The school bell rang, signaling the end of a long class. She quickly slung her bag over her shoulder, her legs moving swiftly past the rows of desks, hurrying toward the door. Around her, the chatter of classmates blended with the rhythm of her steps, creating a familiar bustling atmosphere. Once she reached the corridor, she quickened her pace, trying to avoid the crowd. Her old sneakers tapped steadily on the tiled floor, each step urging her to move faster. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but she didn't stop.

Finally, she reached the bike parking area and bent down to unlock her bicycle. Her fingers trembled slightly as she fumbled with the heavy keychain. Finally, the familiar "click" sounded. She began to pull the bike out, and the setting sun filtered through the trees, casting a warm golden light over the handlebars. In the brief moment of stillness, her gaze casually drifted across the crowd, but she stopped when she heard a familiar voice:

"Yue Yue!"

That sweet, honey-like voice made her shiver, and she instinctively turned her head. She didn’t need to look to know who it was. Despite her efforts to hurry, he had still managed to catch up. She forced a strained smile, her eyes briefly reflecting a sense of helplessness.

"Hello... hello, Brother."

He stood there, a bright smile on his face, his eyes shining as if looking at prey.

She pulled the bike out of the parking lot, only to realize something was wrong with the wheel. Before she could check further, he chuckled, his eyes narrowing mischievously.

"Yue, let's go home together!"

"Why?" She tilted her head, looking at him with suspicion.

He turned away and then back with a pitiful expression, probably trying to squeeze out a tear or two for dramatic effect. She fell silent, and he took it as an agreement, his demeanor brightening immediately, his voice returning to its cheerful tone.

"Nguyệt Nguyệt, let’s go get some ice cream! Green tea flavor!"

She furrowed her brows, unknowingly meeting his gaze full of anger.

"Fine," she sighed helplessly, rubbing her temples, then nodded in agreement.

He slowly helped her pull the bike out.

*Honestly, I don’t understand what’s going on in this guy's head. Our houses aren’t close, yet he deliberately sabotaged my bike tire just to force me to walk with him.*

Now, she had to walk beside him, listening to him babble on about random things, mostly old childhood memories.

Yes, he found her 13 years ago. But saying "found" wasn’t exactly right... it was just a coincidence.

Back then, she often climbed over his fence to steal a few apples when she was hungry. She always struggled to climb up, falling countless times. But that day was different.

"Ah!" She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the usual pain, but instead of feeling the hurt, she heard the cry of a boy. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see him. Hastily, she bent down, repeatedly apologizing and helping him up.

"Are you from around here?"

His childish voice, but with a hint of authority, made her freeze. It had been so long since anyone had asked or spoken to her. In that moment, she felt like a rat in the gutters, surrounded by the wealth and glamor of the area.

She lowered her head, covering her muddy face, but that only seemed to make him more annoyed.

"Hey! I’m talking to you!" His voice became impatient, and she could feel his anger.

She quickly nodded, her hands twisting together, unsure of how to respond. But the boy didn’t mind, starting to chatter on. His voice softened, becoming warm and innocent, completely different from before.

How adorable.

"Can you talk?"

She looked up, meeting his dark eyes that were focused on her. He bent down, gently brushing the hair from her face. She instinctively recoiled.

"Don’t you find it uncomfortable hiding your face like that?"

She shook her head vigorously, quickly pulling her hair back to cover her face.

One was a chatterbox who made others' heads spin, and the other was so quiet it seemed like she was mute. Yet somehow, they became friends in a strange way that she couldn’t quite explain.