After studying in the library, Bryden plays a game on his phone while lying in bed. He takes a glance at the genie, who floats beside him, then turns back to his game. “Hey, genie. I just realized that I don’t know your name. It must annoy you that I always call you ‘genie,’ so what’s your name?”

“You annoy me either way,” the genie answers. “And as for my name… you’re undeserving of knowing my name.”

“What?” Bryden sputters. “What do you mean I’m undeserving of knowing your name? First, I’m undeserving of three wishes. Next, I’m undeserving of Jessica’s heart. And now it’s your name? Come on, it’s just a stupid name. You want me to keep calling you ‘genie’?”

“You’re actually supposed to call me ‘Your Highness,’” the genie replies. “I’m sure you know that it’s the proper term to use when formally addressing royalty. And I was a prince, so…”

“Like I’m actually going to call you that,” Bryden scoffs. “Hey, you said you were the crown prince during the… what dynasty?”

The genie rolls his eyes. “The Tang Dynasty. I told you that right when we first met.”

“Yeah, but how was I supposed to remember that?” Bryden exits out of his game. “Anyway, even if you don’t tell me your name, I can just search up all the crown princes that ever lived during the Tang Dynasty.”

The genie snorts. “There have been so many princes during that dynasty, so how can you figure out which one is me?”

“That’s why I’m going to read them aloud, duh. Everyone knows their own name better than the back of their hands. It’s like wired into our brains. If I see you react to one of the names, even if you so much as flinch, then I’ll know what your name is.”

The genie thinks for a moment. “Hmm, I have to say, that is pretty smart. Not bad for someone like you, Mr. Stalling.”

Bryden grins. “See? I’m so smart, aren’t I? I must’ve gotten nerdier from all that studying and reading. Now, let’s see.” He sits up, typing on his phone and scrolling for a while. 

“You’re not going to find my name no matter how much you try, Mr. Stalling,” the genie tells him. “My name isn’t even in historical records.”

“Stop trying to dissuade me.” Bryden clicks on a link. “Wow, okay, listen up, genie, these are all the crown princes of the Tang Dynasty according to my phone. Lee Shee-min, Lee Zee, Woo Zeh-tee-awn, wait, I think that’s a woman. Wow, everyone here has the same surname, okay, there’s also Lee Fay…”

The genie’s shoulders twitch slightly at the sound of that name.

Bryden catches his slight movement. “Hey, you flinched! Ah, so your name is Lee Fay. So, should I call you Lee Fay now?”

“That’s not my name,” the genie denies. 

“Really? Then how come that’s the only name that you reacted to?” Bryden raises a brow, pleased with himself.

The genie is silent for a moment. “You are pronouncing every name incorrectly.”

“What? Am I? Well, forgive me, since I can’t speak—”

“It’s Li Shimin, Li Zhi, Wu Zetian… and Li Fei,” the genie corrects.

Bryden shrugs. “Well, I was close, wasn’t I? And you still flinched at the name ‘Lee Fay.’ Or Li Fei, or whatever. So why try to hide your name, Li Fei? It’s the twenty-first century. We have technology that lets us search for whatever we want to know in history.”

The genie grumbles. “For the last time, my name is not Li Fei!”

“Oh, stop whining. It’s not like I’m going to call you that, anyway. ‘Genie’ is so much easier to say. Even if that isn’t your name, at least I know that your surname is Li.” Bryden strokes his chin. “Hmm, I wonder what would appear if I searched up ‘the crown prince that turned into a genie.’”

“You’re not going to find anything. Magic has been kept very secretive during my life and only used in extreme situations. I didn’t even know that such sorcery even existed in the world for most of my life.”

“Yeah, the only results that showed up are about the movie Aladdin.” Bryden’s stomach grumbles, so he hops out of bed. “Well, I’m heading down to the dining hall for dinner. I’m starving.”

“Ah, so no more going to that café?” the genie asks.

“Nah, I’m broke,” Bryden admits. “My parents are also very pissed at me for spending my allowance money carelessly, so I have to eat school food now.”

“Good. Serves you right.”

Bryden is about to head out of his dorm, but a knock sounds at his door. He opens the door and, to his surprise, the one who stands before him is Jessica.

“J-Jessica!” Bryden blushes. “Uh, h-hi! Wh-What are y-you d-doing here?”

Jessica smiles. “I wanted to ask if you’d like to come to Marla’s with me tomorrow night. It’s Liv’s birthday tomorrow, so there’s going to be a lot of food to celebrate! It’s exclusively for the staff, so we’re included!”

Bryden’s eyes widen. “So tomorrow night is basically a birthday celebration?”

“Yeah, pretty much!” Jessica confirms. “So are you coming? Liv told me there’ll be plenty of desserts tomorrow, including lava cake! I saw that you really enjoyed it last time.”

“Ha, y-yeah, I did. A-And of course I’ll c-come. It’s free, isn’t it?”

She nods. “It is.”

He frowns, a thought coming to him. “Wait, is Rory also coming?”

“No, he isn’t,” she tells him. “He’s going out to see a movie with Travis and Isaac.”

Bryden struggles to retain his joy. “Oh, well, that’s a shame. He’ll miss out on all the free food!”

“Yeah, he is.” Jessica tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “So I’ll see you at Marla’s tomorrow night?”

“Oh, you bet you will!” Bryden grins at her. 

She smiles at him and nods before turning to leave. When she’s out of sight, he jumps and pumps his fist in the air.

“Look at that, genie,” Bryden says. “I basically just landed a date with Jessica tomorrow! And without Rory too! So we’ll be all alone… without any interruptions…” 

“Like hell you are!” Nora marches down the hall and slaps him across his face.

“Ow!” he exclaims, rubbing his stinging cheek with his hand. “Why must you always resort to violence?”

“You are not going to Marla’s alone with Jessica,” she states, crossing her arms. “I’m coming with you to keep an eye on you.”

“Uh, Nora, aren’t you forgetting about something?” Bryden mentions. “This birthday celebration is only for those who work at Marla’s. And from what I know, you do not work at Marla’s, so…”

Nora scoffs, dismissing it with a wave of her hand. “I can find a way inside or watch from outside either way. I’m also going to text Rory. He’s part of the staff too, isn’t he?”

“Oh, come on, Nora! I’m an adult—I can go to places by myself. Let Rory have fun at the movies with his friends. Trust me, I won’t do anything inappropriate.”

She snorts. “Really, now? Weren’t you just celebrating about your so-called ‘date’ with Jessica?” 

Bryden scratches his head, his cheeks flushed. “Uh, w-well… look, just trust me, okay? I won’t do anything to her—the most I’ll do is talk to her a little! I won’t flirt with any other girls, I won’t do anything, okay? Please stop bossing me around and let me live!”

Nora thinks for a moment, pressing a finger over her chin. She pokes her finger into his chest. “If I hear from her or anyone else who works at Marla’s that you made any sort of move on her, I’m not going to let you live, okay?”

He nods quickly. “Yes, ma’am. You have my word.”

She raises a skeptical brow at him before rolling her eyes and leaving. “Remember, one wrong move and you’re done.”

“I got it,” Bryden insists, waving his hands to shoo her away. “I heard you the first time.”

“Fine, then.” Nora walks down the hall with a flip of her hair, leaving him alone. She spends some time searching around the campus for someone, and when she finally comes across the back of their head, she taps their shoulder. “Hey, Jessica.”

Jessica turns and smiles. “Oh, hey, Nora. What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Nora shrugs. “Just wondering… no, I meant to say, don’t trust Bryden. Don’t get too close to him. You’ve never dated him before, so don’t think he’s not as bad as others presume him to be. I made that same mistake. You and him alone, doesn’t that set the perfect opportunity for Bryden to…”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Jessica insists. “We’re not going to be alone. It’s a staff party, not a date.”

“Maybe so, but he’s really into you. He might still consider that to be an opportunity to get closer to you since no one’s watching. I might text Rory to cancel his plans tomorrow so that he can come to the party and keep an eye on him.”

“Don’t do that. Let Rory have fun. I’ll be fine, and I highly doubt Bryden even likes me.” Jessica laughs at the idea. “If he did, he would’ve asked me out already. He’s known as a player around here, isn’t he? Dating any girl that catches his eye? Well, since he never asked me out or even tried flirting with me, I clearly didn’t catch his eye.”

Nora blinks, dumbfounded. Girl, if only you knew.

“And I don’t even like him anyway,” Jessica adds, “so you don’t have to worry. He’s nice to talk to and stuff, but I don’t see him in that sort of way.”

“Ah, that’s good to know. Just… be careful, okay? Make sure he doesn’t try making any moves on you.”

“Don’t worry, I know,” Jessica assures. “I’m not that gullible. I’m not the type to get easily swayed by pick up lines. Don’t they say to never judge a book by its cover?”

“Alright, alright. I won’t come and neither will Rory. As long as you’ve got it under control.”

Bryden sighs dreamily, leisurely strolling down the halls. “Finally, Nora and Rory are going to let me be alone with Jessica!” He catches a glimpse of the genie, who clenches his fists with an exceedingly pale face. “Hey, what’s with you all of a sudden? You have that same face from before. Don’t tell me you actually like Jessica. I caught you staring at her multiple times. I get that she can’t see you, but stop gawking at her like that. It’s weirding me out, especially since she’s my future girlfriend after all.”

The genie stares at him with a dark face, making Bryden flinch. “Mr. Stalling, be wary of seemingly nice girls such as Miss Lin, as they may be manipulative and hold malicious intentions.”

“Manipulative and hold malicious intentions?” Bryden furrows his brows. “Where are you getting all this nonsense from?”

The genie turns away from him, only responding with a loud sigh. I guess she really does look like her.