CH 1

She was probably awakened by thirst.

Upon waking up, Xi Ning immediately felt an unbearable dryness in her throat. This feeling was not good, especially when she opened her eyes and found that the bedroom was still pitch black.

Xi Ning reached for her phone on the pillow, and the fingerprint sensor on the side button made a slight mechanical sound. The screen suddenly lit up, which was particularly dazzling in the thick darkness, causing her to squint.

The time was 00:30. For someone who was used to going to bed at ten and waking up at six even on weekends, waking up at this time was simply “going against the norm”.

After struggling on the soft bed for two seconds, Xi Ning opened the bedside lamp with a bit of resentment, lifted the quilt, put on her slippers, and opened the door to the room.

Half-squinting, maintaining a half-asleep and half-awake feeling, she walked forward in a daze. However, when she passed through the corridor, the light in the living room instantly dispelled most of her sleepiness.

When she saw the busy figure at the kitchen counter, she was completely awake.

Something was baking in the oven, there were several lumps of dough-like things on the table, as well as some molds, and a plate of oddly shaped cookies that looked like they were already burnt.

“What are you doing?” Xi Ning crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows incredulously.

Was she dreaming? Her lazy brother, who would wait until he had enough socks to wash for four days, was making cookies in the kitchen in the middle of the night.

As siblings, she didn’t remember him liking sweets, let alone getting up in the middle of the night to make them himself.

“Ding!” There was a crisp sound, and the figure was startled, the mold in his hand fell into the plate, and he turned around suddenly. After seeing Xi Ning’s face, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sis, why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night? You scared me!”

He lowered his voice, sneaked a peek at their parents’ room, saw that there was no movement, and then relaxed. “Keep your voice down, I waited until the middle of the night specifically so as not to disturb our parents.”

Xi Ning looked at her younger brother’s small white face, walked to the cabinet, took out a mug, and poured herself a glass of water from the water dispenser.

“So what are you doing in the middle of the night making snacks?”

She cleared her throat after taking a few sips of water.

Xi Mu stood behind the dining table, suddenly his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly picked up a piece of baked cookie, and smiled as he approached her, “You came just in time, help me taste this, will girls like it?”

Girls?

Xi Ning had a vague guess, and looked at the round “unidentifiable object” that was burnt or originally black, and turned her face away in disgust. “Make sure it’s edible first.”

“Ah? It seems like it’s a failure.” Xi Mu put down the cookie disappointedly, paused for a moment, and then took a few bites of the cookie himself. He pursed his lips and suddenly blushed, and even a visible blush appeared on his face.

In the middle of the night, it was enough to give someone goosebumps.

Putting down the mug in her hand, Xi Ning couldn’t help but look him up and down.

Xi Mu, her twin brother who was born just a few minutes later than her, was a sophomore in high school, 188 cm tall, inheriting the family’s tall and cold white skin. He had a narrow waist, long legs, and a small white face with red lips and white teeth. Coupled with those peach blossom eyes that were very charming when he smiled, he had received countless love letters since childhood.

It was the first time she had seen him go to such lengths, getting up in the middle of the night just to make cookies for a girl.

However…

Xi Ning finished her last sip of water, put down her cup, and got up to go back to her room to sleep.

She wasn’t interested in Xi Mu’s love life at all.

But Xi Mu stopped her: “Hey, sis, aren’t you curious about who these cookies are for?”

It didn’t matter who they were for, as long as she wasn’t the one being poisoned.

But seeing his persistent attitude, Xi Ning lazily sat back down in her chair and asked, “Oh, who?”

Xi Mu scratched his messy hair, looking embarrassed. “Actually, there’s nothing I can’t say. She’s in the same class as you, and I was hoping you could help me out.”

So that was his plan.

Xi Ning propped up her chin, her loose pajama sleeve sliding down to reveal her fair and slender wrist. She half-closed her eyes and said casually, “Do you still need help?”

Although Xi Mu wasn’t very good at academics and had little talent, his handsome face was very attractive during his hormone-fueled teenage years. In theory, it should be easier for him to pursue someone.

But seeing him like this, the other person was difficult to deal with. There were two possibilities: either the other person was much better than him, or the other person saw through his “handsome fool” facade and wasn’t interested in his type.

Xi Mu blushed even more. “She… she’s very outstanding. According to Chen Gou, she’s the most beautiful girl in your class.”

Xi Ning finally couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Do you know Kong Nianxi? Are you familiar with her?” Xi Mu tugged at his clothes, looking like a little wife. The name was so sacred that it seemed to take a lot of effort just to say it out loud.

But when Xi Ning heard those three words, she frowned uncomfortably.

How could they be familiar? Not only were they not familiar, but she was also the only classmate she had never communicated with.

Not that Xi Ning had any hostility or bias towards Kong Nianxi, but perhaps their auras didn’t match. Xi Ning always felt that she and Kong Nianxi were not from the same world, and in fact, they weren’t.

Kong Nianxi…

She was too famous. Even though Xi Ning didn’t like paying attention to these exaggerated rumors, she always heard gossip from Tu Xiaoyuan.

For example…

It was rumored that she changed boyfriends every week as if she was changing clothes;

It was said that some bad boys from other schools had approached her and waited for her at the school gate for a week, but she didn’t respond;

Some people said that two boys fought over her outside of school.

…

And so on.

She may be the girl who is very popular among boys, beautiful to the point of being dangerous, or she may be the green tea social butterfly who is complex and good at fishing people in the eyes of some people.

However, rumors are true and false, and when there are too many people spreading them, they become exaggerated.

Xi Ning has almost never had direct contact with Kong Nianxi, nor does she like to label others through rumors, so her impression of her does not involve praise or criticism, at most, she is just a famous ordinary classmate.

But what really impressed Xi Ning about this popular classmate and unilaterally determined that she was not of the same kind was another matter.

It was probably a Friday afternoon shortly after the start of school, and she passed by an alley outside the school after class.

In the dark and narrow alley, with the smell of smoke hanging in the air, two groups of tall and strong boys were aggressive, and the tense atmosphere was about to erupt into a fight at any moment. Among the group of tattooed and earring-wearing men holding cigarettes, Kong Nianxi stood in the middle, dressed in a neat school uniform and looking out of place.

“Let’s get started.” She looked down at her phone and casually spoke in a soft voice.

Two boys who were a head taller than her and had strong shoulders stepped forward with disgust on their faces, suddenly threw away their cigarettes and bricks, and then fiercely hugged each other with a loud “pop”.

“Next time you cause trouble, we’ll stare at each other face-to-face for ten minutes~”

Kong Nianxi’s laughter echoed in the alley.

Xi Ning, who unintentionally witnessed the entire process, had a new understanding of this classmate and put her on the “blacklist” of people to be respected and kept at a distance.

But even though they had little interaction in the same class, Xi Ning couldn’t ignore this name, because every month or even every week, the rankings of various subjects would be posted on the back wall, and she could always see Kong Nianxi’s name next to hers.

Surrounded by crowds, busy with socializing, and seemingly not caring about studying, her grades in all subjects were not bad, not bad at all, even excellent – in fact, based on grades alone, she was one of the top ten students in the grade.

Perhaps the other party never paid attention to these things, but when Xi Ning occasionally saw her single-subject grades being surpassed, she couldn’t help but care.

“Sis, my dear sis, you were in the same class as her. You could at least talk to her, right?” Xi Ning, who had a calculating expression on her face, looked up at her and smiled. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I really didn’t know her well enough to even have a conversation with her. I’m going back to my room to sleep. Good night.”

The next day was Sunday, and as a semi-closed school, Qingye Private School had a mandatory dormitory requirement on the surface. After the weekend ended, students had to return to the dormitory on Sunday evening. At four o’clock in the afternoon, Ms. Xu couldn’t wait to drive them back to school. She had put on her favorite dress and had exquisite makeup, and she would have a sweet date with Mr. Xi in the evening.

“I’ve already transferred your living expenses for this month. Please restrain yourselves from spending too much. I won’t overdraft anyone before the end of the month,” Ms. Xu said as she drove.

“Got it,” Xi Ning lazily replied from the back seat, holding his NS in his hand and staring at the game character without looking away. “Sis, it has been years, and you still haven’t unlocked your Four Divine Beasts?”

Xi Ning sat in the passenger seat, her gaze drawn back from the lively street scene outside the window, and turned her head to glance at him expressionlessly. “If you don’t want to play, give it back to me.”

Xi Ning knew she wouldn’t ask for it back, so he grinned and said, “Anyway, it’s just collecting dust in your room. My screen was broken by Chen Gou, so let me borrow it to play at school for a couple of days.”

This kid, relying on being born a few minutes later than her, had taken things from her since childhood, hadn’t he? Xi Ning couldn’t be bothered to deal with him and turned back to look out the window.

“Oh, Xi Mu, you overdrew five hundred last month, so it will be deducted directly from this month’s allowance,” Ms. Xu suddenly added.

The back seat immediately erupted in wails.

“What? No way, Mom…”

“I told you I don’t like that title. It makes me look old.”

“Okay… Ms. Xu.”

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“No… nothing.”

Xi Ning couldn’t help but laugh.

After dropping them off by the school gate, Ms. Xu confidently stepped on the gas and drove away. As soon as they got out of the car, the enticing smells of various foods filled their noses. There were all kinds of food trucks parked along the wide street, and students were bustling about.

This area was once a field on the outskirts of the city before it was developed into a school. After the new campuses of the Fourth and Eleventh High school were built, the area gradually became lively. Later, the prestigious private school, Qingye High School, was also built here, which further increased the economic value of the street.

The three schools were almost next to each other, and to solidify their reputation as “elite schools,” the front gate of Qingye High School was grandiose, while the other two schools looked relatively shabby. Although it was still early, it was the peak time for students to return to school, and the street was already congested with traffic.

Xi Ning pulled her suitcase and walked towards the school gate. The closer she got to the gate, the more people there were. Feeling the occasional glances cast her way, she tightened her grip on the suitcase handle and quickened her pace. Every time she walked with Xi Mu, she would receive double the attention, and she didn’t like that feeling. Xi Mu seemed to enjoy it.

Although they were twins raised by the same parents, their personalities were completely different.

“Ugh… your face is too eye-catching. Every time I walk with you, I’m forced to endure the stares of those boys.”

He was actually complaining first?

Xi Ning stopped and turned around, coldly snorting, “But don’t you like being the center of attention?”

“Who wants attention from boys?..”

Xi Mu complained, wanting to say more, but the next second, his expression changed, and he suddenly grabbed her clothes corner, looking nervous.

Xi Ning frowned and disdainfully slapped his hand away. “What’s wrong?”

“Kong… Kong…”

Seeing him so nervous that he couldn’t even speak properly, Xi Ning followed his gaze and turned to look. She didn’t have to search for long before her eyes locked on the tall figure in the crowd, who was too eye-catching to miss.

Although they had never spoken, as classmates who saw each other every day, even in a blurry class photo, she could still be stunned by the face of this person who was so strikingly beautiful.

It was Kong Nianxi, no doubt about it.

She left and ignored Xi Mu’s incessant chatter, heading straight back to her room.