Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shi Jianjin rarely spoke at school.

With his striking good looks and god-tier grades, he had become the crush of many girls. In the late-night chats of the girls’ dormitory, his name always cropped up sooner or later.

Even our tall, beautiful dorm leader would get incredibly excited just because Shi Jianjin tapped her on the shoulder while taking attendance.

He and I had almost no contact.

Our only interaction had been over a physics problem. He was the only one in the entire class who knew how to solve the final bonus question.

I had summoned my courage to ask him for help.

I watched his hand-long, fair, and well-defined-as he moved his pen rapidly across the paper. In a moment of fluttering nerves, my hair, which was still damp from a recent wash, accidentally brushed against him.

He had pulled away with a look of slight disgust.

That moment struck right at the heart of my insecurities. From then on, I never took the initiative to ask him a question again.

His sudden act of helpfulness today was truly unexpected.

When I stepped into his home for the first time, backpack in tow, it felt like entering a castle. His family’s villa was magnificent, and the air conditioning was running everywhere.

“Class Monitor, where are your parents?”

Shi Jianjin tossed his bag aside, opened the refrigerator, and threw an ice cream to me. He unwrapped a popsicle for himself. “They’re abroad.”

“So you live here alone?”

“There’s a housekeeper.”

He headed upstairs as he spoke. Unfamiliar with the surroundings, I could only follow in his footsteps.

After entering his room, he pulled out the desk chair. “You can study here.”

“What about you?”

“I’m going to lie on the bed and play games.”

With that, he took out a handheld console and reclined on the bed.

Feeling a bit awkward, as if I were usurping his space, I said, “Class Monitor, maybe I should go study outside. The AC is on out there, too.”

With the popsicle still in his mouth and his fingers busy on the controls, he said nonchalantly, “The AC outside is about to be turned off. Gotta save on the electricity bill.”

That made sense; nobody’s money just blew in on the wind.

I spread out my homework and was about to start studying when Shi Jianjin’s muffled voice came from behind me again. “Eat the ice cream first. It’ll melt if you don’t.”

He was being so polite.

Overwhelmed by the unexpected hospitality, I opened the ice cream and licked it bit by bit with the tip of my tongue, treating it like a treasure, afraid to miss even a hint of its sweetness.