Are you… Lan Nuo?

Lan Ruobing remained silent, simply listening intently as Xi Xue spoke.

Yet, within her, a tempest raged, her heart unable to find peace.

“I met him on the rooftop,” Xi Xue began. “I’ve always loved the feeling of looking down at the world from a high vantage point. So, not long after I transferred, I climbed up to the school’s rooftop.”

“Even before I went up, I’d noticed Lan Nuo had a particular fondness for the rooftop. Sure enough, on my very first day there, we met.”

“I knew he’d come, but I never expected him to turn and walk away the moment he saw me.”

“Still, I called out to him, asking him to stay and chat with me.”

“It was from that moment on that I came to know such a kind, adorable, and genuinely interesting boy.”

“He would share all sorts of fascinating rumors he’d heard; he’d talk about his ideals, his dreams of awakening abilities; and he’d grow shy when we shared chewing gum.”

“He would contemplate the myriad facets of life, firmly stating his principles, and he would listen as I recounted my past glorious deeds, my aspirations, and my hopes.”

“And so, every lunchtime, we would meet on the rooftop, confiding in each other and sharing interesting things. Being with him, I felt utterly at ease.”

Xi Xue paused here, her beautiful eyes trembling slightly as she turned to face Ruobing, a hint of tender affection in her gaze.

Lan Ruobing’s heart stirred. She, too, turned to look at Xi Xue, ready to hear more of the story—the story of Lan Nuo herself, as seen through Xi Xue’s eyes.

“Actually, I always knew that Lan Nuo’s parents had died in a car accident when he was twelve.”

Lan Ruobing felt a flicker of surprise, though it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

She simply nodded, indicating for Xi Xue to continue.

Given Xi Xue’s social connections, learning such basic information about her would have been effortless.

“But whenever he chatted with me, he always tried to talk about interesting things, never once mentioning his family history.”

“I never pressed the issue, cooperating with him by discussing engaging topics and ideals, always trying to avoid anything related to his family.”

Lan Ruobing looked at her with gratitude, a warmth spreading through her heart.

“After all, though I couldn’t imagine it, I could feel what it must have been like to lose both parents at twelve and live alone.”

“Moreover, I learned from other classmates just how much his parents loved him. They used to be such a joyful family of three. He had many friends, a bright personality, and was well-liked by everyone.”

“But all of it was shattered by a single car accident.”

Xi Xue stopped speaking again, her eyes brimming with sorrow.

As she spoke, Lan Ruobing’s memories were stirred, and the fiery scene of the car crash became vividly clear.

A pang shot through her nose, blurring her vision.

She felt as though she could guess what Xi Xue was about to say next.

It would likely be those things she wished never to recall, those solitary experiences that had once clung to her like a shadow.

Unbidden, the words echoed in her ears: ‘Waaah! Stop bothering me, please! What will others think of me like this?! Don’t you know your parents are murderers!’

‘Parents gone, friends departed, relatives abandoned… his world must have been nothing but darkness.’

Perhaps seeing the tears welling in Ruobing’s eyes, Xi Xue didn’t continue, stopping herself just in time.

‘She probably thinks I’m just overly emotional, crying so easily,’ Lan Ruobing thought.

But Xi Xue couldn’t know that she was narrating Lan Ruobing’s own story, an experience she desperately wished to forget.

“Loneliness devoured him, gnawing at his heart. Yet, even as he endured such torment, he quietly continued attending school, never causing trouble for anyone.”

“He even told me interesting things and confided in me.”

Xi Xue quickly changed the subject, pulling Ruobing back just as she was on the verge of breaking down.

“What a kind, adorable person he was…” Xi Xue murmured, a nostalgic expression on her face.

“From the very first day we spent together, I found myself wanting to understand him, often confiding in him as we looked down at the bustling people below the rooftop.”

“Without even realizing it, I fell in love with him,” Xi Xue confessed, gently placing her right hand over her heart.

She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, as if reliving that feeling.

After a moment, Xi Xue opened her eyes and continued, “My love back then was so simple: I’d just run to the rooftop early every day and quietly wait for him.”

“At noon, the shadow cast on the rooftop was barely large enough for two people.”

“I would deliberately take the outer side, leaving the inner side for him.”

“The distance was such that if we rested our hands there, they would just barely touch.”

“And I knew he would definitely lean into the shadowed area; he was someone who knew how to take advantage of me.”

At this, she smiled knowingly.

Ruobing, feeling a surge of affection, found herself reminiscing along with her.

“That guy often stretched his arm out deliberately. Our elbows, which would have just touched, ended up pressing tightly together. He was so naughty.”

Xi Xue puffed out her cheeks, feigning anger, but then quickly broke into a knowing, utterly charming smile.

Ruobing, however, felt a blush creep up her face.

‘Darn it, so she knew.’

“But when he pressed against me, my heart raced so fast, and I felt so incredibly hot.”

“And while I was looking down from the rooftop, he would secretly — no, brazenly — watch me, his gaze so fervent it almost suffocated me.”

“At those times, I would often pretend to be docile, as if I were intently observing the scene below. In reality, wherever his gaze lingered, I would feel a flush of heat, and my heart would fall into disarray.”

“Because I often worried if those areas he was looking at were well-developed, fair enough, and if he would like them…”

“Thinking like that, my heart beat even faster, more chaotically.”

“But he just kept looking, utterly uninhibited.”

Xi Xue’s cheeks were still puffed, yet there was no trace of feigned anger, only a face full of sweet affection.

Ruobing, however, was utterly stunned.

‘So that’s how it was? She thought Xi Xue had no feelings for her, which was why she let her look.’

“I really miss those days,” Xi Xue sighed.

“It’s just a pity that we soon faced Awakening Day.”

“I waited all morning in class but didn’t see him. My heart was filled with anxiety, worried that he might have failed his awakening and done something rash.”

“So I secretly went to his rental apartment—I had tracked him there before. But he wasn’t there, and when I asked the landlady, she said he had already checked out, even adding something about him being ‘quite the ladies’ man.'”

“But I didn’t listen to her nonsense; I rushed back in a panic, afraid he might have arrived in class looking for me while I was away.”

“Unfortunately, he didn’t appear until noon.” Xi Xue’s eyes were filled with disappointment.

But Lan Ruobing’s attention was entirely on the landlady’s words.

‘Did that woman tell Xi Xue about me pretending to be his girlfriend?’

“Then, a video shared by a female classmate caught my attention.”

“In the video, you were stepping on a dragon’s head, soaring towards the sky above a crowd.”

“The scene was incredibly striking, but my gaze remained fixed on you because you gave me a familiar feeling.”

“I don’t know why, but deep down, I felt I couldn’t miss you.”

“Otherwise, I would regret it for the rest of my life.”

As Xi Xue spoke, she gazed at Ruobing for a long time.

“So I began asking around, and eventually, I found myself at the restaurant where you were eating. It was there that we had our first prolonged eye contact.”

“Strangely, I saw his reflection in your eyes.” As she finished speaking, Xi Xue flipped over, straddling Ruobing.

She leaned down, caressing Ruobing’s face, her chest pressing against Ruobing’s, exhaling warm breaths before her face.

The fragrant breeze from Xi Xue leaning down made her disoriented.

Xi Xue’s body felt light and soft, comfortable resting on her, and her hands were so gentle, their touch making Ruobing’s breathing grow hot.

But what captivated Ruobing most were Xi Xue’s eyes—those deeply affectionate, dreamily beautiful eyes.

It felt as if her entire being had fallen into Xi Xue’s lovely gaze, immersed together in the summer night’s stars.

“After that, I started to test you, even bringing up Lan Nuo. But you were hungry, so I dropped it, and instead offered an invitation, planning to continue my probing during our future interactions.”

“Unexpectedly, the more we spent time together, the more I felt you were like him. Truly, so much alike. From your personality to your checkout experience, I even felt your two figures slowly merging, as if you were him.”

Xi Xue used her fingers to lift a strand of Ruobing’s hair, twirling it, then gently caressed her face and ear.

She then gazed deeply into her eyes and asked, “Are you him?”

“Are you… Lan Nuo?”

Lan Ruobing felt a profound shock within her.

She didn’t know how to answer, opening her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.

Just as she struggled to find the right phrasing, a sudden cool, soft pressure met her lips.

A moist, cool tongue slipped in, and she instinctively responded, tangling with it.

Xi Xue’s fervor, coupled with the large, soft weight pressing against her chest, told her there was no longer any chance to speak.