I want to leave you utterly powerless.

Shen Mo came and went, but for Fang Chang'an, her visit did little to soothe the melancholy he felt about their impending long separation. To keep his holiday from becoming too dull and monotonous, beyond occasionally playing with a group of children, Fang Chang'an began diligently tutoring his younger brother and sister, adding a touch of academic joy to their dry winter break.

On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the city daily newspaper featured an article titled "Twelve-Year-Old Middle School Student Remains Calm in Crisis, Police Officer Bravely Captures Criminal," detailing the heroic deeds of Fang Chang'an and Chang Chao.

That evening, the city news program dedicated nearly half a minute to the story. As one of the protagonists, Chang Chao appeared on screen for over ten seconds, thereby entering the public eye.

Over the next two days, Fang Lujun had made sure nearly all their relatives and friends knew about the event. Since they couldn't buy the newspaper in time, he expressed great regret that his son hadn't had a chance to appear on television.

In the evening, the family gathered around their new large color TV to watch the city news. Although Fang Chang'an did not appear on camera, seeing the event reported on TV gave the whole family a sense of wonder, as if a "dimensional wall" had been broken.

Just as Chang Chao’s face vanished from the screen, and before a minute had passed—while Fang Lujun, Cong Rong, Fang Changming, and Fang Yanran were still discussing it—the home phone rang.

Fang Yanran quickly snatched up the receiver. After a brief "Mhm," she turned to Fang Chang'an and said, "Big brother, Sister Momo is looking for you."

Fang Chang'an was a bit surprised. He went to take the call and heard Shen Mo say excitedly, "Fang Chang'an, did you watch the news? They just broadcast the story about you."

"I just finished watching it. My parents are still talking about it."

"I watched it too."

The young girl’s tone was very excited, but then she added with a touch of regret, "It’s a pity you didn't want to be on TV; otherwise, we could have seen you on screen."

Before Fang Chang'an could reply, she asked, "Did you see the newspaper?"

"No, I couldn't buy one."

"Should I bring you a copy?"

"You're going to bring it to my house?"

"Hmm..." Shen Mo dragged out the sound, thinking. "It's too cold, I don't want to ride my bike. Let me ask my uncle when he has time later."

"No, no, I was just saying it casually. You can give it to me when we pick up our report cards."

Fang Chang'an did want a copy—it didn't matter if he read it, but his parents certainly wanted to.

Shen Mo thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll hang up now. Wang Ke is still waiting for me to call her."

"Why are you calling her?"

"I told her to watch the news, too."

Fang Chang'an found it a bit amusing. "Is it really necessary to call her specifically to tell her?"

"Yes! I went back to your house that day, and I called her that night to tell her. Don't you want her to know?"

"No, no. Sharing is a good habit. Please continue to keep it up."

"I think so too," the girl said with a giggle. "Okay, I'm hanging up now. Talk to you later."

"Mhm, bye-bye."

"Bye-bye."

Fang Chang'an hung up the phone and was, as usual, questioned by his parents. Both Fang Lujun and Cong Rong felt their son was a bit too close to the girl, but knowing there were reasons for it, they didn't say anything further.

On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, Fang Chang'an went to school to collect his report card. Fang Lujun and Cong Rong planned to go to town to buy supplies for the New Year, and since Fang Changming and Fang Yanran rarely got to go to town, they eagerly insisted on joining.

Early in the morning, before Fang Chang'an had finished breakfast, Fang Lujun, who was faster, had already started packing. He cleaned out the tricycle bed and laid down an old quilt so that Cong Rong could sit on it with the two children.

Fang Chang'an had to go to school and couldn't stay with them, so they agreed that if they couldn't find each other, they would meet at the lighthouse.

Fang Ying arrived after breakfast. Since Cong Rong was still packing, the three of them set off first, only to be overtaken near the timber yard by his parents and siblings, who quickly left them in the dust.

Fang Changming and Fang Yanran, with their ears, cheeks, and little hands flushed red from the cold, made faces at their older brother, seemingly unbothered by the frost—unlike how they would be when they grew up and refused to go outside at the slightest chill.

Upon arriving at school and locking his bike, Fang Chang'an entered the classroom. To his surprise, Wang Ke and Shen Mo were already there. Shen Mo was sitting in his seat, and Wang Ke was in Shen Mo’s seat, their heads together whispering about something.

Fang Chang'an walked over and saw a newspaper between them. He reached out and tapped the desk. During this moment, he realized that his previous assumption—that he would never see them again after the last exam—had been hasty. This was likely the real last time.

"Knock, knock."

The two girls looked up simultaneously. Shen Mo had been involved in the aftermath of the robbery, but Wang Ke had only heard rumors and still found it somewhat unreal. It took her two seconds to react, and she stood up with Shen Mo to let him in.

Fang Chang'an sat in his seat, and Wang Ke returned to hers. Only then did Fang Chang'an ask, "What are you two talking about?"

Shen Mo pursed her lips, gesturing at the newspaper on the desk. Fang Chang'an had already guessed. Seeing Wang Ke staring at him with wide eyes, he smiled and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Wang Hao and Wu Di had not arrived yet. Wang Ke glanced around and leaned forward, whispering, "Did you really run into robbers?"

Fang Chang'an laughed. "I explained it to you when I got back that night, but you didn't believe me."

After hearing Shen Mo's account, Wang Ke remembered the incident. Knowing she was in the wrong, she pouted and said nothing. Fang Chang'an continued, "Remember this: don't doubt what I say in the future."

Wang Ke hummed softly. "That depends on what you're saying. You can't just expect me to believe everything."

Fang Chang'an pointed at Shen Mo and said, "I said Shen Mo is Shen Mo, and she is."

The two girls caught his meaning. Wang Ke covered her mouth to hide a giggle, while Shen Mo feigned annoyance and tapped his shoulder twice. Then, they began to discuss their exam results.

Fang Chang'an consistently placed first in every exam, so the two girls unconsciously ignored him when discussing their scores. Shen Mo had placed fourth last time, while Wang Ke had climbed from the thirties in the diagnostic test to twenty-sixth in the midterms, and nineteenth in the unit tests—a steady progression. However, compared to Shen Mo, who had broken into the top five of the grade, she still felt she lacked confidence, so their discussion was somewhat reserved.

Fortunately, Shen Mo did not like to show off, and her relationship with Wang Ke was good, so there was no sharp competition between them. They focused more on their class rankings.

Cheng Mengfei had set the time for nine o'clock, and since it was already nearly eight-thirty when Fang Chang'an arrived, the number of students in the classroom grew quickly, and it soon became lively.

Fang Chang'an finally saw Li Xiaoyi. He was wearing the same padded cotton jacket as Fang Chang'an, walking into the classroom in his usual silent manner before sitting down at his desk, showing no signs of anything unusual.

Aside from Li Xiaoyi’s naturally quiet and unobtrusive personality, he likely didn't know that the person his father had attempted to rob was his own classmate. Shen Cheng-yan and Cheng Mengfei had consciously blocked that information from his family.

Shen Mo and Wang Ke also noticed Li Xiaoyi. The two girls were at an innocent and naive age, full of sympathy, but quiet classmates like Li Xiaoyi were common, and since no one in class bullied him, they didn't categorize him as someone who needed pity.

Their impression of him, previously near zero, was now colored by the negative impact of his father’s knife-wielding robbery attempt on Fang Chang'an.

Having no particular affinity for him, but not wanting to be mean, they glanced at him twice, then simultaneously looked away and went back to whispering. The topic had jumped to cartoons—specifically, "Ultraman." Was that even a cartoon?

Fang Chang'an joined in, but his contribution was unwelcome. While the two girls were discussing Ultraman, he leaned over and started talking about "Huluwa" (Calabash Brothers), humming to himself with great satisfaction: "Huluwa, Huluwa, seven brothers on a single vine, la-la-la, la-la-la..."

The two girls leaned away from him, looking at him with bright eyes as if he were a fool. Shen Mo whispered a correction, "It's 'on one vine,' not 'a single one.'"

"It’s all the same."

Fang Chang'an was singing happily and asked them, "Don't you think it sounds good?"

The two girls hesitated for a moment, then shook their heads vigorously.

"You have no taste!"

Fang Chang'an gave them a look of disdain and rested his head on the desk, ignoring them. After a while, he turned back to find them still chatting happily, so he leaned in again.

This time, he was well-behaved, not interrupting, just listening quietly.

When Wu Di arrived, he saw the three of them—two talking, one listening—looking as if two people were walking a dog that was lying on the ground. He didn't want to disturb them and went back to his seat from the other side.

Wang Hao wasn't as tactful. He was Wang Ke’s deskmate, and going around the other way was too much trouble.

Wang Ke made room for him, and the conversation was interrupted. Fang Chang'an, who had been quietly listening, suddenly asked Shen Mo, "Are your parents back?"

"Mhm."

Shen Mo nodded vigorously, and a small dimple appeared on her left cheek. She smiled happily, "They'll be here by noon."

Fang Chang'an smiled and nodded. "Then you should have a good meal at noon."

Shen Mo said sweetly, "Yes, my uncle and aunt will be eating with us, too."

"A big reunion, then."

Fang Chang'an smiled again, sighing inwardly. Once her parents returned, they would surely take Shen Mo back to the city soon, right?

Cheng Mengfei appeared at the classroom door, looked inside, and said, "Fang Chang'an, take some classmates and go move the winter break homework."

"Yes."

Fang Chang'an replied, led a group to move the homework, and Cheng Mengfei oversaw the distribution. Near the end, she left for a moment, and when she returned, she carried a stack of certificates and thick report cards.

The previously noisy classroom quickly quieted down.

"I will distribute the report cards in order of ranking, so everyone has a clear understanding of where they stand."

Cheng Mengfei stood at the podium, looked up, swept her gaze over the students, and said softly, "First place, Fang Chang'an, total score 729."

*Twenty-one points deducted,* thought Fang Chang'an. He suspected many were deducted by the graders on purpose; his regular script was very recognizable, and even without looking at the name, one could guess whose it was.

He stood up to collect his report card. Cheng Mengfei stood at the podium, smiling as she said, "Student Fang Chang'an is the grade's first place again this time, twenty-two points ahead of second place. Let's give him a round of applause."

"Clap, clap, clap!"

The students in Class 4, used to the routine, immediately applauded. Someone even whispered, "The monitor is amazing!"

Fang Chang'an went up to collect his report card. On his way back, he heard Cheng Mengfei continue, "Second place, Mao Shanshan, total score 692, fifth in the grade."

This name surprised Fang Chang'an, as the second and third spots were usually held by Liu Bei and Wang Sha. Mao Shanshan had dropped to sixth in the last unit test, so jumping to second was a surprise.

Mao Shanshan herself was clearly startled, but very happy. As she went up to collect her report card, Cheng Mengfei smiled and encouraged her, "Well done, keep up the good work."

Fang Chang'an sat down. Shen Mo had clearly learned her score from her aunt and wasn't very nervous. She let Fang Chang'an into his seat and peeked at his subject scores.

"Third place, Shen Mo, total score 691, seventh in the grade."

Shen Mo was quite satisfied with this result. She stood up to collect her report card, and on her way back, she shot a glance at Fang Chang'an. This was a response to what he had said while reviewing in Cheng Mengfei's study on the afternoon of the robbery.

At the time, Fang Chang'an had said she would be third in the finals, second in the midterms next semester, and then beat him for first in the class by the following finals. The young girl had indeed made it to third; this was her way of showing off or issuing a challenge.

Fang Chang'an understood perfectly and smiled at her, though he naturally couldn't tell her that she wouldn't have the chance to surpass him.

At least, not in middle school.

*Even if I wanted to intentionally score lower to let you pass me, I couldn't... you're still too far behind...*

Handing the report card to Wang Ke, Fang Chang'an looked up at Shen Mo on the podium, silently complaining to himself to distract his mind.