed the direction of her finger, squinted to identify him, and said, “Someone who lives around here, I think. I don’t know him personally, but I’ve seen him a few times. Why?”

Le Ya shook her head. “Never mind.”

Hearing this reassured her somewhat.

Though she didn’t know why he acted that way toward her, as long as he didn’t bother her again, that was enough.

Her palm still hurt. Under the shop’s bright light, she could see it more clearly now—a little blood had seeped out.

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt.

Le Ya asked again, “Boss, do you have any iodine?”

The shopkeeper thought for a moment. “I don’t sell it, but I have some for personal use. If you need it, I’ll go get it for you.”

Le Ya quickly thanked him.

She glanced outside. Even from this distance, though she couldn’t see the details of his face, she still felt a chill down her spine and an inexplicable unease.

Such a strange person.

________________________________________

Chen Yang opened the door and found the house completely dark.

He turned on the living room light and picked up the scattered items on the floor. The apartment wasn’t large, so cleaning up was quick.

But he was tired of this.

After staying home for a few minutes, Chen Yang finally made a call: “Chen Mingwu, where are you again?”

His tone wasn’t friendly, but unusually, Chen Mingwu didn’t snap back at him. This was highly abnormal.

Their daily routine involved constant arguments, with most things in the house being smashed, often resulting in minor injuries.

Chen Yang was used to it, so tonight was unexpected.

After asking for his location, he grabbed the keys and headed out.

As he approached the school, Chen Yang spotted Chen Mingwu sitting in a wheelchair outside, alone, with the brightly lit shops behind him.

He stared for a moment before walking over, sneering, “Going out without worrying about not being able to return? No one will collect your body then.”

Chen Mingwu didn’t respond.

Though Chen Yang found it odd, he didn’t think too much of it, assuming his father had been triggered by something again. He reached for the wheelchair’s handle.

Unexpectedly, Chen Mingwu lashed out, leaving a scratch.

Chen Yang withdrew his hand, frowning. “What’s gotten into you?”

Surprisingly, Chen Mingwu didn’t retort. Instead, his head turned back to the same direction as before, staring intently at something.

Annoyed, Chen Yang followed his gaze.

Through the glass door of the convenience store, Le Ya was standing there, coincidentally also looking this way.