The School Bully's Secret

That day after school, I stumbled upon the secret that the school's most notorious bully wanted to keep hidden from everyone. After every fight, he would hide in a secluded corner and cry. "It hurts so much, I can't take it anymore, boohoo—" The moment I caught him, he quickly wiped away his tears and put on a fierce expression. "What are you looking at? Keep staring and I'll beat you up!"

Thinking back to that night when I caught the school bully secretly wiping his tears, it was really my fault for being too eager to get home. Instead of taking the main road, I had to take a shortcut. Mom had promised to make sweet and sour pork ribs for dinner that night, and I was practically drooling just thinking about it. As soon as school let out, I pedaled my bike like crazy. When I passed by the alley, I couldn't resist turning in. People always said this area was unsafe, with thugs and ruffians always lurking around to extort money. I figured since I was on my bike, nothing would happen, so I changed direction and plunged into the alley.

I hadn't gone far when I heard the faint sounds of a scuffle in the distance. They say curiosity killed the cat, but I still had the nerve to stop my bike and tiptoe deeper into the alley. Unfortunately, I arrived too late. By the time I reached the scene, everyone had already scattered. Just as I was about to turn back, I suddenly heard a muffled sob.

The sound came from the deepest part of the alley, so I moved a few steps closer. The sky was already half-dark when the streetlights suddenly flickered on. There, crouched beside a trash can, was someone quietly whimpering: "My wounds hurt so much, I can't stand the pain, boohoo..." As I approached, he heard my footsteps and jerked his head up.

The moment our eyes met, I froze, then my mouth fell open in shock. Wasn't this the infamous school bully? What was he doing hiding here crying?

Jace, the school bully, immediately wiped away his tears and put on a fierce expression. "What are you looking at? Keep staring and I'll beat you up!" But I didn't take his threat seriously at all. Instead, I took another step forward and asked curiously, "What are you crying about? Did you lose a fight?" Jace turned his face away. "None of your business. Get lost!" I've always been thick-skinned. He told me to leave, but I refused. I made a funny face at him. "Hehe, I'm not going anywhere. Tomorrow I'll tell the whole school that the school bully was hiding in an alley crying~"

Jace's tears stopped abruptly, and anger flared in his eyes. His raised fist nearly smashed into my face. Panic set in as I realized I was dealing with a little wolf, not a little bunny. I couldn't afford to mess with him. I quickly backed up two steps and ran back to find my bike. "I'm done messing with you. My mom's waiting for me to come home for dinner—" Before I could finish, the person behind me suddenly burst into even louder sobs.

I had no choice but to turn around and look at him helplessly. "Hey, I didn't bully you. Are you trying to frame me? What are you crying about?" He reached up to wipe his tears, stammering for a long time before finally lifting his arm to show me. "The wound... my wound hurts so much, boohoo..." I looked at the long scratch on his arm and was momentarily speechless. "Who told you to fight? Isn't getting hurt in a fight just part of the deal?" He sniffled and pouted. "They started it." "What did they do to you?" "They called me a kid without a mother."

I paused, my tone softening. "So your mom..." At that, Jace's tears suddenly stopped, and his voice grew calm. "She ran off with another man. She didn't want me anymore." The warm yellow streetlight illuminated his stubborn face, caught between wanting to cry and holding back. He stared at the ground, a fresh wound on the bridge of his nose, making him look like a pitiful little puppy. Watching him, a pang of sympathy stirred in my heart. "It's so late. Aren't you going home for dinner?" Jace shook his head. "My dad drinks every day. He doesn't care about me at all." As he spoke, he stood up. The autumn wind was chilly as he pulled up his jacket hood and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Forget it. It's nothing. You go ahead. I'll just grab some instant noodles from the convenience store."

I still felt a bit reluctant to leave him like that. "Wait—" He turned back to look at me. "Um... how about you come to my place for dinner?" Jace froze, his eyes darting around before a smile broke out, revealing two dimples. "Really?" I nodded. "Yeah."

To be honest, bringing a complete stranger home for dinner made me pretty nervous. Especially since this stranger wasn't just anyone—he was the notoriously tough school bully. What if he turned around and sold me off on the way? Luckily, my worries were unnecessary. Soon, I led Jace to my house. When I knocked, Mom came to open the door. "Lynn, why are you so late?" She opened the door and froze when she saw Jace beside me. I quickly launched into my prepared explanation. "Mom, this is my desk mate. His parents aren't home today, so he wanted to come over for dinner." Jace nodded vigorously beside me, grinning as he greeted my mom. "Mom—I mean, Auntie, hello. I'm Jace." I shot him a sidelong glance. What did he mean by that? Was he trying to steal my mom? My mom paused for a moment before giving a kind smile. "Jace, welcome, welcome—"

My mom was truly a warm and hospitable person. Watching piece after piece of sweet and sour pork ribs float past me and land in Jace's bowl, I kind of regretted bringing him home. I quickly grabbed some meat for myself, saying, "Oh, Mom, he has a small appetite. He can't eat that much." But Jace polished off every piece of meat in his bowl and looked up seriously. "No way, I have a huge appetite. Don't worry, I can finish it all." Seeing his expression, my mouth twitched, and I was left speechless.

As it turned out, you shouldn't just bring random strangers home for dinner—otherwise, the family dog goes hungry. Watching Jace scoop spoonful after spoonful of rice from the pot, I started worrying about my dog. "Jace, eat a little less. If you keep going, my dog won't have anything to eat—" Jace paused, his hand hovering over the rice, and looked at me with a pitiful expression. "But I'm still a little hungry." My mom was the first to defend him. "The kid's growing. Let him eat. It's not like he's eating your rice." I was stunned into silence. Fine. It really seemed like he was here to steal my mom.

My mom and he got along surprisingly well. Before he left, Jace even hugged my mom, his smile sweet and syrupy. "Goodbye, Auntie~" My mom replied, "Come play again!" I silently pet my hungry dog. Today the dog went hungry; tomorrow, it might be me. Don't come again. Never come again. If he comes again, my mom won't want me anymore. This Jace kid was too much. I was nice to him, and he steals my mom! After he left, I couldn't help asking my mom, "Mom, why are you nicer to Jace than to me?" My mom shook her head and sighed. "A few days ago, I saw that kid eating instant noodles outside the convenience store every day. I saw him for several days in a row. I don't know what his parents are doing, not cooking for him. Poor kid." I paused, a sudden ache in my heart for him.

The next day on my way to school, I ran into Jace again. He was pushing his bike, buying breakfast at a stall. When his eyes met mine, they lit up. He grabbed his breakfast, quickly pedaled over, and tossed a bag hanging from his bike toward me. "Hey, want some?" A steaming hot baked sweet potato flew through the air, and I caught it. Before I could even say thank you, Jace had pedaled away and disappeared. I took a bite of the sweet potato—fragrant and sweet—and couldn't help smiling. This Jace kid knew how to repay a kindness. But strangely enough, whenever I ran into him after that, he always avoided me, running off as soon as he saw me.

A few days later, I overheard some classmates gossiping. "Hey, did you hear? The school bully announced that from now on, Lynn from Class 3 is under his protection. Anyone who messes with Lynn is messing with him!" I froze. This guy was seriously embarrassing me. The classmates around me started teasing. "Ooh, Lynn, what's your relationship with the school bully~" I scowled and ignored them. It was fine the first couple of times, but my classmates kept making jokes about it. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. When I ran into him that day, I immediately chased after him. He knew his words had caused me trouble, so when I caught him, he struggled desperately. Eventually, he stopped, bit his lip, and looked flustered. "S-sorry. I just wanted to protect you, but... instead, I caused you trouble." He glanced at me, his brow furrowing. "Do you hate me? Please don't hate me, okay... okay..." His voice grew softer and softer. I suddenly felt something was off. When I looked up, I saw tears glistening in his eyes. Panicking, I immediately let him go. "Hey, explain if you want, but why are you crying?" Jace nodded like a pecking chicken, quickly wiping his tears with his school uniform sleeve. Seeing the wet marks on his sleeve, he frowned in disgust. "So embarrassing..." He sniffled and composed himself. "Anyway... I'll handle it. Don't worry." Watching him, I couldn't help but laugh and reached out to pat his head. "Alright, I'll wait." He looked up at my hand on his head, a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice. "Mm... don't pat my head. I'm not a dog."

But I never expected Jace's "solution" to be like this. The next day, a new rumor spread. "Hey, did you hear? Jace said Lynn is his cousin and told everyone not to spread rumors." I was munching on a bun when I walked into the classroom and heard this. I was dumbfounded. What? He's my cousin? How did this genius Jace have the nerve to say that! During the big break, I went to the convenience store to buy snacks. While waiting in line to pay, I happened to be right behind Jace. Just then, an annoying male classmate walked by. "Ooh, Lynn, don't you two cousins greet each other? 'Cousin,' my foot. You're not fooling anyone, are you?" Jace turned around, and when he saw me, he froze for a moment before giving me a meaningful look. Reluctantly, I frowned and called out, "Brother..." Jace's eyes lit up. He pursed his lips, beaming from ear to ear, the corners of his mouth practically reaching the sky. Even I could tell he was secretly thrilled. As soon as we left the convenience store, I smacked him on the forehead. He winced. "Ouch—" "Who told you to go around saying you're my brother?" He scratched his head, looking serious. "Sorry. I was planning to beat up everyone spreading rumors, but that would take too long... so I came up with this idea." ...Only the school bully would think like that. There was still some time before class, and I wanted to chat with him, but he hurriedly said he had things to do. I grabbed his sleeve and asked, "You're the school bully. You don't study or do homework. What could you possibly have to do?" He looked at me sideways and gave a helpless smile. "If I stay with you, I'm afraid I'll cause you more trouble." With that, he turned and walked away quickly. The cold wind billowed his school jacket into a big pouch. His back looked lonely and desolate. Come to think of it, other school bullies always had a bunch of followers, but he was always alone. Watching his retreating figure, my nose stung. What a pitiful little dog. Not only did he not have enough to eat, but he also had no friends. But his personality was actually pretty nice. Why wouldn't anyone hang out with him? I found it strange.

I felt he wasn't a bad person, so later, whenever I ran into him, I always greeted him. But when he saw me, he would pretend not to notice and run away as fast as he could. One weekend, my mom suddenly asked me, "Lynn, why haven't you brought that classmate home for dinner lately? I ran into him at the convenience store yesterday, and he said hi to me. Poor kid, he looks like he's lost weight again." I paused and told my mom the truth. "Mom, actually... he's the school bully." My mom was taken aback. "But he doesn't seem like a bad kid to me. Well, you shouldn't judge someone based on rumors alone. If you trust him, you can bring him home for dinner more often." Later, I did some digging and found out he was called the school bully because—back in middle school, he took on three guys by himself, won, and nearly disarmed the instigator's arm. When I heard that, I was shocked.

One day at lunch in the cafeteria, Jace saw me and, for the first time, walked over to me. I couldn't help stepping back and asked weakly, "I-I heard you almost disarmed someone's arm before?" He nodded matter-of-factly. "Yeah, so?" I was dumbfounded. I gritted my teeth and wanted to run away... He continued, "I was just defending myself. Those guys tried to gang up on me, so I fought back a little, and... accidentally went a bit too hard..." I was stunned. Okay, even if it was self-defense, it was still... kind of scary. Seeing my dazed expression, he gave a bitter smile. "I thought we were friends. Well, I guess you're scared of me too. Fine, everyone's scared of me anyway. I... I'm used to it." He pursed his lips, pretending to be strong. Then he turned and walked away. After that, I avoided Jace for a few days. He didn't say anything, just silently kept his distance. But ever since I started avoiding him, whenever we ran into each other, he would look at me with a longing gaze. One day in the cafeteria, I saw Jace sitting alone in a corner eating. I finally mustered the courage to sit down across from him. He looked up, surprised. "You're... not afraid of me anymore?" I took a deep breath and said, "Aren't you my brother? Why would I be afraid?" He froze, then scratched his head and smiled, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

I lowered my head and started eating. The cafeteria food was terrible. After a couple of bites, I couldn't swallow anymore. But Jace was wolfing his down. I paused and pointed at the food on my plate. "Do you think this is good?" He stopped shoveling food into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out as he mumbled, "Well... at least it's better than instant noodles." Then he started grumbling under his breath. "Speaking of which, those instant noodle companies really need to come up with more flavors. I'm so sick of the ones at the convenience store..." Listening to him, my heart felt heavy. So I pushed my vegetables onto his plate. "Ugh, I hate these veggies. You can have them." He frowned, seeing through me. "You don't like greens, carrots, or pumpkin? What did you grow up eating, Lynn?" I looked embarrassed and busied myself with the chicken leg on my plate. I'd given him all my veggies, but I kept the chicken leg because it was the best thing in the cafeteria. I couldn't bear to part with it. Jace didn't say anything and accepted my kindness. But then he suddenly picked up his own chicken leg and put it in my bowl. He smiled. "Here, this is for you." I froze. "Don't... don't you like it?" "I do, but... it's for you." I paused and looked up. Jace was resting his chin on his hand, smiling at me. Meeting his gaze, full of warmth, my heart trembled.

As the days passed, Jace kept getting visibly thinner. I couldn't stand it anymore. So one day at lunch, I said to him, "Jace, come home with me for dinner tonight." He was eating and stopped mid-bite, staring at me for a long time before shaking his head. "No need." I was taken aback. I changed my approach. "If you don't eat, you won't grow tall. How tall are you now?" "Five foot eight." "Can you reach six feet?" "Why do I have to be six feet?" "Other girls like tall guys." He glanced at me, paused, and said quietly, "Then... do you like tall guys too?" I thought about it and nodded. "Yeah." He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Then I'll go."

So after school, I brought him home. After dinner, he insisted on washing the dishes with my mom. With that chore taken care of, my mom sat down next to me to watch TV. There was a drama playing where the main couple was getting married. My mom started chatting while cracking sunflower seeds. "Oh, Lynn, when you find someone, make sure they're as hardworking as Jace." The moment she said that, a crashing sound came from the kitchen. I rushed in to find Jace with a red face, looking helplessly at the broken pieces on the floor. When he saw me, he panicked even more and bent down to pick up the shards. I quickly stopped him. "Don't touch—" But I was too late. When I looked down again, there was a streak of red on Jace's hand. I went to find some bandages while scolding him. "How could you be so careless?" He followed me cautiously, explaining, "When I heard Auntie's words, I got nervous and..." What had my mom said again? When I remembered, my face flushed. After finding the bandages, I started treating his wound. When I finished bandaging it and looked up, I saw the corners of his mouth turned up, looking incredibly happy. I frowned. Was this kid crazy? He got hurt and was still smiling like that. "What are you smiling about?" He paused, his smile fading slightly. "Nothing... I just feel like you were really worried about me." "Yeah, so what if I was worried?" He looked straight at me. "Mm... I'm really happy." I froze, feeling the heat rise in my face. I quickly poured myself a glass of cold water. Jace watched me quietly. "Lynn, I really like..." I spat out the water, my face growing even redder. Jace paused, then finished his sentence. "...your home cooking." I glared at him, my face darkening as I forced a smile. "Jace, if you can't pause properly, just don't." He looked aggrieved. "It's you who interrupted me..." I shot back, "It's you who..." He raised a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet. "Mm, it's my fault." I froze. He was so obedient.

In November, the school sports meet was coming up. Jace was a sports student, and a really good one at that. When I heard he was participating in the sprint, I told him I'd come cheer him on. He looked at me and smiled. "Better not." I was taken aback. "What do you mean?" He curled his lips, his eyes forming crescents. "I'm afraid I'll be too busy looking for you and forget to run forward." I smiled softly. On the day of the competition, I went anyway. Sure enough, just as my classmates had said, Jace was amazing. He won without a doubt, leaving the second-place finisher far behind. When he reached the finish line, he looked around confusedly. I waved at him. "Over here!" I tossed him a bottle of water, and he caught it steadily. He unscrewed the cap and chugged it. After a few gulps, he poured the rest over his head. His hair was soaked, and he shook his head casually, standing there catching his breath, smiling at me for a long time. Watching him, I couldn't help but smile too. The autumn wind picked up, and the flags fluttered. At that moment, I couldn't tell if it was the wind moving or my heart.

After school, Jace said the teacher had something to discuss with him and told me to go ahead. I nodded and left alone. As I passed the alley where I'd first met Jace, everything suddenly went dark. Someone grabbed me around the neck and dragged me away. I was terrified. The air was silent for a few seconds. Then, without any warning, the people who had grabbed me started punching and kicking me. A kick to the leg, a punch to the stomach... It hurt so much... I bit my lip hard and started crying from fear. I don't know how long it went on before they finally stopped. One of them kicked me again. "You're Lynn, right? Tell Jace to tone it down and stop showing off all the time!" The alley fell silent for a moment. Then came the sound of a bike hitting the ground. Suddenly, there were sounds of a scuffle and screams around me. "If you've got a problem, take it up with me! Picking on a girl—what kind of man are you!" Dazed, I finally snapped back to reality. It was Jace! Footsteps approached me, and suddenly, the sack over my head was yanked off. When I opened my eyes, Jace was crouched in front of me, his face full of panic. The group had fled in disarray. Jace looked at me, his trembling hand reaching out to wipe the tears off my face. His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault, all my fault..." His voice grew softer as he hugged me, sobbing quietly. I patted his head. "It's okay. It doesn't hurt. I'm not in pain." But he didn't respond, just kept saying "I'm sorry." I gave a helpless smile. "What are you doing? You're crying worse than I am." I was still a little curious and asked him, "Who were those people?" Jace lowered his head, his eyes avoiding mine. "The second-place finisher from today's sprint. I left him way behind." I froze. So that's what it was. But after this incident, instead of wanting to distance myself from him, I trusted him even more. Jace, however, seemed off. The next day after school, I waited for him at the door of his classroom. When I saw him, I smiled, but his face was cold. On the way home, I tried to lighten the mood by telling funny stories from class, but he still looked troubled. When we were almost at his place, he suddenly turned to face me. Jace took a deep breath. "Maybe... we shouldn't see each other anymore." He looked remorseful and guilty. "I always cause you trouble..." I froze. So he was still hung up on what happened last night. I forced a lighthearted tone and gave him a playful punch. "Hey, I got bullied because of you. Instead of protecting me, you're thinking of running away?" He shook his head frantically. "That's not what I meant..." "Then from now on, you're in charge of escorting me home." "I..." "Stop stammering. It's settled." I turned and walked away. Behind me, Jace shook his head and muttered, "I really can't do anything with you."

These past few days, Jace had been away for a competition. He said he wouldn't be back until Monday. On Sunday night at ten, someone knocked on the door. When I opened it, there was Jace. His face was beaming as he held a big bag of snacks. His cheeks were flushed, and he was panting heavily, as if he'd run all the way here. Looking at me, his grin stretched from ear to ear. "Lynn! I came in first in the competition!" I smiled. "Congratulations!" I invited him in. As soon as he sat down and took a sip of water, he couldn't wait to say more. "And also... I signed a contract with A University. As long as I don't bomb the college entrance exam, I'm guaranteed admission!" I was stunned. A University was a prestigious school. One I could study until I died and still never get into. I forced a smile to congratulate him while secretly worrying. But I couldn't get into A University. Seeing my troubled expression, Jace's smile faded. "What's wrong? Are you... not happy?" I shook my head. "No... I was just thinking about how hard I'd have to study to get into A University." "It's okay. If you really can't get in, we can find schools close to each other."

After the college entrance exam, I applied to a school that was only an hour away from A University. As the start of the semester approached, I grew more and more uneasy. I felt like I was drifting further and further away from Jace. It was like he was sprinting on the track, faster and faster, while I could only watch his back, unable to catch up no matter how hard I tried. So before school started, while we were taking a walk, I confessed to him. He was tilting his head back, drinking a soda, swaying lazily. I looked up at him and said, "Jace, do you want to be together?" He froze, glanced at me, his eyes darting. Then he lowered his head and said in a heavy tone, "Can't we... just stay the way we are?" My heart sank. I nodded lightly to agree. Under the night sky, I couldn't make out his expression. I stared blankly at the stars above and didn't say another word. That night, I hid under my covers and couldn't stop my eyes from welling up. It was the first time I cried as embarrassingly as Jace had. I wondered if I'd misread the signs. Maybe Jace... had never really liked me.

After starting college, Jace and I contacted each other much less frequently. Sometimes I'd send him a message in the morning, and he wouldn't reply until evening. I couldn't help thinking, when I confessed, he brushed it off, and now he was getting colder and colder. Was he busy wagging his tail at someone else? The thought made me miserable, and I didn't message him for several days. Luckily, it turned out he wasn't. After military training ended, Jace finally messaged me first. "Are you free? I'll come see you in a couple of days." I was happy but still a little sulky. "The busy guy who can't even find time to reply to messages suddenly has time to see me?" He quickly sent a voice message. When I played it, his voice was drawn out, with a whiny tone at the end. "I'm sorry, okay—" My heart trembled. Just those three words, and I couldn't help but forgive him. "Sunday afternoon, then." "Got it." He replied instantly, along with a sticker of a puppy wagging its tail. Seeing it, I couldn't help laughing. "That's so you." He sent another voice message, his tone resigned. "Whatever you say."

On Sunday, he came to see me. The moment he saw me, he reached out to touch my face but stopped mid-air. He smiled and made small talk. "You got darker." I tensed up. "No way. I even put on makeup, and you still noticed? Is it that obvious?" "Yeah." I punched him. "So low EQ." I showed him around the campus. Time flew by, and as the sun set, it was time for him to leave. Before he went, he said, "Oh, I transferred some money to you. Go buy yourself something to eat." I opened my phone and saw he'd sent me a thousand. I tensed up. "Where did you get this money?" His eyes darted, and he stammered, "Uh, c-competition prize money." I frowned. He was the worst liar. I dragged out my voice. "Tell me the truth—" He lowered his head. "I... I earned it." "How?" He scratched his head. "How else? Just some manual labor." Hearing that, I got anxious. "Manual labor is so bad for your body. Just focus on your training. Don't lose the big picture for the small stuff. It's not worth it." He nodded obediently. "Mm, okay. I'll listen to you." I opened my phone to transfer the money back, but he stopped me. "It's for you. Keep it." "I don't need money. Why are you giving it to me?" He grinned. "I just want to give it to you. I want to see you happy."

I used that money to buy him some snacks and a dog-patterned pajama set, which I sent to his school. After that, Jace came to see me occasionally. He brought me mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival and zongzi for Dragon Boat Festival, but he never gave me flowers on any romantic holidays. On Valentine's Day, I made an excuse to visit him, secretly bringing a bouquet of flowers. That night, I waited outside his dorm for a long time, but he never showed. He stood me up without even giving a reason, just brushing me off with a vague "something came up." I waited for him in the cold wind until midnight, then finally threw the flowers into the trash. No matter how much I liked him, I couldn't keep being shameless about it.

After that, I rarely contacted him. But he kept messaging me constantly. He reported his daily schedule to me, just like... a boyfriend texting his girlfriend. Finally, one day, I got fed up. I sent him a voice message. "Jace, do you have no sense of boundaries? We're friends, not boyfriend and girlfriend." He typed for a long time. Eventually, I got his reply—just two short words. "I'm sorry." I stared at it, feeling a sudden emptiness. After that, we barely talked. I heard that Jace was incredibly talented and trained really hard, winning plenty of awards. But no matter how brilliant he became, it had nothing to do with me anymore.

Before I knew it, it was sophomore year. This semester had a ton of homework. One night, a few classmates and I were filming a group project on the sports field. I was playing the female lead, walking shoulder to shoulder with the male lead across the field. Suddenly, I thought I caught a glimpse of Jace in the crowd. It turned out I wasn't imagining things. Jace was walking quickly, holding a bunch of stuff, his face full of joy. What was he doing here? I kept glancing at him while acting. Suddenly, Jace, who was hurrying across the field, met my eyes. His smile froze as he glanced at the guy beside me. He stood there for a long time, then turned and walked away without looking back. He must have misunderstood. I wanted to explain, but we were still filming, and I couldn't get away. An hour later, the shoot finally ended. I pulled out my phone and saw a message from Jace. "Lynn, I came to see you. I have amazing news!" What news? Curious, I called him. It rang for a long time before he finally picked up. "Hello..." His voice was hoarse, with a hint of a nasal tone. I paused and asked cautiously, "Are you... crying?" Jace was silent for a moment before answering, "Yeah..." "Why are you crying?" He stayed quiet for a long time. Finally, he said, "You figure it out." I was stunned. Oh, he must have misunderstood my relationship with the male lead. But he'd kept me hanging for so long, and now he was suddenly jealous? Thinking that, I deliberately didn't explain and changed the subject. "What's the good news?" He sniffled. "Nothing much. I won a competition and wanted to split the prize money with you. I've already transferred it. I hope you... be happy." Then he hung up. I was dumbfounded. This idiot, what was he talking about? I pulled down the notification bar. "Jace has transferred 25,000 yuan to you." I was even more confused. Where did he get so much money? I called him again, and luckily, he didn't hang up in a huff. I asked, "Where are you?" "On... the train back to school." "Wait there. I'm coming to your school."

When I got to the bottom of his dorm building, I called him again. "I'm here. Come out." He mumbled, "No..." "Come out..." His voice was a little hoarse over the phone. "I already showered. I don't want to come down. Just tell me over the phone." I was getting impatient. "I'll give you five minutes. Get down here." He sighed and hung up. Five minutes later, he showed up as promised. He really had showered. He was wearing the dog-patterned pajama set I'd bought him, with the hood pulled up, wrapping himself tightly. He looked so adorable that I couldn't help squeezing the little dog ears on his hood. But he stepped back. "Don't touch me..." He was fine until he spoke, but as soon as he did, his crying voice gave him away. The streetlight was too dim for me to see his face clearly, so I turned on my phone's flashlight and shone it on him. I was startled by what I saw. His eyes were swollen, with red veins visible. But I didn't feel sorry for him at all—not after he'd kept me hanging for so long. "Oh, crying?" I said coolly. He sniffled, the tip of his nose turning red, his eyes glistening with tears, threatening to spill over again. I quickly got serious. "Stop crying. People are coming and going. Don't you feel embarrassed?" He wiped his tears with his sleeve and looked at me, his voice full of grievance. "You're going to run off with someone else too... You don't want me anymore either..." I wanted to cry but ended up laughing instead. He completely lost it, tears streaming down his face. "And you're laughing..." I explained, "That wasn't my boyfriend. We were just acting, filming a group project." He froze, wiping his nose. "Really?" I pulled out my phone and showed him a photo of the male lead with his girlfriend. "Believe me now?" Jace immediately stopped crying. "Why didn't you say so earlier? You made me look so stupid..." I laughed. "You know it's embarrassing, huh? Honestly, if this hadn't happened, I wouldn't have known how much you care about me. Crying like this?" His eyes darted away, neither confirming nor denying it. Seeing him stay silent, I felt a little disappointed again. I changed the subject. "Where did you get all that money?" "It really was competition prize money this time." He pulled out his phone and showed me a photo of a trophy, smiling. "Am I amazing?" I looked closely—it was real, and it was even a national-level competition. "You're the best—" Even though he was still avoiding the issue, I was determined to get to the bottom of it today. So I said, "Go change. Let's go out for a walk?" He nodded.

Unfortunately, it started drizzling. When Jace came back down, he was holding two umbrellas. We wandered through the cold, empty streets, walking side by side. There was hardly anyone around, so I started messing around. I walked behind him and suddenly slipped my cold hand into the back of his neck. He yelped from the cold, then grabbed my mischievous hand and stuffed it into his pocket. But I wasn't satisfied. I took his hand. "Mind if I warm up with your hand?" He froze, then nodded in agreement, his face reddening. I was so happy I started rambling. "The puppy's hands are so warm—mm, his abs must be even warmer—" Jace frowned in disgust. "Who's a puppy?" I poked the tip of his nose and laughed. "You are." Jace rolled his eyes silently, then—couldn't help laughing himself. "See, it's you!" I laughed even harder. I slipped my hand under his sweater. "Hey, mind if I warm my hands on your abs?" He immediately grabbed my hand to stop me from moving. He leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Be good. Don't mess around." My heart was pounding. I looked up. The streetlight cast a golden glow on his