Ten thousand and ten.

Page 1/3

Shen Yi: "..."

No wonder Jiang Yue had that expression—turns out Song Yang, the person involved, was standing right behind her.

But Shen Yi felt no guilt at all.

Who started this whole thing anyway?

Just as Shen Yi was about to tell Jiang Yue, “Ignore him,” she suddenly felt a tug at her collar, pulling her backward. Song Yang was struggling to contain some emotion as he growled, “Come here.”

Their proximity was overwhelming.

Shen Yi lost her footing and, pulled back like that by Song Yang, ended up stumbling right into his arms.

Annoyed beyond measure, Song Yang still reached out to steady her, making it look like he was embracing her to an outsider.

But Shen Yi didn’t notice.

Her eyes were fixated entirely on the cake in Jiang Yue’s hand, anxiety writhing inside her like ants on a hot pan.

The cake!

Don’t take away the delicious cake!

Furious, Shen Yi snapped, “Song Yang! Let go of me!”

Song Yang gritted his teeth, “In your dreams.”

He sounded even angrier than Shen Yi.

With no other choice, Shen Yi turned to Jiang Yue, casting a pleading look.

Meeting Shen Yi’s pitiful gaze, Jiang Yue didn’t hesitate to intervene, “Song Yang, I still have something to say to Shen Yi. Could you please let her go?”

Song Yang’s eyes flicked from Shen Yi’s head to Jiang Yue’s face.

After a few moments, he finally released her and turned to leave, dropping a warning, “Just you wait.”

Shen Yi adjusted her collar, cursing Song Yang fiercely in her heart.

First, he told Jiang Yue about her secrets but forbade her from revealing anything about him.

Second, when Shen Yi demanded he let go, he ignored her completely, yet when Jiang Yue said it, he obeyed immediately!

Song Yang! Your name is synonymous with double standards!

Jiang Yue looked at Shen Yi with concern, asking, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Shen Yi replied, her gaze complex as she looked at Jiang Yue and thought it wasn’t worth it. “Are you really sure you want to like someone like Song Yang?”

If Jiang Yue truly liked him, well, that was just her luck.

Shen Yi mused that maybe she could play matchmaker for them as a good deed.

But the next moment, Jiang Yue’s face turned fearful, and she uttered words that nearly scared Shen Yi to death.

“Shen Yi, how could you think that way? There must be some misunderstanding! I don’t like Song Yang. The one I like is you!

In my heart, Shen Yi, you are kind and just. I came to this school and stayed in Class B all because of you.

Everything is because I want to be good friends with you!”

Shen Yi: “???”

Her?

What was she to her?

*

Having been confessed to (sort of) repeatedly, Shen Yi felt a bit dizzy.

But looking into Jiang Yue’s sincere eyes, she didn’t dare pretend she hadn’t heard and could only murmur a confused, “...Huh?”

Then Jiang Yue recounted some forgotten past.

Three winters ago.

Jiang Yue was in another middle school, excelling both in character and academics, yet her scholarship spot was snatched by classmates through other means.

That day, she was heartbroken and hid alone in an alley at noon, crying without daring to go home.

It was then Shen Yi appeared.

Shen Yi was skipping along, holding skewers of candied hawthorn, and stopped when she saw Jiang Yue, asking why she was crying.

Jiang Yue never imagined she’d open up to a stranger.

But that day, Shen Yi wore a red padded jacket, had her hair in two buns, and tilted her head in a confused yet adorable manner like a fairy tale doll, making it impossible to refuse to answer.

Then Shen Yi, looking like a doll, stormed Jiang Yue back to school, unleashing an incredible force.

Jiang Yue followed, dumbfounded.

The director was initially impatient with the unexpected visitor from another school but fell silent when Shen Yi pointed out the irregularities in other students’ bonus point applications and flaws in the scholarship selection process.

In the end, Jiang Yue watched as the director, known for his poor attitude toward students, had no choice but to promise a re-evaluation of the scholarship.

This was something Jiang Yue never dared to dream of.

The girl turned back and winked at her, pressing the uneaten candied hawthorn into her hand, saying, “Here, take this too. Don’t cry anymore. You have to learn to fight for yourself. You look so fragile, like anyone could bully you.”

Jiang Yue wanted to ask the girl’s name and thank her properly but suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her.

A middle-aged man in a suit came running, gasping for breath, and upon seeing the girl, sighed in relief, “Miss Shen! So you’re here!”

The girl waved her off, “You came just in time. Make sure the scholarship at their school is fairly awarded so they don’t brush me off just because I’m a kid.”

The man nodded vigorously and made a call immediately.

Jiang Yue quickly asked, “Thank you, what’s your name?”

“Good deeds don’t need a name,” the girl muttered, scanning the surroundings and commenting, “Your school is so rundown.”

Jiang Yue didn’t know how to respond since their school was the cheapest public middle school, so even though it was far from home, she chose it.

The girl continued, “But your grades are really good. Hey, do you want to try for our high school? They give lots of scholarships and no limit on spots. This kind of thing wouldn’t happen there.”

Then, urged by the middle-aged man, the girl left, and they didn’t talk further.

It was a chance encounter.

Jiang Yue met the kind and just hero who saved her.

And since middle school, Shen Yi had been a prominent figure at school; Jiang Yue easily identified her and remembered her name.

Shen Yi listened, bewildered.

There was indeed such a thing, vaguely familiar.

The middle school at the First High had longer lunch breaks, and they used to go home for lunch.

That day, Shen Yi must have quarreled with Shen Yu, so she deliberately slipped away at noon to queue for the then-famous candied hawthorn on a distant food street.

Then she met a girl and helped her with a small favor.

But it was just a trivial episode in Shen Yi’s fearless life. She barely remembered the girl.

Even with Jiang Yue standing before her, she wouldn’t recognize her.

Noticing the conflicted, guilty, and awkward expression on Shen Yi’s face, Jiang Yue became even more excited, “Shen Yi, you’re the best person for altruism without expecting anything in return!”

Shen Yi: “...”

Page 2/3

Actually, she was just a bit face-blind.

*

Though confused,

this was indeed what happened.

At lunchtime,

seeing Shen Yi and Jiang Yue together, Meng Zihan raised an eyebrow in surprise at how quickly their relationship had advanced.

Shen Yi quickly recounted the day’s events and blinked at Meng Zihan.

Clearly, Shen Yi meant: can I trust her?

As the eldest daughter of the Shen family, Shen Yi hadn’t lacked people with malicious intent trying to befriend her for their own gain.

Though she could chat with anyone, the only true friends she acknowledged were Meng Zihan and, reluctantly, Song Yang.

Knowing she wasn’t very clever, Shen Yi often sought Meng Zihan’s help to think through problems.

But after hearing everything, Meng Zihan’s usually gentle and dignified face showed rare surprise: “...There really is such a thing.”

Shen Yi nodded like a pecking chick, thinking to herself: indeed, anyone would find this story ridiculous.

Jiang Yue seemed genuinely puzzled why they both thought she liked Song Yang and asked, “...Why do you both think I like Song Yang?”

Meng Zihan answered for Shen Yi, “Sorry, because you added Song Yang as a contact.”

Shen Yi nodded, “If you really want to be friends with me, you should have found Meng Meng.”

Jiang Yue shyly replied, “Song looks... kinda dumb.”

Meng Zihan: “...”

Shen Yi: “...”

Indeed, they had no retort.

If Jiang Yue had approached Meng Zihan instead, she wouldn’t have so easily learned Shen Yi’s preferences.

“Wait,” Shen Yi still had a doubt, “Why did you want to swap duty days with him?”

Today should have been Song Yang’s duty.

She checked the duty roster; Jiang Yue’s duty day was Friday, the easiest day of the week, and any tasks could be left for Monday.

Jiang Yue felt more embarrassed: “Because you’re on duty tomorrow, Song doesn’t like taking out the trash, and the class monitor is busy with a speech contest, so she can’t help you.”

The classroom trash bins aren’t emptied daily; duties depend on when bins get full.

So Jiang Yue wanted to swap with Song Yang to empty the trash ahead of time, making Shen Yi’s day easier.

Shen Yi: “???”

She was on duty again tomorrow?

Seriously?

She just did duty recently—how was she working again?!

Seeing Shen Yi’s clueless look, Jiang Yue reminded her, “Last month, you bribed the English class rep by helping with duty, so she deducted one less word on your dictation.”

The English class rep was Jiang Yue’s deskmate, who overheard and silently remembered this.

Shen Yi: “!”

Oh, that was true.

Everything made sense now.

Finally,

Jiang Yue looked sincerely at them, “Sorry, because of my personality, I didn’t handle things well and caused misunderstandings.”

Had she known they’d think so wrongly, she wouldn’t have made everything so complicated but just come straight to Shen Yi.

Shen Yi quickly shook her head.

No, no, no, Jiang Yue wasn’t the one who should apologize!

Clearly, it was her wild imagination that caused the awkward misunderstanding.

Seeing Shen Yi’s reaction, Jiang Yue finally relaxed and smiled genuinely, “So, Shen Yi, can we be friends now?”

Shen Yi lowered her head shyly.

Oh dear, what a fuss.

Now she learned that the excellent Jiang Yue had “admired” her for years, praising her like a superhero, only seeing her and wanting to be friends.

This feeling—

was wonderful!

After all that, Miss Shen’s vanity was thoroughly satisfied.

Who could refuse such a delicate, pretty girl sparkling with praise and seeing only herself as the hero inside her heart?

All past unpleasantness vanished!

But—

Before answering, Shen Yi looked at Meng Zihan.

Such decisions had to consider Meng Zihan’s opinion.

After all, they were best friends; even adding a new one required respect.

Meng Zihan seemed lost in thought for several seconds before noticing Shen Yi’s gaze, smiling gently, nodding, and giving a supportive thumbs-up.

“Ahem!”

Shen Yi cleared her throat and faced Jiang Yue, “Although I’m not short of friends, since you worked hard to get into this school for me, I’ll reluctantly agree.”

Jiang Yue’s eyes brightened.

But Shen Yi caught another key point.

She asked, “Why did you only come to this school in your second year?”

With Jiang Yue’s grades, she could have chosen the First High right after the entrance exam. Why stay another year at that hated, rundown school?

Jiang Yue was caught off guard.

She thought for a moment and said strangely, “I don’t know, maybe... I got used to it.”

She just continued studying there as usual.

Even though she wanted to see Shen Yi sooner.

Shen Yi: “???”

What kind of answer was that? Jiang Yue was so good but acted like a fool?

As they stared at each other in bewilderment, Meng Zihan’s gentle voice broke the slightly ridiculous atmosphere, “Alright, let’s forget the unpleasant past. To celebrate clearing up the misunderstanding, I’ll treat you both to juice. Follow me~”

Shen Yi immediately dropped all thoughts, raising her hands in cheer, “Yay!”

Seeing Jiang Yue still “shy” standing there, Shen Yi reached for her hand, “Let’s go!”

*

After school.

Watching Shen Yi linking arms with Meng Zihan and Jiang Yue walking out of school, Shen Yu rubbed his eyes, afraid he was hallucinating.

What was going on?

Once Shen Yi got in the car, Shen Yu eyed her suspiciously, “You two actually became good friends?”

Friends were normal; Shen Yi had a deceptively charming face.

But the only person she ever linked arms with willingly was Meng Zihan.

Was female friendship really this strange?

Page 3/3

He just didn’t understand.

Shen Yi hummed proudly, not sparing even a glance for Shen Yu, and asked, “What kind of person do you think I am?”

Shen Yu answered honestly, “Bad-tempered, willful, impulsive, hot-headed for three minutes, stupid, noisy as hell, and every day—”

“Shut up,” Shen Yi cut him off expressionlessly.

Indeed.

Compared to Shen Yu, Jiang Yue was cuter.

Girls were the most beautiful creatures in the world. ^^

Thinking of Song Yang, who rarely entered a cold war with her starting today, Shen Yi’s mood instantly soured.

Oh, she almost forgot him.

*

At the Song family home.

Song Yang yawned as usual stepping out of the car, tossed his backpack on the sofa, and headed upstairs.

Passing the tea room on the second floor, his eyes landed on a pale yellow blanket on the sofa.

The blanket was crumpled oddly on the gray couch, left unattended.

Song Yang frowned.

The butler quickly approached, “Sorry, Young Master, I was careless and will take care of it immediately...”

“No need,” Song Yang interrupted, “You may go now.”

The butler was surprised but said, “Young Master, dinner hasn’t been prepared yet. What would you like to eat?”

“No need.”

Song Yang’s impatience grew, “There’s food in the fridge; I’ll heat it myself. Go ahead. I want to be alone for a while.”

“Yes, sir.”

The butler promptly accepted, glad to leave early for unknown reasons.

“Wait.”

Song Yang, not sure why he said it, added, “Before you go, prepare the guest room nearest my room.”

*

Chaos.

Not knowing what he felt, all his irritations could only be vented through gaming battles.

Late at night.

After brutally defeating an enemy, Song Yang finally gave the poor keyboard a break and shut down the game.

Damn it.

He couldn’t even game anymore.

He got up to get water, but his gaze landed on the blanket he’d brought into the room and tossed onto the bed.

A pale yellow blanket with childish little flowers—completely mismatched with his room.

It belonged to Shen Yi.

Shen Yi’s mother and Song Yang’s mother were close friends, and their families had been in close contact for years.

Song Yang grew up with Shen Yi; they were the same age and arranged to be classmates and even deskmates since elementary school.

If one had to say who occupied the most time in Song Yang’s life, it was undoubtedly Shen Yi.

Shen Yi often visited the Song household, brazenly keeping her favorite slippers, blankets, pajamas, and so on there, so she wouldn’t feel out of place when she came.

His mother liked Shen Yi so much she considered preparing a room exclusively for her.

But Shen Yi refused because every guest room in the Song house was uniquely decorated—some with coffee machines and large windows for scenic views, others filled with dolls and shojo manga bought by Song’s mother, and some equipped with projectors and game consoles. Song’s mother even rotated the “themes” from time to time.

Shen Yi found it amusing and felt like she was drawing lots every time she picked a guest room; opening the door was always a surprise.

The guest room closest to Song Yang’s was an ordinary room—more a study than a guest room.

Song’s mother had planned it as a study room for her son, where he could study and nap when tired, but he never studied there.

But that didn’t matter.

Song Yang closed his eyes, increasingly annoyed.

He didn’t want to think about anything related to Shen Yi and chose to take a shower. Since he hadn’t slept during the day, he decided to sleep early.

Still not used to such a normal, healthy routine.

Lying on the bed staring at the ceiling, his thoughts became unusually clear.

By some strange impulse, his mind drifted back to an evening three years ago.

It seemed like an ordinary dinner.

His mother suddenly asked, “Song Yang, do you want to marry Yi Yi? Marry her and live together like your father and me—”

His father choked on his soup, stopping her, “What are you saying to a child?”

“Shut up,” his mother snapped and then switched to a gentle expression, looking at him expectantly, as if waiting for an answer.

Young Song Yang seriously considered it.

Marry Shen Yi? Live like his parents?

His mind conjured many scenes.

For example, Shen Yi waking up grumpy and yelling at him.

Shen Yi having no appetite and yelling at him.

Shen Yi getting fat from sweets and yelling at him.

...

Was that what hell looked like?

Little Song Yang was deeply terrified of the future and shook his head firmly.

No.

Absolutely not.

He didn’t want to become a weak, pitiable man like his father.

“Sigh... you child, well, don’t regret this later.”

His mother looked disappointed and slapped his father’s shoulder in frustration; his father dared not argue.

At that time, Song Yang didn’t understand what that expression meant until a month later when the Shen and Wen families arranged a marriage contract.

From then on,

the person who naturally accompanied Shen Yi to all important occasions became Wen Que.

When he came back to his senses,

Song Yang turned his face and stared at the floral pattern on the pale yellow blanket, lost in thought again.

He couldn’t understand.

Had his presence become unbearable to Shen Yi? Otherwise, why was she so eager to push him away?

That was fine.

He had had enough of being Shen Yi’s shadow, taking her orders, enduring her tantrums without resistance, living without any dignity.

---