After stuffing two large bags of kitchen waste, Chai Xiaomi was about to head downstairs to take out the trash when Wu Li took the heavier bag without a word.
Her grandmother praised him from behind: "It's rare to see a boy these days with such initiative. Xiao Wu is really considerate."
Chai Xiaomi thought to herself: Considerate? Please. She knew exactly what was going through his mind.
In the dim corridor at the corner of the community's greenbelt, in the shadow where the streetlight couldn't reach.
The girl was pinned against the wall.
When the kiss landed, her hands were caught, and the boy in front of her guided her fingers to hook under the hem of his T-shirt and lift it up.
Her soft palm pressed against his hard abdominal muscles, row by row—all pure perks.
"Sister, haven't you seen enough of mine, and you still want to look at others'?"
He frowned, his voice low and husky. Before the last syllable faded, he kissed her again.
"Mmm..." Chai Xiaomi was pulled into his embrace by the hand gripping her lower back, half her body already going limp.
Wu Li's restless hand pinched the flesh at her waist, sending a shiver of ticklish sensation through her.
Sensing she was running out of breath, his kiss suddenly turned light and gentle. After a few pecks, his sharp canine teeth grazed her earlobe: "You can only be mine. Only look at me, only kiss me, only touch me. Not allowed to glance at anyone else even once."
Where did this sudden intense possessiveness come from?
"I was just saying that to Grandma. Who actually wants to look at someone else?" Chai Xiaomi mumbled, happily and brazenly squeezing him twice under his T-shirt. "None of those guys online are as tempting as you."
Her stinky little brother was mostly appeased, but his teeth still wouldn't stop lightly nibbling her ear as he whined vaguely: "Mimi, I can't wait any longer. When can I marry you here? I want to be with you every day—no, every single moment."
"In this era, getting the certificate too early isn't proper, unlike in your ancient times. Just wait two more years, until I graduate."
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed the tip of his nose.
"What's the rush? I'm not running away."
Wu Li's eyelashes drooped, his gaze dark and unclear: "I'm afraid someone will covet you. Most men in this world are no good, all harboring ulterior motives—myself included."
"But I'm only bad to you, and only good to you. Other men won't necessarily be the same. They can go out of their way to treat different women well, and also use every trick to treat them badly. If you encounter them, you must steer clear. The best way is to cut off others' hopes and get the marriage certificate with me."
He even knew about the marriage certificate now.
Chai Xiaomi stifled a laugh: "Do you know what you look like right now?"
"Like what?"
"Like a dog guarding its food, with its teeth bared."
---
Taking out the trash turned out to take quite a while. To avoid suspicion, Chai Xiaomi dragged Wu Li to the supermarket to buy a few bags of chips, using the excuse of buying snacks to waste some time.
When they reached the front door, they faintly heard fragmented words from inside:
"Orphaned," "vicious relatives," "not enough to eat," "forced to drop out of school"...
Chai Xiaomi paused mid-step, turned to look at the boy who was the center of the family's conversation, and asked in surprise: "Who came up with all these backstories for you?"
Wu Li learned quickly and had strong comprehension. He understood most modern terms. Regarding Chai Xiaomi's question about "backstories," he answered frankly: "I learned it from a TV show, something called 'Butterfly.' I told auntie about it, and she believed it all."
Chai Xiaomi: "..."
Yao Xue worked as a host at the TV station, often doing outdoor shoots. She had been doing human-interest documentary-style programs for over a decade. She had visited many remote villages and encountered all kinds of people, so her vigilance and sharpness were far higher than average.
She and Chai Mingde had privately sponsored a few children from the mountains to go to school, but they had never brought anyone home.
This time, however, she made an exception and suggested that Wu Li stay at their house for part of the summer break, having her daughter help him catch up on his studies and find a way to restore his education.
For this boy, whom she had only met a few times, she seemed to have an indescribable trust.
And so, Wu Li naturally moved into their home.
Chai Xiaomi sat cross-legged on the carpet in her bedroom, eavesdropping as her mother arranged a room for Wu Li outside and prepared toiletries.
Turns out, all the effort she had spent a whole day making future plans couldn't compare to someone else's spur-of-the-moment idea.
The only dissenting voice in the whole family was her father, Chai Mingde.
Even her grandparents voted in favor—after all, in their eyes, no matter how tall he was, he was just a kid.
Before bed, her father specially came in to warn her: "Your mom is like she's been spellbound. I can't talk her out of it. From now on, lock your bedroom door at night. Based on your dad's military experience and counter-intelligence skills, that kid's look at you? Definitely not innocent."
Chai Xiaomi crunched on a chip and obediently nodded.
Silently, she added in her mind: Is it possible that my look at him isn't innocent either?
As he closed the door, Chai Mingde glanced at the transparent glass container on the nightstand. A black scorpion inside wagged its tail at him.
He shrank his neck, puzzled how his sweet daughter had suddenly taken a liking to raising such creepy crawlies. Wasn't she always only into fluffy little animals before?
---
Wu Li went to the shop during the day as usual, so the so-called "tutoring" had to be concentrated in the evening.
Chai Mingde ordered that the tutoring take place in the study and end no later than eight o'clock, after which everyone returned to their rooms.
Yao Xue thought Wu Li, so young, had to work part-time to save up for tuition fees, and she had already painted a picture of him struggling hard to earn money at work. Out of sympathy, she brought over various fruit platters every night and sometimes whipped up small desserts following online tutorials.
As soon as the study door closed,
it was time for the young couple to be alone.
There were two chairs at the desk, but Wu Li insisted on pulling Chai Xiaomi onto his lap, wrapping her entire body in his arms from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder, looking thoroughly content.
"Stinky Lili, this is class time. Your behavior seriously disrespects the teacher," Chai Xiaomi said helplessly, patting the two arms around her waist that reminded her of an octopus. "Let go now. If my parents suddenly walk in, how are we going to explain this?"
Unable to break free, she could only pout and glare at him.
"I placed a lure insect ten feet from the door. It'll alert me as soon as anyone approaches. Don't worry." He leaned in, squinting, a hint of mischief in his tone. "Mimi, the way you're all nervous and guilty makes it look like we're doing something indecent."
Turning his head, he saw her face flushed with tension and laughed softly. His nose brushed against her chin, his warm breath spilling into the hollow of her neck: "We've already done far more outrageous things."
Chai Xiaomi turned as red as a boiled shrimp. She raised her index finger and poked him on the forehead, warning: "This is at home, with elders around. Straighten your mindset and stop thinking about putting the pedal to the metal all day. Class time!"
She struggled back into her own chair, every strand of hair bristling with the aura of a "proper teacher."
The student tilted his head, looking innocent as he asked, "When you said 'drive' just now, did you mean driving a car with wheels? It doesn’t really seem like it—does it have a double meaning? Can you explain it to me, teacher?"
The teacher expressionlessly flipped open her notebook. "Shut up. You ask too many questions."
The student pouted, resting his chin on his hand. "Didn’t you tell me I should think more and ask more questions?"
The teacher’s ears quietly turned red. "The knowledge you’re asking about is completely pointless. Let’s skip it, skip it!"
A short while later.
Teacher Xiaomi’s seat had once again been forcibly relocated onto Classmate Little Wu’s lap.
She gave up resisting and continued teaching.
Wu Li buried his nose in the long hair splayed across the young woman’s back, inhaling the faint scent of shampoo, with only a pair of lazy eyes peeking over her shoulder as she scrolled through a PowerPoint on her computer.
While explaining modern objects to him, Chai Xiaomi also took the opportunity to demonstrate how to operate electronic devices.
A flash of memory hit her—of when he had once taught her archery. Now their roles were reversed, yet the pace of learning was worlds apart.
Anything taught only once, Wu Li could remember it all.
She finally understood why Old Ji, after taking on Wu Li as his disciple, looked at Jiang Zhiyu with increasing helplessness.
Thinking of this, she suddenly froze.
Wu Li looked at her and asked, "Are you missing them?"
"Mm..." Chai Xiaomi replied with a low, muffled hum.
That "them" referred to only those two knew who.
Wu Li could always see through her emotions at a glance and hit the nail on the head.
Before the somber topic could linger, Chai Xiaomi’s phone rang.
It was her best friend, Qiuqiu.
"Baby, do you not love me anymore!?" Qiuqiu’s mournful voice came through the receiver. "During winter and summer breaks before, you couldn’t wait to ask me to hang out every single day. But now, not only won’t you duo-queue with me, you don’t even reply to my messages."
"Say it! Have you found someone else?"
Chai Xiaomi silently glanced at the person playing with her hair.
Not someone outside—someone at home.
She tried to defend herself. "When did I ever not reply to your messages?"
"You’re faking it? Last night! Just this time last night, we were chatting away just fine, and suddenly you vanished. Want me to screenshot our chat history out and slap it in your face?"
Chai Xiaomi froze for a few seconds.
Oh right, she remembered. Last night, she was too absorbed in chatting with Qiuqiu, didn’t manage to answer her student’s question, and was forcibly "shushed." Later, she probably... maybe... possibly... had responded to messages in her mind.
Qiuqiu exaggeratedly sobbed. "As expected, in the end, it’s all about conscience when it comes to love. This relationship has definitely faded. I’m really, truly, no mood for joy today."
Chai Xiaomi kindly suggested, "Then let’s get in touch again tomorrow."
Qiuqiu replied, "Are you even human?"
