River City First High School.
This is the best high school in all of River City.
A month ago, the Math Olympiad was held here, but then a series of incidents happened—several contestants got hurt, and even Mr. Victor Qin ended up injured and hospitalized.
And on top of that, one of the students at First High, Gavin Duan, just vanished without a trace.
Adding to the chaos, several mummified corpses have turned up on River City's streets, leaving the whole city shrouded in suspicion and everyone on edge.
Oddly enough, the second-year student everyone worried most about—Jill Jing—has become the center of attention. People keep wondering if she’s sad or upset about Gavin Duan’s disappearance. But she’s been totally calm every day.
The things she talks about most are eating, checking answers, and drinking cola.
Every morning, Jill Jing shows up in class hugging her favorite big bottle of cola, focused on her homework. Plenty of boys who secretly like her haven’t had the heart to take advantage of the situation.
Back when Gavin Duan was around, everyone could see how he treated Jill Jing.
Sure, Gavin Duan had a habit of beating people up for no reason sometimes, but after a fight, he’d still laugh and call you brother, drinking together like nothing happened. He was the type who kept things fair and square.
The dismissal bell rings.
Jill Jing takes a big swig of cola, then twists the cap onto her half-empty bottle, packs up her little backpack, slings it on, hugs her big bottle of cola, and walks out of the classroom.
"Qu Yao, your friend—Evan Lin, right? Where did he go lately? I haven’t seen him at all. There’s been zero news from that guy."
Nina Pei, just coming down after school with her single-strap backpack, heads downstairs with Claire Sheng.
She glances at Jill Jing up ahead, hugging her giant cola. Jill’s pretty short, and as she hops down the stairs, she looks just like a bunny—every time she jumps, her little ponytail bounces right along with her.
"No idea. I asked my dad, but apparently he hasn’t come home either. Heard he went somewhere to have fun." Claire Sheng shakes her head, a trace of sadness flickering across her face.
Back at the Zuo family’s place, that boy took down a vicious dog bare-handed and went head-to-head with Drake Huang. That proud, solitary scene is still vivid in my mind.
Lately, Claire Sheng keeps dreaming about that boy called Evan Lin.
But even in her dreams, Evan Lin is always just as cool and distant, as if nothing in this world could ever catch his attention or interest.
After Claire Sheng and Nina Pei left the Zuo family that day, there’s been no word of Evan Lin.
Claire Sheng even worked up the courage to call Evan Lin once, but nobody picked up.
"Went out to play? Where’d he go, anyway?" Nina Pei asks absentmindedly.
They come down the steps and walk out of the teaching building. The marble pavement ahead is smooth and neat, leading straight to the gate of River City First High.
After school every day, a crowd of parents gathers outside the River City First High gate to pick up their kids—pretty much everyone drives here.
Nina Pei is 1.75 meters tall, with a long, slender figure that makes her stand out in any crowd of students.
Especially since she does yoga after school, her body is full of the energy and charm a teenage girl should have. Just walking out of the building, she draws more looks than most girls get in their entire high school career.
Usually, at this time, Nina Pei would sneak glances around to see if any of the school’s hottest boys were checking her out.
If she spotted one, she’d feel extra proud and smug inside.
But ever since she met Evan Lin—first at Sunwave Bluebay, where he kicked her out with that mysterious VIP membership, and then at the Zuo family, when vicious dogs attacked and he swooped in like a god—her standards have changed.
That moment shook Nina Pei to her core—nothing else compares.
After that, whenever she noticed some school heartthrob sneaking glances at her after class, Nina Pei just didn’t feel proud anymore.
Life suddenly lost a lot of its fun.
Nina Pei feels a bit down.
"I wouldn’t know, but Xiaonan, I think you’ve fallen for him."
Claire Sheng walks quietly along. Today she’s wearing a white dress, hugging her books to her chest, her hair down, her face still that doll-like, delicate look—so petite it makes people want to protect her. When she speaks, her voice is soft.
Nina Pei’s steps falter a little; her usual careless face flashes with surprise and panic. She quickly shakes her head. "No way! Why would I like that guy? He’s totally rude! Back at Sunwave Bluebay, he kicked us all out!"
So uncivilized! How could I possibly like him? He’s just some kid from a rural county, and he only goes to River City No. 2 High School, anyway.
Nina Pei tries to sound calm, rattling off complaints, but the more she talks, the more her voice gets soft and uncertain—even she can hear it.
Her eyes drift unconsciously to the petite figure up ahead—Jill Jing, with her little backpack and big cola—and for some reason, she feels a bit lost.
"How could it be? If a boy can make both you and me feel something, he can’t be as hopeless as you say." Claire Sheng shakes her head, sighing softly. Thought flickers in her eyes. "Honestly, the first time I saw him, I thought he was just totally ordinary—so much so he barely existed. But even so, he gave off this calm, reassuring vibe."
"It’s like he deliberately tries to seem ordinary."
Claire Sheng tilts her head, thinking back. "It was at the hospital, by my dad’s bed. He came with Uncle Chen, didn’t get much attention, even got yelled at, but he didn’t get mad. Any other kid would’ve lost their temper by then."
"He’s actually really well-mannered—at least, more than most people. He knows what he should do, and he’s never arrogant or combative like other kids his age."
Claire Sheng sighs softly. "Xiaonan, you don’t have to hide it from me. I’m not mad. If someone I like is liked by others too, sure, it’s hard that he’s not just mine, but mostly I’d feel proud."
"At least it means I’ve got good taste."
Claire Sheng smiles. The camphor trees cast dappled shadows across the campus. Up ahead, Jill Jing turns around, eyes wide as she glances back at Claire Sheng and Nina Pei, then grins but says nothing.
Jill Jing looks out past the campus gates, and suddenly her eyes light up. She jogs forward quickly.
She spots a boy standing not far away. After a moment’s hesitation and a flicker of struggle in her eyes, she carefully unscrews her big cola bottle, pours a little into the cap, lifts her head, and offers it to him.
"Here, have a drink!"