The two of them were walking through the Shopping Mall.
Suddenly, Li Sitong stopped in her tracks.
She spotted an adorable pink plush toy.
It wasn't big—just the right size to hold in her hand.
The little thing was way too cute.
Noticing Li Sitong's gaze, Ye Chen paused as well.
"Boss, how much is this?"
"Twenty-five."
"Mm, I'll take it."
Li Sitong stood there, stunned.
"Ye Chen."
"Here, for you."
Ye Chen placed the plush toy in front of Li Sitong, smiling cheerfully.
Li Sitong stared at the toy, dumbfounded.
Ye Chen's actually giving me a gift?
In three years as deskmates, Ye Chen had only ever given her a single Ballpoint Pen—and even that one stopped writing after a few days.
"Thank you."
Li Sitong accepted the plush toy, overjoyed.
She suddenly realized the toy looked so cute—its soft, innocent face reminded her a little of Ye Chen.
"Right, from now on I'll call you Chenchen."
A mischievous grin crept across her lips as she gave the toy a firm squeeze.
While squeezing it, Li Sitong shot Ye Chen a wicked smile.
It was as if she were pinching Ye Chen's cheeks flat.
"All right, time to head home; it's getting late," Ye Chen said with a smile.
School had ended after five. They grabbed dinner and strolled around; it was already eight.
"Okay."
Li Sitong nodded, but inside she panicked.
Her bike key was still with Yu Weiwei.
What am I going to do when we reach the bike rack?
Ahh, ahh, ahh!
Yu Weiwei, you traitor of a best friend!
Li Sitong gave Chenchen another fierce squeeze.
Somehow, her nerves eased a bit.
Thinking about sitting on Ye Chen's crossbar soon, Li Sitong's heart fluttered uncontrollably.
After all, sitting on the crossbar meant almost no space between them—basically Ye Chen would be holding her.
Will he think I'm not being reserved enough?
Right now they're still just ordinary classmates.
Walking along, Li Sitong wrestled with her thoughts.
Li Sitong realized that ever since she started liking Ye Chen, she'd changed completely.
She was no longer that aloof, confident school flower.
"Si Tong, what are you standing there spacing out for? Unlock your bike."
At the parking lot, Ye Chen glanced at Li Sitong standing blankly to the side.
"I… I…"
Li Sitong squeezed Chenchen hard again; her nerves seemed to calm a little.
"I—I lost my bike key."
Gathering every ounce of courage, Li Sitong blurted it out, face scarlet.
She never lied, so this first fib had her trembling.
She had no choice—she couldn't exactly tell Ye Chen that Yu Weiwei had swiped the key on purpose to give them some alone time.
So, she told what she considered a white lie.
Ye Chen studied Li Sitong.
She kept her head down, cheeks blazing red.
The plush toy in her hand was squashed flat, sprang back, then got squashed again.
Man, that poor plush toy!
Ye Chen had no idea Li Sitong had mentally turned the toy into him.
"Bike key's lost?"
Seeing Li Sitong's nervous look, Ye Chen already guessed what was up.
Li Sitong nodded.
"Mm, I can't find it anywhere."
Fighting down her panic, she gave the toy another squeeze and bobbed her head rapidly.
"All right, hop on; I'll give you a ride home."
Ye Chen patted the crossbar, looking at Li Sitong's flushed face.
Since Li Sitong and company had already set this up, refusing would be impolite.
Key lost?
Hah!
He'd used that exact trick back in middle school.
To strike up a conversation with a classmate, he'd claimed his tire had gone flat.
The girl lived close to school—only a ten-minute walk.
They chatted all the way to her house and had a great talk about life.
Just as Ye Chen was about to leave, the girl told him to wait.
She whipped out a Bike Pump, stuck it on, and started pumping—no questions asked.
A few strokes later—
Bang!
The tire burst!
The embarrassment was seared into Ye Chen's memory; he wasn't about to let Li Sitong feel awkward too.
Yep—dear author lived that scene; it was mortifying!
Ye Chen was sure this wasn't Li Sitong's idea—it had Yu Weiwei written all over it.
Though Li Sitong liked him, her personality would never allow such a scheme.
Add in Li Sitong's anxious expression, and it had to be Yu Weiwei's mischief.
Still, Li Sitong had chosen to stay, meaning she'd already agreed in her heart.
So of course Ye Chen wasn't going to let her down.
"But… sitting on the crossbar feels too intimate."
"After all, we're only ordinary classmates, right?"
Li Sitong deliberately stressed the words "ordinary classmates."
She was hinting at Ye Chen.
Her beautiful eyes gazed at him expectantly.
"It's fine; we're deskmates—closer than ordinary classmates to begin with!" Ye Chen said with perfect seriousness.
Ye Chen knew exactly what Li Sitong was angling for.
She kept saying "ordinary classmates" because she wanted him to confess first.
Once Ye Chen confessed, she could accept, and they'd officially become a couple.
Then she could sit on the crossbar as his girlfriend.
But why on earth would Ye Chen confess first?
Wasn't it sweeter to enjoy the aloof school flower chasing him?
If anyone was going to confess, it would be Li Sitong.
Hearing Ye Chen's dead-serious answer, Li Sitong felt deflated.
"Blockhead."
Li Sitong squashed Chenchen mercilessly flat.
Watching the plush toy in her hands, Ye Chen inexplicably felt a twinge of pain.
Little did Li Sitong know Ye Chen had already seen through her little scheme.
If she had, she wouldn't be pinching the plush toy—she'd be pinching Ye Chen himself.
"All right, it's really late; hop on, I'll take you home."
Seeing Li Sitong's mix of shyness and frustration, Ye Chen felt delighted.
Li Sitong looked utterly adorable right now.
Compared with her usual cool demeanor at school, perhaps this was the real her.
"O-okay…"
Realizing Ye Chen wouldn't confess, Li Sitong gave up and, dejected, slowly sat on the crossbar.
Ye Chen mounted the bike, leaned slightly forward, and gripped the handlebars.
Instantly their bodies pressed almost tightly together.
It felt exactly as if Ye Chen were hugging her.
Feeling Ye Chen's warmth, Li Sitong's cheeks burned even redder.
Her little heart pounded so hard it felt ready to leap out of her chest.
At the same time, an indescribable feeling began to spread through her.
This feeling was pure bliss!
"Is this what it feels like to like a boy?"