Ye Cang cannot deny this fact, but this situation is indeed quite awkward. Everyone at school knows that Jin Zhengxian, Ai Mu, Kai'er, and Xiu Zhi often hang out together. Even though two of them are sophomores and the other two are juniors, it doesn't affect their time spent together at all. I heard from Senior Jin Zhengxian that he and Ai Mu are old friends, but I know next to nothing about Senior Kai'er. I've only seen him a few times, but from his appearance, Kai'er has always portrayed an image of a gentle and dependable big brother. Unlike Jin Zhengxian, he gives off a sense of someone you can rely on - mature, steady, always with a soft smile. However, the Kai'er he encountered today feels like a fully bloomed rose that suddenly withered, revealing thorny stems that threaten to drive away anyone who approaches.

Ai Mu stared at the person in front of him, who seemed to have spaced out again. He knew that the person had no good suggestions to offer. Ai Mu gently took out a cigarette case from his pocket and lit a cigarette. As he took a deep drag, he suddenly felt his brain enveloped in a mist.

"Senior, please smoke less... it's not good for your health."

"Got it." Without even batting an eyelid.

What do you know, it's obvious that you're just casually saying it. Ye Cang puffed up his cheeks and stared angrily at Ai Mu, who was puffing out clouds and mist in front of him. Although Ai Mu usually greeted people with a smile, Ye Cang could clearly feel the stark difference in his attitude towards Jin Zhengxian and the others compared to his attitude towards ordinary friends. Today, he happened to overhear Jin Zhengxian mocking Ai Mu during the day, calling him hot-tempered and cold-blooded. The people nearby even joked that the relationship between the two was so good that they could interrupt each other casually. However, Ye Cang felt that Ai Mu was indeed such a person. He felt that Ai Mu didn't care about everyone, and polite gentleness wasn't a luxury item to him.

Perhaps the more someone is like this, the more wholeheartedly they treat the people they truly like.

Thinking about this suddenly made Yè Cāng feel a little melancholic. He looked at the person in front of him and reached over the table to rub his head, saying, "It must be hard, right? Your important friend suddenly becoming this kind of relationship."

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her heart. Ai Mu forgot to avoid Ye Cang's hand as he rubbed his hair. Sad? Maybe a little. Looking at the few cherished friends who had now become distant, her heart felt truly uncomfortable. Just before the start of the school year, Kyle suddenly asked her out and confessed his true love. Ai Mu's first reaction was surprise. Her second reaction was "Oh no." Looking at Kyle in front of her, blushing and lowering his head, she realized that apart from surprise, she didn't feel even the slightest increase in heartbeat. Could this be proof of the absence of love? Being someone who had never really had any close friends, she didn't want to lose Kyle. So she had to reject him and express her desire to continue being friends. After parting ways, Ai Mu kept replaying the events that had just unfolded in her mind. Seeing Kyle's saddened expression, she actually felt a pang of heartache, but... perhaps due to her own selfishness, she didn't choose to directly lash out at him. Instead, she chose to forcefully keep him by her side. It's true that the colder her outer layer of heart became, the more scorching the part she reserved for important people.

And then Ai Mu suffered from insomnia for several consecutive days.

The extreme lack of sleep made him want to ignore everyone, including the instigator of this matter - Kyle.

On the morning of the Welcome Party, when Ai Mu woke up from his dream, he finally felt a sense of helplessness towards himself.

It turned out that the insomnia I've been experiencing for the past few days was actually due to a sense of guilt.

I felt guilty for being so selfish and leaving him behind. I regretted not telling him to get lost right then and there, so we could have cut ties completely.

The scorching heat from the burning smoke hit Ai Mu's head, causing her to snap back to reality. She looked at Ye Cang in front of her, who was still pondering over a solution, but the plate of rice in front of them had already been completely devoured.

"Alright, stop thinking about it." Ai Mu took the plate and stood up, placing it into the sink.

"Mmm…" Ye Cang suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Other people were still facing difficulties, but he had already devoured the whole plate of rice. But he couldn't help it! It was too delicious, and it was right in front of him. "Senior, did you make this food yourself?"

Well, my parents were busy, so when I was young, I was the one who cooked for my younger brother and sister.

"You still have a younger brother and an older sister?!"

"Mhmm, two younger brothers and one older sister."

Looking at Ai Mu's appearance, Ye Cang suddenly burst out an image of a girl who resembled Ai Mu in his mind. She had the same long hair, only longer, reaching down to her waist. The angular features of a male had been replaced by gentle and rounded curves on her face. Her eyes were still thin and long, but no longer lazily slanted. Instead, they were wide open. Ai Mu didn't usually like to open his eyes wide, but in fact, his eye sockets were deep and his double eyelids were wide. When his eyes were opened wide, they looked very profound and alluring. Her lips were lightly colored and tender. Without the tattoos, earrings, and eyebrow piercings on her body, the image of the female version of Ai Mu in Ye Cang's mind appeared as a beautiful and captivating sight.

"Do you know that if a person zones out too much, they will become mentally disabled?" Being constantly watched, Ai Mu felt like she had almost gotten used to Ye Cang's gaze. She lay down on the bed, covered herself with a blanket, and quietly closed her eyes to rest.