“Xiao Mianmian, why aren’t you eating?”
Cha Yiguan got off work early and brought back some trendy mini cakes from a popular shop. He’d brought them before, and Cheng Simian had loved them—but today she didn’t touch them at all.
Her thoughts were still stuck on Su Xianyan. She had no mind for cake. Everything he said on the way back from school kept replaying in her head.
For the first time, Cheng Simian started reflecting seriously.
Was she really, as Su Xianyan said, being too indulgent with herself?
Before, she had been reckless and lawless because she resented her parents for not caring about her. But back then, she had the wealth to waste her life.
Now, she might still resent them—but she had lost that wealth.
No matter how much she hated or blamed them, she had to live her own life properly now.
She couldn’t keep sinking lower— couldn’t let people who disliked her enjoy the show, couldn’t let those who had abandoned her feel they were right to do so.
“Xiao Mianmian, if you’re not eating, I will.”
“Cha Yiguan, what kind of person is Su Xianyan, exactly?”
“It’s ‘Cha’(zha)—first tone,” Cha Yiguan corrected speechlessly.
“I know you’re very zha (a scumbag)—that’s not important,”
Cheng Simian said seriously, staring at him.
“Just tell me—what kind of person is Su Xianyan?”
Cha Yiguan thought carefully.
“Gentle, polite, refined. On the surface he looks harmless—very attractive to women. Of course, compared to me, he’s still a bit inferior.”
“I agree with the first part. The second part—can you be a little more realistic?”
Cha Yiguan: “What does a little brat like you know.”
“Anything else?”
“Also… from knowing him these past few years, I can tell you—he’s definitely not a simple person. If he were really as easygoing as he looks, our company wouldn’t have survived this long. In a business world that competitive, we’d have been eaten alive long ago.”
“Mhm…”
She agreed with that. Deep down, she’d always felt Su Xianyan wasn’t simple.
“Why are you asking this?”
“Nothing…”
Just that when he spoke to her today, his eyes looked different— not just like he was lecturing her, but like he’d lived through it himself.
“I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”
“Hey—really not eating the cake?”
“Put it in the fridge. I’ll eat it tomorrow. Thanks.”
“You little brat—cake tastes bad after a night!”
“It’s fine.”
She didn’t hear anything else he said and went straight upstairs to her room.
Cha Yiguan shook his head and carried the cake into the kitchen.
At a little past eleven that night, Cheng Simian went downstairs to get some water.
After drinking, she turned around—and suddenly saw a white figure standing behind her.
She nearly dropped the empty cup in shock.
“Y-you don’t even make any sound when you walk!”
Su Xianyan glanced at her.
“Maybe your ears aren’t very good.”
“…What are you doing in the kitchen so late?”
Su Xianyan took a glass from the cabinet.
“Same as you.”
“Oh…”
Cheng Simian stood beside him, watching as he tilted his head slightly and drank the water.
They were both people, both drinking water—yet every movement Su Xianyan made carried an air of refined elegance. As he swallowed, his throat bobbed slightly, the line of it… inexplicably alluring.
Cheng Simian didn’t even know what came over her—her face suddenly flushed, and her heart felt as if it had been squeezed tight, her breathing a little unsteady. She took a deep breath, flustered, forced herself to look away, set down her cup, and hurried out of the kitchen.
“Cheng Simian.”
His voice—low and magnetic, mellowed by water—came from behind her, stopping her in her tracks.
“Huh?”
Su Xianyan said, “If you really listen in class, then in the next exam, don’t come in last again.”
She turned back to glance at him.
“I’ll try.”
The corner of Su Xianyan’s mouth lifted slightly. He leaned lazily against the counter.
“Not ‘try.’ You must.”
“……”
“What—can’t do it?” His brow lifted faintly. “Who was it that said they’d listen to me?”
Cheng Simian’s eyes widened slightly.
“What, backing out the moment studying comes up?”
Su Xianyan set his glass down and stepped closer, bending slightly so their eyes were level.
“If you get good results next time, you can ask your uncle for a reward.”
“Then will you give me a reward?”
The words slipped out of Cheng Simian’s mouth without a second thought.
A flicker of amusement passed through Su Xianyan’s eyes. She really was still just a child.
“Alright. If you improve, there will be a reward.”
“Deal. I’ll listen to you and study properly—just don’t forget what you promised.”
“Mhm.”
Su Xianyan straightened and casually patted her head.
“Alright. You have class tomorrow—go get some sleep.”
“Okay!”
Her eyes curved into a smile as she skipped upstairs.
Su Xianyan withdrew his gaze from her retreating figure and turned to look at the tranquil moonlight outside the window.
Cheng Simian…
That child reminded him of himself when he was young.
A faint, bitter smile touched his lips. Perhaps it was because he understood too well the feeling of being abandoned—that was why he felt sympathy, why children like her tugged at his heart.
The next day at school.
“Wenzi, if I start dozing off today, you have to smack me hard,” Cheng Simian said with a grave expression.
Fu Ziwen blinked.
“Huh? Why?”
“Because I’m going to study properly, of course!”
Cheng Simian pulled out her math book.
“This is math class, right?”
“…It is.”
Fu Ziwen eyed her suspiciously.
“Simian, did you take the wrong medicine or something?”
“Watch your mouth—I’m turning over a new leaf!”
“Oh~ If you’re really going to listen in class, that’s amazing,” Fu Ziwen said.
“Did you reflect after yesterday’s parent–teacher meeting?”
“Yeah. Someone forced me to reflect.”
Cheng Simian smiled.
“And he even said that if I do well next time, there’ll be a big reward.”
“Really? Who? Who? Don’t tell me it’s your brother?”
“Mhm.”
“Simian, this morning people were pulling me aside asking what your brother’s name is,”
Fu Ziwen shook her head.
“They didn’t dare ask you, so I got interrogated—but how would I know? What’s your brother’s name?”
“What do those little brats think they’re doing?”
Cheng Simian snorted.
“Is Su Xianyan someone they can even think about?”
“Su Xianyan?”
Fu Ziwen froze.
“Isn’t he your brother? You two don’t even share a surname.”
Cheng Simian shot her a look.
“He’s actually my uncle’s friend.”
Fu Ziwen blinked, momentarily slow to process.
“Your uncle’s friend… then shouldn’t you be calling him ‘uncle’ too?”
“……”
“And why would he help you attend a parent–teacher meeting?”
“Shh—don’t tell anyone,” Cheng Simian whispered.
“If the homeroom teacher finds out, he won’t be able to attend for me anymore. To the teacher, he’s my cousin.”
“Oh.”
Fu Ziwen rested her chin on her hand.
“Then Su Xianyan is really nice—helping even a friend’s niece.”
Cheng Simian paused, her eyes lowering as a hint of softness passed through them.
“Yeah… he really is.”
Cheng Simian had fallen far behind in her studies—by more than just a little. Trying to immediately understand what the teacher was currently teaching was genuinely difficult.
So that evening, staring at her math homework in her room, she had no idea where to even begin.
After half an hour of breaking down in place, she finally made up her mind, picked up her workbook, and walked to Su Xianyan’s door.
But once she reached it, she stopped.
Holding her math book, she hesitated, debating whether to knock.
Su Xianyan was so busy—did he really have time to explain this stuff to her? And she hadn’t understood anything in class. What if he explained it and she still didn’t get it? Wouldn’t that just make her look stupid?
After lingering for a long while, she gave up.
Forget it—she’d just ask Fu Ziwen tomorrow…
“What’s wrong?”
A clear, gentle voice suddenly came from behind and above her.
Cheng Simian froze, clutching her workbook as she turned around.
The hallway lights were dim. He stood against the light, tiny flecks of brightness falling on his shoulders—soft and warm. He stepped closer, a cup of coffee in hand, its rich aroma drifting through the air.
“Looking for me?”
“Oh—no… yes. I mean, yes.”
Su Xianyan smiled faintly.
“So—is it yes or no?”
“Yes…”
She lifted her book slightly, hesitated, then finally said,
“Didn’t you tell me to study properly? I did… but the results weren’t very good.”
“Mhm?”
“I don’t understand.”
Cheng Simian looked straight at him.
“I listened seriously, but I still didn’t get it.”
Su Xianyan studied her for several seconds, then walked past her and opened the door.
“Come in.”
She figured that meant he was willing to teach her, so Cheng Simian happily trotted in behind him.
Come to think of it, this was the first time she’d ever entered Su Xianyan’s room.
Once inside, she realized that compared to hers—or even to Cha Yiguan’s or Cheng Qin’s—his room was on an entirely different scale.
The overall palette was subdued: white, gray, black… very much Su Xianyan’s style. But what caught her attention most was the computer area by the balcony—three large monitors arranged around a swivel chair, a massive desk covered in stacks of documents.
“Why do you have so many computers in your room?” she asked curiously.
“For work.”
“Oh… it’s pretty impressive. Like an internet café.”
Su Xianyan: “……”
Su Xianyan walked over and began tidying up the items on the desk. As he did, he said,
“Sit here and do your homework. If you don’t understand something, ask me.”
“Wait, wait!”
Cheng Simian’s eyes were sharp. She pulled a few sheets out of the stack of white papers in his hands.
“What’s this? It’s drawn so beautifully.”
“Character designs for a game that’s currently in development.”
“A game?”
Oh—she remembered now. Back when her dad was still around, he’d once mentioned that Cheng Qin’s industry was related to games. She just hadn’t paid much attention at the time, and later never asked.
“Did you draw these?”
“No.”
Su Xianyan pulled out a chair for her to sit down.
“The artist drew them. I just have the final versions.”
“Oh.”
Cheng Simian stared at the drawings without blinking.
“They’re really beautiful.”
“You like them that much? When the posters are out, I’ll have Cheng Qin bring you a copy,” Su Xianyan said.
“Really? Yes, yes!”
She looked up at him.
“The characters look so good—the game must be fun too. When it comes out, I want to play it!”
A flicker of amusement crossed Su Xianyan’s eyes. He bent his finger and lightly tapped her forehead.
“Finish dealing with your studies first. Then we’ll talk about games.”