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

As soon as the lunch break bell rang, the entire teaching building instantly came to life from its silence.

Jiang Ye and his group headed straight for the playground.

I made an appointment with Xu Zhiyu to meet under the banyan tree on the playground.

On a summer afternoon, the banyan tree, with its lush branches and leaves, casts a large, dense shade.

When they arrived, a slender figure was already waiting there.

The girl was wearing the summer uniform of No. 1 Middle School, a simple blue and white short-sleeved shirt and plaid skirt, but she wore it to make it look like a haute couture gown.

She stood quietly under the tree, a gentle breeze causing her skirt and long, black hair to sway softly, making her look like a beautiful painting.

He Xiangnan stopped in his tracks instantly.

"Holy crap! It's her! The new senior!"

He excitedly grabbed Jiang Ye's arm, but seeing that he was still walking, he suddenly realized something.

"Holy crap, bro, don't tell me the senior you asked out with... is that her?!"

Jiang Ye shrugged: "What else?"

He Xiangnan: "......."

He gritted his teeth.

This guy has such incredible luck with women! Why do all these beautiful girls seem to be flocking to him?

Luckily, I'm a friend of Ye Ge, and walking with this group of girls also garnered a lot of envious glances.

Lin Youxun's eyes flickered slightly when she saw that figure.

It was indeed her. Even though it was dark yesterday and she couldn't see clearly, Lin Youxun was still certain that this was the girl in the white dress who was with Jiang Ye yesterday.

She's actually a transfer student in the third year of junior high, a senior who's two years older than them?

You have such a great temperament...

At this moment, Jiang Ye stepped forward and greeted him naturally.

"Have you been waiting long?"

The girl turned around at the sound, a gentle smile blooming on her exquisite face, a smile that seemed to brighten the surrounding sunlight.

"No, I just arrived."

Ji Xiaoxiao could no longer contain her social skills. She grabbed Xu Zhiyu's hand and, pointing to Lin Youxun and the others, began to introduce them:

"Sister Xiaoyu, they are all my and Jiang Ye's good friends: Ning Xue, Lin Youxun, and Lin Xinghe!"

He Xiangnan opened his mouth: Am I not included?

Should I leave?

"Oh, and him too, his name is He Xiangnan."

Xiao Xiao is definitely the best.

Except for Lin Xinghe, the others greeted Xu Zhiyu shyly.

"Hello, senior."

Xu Zhiyu was quite generous: "Hello, my name is Xu Zhiyu, I guess..."

She glanced at Jiang Ye.

"She's like Jiang Ye and Xiao Xiao's older sister..."

Ning Xue stepped forward, smiling, and said, "Hello, sister! You're so beautiful! You have such a great presence, just like a rich young lady."

Although Lin Youxun and Lin Xinghe also had that rich girl vibe, they were too young to leave as deep an impression as Xu Zhiyu.

Faced with praise, Xu Zhiyu remained calm and readily returned the compliment, making Ning Xue blush.

Xu Zhiyu, however, remained impassive, her gaze slowly passing from Ji Xiaoxiao's face to Ning Xue behind her, and then landing on the quiet and gentle Lin Youxun and the expressionless Lin Xinghe.

One, two, three, four...

It's just that I haven't been by A-Ye's side for two years.

There were so many pretty girls surrounding him!

Ah Ye is really naughty.

Xu Zhiyu's smile remained unchanged, even deepening slightly, but the gentle light in her beautiful eyes gradually faded, replaced by an unfathomable darkness.

Like a calm lake surface concealing turbulent undercurrents.

Her fingertips curled slightly, out of sight of others.

Lin Youxun had been observing Xu Zhiyu intentionally or unintentionally; her intuition had always been very sharp.

In that instant, she seemed to see something beneath Xu Zhiyu's gentle smile.

The thought of exploring flashed through Lin Youxun's mind.

Jiang Ye was completely unaware of Xu Zhiyu's inner thoughts. He laughed and said, "Let's go. I borrowed Lao Geng's card. We can get a private room for teachers on the second floor of the cafeteria and have a good lunch!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

Ning Xue gave a thumbs up: "Great job, class monitor! I've never eaten at the teachers' cafeteria before, and I've heard it's much better than what we students eat!"

Ji Xiaoxiao said hurriedly, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Ji Xiaoxiao is always the one with the strongest initiative. She held Xu Zhiyu's hand, and with her other hand, she instinctively reached for Jiang Ye's sleeve.

However, her hand hadn't even touched Jiang Ye's clothes yet.

Xu Zhiyu, as if by accident, took half a step forward, her body naturally leaning towards Jiang Ye, perfectly separating Ji Xiaoxiao's hand.

Her movements were so natural, like a cat inadvertently taking up the warmest spot.

Ji Xiaoxiao was completely focused on the food, and without thinking much about what she had missed, she rushed towards the second floor of the cafeteria, forcing Xu Zhiyu to run after her.

Ning Xue quickly followed, saying, "Slow down!"

This scene, however, was seen by Lin Youxun without any error.

Her steps paused almost imperceptibly.

Just then, Lin Xinghe quietly tugged at her sleeve and whispered in her ear, "Sis, don't you think... that Xu Zhiyu is a little strange?"

"Yes, a little..."

Lin Youxun never hid her true feelings towards Lin Xinghe.

Seeing that Lin Youxun shared the same thought, Lin Xinghe seemed a little more invigorated and said, "I think... I don't really like her."

Lin Youxun couldn't help but remind her, "Anyone can dislike someone, but Xinghe, don't show it so easily, understand?"

Lin Xinghe had finally managed to integrate into the group, and she didn't want Jiang Ye to cause trouble for them because of Xu Zhiyu.

It's obvious that Jiang Ye treats Xu Zhiyu differently.

The difference wasn't in being cautious and polite to them, but in a sense of relaxation that allowed me to let down all my guard.

The back that stands ramrod straight in front of strangers will unconsciously relax slightly when Xu Zhiyu is around.

Perhaps he himself didn't realize that, to outsiders, the aura and atmosphere between the two of them seemed impenetrable to anyone else.

Even Ji Xiaoxiao is the same.

Especially the way Xu Zhiyu looked at Jiang Ye; it seemed to hold something completely different from how she looked at others...

While they were thinking, the group had already reached the second floor of the cafeteria.

The teachers' canteen lived up to its reputation; the dishes were all served in small plates, exquisite and clean.

The group selected their dishes and carried their plates into the private room.

I ran into a few teachers on the way, but they just glanced at me out of curiosity. It's rare for students to borrow teachers' cards to improve their meals, but it's not uncommon, so I'm used to it.

As soon as they entered the private room, He Xiangnan sidled up to Xu Zhiyu with a cheeky grin: "Senior, you and Ye Ge knew each other before? You two are...?"

Xu Zhiyu smiled but didn't respond to his words. Instead, she naturally sat down next to Jiang Ye and then looked at him: "Yes, I grew up with A Ye and Xiao Xiao. I live next door to A Ye's house."

He Xiangnan: "..."

No, it's another childhood sweetheart story?

Is this the girl-next-door version again?!