In high school, if a boy and a girl got too close or exchanged a few extra words, the class would immediately start teasing them.

Calling each other by first names without the last name felt overly intimate and flirtatious.

Even playful banter after class, or the accidental touch of hands, was enough to make someone’s heart race and their face flush.

And it went without saying—

In public,

A bold, deliberate hand-holding was an entirely different level of scandal.

The scene from earlier, in the hallway outside the classroom of Class 10, had caught the attention of many students. In their minds, it stirred a storm of excitement.

Naturally, such a shocking act from the "ice queen" school beauty would spread quickly. Within a short time, it would cause a ripple effect across various circles in Yunan High School, shaking the entire school.

But right now,

The two parties involved had already returned to their respective seats in the fourth row at the back of the classroom when the bell rang for class to start.

There was a strange, almost eerie silence in the air.

Lin Ran glanced over at his deskmate, the school beauty, and tried to find the right words to speak.

“Um...”

After fumbling for a while, he still couldn’t come up with a complete sentence.

The situation had escalated so ridiculously that he was still confused, unable to make sense of it.

What on earth was that about?

This definitely didn’t happen in his past life!

Seemingly noticing Lin Ran’s confusion, Su Qingyan maintained her usual calm demeanor and spoke in a neutral tone:

“Don’t misunderstand. I just couldn’t stand how those two girls were taking advantage of you.”

“Holding hands isn’t a big deal, so don’t think too much about it.”

【“Bang!”—】

While her words seemed calm, inside, Su Qingyan’s inner mini-self was already jumping up and down, celebrating with fireworks.

【Wuhu! I held my little deskmate’s hand!】

【Lin Ran’s first hand-holding this life! Achievement unlocked, oh yeah!】

In her past life, when she read Lin Ran’s diary, Su Qingyan clearly remembered that his first hand-holding with a girl didn’t happen until the last two weeks before graduation—and it was with Shen Lingshan.

But in this life, she, Su Qingyan, had successfully cut in!

Forget Shen Lingshan and her fake, dirty hands!

...

Lin Ran, oblivious to his deskmate’s inner excitement, processed Su Qingyan’s explanation and nodded in understanding.

That made sense. It fit her "ice queen" persona well.

However, he hesitated again.

“Um…”

Su Qingyan, as if anticipating his thoughts, calmly replied without looking at him:

“Hand-holding was just a casual remark. You don’t need to take it seriously.”

Her inner mini-self, however, was adamant:

【Of course, you must take it seriously! Little Lin Ran, you can hold my hand whenever you want! As many times as you want! I owe you my life, don’t be shy!】

Su Qingyan turned to look at Lin Ran, her expression still calm.

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“Any more questions?”

Lin Ran reluctantly nodded.

“Yes.”

Then he looked down at his right hand, which had been held by Su Qingyan since they entered the classroom and hadn’t been released.

“Is it... okay to stop holding hands now?”

“...”

“Oh, sorry, I forgot.”

Su Qingyan remained as composed as ever, casually letting go of his hand.

Meanwhile, her inner mini-self was sighing in regret:

【Oh no, I got caught. I wanted to hold his hand for a little longer.】

【His hand is so warm, I want to hold it more!】

Lin Ran breathed a sigh of relief as his hand was finally freed.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be polite, but rather, he was scared.

Earlier, their teacher, Mr. Liu Chun, had been patrolling outside the corridor.

He was worried about getting caught and having his life threatened by the teacher.

Class was starting.

The final class for the morning was history.

The history teacher was a small, frail old man who spoke in a tired, listless tone.

He read from the textbook on the podium, seemingly lost in his own world, without any concern for whether the students were paying attention.

Most of the students were either sleeping, or sneaking in small activities.

Some were hiding their phones under the desk, reading novels, while others took the opportunity to quickly munch on snacks.

At the back of the classroom,

Lin Ran thought for a moment. No matter the reason, Su Qingyan had helped him earlier.

Out of politeness, he felt he should at least express some gratitude.

So, he wrote a small note and passed it over to her.

“Thank you.”

Su Qingyan glanced at the note, then continued to watch the teacher with her usual cold expression. She picked up her pen and scribbled a few lines on the note, returning it to him.

“How do you want to thank me?”

Lin Ran blinked in confusion:

“?”

He was just trying to be polite, but his deskmate didn’t seem to care much for politeness herself.

How do I thank her…? Dude, I literally gave my life for you in the last life, and you’re asking me what to do to thank you?!

His inner mini-self was fuming, shaking its fist.

But after a moment’s reflection, Lin Ran calmed down:

Forget it, that was in my past life.

Besides, she doesn’t even remember it.

He quickly scribbled a new line on the note and passed it back:

“How would you like me to thank you?”

When Su Qingyan read the note, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of her lips. She quickly wrote another line on the note and slid it back to him.

Her handwriting was neat and elegant, with a dignified air.

The content of the note, however, made Lin Ran nearly choke on his own spit when he read it.

“Call me ‘Sister’ and let me hear it.”

Lin Ran: “???”

When I typed that question mark, it’s not because I have a problem, it’s because I think you have a problem.

Unable to stop himself, he looked up at Su Qingyan.

She was still focused on the teacher at the front, acting like she was totally absorbed in the lesson.

It was hard to believe that this aloof face could be the same one that wrote such absurd words on a note.

The ice queen deskmate.

Does she have some strange hobby?

Lin Ran was utterly confused and could only attribute it to his lack of knowledge about her in his past life.

But there was no way he was calling her “Sister.”

Otherwise, where would the dignity of a man in his thirties go?

He scribbled on the note again and passed it back:

“No, try again.”

Su Qingyan quickly glanced at the note, then wrote another line and passed it back:

“Then treat me to lunch this afternoon.”

Lin Ran stared at the note: “...”

Why did it feel like he was being manipulated?

Meanwhile, sitting beside him, Su Qingyan’s lips curled into a smile:

【Little guy.】

【Do you think I can’t handle you?】