When elementary school started, Ji Yanyi and Jiang Yuxu were in the same grade and class.
Bo Xin had recently bought new schoolbags and stationery.
Different kids, different styles.
Jiang Yuxu's preferences were remarkably calm—for such a young age, his consideration for practicality and durability was exactly like his father's.
Bo Xin lifted his bag from behind and found it quite heavy.
"Mom, I've brought everything too."
Bo Xin lifted Ji Yanyi's bag. It was also heavy, but not as heavy as Jiang Yuxu's.
Ji Yanyi stopped at the school gate and hugged her waist childishly. "Mom, I don't want to go to school."
Bo Xin hugged him back. Didn't want shots, didn't want school—Yanyi didn't want too many things.
She tucked the stray hair behind his ear.
"Didn't I say you want to impress everyone with your grades this time?"
Ji Yanyi was really fond of acting spoiled, but also easy to soothe.
His cheeks were thin, flushed with red.
As if already happy in advance.
Bo Xin rubbed her knuckles against his flushed cheek—an extremely affectionate gesture.
Jiang Yuxu glanced over. Bo Xin unceremoniously called him out. "You want one too?"
"No."
Jiang Yuxu had gotten used to affection these days, but asking for it himself was still too challenging.
His body was suddenly squeezed tight, firmly held in her arms.
Jiang Yuxu gently hugged back.
He thought, so what if he didn't initiate? His little secret was indulged, wasn't it?
Time was almost up. Jiang Yuxu suppressed a smile and said goodbye to Bo Xin.
The two were in the same class, so Ji Yanyi took the lead as guide.
He introduced the playground, the cafeteria, and his favorite parallel bars, where he liked to hang upside down to pass the time.
They ran into the class monitor midway, and he quickly hid behind Jiang Yuxu.
Jiang Yuxu's eye twitched. "Is it necessary to be that scared?"
Ji Yanyi grabbed his shirt, pulling him to a stop.
"Not scared, just guilty."
Jiang Yuxu licked the gap where a tooth had been pulled out, a bit impatient. If he knew he was guilty, why did he do so poorly before?
Was this the result of all the money the family had spent on his education?
He turned to look at him, saw the dependent expression, and his words sharply changed course. "Anyway, after the start-of-term test, it'll be different."
Ji Yanyi's heart jolted, because he had forgotten there was such a thing as a start-of-term exam.
How did Jiang Yuxu know about it?
He wasn't afraid of shots, wasn't afraid of school, and now he wasn't even afraid of exams. "Are you, like, a superman?"
Jiang Yuxu frowned, disliking the vague term. "What does that mean?"
Ji Yanyi gestured a big circle with his hands. "It's short for 'super powerful person.'"
Jiang Yuxu: "..."
What a waste of breath.
He strode ahead angrily, but Ji Yanyi's steps were longer, chasing after him relentlessly. In elementary school, his tall frame followed like a sidekick.
Gradually, Jiang Yuxu slowed down.
"So... is there nothing you're afraid of?"
Jiang Yuxu glanced at him. The memory of his hand trembling at the hospital was still fresh. Of course he had fears.
This beautiful life couldn't be allowed to break apart; he hadn't enjoyed it long enough.
But Ji Yanyi didn't need to know that.
So Jiang Yuxu calmly turned his head and said coldly, "No."
The bell rang. Jiang Yuxu and Ji Yanyi took their seats. Because Jiang Yuxu was a new student, he introduced himself.
'I come from the mountains, and I never gave up studying.' That one sentence was enough to be a model of perseverance.
Of course, his looks and name were also well-liked.
The classmates applauded. Ji Yanyi clapped the loudest, but he scratched his head, feeling that his younger brother seemed to have gained the good popularity he himself had lacked for a long time, all in one day.
The teacher asked Jiang Yuxu to choose a seat. He quickly raised his hand.