Shu Er first saw Gu Huailin in the dark back alley of their school. The boy wore a tattered black shirt and gripped a wooden stick. His eyes were shadowed, and menace radiated from him.
Shu Er sat inside a car and only caught a hurried glimpse. She didn't dare look for long, assuming he was just a good-looking delinquent.
When they met again, the boy had become her deskmate. With his refined, handsome features and neat school uniform, he was the good student everyone praised: a polite, gentle top scholar.
On a sweltering summer day, with cicadas chirring all around, Shu Er stared at Gu Huailin in a daze.
The boy's eyes were cold, yet he smiled warmly. "Is something wrong?"
Shu Er stammered, "Y-you've b-broken character!"
