Ethan Clark’s footsteps were flying when he suddenly woke up, feeling his chest—sure enough, it was completely empty.

“Oh no. Aunt Grace always takes off the name tag when she does the laundry, and I left in such a hurry today that I forgot all about it.”

“So what now?” Jack Harris craned his neck toward the door. “Crap, Compass is here too.”

Compass was the nickname for their junior high discipline director. He was tall, skinny, and meticulous—everyone called him that.

Ethan Clark grew even more anxious. Compass was notorious for being a stickler, even reporting girls who altered their uniform skirts. And today was the opening ceremony—he might just announce a list of offenders later.

He yanked his backpack strap, trying to cover up. “Jack Harris, help me block it.”

“Alright, maybe we can bluff our way through.”

Jack Harris shielded half his body, and the two of them shuffled toward the school gate like conjoined twins, hoping to slip past the group of students being inspected.

Compass’s voice was sharp. “Turn out your uniform collars, you there. The opening ceremony will be recorded and uploaded to the school website. Your image is Peiya’s image, understand?”

Ethan Clark gripped his backpack strap tightly, keeping his head down and sticking close to Jack Harris as they moved forward.

“What’s up with your pants?”

“Teacher, my uniform pants weren’t dry, so I wore a similar pair…”

“Don’t you have two pairs of uniform pants? Isn’t that enough for you to rotate?”

Ethan Clark buried his head even lower, already preparing his apology.

“Stop.”

He froze on the spot like a rabbit caught in headlights, but still didn’t dare look up.

It’s not me, it can’t be me.

“I’m talking to you.”

Compass came closer, with a student on duty standing beside him. “The girl with short hair—where’s your name tag? Which class are you in?”

Ethan Clark had just breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear Compass say, “I’ve said it countless times—students must wear their name tags at school. Is it that hard? Who else isn’t wearing one?”

Me.

Ethan Clark went rigid, as if a strange, giant hand had plucked him from the crowd and dangled him in front of Compass, pointing out the patch of fabric on his chest with no name tag.

At the most nerve-wracking moment, his arm was actually grabbed. His heart leapt, and Ethan Clark instinctively apologized, “I’m sorry…”

But the next second, that hand slid down his arm, grabbed his hand, and, hidden among the tightly packed students, pried open his fingers. A metal tag, still warm from body heat, was pressed into his palm.

It sounded mysterious, but just by touch, Ethan Clark knew who it was. He looked up and, sure enough, saw a cold yet familiar face.

The other person was wearing the high school uniform, a red armband on his arm, brows slightly furrowed under the direct sunlight.

It was none other than the “older brother” he lived with under the same roof.

Ethan Clark’s eyes widened slightly, his light-colored irises clear as amber beads in the sun. Seeing Ryan Cooper, a jolt ran through him, and he instinctively wanted to speak, but the word “brother” caught in his throat and he swallowed it back down.

Their eyes met. Ryan Cooper let go of his hand, looking away with an indifferent gaze, as if they really were just a duty prefect and a rule-breaking underclassman. He glanced at his watch, then took out a pen to jot down the names of latecomers.

Everyone else’s attention was still on Compass and the girl being scolded, so no one noticed this secret exchange. Ethan Clark looked down at the name tag in his hand, engraved with [Peiya Junior High, 乐知时]. Before Compass could notice, Ethan Clark quickly pinned the tag to his shirt.

As soon as his hand dropped, a pair of sharp eyes swept over him. Ethan Clark lifted his face and smiled at Compass. He had an innately innocent look, with the purest puppy-dog eyes. While good looks didn’t always get you out of trouble, it was hard to be harsh with such a pretty face.

“Almost late, huh.” Despite his words, Compass let him through. “Go on in.”

“Okay.” Ethan Clark nodded obediently. “Thank you, Director.”

The school clock tower chimed just then. He couldn’t help glancing back—Ryan Cooper stood tall and straight in the crowd, like a shining character straight out of a comic.

There wasn’t much time; the whole class had to gather in the classroom before the opening ceremony. Ethan Clark didn’t want to be late again, so he dashed toward the classroom. But Jack Harris found it suspicious. “Wait, Ethan Clark, stop! I saw everything!”

“We’re going to be late, we’re going to be late.” Ethan Clark ran ahead, heart pounding.

Jack Harris chased after him, out of breath. “Don’t—don’t change the subject. Be honest, how did your name tag end up in Ryan Cooper’s hand?”

Chapter 2: A New Turn

“Maybe… he picked it up.”

“Picked it up?”

How could he find something that small?

“I don’t buy it!” Jack Harris frowned, following Ethan Clark up to the second floor of the junior high building, clattering up the stairs and pressing on, “Even if he did pick it up, how did he know you’re Ethan Clark?”

Ethan Clark shot back, “Am I not recognizable enough?”