Monday was the usual flag-raising ceremony. Of course, before it even started, Jiang Xia was already sick and tired of being questioned by his many gossipy classmates.

He’d told them countless times that he wasn’t dating Lin Yanwan. Why wouldn’t they believe him?

As for... the goddess of the liberal arts class?

Tch, he couldn’t care less.

’It’s not like I don’t have a wife to warm the bed.’

The principal on stage was talking about order and safety. While there hadn’t been any serious stampedes during last night’s power outage, a student had accidentally fallen on another staircase and been injured.

Although he didn’t name names, the principal took the opportunity to severely criticize the students who only pretended to listen and loved to cause a ruckus.

It was only because it had been pitch-black last night that no one could see clearly. Otherwise, the students who had disrupted the peace would have certainly been punished.

Wang Ming yawned, bored. He turned to look at Jiang Xia, who had his eyes closed, resting. ’Who knows what he’s thinking,’ Wang Ming mused. ’Maybe he’s still savoring the taste of the soup the goddess drank.’

He suddenly nudged Jiang Xia’s arm and whispered, "So, you and Lin Yanwan... did you two get together after you walked her home last night?"

Jiang Xia’s lip twitched. This was the same guy who, just moments ago in the classroom, had been vividly describing how close he and Lin Yanwan were. It had gotten to the point where any explanation he offered just sounded like a flimsy excuse to hide their "relationship."

"Sure, whatever you say," he said, his tone utterly helpless. He couldn’t be bothered to explain anymore.

"But that doesn’t make sense. You two barely ever talked before. How could you get so close in a single night? Even love at first sight isn’t that fast. Unless..."

He took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly widening. "Have you two already... you know... done it?"

Jiang Xia was speechless. He really wanted to ask how Wang Ming had possibly reached that conclusion. ’Though we are indeed intimately familiar with each other’s bodies, the only reason our relationship is so unusual is that we used to be married.’

Seeing his best bro stay silent, Wang Ming couldn’t help but rub his hands together and let out a low, lecherous chuckle.

"Old Jiang, what’s it really like to hold a girl’s hand? Is it soft? Smooth? Delicate? Does a faint sweet scent linger on your palm afterward?"

He took a dramatic sniff. "If that were me, I wouldn’t wash my hands for three days!"

Jiang Xia’s expression darkened. "I don’t remember you being this much of a perv."

"Heh heh, I’m just curious! Come on, tell me."

"Don’t ask me. Never done it, so I wouldn’t know."

"For real?" Wang Ming was skeptical, looking at his friend’s completely unruffled expression.

"I can’t help it if you don’t believe me. However, I can answer your question from a theoretical standpoint."

"Huh?"

"The first time you hold hands with your crush, both of you are so nervous that your palms will get incredibly sweaty. So the answer is... stinky," Jiang Xia said, his expression deadpan.

This so-called "theoretical knowledge" was actually from his own experience. That year, in a movie theater, after countless tentative brushes, their hands had finally intertwined in the darkness. They’d both had a crush on each other.

The result was that he’d barely watched any of *Iron Man 2*. His heart had been pounding the entire time. By the time they left the theater, he found his palm was so drenched in sweat it was like he’d just washed his hands.

After hearing Jiang Xia’s description, it was Wang Ming’s turn to be speechless. His romantic fantasy of holding a pretty girl’s hand was nearly shattered.

The principal’s long-winded speech finally ended, and the students packed onto the athletic field immediately began to disperse.

As the two of them walked toward their classroom, Wang Ming suddenly nudged him with his elbow and pointed to a girl in the crowd. "Old Jiang, look, isn’t that Lin Yanwan? You gonna go say hi?"

"The hell I am. Let’s just go." Jiang Xia rolled his eyes. He really didn’t want to cross paths with Lin Yanwan unless he absolutely had to.

But things rarely go as planned.

As Lin Yanwan was walking, she was suddenly pulled aside by the person next to her, changing direction. Their gazes met across the bustling crowd, and they saw each other instantly.

He sighed inwardly. ’I really want to ask Elder Yue if he forgot to snip the red string connecting us when we were reborn.’

’Otherwise, how could I possibly run into her everywhere I go in a school this big?’

’But since we’ve already seen each other, there’s no avoiding it. I’ll just have to act normal and say hi, prove I’ve completely moved on.’

Seeing her delicate brows furrowed and her teeth biting her lip as if she were in great pain, Jiang Xia’s own brow crinkled. He mentally calculated the date. ’It must be her period.’

’Four years of dating, eight years of marriage. When it came to certain things, it was safe to say he knew her even better than she knew herself.’

His wife suffered from severe cramps. If they didn’t prepare in advance, the first two days of her period were always agonizing for her.

And during those times, Jiang Xia was always the one taking care of her. Brown sugar water, heat packs, stomach rubs, and a strict watch over her diet—spicy food and cold water would only make the pain worse.

"Did you use cold water just now?"

"Mhm..."

She replied with a helpless sound. The school didn’t have hot water, and it’s not like she could skip washing her hands after using the restroom, right? But unexpectedly, her stomach had started to hurt during the principal’s speech, and the pain was only getting worse.

"It’s nothing, really, I just feel a little sick. But Yingying insisted on dragging me to the nurse’s office."

Listening to their conversation, Shen Ying blinked. Being a girl, she was far more perceptive than any boy. Even though her best friend hadn’t said it outright, she had a pretty good idea that her "monthly visitor" had arrived.

’But this guy figured it out with a single glance? How could they just be normal friends? He’s totally her boyfriend, right?’

’And there wasn’t a hint of distance in Yanwan’s tone, either. It sounded more like the casual banter of a couple who’d been together for a long time.’

She took another look at Jiang Xia. ’Fair skin, tall and lean. His hair wasn’t flashy and weird like some of the other alternative kids in their class. His light bangs were parted casually to the sides, revealing his forehead. Sharp brows, bright eyes... he was handsome. Not bad at all. I guess he’s barely good enough for my Yanwan.’

Wang Ming, meanwhile, was completely lost. The guy had to rely on his imagination just to know what holding a girl’s hand felt like; there was no way he could decipher this level of high-stakes code.

"Oh... shoot! I think I left my money in the classroom! Yanwan, you wait here, okay? I’ll be right back!"

Shen Ying put on an exaggerated expression, letting go of Lin Yanwan’s arm. Then, ignoring Wang Ming’s protests, she forcibly dragged him away.

’In her eyes, those two were a couple. It was completely inappropriate for her and Wang Ming to be third wheels.’

Lin Yanwan: "..."

Watching the girl scamper away, Jiang Xia was silent for a moment before remarking, "Her acting could use some work."

Lin Yanwan couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead, truly embarrassed.

How could two sharp people like them fail to see that Shen Ying had deliberately dragged Wang Ming away? She was leaving them alone to sort things out, no doubt so she could watch from the shadows and see for herself if they were actually dating.

After all, seeing is believing.

"Come on, I’ll walk you to the nurse’s office."

Jiang Xia sighed silently. ’The heavens are really pulling out all the stops to get us back together. Who knew they’d even provide their own wingmen?’

"You don’t have to. I can just bear with it for a bit," Lin Yanwan said, shaking her head gently.

"As if I don’t know you? Besides, you can’t just ’bear with’ cramps. The more you try to ignore them, the worse they get."

Before Lin Yanwan could argue, Jiang Xia grabbed her hand, completely ignoring the stares of others, and started walking toward the nurse’s office.

...

(Off to rub my wife’s tummy now)