The elevator stopped on the second floor, and as Qi Yan entered the room, he received a call. The caller was his childhood friend Charles, who grew up in the same social circle. He was unruly and spoke casually, but he lived up to his name, possessing some capabilities.
As soon as the call connected, Charles greeted him with his very loud voice. "Hey, do you still remember the girl from childhood who always played with us? Is she staying at your place now?" The sister from the Wen family?
Charles had quite a few "sisters", and Qi Yan pondered for a moment before recalling the name of that girl.
Cassie.
"Yeah," he said calmly.
"Oh, that's great!" Charles cheered. "Can I come to your place this weekend? I want to catch up with her!"
Qi Yan's tone was indifferent. "Do you think she'll remember you?"
Charles: "..."
That was seven or eight years ago. Little Cassie attended the primary school on this side, and they were in middle and high school, all living together. Their favourite pastime after school was to visit little Cassie, their little sister as they liked to call her.
After all, little Cassie was adorable, with a face that resembled a steamed bun, irresistibly cute. However, Cassie was taken away by her father after two years, and since then, she had never returned. The memories of playing together had faded, and each young master had gone on to pursue their own careers.
Only Charles still remembered this.
He appreciated beautiful women, and the memory of the little girl from back then left a deep impression on him.
Thinking of this, Charles couldn't help but complain, "It's like you didn't let me pinch her face back then."
At that time, Qi Yan wasn't as composed and reserved as he was now. He was a little tyrant, and no one dared to provoke him in the compound. After he pinched the girl's face, he even forbade others from doing the same, showing a strong possessiveness.
Charles couldn't forget being caught trying to pinch the girl's face by Qi Yan, almost being chased and beaten.
Even Qi Yan himself didn't remember it clearly.
"Is that so," he said casually. "I forgot."
Charles chuckled, "You really don't want me to go! How is she now? Has she changed at all?"
Qi Yan remained silent.
He thought of that little girl.
She was very well-behaved, playing the role of an invisible person by his side, yet occasionally revealing a bit of her cleverness, like a cunning little fox.
Those eyes...
Really lovable.
"Absolutely not," he said, "High school studies are busy; don't disturb her."
Charles: "..."
Damn, it's been seven or eight years, and this guy is still so domineering!!
Too outrageous!
...
The little episode was quickly forgotten by Cassie.
On Wednesday morning, they had a 300-points comprehensive exam including politics, history, and geography, and the college entrance examination . With only her physical memory and the foundation she had, Cassie struggled for two and a half hours, finally managing to fill in the test paper and submit it.
The school's arrangement was to have at least one comprehensive exam every week.
Just thinking about experiencing this every week made Cassie frown. Only adding memorization to her study plan could ease the heavy mood.
The atmosphere in the class remained relaxed. Many students didn't take the exam seriously, randomly filling in the answer sheet and turning it in just to get it over with.
Their row had turned into an unexpected study area.
After enduring the ordeal of the exam paper, only delicious food could soothe their heavy hearts.
Cassie and Annie took a stroll on the tree-lined path behind the cafeteria.
Annie found that Cassie was a great conversation partner because she always smiled gently, never making too many comments on things.
So, she was accustomed to sharing her grievances with Cassie.
Halfway through their conversation, the path ahead suddenly became blocked. The boy walking in front, whom Cassie vaguely remembered as a classmate, had dyed his hair blonde, and his school uniform jacket draped over his shoulders. The rivets on his pants made a clinking sound.
He brought a few people over, all dressed as delinquents, standing on both sides, waiting for the blonde-haired boy to speak.
The blonde boy whistled and asked, "Hey beauty, how would you like to be my girlfriend?"
Without waiting for Cassie to speak, Annie had already pulled her behind, her face full of vigilance. "Andrew, what are you doing? Speak properly!"
"Don't give me that look," Andrew laughed heartily. "Just want to be friends with Miss Cassie. Cassie, do you have your phone? Let's exchange phone numbers."
Although he said that, the path was still blocked by him, clearly indicating that he wouldn't let them go without agreeing.
Cassie answered truthfully, "I didn't bring my phone."
"Well, then, give me your phone number," Andrew said with a grin. "Don't worry, I mean no harm. Just want to be friends with you."
Annie, unable to tolerate this any longer, tightened her eyebrows and said coldly, "Andrew, don't be too arrogant. Who asks for someone's phone number like this? I'm going to find a teacher!"
"Come one Annie, are you still in elementary school? Playing the 'I'm telling the teacher' card?" Andrew scoffed.
"How about I have my dad talk to your dad?"
This sentence actually stunned Andrew. He spat out a mouthful of disdain and said, "Are you sick? You're not allowing me to make friends? Are you her parent?"
Annie snorted, hugging Cassie's shoulder. "What's wrong with it? Not allowed to protect my little Cassie? Come on, Mom will take you back to the classroom. Don't play with them."
She quickly pulled Cassie away.
After their figures left the line of sight, Annie said to her, "Cassie, stay away from that guy. He relies on having a bit of money at home, chasing after different girls every day. You mustn't be deceived by him!"
Cassie nodded sincerely and said, "Thank you."
Annie's face blushed, and she smiled a little embarrassedly. "This... it's not like I didn't see it, right? You're my friend, of course I have to protect you!"
In fact, she had already become a loyal fan of Cassie.
Cassie was so cute, how could she bear to see her taken away by someone else? With Annie around, evildoers retreat, and no one could deceive Cassie! She cautioned, "Andrew pursues girls by being persistent. A friend of mine was pestered by him for a month and even got threatened. They broke up after just two weeks of dating. So, in the next few days, don't be alone."