Her heart pounded as she waited, bracing herself for Qin Feifei’s disbelief.

“Really?” Qin Feifei frowned, her eyes filled with concern. “It’s so red. It must have really gotten you. Does it hurt?”

Jiang Yi avoided her gaze, guilt gnawing at her. “It’s… okay.”

Qin Feifei sat back. “Alright, you should finish your work. I won’t bother you.”

“Okay.” Jiang Yi straightened up, returning to her essay.

Before morning reading, the class representative collected the assignments. Jiang Yi handed hers in and took out her textbook. As the sound of reading filled the classroom, Jiang Yi stared at the words on the page, her mind wandering. She touched her neck, remembering Zhong Lin’s kisses from the night before. That must be when it happened. She’d been too flustered and hurried this morning to cover it up.

Having committed to the lie, she decided to maintain it. After class, she bought some insect bite ointment and asked Qin Feifei to help apply it, repeating to herself, It was a bug bite. A bug bite. Despite her efforts, she remained self-conscious for the rest of the day, avoiding crowds.

Before the last class of the afternoon, Qin Feifei received a text. Her eyes flickered, and she leaned towards Jiang Yi. “Come over to my place for dinner tonight!”

Jiang Yi hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Of course! My parents are away, and my brother’s a workaholic. He’s barely home. It’s so lonely eating alone. Come on, Yiyi! There’s plenty of room, the food is amazing, and we can do our homework together!”

When Jiang Yi didn't immediately agree, Qin Feifei launched into a full-scale campaign of pleading and cajoling.

“Okay,” Jiang Yi finally relented.

Qin Feifei’s face lit up. “Yay! It’s settled!” She immediately started asking about Jiang Yi’s favorite foods.

Jiang Yi said anything was fine.

Qin Feifei, muttering to herself, began typing rapidly in the family’s staff group chat, instructing the housekeeper and cook to prepare an extra place setting and a feast fit for a queen, something delicious and satisfying, guaranteed to impress! The staff responded instantly with a “Roger that.”

Just as Qin Feifei was putting her phone away, a new message notification popped up. It was from her perpetually absent brother. 

[Which classmate?]

Assuming it was a routine parental inquiry, Qin Feifei replied without much thought. [The Zhong family’s daughter, the one who was always trailing after him at Uncle Zhong’s wedding. She’s my deskmate now.]

A reply came quickly.

[Okay.]

The single word signaled the end of the conversation.

Qin Feifei put her phone away, a smile playing on her lips, and pulled out her textbook.

Noticing her smile, Jiang Yi asked, “What’s got you so happy?”

“It’s the first time I’ve invited a good friend over to my house,” Qin Feifei replied.

“The first time?” Jiang Yi was surprised. With Qin Feifei’s friendly nature, she assumed she’d have many friends.

“Yeah,” Qin Feifei said, still smiling. “I didn’t like my old friends.” They were either gossips or constantly trying to get her to buy them things, their eyes full of calculation and scheming. It was exhausting.

Jiang Yi, not fully understanding, thought about Qin Feifei’s absent parents and workaholic brother, and the image of her eating dinner alone filled her with a pang of sympathy. “It’s okay,” she blurted out. “If you ever need company, I can eat with you.”

“Really?” Qin Feifei beamed. “It’s a deal!”