THF-ch4

"Lu Shimian, what do you mean by that?" Ding Mi chased after him.

Lu Shimian mounted his bicycle, his tone laced with impatience: "If you dawdle any longer, I'm leaving without you."

Ding Mi hastily wheeled her bike out, but Lu Shimian had already zipped away with a *swoosh*. She quickly hopped onto her bike, pedaling hard to catch up. "Wait for me!"

The youth paid no attention to her; even his back looked cold and distant. Yet, deep down in Ding Mi's heart, a subtle surge of excitement began to stir, like something gently breaking out of its cocoon.

By the time she returned home, her face was flushed red from the biting wind, and the tiny dimples at the corners of her mouth could hardly be contained. It wasn't until she spotted the middle-aged man sitting in the living room that she reined in her excitement, greeting him obediently: "Uncle, you're back."

Xue Zhen, who had been away on a business trip for days, looked at Ding Mi and smiled: "Ah, yes. I heard your midterm rank went up a few spots. Not bad—much less of a headache than Xue Ning."

Ding Mi had ranked twenty-fifth in her class for the midterms, five places higher than when the classes were first split. She lowered her head modestly: "Mm, I did pretty well in English."

Zhou Qing came out of her bedroom and looked at her: "Now that you're back, hurry up and wash up, then get to sleep."

Ding Mi nodded and went back to her room. On the bottom bunk of their bunk bed, Xue Ning was cradling a pink rabbit-shaped hot water bottle, holding the latest smartphone in her hands. She was likely playing a game, as loud noises echoed from the device.

Ding Mi put down her backpack, pulled out her pajamas, and took a shower. Afterward, she sat at her desk and completed half a math test paper.

Without heating in the room, her hands and feet gradually turned icy cold. She switched off the desk lamp, packed her books into her backpack, and visited the restroom. Returning to the room, she saw Xue Ning still holding the pink rabbit hot water bottle while playing on her phone. Walking over, she asked, "Xue Ning, haven't you bought your hot water bottle yet?"

Without even raising her head, Xue Ning replied, "Ah, I forgot. Lend me yours for another night."

Ding Mi bit her lip: "But you've been borrowing it for a week already."

"Aiya, I just forgot again."

Zhou Qing had been remarried to Xue Zhen for five years, and they had a four-year-old son, Xue Xiaobin. Xue Ning was Xue Zhen's daughter from his previous marriage, a year older than Ding Mi. She hadn't made it into No. 1 High School and attended No. 2 High School instead. However, Xue Ning didn't care about any of that—she was never fond of studying, showing no sign of stress even as a senior in high school.

There were only three rooms in the house. Once Xue Xiaobin turned four, Xue Zhen wanted his son to have his own room. Thus, Xue Ning and Ding Mi moved into one room together, sharing a bunk bed. Xue Ning was thoroughly unwilling to share a room with her, but there was no alternative. After six months of adjusting, they had grown used to it.

Being a stepmother was no easy task, and Zhou Qing tried her best to fulfill the role. To avoid putting her mother in a tough spot, Ding Mi usually yielded to Xue Ning as much as possible.

Tonight, however, Ding Mi didn't quietly climb up to her top bunk as usual.

She stood her ground without moving and said, "But I need to use it too. It's really cold."

Xue Ning kept her head down, glued to her phone: "Just one more night! I'll definitely remember to buy one tomorrow."

"How many times have you said that already?"

"I'll definitely remember tomorrow."

Ding Mi bit her lip, then suddenly reached out, snatched the hot water bottle away, turned, and stepped onto the ladder. "I'm not lending it to you anymore. If you don't have a hot water bottle tonight, you'll definitely remember to buy one tomorrow." She hastily climbed up to the top bunk and stuffed the hot water bottle into her freezing blanket.

Xue Ning was stunned. Once she snapped back to reality, she huffed angrily: "Stingy!"

Ding Mi completely ignored her. Holding the cozy, warm water bottle, the frustration in her chest vanished into thin air. Suddenly, she felt that Lu Shimian had been completely right.

*'If stepping back makes you miserable, stop pretending to be generous.'* Sometimes she was just pretending to be generous, only to end up moping in solitude afterward. Lu Shimian and Du Mingwei were the same kind of people—they never pretended to be generous, remaining sharp and assertive at all times. Ding Mi occasionally envied how unapologetically true to themselves they could be.

However, seventeen-year-old Ding Mi had only grasped the surface level of those words, missing the hidden meaning beneath.

It was only years later, when they met again, that the realization finally struck her.

In mid-December, the first snow of the winter fell.

Ding Mi and Lu Shimian could no longer ride their bicycles to school. For a while, Ding Mi grew to dislike winter immensely, feeling it robbed her of those twenty-odd minutes spent with Lu Shimian on their daily commute.

Yet she had no choice but to surrender to the winter cold, wrapping herself tightly in a down jacket topped with her oversized school uniform before squeezing into the crowded public bus.

Meanwhile, Lu Shimian resumed his status as a wealthy young master, no longer turning down his family's private driver.

For the boys, winter robbed them of their basketball time. The indoor basketball court at No. 1 High School was always reserved for the school team first. The team had invited Lu Shimian to join multiple times, but he only agreed to be a substitute—solely to secure a place to play during the winter.

The dismissal bell rang, and as usual, the physics teacher dragged the lesson on for another five minutes, eating up half of the ten-minute break. The moment class ended, Du Mingwei turned around: "Mimi, let's go to the restroom! I'm dying here!"

Every student encountered a teacher or two who was a chronic offender of dragging out class, and the physics teacher was particularly notorious for it. Du Mingwei utterly loathed physics class.

Seeing how urgent it was, Ding Mi quickly stood up: "Let's go."

The two walked arm in arm to the restroom. On their way back, they saw a tall youth strolling into Class 2-1. Du Mingwei gasped in surprise: "Hey, that unlucky guy Qin Yang is back!"

Qin Yang was on the school team and had broken his leg during a match against another school, recuperating at home for over two months.

As the two walked into the classroom, Qin Yang was chatting with Lu Shimian. Lu Shimian cast a glance downward: "Is your leg fully healed?"

Qin Yang grinned: "I can walk, but I still can't play ball. If Brother Bin hadn't called every day to nag me, I would've slacked off until the end of the term."

Du Mingwei stepped over: "If you ask me, you might as well just drop out."

They had all attended the same middle school. Qin Yang, displeased by her words, looked at Ding Mi: "Du Mingwei, why is your mouth so sharp? Look at how sweetly Ding Mi is smiling—she's actually welcoming me back."

Ding Mi immediately wiped the smile off her face: "I wasn't smiling at you."

Qin Yang: "..."

Lu Shimian let out a casual chuckle.

Not bothering to argue with the girls, Qin Yang turned back to Lu Shimian: "Ah-Mian, I heard whoever gets first place in math gets a special privilege?"

Lu Shimian: "What are you getting at?"

Qin Yang grinned: "Pick me as your desk mate! I really don't want to sit in the front row."

There was only one vacant seat left in the front row of the whole class, and Qin Yang didn't want to sit there. Besides, he had been Lu Shimian's desk mate before breaking his leg.

When the class bell rang, Ding Mi sat up straight, but hearing this, she turned back around and stared at Lu Shimian.

Lu Shimian gave an "Mm."

Ding Mi scrunched her nose at him, purely envious that such a special privilege would never fall upon her. Lu Shimian cast a half-smiling glance at her.

Ding Mi huffed and turned back around.

'The guy was so mean—he knew exactly what you wanted, yet he deliberately withheld it from you!'

Xu Yi, who had gone to help the teacher fetch homework assignments, had no idea he was about to be 'reassigned.'

Two days later, during the monthly math test, Lu Shimian scored a perfect mark. He casually brought up changing desk mates to the homeroom teacher, and to everyone's surprise, the teacher actually agreed, claiming that Qin Yang was too boisterous and sitting in the front row would distract the students up front.

As the entire class watched Qin Yang proudly move his seat, their thoughts aligned with Ding Mi's:

'Getting first place in math really made someone invincible!'

Before moving away, Xu Yi glanced at Ding Mi a few times.

Ding Mi flashed him a quick smile, and instantly, her chair vibrated twice. She turned around hastily, only to find Lu Shimian lowering his head to read a book. Ding Mi grumbled unhappily: "Lu Shimian, stop shaking my chair! The legs are going to come loose because of you."

She had no desire to ride a swing, so why did he keep shaking her chair? What if she fell off one of these days?

Lu Shimian raised his head and let out a chuckle: "Don't worry, your tiny frame isn't enough to shake this chair apart."

Ding Mi glared at him: "I still don't want it to shake."

While they were bickering, Xu Yi had already moved away.

Jiang Xinzi looked at Ding Mi and whispered softly: "Ding Mi, does Xu Yi like you?"

Ding Mi froze for a moment, mumbling: "Probably not..."

Xu Yi looked so quiet and honest; how could he possibly like her? They were just desk mates for half a semester, so they were slightly more familiar with each other.

Jiang Xinzi said with certainty: "He definitely likes you."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for the front and back desks to hear. Du Mingwei rolled her eyes: "How do you know? He hasn't even said anything."

Jiang Xinzi stiffened, then forced a smile: "It was just a wild guess."

Du Mingwei: "You shouldn't guess wild things like that. It wouldn't be good if the homeroom teacher found out."

The corners of Jiang Xinzi's mouth turned down, and she fell silent.

Ding Mi nudged Du Mingwei's chair with her foot, signaling her to drop it.

Qin Yang tossed his backpack onto his desk: "What are you guys chatting about?"

Ding Mi: "Nothing."

Qin Yang chuckled, casting a glance at Lu Shimian: "Ah-Mian, what book are you reading?"

Lu Shimian closed the book. Ding Mi turned back to steal a glance, only catching sight of a black cover—a rather large and thick volume. Curious, she asked: "Is it a ghost story?"

Lu Shimian shoved the book into his desk and leaned lazily against the wall, raising an eyebrow: "You want to read it?"

Ding Mi shook her head instantly—no way. She was terrified she wouldn't dare get up for the restroom at night.

"Look at that tiny bit of courage."

He sneered lightly. Ding Mi's face flushed bright red, her mind instantly flashing back to the summer break of their freshman year. She and Du Mingwei had gone to his house to hang out; Xu Qian and Qin Yang were there too, and Qin Yang suggested watching a horror movie.

That was the first time Ding Mi had ever watched a horror movie. If she hadn't been with a group, accompanied by three guys, she definitely wouldn't have dared.

They hung out until 11:00 PM, at which point she had to head back.

The courtyard lights weren't on, leaving it pitch-black and quiet. When she went to retrieve her bicycle, her heart was trembling with fear. Suddenly, someone patted her on the shoulder, scaring a scream right out of her. When she turned around, she found Lu Shimian looking at her with a completely speechlessly expression.

Ding Mi slapped him a few times: "Waaa, you scared me to death! I thought you were a ghost!"

Lu Shimian: "..."

He had simply meant to say it was getting late and offer to walk her back.

Lu Shimian turned around: "Then let a ghost walk you home."

Panicking, Ding Mi hugged him almost purely by instinct: "No! Lu Shimian, I'm scared to go back alone. Please walk me home..."

The young girl's slender arms wrapped tightly around him, refusing to let go, her soft body pressed against his. Lu Shimian froze for a moment, looking down at her hands, then used his other hand to rub her head firmly: "If you don't let go, I really am going to leave you to the ghosts."

Ding Mi released him instantly. Hindsight hitting her, she recalled what she had just done, her face flushing crimson.

It was completely different from Du Mingwei.

That was the body of a young man—lean, firm, and solid, with a body temperature even higher than hers.

That night, Ding Mi begged Lu Shimian to walk her straight to her front door, and from then on, she flatly refused to watch horror movies with them ever again.

For a whole week, Lu Shimian kept reading that black book. Ding Mi's curiosity finally got the better of her. Taking advantage of his absence from the classroom, she lifted the test paper covering the black book and flipped the cover over, catching sight of the title—'The Art of Intrusion'.

'The Art of Intrusion?'

What kind of book was that?

She flipped it back open to the page he was currently reading.

'Tonight's Target: SIPRNET.'

'SIPRNET (Compromised).

'So deep?'

(t/n: the art of intrusion is a real cyber security book but it's a little bit advanced and sirpent is an acronym for the US military network. that's what she means by so deep)

Ding Mi blinked. Lu Shimian had returned at some ungodly moment, giving her head a light, measured tap: "Not scared of ghosts anymore?"

Ding Mi's face flushed red as she sat back in her seat: "I was just curious why you keep reading this book instead of listening to class."

On second thought, she felt she was worrying over nothing. Even if he didn't listen in class, he still placed first—at least his first-place spot in math was rock solid.

Du Mingwei leaned over, quickly flipping through the pages: "Oh, I know. A book about hackers. I've seen it on Big Brother Lu's bookshelf."

Lu Shimian's older brother was indeed a hacker. Was Lu Shimian interested in that field as well?

Seeming to read her thoughts, Lu Shimian casually shoved the book back into his desk: "Bored. Just reading casually."

Ding Mi: "Can you even understand it?"

Lu Shimian cast a glance at her: "What do you think?"

Ding Mi smiled, her two small dimples impossibly sweet: "Of course you do."

Lu Shimian chuckled softly, the outer corners of his narrow single eyelids lifting slightly, radiating the spirited confidence of youth.

Ding Mi stared at him, dazed for a few seconds.

'Ah, she really was completely captivated by that face of his.'