She was free.

Summer again.

Changzhi Cake Shop.

“Chen, come and taste this cake. I made this matcha flavor just for you with my own hands!”

Eighteen-year-old Xia Yuwei had blossomed into a graceful young woman. She wore a white top and a pink short skirt, her sleek black hair tied up high, a white apron tied at her waist, and in her hands she held a freshly baked cake.

“How many times do I have to tell you, stop calling me little brother!” Lu Yichen shouted at Xia Yuwei in frustration.

He was seated at a table in the shop’s lounge area. He took the cake from her and, without ceremony, began cutting into it with a knife and fork. He was already fifteen, his well-defined features seeming like a gift from the heavens.

Xia Yuwei sat down, laughing cheerfully. She scooped up a dollop of cream with her finger and smeared it on Lu Yichen’s face. “If I don’t call you little brother, should I call you big brother? Such a child, getting hung up on little things like this…”

“I am not a child, and I’m not your little brother!” Lu Yichen shot to his feet, angrily wiping the cream from his face.

When he stood up, he was taller than Xia Yuwei—at least one meter seventy-eight—a silent reminder that he was no longer a kid.

“Uh… Fine, if you don’t like it, I won’t say it anymore,” Xia Yuwei shrugged, crossed her legs, and nonchalantly picked up a slice of cake, popping it into her mouth.

But as soon as she took a bite, Lu Yichen snatched the piece from her lips, took a large, almost vengeful bite, and sat back down with exaggerated swagger.

“Hey! You bandit!” Xia Yuwei scolded, annoyed. She truly couldn’t understand how someone with such a severe cleanliness obsession could have this kind of habit—always snatching away whatever she’d already bitten into.

“I cut it, so of course it’s mine! You’re the one stealing from me…” Lu Yichen said as he ate, completely self-assured.

“Fine, whatever, I can’t be bothered to argue. Listen, in a few days, you won’t have anyone to fight with over cake anymore, darling—little—brother! Take your time eating, I’m off to help Mom and Dad make some more cakes!” With that, she got up to leave.

Xia Yuwei was completely unfazed by Lu Yichen’s brashness. In her eyes, he would always be an unruly child, and indulging him a little wasn’t too much to ask.

“What? What do you mean? Why won’t there be anyone to snatch cake from me? You’re not going anywhere until you explain!” Lu Yichen grabbed her hand, refusing to let her leave. Her words sounded suspicious—what was she getting at? Was she planning to abandon him?

“Oh! Haha, look what I have here! Ta-da!” Xia Yuwei pulled a sheet of paper from the large pocket of her apron and waved it triumphantly in front of Lu Yichen.

With her slender finger, she pointed to the words and read out loud, word by word: “D&T University Admission Letter!”

“Ah! I’m finally free! I’m going to another city where Mom and Dad can’t control me. At last, I can chase after handsome guys and fall in love!” The thought of living on her own filled Xia Yuwei with longing and pride, her beautiful eyes sparkling with excitement…