Just a little commemoration—today is Singles’ Day.

And he just so happened to block me.

Hehe.

— Su Zai Zai Fairy’s Diary

—

After arriving home.

Su Zai Zai returned to her room and glanced at her phone.

7:40 PM.

Not long after, she heard the sounds of Su Father and Su Mother getting up in the next room.

She rolled over in bed.

Thinking about what Zhang Lu Rang had just said, Su Zai Zai found herself both exasperated and amused.

But then, recalling those four words…

She decided to forgive him.

Wrapping herself in her blanket, she thought for a moment before sending Zhang Lu Rang a message.

Su Zai Zai: Rang Rang, how are you getting to school tomorrow?

It took quite a while before he replied.

Zhang Lu Rang: My uncle is driving me.

Su Zai Zai: Your uncle always drives you?

Zhang Lu Rang: Mm.

Su Zai Zai: Then why did you take the bus last time?

Zhang Lu Rang: He was on a business trip.

Su Zai Zai stared at the screen, momentarily dazed.

She didn’t know why he didn’t live with his parents.

He didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it.

So she wouldn’t ask.

—

Su Zai Zai didn’t reply again and left her room.

She walked into the living room, sat beside Su Father, and said, “Dad, I want to get a dog.”

Su Father’s fingers paused as he poured her a glass of water. “Here, drink some water and calm down.”

“I really want one.” Su Zai Zai refused the water outright. “No need to calm down.”

A while later, Su Mother came out of the bathroom.

She glanced at the two of them from the corner of her eye. “What are you two talking about?”

“Daughter, you need to calm down,” Su Father said, scratching his head anxiously.

But words like these were completely ineffective against her. Su Zai Zai immediately spoke up.

“Mom, I want to get a dog.”

Su Mother was briefly stunned, then broke into a smile. “My good daughter, what a coincidence—I want one too.”

Su Father: “…”

Su Zai Zai perked up in excitement. “I want a Samoyed!”

“No Samoyed,” Su Mother said.

Su Zai Zai looked a little disappointed. “Then what?”

“A Corgi.”

Su Zai Zai immediately objected. “No way! A Corgi? If I take it out for a walk in the morning, we might only reach downstairs by nightfall!”

Su Mother ignored her and turned to Su Father. “Lao Su, stop staring—time for work.”

Su Zai Zai leaned in and tried to persuade her. “Mom, wouldn’t a Samoyed be great? They’re smiling angels!”

Su Mother gave her a sidelong glance and said slowly, “It’s either a Corgi, or no dog at all.”

“…Fine.” Su Zai Zai surrendered immediately. “Corgi it is.”

A little short-legged dog would at least make her own legs look longer.

After Su Father and Su Mother left for work, Su Zai Zai returned to her room.

She picked up her phone, just about to tell Zhang Lu Rang that she was getting a dog—when she saw his new message.

Sent five minutes after his last one.

Zhang Lu Rang: I can go on my own.

Su Zai Zai was a little confused.

What was the beauty trying to say?

Was he showing off how independent he was, that he could go to school by himself?

Su Zai Zai was at a loss, but decided to play along.

She replied proudly: I can go to school on my own too! I haven’t needed my parents to take me since third grade. Aren’t I just as brave as you?

Message sent.

She stared at her phone, waiting for his reply.

She waited so long that she nearly fell asleep, her eyelids growing heavy.

Just as she was drifting off, her phone chimed twice.

But she was already too deep in sleep to pull herself out of it, sinking into darkness.

—

When she woke up again, the first thing she did was light up her phone.

After unlocking it, what met her eyes was still her chat with Zhang Lu Rang.

“zlr” retracted a message.

“zlr” retracted a message.

Zhang Lu Rang: Mm.

Su Zai Zai was utterly baffled.

She immediately asked: What did you retract? Twice, even.

Zhang Lu Rang: Nothing.

Frustrated, Su Zai Zai sat up in bed, cross-legged.

Resting her chin on her phone, she racked her brain for a way to make him spill.

She was desperate, so she accused him: Coward!

Zhang Lu Rang: …

Su Zai Zai: If you don’t tell me, I’ll…

She scratched her head, on the verge of kneeling: I’m begging you!

Meanwhile, on the other end.

Zhang Lu Rang saw her message and sighed.

He put down his pen and replied seriously: It’s really nothing.

Now her curiosity was stuck—dangling there, unresolved.

Su Zai Zai pursed her lips, suddenly irritated.

Su Zai Zai: Heh.

Su Zai Zai: I never thought you were this kind of person.

Su Zai Zai: Listen up—if you don’t tell me, I won’t be able to function properly all day.

Su Zai Zai: I won’t be able to eat, sleep, or study. I’m basically useless now.

Zhang Lu Rang: …

Seeing him reply with another ellipsis, Su Zai Zai got even angrier.

Did he not see that she was upset?! Didn’t he know this was like adding fuel to the fire?!

She was about to keep scolding him when she suddenly noticed something.

The top two words in her previous message.

“Gege” (Brother).

Su Zai Zai: “…”

…What the hell?!

Damn this autocorrect. Damn this nine-key pinyin keyboard.

She scrambled to fix it.

But the more anxious she got, the worse it became.

Su Zai Zai: —No! What I meant to say was gege!

Su Zai Zai: —No, no! It was gege!

Another autocorrect appeared.

Su Zai Zai took a deep breath and decided to calm down.

Then she slowly typed: 4, 3, 4, 3.

Seeing the options “gege” (brother), “hehe” (heh), and “he he” (drink), she carefully tapped “hehe” (heh).

After double-checking that it was correct, she sighed in relief and happily pressed the green send button.

Unexpectedly—

A long message appeared on the screen.

[zlr has enabled friend verification. You are not their friend yet. Please send a verification request first. Only after they accept can you chat.]

Su Zai Zai: “…”

—

Saturday afternoon.

Zhang Lu Rang returned to the classroom.

Just as he was about to get up and fill his water bottle—

He touched it and found it was already full.

And the water was warm.

He had no idea who had refilled it for him.

After a moment of hesitation, he decided to go to the water station and refill it anyway.

He stood up, just about to leave, when Su Zai Zai suddenly poked her head in from the window.

Seeing him, she smiled with crescent-shaped eyes and called out brightly, “Rang Rang.”

Zhang Lu Rang glanced at her but said nothing.

Noticing the water bottle in his hand, Su Zai Zai spoke in a coaxing tone.

“Not the right temperature? I tested it on my hand.”

Zhang Lu Rang sat back down.

Su Zai Zai came in and took a seat in front of him.

He took a sip from the bottle.

She stared at him and asked softly, “Is your cold better?”

He gave a low “mm.”

After hesitating for a long time, Su Zai Zai finally decided to confront him.

She smacked his desk angrily. “You actually blocked me!”

Zhang Lu Rang: “…”

Seeing no other option, Su Zai Zai shamelessly pressed on. “You’re too much! Our friendship is too fragile! What’s wrong with calling you ‘gege’? I’m definitely younger than you anyway.”

“…”

“Even if you’re younger than me, I look younger than you. No matter what, I’m smaller than you. So what’s wrong with calling you ‘big brother’?”

Zhang Lurang couldn’t hold back anymore and said in a low voice, “Then you’ll get blocked again.”

Su Zai Zai: “…I was just messing with you.”

Zhang Lurang lowered his head and picked up his pen to continue his homework.

Su Zai Zai’s mood instantly dropped, but she still forced herself to say, “That was the keypad’s fault, you can’t blame me for it.”

“…”

“I didn’t do it on purpose, why are you so mad…?”

“I’m not mad,” he replied.

Su Zai Zai propped her chin up with one hand and muttered gloomily, “Boss Zai specially came here today to bring you water, and you’re giving Boss Zai attitude. Boss Zai feels really hurt.”

Zhang Lurang: “…I didn’t.”

Su Zai Zai was about to say more when suddenly, a girl walked into the classroom.

The moment she saw Su Zai Zai sitting in her seat, her face immediately darkened.

Ye Zhenxin strode over in a few quick steps and rudely shouted, “Who are you? Can you not randomly sit in other people’s seats? You’re so annoying!”

Su Zai Zai was completely stunned by the sudden outburst.

She immediately stood up and instinctively apologized.

But Ye Zhenxin didn’t care about her backing down. With a face full of anger, she pointed at the chair and snapped, “Wipe it clean. I hate it when other people sit in my chair. It’s disgusting.”

People around them turned to look.

Su Zai Zai was caught off guard by Ye Zhenxin’s aggressive attitude and didn’t know how to react.

But thinking about it, she had indeed sat in someone else’s seat without permission.

Fine, she’d just wipe it then…

After sorting out her thoughts, she let out an “Oh” and then turned to Zhang Lurang.

“Can you lend me some tissues?”

Zhang Lurang didn’t move. He slightly tilted his head, his gaze meeting hers.

After a brief silence, Zhang Lurang finally spoke.

“Su Zai Zai, go back.”

Su Zai Zai blinked. “Don’t drive me away, I’ll leave after I wipe it.”

“I’ll wipe it for you,” he said softly.

Su Zai Zai opened her mouth, wanting to refuse.

How could she possibly let the great beauty wipe another girl’s chair?!

Not unless she was dead!

After a moment, Zhang Lurang glanced at her with a hint of reassurance in his eyes.

Then he added, “I’ll come find you later.”

Su Zai Zai was momentarily stunned by his gaze, completely dazed.

She forgot to refuse and just obediently nodded before leaving Class One.

Once Su Zai Zai had left, Zhang Lurang finally stood up.

He took a cloth from the podium, walked out, and headed to the restroom to clean it.

Ye Zhenxin called after him from behind.

But he acted as if he hadn’t heard her at all.

When he returned to the classroom and saw Ye Zhenxin already sitting in her seat, Zhang Lurang’s expression turned completely cold.

He said nothing.

He simply put the cloth back where it belonged and returned to his own seat.

A moment later, Ye Zhenxin turned around and spoke softly.

“I got a little too worked up just now, I didn’t mean it. That girl probably wasn’t too scared, right?”

Thinking about the way Su Zai Zai had frozen up when she was yelled at, an inexplicable anger flared up in Zhang Lurang again.

He scoffed, curling his lips into a mocking smirk.

“Get lost.”