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Fu Cheng froze.

He just... left?

Shen Yi thought this final task was simple. He would probably be able to complete it by the time they graduated from high school... in a year at most.

Since Fu Yuhe's descent into darkness had started with his younger brother, Shen Yi would let him take good care of his brother for now.

The classroom was quiet. It was math class, and the teacher was lecturing at the front. Some students were writing furiously, while others were daydreaming. Shen Yi listened with interest, twirling a pen in his hand.

Once everyone had returned to their seats for class, he realized that he and Fu Cheng sat one behind the other. Fu Cheng was directly in front of him, sitting with his back straight and listening attentively.

What a well-behaved student.

Fu Cheng didn't know what he had done, but Shen Yi seemed to have set his sights on him.

He was on edge throughout the morning's classes, feeling as though Shen Yi kept glancing at him now and then. Occasionally, he would pretend to turn around casually, only to see Shen Yi looking out the window, making his earlier impression seem like an illusion.

When it was time for lunch, most of their classmates had left, with only a few still sitting at their desks. Fu Cheng found his meal card and prepared to go to the cafeteria. As soon as he stood up, he heard a chair scrape against the floor behind him.

Shen Yi stood up too. "Going to eat? Let's go together."

"Oh." Fu Cheng pressed his lips together.

Shen Yi really had set his sights on him.

"Do you have time after lunch?" Shen Yi asked.

Fu Cheng tightened his grip on his meal card. "Do you need something?"

Normally, people like them would take him away under the pretext of "asking him out for a talk," then force him to do all sorts of things he didn't want to do.

"Yeah." Shen Yi nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting into a warm, harmless smile. "There were a few things I didn't understand in this morning's classes. Could you help me out, Fu Cheng?"

"I... huh?" Fu Cheng stared at him in surprise.

"Could you?" Shen Yi's smile was extremely deceptive. His gaze was clear, with no trace of malicious teasing. "Please?"

Chapter 2: Friends

The cafeteria was noisy with voices. Shen Yi carried his tray and followed Fu Cheng to a table for four.

Fu Cheng held his chopsticks, still looking somewhat bewildered.

This wasn't quite what he had expected.

"I transferred here not long ago and had to adjust to the new environment, so I've fallen a little behind in class. I heard your grades are really good," Shen Yi said, starting a conversation naturally.

Fu Cheng instinctively responded, "They're okay..."

Shen Yi meant to befriend Fu Cheng, and Fu Cheng wasn't difficult to get along with. Aside from his initial preconceptions about Shen Yi, once he actually got to know him, he found that Shen Yi wasn't quite what he had imagined, and his resistance faded.

After lunch, Shen Yi asked Fu Cheng about the problems, and Fu Cheng really did take out his book and explain them to him.

Only after Fu Cheng had finished explaining did Shen Yi ask, seemingly casually, "Do Xu Fanchao and the others bother you often?"

Xu Fanchao didn't have a good reputation at school. He was the type who just coasted through school, an athletic special-admission student with a notoriously overbearing personality.

Fu Cheng paused, his delicate brows drawing together slightly. "No, I don't know them well."

Last time, they had tried to take him to an internet cafe, saying they wanted to be friends with him. Fu Cheng hadn't gone, and they had made threats, saying he hadn't shown them respect. This time, they had cornered him in the restroom again.

He had a vague idea of what they wanted to do, but... he didn't really want his brother to know about it.

Shen Yi twirled his pen thoughtfully. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he took it out for a look.

[Xu Fanchao: [Address] Come hang out here tonight.]

He ignored it and exited the chat. Just as he was about to turn off his phone, his finger paused. He looked up at Fu Cheng with a smile. "Let's exchange contact information."

Shen Yi had a clean-cut look with a hint of mischief. When he wasn't smiling, his upturned eyes made him seem unapproachable, but when he smiled, he was like a golden retriever, sunny and comforting. His gentle demeanor made it hard to refuse his requests.

He was especially good at fooling innocent kids.

Fu Cheng didn't live at school, so he went home after classes.

Night fell. In the front courtyard of the enormous villa stood a row of carefully pruned and tended flowers. A car drove into the villa's garage, its headlights glaring.

"Brother, you're home." Fu Cheng stood in the living room holding a glass of water.

At the entrance, the man in a suit changed his shoes and responded with a low "Mm." He loosened his tie, his stern face wearing an indifferent expression.

Their eyes and brows were somewhat alike, but their demeanors were completely different. One was gentle and mild, while the other harbored an aggressive edge.

"Why are you still up today?" Fu Yuhe smelled faintly of alcohol, and his voice was a little hoarse from drinking. His tone sounded more casual than usual.

"I'm going to bed now," Fu Cheng said. "The monthly exams are in two weeks, and the school is holding a parent-teacher meeting afterward."

Fu Yuhe undid two buttons on his shirt with his well-defined fingers. "What day?"

Fu Cheng said, "Brother, if you're busy, it's okay if you can't go."

Fu Yuhe had missed the previous parent-teacher meetings because of work, so Fu Cheng was only telling him about it.

Fu Yuhe said, "Mm. Tell Assistant Liu the time when it's closer. I'll go if I have time."

"Okay." Fu Cheng had nothing more to say.

He had still been very young when their parents died, and his eldest brother had been like a father to him. He always grew nervous without meaning to when he met Fu Yuhe's gaze. His eldest brother had such an imposing presence that he was even scarier than the dean of students.

Fu Cheng squeezed his glass and said, "I'll go upstairs first, then. Get some sleep early, brother."

Early the next morning, when Fu Yuhe came downstairs, Fu Cheng was already sitting at the dining table, eating while looking at his phone. Fu Yuhe had spoken to him about the habit many times, but he still used his phone while eating when Fu Yuhe wasn't around.