Ming Ming pulled her hand back. “Oh, that won’t work. My brother’s taking me overseas for the summer.”
“…”
Song Junyi froze for a second, then continued, “That’s okay. When school starts, I’ll come back to see you. We can go to the arcade on weekends. I’ll teach you how to shoot hoops.”
Ming Ming thought about it.
Was this what people called… a date? (Elementary graduation edition?)
Kind of interesting.
“Okay!”
Song Junyi stared at her with intense eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you…”
Ming Ming snapped to attention—her soul hadn’t returned yet, but her goosebumps had.
“Wait.”
In this atmosphere, she knew exactly what he wanted to say and tried to stop him. “Have you ever heard this song lyric?”
“‘Beautiful promises are only made because we’re too young.’”
Song Junyi shook his head, gaze firm. “I only know one line—‘love needs to be spoken.’”
Ming Ming: “…”
Bro, what are you doing???
Help. Please stop.
But Song Junyi’s momentum was unstoppable. He knelt on one knee with full seriousness, placing his hand on his chest—a pose extremely similar to that anime scene of “offering one’s heart.” Except Ming Ming felt he put his heart on the wrong side.
Buddy, hearts are on the left.
“Xiao Xinx i, I like you.”
Every hair on Ming Ming’s body stood at attention.
“You’re right, we’re still too young to make heavy promises. But I believe that someday, we’ll walk far enough that I can finally tell you the words ‘I love you.’”
The moment he finished, his buddies suddenly jumped out from nowhere, lined up neatly behind him, bowed toward Ming Ming, and shouted in unison:
“Hello, sister-in-law!”
In that instant, the entire school exploded.
“Wow! Song Junyi confessed to Xiao Xinx i!”
“Omg! Song Junyi just proposed to her!”
“He’s so brave and so high-profile! I can’t believe I witnessed this historic moment!”
“Congrats~ Blessings~ 99 years of love!”
“May you grow old together and have a bunch of babies!”
Ming Ming felt she had never been this socially anxious in her life.
Bro, if you were even a few years older, maybe I could tolerate this earth-shaking, world-shocking public display of affection.
But why are you only twelve???
This passion of a boy—no, a child—I truly cannot handle.
QAQ I want to go home.
I want my brother.
Please let me die…
Breaking up after graduation makes perfect sense!
This must be a survival rule passed down by our ancestors!
I don’t want to see this person ever again.
That night, after returning home, ignoring the fact that it was the middle of the night across the ocean, Ming Ming hurriedly called Xiao Yunmu. She blurted out, “Brother, I love you,” and immediately hung up.
Xiao Yunmu—who had just finished a paper, worked overtime handling official duties, and had finally fallen asleep—woke up to: “???”
The next day, anxiously concerned, he asked Zhao Jing for a book titled A Guide to Children’s Rebellious Psychology.
More knowledge could only help.
Ming Ming spent the entire summer traveling abroad with her brother and completely forgot about Song Junyi.
Meanwhile, An Kang spent his whole summer practicing basketball and finally grew taller—just enough to surpass Ming Ming by one single centimeter!
He almost wanted to laugh up at the sky.
At last!
He had waited so long for this day!
Xiao Xinx i, return to me!
But what he didn’t expect was that when they entered fourth grade… a transfer student arrived.
Fair-skinned and delicate-looking, handsome features, big eyes, high nose bridge, long curled lashes—looked practically mixed-race.
Great. A character collision.
And more importantly… actually, two things:
- After a whole summer of playing basketball, An Kang was tanned as a walnut. The transfer student looked like he’d been raised under a UV-blocking lamp.
- The transfer student was half a head taller than Ming Ming.
Ming Ming’s eyes immediately lit up. She stared straight at the new boy. He looked cool and aloof, his self-introduction simple—he only said his name was “Duan Miao.” But when his eyes met Ming Ming’s, he instinctively lowered his head. It seemed shy at first glance, but there was also a lingering softness behind it.
An Kang was so furious he could’ve crushed a silver tooth.
We’re both boys—what are you pretending to?
You think I can’t see through your intentions?!
He had barely gotten rid of that giant sixth-grader, and now another one???
Those focused, passionate eyes Xiao Xinx i had—those were supposed to be his!
I hate this!
Since Duan Miao was tall, the teacher seated him two rows behind Ming Ming, placing him in the same group.
During break, he immediately walked to her and asked softly, “Hi, I’m new here and don’t have any friends yet. Would you be willing to allow me to be your friend?”
Ming Ming gasped.
He was so handsome—
Wait, no, so polite!
He didn’t say, “Do you want to be my friend?”
He said, “Would you allow me to be your friend?”
Good heavens!
Who could reject a good-looking, polite little boy?
Certainly not Ming Ming.
From then on, Duan Miao would come chat with her every break. At first, it was about school life, but soon they were talking about stars and the moon, poetry and songs, dreams and life goals.
Schemes.
All schemes!
Xiao Xinx i, how can you not see it?!
An Kang stared at Duan Miao so hard he practically tried to burn a hole in him.
To be fair, Duan Miao did have a certain charm.
Ming Ming noticed that he only ever approached her. When other classmates tried to talk to him, he was distant. Even with teachers, he was polite but cool. But when he talked to her, his eyes softened, and he listened with a faint smile.
Still, because he was handsome and soft-spoken—even if a bit aloof—the class was extremely tolerant of him.
Only a few people noticed his different attitude toward Ming Ming.
People like An Kang.
Slow Zhao Chengfei kept trying to comfort him: “You two aren’t even the same type. How could you be? You’re obviously way darker than he is…”
An Kang nearly punched him.
And just as he was secretly praying for Duan Miao to get sick and transfer schools again, somehow Duan Miao managed to charm even the teacher—
The teacher agreed to make him Ming Ming’s deskmate.
He actually became Ming Ming’s deskmate!!!
At that moment, An Kang realized:
This transfer student…
It would not be easy to defeat.
What a scheming boy.
What a terrifyingly capable boy.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152