In the end, Sang Xiaotian’s parents hurriedly took him home.
Within two days, they had completed the paperwork for him to take a leave of absence from school.
When Jiang Wan arrived at the teachers’ office, she happened to catch Teacher Yu on the phone with Sang Xiaotian’s parents and overheard part of their conversation.
The hospital had diagnosed Sang Xiaotian’s condition as a possible genetic mutation of a kind so rare that it might be unprecedented worldwide. A team of specialists had already been assembled for further consultations.
Jiang Wan estimated that Sang Xiaotian probably wouldn’t reappear before she graduated.
The lesson here was simple: when something too good to be true falls into your lap, immediately call the anti-fraud hotline. Never convince yourself that you might get lucky and allow yourself to be drawn deeper into the trap.
…
On the third weekend after the start of the school year, Jiang Wan finally went home.
Her eldest brother was so excited that he drove straight to the entrance of Quanzhou Foreign Language School, took a photograph, and sent it to her.
Jiang Wan opened the message, then checked the time.
There were still more than two full hours before her last class on Friday ended.
Her eldest brother didn’t think anything of it. [If I come early, I can get a parking space! Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll go buy it for you!]
Jiang Wan thought for a moment. There actually was something she needed. [Can you go to the bookstore and buy me a book?]
[Sure! What book?]
Jiang Wan typed: [The Complete Collection of Romantic Lines.]
[???]
…
Yue Mingshi received an accusatory message.
[Confess everything. Come clean and I’ll go easy on you. Resist and you’re dead.]
He glanced at the sender’s name: Jiang Yu’an.
Based on nearly ten years of experience, whenever Jiang Yu’an lost his mind, there was a ninety percent chance it had something to do with Jiang Wan.
Yue Mingshi didn’t reply. He simply swiped away the red message notification.
Not only did he have absolutely no idea what Jiang Yu’an was talking about, but even if he did, he couldn’t be bothered to answer.
Just as Yue Mingshi was about to turn his phone face down on the desk, Jiang Yu’an sent a second message.
It was a screenshot.
Yue Mingshi casually opened the image, only for his attention to be caught by the words The Complete Collection of Romantic Lines in Jiang Wan’s message.
The classmate sitting beside him: “…”
Yue Mingshi’s expression had suddenly gone from ordinarily terrifying to terrifying plus.
…
After finishing her last class, Jiang Wan slowly packed her belongings into her schoolbag. She was mentally listing everything she needed to collect from the dormitory and take home when someone called from the classroom doorway.
“Jiang Wan, someone’s looking for you!”
She raised her head and saw Yue Mingshi standing at the entrance.
Jiang Wan lifted an eyebrow, picked up her schoolbag, and walked toward him.
Cheng Lixue turned around and noticed that Jiang Wan had once again left her campus card on the desk. She sighed with practiced resignation. “Jiang Wan, you forgot something.”
Jiang Wan accepted the card with equal familiarity. “Then I’ll be going.”
Her roommates all waved goodbye.
“You got here pretty quickly,” Jiang Wan said curiously as she stepped outside. “My brother arrived at the school gate ages ago. Let’s ride home in his car together.”
She was about to swing her schoolbag onto her back when Yue Mingshi hooked a finger through its strap and took it from her first.
“Our last period was self-study,” he explained. “We were dismissed early.”
“Oh,” Jiang Wan replied.
But when she looked up, she saw groups of Yue Mingshi’s classmates coming downstairs. Clearly, they had only just been dismissed too.
Jiang Wan gave Yue Mingshi a rather meaningful sideways glance.
Yue Mingshi pretended not to notice and changed the subject. “I remember your mother is away on a business trip this weekend.”
“Mm.” Jiang Wan nodded. “But my brother’s still home.”
“What about the auntie who cooks for your family?”
Jiang Wan’s eyes lit up. “Are you busy? If you’re free, come stay at my house and help with the cooking while you’re there.”
Yue Mingshi asked, seemingly casually, “You’re not going out this weekend?”
“Huh?” Jiang Wan looked up and thought about it. “I don’t think so. I’ve already asked my brother to buy everything I need. I’m planning to read this weekend.”
Yue Mingshi asked, “What are you reading?”
Jiang Wan replied gravely, “A guide to desensitization therapy.”
…
Jiang Yu’an stood outside his car, anxiously tapping his fingers against the back of his phone.
That brat Yue Mingshi wasn’t answering his messages… Well, that was normal enough. He was always so arrogant toward everyone except Jiang Wan.
Was she dating someone?
No, probably not. Jiang Wan had said she wasn’t planning to date anyone for the time being.
Then someone must have tricked her!
Jiang Yu’an raised his phone to check the time. New messages were flooding into a group chat called What Should I Do When My Little Sister Is Too Innocent?
There were only three members in the group. Besides Jiang Yu’an, there was his twin sister, Jiang Yuyao.
The third member was his editor, a very dependable adult who often offered sensible life advice. His only flaw was an excessive obsession with submission deadlines. He would even call Jiang Wan to complain about her brother.
At that moment, the person frantically sending messages was Jiang Yuyao.
[Impossible! Wanwan must have been deceived by some awful man. You men have had filthy minds since childhood!]
[I said ages ago that she didn’t even need to attend school, but no, she insisted on experiencing normal school life.]
[Ah! What if he isn’t even a classmate? What if he’s some horrible man from outside the school?]
[An online romance!]
[What if some social climber tricks her into eloping with him??]
[Jiang Yu’an, you useless man! You can’t even protect your own little sister!]
Jiang Yu’an: “…” Your intrusive thoughts are even worse than mine.
The editor, who had remained silent for quite some time, finally couldn’t resist speaking.
[Please calm down. Don’t skip straight to a tragic ending before the story has even begun.]
Jiang Yu’an picked up his phone to reply, but suddenly spotted Jiang Wan emerging from the school gate.
Without hesitation, he put his phone away and ran toward her.
“Little Wan!”
“Brother.” Jiang Wan’s hands were empty, and she was biting into an ice pop. “Yue Mingshi is coming home with us.”
Jiang Yu’an turned toward Yue Mingshi with a smile. “I drove a two-seater sports car. There’s no room for a third person.”
Jiang Wan looked up at him, then grabbed Yue Mingshi and turned around. “Oh. Then the two of us will take the subway.”
Without changing his expression, Jiang Yu’an said, “…Oh dear, I remembered wrong. I didn’t drive the sports car today. There’s more than enough room for a third person.”
It was the most emotionless “Oh dear” imaginable.
Jiang Wan immediately changed direction again. “Did you buy the book?”
“I did.” Jiang Yu’an smiled stiffly. “What do you need this book for?”
“Just reading,” Jiang Wan replied casually. “Until I can read it without feeling anything at all.”
Shen Pingze’s Romantic Conquest System only needed to obtain Emotional Fluctuation Points from its target to convert them into mission rewards.
The important distinction was that it required emotional fluctuations, not romantic feelings.
As long as Jiang Wan felt even a little embarrassed on his behalf, that would count as an emotional fluctuation.
Jiang Wan flipped through several pages of The Complete Collection of Romantic Lines in the car and discovered a problem.
These painfully cheesy romantic lines felt rather different when someone spoke them aloud compared with when she simply read them.
Reading them was noticeably less embarrassing.
That wouldn’t do.
Jiang Wan thoughtfully closed the book, her gaze lingering on Jiang Yu’an for a moment.
It was the time when students were leaving school to go home, and the entrance was completely congested. Jiang Yu’an hadn’t even found an opportunity to pull out of his parking space, and his fingers were drumming impatiently against the steering wheel.
So Jiang Wan handed him the book. “Brother, read something aloud. Any line will do.”
Jiang Yu’an: “…”
He accepted the book with a wooden expression. The cheesy romantic lines inside dealt him such a blow that he involuntarily closed his eyes.
“I’ll do it,” Yue Mingshi offered from the back seat.
“No need! I can do it!” Jiang Yu’an immediately opened his eyes and selected the shortest line he could find.
“I hereby declare that from this day forward, you must belong entirely to me. Your eyes may only…”
He stopped, painfully closing his eyes to repair his wounded soul.
Jiang Wan: “…Brother, your acting skills aren’t even up to the standard of an ordinary student at our school.”
After all, the entire school was full of drama queens who excelled at improvisation.
“Forget it.” Jiang Wan mercilessly took the book away and handed it to Yue Mingshi. “You try.”
Yue Mingshi didn’t even need to hold the book. After glancing at it casually, he began reciting without hesitation.
“From now on, your eyes may only see me. I won’t allow you to smile at anyone other than me.”
Jiang Yu’an’s eyes widened.
“…” WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD AT THIS?!
Yue Mingshi continued improvising on the spot. “I love you so much. If I can’t have you, then no one else in this world deserves to have you either.”
Jiang Wan couldn’t help applauding him. “Yes, yes, exactly like that! You need to say it without blushing or getting flustered. It would be even better if you sounded a little more deliberately affectionate. Try adding a ‘deep, magnetic voice.'”
Jiang Yu’an exclaimed, “Yue Mingshi, don’t you feel even the slightest bit ashamed?!”
“No,” Yue Mingshi replied.
Jiang Yu’an: “…Wait. Hold on a second.”
It took him a moment to process what was happening, and his eyes grew wider and wider.
Things were starting to take a terrifying turn.
“Since you’re staying at my house this weekend anyway,” Jiang Wan decided, “you might as well practice with me.”
Jiang Yu’an shouted, “YOUR BROTHER DOES NOT ALLOW IT!!”
Jiang Wan gave him a puzzled look. “I wasn’t asking for your permission.”
With the weariness of a man who had seen too much, Jiang Yu’an sent a message to the group chat.
[Sister in danger. Return immediately.]
…
That very evening, Jiang Wan received a phone call from the coach of her elder sister Jiang Yuyao’s team.
The other end of the line sounded extremely chaotic. Several people seemed to be arguing, and there were even sounds suggesting some kind of physical struggle.
“Little Wan, the organization needs you again,” the coach said solemnly.
Jiang Wan sighed. “Sorry for the trouble.”
A few seconds later, Jiang Wan heard her biological elder sister shouting.
“LET GO OF ME! I’VE ALREADY BOOKED MY PLANE TICKET! I’M DEFINITELY GOING BACK TODAY TO DEAL WITH THAT DAMN—”
“Sis,” Jiang Wan called calmly.
Jiang Yuyao’s furious shouting stopped instantly.
Two seconds later, she said hesitantly, “Wanwan, give me half a minute…”
“No,” Jiang Wan refused decisively. “Tell me, where did you book a flight to?”
Jiang Yuyao’s voice grew quieter and quieter. “…Home.”
“Are you a homesick primary school student?”
“…I heard Yue Mingshi is staying at our house this weekend…”
“Yes,” Jiang Wan replied. “It’s not his first time.”
“…But he’s already in his second year of high school…”
“How old are you?” Jiang Wan asked coldly.
Jiang Yuyao, aged twenty-six: “…”
“I’ll come see you during the National Day holiday,” Jiang Wan said. “Train hard. I’ll watch your competitions.”
Jiang Yuyao’s voice immediately brightened. “Really? You’re coming over during National Day?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll watch all my competitions?”
“I will.”
“Then do you love me more or Jiang Yu’an?”
“I love you both.”
“Tch.”
Three minutes later, having successfully soothed her elder sister’s sudden bout of homesickness, Jiang Wan propped up her notes again and turned toward Yue Mingshi.
With a perfectly serious expression, she said, “All right. Let’s continue.”
…
After a weekend of training, Jiang Wan returned to school brimming with confidence.
Lin Xiaoqing was lying on the upper bunk of Bed Four reading a novel. Hearing movement, she propped herself up and glanced over, greeting Jiang Wan with a smile.
“Jiang Wan, you’re here!”
Jiang Wan replied solemnly, “A single day apart feels like three autumns. Did you know we haven’t seen each other for six years and five months?”
Lin Xiaoqing was so shocked that the novel slipped from her hand and fell off the bed with a thud.
Su Li, who had no idea what was happening, poked her head out of the bathroom and said cheerfully, “I think I just heard Jiang Wan’s voice!”
Jiang Wan looked at her and said seriously, “You’ve exceeded the limit.”
Su Li: “?”
She instinctively looked down and pinched her stomach, suddenly questioning herself.
“I set myself a limit of thinking about you only ten times a day,” Jiang Wan said. “But you just made me think about you for the eleventh time.”
Su Li’s eyes widened. Her face turned bright red, and she ran back into the bathroom so frantically that her arms and legs seemed to move in awkward unison.
“DORM LEADER! LITTLE WAN IS BROKEN!!”
Three seconds later, Cheng Lixue appeared before Jiang Wan.
She cautiously pressed herself against the balcony door as though taking up a defensive position and called softly, “Jiang Wan?”
Su Li stood nervously behind Cheng Lixue, clinging to her arm for security. Her blush had spread all the way down her neck.
Jiang Wan nodded. “My life hasn’t been very long, but in the past three years, you’ve been the most…”
Cheng Lixue raised her voice. “I BROUGHT YOU THAT MARSHMALLOW-FILLED CHOCOLATE YOU SAID WAS DELICIOUS LAST TIME!”
“Oh.” Jiang Wan’s attention was immediately diverted. “Where is it?”
Su Li and Cheng Lixue, who were clinging to each other, and Lin Xiaoqing, who was huddled on the upper bunk clutching her blanket tightly, all let out long sighs of relief at the same time.