The spring chill was still in the air.

Early morning on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The hustle and bustle of last night has subsided, but the house is still filled with the faint aroma of food and the lingering smell of firecrackers.

Sister Jin and Qin Zhou had stayed up all night and were still fast asleep in their warm beds; the room was quiet.

Qi Shuo habitually gets up early and is washing up in the bathroom. The cold water splashing on his face dispels the last trace of sleepiness.

Xiao Jue also woke up and quietly tidied up the mess left after last night's revelry. He gathered several empty beverage bottles and snack wrappers into a trash bag and prepared to go out and throw them away.

He opened the door, and the crisp, fresh morning air rushed in instantly.

Just as he bent down to pick up the trash bag placed at the door, his gaze inadvertently swept over the doormat by the door, and he stopped in his tracks.

A small, exquisitely packaged, dark blue velvet box lay there quietly, standing out starkly against the dusty gray floor mat.

Xiao Jue frowned, bent down, and picked up the box. The box was very light, and there were no cards or tags on it. He hesitated for a moment, then gently opened it.

A fountain pen lay quietly on a black velvet lining. The pen body was a low-key matte black, the clip had smooth lines, and the design was simple yet sophisticated, clearly indicating its high value.

Almost instantly, Xiao Jue guessed who the gift-giver was. The only person who could quietly appear outside their door on New Year's Eve and deliver such a thoughtful yet restrained gift could only be Tan Huaiyu.

He could almost see that slender boy standing alone in the cold stairwell on a chilly night when families were reunited, listening to the lively chatter inside that didn't belong to him, and finally just gently placing this carefully chosen "gift" at the door before silently leaving.

Xiao Jue sighed softly to himself, his emotions a jumble of feelings. He closed the box, made no sound, took it into the room, and placed it directly on the bedside table in Qi Shuo's bedroom.

Some things require the person involved to face and deal with them themselves. He picked up the trash bag, gently closed the door, and went downstairs.

After washing up, Qi Shuo returned to his room and immediately noticed the unfamiliar box. He picked it up, opened it, and a clear look of confusion flashed in his eyes when he saw the fountain pen inside.

Who would give him a fountain pen? And on the first day of the new year, in such a quiet way?

He picked up the pen, the cool metallic touch spreading along his fingertips. He stroked the pen, a few vague thoughts flashing through his mind, which he then dismissed one by one.

In the end, he didn't delve into it. He simply put the pen back in the box, closed it, opened the desk drawer, and stuffed it into the innermost part.

It's as if this way, the inexplicable trouble can be sealed away.

The remaining time of winter break flowed by in a lazy yet busy rhythm. Qi Shuo kept his promise and began tutoring Qin Zhou in English. Two hours every day, without fail.

Qin Zhou initially tried to act spoiled and coquettish, but Qi Shuo stared at her with a blank but unusually firm gaze, so she could only wail as she picked up her vocabulary book and grammar exercises.

All those grand pronouncements about "not being able to study during a perfect holiday" have long been forgotten under the "iron-fisted" policies of their own brother Shuo.

"Brother Shuo...please spare me...this tense doesn't recognize me!" Qin Zhou slumped on the table, groaning weakly.

Qi Shuo remained unmoved and tapped the workbook with his pen: "Subjunctive mood, used incorrectly here. Try again."

"Ah—!" Qin Zhou let out a scream, which made Sister Jin and Xiao Jue, who were watching TV in the living room, chuckle.

Besides tutoring Qin Zhou, Qi Shuo did something else important—he took advantage of the time before the restaurant reopened to enroll in a driving school and passed all the tests on his first try with amazing efficiency and composure, successfully obtaining his driver's license.

Sister Jin's somewhat old car finally found a more frequent use. It would be much more convenient for picking up and dropping off Qin Zhou at school, or for any emergencies at home.

Happy times always pass too quickly, and winter break is almost over.

Qin Zhou, who confidently declared before the holiday, "What homework? It doesn't exist!" was finally dumbfounded three days before school started, faced with a mountain of test papers and workbooks.

He looked miserable, clutching his notebook, and pitifully glanced at Qi Shuo, then at Xiao Jue.

"Brother Shuo... Brother Xiao Jue... Help me..."

Qi Shuo and Xiao Jue exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness on each other's faces, as if they had "already expected this to happen."

Both of them had solemnly declared that they would never help with homework, but seeing Qin Zhou's aggrieved look as if the world was ending, they eventually softened.

"This is a one-time exception." Qi Shuo said sternly, taking away the Chinese and English homework.

"Just this once." Xiao Jue sighed and resignedly took away the math and biology books.

Qin Zhou himself was responsible for tackling physics and chemistry, which were his biggest headaches.

So, in the last few days of the holiday, the scene at home became: Qi Shuo and Xiao Jue occupied the two sides of the desk, buried in their books, one analyzing reading comprehension and the other calculating geometric proofs; Qin Zhou sat cross-legged on the sofa, scratching his head at the physics circuit diagram, occasionally groaning, "Why doesn't this current flow the way I want it to!"

Meanwhile, the matriarch, Sister Jin, sat happily to the side, snacking and watching a family drama on TV, occasionally offering her comments, completely ignoring the miserable state of the three people next to her who were "cramming at the last minute."

At 11 p.m. on the eve of the start of school, the three of them finally finished all their homework together. Qin Zhou slumped onto the sofa, let out a long sigh, and felt completely drained.

Jin Jie then leisurely picked up the remote control, changed the channel, and casually tossed out a sentence: "Oh, all done? Don't worry, I won't check your homework when school starts."

Qin Zhou, who was lying paralyzed, Qi Shuo, who was rubbing his sore wrists, and Xiao Jue, who was pressing his temples, all froze at the same time and looked at Sister Jin, who had an innocent look on her face.

Qin Zhou: "...Sister Jin! Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Qi Shuo/Xiao Jue: "..." (A sense of being tricked and speechless filled the air)

Sister Jin blinked innocently: "I saw you guys were really engrossed in your work, so I didn't want to disturb you."

The three of them: "..."

The first day of school has finally arrived.

Early in the morning, Jin Jie's car was packed. Qi Shuo was in the driver's seat, Jin Jie was in the passenger seat, and in the back seat were Qin Zhou, who was yawning and looked "life is meaningless," and Xiao Jue, who was accompanying him back to school.

The car stopped in front of the imposing gate of Beicheng No.1 Middle School. The school gate was bustling with people, full of returning students and parents seeing them off, brimming with the vibrancy of the new semester, but also filled with the lament of the holiday ending.

Qin Zhou slowly unbuckled his seatbelt, muttering, "Why is winter break so short... I don't want to go to school..."

Sister Jin chuckled and patted him on the shoulder: "Hurry up and get out of the car! Stop dawdling!"

Just then, Sister Jin, with her sharp eyes, pointed to one side of the school gate: "Hey, Xiao Zhou, look! Isn't that your Xiao Yun Gui?"

Qin Zhou, who had been looking dejected just moments before, suddenly seemed to have been activated, his head snapping up and his eyes lighting up instantly.

Sure enough, Song Yungui, dressed in a neat school uniform, was standing quietly not far away, her white hair standing out in the morning light, as if she were waiting for him.

"Song Yungui!" Qin Zhou cheered, immediately opened the car door, and like a bird released from its cage, rushed over and hugged Song Yungui tightly in front of many classmates. He rubbed his head against Song Yungui's neck and said in a coquettish tone, "Song Yungui! Recharge! I missed you so much during the whole holiday."

Song Yungui was knocked back a step by his bump, a blush rising on her fair face, but her light blue eyes were full of indulgence and laughter. She gently hugged him back and whispered, "Yes, I missed you too."

Sister Jin leaned out of the car window, both amused and exasperated, and reminded them, "Hey! You two, be mindful of your behavior, we're still at the school gate."

Sitting in the car, Xiao Jue and Qi Shuo couldn't help but laugh at the scene. The undisguised dependence and joy of young people are always particularly infectious.

At this moment, Xiao Jue also saw another figure—Lin Ye was carrying a schoolbag and walking alone along the roadside, his expression as indifferent as ever. Xiao Jue thought of the "big gift" Qin Zhou had bought, smiled and shook his head, picked up the heavy bag on the back seat with the eye-catching words "Five Years of College Entrance Examination, Three Years of Simulation" printed on it, got out of the car and walked over.

"Linye."

Lin Ye stopped in his tracks and saw Xiao Jue and the very familiar bag in his hand. His brows immediately furrowed, and he had a bad feeling.

"Here you go, a New Year's gift. Qin Zhou picked it out especially for you." Xiao Jue suppressed a smile and handed over the bag.

Lin Ye took the bag, opened it, and saw a brand new set of "53" textbooks.

His face darkened instantly. He looked up to find the culprit and saw Qin Zhou, who was still clinging to Song Yungui and grinning as he looked this way.

"Qin—Zhou—!" Lin Ye practically spat out the two words through gritted teeth, so angry he wanted to rush over immediately.

Qin Zhou quickly buried her face in Song Yungui's shoulder, pretending not to see it.

Xiao Jue, along with Qi Shuo and Sister Jin in the car, burst into laughter at Lin Ye's embarrassed and helpless expression. The morning of the first day of school was filled with vitality because of this familiar laughter and banter.

Qi Shuo finished laughing, his gaze casually sweeping over the noisy crowd, and then the smile on his lips slowly faded.

Under the sycamore trees on the other side of the school gate, a familiar figure stood quietly. Tan Huaiyu wore a well-tailored long white down jacket, her figure slender and upright, like a proud magnolia in the early spring chill.

He didn't talk to anyone, he just quietly looked in this direction, or rather, he looked at Qi Shuo.

His gaze was complex, lacking the calmness he had shown at the restaurant last time, and the timidity he displayed when placing the gift. Instead, it held a kind of... almost greedy stare, as if trying to etch the smile that had not yet completely faded from Qi Shuo's face into his heart.

In those eyes, there was an undisguised envy, a deep sadness that seemed to originate from the soul, and a trace of... barely perceptible, humble plea like gazing at the stars.

Qi Shuo's smile vanished completely, his usual composure gone. He met Tan Huaiyu's gaze silently across the bustling crowd. An invisible tension seemed to tighten in the air.

Why is he here? Is it just a coincidence, or... is he waiting for something?

What did he mean by giving her that pen? Was it to curry favor? Feeling guilty? Or something else?

Every time Qi Shuo looked at this boy, he could never understand what he was thinking. What did he want by appearing again and again?

Qi Shuo didn't know.

All he knew was that, looking into Tan Huaiyu's eyes, which were filled with a complex mix of emotions, his heart, which had been somewhat relieved by the laughter and merriment of the morning, slowly sank again, carrying a strange, sluggish heaviness.

The new semester has begun, and the tangled web of their relationship seems to have quietly turned a new page with this silent exchange of glances.