Shi Hai's silence wasn't because he secretly liked Zhu Lingjie.
Although they had grown up together, their relationship lacked any of the sweetness or innocence typically associated with childhood friends.
There were no warm-hearted morning wake-up calls, no homemade breakfast, or walking to school together.
Those idyllic moments existed only in the 2D world.
In reality, childhood friends are at best just "people you've known for a long time."
Shi Hai had known Zhu Lingjie for a particularly long time—almost fifteen years.
It seemed like they were bound by some kind of karmic tie, being born on the same day and living as neighbors in the same apartment building.
Liu Zhenshan once marveled at how such coincidences really do happen.
From kindergarten through to the end of their first year in high school, they were always in the same class.
However, this connection ended in high school.
In their second year, Zhu Lingjie's parents, concerned about her wasting rest time on commuting, moved closer to the school to ensure her health and academic performance.
After that, Shi Hai never saw her again, only hearing from Liu Zhenshan post-college entrance exams that Zhu Lingjie had also been admitted to the same university as him.
Shi Hai only mused that their classmate status was likely to extend to almost twenty years.
However, university life differed from high school.
Students from different departments might never cross paths until graduation.
Throughout their first year, Shi Hai didn't see Zhu Lingjie at all.
His lasting impression of her was one of 'fear,' stemming from their six years as deskmates in elementary school.
Yes, Zhu Lingjie was the one who helped young Shi Hai fully understand the concept of 'maintaining proper distance between boys and girls.'
Hence, every time Shi Hai saw Zhu Lingjie, his body would involuntarily stiffen as if he'd been hit by a petrifying gaze.
This reaction had become almost instinctive.
Like being stared down by a predator, Shi Hai could feel cold sweat forming on his forehead.
Despite not seeing her for over a year, facing her again brought back that rigidness...
It was a reminder that childhood psychological trauma was no joke.
Reflecting on this, he suddenly admired Jian Sichun's ability to overcome her psychological trauma related to her eyes.
Then the atmosphere turned awkward.
"…"
"…"
Zhu Lingjie looked up at Shi Hai and then examined Jian Sichun beside him.
No one noticed the furrow forming between her brows.
"...?"
Jian Sichun, equally puzzled, tilted her head to look at Shi Hai, then down at the woman below.
She was very pretty, with a tear mole under her left eye, and looked about the same age as Jian Sichun.
Her long bangs fell to her chest, with the rest tied into a ponytail reaching her waist, appearing like three tails from a distance.
Growing such long hair must have taken a long time.
Jian Sichun had also kept long hair before, but it barely reached below her shoulders.
She felt that longer hair didn't suit her.
Then there was her outfit...
She wore an off-shoulder T-shirt with a camisole underneath.
A denim mini-skirt paired with 30D semi-transparent black stockings completed her look.
Her outfit was somewhat provocative.
Upon closer inspection, one could see she had light makeup on and a sweet fragrance emanating from her, likely from perfume.
It was clear she had dressed up meticulously, fully prepared mentally.
The overall impression was akin to someone ready for a date night out with her boyfriend.
However, despite her outfit suggesting such, her overall demeanor was off-putting...
Jian Sichun felt a sense of contradiction.
Upon closer observation, she finally identified the source of the contradiction.
It was her expression!
Yes, her expression was too cold!
Even a faint smile would have mitigated the harsh impression she gave off.
For example, even if Tian Shui wasn't dressed provocatively, her every move and expression exuded a seductive charm.
In contrast, this girl's open attire couldn't mask the 'keep away from me' aura emanating from her cold expression.
So, who could she be?
Was Shi Hai startled by her outfit?
Actually, no.
Shi Hai was simply caught off guard.
If you ran into an old classmate with whom you didn't have a good relationship, would you awkwardly greet them or just ignore them?
Most people would choose the latter.
Shi Hai felt the same.
Rather than forcing a stiff smile and greeting her, it was better to pretend he hadn't seen her.
She had changed so much—he only remembered her in the blue and white school uniform.
Did she dress up like this because she started college or has a boyfriend now?
Girls really do change quickly, unlike boys, who seem unchanged even after ten years.
Having made up his mind, Shi Hai resumed walking downstairs.
Jian Sichun, surprised that he didn't even greet her, followed curiously.
"Eh?!"
She looked at him, her eyes questioning, 'Aren't you going to say hello? Isn't she someone you know?'
Shi Hai returned a look that said, 'Don't say anything unnecessary; we're just passing by.'
Shi Hai walked past Zhu Lingjie without a glance, as if they were strangers...
But then, he felt his sleeve being tugged.
Her anxious voice followed, "Wait—!"
Shi Hai reacted dramatically, yanking his sleeve free and taking a step back.
Even Jian Sichun gave him a 'was that necessary?' look.
But Shi Hai knew this was the right way to deal with Zhu Lingjie.
He knew how severe her cleanliness obsession was—just a glare from her could haunt him in his nightmares.
However, this was the first time she had ever called out to him.
Shi Hai thought back to their few interactions over more than ten years.
Occasionally, they'd bump into each other on their way to school.
Shi Hai would awkwardly raise his hand in greeting, "Yo... morning."
Zhu Lingjie would stand there for five or six seconds, expressionless, before slightly nodding and almost inaudibly responding, "...Mm."
The wait always felt like an eternity to Shi Hai.
So, he started going to school earlier just to avoid her and those cringe-worthy morning greetings.
Yet he'd still see her at least once a week...
It really seemed like they were bound by some sort of karmic tie.
"Hey, what are you thinking? Snap out of it!"
Jian Sichun nudged him with her elbow, bringing him back to reality.
Since she had called out to him, he couldn't ignore her anymore.
So, like before, he awkwardly raised his hand in greeting.
"Uh... long time no see..."
This time, Zhu Lingjie responded almost immediately.
"Mm... long time... no see."
Shi Hai sighed in relief.
It seemed she had improved, at least a bit more communicative now.
"So, why are you suddenly back?"
"I... moved back."
Shi Hai had noticed that no new family had moved into the opposite apartment, so the house hadn't been sold.
He knew Zhu Lingjie's family was wealthy.
They had bought a house near the school just to ensure she didn't get tired from commuting.
That's what it meant to be rich.
But why move back? Were they going to be neighbors again?
Could it be that their karmic tie was still ongoing?