Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

Yan Xi's thumb drew the last half-arc on his palm.

Li Chen did not stop.

The highway unfolds outside the windshield.

The gray asphalt road stretched to the horizon. The withered yellow median strips on both sides had been flattened by the wind.

His phone vibrated again.

Pick it up with one hand. The screen lights up.

Li Mohan.

[Li Mohan: Your mother asked me to ask you: Is your place safe? Is there heating? Are the blankets thick enough?]

Li Chen glanced at it.

The wording of his dad's message was clearly out of character. "Your mom told me to ask"—a standard messenger phrasing. It meant his dad was still sulking, but his mom's instructions took precedence and he had to obey.

[Li Chen: It's safe. The guesthouse has air conditioning. I checked the bedding; it includes a buckwheat pillow and a four-pound silk quilt.]

After sending it, I added another one.

[Li Chen: Mom, don't worry.]

three seconds.

[Li Mohan: Tell your mother. Don't tell me. I didn't ask.]

Li Chen locked the screen.

Yan Xi's gaze never left the road.

"Did your dad go back?"

"Yes. A messenger."

"Is he still angry?"

"Yes. But his mother controls him."

Yan Xi's lips twitched slightly.

"Your parents' relationship pattern is very interesting."

"What mode?"

"Your dad is in charge of bluffing, your mom is in charge of the actual decisions. All the core information ultimately comes out through your mom. Your dad is just an intermediary layer that adds emotional noise."

Li Chen glanced at her.

This analysis is so precise it's unsettling.

"When did you come to that conclusion?"

"That time you talked to your mom on the phone. When she mentioned what your dad said, she used a reported tone. But when she mentioned her own attitude, she used a declarative tone. The subject weighting was different."

Li Chen squeezed her palm with his fingers.

"If you were an interrogator, the prisoner wouldn't last three minutes."

"I have no interest in prisoners."

Yan Xi withdrew her hand.

Put your hands back on the steering wheel.

"navigation."

Li Chen looked down at the screen.

"Exit the highway at the exit 14 kilometers ahead. Turn onto the provincial road. Head towards the coast. It should take about 40 minutes to reach Haining."

"Road conditions?"

"The provincial highway has a speed limit of 80 km/h. It's a two-lane highway with three sharp bends. The first one is seven kilometers after you exit the highway."

"Curve radius?"

Li Chen was stunned for a moment.

"Do you need the turning radius?"

"I drive a Porsche. The cornering radius determines whether I need to brake."

Li Chen pulled up the satellite view of the map. He estimated the arc length on the screen with his finger.

"I estimate it to be about forty meters. The speed limit sign should say thirty."

"That's enough. No need to brake. Slow down to 60 or so."

Li Chen put the phone back on the stand.

When did you learn to drive on the track?

"I haven't studied it. It's just basic physics."

Yan Xi changed lanes and overtook a bus. Her movements were swift and decisive, without hesitation.

"The relationship between the radius of curvature and the safe passing speed is from high school physics. It's about circular motion. Centripetal force equals friction. Porsche tires have a grip coefficient of around 1.1. Just substitute it into the formula and calculate it."

Li Chen leaned back in his chair.

He recalled Yan Xi's report card. First place in the provincial high school math competition. 99 points in her first-year university elective physics exam.

This woman never hid herself from him.

"What are you looking at?"

"you."

"Watch where you're going."

"I don't drive."

Yan Xi's ear tips turned red for half a second.

She didn't reply. She stepped on the gas. The car's speed jumped from 110 to 120.

The navigation system indicates that there are still eight kilometers to the exit.

Li Chen picked up his phone again. He opened the guesthouse's booking page and confirmed the check-in information. It was a two-story wooden building. The second-floor suite had a sea view and an east-facing balcony, offering a view of the sunrise.

He then opened the weather app.

Haining. Today. Cloudy turning sunny. Sunset time 17:12. Wind force 3. Feels like 4 degrees Celsius.

He added a line to his memo: Check the tides before taking her to the rocky beach. High tide is—

"Li Chen".

"Um."

"Are you calculating the tides?"

His finger stopped on the screen.

How did you know?

"You opened two apps: one for weather and one for notes. Your previous travel guide mentioned the rocky beach. The rocky beach has tidal risks. Your logic was to confirm safety before taking any action."

Li Chen locked the screen.

Place the phone face down on your lap.

"Why don't you just install a camera in my head?"

"No need. Your behavior patterns are already predictable enough."

Yan Xi's tone was as flat as if she were reading a report.

But then her right hand left the steering wheel and rested on the center console, palm up.

Li Chen did not hesitate.

Five fingers thread through. Clasp tightly.

We've arrived at the highway exit.

Yan Xi turns on the light with one hand. Slows down. Exits the ramp.

Provincial highway.

The road narrowed. The vegetation on both sides changed from dry shrubs to low pine forests. The air began to smell salty.

Li Chen rolled down the car window. A cold wind rushed in, carrying the fishy smell of the sea.

Light shimmered through the gaps in the pine forest.

blue.

Broken. That's how the sunlight reflects off the sea.

"We've arrived," Yan Xi said calmly.

She slowed down. The car's speed dropped to forty.

The provincial highway curves at the top of a gentle slope. After the curve, the view suddenly opens up.

sea.

The sea stretched from left to right across the windshield. The grey-blue sea merged with the sky, the dividing line blurred. A few fishing boats lay motionless in the distance.

Li Chen's hand tightened slightly.

Yan Xi's hand tightened slightly.

Neither of them spoke.

The road stretches for three kilometers along the coast, then turns into a small fishing village.

Stone houses. Fishing nets drying in the sun. A rusty tin shed. Two dogs lie in the sun by the roadside.

Navigation prompt: The destination is 200 meters ahead.

Yan Xi parked the car in front of a two-story wooden building. The engine was turned off.

calm down.

You can hear the sound of the waves. Not very loud. Low and rhythmic. Like someone in the distance constantly turning over a blanket.

"We've arrived," Li Chen said.

Yan Xi pulled out the car keys. She turned to look at him.

"get off."

"Wait a moment."

Li Chen picked up his backpack from the back seat and pulled the scarf out of the side pocket.

Yan Xi's scarf.

He unfolded it.

Lean over from the passenger seat.

It wrapped around Yan Xi's neck, one and a half times, and tied a loose knot.

His fingers didn't immediately retract after tying the knot. They lingered at the junction of her scarf and collar.

"It's windy."

Yan Xi glanced down at the scarf.

She did not adjust the way the belt was tied.

"I'm gone."

Two people got off the bus.