12,012

Song Residence.

Mother Song had always doted on Shen Yi, filling the dinner table with almost all of her favorite dishes. Seeing that the relationship between Shen Yi and her son had clearly returned to normal, she was so delighted that she insisted on going into the kitchen herself to prepare some desserts for them.

Father Song had no interest in sweets whatsoever, yet he was forcibly dragged into the kitchen to assist, leaving Shen Yi and Song Yang alone on the terrace, watching the moon while waiting for their treats.

Having engaged in a cold war for several days—breaking their record for the longest time without speaking—Shen Yi had plenty to say and poured out a stream of complaints. She talked about how terrifyingly diligent Song Yang’s study habits had been lately, how awful the food at the newest cafeteria window tasted, and how adorable the kittens born to the school’s little orange cat were.

Oh! And of course, most importantly—Jiang Yue’s homemade cupcakes were truly delicious!

Song Yang, already feeling drowsy and yawning as he listened, was taken aback. "Better than the desserts my mom makes?"

One had to understand, Shen Yi’s absolute favorite things were the desserts Mother Song made by hand, which she had praised countless times as the finest delicacies in the world.

"..."

Shen Yi looked up at the sky, pondering for a moment before answering with conflicted honesty, "It’s different. You can’t compare them like that."

They were both good. They were delicious in their own ways; after all, art has no first place, and martial arts has no second! Desserts were the same.

At this, Song Yang still couldn’t bring himself to believe it. "Are you and that Jiang Yue really friends now?"

"Not friends." Shen Yi waved her finger, denying it with a straight face, then continued, "We’re *good* friends."

Well... there was no helping it. Jiang Yue was just such a wonderful person!

For starters, every time Jiang Yue saw Shen Yi, she would offer a unique stream of compliments about her appearance and outfit for the day. Although Shen Yi had heard plenty of flattery since she was a child, this was definitely her first time encountering someone like Jiang Yue, who would gaze at her with starry eyes while speaking, making even Meng Zihan rub her arms and complain about getting goosebumps.

Secondly, after Meng Zihan teased Shen Yi for never eating vegetables, Jiang Yue would pick out the carrots or other greens—which Shen Yi usually disliked but were shaped too cutely—from her own bento box during their daily lunches, coaxing her to eat them and then showering her with the praise she loved to hear.

Finally, Jiang Yue was truly intelligent. Whether it was pop quizzes or after-school exercises, Jiang Yue could explain problems using the simplest language, teaching Shen Yi methods that hadn’t been covered in class and sparking her interest in knowledge beyond the textbook.

In just a few short days, their relationship had progressed by leaps and bounds. To use Meng Zihan’s words, their dynamic was like a willful child in kindergarten meeting the world’s most brilliant preschool teacher; Shen Yi was so charmed and coaxed by Jiang Yue’s daily praise that she was completely head-over-heels, ready to do whatever Jiang Yue asked.

Song Yang also felt it was "dangerous," remarking, "I’m honestly afraid that one day you’ll get sold off and end up helping the person count the money, and when that happens, I’m not bailing you out."

Shen Yi, however, was defiant. "I can feel it. Jiang Yue genuinely likes me."

Only through more direct interaction could one clearly sense another person’s true feelings. At this point, Shen Yi began to look triumphant again. There was no helping it; she was just that charismatic!

Song Yang sneered and asked, "Don't you want to play matchmaker for us anymore?"

He was met with a roll of Shen Yi’s eyes and a soul-deep retort: "Do you even deserve her?"

*

[Genius Beauty Squad]

On the way home, Shen Yi sent voice messages, detailing everything that happened that evening to her two best friends.

[Meng Zihan]: Finally made up with Song Yang, congratulations.

[Jiang Zhongyue]: How could Song Yang mess up your hair? How hateful!

[Sheng Yi]: Right?!!!

[Meng Zihan]: ...

[Meng Zihan]: Is that the point?

[Sheng Yi]: Of course! Song Yang is a jerk!

[Jiang Zhongyue]: Yeah! Song Yang is a jerk!

[Meng Zihan]: ...

She was speechless.

[Sheng Yi] poked you.

[Jiang Zhongyue] poked you.

Meng Zihan typed out, speechless, "Fine, Song Yang is a jerk."

Suddenly, her phone vibrated again.

[Sheng Yi]: By the way, Zihan, why do you always use your real name online?

[Jiang Zhongyue]: True, you could pick a screen name related to your real name like we did.

[Sheng Yi]: Yes! We can help you!

Meng Zihan replied quickly.

[No need, thank you both.]

[My family is quite old-fashioned; using my real name is more appropriate.]

*

The next day, Shen Yi was in a great mood and brought breakfast for three. These were the cake rolls Mother Song had handed her before they left the previous night, saying they were homemade and for her to take home to try.

Shen Yi generously brought them to school to share with Jiang Yue and Meng Zihan.

Jiang Yue took a bite and was amazed. "So delicious, it melts in your mouth."

Meng Zihan didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but she gave a high rating as well. "Indeed, the flavor is quite good."

Jiang Yue looked at her, sounding a bit hurt. "You’ve never praised the desserts I make."

Shen Yi chimed in to condemn her, "How could you say Jiang Yue’s cooking isn't delicious!"

Meng Zihan: "..."

She hadn't said anything of the sort, had she?

Meng Zihan reached out without ceremony. Jiang Yue slapped her hand away, and Shen Yi slapped her twice. Only after both of them were "punished" did they settle down.

Just as the three of them had their heads huddled together, nibbling on cake rolls and gossiping about school, a gasp suddenly erupted outside the door, as if some incredible piece of news had broken.

Shen Yi was the first to stand up, scanning her surroundings. Excitement! Where was the excitement?!

The source of the commotion was the notoriously difficult and antisocial "school bully" from Class A. But today, he seemed like a different person.

"Xu Qingzhe" was surrounded by his classmates. That face, which usually signaled "strangers keep away," was now beaming with an unfamiliar, enthusiastic smile. He patiently answered questions from those around him, without a hint of impatience.

Shen Yi widened her eyes, patted her cheeks, and looked at Meng Zihan with a bewildered expression, doubting her own reality. "Is he actually this cheerful?"

Whenever Shen Yi went to Class A to find Meng Zihan, she had seen Xu Qingzhe a few times. He always sat in the back row with a deathly expression; once, when Shen Yi accidentally stepped on his foot while passing by and apologized, she received no response, which scared her so much she hadn't dared to go to Class A for three days.

Jiang Yue tilted her head slightly, trying to reconcile the person in front of her with the Xu Qingzhe she remembered from the after-school competition class.

Meng Zihan put down her cake and said seriously, "...That is not Xu Qingzhe."

*

The bell for class rang.

"Xu Qingzhe" stood on the podium, smiling brightly as he introduced himself. "Hello everyone! I am the transfer student, Xu Qingyi. I hope to make good friends in this class! If you need any help, feel free to come to me!"

Xu Qingyi was enthusiastic and friendly, finally satisfying everyone’s curiosity about his face.

Actually... he was Xu Qingzhe’s twin brother.

Shen Yi’s gaze landed on Xu Qingyi’s face, examining him intently. His hair was supple, clearly the result of long-term professional care; his clothes looked high-quality, likely a custom-made style. Though he wore no obvious designer logos, the silver earring he wore was a brand Shen Yi happened to recognize—it was worth a fortune.

Aside from this nearly identical face, he shared no other similarities with Xu Qingzhe.

Could it be... that Xu Qingzhe was also a hidden, mysterious billionaire?

While Shen Yi’s mind ran wild, she suddenly locked eyes with the person on the podium.

The next second, Xu Qingyi pointed in her direction and said, "Teacher, I would like to sit next to Student Shen Yi!"

Shen Yi: "?"

Who? Her?

Song Yang: "...?"

Was he invisible?

Of course—that wouldn't do. The homeroom teacher thought to himself that he would have to be insane to agree to this brazen transfer student; the seating arrangement for Shen Yi and Song Yang had been specifically requested by the Song family.

But Xu Qingyi was simply too smooth-talking. After some final adjustments, he successfully ended up in the seat behind Shen Yi.

Shen Yi: "..."

She could feel the burning gaze from behind her and felt a faint headache coming on.

During the break, Song Yang looked at her unhappily and asked, "Where did you pick up this trouble?"

Shen Yi: "???"

Song Yang was asking her? Then who was she supposed to ask?!

"I must say, this classmate’s tone is quite impolite. I heard every word."

Xu Qingyi’s voice rang out from behind them with a smile. Meeting the identical skeptical stares of Song Yang and Shen Yi, he took the initiative to introduce himself. "I attended the Meng family’s charity gala last year on behalf of my father, and at that banquet, I..."

He leaned in closer.

Lowering his voice, he continued right by Shen Yi’s ear, "Fell for you at first sight."