"Be careful when playing basketball! You could easily hurt someone!"

Seeing her deskmate almost get hit, Liu Xiazhi couldn't help but speak sternly to the boy who retrieved the basketball.

The boy holding the ball wanted to argue back, but one look at Liu Xiazhi's scrutinizing gaze made his words turn into an apology instead.

"S-sorry..."

After receiving the apology, Liu Xiazhi released Chi Xiaoxiao's hand that she'd been holding. Before she could check the girl's expression, her eyes caught sight of a packet of instant noodles and spicy sticks scattered on the ground nearby.

After a brief moment of surprise, she quickly bent down to pick them up, dusting them off with her hand.

"Good thing you hadn't started eating these yet, or they'd be wasted on the ground."

"I..."

"Let's go back to the classroom first."

Without waiting to hear what Chi Xiaoxiao wanted to say, Liu Xiazhi stuffed the retrieved snacks back into her hands and they left the sports field together, leaving only the basketball-holding boy standing there.

With his sunny, handsome looks, while not every girl liked him, he'd certainly never been ignored like this before. His gaze followed the two receding figures, his mind replaying how Chi Xiaoxiao had looked at Liu Xiazhi earlier.

Tilting his head slightly, his expression filled with confusion.

"What strange girls..."

Back in the classroom, the two sat quietly at their desks. For some reason, Chi Xiaoxiao stopped talking after returning and just held the snacks Liu Xiazhi had bought her, looking preoccupied.

Liu Xiazhi didn't seem to notice this. Having already finished her spicy sticks on the field, she eagerly opened her instant noodles before class started, crushing them and adding a bit of seasoning before tightly closing the bag and shaking it vigorously.

The noise brought Chi Xiaoxiao back to reality. She quietly watched Liu Xiazhi beside her - how she opened the noodle bag, pinched out a piece to eat, then happily chewed with a smile.

Watching her profile...

Her expression...

Her smile...

As she watched, Chi Xiaoxiao suddenly froze, her brows slightly furrowing. For some reason, Liu Xiazhi's smiling face looked strangely familiar.

It seemed... she'd seen it somewhere before.

Once this thought took root in her mind, it grew rapidly like a towering tree. With each passing moment, this feeling grew stronger.

Watching her deskmate crunch the noodles loudly...

Seeing her satisfied expression...

Finally, the puzzled Chi Xiaoxiao spoke up.

"Um... Liu Xiazhi..."

"Just call me Xiazhi! My full name sounds so formal!"

Hearing her deskmate address her, Liu Xiazhi quickly swallowed her mouthful of noodles before responding.

"What's up? Something wrong?"

"Well..." Chi Xiaoxiao hesitated before asking curiously,

"Have we... met somewhere before?"

"......"

The question made Liu Xiazhi freeze. Her gaze focused intently on Chi Xiaoxiao's face.

After a long look, she shook her head.

"We didn't go to the same middle school, so probably not..."

"But I don't know why, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Especially when you smiled just now..."

"Really?"

Hearing this, Liu Xiazhi paused before forcing an awkward fake smile.

"Like this?"

"Not that stiff kind of smile."

"Then like this?"

"No, your mouth wasn't that wide open..."

"This is so weird... What kind of smile looks familiar to you?"

"It's like..."

Unable to describe it, Chi Xiaoxiao raised both hands to gesture at her own face.

"It's when you smile, your eyes look really nice, with the corners of your mouth slightly upturned - sweet and cute looking."

"......"

Liu Xiazhi watched Chi Xiaoxiao poke at her own cheeks to mimic this strange expression...

I smile... like that creepy?

I'm never smiling again!

Seeing Liu Xiazhi's suddenly serious expression, a confused Chi Xiaoxiao was about to ask more when the bell rang, signaling the end of break time.

As other students streamed back into the classroom, Chi Xiaoxiao quickly sat up straight and prepared her textbooks. But unlike usual, she didn't focus on the lesson.

Instead, she kept sneaking glances at her deskmate...

This person who seemed so familiar...

Where... had she seen her before?

————————————

Chen Jianguo came storming in.

Still spry despite his age, three days after his son fled home, the old man finally marched into Liu Changqing's house with a dark expression. Without a word, he delivered a fatherly beating with his iron fists.

Fortunately, the children were all at school, so Liu Changqing was the sole witness to this bloody scene. He made no move to intervene.

If anything, he wanted to cheer Chen Jianguo on. After all... he'd grown tired of Chen Dafu's constant ramblings these past days about becoming in-laws and strengthening family ties.

Having disciplined his son, Chen Jianguo seemed much more at ease and prepared to drag Dafu home for further lecturing. But just before leaving, for reasons unknown, Chen Dafu whispered something in his father's ear that Liu Changqing couldn't hear.

Then... Chen Jianguo's eyes lit up.

Both father and son turned their gazes on Liu Changqing, sending chills down his spine.

"You two..."

"Xiao Liu!"

Chen Jianguo took the lead, approaching Liu Changqing and patting his shoulder like a kindly elder. With a beaming smile, he asked:

"Dafu tells me your two younger sons are quite handsome..."

"!!!"

"What a coincidence! My three granddaughters are lovely too. Given your close relationship with Dafu, how about..."

"......"

Liu Changqing stared blankly at the father-son pair before him. Images of his two handsome sons flashed through his mind...

The superior Liu family genes...

His face stiffened into a forced smile.

Looking at the Chens, Liu Changqing managed to say:

"Uncle... I'm feeling a bit dizzy and need to rest. You two should head home first."