9 – Brother Chuan will twist his head off for you.
She guessed right—it was indeed a birthday cake Zhou Yuchuan had given Zhao Jianing.
Xin Jushang’s eyes inexplicably felt a bit itchy. She rubbed them a few times, then returned to her seat, picked up her backpack, and prepared to leave the classroom.
“Hey…” Zhou Yuchuan quickly reached out and grabbed the corner of Xin Jushang’s clothes, holding on tightly as if afraid she would run away the next second.
“Don’t touch me.”
Xin Jushang’s voice was cold, devoid of any warmth.
“What’s wrong with your eyes? They’re so red?”
Zhou Yuchuan still held firmly onto the corner of Xin Jushang’s clothes when he suddenly noticed his little deskmate’s eyes were slightly red, looking as if she had been deeply wronged.
“What happened? Who bullied you again? Brother Chuan will help you twist their head off,” he said, half-joking and half-serious.
“It’s just the wind. No one bullied me.”
Just then, a breeze blew past the window. The early autumn wind lacked the scorching heat of summer, carrying only a refreshing coolness.
Xin Jushang glanced down at the hand tightly gripping her clothes and spoke softly, “Zhou Yuchuan, let go. I need to go home.”
Today was her birthday, and her mother and younger brother were waiting at home to celebrate with her.
“We’ve been deskmates for almost a month, and we don’t even have each other’s contact info.”
Zhou Yuchuan, acting like a stubborn child, refused to let Xin Jushang leave. He pitifully tugged at her clothes and pleaded, “How about we add each other on QQ? I use QQ a lot.”
He also had an unspoken reason: his QQ account was SVIP Level 9, with a luxurious Yellow Diamond Level 9.
Afraid Xin Jushang might refuse, Zhou Yuchuan resorted to intimidation: “If you don’t give me your QQ number, I won’t let you leave.”
With that, he tightened his grip on her clothes, clinging to her like a big, sticky puppy unwilling to let its owner go.
Xin Jushang: …
Reluctantly, she recited a string of numbers to Zhou Yuchuan, finally managing to break free.
“Jushang, come wash your hands and eat.”
Xin Jushang’s mother, Xu Jing, was a gentle and virtuous woman.
Xin Jushang’s biological father was addicted to gambling. After Xu Jing divorced him early on, she raised the two children alone, never complaining about hardship or exhaustion.
“Okay,” Xin Jushang replied.
She had already finished all her homework for the evening. Unable to resist, she stretched lazily and picked up her phone nearby, noticing a new friend request on QQ—
“Chosen One-Chuan has requested to add you as a friend.”
Such a flashy username—it had to be Zhou Yuchuan.
Xin Jushang casually tapped “Accept,” then put down her phone and turned to leave the room.
Her younger brother Xu Yinan and mother Xu Jing were already seated at the dining table, waiting.
Her mother had specially prepared several dishes today, all Xin Jushang’s favorites. In the center of the table sat a strawberry cake with candles.
Seeing such a heartwarming scene, Xin Jushang couldn’t help but feel a warm glow inside.
Only her family could make her let down her guard completely and show her truest self.
“Sis, have you been taking the medicine the doctor prescribed on time lately?” Xu Yinan asked Xin Jushang while chewing a piece of beef he had picked up.
Xin Jushang nodded, then redirected the topic to Xu Yinan. “Have you had any trouble adjusting since returning to school these past few days? Can you keep up with the lessons?”
Last year, although Xu Yinan’s surgery was very successful and subsequent chemotherapy showed no major issues, with the doctor also saying that his illness hadn’t affected his intelligence, Xin Jushang was still very worried about the recovery of his brain.
Brain cancer—any slight mishap during surgery or follow-up treatment could impact intelligence.
In severe cases, one might end up with the intelligence of a young child.
“Sis, don’t worry,” Xu Yinan raised an eyebrow, looking utterly confident. “Even though I missed a year of school, I’m still first in my class when I go back. Can’t help it—good family genes, I’m just awesome at studying.”
Xu Yinan is in his third year of junior high this year, attending the best high school in City C.
Although he didn’t return to school for a year due to his treatment, he chose not to repeat a grade. Instead, he used the summer break to study the entire second-year curriculum and directly advanced to the third year when school started.
“Sis, our school has two guaranteed admission spots this year, which can directly send students to either No. 1 High School or Hengmu,” Xu Yinan said between mouthfuls of food, then straightened his chest with an air of absolute confidence. “I plan to choose Hengmu, especially since you’re there. Once I go, I can protect you.”
Xin Jushang chuckled softly, looking at her now-healthy younger brother and feeling genuinely happy.
Beside them, Xu’s mother watched her two children with a kind, heartfelt smile.
When it came time to make a wish, Xin Jushang looked at the cake with candles in front of her, clasped her hands together, and silently made her wishes:
First, she hoped her family would stay safe and healthy.
Second, she hoped she could rank in the top three of her grade in the upcoming monthly exam.
Third…
Suddenly, the image of that carefree, smiling boy appeared in her mind—tilting his head as he stared at her, half-serious and half-teasing as he asked, “Do you like me?”
Why did Zhou Yuchuan suddenly come to mind…
Xin Jushang shook her head vigorously, trying to clear all the messy thoughts from her mind.
But she couldn’t help herself and made a third wish.
She hoped that in every future exam, she would outperform Zhou Yuchuan and annoy him to death.
Meanwhile.
Zhou Yuchuan lay on his bed, bored out of his mind as he stared at his phone screen, nearly zoning out.
He hadn’t expected his little deskmate to be so lacking in flair—her online username was simple and direct, just her real name, “Xin Jushang.”
Xin Jushang’s QQ space had no posts, so he could only click into her profile and study it carefully.
Her profile picture was a cartoon kitten, and her background was a chubby golden tabby cat. Other than that… there didn’t seem to be anything else.
Just then, Zhou Yuchuan caught sight of a line of text and immediately sat bolt upright.
Xin Jushang’s QQ profile listed her birthday as “September 22nd.”
He thought about it—wasn’t that today?
Which meant today was also his little deskmate’s birthday, and it happened to fall on the same day as Zhao Jianing’s.
Zhou Yuchuan was stunned.
“Damn,” he couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
Because it suddenly dawned on him why his little deskmate had seemed so upset today…
And it really might have been his fault?
Zhou Yuchuan scratched his head, filled with regret.
Thinking about how he had gone all the way to a cake shop ten kilometers away today to pick up the custom cake he bought for Zhao Jianing…
Not only did he end up late for class, but Zhao Jianing didn’t even appreciate it.
Zhou Yuchuan regretted it so much that his intestines turned green. He never expected Zhao Jianing to be so heartless, showing no regard for the childhood bond they had shared for over a decade.
In the end, he angrily threw that strawberry cake straight into the trash.
He then recalled the small box of strawberries Xin Jushang had secretly tucked into his desk drawer…
She had been so furious that she threw away that box of strawberries rather than letting him eat them—she must have been jealous, right?