"Shen Ji'an?"
Ji'an couldn't remember how many years it had been since someone last called him by that name.
Was there someone at No. 1 High School with the same name?
Despite this suspicion, Ji'an instinctively stopped in his tracks.
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, yet strangely distant.
It was hard to describe the feeling.
Had a kindergarten classmate recognized him?
It was possible—No. 1 High School might indeed have some of his old classmates.
He didn’t want to be recognized, so after pausing for just a moment, he kept walking forward.
He didn’t turn around.
That way, the person would think they’d mistaken him for someone else, and the matter would be dropped.
Huang Mao, walking beside him, glanced back and his eyes widened.
"Holy crap, where did this fairy come from?"
After staring for a few seconds, he realized his boss had already walked ahead.
He hurried to catch up. "Boss, boss! There’s a beauty behind you calling your name!"
"Shen Ji'an" and "Ji'an" were only one character apart—Huang Mao figured it was close enough.
Ji'an suppressed the urge to look back and replied coldly, "She’s not calling me."
Huang Mao felt a pang of regret.
But then, a slender figure suddenly darted forward and tapped Ji'an on the shoulder.
"Shen Ji'an! Are you deaf?"
Ji'an: "..."
Huang Mao: "..."
Huang Mao’s heart skipped a beat.
How dare this girl just outright insult someone like that?
Did she not know she was talking to the boss of No. 3 High School?
The girl’s voice was lively and pleasant, and hearing it again, Ji'an felt a flicker of recognition.
But that couldn’t be possible...
This time, Ji'an couldn’t stop himself from turning around.
A delicate, radiant face came into view.
Ji'an’s mind went blank for a second. His pupils constricted, and his voice trembled involuntarily. "Sis?"
That single word erased all of Lin Mo’s doubts.
She grinned. "Good job, kid. At least you haven’t forgotten what your big sister looks like!"
Forget her face?
That was absolutely impossible.
But then… what was happening right now?
His sister, who had been dead for eleven years, was standing right in front of him!
Wait—this was No. 1 High School.
His sister had attended this school back then.
Had her spirit been lingering here all this time?
Ji'an knew how much she loved studying, but he never imagined she’d keep at it even as a ghost.
The teachers here would probably be moved to tears if they knew.
Ji'an’s eyes, hidden beneath his long bangs, grew hot. He clasped his hands together and held them over Lin Mo’s forehead. "Sis, the sun’s so strong right now. How can you be out here?"
Lin Mo: "..."
Lin Mo rolled her eyes so hard they nearly disappeared. She swatted his hands away. "What are you talking about? I’m a living, breathing person! Why would I be afraid of sunlight?"
Ji'an didn’t believe her and reached out again. "Let’s talk somewhere shady."
Huang Mao was also stunned.
This fairy-like girl was the boss’s sister?
Why had he never heard about her before?
"Can you see me?" The fairy suddenly addressed him.
Huang Mao was thrilled. He nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! Fairy sister!"
Lin Mo turned back to Ji'an. "See? Even Huang Mao can see me!"
"Fairy sister actually knows my name is Huang Mao? Boss, have you been talking about me?" Huang Mao’s face turned red.
Lin Mo and Ji'an shared a brief moment of speechlessness.
With that glaringly obvious yellow hair, was it really that hard to guess?
Ji'an finally started to process things. He glanced down—his sister had a shadow.
Then he smacked Huang Mao on the head. "Does that hurt?"
Huang Mao’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. "Ow! That really hurt!"
Lin Mo rubbed her nose.
This guy must have ridden his scooter through a red light in a past life to end up as Ji'an’s lackey.
"You could’ve hit yourself instead of smacking Huang Mao," Lin Mo scolded.
Huang Mao’s tears flowed even harder. "Wahhh! Fairy sister is so kind! I lied—it didn’t hurt at all! Don’t worry about me..."
He was getting noisy. Lin Mo’s lips twitched.
Ji'an pinched Huang Mao’s mouth shut with two fingers, manually muting him.
His gaze remained fixed on Lin Mo.
"Sis… you’re really alive?"
The thin, brooding boy’s tears spilled over, falling through the air and hitting the ground.
"But how?" His voice cracked.
Huang Mao, who had never seen his iron-willed boss cry—not even when beaten half to death—suddenly stopped his own tears.
He dug out a crumpled tissue from his pocket and handed it over. "Boss… why are you crying?"
The gymnasium entrance was crowded with people leaving, and many had already stopped to watch the scene.
A stunningly beautiful girl and the guy who had just dominated the basketball game—it was hard not to stare.
Lin Mo noticed.
She slung an arm over Ji'an’s shoulder. "Come on, this isn’t the place to talk. Big sis is treating you to bubble tea."
She remembered there used to be a bunch of bubble tea shops outside No. 1 High.
There was one with an amazing jasmine milk tea—she wondered if it was still there.
Several members of No. 3 High’s basketball team were nearby, thoroughly confused.
But they weren’t actually close to Ji'an.
Ji'an was gloomy and volatile, not an easy person to approach.
In the entire school, only Huang Mao dared to follow him around—everyone else just followed Huang Mao.
Huang Mao turned to the team. "You guys head back first. The boss and I have stuff to do."
Ji'an glanced at him. "You go back too."
Huang Mao sniffled and looked at Lin Mo. "Fairy sister… I want bubble tea too!"
Huang Mao had sharp instincts.
He could tell his boss wouldn’t dare disobey his sister.
A cup of bubble tea cost just over ten yuan. Lin Mo figured Ji'an might not be willing to share everything, but Huang Mao probably knew more than he let on.
She waved a hand. "No problem. Let’s all go."
Huang Mao was overjoyed. He turned to Ji'an. "Boss… can I come?"
Ji'an’s sharp eyes, still hidden under his bangs, glared at him. "Guess."
Huang Mao grinned, showing all eight front teeth. "Hehe, thanks, boss!"
Meanwhile, the chubby kid Zhang Shuo had assumed Lin Mo was running toward Gu Jingzhou.
Instead, he watched as she approached the notorious boss of No. 3 High.
His jaw dropped.
Had Lin Mo switched crushes just because of a basketball game?
She really was straightforward—if she liked someone, she went for it, no hesitation.
That’s the young miss for you!
Zhang Shuo wasn’t familiar with anyone from No. 3 High, so he didn’t follow.
He’d been in the same class as Gu Jingzhou for a while and never liked him much.
The guy was too arrogant.
He didn’t deserve the young miss!
Lin Mo was about to lead Ji'an and Huang Mao away from the gym entrance when—
Suddenly, gasps erupted from the crowd.
"Ahhh! The movie star Gu is here!"
