It wasn’t out of spite. She simply didn’t want Mia Waters to see her home, as if she were guarding some unspeakable secret, Michelle Cindy’s extra story, willing to risk everything.

Yet Mia Waters suddenly became stubborn, and the sense of responsibility in Mia Waters that Michelle Cindy so admired ended up backfiring on her. She kept watching Mia Waters out of the corner of her eye as he lounged nearby, humming to himself and reading a magazine while the north wind howled outside the window. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t balance the equations under her pen.

Mia Waters leisurely propped both feet up on the edge of the desk, and with a glance, spotted the CD player next to Michelle Cindy’s hand.

“Is that Zoe Young’s? You still dare to listen to it? She’s touched it, you know—there must be chickenpox viruses all over it now, sprouting up like mushrooms in the wind!”

Michelle Cindy was startled and instinctively reached to take off her headphones, but when she saw the mischievous smile at the corner of Mia Waters’s mouth, she cooled her expression and went back to her work.

But he just wouldn’t leave.

The longer Michelle Cindy dragged it out, the colder she felt inside. In the end, she couldn’t take it anymore, and stood up bravely as if going to her doom, saying, “Let’s go home.”

She trailed behind Mia Waters, dawdling. As soon as Mia Waters pushed open the door, a blast of fierce north wind slammed it back at them. He stumbled backward and accidentally stepped on Michelle Cindy’s foot, and they both fell down together.

Michelle Cindy landed on the ground, clutching her left ankle, in too much pain to speak. Mia Waters panicked, buzzing around her like a fly, but no matter how he asked, Michelle Cindy just sat there, pale and silent.

That expression seemed to take her back to when she was cornered by Ethan Xavier, clutching her bag tightly, holding her breath.

But whether it was the fear of others discovering her theft, or the fear of others seeing her shabby home and parents, these shouldn’t have been things to be so fixated on.

After several failed attempts to get Michelle Cindy’s address, Mia Waters finally slapped his forehead in frustration: “Forget it, I’ll just carry you to my place. It’s right in that apartment complex around the corner.”

Michelle Cindy’s breath caught, and she looked up in disbelief at the smiling boy in front of her, his face breaking out in pimples.

As soon as Michelle Cindy entered the door, she plastered on a nervous fake smile. Under the enthusiastic greeting of Mia Waters’s mother, she lowered her head and slowly untied her shoelaces.

She wished that both Mia Waters and his mother would just leave and stop staring at her.

Michelle Cindy knew the socks she’d put on that morning had a hole in them. But she hadn’t had time to mend it, and now, as she changed into slippers under the host’s gaze, she finally understood what it felt like to be tortured.

Luckily, Mia Waters got impatient watching her dawdle and dashed into his room to ask his mom for water. Mia Waters’s mother was a short, plump woman, with crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes from years of smiling. Her face was especially kind and gentle, and her voice was soft and raspy, reminding Michelle Cindy of a warm blanket, though she didn’t know why.

“Your name is Meixiang, right? Come on in, take your time changing your shoes while you sit on the stool. I’ll get you some water.”

Michelle Cindy breathed a sigh of relief, took the chance to change into slippers, and slowly walked over to sit by the sofa.

It was a tidy, cozy little home—two bedrooms and a living room. The place wasn’t big, nor was the decor fancy, but the feeling of clean happiness filled the air, and Michelle Cindy didn’t dare breathe too deeply.

She had never dared to invite any classmate to her home, let alone in such a sudden way.

Her foot didn’t hurt much anymore. She sat stiffly on the sofa, not knowing how to pass the time.

She had never been a host, nor a guest.

But Mia Waters’s mother was an experienced host. She brought out cola, fruit, and American almonds, set them on the coffee table, then sat down next to Michelle Cindy with a big smile, asking if her foot still hurt, if she was busy with her studies, which high school she wanted to apply to, whether Mia Waters was naughty at school, and if he had a girlfriend…

When she got to the last question, Mia Waters burst out of his room, munching on an apple: “Mom, why are you so nosy?”

Mia Waters’s mother reached out and twisted her son’s ear, making Mia Waters yelp like a stuck pig. Michelle Cindy couldn’t help but laugh.

Staring at the pale yellow new wallpaper, she laughed and laughed, and then her heart began to sigh softly.

“Meixiang, what time do you get up every morning?”

“Six o’clock.”

Mia Waters’s mother immediately put on a “see how good she is” expression.

“This ancestor of mine can barely be dragged out of bed at 6:40 every day, and he has to be at morning study by seven. I go to all the trouble to make him breakfast, and he never gets a bite—am I not just wasting my effort?”

Michelle Cindy’s extra story: “No, Mom, I appreciate it.”

“Go stand over there!” Mia Waters’s mother rolled her small eyes with effort. “I’ll just stew your ribs in my heart for you later!”

Mia Waters shrugged. “Then I guess your son will live in your heart forever.”

Mia Waters’s mother grabbed a feather duster and swung it at him. Mia Waters reflexively jumped back just in time to dodge, the whole movement smooth and practiced, leaving Michelle Cindy staring in amazement.

Then she felt a little down.

Happiness was so close, so within reach, yet could only live in her heart.

Mia Waters’s mother insisted that Michelle Cindy stay for dinner. She sat at one side of the table, silent. Mia Waters’s parents weren’t overly polite or enthusiastic; at the table, they acted as usual, as if nothing had changed because of an extra person. Mia Waters’s mother kept putting food on the kids’ plates, always met with Mia Waters’s resistance. The two of them bickered the whole time, and occasionally, when they disturbed the father watching the news, he’d say, “Keep it down!”—but even that was gentle, with a smile.

She just sat under the warm orange light, following Mia Waters’s mother’s enthusiastic encouragement, accepting everything, head down, shoveling food into her mouth. Before she knew it, she’d eaten too much, so full she wanted to cry.

Only after dinner did she feel a little dizzy. Mia Waters’s mother noticed something was off, gently touched her forehead, and said, “You’re a little warm, but it’s not serious. Mia , go get the thermometer!”

37.2°C—not high, not low, just barely a slight fever. Michelle Cindy felt her earlobes and cheeks were warm, her head dizzy, experiencing a happiness she’d never felt before, and a sadness she’d never felt before. She took the chance to snuggle into Mia Waters’s mother’s warm, solid embrace, pretending to be seriously ill.

37.2°C—the whole house was 37.2°C, Mia Waters was too, and so were his parents. The perfect temperature, and she was just infected by it.

But in the end, it was time to go.

Mia Waters’s mother bundled Michelle Cindy up tightly in her coat, pulled up her hood, and gave her a warm smile: “Come over and play often, now you know the way. Help Auntie keep Mia Waters on track with his studies, don’t let him fool around all the time. The only friend of his I know is Zoe Young, who has pretty good grades. Meixiang, you’re a good student too, help Auntie keep an eye on him!”

Michelle Cindy nodded shyly, and Mia Waters quickly pushed her out the door: “Alright, are you going to let her leave or not? Can you stop making every person with a full set of facial features watch me? Is your son a fugitive or something?!”

Mia Waters closed the door, shutting all his parents’ reminders inside, then turned around and, for once, said seriously, “I’ll walk you home. Let’s go, it’s late.”

Maybe it was just in her head, but walking beside Mia Waters, Michelle Cindy felt it wasn’t so cold anymore. The lingering warmth of 37.2°C stayed with her, and in a daze, the half-moon in the sky looked like it was wearing a fuzzy coat, soft and cute.

Maybe she was too comfortable, and some words slipped out without thinking.

“Mia Waters, I’ve always thought you were really smart.”

For once, Mia Waters didn’t put his hands on his hips and laugh, “Hahaha, I’ve always been a genius,” but just listened in silence, as if waiting for her to continue.

“…So, I think, maybe if you really tried, you could actually be number one.”

Michelle Cindy was surprised at herself after she said it.

After a moment of silence, Mia Waters went back to his usual cheeky, grinning self: “Oh, come on, I should leave some room for Eric Young. If I got too smart, I’m afraid she couldn’t handle it—ah!!”

Michelle Cindy paused, then suddenly changed the subject.

“Your parents are really nice. Your home… is very warm.”

Mia Waters just listened, looked at her, and smiled.

He took it as a normal compliment, just being polite, and never realized there was anything about his ordinary home that others might envy. That taken-for-granted smile made Michelle Cindy sigh deeply.

No matter what, Michelle Cindy knew she shouldn’t have mentioned being smart or being number one. She just wasn’t sure if it was because she’d offended Mia Waters’s feelings for Eric Young, or some other philosophy of his she couldn’t quite put into words.

Michelle Cindy’s extra story: so for the rest of the way, they walked in silence.