At the same time, elsewhere.

  Chen Xi had already taken the bus to school. Walking alone on the road, no one greeted her. She entered the cssroom on her own and returned to her seat.

  "Back already? Haven't seen you in a few days, where have you been?"

  As soon as she sat down, a young girl with a bun hairstyle leaned over with a smile and asked.

  Chen Xi didn't answer. She skillfully pulled out a handful of colorful love letters from her desk, ignoring the heartbroken expressions of a few boys, and tossed them all into the trash can at the back of the cssroom.

  Due to some custody issues, she had taken a few days off from school, which caused the already annoying love letters to pile up even more. When she finally cleaned them up, she had to make several trips.

  "Wow, I'm so jealous that you get so many love letters. I haven't received even one," the girl beside her teased, pouting. Although Chen Xi still didn't respond, she didn't reject her either.

  The girl's name was Xue Lan, a carefree optimist, naive and talkative, with an energy that surpassed other girls her age. She was also hopelessly attracted to good looks, so ever since Chen Xi transferred to the school, Xue Lan always found opportunities to hang around the ice-cold school beauty, talking to herself.

  Chen Xi was often passed around like a ball by various retives, so she naturally could discern people's intentions. Knowing that Xue Lan was just a simple child, she didn't bother to push her away, though even if she did, it probably wouldn't have worked.

  Over time, the two became an odd pair, often seen with Xue Lan chattering around Chen Xi, who remained silent, seemingly uninterested in engaging.

  Some boys, thinking they shared Xue Lan's charm, tried to approach Chen Xi to get closer, but they were quickly deterred by her cold gaze before they could even finish introducing themselves.

  Xue Lan continued her one-sided conversation, taking a box of yogurt from the desk and handing it to the young girl:"Here, someone left this on your desk a few days ago. It's pretty tasty."

  Chen Xi gnced at her, her mouth curling slightly as she said indifferently:"You should have thrown it all away."

  "Oh, come on, it'd be such a waste to throw it away," Xue Lan licked her lips and said with a grin, "This one didn't have a name on it. The person probably didn't expect to win your heart anyway, and I've already thrown away the snacks with notes."

  "Where did you throw them?" the young girl asked ftly.

  Xue Lan was momentarily stumped by the question, looking at Chen Xi's piercing gaze. She awkwardly rubbed her stomach and giggled, "Hehe, I threw them all in here..."

  Chen Xi sighed, ignoring her, and took out a book to start reading.

  "Oh, right, I have something important to tell you." Her friend suddenly spoke up, but Chen Xi still showed no sign of paying attention.

  Xue Lan was a bit defted, pouting as she asked, "Hey, Chen the school beauty, I've been talking so much, why won't you respond to me?"

  Chen Xi, without raising her head, retorted, "What important thing could you possibly have?"

  "What if it's something really important!?"

  "Alright," the young girl turned her head, looking at her calmly, and said word by word, "Then tell me, what's so important."

  "I..." Xue Lan was slightly intimidated by her cold gaze but refused to back down, puffing out her chest defiantly and saying:"I... I forgot..."

  Chen Xi: "..."

  The atmosphere turned awkward. Chen Xi continued reading, while Xue Lan suddenly seemed to remember something, her eyes lighting up as she hurriedly tried to salvage the situation:"But it's okay if I forgot. I wrote it down for you earlier, in one of the chapters of the physics book. Hold on, I remember it's right here..."

  Another round of searching ensued.

  For Chen Xi, her deskmate was generally unreliable, being both a glutton and forgetful, with a tendency to talk too much and get too familiar. But today, she was surprisingly dependable and finally found the supposedly lost chapter.

  As soon as she turned to it, Xue Lan presented it like a treasure. The young girl only intended to gnce at it briefly, but she was frozen in pce by the three words on the page.

  "Parent-Teacher Meeting"

  ***

  Nighttime, at the Yan residence, at the dining table.

  Yan Feng couldn't shake the feeling that the young girl in front of him seemed a bit strange.

  He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Although yesterday's interaction made him realize Chen Xi was a rather solitary child, today she seemed different. Could it be that his cooking was just too terrible?

  Yan Feng looked at the few dishes on the table, then at the bowl of rice in front of the young girl that she hadn't touched, and couldn't help but ask:

  "Is my cooking really that bad?"

  Chen Xi, still preoccupied with thoughts of the parent-teacher meeting, didn't hear him clearly. Seeing his expectant gaze, she instinctively nodded.

  Yan Feng felt a blow to his confidence and a strong sense of guilt.

  He used to frequently enjoy meals at his sister's house, and now that it was his turn to repay the favor, he couldn't even produce a decent dish...

  Wait!

  A decent dish?

  Perhaps...

  A sudden inspiration fshed through his mind. Remembering his sister's favorite fvors, he immediately had an idea.

  "Wait here for a moment."

  After saying this, Yan Feng got up and went into the kitchen under the young girl's puzzled gaze. Accompanied by the sound of the stove lighting up, he soon returned with a small bowl.

  "Here, try this," he said with a smile, his eyes full of anticipation.

  Chen Xi looked curiously at the bowl. It was a small bowl of reddish meat sauce, emitting a tantalizing aroma. Large chunks of meat rolled within, making one's appetite instantly whetted.

  Most importantly, it had a rich, spicy fvor.

  "Beef Sauce," Yan Feng expined, "I thought you might like it."

  Driven by curiosity, Chen Xi picked up her chopsticks, took a bit, and put it in her mouth. As she savored it, her eyes lit up with a nearly tangible brightness.

  This change didn't escape Yan Feng's notice, and he couldn't help but feel delighted. He pced the bowl of meat sauce in front of the young girl and said with a smile: "If you like it, there's more in the pot. I didn't have much time today, so the result is a bit rough. I'll make more for you when I have time."

  For Chen Xi, who usually lived at the mercy of others, having a quiet meal was often a luxury.

  It was rare for someone to understand her preference for spiciness, which most people couldn't tolerate, and to make such a fitting beef sauce. So she enjoyed this meal thoroughly, even adding an extra half bowl of rice.

  Watching the young girl in front of him, who, despite her calm demeanor, couldn't stop eating, Yan Feng felt a wave of satisfaction.

  She was so much like her mother, in every way—her nose, eyebrows, eyes, mouth, even her eating habits...

  But that gaze, that cold, indifferent gaze... was nothing like her mother's...