Out of everyone in Class Thirteen, Xishan considered himself the most popular. He had an athletic background and was good at basketball. As if being tall and handsome weren't enough, he also knew how to dress and take care of people. Who wouldn't like a guy like that?
But Xishan also harbored a secret. Plenty of his classmates had pursued him in high school, but none had ever truly stirred his heart. The one he liked was a woman twelve years older than him. She lived upstairs from his family, and she was the one who had opened the door to a whole new world for him.
As he stared at the purple underwear in his palm, Xishan's memories of anything important rapidly faded. All that remained in his mind was her figure.
He lowered his nose, and just as it was about to touch the soft fabric, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
Like a child who had stolen his parents' wallet, Xishan sprang to his feet in panic. He stuffed the underwear into his pocket and hurried to the door, slightly annoyed.
"Excuse me, is Gao Ming here? We're his parents."
"Gao Ming's mom and dad?"
The name they spoke seemed to possess a strange magic. After a moment's hesitation, Xishan opened the door. "Hello, Uncle, Auntie. Gao Ming's a close friend from my dorm. Has he gotten into some kind of trouble?"
"Gao Ming still hasn't come home, and we can't reach him by phone. We're very worried, so we thought we'd come see whether he was here." The middle-aged couple carrying a birthday cake were very polite. They stood at the door, even keeping some distance from Xishan, as though afraid he might misunderstand their intentions.
"Since you're my buddy's parents, you're practically my parents