Gu Luo swiftly put away his phone and turned to Shen Yue beside him, asking:
"Yue Mom, do you have any candy with you?"
"Of course, of course." Shen Yue immediately pulled out a pack of fruit-flavored candies from the drawer.
"Thanks, Yue Mom. Ximan isn’t feeling too well, so I’ll take her to the infirmary during first period." Gu Luo thanked her while picking out a few of Gu Ximan’s favorite flavors and slipping them into his pocket.
"Oh... is she okay?" Shen Yue asked with concern.
"Don’t worry, she’ll be fine."
Gu Luo reassured her with a smile, then gently placed his watch and the box back into the drawer before standing up and leaving the classroom.
"I hope Manman is alright."
Watching Gu Luo’s retreating figure, Shen Yue murmured a quiet prayer.
But not long after, her phone buzzed.
Pulling it out, she saw—unsurprisingly—a message from her mom. At this hour, it could only be her.
Yet the next moment, Shen Yue’s face flushed red.
[Xu Shasha: Sweetie, class is about to start. You’ve given him the watch, right?]
[Xu Shasha: Forgot to mention—this is actually a pair of couple’s watches. The other one’s in your room’s drawer~~~]
[Xu Shasha: (Cat laughing emoji.jpg)]
Meanwhile.
"Manman, what’s wrong?"
Lu Xuexue whispered worriedly to Gu Ximan.
"It’s nothing... I’ll tell you later, Xuexue..."
Gu Ximan took a deep breath, forcing back the sting in her nose as she mustered a faint smile.
Her mind was still swirling with Gu Luo’s message—[Because a certain little comrade needs me right now.]
And to think her infuriating big brother had even secretly memorized her class schedule.
Gu Ximan wished she could sprint to Gu Luo’s side right this instant and hug him tightly.
Ugh, why did he have to be so good to her...?
It only dragged her deeper into this emotional spiral.
The more doting and protective Gu Luo was, the harder it became to voice the words lodged in her throat.
"Ah... okay..."
Lu Xuexue nodded softly, wanting to ask more but swallowing her words at the last moment.
The atmosphere between them had grown delicate.
She had a hunch Gu Ximan had already guessed the identity of that senior.
Yet both chose silence, neither willing to pierce that thin veil between them.
They feared that once laid bare, it might trigger a chain of uncontrollable consequences.
If things escalated, even their years of friendship could shatter.
After steadying her emotions, Gu Ximan quickly stood and strode out of the classroom.
Right now, her heart and mind held only one thought—to see Gu Luo as soon as possible.
......
The small garden.
The air carried the faint, soothing fragrance of chrysanthemums.
Gu Ximan sat primly on a wooden bench, glancing around intermittently.
Eager for Gu Luo to appear, yet anxious about being spotted by a teacher.
Then again, at this hour, most teachers were in class—unlikely anyone would come here.
Even if they were caught, her infuriating big brother would handle it.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a familiar voice sounded beside her—
"Ah, open up."
Gu Ximan instinctively turned to find Gu Luo standing behind her, grinning as he held out a peeled candy near her lips.
She froze, her brain lagging as her body moved on its own, obediently parting her mouth.
"Sweet?"
Gu Ximan savored her favorite strawberry flavor, eyes bright as she nodded eagerly:
"Super sweet!"
Sweet on her tongue.
Sweeter still in her heart.
"Good." Gu Luo chuckled, circling the bench to sit beside her, a teasing glint in his eyes:
"So, how does skipping class with your infuriating big brother feel today?"
"It feels amazing!"
Gu Ximan answered while secretly fantasizing—what if they could skip town together? Somewhere no one knew them, where no one else could covet Gu Luo.
Noticing her mood had visibly lifted, Gu Luo finally spoke softly, his tone tender:
"So... what did you want to tell me, Manman?"
"I’m all ears."
At that, Gu Ximan’s expression faltered. After a hesitant pause, she lowered her head, murmuring sheepishly:
"I... I wanted to apologize."
"Apologize for what?"
"For last night... I shouldn’t have ignored your feelings and posted those photos without asking..." Gu Ximan’s voice grew smaller, her face ducking like an ostrich’s, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.
"That’s it?"
Gu Luo couldn’t help but laugh, his tone light:
"I thought it was something serious."
"Huh?" Gu Ximan’s head snapped up, disbelief coloring her voice:
"Bro... you’re not mad...?"
"Why would I be mad?" Gu Luo countered.
"Because I... I mean..." Gu Ximan’s thoughts tangled, stumbling over her words.
After fumbling for a while, she finally managed:
"But if those photos spread... people might gossip..."
"Do you care about that gossip, Manman?"
"Not at all..." Gu Ximan answered reflexively, then blinked in realization.
Wait, why was she the one being questioned now?
"Then why assume I would?"
Gu Luo leaned back comfortably against the bench, smiling as he gazed at her, utterly at ease:
"Ever considered that I actually love showing off how close I am with my dear Manman?"
"You’re the most important person to me."
"As for the gossip? Just jealous folks wishing they had a sweet, adorable little sister like you. The more they talk, the happier I’ll be—absolutely thrilled."
Just then, sunlight spilled perfectly across half his handsome face, a breeze tousling the soft bangs over his forehead.
Gu Ximan was spellbound.
All surrounding sounds—birds chirping, insects humming, the distant school bell—vanished from her world.
She stared dazedly until Gu Luo’s voice snapped her back to reality.
"Oi, oi, Comrade Manman, did my dazzling looks leave you speechless?" Grinning, Gu Luo struck a pose, sweeping his hair back with exaggerated flair—so ridiculous it shattered the moment’s elegance entirely.
Gu Ximan’s cheeks burned, her heart pounding wildly out of control.
She quickly turned away, her snow-white legs pressing tightly together. With a faux haughty "hmph," her lashes fluttered as she muttered under her breath:
"Stupid... stupid big brother, always teasing me..."
"You... you... you’re just the worst, most infuriating big brother ever!"
Watching Gu Ximan’s tsundere yet utterly adorable display, Gu Luo couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
He then pulled another candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and held it to her lips:
"Say 'ah.'"
"Hmph... ah~~~"
"Is it sweet?"
"It's alright, about as sweet as the last one," Gu Ximan replied, tilting her increasingly flushed face further away.
After a pause, she added, "Stupid big bro, I figured something out."
"Oh? What grand revelation has Comrade Ximan stumbled upon this time?" Gu Luo teased with a grin.
"Nuh-uh... not telling you!" Gu Ximan turned her head away, sticking out her tongue playfully before quickly facing forward again.
Seeing his silly little sister back to her usual self, Gu Luo didn’t press further. Instead, he shifted the topic:
"So, Ximan, how did you change your mind so suddenly overnight?"
At his question, the image of Luo Shuling’s short-haired, lively face flashed through Gu Ximan’s mind. After a brief hesitation, she mumbled,
"It was Shu He. She talked to me last night, but I didn’t really get it at first. I only understood after I got to school."
"I see..."
Gu Luo nodded thoughtfully.
So it was Shu He again.
Unbidden, memories of being ambushed by that little devil’s kisses resurfaced.
He had to admit—the weight she carried in his heart had grown just a little heavier.
............
............