I thought—she probably figured out that I like Xu Hanzhou.

Falling for Xu Hanzhou wasn't hard at all.

He was perfect.

Good grades, good looks, and a good personality.

When we were kids, I always called him "Brother" because he really treated me like his little sister.

We were neighbors, growing up together. He knew I was timid and never dared to tell my mom when I got bullied, so he'd always stand in front of me, chasing away anyone who bothered me.

Xu Hanzhou was famous for being protective of his own—he never coddled girls. It seemed like whenever I was involved, he couldn't stay calm. "Whoever messes with my Shishi, I'll never let them get away with it," he'd say.

Back then, the boy's eyes sparkled brightly, and I fell for him without hesitation.

But the game of knight and princess didn't last long.

When did things change? Probably after Xia Yiran transferred to our school.

She was a poor student, but she never pitied herself. She was beautiful and resilient—an aura that made people want to get close to her. Her popularity only grew.

We were complete opposites. I never thought we'd have anything to do with each other.

Until that day—the first time Xu Hanzhou didn't wait for me after school to walk home together.

When I found him in his classroom, Xia Yiran was sitting next to him, the two of them extremely close.

When Xu Hanzhou saw me, he looked a little uncomfortable and moved away from Xia Yiran. He was about to say something, but Xia Yiran spoke first.

"Are you Hanzhou's friend? I had a question I couldn't figure out, so we stayed a bit late. I'm sorry for keeping him."

She smiled beautifully, her voice soft and gentle—easy to like.

But something felt off to me. I instinctively sensed she wasn't as harmless as she appeared.

But Xu Hanzhou didn't think so.

He thought Xia Yiran was strong and hardworking, praising her more than once when we were alone.

Later, after he stood me up again without a word—only to be tutoring Xia Yiran once more—I blocked his contact.

Xu Hanzhou thought I was just like everyone else who hated Xia Yiran—jealous of her.

I yelled at him for being blind, saying I regretted ever knowing him.

That was the first time he'd ever looked at me with a cold face. A rift formed between us.

But I thought—like all the times before—we'd fight and then make up.

But he drifted further and further away.

He no longer walked home with me, no longer brought me my favorite snacks, no longer ruffled my hair and called my name.

And he no longer stood by me unconditionally.