"What's wrong? Why are you reacting like this all of a sudden?"

"It's nothing, it's just that you changed your expression so quickly, I didn't have time to react."

I remember that whenever that girl was mentioned, Wen Mo would cross his arms like a haughty person and turn his face away.

Hmph! I don't like her at all!

(Blonde twin tails)

Fortunately, my buddy isn't arrogant anymore, which is a good thing. Being arrogant always leads to failure.

"Are you thinking about something really awful?" Wen Mo asked suspiciously.

"Uh...no, you're overthinking it."

"That's good, I almost poked your eyeball just now."

"Were you trying to do something so dangerous?!"

The two chatted for a while, their conversation revolving around the girl Wen Mo had mentioned. Qin Zhou was most curious about who the girl was and whether he knew her.

Of course, there are things Wenmer could never tell him, and no one could tell him either.

Because the seriousness of this matter is even more outrageous than imagined, if it were to be exposed, the consequences would be immeasurable.

At least Wenmo can imagine how interesting Qin Zhou's expression would be if he found out that the person he liked was his cousin.

"Then why don't you two get together? Isn't this great?" Qin Zhou offered advice as if nothing had happened, having already devoured most of the cake in his hand.

Upon hearing this, Wen Mo's eyes dimmed slightly.

He longed to be with Xia Lian openly and honestly, but he was ultimately unsure about the relationship between them, and Xia Lian's feelings remained unfathomable.

Even if we were lucky enough to date her... would it lead to anything? Would they keep it a secret or be open about it?

Wen Mo gripped his pants tightly, his face turning pale and then red. He dared not answer the question; this was a relationship with no future to begin with.

"Why did your expression suddenly turn so ugly?" Qin Zhou clapped his hands after finishing his cake, noticing the torment in Wen Mo's eyes.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt a little unwell, it's nothing serious."

After a long while, Wen Mo waved his hand with a smile, his trouser leg crumpled from his grip, but his expression was still unpleasant, and his brows were unconsciously furrowed slightly.

Seeing this, Qin Zhou seemed to realize something. He leaned closer, covered his mouth, and said, "She's not some rich girl, is she? Is that why you're suffering like this?"

He could already conjure up a cliché story of a poor boy falling in love with a rich girl... But this boy doesn't seem to be poor at all.

“…What are you thinking? It’s not that far-fetched,” Wen Mo said.

Let alone a rich young lady, Xia Lian's family situation was even worse than imagined, which is why her father brought her home.

"Then you're not good enough for her?"

"I don't think so..." Wen Mo hesitated.

He wasn't sure about the question because Xia Lian was indeed a very good girl, and to be honest, he might not be good enough for her.

"That girl isn't good enough for you?"

"Don't talk about her like that." Wen Mo frowned slightly and said angrily.

The two chatted for a long time but didn't get to the point, though they did eat quite a bit of cake.

Wen Mo leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head, his gloomy mood something no one else could sense.

The feeling of being so close yet so fragile made him feel suffocated and even wondered if things would have turned out better if he had fallen for her from the beginning.

Before Dad revealed that the two were cousins.

"I'm suddenly a little envious of you guys."

"What are you envious of?"

"It's perfectly normal to envy your relationship. If I could be a little more carefree, maybe I wouldn't have to think so much."

Wenmo looked up at the white ceiling. He longed to confide in someone, but couldn't find anyone to talk to.

Hmm...? Heartless?

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he jumped up from his seat, as if he had thought of someone he could confide in and would never tell anyone.

At the same time, a figure darted into the classroom like a rabbit, accompanied by a drawn-out shout.

"You two didn't even wait for me to finish your cake! That's so unfair!!"

Xiang Xiaonan pounced on the desk, grabbed a piece of cake and stuffed it into her mouth, her eyes smiling like two crescent moons.

"Put on gloves before you eat!"

...

On the other side.

A first-year high school classroom.

As soon as Xia Lian entered the classroom, she attracted a lot of attention. Two months had passed, and even though she was no longer noticeable, most of the students knew that there was a quiet, expressionless little beauty in the class.

"Xiao Lian is here so early today."

Yin Tao had been waiting beside her since early morning, smiling and sticking close to her. Xia Lian nodded and placed the box in her hand on the table.

"Huh? What's this?" Yin Tao asked curiously, leaning her face closer.

The next second, Xia Lian opened the box, revealing a cream cake studded with strawberries to the two little girls.

"Wow! A cake! Xiao Lian, where did you get this?" Yin Tao cupped her cheeks, her eyes shining brightly when she saw the cake.

"Yin Tao and Qing Zhou, eat together." Xia Lian's eyes were gentle as she pushed the cake in front of them. "Yesterday was my birthday, I think. Wen Mo bought a cake."

"Yesterday was your birthday?!"

Yin Tao stared wide-eyed in surprise, then immediately pouted and reached out to rub Xia Lian's little face, kneading it like clay.

"Really, they didn't even tell us. We didn't prepare any gifts." Her expression seemed a little displeased, and she finally let out a huff.

Xia Lian's face was rubbed so hard she couldn't speak, and her already expressionless face looked rather funny now.

"I forgot, it's my birthday, sorry..."

(I forgot it was my birthday, I'm sorry...)

It wasn't that I deliberately didn't tell them it was my birthday, but rather that even the birthday girl herself had forgotten about it until she saw the cake in Wenmo's hand after school yesterday.

However, Wenmo's own selfish motives were also hidden in this.

Since it was the first time celebrating Xia Lian's birthday, he preferred that it be just the two of them, so he deliberately didn't tell Yin Tao and the others.

Although she felt a little apologetic, Wenmo's possessiveness was much stronger than she had imagined.

Ye Qingzhou immediately understood what was going on and silently gave Wen Mo a thumbs up in his heart for his excellent action.

"Let's make up for the gift tomorrow?" Yin Tao said apologetically.

Hearing Yin Tao's words, Xia Lian gently shook her head without saying anything. She simply kept urging the two of them to eat cake, saying that they didn't need any gifts. She was already happy enough that they could be her friends.