Mom, they're being naughty!

The two sat on chairs to rest, enjoying the cool air blowing from the air conditioner.

"What do you think of this place, Su Han?" Cheng Tian asked curiously. "Hmm? Why ask that all of a sudden?" Su Han asked, puzzled.

"Hehe, after all, a metropolis like Magic City is nothing like a small place such as Bingzhou. I was wondering if you might have trouble adjusting, Su Han." Cheng Tian scratched his head as he answered.

Su Han shook her head. "At first, I thought Bingzhou would be really backward too, but after coming here, I realized how warm and welcoming it is."

"Warm and welcoming?" Cheng Tian blinked. "Yeah. Magic City is luxurious and prosperous, but what you feel more than anything is the emptiness of a big city. It's like there are so many people that having one more or one fewer makes no difference to anyone else," Su Han said thoughtfully. "Like you're... dispensable, I guess."

Cheng Tian immediately understood and nodded. In his previous life, he had worked in Capital City, working himself to the bone every day and still having to rush to catch the train. When he came home after work, his empty room held nothing but himself and endless darkness. He knew that big-city emptiness all too well.

"But Bingzhou doesn't feel like that. It isn't big, but when you walk down the street, you can see roadside stalls and people strolling and chatting everywhere. It feels so relaxed. It's not like Magic City, where everyone's far too busy," Su Han said earnestly.

"Though I still miss some of the friends I made before," Su Han added with a smile, but there wasn't much longing in her eyes.

Perhaps she hadn't been particularly close to those friends... Cheng Tian thought. He had experienced that too. Often, people simply did their best to fit into their surroundings so they wouldn't stand out. Most of the friendships they made only skimmed the surface, never reaching their hearts.

"It's okay. Aren't we friends now? And there's Bai Yun and Lin Lin. They can be a little scatterbrained, but I'm sure they'd love to be your friends." Cheng Tian blurted it out on impulse.

Su Han froze, then burst into a giggle.

"Uh... was what I said that funny?" Cheng Tian asked awkwardly. Su Han wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of her eye with a fingertip. "No. You're right. We're friends."

"Oh, good." Cheng Tian let out a relieved breath. "I thought you were laughing at me for getting ahead of myself." The smile on Su Han's face suddenly turned serious. "Cheng Tian, let me ask you something. Are we really friends now?"

Cheng Tian nodded without hesitation. "Yes, of course we are!"

Su Han held a slender, delicate finger in front of her rosy lips. "Then just call me by my name from now on. No more of that formal classmate stuff." Blushing a little, she continued, "I'll just call you Cheng Tian too. Is that okay?"

Seeing Cheng Tian staring blankly without answering, Su Han waved a hand in front of his face. "What's wrong?"

Cheng Tian snapped back to his senses. "Nothing, nothing."

It's just... my heart was beating a little fast...

After resting for a while, the two continued wandering around the mall. They tried lots of things and took plenty of photos, playing the Basketball Arcade Machine and the Electronic Stomp Piano, and even trying a claw machine.

Unfortunately, Cheng Tian's skills left much to be desired. He didn't win a single plush toy...

"Oh! Cheng Tian, look, they sell accessories over there. Let's take a look!" Su Han tugged him along by his sleeve. Cheng Tian couldn't help marveling at how she seemed to be showing her true self now, without her earlier reserve. She felt much more like an approachable girl next door.

Su Han picked up a Smiley Necklace with a spinning pendant and held it against herself. "What do you think, Cheng Tian? Does it look good?"

The smiley face rested between her snowy-white peaks, and Cheng Tian inwardly cried trouble. Now he didn't know where to look. Seeing him avoid looking at her, Su Han puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "Come on, take a look!"

After she had said that, refusing to look would be rude. Cheng Tian suppressed a few improper thoughts and studied it seriously for a while. "It looks really good. It suits you."

"Hehe." Su Han smiled happily, then put the necklace down and started looking at the others.

After browsing for quite a while, a black necklace caught Su Han's attention.

It was a necklace with a small black cross, without any garish color combinations or unnecessary patterns. Just a solid-black Black Cross Necklace, lying quietly in a jewelry box.

Unlike the other necklaces, it didn't give Su Han the impression that it existed purely to show off. It looked rather simple and mysterious.

"How much is this necklace?" Su Han picked it up and asked. "Oh, that's a very nice one," the shopkeeper, a middle-aged woman, introduced it with a smile.

"The whole necklace is made of stainless steel, the same kind as the spoons we use to eat. You don't have to worry about allergies or breakouts, or about it rusting or wearing down after you've worn it for a long time. You can even wear it in the shower. This is our last one in this style. It's only fifty-three yuan, but since you like it so much, young lady, you can have it for fifty."

Su Han nodded in satisfaction, scanned the code to pay, and held the necklace up for Cheng Tian. "What do you think? Does it look nice?"

Cheng Tian also thought it was a great necklace. Wearing it wouldn't make someone look like a street punk. "It's a really nice necklace, but doesn't it clash with your style a little...?"

The necklace clearly didn't suit Su Han's temperament. Yet, to his surprise, she suddenly leaned close and reached both hands behind his neck. The bold gesture instantly left Cheng Tian too afraid to move.

So close... she smells so nice...

They were so close that the distinctive fragrance of a girl lingered around Cheng Tian's nose.

After fastening the necklace around Cheng Tian's neck, Su Han stepped back, looked him up and down, and finally nodded in satisfaction.

"You look really handsome wearing it!" Su Han said with a smile. Only then did Cheng Tian realize she had bought the necklace for him. "Thank you, Su Han. Shall I transfer you the money?"

Su Han shook her head. "It's a symbol of our friendship! It's a gift!"

"But how can I..." Before Cheng Tian could finish, she cut him off. "You're not allowed to refuse!" Su Han said seriously. Seeing that, Cheng Tian could only accept it gratefully, thinking he would find an opportunity to give her a gift in return.

They had been wandering around since two in the afternoon, and only left the mall when the sunlight was no longer so fierce.

"Anything else you want to do?" Cheng Tian asked. "Hmm... I feel like having milk tea again." Su Han tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll go buy some."

They strolled while drinking their milk tea. The evening breeze brushed against them, leaving them both feeling much cooler.

This time, Su Han finished every last drop of her milk tea, then walked over to a roadside trash can and reached out to throw it away.

The cup left her hand, brushed the edge of the trash can, and fell back out. "Huh?" Su Han had no choice but to squat down and pick it up. Cheng Tian happened to finish his own milk tea as well and approached the trash can to throw it away. Just as he was about to toss it in, Su Han stood up.

Since she remained partly crouched during the first part of getting up, Su Han suddenly felt herself brush against a rather extraordinary place. The milk tea cup immediately dropped from her hand.

Cheng Tian swore he had only stepped closer to throw away his milk tea! He had absolutely no other intentions! (...censored)

Like a startled little bird, Su Han hurriedly turned around and covered the back of her school-uniform skirt with both hands, her face blazing red. Looking at Cheng Tian, who didn't dare move, she cried in a trembling voice, "P-pervert!"

"No, listen, let me explain..." Cheng Tian wanted to cry but had no tears. He really had only wanted to throw away his milk tea!

Su Han was so embarrassed that she wanted to hide from everyone. She glared fiercely at Cheng Tian. "I never thought you were that kind of person!" With that, she angrily walked away. "No, I didn't mean to..." Cheng Tian instinctively reached out to catch her.

But as luck would have it, Su Han stepped on the milk tea cup she had just dropped. She lost her balance, cried out, and fell to the ground.

"Su Han, are you okay?" Cheng Tian hurriedly crouched down to help her up, but she was in too much pain to move. "It hurts!"

Only then did Cheng Tian stop. "What's wrong? Did you twist your ankle?" Su Han nodded pitifully, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I think so..."

Leaving her lying there wasn't a solution. Cheng Tian crouched with his back toward Su Han. "Get on first. I'll carry you. We can't just stay like this."

Blushing, Su Han carefully climbed onto Cheng Tian's back, and he heaved her up. "What should we do? How about calling your family to pick you up?"

Su Han shook her head, still blushing. "My driver is waiting at the entrance to Food Street. Just take me there, Cheng Tian."

That was easy enough to say, but walking proved difficult for Cheng Tian. It wasn't that she was heavy. Quite the opposite, she wasn't heavy at all, and he could feel two soft mounds pressed against his back.

Because Su Han was wearing a school-uniform skirt, she had to hold down both sides to avoid exposing herself. But since Cheng Tian was carrying her, he had to support her with both hands.

Although he tried very hard not to dwell on the sensation against his hands... (...censored...)

Su Han let out a soft whimper. Having a boy touch her bottom felt far too strange. It was as though all her strength had left her, and her whole body slumped against Cheng Tian's back.

Cheng Tian instantly sucked in a sharp breath, silently reciting the Heart-Cleansing Art: With a heart as clear as ice, even the falling heavens cannot shake me...

"Y-you... don't keep grabbing me there..." Su Han lay against Cheng Tian's back (...censored...), her breath faint as a thread. She could only speak in the tiniest voice, but that delicate whisper was like a kitten's claw, constantly scratching at Cheng Tian's heart.

Cheng Tian was helpless. To keep Su Han from slipping, he had to hold her bottom tightly, but the wonderful sensation forced him to loosen his hands again. The cycle repeated. Although Cheng Tian wasn't doing it on purpose... (...censored...)

They walked quite a distance like that, attracting the attention of many passersby.

"Mom, look! They're being naughty!" A little boy eating an ice pop pointed at Cheng Tian. "Shh, stop looking. Come on!"

Cheng Tian: ...

Southeast of Food Street, Uncle Wang was listening to the radio in his sedan, checking the day's news on his phone while the traffic report played. Suddenly, he noticed a young boy approaching, with Su Han on his back!

Uncle Wang: !!!!

He hurriedly got out of the car. Seeing him, Su Han waved and called, "Uncle Wang, over here!"

Uncle Wang rushed over to take Su Han. A little embarrassed, Cheng Tian said, "Hello. Su Han twisted her ankle, so I brought her over."

Uncle Wang carefully took Su Han from him. After repeatedly confirming that it was only a twisted ankle, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he smiled at Cheng Tian, though a dangerous gleam flickered in his eyes. "Thank you for bringing the young miss over..."

"Uncle Wang, this is my friend Cheng Tian," Su Han reminded him. "Oh, Cheng Tian. Thank you so very much!"

His stare made Cheng Tian uncomfortable. "No, no, it was only right. Only right."

"Then I'll take the young miss home now. Please be careful on your way back, Cheng Tian." With that, he carried Su Han back to the car.

The engine started, and the rear window rolled down. Su Han waved goodbye. "Thank you, Cheng Tian. I'm heading home now!" "Okay! Have a safe trip!" After they said goodbye, the car pulled away.

On the road, Uncle Wang caught Su Han's distracted expression in the rearview mirror, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. I must tell the master what happened today!

Meanwhile, Cheng Tian, riding the bus home, couldn't help shivering. He had a bad feeling...

It was already six in the evening when he got home. Cheng Tian took the elevator upstairs, unlocked the door, and called, "I'm home."

Cheng Tian's Mother and Cheng Tian's Father were sitting on the sofa. Seeing him return, they immediately asked, "Why are you back so late? Where did you eat today?"

"I went to Food Street. Something held me up on the way." Cheng Tian answered. His mother, however, eyed the black necklace around his neck suspiciously. "Son, did you buy that necklace?"

"Oh, this?" Cheng Tian answered without thinking. "A classmate gave it to me." His father immediately perked up. "A boy or a girl?"

"A girl..." Before Cheng Tian could finish, his mother exclaimed, "A girl?!"

His father's eyes lit up. "How long have you been together? When are you bringing her home for us to meet?"

Two dark lines seemed to descend across Cheng Tian's forehead. "Dad, Mom, what are you thinking? We're just normal friends."

Cheng Tian's Father wore an expression that said he understood everything. "Dad knows. Just normal boy-and-girl classmates, right? Make sure you get along with her. If you need money, tell Dad..." Cheng Tian's Mother nodded solemnly too. "And don't you bully her when you're out together!"

Cheng Tian: ...

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