The scenery outside the car window began to change.
Single-story houses and residential buildings gradually receded, replaced by a bustling commercial street.
The glow of neon lights flowed across the wet road surface, dyeing the entire street in an ambiguous warm hue.
Jiang Yueming stared at the streetscape rapidly retreating outside the window and finally realized he was getting farther and farther from home.
“Where exactly are you taking me?”
He didn’t turn his head, trying to keep his voice steady.
His right hand secretly reached for the car window button and pressed it lightly—the glass didn’t move at all.
It was locked.
“Hmm…”
Xia He tilted her head and thought for a moment.
“Of course I’m taking you home.”
“But this isn’t the way to my house.”
“I know.”
Jiang Yueming wanted to say If you know, then why are you still going this way?
But the words died in his throat because he could tell Xia He was doing it on purpose.
“Xia He, if you have something urgent to get home for, you can just drop me off here,” Jiang Yueming said.
“I can get back by myself.”
Xia He didn’t answer right away.
She turned slightly toward him, her eyes quietly watching him.
Streetlight glow slid in through the car window, flickering across her face.
Those eyes never left his.
A few seconds later, she suddenly smiled.
“What are you nervous about?”
“I’m not nervous.”
“Your hand is shaking.”
Jiang Yueming looked down and realized his fingers were indeed trembling slightly without him noticing.
He clenched his fist tightly, tucking his fingers into his palm.
He didn’t know why, but he felt inexplicably flustered.
Going to Xia He’s house as a guest should have been something countless boys could only dream of, yet the unease in his heart grew wildly like weeds, impossible to suppress.
“I’m just a little cold,” he said.
Xia He didn’t call him out on the lie.
She simply looked at him quietly, then lowered her head, unbuttoned her coat, and took off the light blue thin jacket before holding it out to him.
The jacket still carried her body warmth.
Up close, it gave off a faint, fresh scent like gardenias after rain.
The middle-aged man driving had been paying attention to the situation in the back seat the whole time.
When he saw the young miss take off her coat, the hand that had been reaching for the air conditioning control to raise the temperature paused for a moment, then quietly lowered again.
“No need.”
Jiang Yueming didn’t take the jacket.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m not cold anymore.”
Xia He tilted her head.
In the dim car interior, her eyes seemed unusually bright.
The corners of her mouth curved in that half-smile, half-not expression, as if she were watching an entertaining performance.
“You,” she said, “can’t even lie properly.”
Seeing that he wouldn’t take it, Xia He didn’t force him.
She draped the coat over her own knees and unconsciously stroked the fabric with her fingers, gently and slowly, like she was petting a quiet cat.
Jiang Yueming felt a headache coming on.
In just a few sentences, their conversation had drifted off topic again.
The issue right now wasn’t whether he was cold—he still needed to get home.
“Xia He, it’s not really appropriate for me, a guy, to go to your house this late at night. Your parents…”
“They’re not home,” Xia He answered quickly. “There’s no one at home.”
Jiang Yueming choked for a moment. Isn’t that even worse?
“I mean… I still have things to do at home.”
“What things? Playing games?”
Xia He said.
“We have game consoles at my house too. The latest PS5, and the computer is top-spec. You can play whatever you want.”
She paused, then added, “I can play with you. Anything you want.”
The last few words made Jiang Yueming feel like something was off.
The phrase “anything you want” coming from Xia He’s mouth seemed to mean more than just games.
But he didn’t have time to dwell on it, because his attention had been completely captured by those four letters.
PS5.
He had seen this new console while scrolling on his phone.
He had watched no fewer than twenty review videos, each one hyping up the graphics and performance to the skies.
He had wanted one himself, but the price was there, and he’d need a decent monitor too.
It was money he couldn’t afford.
“You really have one?” he heard himself ask.
Xia He’s eyes curved when she heard the interest in his voice.
“Why would I lie to you? It’s on the second floor of my house.”
She lowered her voice and leaned closer, speaking in a suggestive whisper, “It’s in my room.”
Jiang Yueming swallowed.
He cursed himself in his heart for being so pathetic—it was just a game console, was it really worth it?
But it was a PS5, not the ancient machine at his house that took two minutes just to boot up.
A brief hesitation rose in Jiang Yueming’s heart, but after thinking it over, he still gave up on the idea.
Although her words sounded very tempting, the reason he needed to go home tonight wasn’t to play games.
If that were the case, he would have gone to the net cafe with Dong Ziyang right after school.
“It’s not for playing games,” he said. “I still need to review tonight.”
“Review?” Xia He repeated. This didn’t sound like something Jiang Yueming would normally do.
“Yeah, like I said earlier, the college entrance exam is coming up soon. There will be time to play games later, but there’s only one chance at the college entrance exam.”
“You can review at my house. Isn’t it the same?”
Jiang Yueming opened his mouth, wanting to say How could it be the same? But the words felt wrong even as he thought them.
Reviewing was reviewing no matter where he did it.
He had a desk at home, and Xia He’s family surely had desks too—probably bigger and more spacious.
He couldn’t say something lame like “I’m used to my own desk,” could he?
That would be too fake.
“I didn’t bring my textbooks,” he tried another excuse.
“I have them,” Xia He didn’t give him any room to refuse.
“I can lend you the notes and materials from the top student in the grade. Will that be enough?”
This time, Jiang Yueming was completely out of options.
Every excuse he came up with was blocked by Xia He’s smiling eyes.
She was like a general in complete control of the situation.
No matter what moves he made, she remained steady and unshakable, countering every attack perfectly.
She had an answer ready for every line and had already cut off every possible retreat.
Jiang Yueming leaned back against the seat and closed his mouth, staying silent.
The street view outside the window continued to retreat.
The bustling commercial district gradually faded away, replaced by wider roads and sparser streetlights.
The buildings on both sides changed from shops to high walls.
Behind the high walls, large areas of greenery and faint lights could be vaguely seen.
He no longer recognized the road at all.
His head hurt.
His temples throbbed, as if something was drumming inside.
He propped his forehead with his right hand, pressing his thumb and middle finger against his temples and rubbing hard.
It was this movement.
His sleeve slid down a little.
Xia He’s gaze suddenly froze.
She stared at his wrist—at the thin red string peeking out from under his cuff.
The atmosphere inside the car changed abruptly.
It wasn’t the temperature, but something indescribable, as if the oxygen had been suddenly sucked out of the enclosed space, causing the air pressure to drop in an instant.
Jiang Yueming felt the weight of that gaze.
He stopped rubbing his temples and followed her line of sight downward—only to see the red string that had somehow appeared on his wrist.
Silence suddenly descended upon the small space.
Jiang Yueming could even clearly hear the sound of both of their breathing.
One heavy, one light.
Then Xia He spoke.
The middle-aged man driving the car trembled slightly.
Having been her driver for so long, he knew the young miss’s temper very well.
He sensed the signs that she was about to get angry.
So he quietly lightened his breathing, minimized his presence, and prepared to turn a deaf ear to whatever was about to happen, becoming a proper silent witness.
“Who gave this to you?”
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