I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

Three days until the graduation party.

Jiang Ye got up at 6:30 as usual and glanced at himself in the mirror while brushing his teeth.

A ten-year-old's face, with a faint bluish tint under his eyes.

Xu Zhiyu's matter kept him awake at night last night.

But it's okay. In my past life, I could get up at 3 a.m. to continue fixing bugs even if I had to work overtime. This is nothing.

When she went out, Ji Xiaoxiao was already waiting downstairs, with half a bun in her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster hoarding food, and her cheeks were hot.

"Ah Ye—"

"Cheer up before you speak."

Ji Xiaoxiao swallowed hard twice and cleared her throat: "A-Ye, are you going to the music room again today?"

"go."

"Then I'll bring you lunch. The cafeteria has Kung Pao Chicken today."

"OK."

Jiang Ye took out a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Ji Xiaoxiao.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and then her mouth with a bold gesture, but her chubby cheeks made her movements look extremely cute.

Ji Xiaoxiao has a very outgoing personality, but her appearance is surprisingly cute and soft.

With a round face, big eyes, cherry lips, short hair that reaches her ears, and a plump figure, she looks like a little girl straight out of an anime.

Jiang Ye inexplicably thought of Ji Xiaoxiao from his past life.

At that time, Ji Xiaoxiao, who was in junior high school, had already grown into a graceful young woman, but her appearance was not as dashing as she had imagined; instead, she was still cute and adorable.

Years of martial arts training have kept her from being thin; on the contrary, she is quite muscular, and beneath that white flesh lies powerful muscle.

Although he is only 1.6 meters tall, he can easily take on several big men by himself when it comes to fighting.

This was the kind of violent little girl who played games with him every day, and he watched various criminal cases with her every day.

Back then, all he heard about were murder cases and dismemberment cases, which almost gave him nightmares at night.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ye's eyes softened.

He had always remained indifferent to Ji Xiaoxiao's enthusiasm.

But in fact, he has always been grateful that there is someone who can always stay by his side.

"Did you go for a run today too?"

Speaking of this, Ji Xiaoxiao pouted, looking aggrieved.

"Dad says I've gained weight and need to lose it, otherwise it won't be good for my martial arts practice, so he makes me run along the riverbank every morning before dawn! It's making me sleep-deprived."

The route from Ji Xiaoxiao's house to school wasn't actually on the same route as Jiang Ye's, but she still insisted on running to his building every day to wait for him.

Now the reasons are even more compelling.

"Ah Ye, where am I fat? I'm not fat at all, okay?"

Jiang Ye couldn't help but pinch her chubby cheeks, while his other hand quietly slipped into her pocket and took out a few candies and an egg tart.

"Yes, you're not fat at all."

"Then I'll gladly accept these things. Uncle Ji specifically told me to keep an eye on your diet and eat less junk food."

Ji Xiaoxiao's eyes widened immediately.

"Jiang Ye! You traitor!! Give it back to me!!"

"No! I won't give it to you!!"

Jiang Ye, taking advantage of his long arms, held the egg tarts and candies high in the air, while Ji Xiaoxiao jumped around anxiously, like a squirrel that couldn't reach the pine cones.

"Jiang Ye! Give me back!"

"I must obey Uncle Ji's orders."

Jiang Ye smiled, dodging her "salty hands" while still trying to annoy her.

"Besides, you ate two steamed buns, a tea egg, and drank a large cup of soy milk this morning. Aren't you full?"

"I'm still growing! It's none of your business!"

Ji Xiaoxiao's face turned red with anger, and she pounced on him with both hands and feet.

The two laughed and chased each other, the sunlight casting long shadows of them.

The commotion was so great that no one noticed a quiet figure appearing under the sycamore tree not far away.

Xu Zhiyu stopped in her tracks.

The morning breeze blew by, lifting the hem of her school uniform skirt and a few strands of hair that hung down by her ears.

In her line of sight, Jiang Ye was being chased all over the place by Ji Xiaoxiao, his smile as bright as the rising sun.

so good.

It's like a painting.

A painting she could never squeeze into.

My chest felt like it was stuffed with a wad of water-soaked cotton, making me feel suffocated, and even the tip of my nose felt a little sore.

Girls like Ji Xiaoxiao are lively, cheerful, and like a little sun, always full of energy.

She could go crazy with him and play pranks with him.

And what about yourself?

The pent-up emotions in her heart and the suffocating atmosphere at home prevented her from ever laughing as freely as Ji Xiaoxiao.

fair enough.

Xu Zhiyu lowered her head, her gaze falling on her clean white shoes, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes.

After she leaves, with a girl like her by Jiang Ye's side, he shouldn't be lonely anymore.

Yes, that's good.

She kept telling herself this, but somewhere in her heart, it felt like she was being pricked by a needle, a sharp, persistent pain.

The "battle" over there is coming to an end.

Jiang Ye nimbly dodged Ji Xiaoxiao's pounce, then grabbed her with one hand and stuffed the "trophy" into his pocket with the other, all in one smooth motion.

"Done!"

He was beaming with pride, just about to announce his victory.

Snapped!

A crisp sound rang out, particularly abrupt in the quiet morning.

Ji Xiaoxiao broke free at some point and slapped Jiang Ye hard across the back.

The force was so great that Jiang Ye felt a numbness in his back, and he staggered forward several steps by the brute force. His head buzzed, and he almost passed out.

He leaned against a small tree trunk, coughed twice, and then recovered.

I rely on.

Did this girl grow up eating iron?

"Hmph, serves you right for stealing my food!"

It was this moment that made his gaze pass over Ji Xiaoxiao's shoulder and fix on the figure under the sycamore tree in the distance.

Xu Zhiyu.

She stood there quietly, the morning light filtering through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light, half on her and half in the shadows.

A fleeting look of melancholy crossed her clean-cut face, like a fine needle gently pricking Jiang Ye.

What is this girl thinking about now?

Jiang Ye grinned, revealing two rows of neat, white teeth, and a clean, almost blinding smile went straight at him.

"Little Fish! Let's go, we'll be late for school!"

Xu Zhiyu suddenly looked up.

The bittersweet feeling that had just welled up in my heart was completely dispelled by this ray of sunlight before it could even ferment.

The boy's smile was brighter than the sun overhead.

Her feet seemed to move on their own, and she stepped out.

One step, two steps, she stepped out of that cold shadow and into the sunlight.

Before Jiang Ye could speak again, Ji Xiaoxiao rushed over and grabbed Xu Zhiyu's hand.

As if by magic, she pulled a White Rabbit candy from another pocket and stuffed it into Xu Zhiyu's palm like a precious treasure.

"Sister Little Fish, this is the one I risked my life to protect! That big bad guy Jiang Ye couldn't take it! Here you go."

Ji Xiaoxiao laughed heartily, revealing her two little tiger teeth, and didn't forget to turn around and swagger towards Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye was amused by her, but deliberately put on a stern face: "Ji Xiaoxiao, you don't want your egg tarts tomorrow either? You've even learned to sow discord."

"Hehehe!"

Ji Xiaoxiao made a face at him, then grabbed Xu Zhiyu and turned to run, shouting, "Sister Xiaoyu, run! The big devil is going to steal our candy!"

Jiang Ye shook his head helplessly, took a few steps to catch up, and grabbed Xu Zhiyu's other hand.

"Let's go, let's bring her back!"

A warm touch came from her palm, and Xu Zhiyu leaned forward, her pace quickening instantly to catch up with Jiang Ye's.

The three of them were chasing each other on the tree-lined path in the early morning.

The wind whistled past their ears, blowing the stray hairs on their foreheads and revealing their smooth foreheads.

Ji Xiaoxiao's exaggerated laughter led the way, followed by the sound of two people's footsteps intertwining.

Xu Zhiyu felt the tightness in her chest dissipate completely from the gust of wind.

She looked at Ji Xiaoxiao's back in front of her, then turned her head to look at Jiang Ye, who was holding her hand beside her. She couldn't help but smile, and finally, she laughed out loud.

Those eyes, which always held a hint of melancholy, were now shining with an astonishing brightness.

"Ano!"

She shouted in the wind, her voice filled with the panting of running.

"What?"

Jiang Ye turned to look at her; her hair was a little messy from the wind.

"I like you!"

Xu Zhiyu shouted these words with all her might, her cheeks flushed from running and excitement.

This is not a hesitant confession, but a grand declaration.

Jiang Ye paused for a moment.

Those four short words, carried clearly through the wind, entered his ears, making his heart skip a beat.

He looked into the girl's bright eyes, which were filled with nothing but pure joy and dependence.

Then he smiled, turned around, and his voice, though slightly muffled by the wind, was remarkably clear.

"I like you too, Little Fish Sister!"

Not far ahead, Ji Xiaoxiao's loud shout rang out.

"I like you guys too!!"

Jiang Ye and Xu Zhiyu exchanged a smile.

The sun was shining brightly, the summer breeze was gentle, and the laughter of the two girls was as clear and crisp as wind chimes.

The youth of these boys and girls is like the rising sun; this moment will forever be etched in their minds.

......