He belongs to me.

In a bustling KTV in the southern part of the city, business was booming. A group of a dozen or so teenagers, none older than twenty, had claimed the largest private room. They sang songs while munching on popcorn and fruit platters; a few huddled together around a spinning punishment wheel, and bursts of laughter erupted from their corner from time to time.

A chubby boy finished belting out a mournful love song, and the room responded with enthusiastic applause.

"Jinyan, what do you want to sing? Why haven’t you chosen a song yet?"

A pure-looking girl with a ponytail slid into the seat beside Bai Jinyan, smiling as she handed him her microphone.

"Sing something!"

Bai Jinyan slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket and shook his head with a smile. "I can’t carry a tune. You all go ahead."

"Don’t try to fool us! Mayunan told me you sing really well. We agreed everyone has to sing at least one song tonight. No trying to get out of it!"

As soon as she spoke, the others joined in, goading Bai Jinyan to sing. With no way out, he selected the simplest song he could think of—"Happy Birthday"—and started the first line, then passed the microphone around, each person taking a turn.

But before the song was done, Bai Jinyan found an excuse, gripped his phone, and slipped out.

Something wasn’t right.

It had been more than two hours since Chen Ruowen had called him, but she still hadn’t arrived. When the group moved from the restaurant to the KTV, Bai Jinyan had sent Chen Ruowen a new location, yet she hadn’t even replied.

Knowing her pace, she should have arrived in half an hour at most.

Was she really upset? But it was just an ordinary classmate gathering. From what he knew of Chen Ruowen, she wasn’t the type to get hung up over something so trivial. Could something have happened?

Bai Jinyan grew worried. After sitting restlessly in the KTV for a while, he couldn’t help but find an excuse to step out and call her directly.

"Jinyan!"

Just as he was about to act, a crisp female voice called from behind him. He paused, turning to see Du Yueyue, who had apparently followed him downstairs.

"You seemed distracted earlier. Is something wrong?"

Bai Jinyan slipped his phone back into his pocket and shook his head. "Nothing. It’s just a bit stuffy in there—I came out for some air."

"I see… I thought maybe you didn’t like this kind of place," she said.

He shook his head silently.

Du Yueyue stepped in front of him, fidgeting uncertainly for a moment, then seemed to muster her courage, stopping him again.

"Actually… actually, inviting you to my birthday party today, I… I had something else I wanted to tell you."

Bai Jinyan tilted his head with a questioning look.

"I actually…" Du Yueyue looked at his clean, delicate profile, squeezed her eyes shut, and rushed the words out. "I actually… have always liked you!"

Bai Jinyan froze.

This is trouble.

Du Yueyue, eyes squeezed shut, waited, but when no reply came, she opened them to find her crush staring blankly, which made her want to laugh.

"Hey, I just confessed to you! What’s with that look?"

Bai Jinyan coughed, unconsciously lowering his head. "Du Yueyue, I…" He hesitated—she’d summoned so much courage; rejecting her outright might be too harsh. "The college entrance exam is coming up. I really don’t have the energy to think about this right now," he said tactfully.

"I know."

Hearing that he hadn’t outright refused, Du Yueyue’s hope flared.

"When I first started at our school, my grades weren’t great. But luckily, we were in the same class and sat together. You were always so patient explaining problems to me, and you spoke so kindly.

"I remember once I didn’t have time to eat dinner because I was correcting mistakes. When you found out, you went to the cafeteria and brought me food. I think… even back then…

"But my grades weren’t good, and I didn’t dare tell you. Then we were put in different classes, and studying got even more intense…

"But now, the college entrance exam is near. After that, who knows if we’ll ever see each other again? If I don’t say it now, maybe I’ll never get the chance. So…"

Hearing her sincere words, Bai Jinyan slowly raised his head. He listened carefully as Du Yueyue finished, then sighed.

"Du Yueyue, I actually…"

"I know!"

Perhaps sensing the meaning behind his sigh, Du Yueyue grew anxious.

"I know I’m not great—I’m not pretty, my grades aren’t the best, and my personality… But I’ll treat you well! I’ll never do anything you dislike. I’ll try to change myself to be the kind of girl you like.

"You don’t have to give me an answer now, but… give me a chance, please?"

She gazed at him, eyes shining with sincerity and a trace of tears brought on by emotion.

"I’ll do my best to be a good girlfriend. Just give me a try. Even if you regret it and want to break up later, I promise I won’t cling to you. Just one chance—can we try?"

…

…

Chen Ruowen stood at the corner of the street, watching the scene unfold before her with cool detachment.

She’d actually arrived a while ago—enough to hear Du Yueyue’s entire confession word for word. She’d held back, curious to see how Bai Jinyan would respond.

Guo Jingyuan, the child her family had taken in, had a sudden emotional outburst and clung to her, crying for half an hour. Only after coaxing her to sleep did Chen Ruowen remember Bai Jinyan, then hurried to shower, change, and make herself presentable. By the time she arrived, it was already quite late.

This street was a no-parking zone, so she couldn’t drive in. Following Bai Jinyan’s updated location, she’d found this so-called "Good Voice KTV," just in time to witness a girl confessing to him.

And Bai Jinyan? He dodged and deflected, never giving a straight answer.

The girl was persistent, willing to set aside her dignity for even the slimmest chance to be with him.

Was Bai Jinyan really that great? She’d never noticed.

Give her a chance?

Chen Ruowen’s eyes narrowed dangerously. With a cold snort, she strode over, her lambskin boots clicking with authority as she stopped between the still-stunned pair.

"No."

She seized Bai Jinyan’s hand with one of hers, wrapped her other arm around his, and with a decisive tug, pulled him to her side, announcing her claim without asking anyone’s opinion.

"He’s mine."