As Teacher Liang passed behind him, she glanced at his sketchpad and smiled.
“In a good mood today?”

“Huh? You can tell, Teacher Liang?”

“Of course. Oh, and by the way—that painting you submitted to the competition made it to the finals. It’s going to be displayed at the Capital Art Center soon.”

“Really?” Jiang Ruotang’s heart tightened with excitement.

“If you don’t believe me, then just think I’m lying.” Teacher Liang laughed and walked away.

When Jiang Ruotang left the studio later, he learned that only three pieces from the whole city of Sheng had made it to the finals—and his was the only one by an artist under twenty.

His first thought upon hearing this? To tell Lu Guifan.

He felt an overwhelming urge to hear the other boy’s praise.

So when Xiao Gao came to pick him up after class, Jiang Ruotang immediately said he wanted to go to Lu Guifan’s house. Xiao Gao thought he just wanted to mooch some of Aunt Lu’s famous late-night snacks.

As the car drove along, Jiang Ruotang leaned against the window, humming proudly to himself in the evening breeze.

And then—maybe it was a trick of the light—but a familiar figure flashed past his window.

Two or three seconds later, realization struck.

“Xiao Gao, stop the car!” he yelled.

Xiao Gao quickly pulled over. After a moment, they both saw a thin boy walking past, wearing the Beicheng Guangyao school uniform. His collar was rumpled and crooked; his backpack hung limply on his arm. His head was down, messy bangs hiding his eyes, and there was a dark bruise at the corner of his mouth.

Jiang Ruotang sat frozen in the car, watching the boy pass.

Even Xiao Gao was stunned.
“Ruotang… is that your classmate? Who beat him up like that?”

It was Cai Ji.

His hunched figure seemed cut off from the world, the cold streetlight making him look even more lost and hollow.

Jiang Ruotang knew Cai Ji had pride—he would never want a classmate to see him like this.

But deep in his mind, a voice whispered: You can’t just leave him.

If he let this boy walk away, Jiang Ruotang knew he’d regret it.

“Xiao Gao, I’m getting out—find somewhere to park nearby!”

He jumped out of the car and hurried after Cai Ji, each step drawing him closer. But Cai Ji didn’t notice anyone behind him.

At the next intersection, Cai Ji blindly stepped into the crosswalk without looking. A taxi was turning the corner—its bright headlights startled him. He instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes, only then realizing he was already in the middle of the street.

“Cai Ji!”

Jiang Ruotang’s heart leapt to his throat. He lunged forward, yanking Cai Ji’s backpack strap to drag him back—only to accidentally pull the bag off completely and fall hard onto the curb himself.

Luckily, the taxi driver had sharp eyes and slammed the brakes just in time. He stuck his head out the window and cursed,
“What the hell, kid?! You blind or something? You want to get hit, at least pick a luxury car for the payout!”

Cai Ji stood frozen.

Jiang Ruotang scrambled up, grabbed him tight, and pulled him back to safety while apologizing to the driver.
“Sorry, sir! Really sorry! My classmate’s in a bad mood after a failed exam—he wasn’t thinking. Please forgive us!”

The driver, seeing Jiang Ruotang’s sincerity, muttered and drove off.

Finally, Cai Ji snapped out of it—probably because Jiang Ruotang was hugging him so tightly. He flinched.

“It’s you… Jiang Ruotang… thanks.”

Cai Ji looked down and picked up his bag. As he bent, Jiang Ruotang suddenly grabbed his wrist and coldly said,
“If you’re going to thank me, shouldn’t you at least look me in the eyes?”

Cai Ji stiffened, then straightened and met Jiang Ruotang’s gaze.
“Thank you.”

In the next second, Jiang Ruotang rolled up his sleeve—and sure enough, there were fresh cigarette burns on his arm, shocking to see.

Cai Ji instantly jerked back, yanking the sleeve down.

“Were you trying to kill yourself just now?” Jiang Ruotang asked.

“Huh?” Cai Ji was dazed for two seconds, then shook his head frantically.
“No, no! I was just… lost in thought!”

Jiang Ruotang finally exhaled.

“Hungry? Want some oden?” He nodded towards the convenience store across the street.

Cai Ji started to refuse, but Jiang Ruotang was already walking ahead.

Cai Ji sighed, hands stuffed into his pockets, hiding the scars. Slowly following, he touched his arm—still feeling Jiang Ruotang’s warmth and strength from when he was pulled back.

Jiang Ruotang was the only classmate who ever showed he cared—the only one Cai Ji envied.

Inside the convenience store, Jiang Ruotang casually ordered two servings of oden—one smothered in spicy sauce for himself, and one in plain broth for Cai Ji.

“Your mouth’s all bruised—probably cut inside too. Didn’t dare add chili to yours,” Jiang Ruotang said.

“Oh… thanks.” Cai Ji clutched the paper bowl. His heart felt cold—no warmth from the food could change his uncertain future.

Jiang Ruotang chewed a shrimp ball and said lightly,
“I still owe you thanks for speaking up for me in front of Old Wang today.”

Cai Ji smiled faintly.
“You didn’t cheat. I see you grinding away at those practice books every day—it’s inspiring, really.”

“Huh? Inspiring? You’re top fifty in the grade just coasting on math and science. You’re awesome!”

“Maybe… I just envy you. You’re changing—getting better. I guess that’s what moves me.”

Click—the sound of a camera shutter.

Cai Ji turned his head—Jiang Ruotang had snapped a picture of him.

“Cai Ji, wanna see what you look like now? All quiet and monk-like, ready to shave your head and renounce the world?”

That made Cai Ji actually smile for a moment.

Then Jiang Ruotang’s expression turned serious.
“You heard, right? Teacher Song set up a special investigation team—for you. He doesn’t believe you cheated willingly. He thinks you had a reason. When I first heard this, I thought it was great news. But now, seeing you like this—I’m worried you’ll say nothing and let him down.”

Cai Ji’s chin trembled; tears welled up in his eyes.
“Teacher Song’s a good man… but he can’t help me. No one can…”

Jiang Ruotang sighed deeply.
“If you stay silent, Teacher Song’s effort will be wasted. Old Wang will catch him out, make him suffer, maybe even drive him away from this school. You don’t want that, do you?”

Cai Ji shook his head.
“No… I don’t want that. Teacher Song’s always been kind to me. I don’t want to make things hard for him…”

“Then let’s sort this out. You feel trapped and helpless—but why not start by telling me? Talking to me won’t get you in trouble. In fact, I might even have some ideas to help.”
Jiang Ruotang spoke gently.

Cai Ji stared at the oden, mind tangled, not knowing where to begin.

Jiang Ruotang thought back to what he had overheard in the microwave room, polished and pieced it together, and added what the class monitor had said about Cai Ji’s family situation. It seemed that he could vaguely guess some of the truth.

“How about this? I’ll ask, and you answer?”

Cai Ji stayed silent. He had long grown used to being alone, facing everything by himself. He thought he didn’t want anyone disturbing him. But now that Jiang Ruotang was sitting here, willing to listen to him for the first time, Cai Ji suddenly didn’t want to be alone anymore.

Besides, even when he said nothing, Jiang Ruotang didn’t leave. He just sat quietly, eating his fish balls.

Minute by minute, time slipped by. Jiang Ruotang was already eating his third skewer of arctic surf clam. Once he finished that… he really would leave.

At that moment, Jiang Ruotang pushed back his chair and stood up, heading toward the store’s entrance.

As he passed by Cai Ji, some powerful urge made Cai Ji grab his wrist.

Don’t go.

Please stay a little longer… even just a little longer…

I don’t want to be alone.

“Hm?” Jiang Ruotang looked down. Cai Ji still had his head bowed, but Jiang Ruotang seemed to know exactly what he meant.
“I’m going to get a black pepper beef rice ball. You want one too?”

Cai Ji quickly let go.
“No… I’m fine…”

Not only did Jiang Ruotang buy a rice ball, he also bought milk. His hearty appetite made Cai Ji secretly envious.

When Jiang Ruotang bit off the corner of the rice ball, the aroma of black pepper beef filled the air—and Cai Ji’s empty stomach rumbled loudly in response.

He picked up a skewer of fish balls, took a bite, and immediately winced—the broken skin inside his mouth stung—but the warmth of the food reminded him just how hungry he truly was.

In no time, the fish balls were gone, and a hot cup of milk tea appeared at his right hand—Jiang Ruotang, as if naturally, had extended their time here again.

“Go ahead… ask.”

This was Cai Ji’s first attempt at opening up. In his experience, no one ever truly cared about another’s suffering.

And even if you said it out loud… what difference would it make?

“The cigarette burns on your wrist—who did that to you?”

Cai Ji hadn’t expected that to be Jiang Ruotang’s first question.

“My… my brother.”

“The stepbrother your stepmother brought?”

“Yeah.” Cai Ji nodded.

Jiang Ruotang scratched the back of his head.
“Guess I’m pretty lucky then… Zhao Changfeng doesn’t smoke.”

Cai Ji let out two small, genuine laughs.

“Where did it happen?”

“In an internet café.”

Jiang Ruotang was shocked.
“Not in some back alley? Not in some dark place? He burned you right in the café?”

“At first he would pick the kind of places you just described. But later… he got lazy. He’d just call me over and burn me right there.”

Jiang Ruotang understood now. His bully had grown so used to doing this that he didn’t even bother hiding it anymore.

“Good. There’s surveillance cameras in there.”

His words hit something deep in Cai Ji’s heart—made him vaguely realize what Jiang Ruotang was really trying to encourage him to do.

“Your stepbrother treats you like this, and your dad does nothing?” Jiang Ruotang pressed.

Cai Ji pointed to the bruise at the corner of his mouth.
“My dad thinks I’m useless. Can’t even cheat properly—he gave me a punch for that. Originally my brother took money from Meng Yang, but now he has to give it back. When my brother loses money, he’ll ask my dad for it. Then my dad comes to hit me. And the cycle goes on.”

Jiang Ruotang was speechless at the twisted logic.
“Doesn’t your dad earn money? If your stepbrother wants cash, why not ask your dad directly?”

“My dad… doesn’t have much either. He’s always taken money from me.”

“Huh? That’s interesting. Explain—where do you get money from? Don’t tell me you really earn from passing answers to people?”

“My mom sends child support. After she remarried, my grandparents also felt sorry for me and would send money too. Then my dad and brother would just take all of that away…”

By now, Cai Ji didn’t think it was that hard to say anymore. And their family’s financial setup was absurd enough to almost seem laughable—a perfect closed loop.

When Cai Ji was in primary school, his father had been laid off. He spent all day at home, addicted to alcohol. He never bothered finding a job—and even though his wife supported him, he still ordered her around like a servant. At home, he wouldn’t even take out the trash when it overflowed.