In the guitar shop, the owner inspected the damage and then quoted a considerable price.
Lin ChuSui readily agreed, saying that as long as it could be fixed, money was no object.
Stepping out of the shop, there was a trendy ice cream and chocolate store on the first floor of the shopping mall, doing brisk business. Lin ChuSui took Xiao Yan's hand and walked right in.
The interior of the chocolate shop was decorated in an exceedingly sweet style. The transparent freezer at the front counter was filled to the brim with all kinds of colorful chocolates and ice cream combinations.
A maid-uniformed server handed them a dessert menu. Lin ChuSui casually ordered a mixed combo of chocolate and ice cream. Just as she was about to take out her phone to pay, Xiao Yan had already reached for his phone first―
"How much?"
"209 yuan."
Right before he opened the QR code, Lin ChuSui set the menu down and said, "Ah, suddenly don't feel like eating it anymore!"
Xiao Yan glanced at her, but still held out his phone and scanned to place the order.
Seeing the 209 yuan charge on his phone screen, Lin ChuSui felt a little let down. She tugged at his sleeve and said softly, "I already said I don't want to eat it."
Xiao Yan sat down. "But I want to eat it."
"Nonsense, you don't want to eat it at all."
"I do."
Very quickly, the server presented an ornately decorated plate of ice cream in three colors - vanilla, strawberry, and blueberry. It was sprinkled with chocolate chips and Oreo crumbs, arranged in the shape of a star.
For such a pitifully small dessert, it really didn't seem worth 209 yuan. But its beautiful, delightful appearance alone was enough to make one feel happy from the bottom of one's heart.
For over ten years, Xiao Yan had been struggling to survive, never knowing what shape life was supposed to take.
Now he thought, life should probably look like the girl he loved, sweet food, and the happiness he felt at this moment.
Lin ChuSui had already scooped up a bit of the strawberry ice cream with her small spoon, bringing it to Xiao Yan's lips. "Since you want to eat it, go ahead and have more."
Xiao Yan ate from Lin ChuSui's hand. The sweetness that lingered on his tongue was a flavor he had never experienced before.
As a child he had loved sweets too, but he didn't know when he had stopped eating them.
"Is it tasty?"
"Mm."
Just as Xiao Yan was about to take the spoon back for her, he saw her lick it completely clean in one go.
"..." He took away her spoon and murmured, "Isn't that dirty?"
"What's dirty about my own boyfriend?" Lin ChuSui thought nothing of it as she continued eating.
Watching her eat ice cream with great relish, a bit of chocolate stuck to the corner of her mouth. Xiao Yan also felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction filling his chest.
He used to feel constantly that it was either life or death. Since he didn't want to die, he had to live properly ― to scale the highest peaks that others could not reach, to see the most stunning scenery that others had not witnessed.
But now, he suddenly felt that the most stunning scenery was right in front of him.
"You should eat some too." Lin ChuSui handed him another spoon. "Let's eat together."
"Alright." Xiao Yan readily leaned in and licked the chocolate crumbs from the corner of her mouth.
The fleeting warmth of his touch made Lin ChuSui reach out and smack him. "Shameless."
The rich chocolate blossomed on his tongue. Xiao Yan's mouth curved up slightly. "Baby, I really like you a lot."
The sudden confession made Lin ChuSui's face instantly flush crimson.
She really could hardly imagine that her genius classmate, whose thought process had always been peculiar, could be so clingy when it came to romance.
"How embarrassing." Lin ChuSui buried her head and continued eating ice cream, avoiding looking at him. Her whole body tingled.
"Baby, if there were two paths laid out before you..."
"Why are you asking this again?" Lin ChuSui put down her spoon. "You've already asked so many questions like this today."
Why was he asking again? He really, really wanted to have a future with her.
"Never mind, I won't ask anymore." Xiao Yan gazed at her greedily, as if he could never look enough. "Where else do you want to go play? I'll take you."
"No need, we should just go home and do homework."
"You're actually voluntarily asking to do homework?"
Lin ChuSui shouldered her backpack and tugged at his finger. "You're so wonderful, I can only try my very, very best to catch up with you. Although that whole 'survival of the fittest' thing they talk about sounds a bit crass, I think there's some truth to it. If I'm not outstanding enough, I'll get eliminated by other competitors."
He was so amazing, he deserved to have the very best of everything.
"It might be difficult for you to catch up with me," Xiao Yan said candidly. "That's an issue with IQ, it has nothing to do with hard work."
Lin ChuSui: "..."
Love could be so sweet, but sometimes you just wanted to hit someone.
The offended young lady stormed out of the dessert shop.
Behind her, the youth grasped her fair wrist. "You don't need to catch up to me."
She looked back at him, only to hear him say earnestly, "You don't need to catch up, because I'll stop and wait for you."
...
Although the review stage was extremely painful, with more pressure than during normal classes ― having to arrive at school earlier and leave later, plus night self-study.
The students complained endlessly, but Lin ChuSui was cheerful every day. There had never been a time when life was happier than it was now.
During night self-study, Lin ChuSui passed a receipt and payment QR code to Xu JiaNing who sat in the back row: "The guitar is fixed. Go pick it up yourself, the address is on there."
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me. And pay me back for the money I fronted."
Xu JiaNing pushed away the QR code. "We're family, let's not nitpick."
Lin ChuSui's eyes instantly widened. "Even close brothers keep clear accounts!"
"If anything comes up in the future, your brother will also do his best to help you."
"Spare me! Just pay up!"
"I'm broke."
"What a fine man you are, mooching this way!"
"Your brother really has no money. I'll pay you back when I get some."
Xu JiaNing nudged Xiao Yan's shoulder ―
"School genius, could you give me some of your tutoring jobs?"
Xiao Yan's head remained lowered over his worksheet. "I've suspended all my tutoring jobs, but I can refer clients to you."
"That would be terrific!"
He took out a client list from his backpack and placed it on Xu JiaNing's desk. "Here are all the connections I've accumulated over the years. I've checked the ones who currently need tutoring. Pick whoever you want."
"Much obliged!"
"Don't mention it. We're family."
"Who's family with you..."
Just as Xu JiaNing was about to retort, he reconsidered ― perhaps in the future, they really could become family. "Alright, little brother."
Xiao Yan put down his pen and corrected, "You should call me brother-in-law."
Xu JiaNing stubbornly insisted, "Little brother!"
"Brother-in-law."
"Little brother!"
"Brother-in-law."
Lin ChuSui: ...
Can't you quit being so childish!
At that moment, class logistics officer Lu TianBai came over with a sign-up sheet. "There are only two days left of review classes. The class officers discussed holding an end-of-review celebration the night classes end, to mark getting through review period. So each person needs to contribute 30 yuan for decorations, activities, and small gifts and snacks."
"Teacher Qin agreed to let you guys hold this event?"
"He did." She smiled mysteriously. "Because our class's final average score surpassed Class A's. Teacher Qin has been in a really good mood lately."
"I see." Without any hesitation, Lin ChuSui gave Lu TianBai 60 yuan. "For my family."
"You and JiaNing?"
"Me and our family's school genius. I'm temporarily severing ties with him until he clears his debts!" Lin ChuSui looked at Xu JiaNing disdainfully.
Xu JiaNing said to Lu TianBai, "TianBai, I can't scrape together the cash right now. Could you give me a couple days' grace period?"
Before Lu TianBai could reply, Lin ChuSui asked, "You can't even come up with thirty yuan?"
"Not even three mao, thank you very much."
Lin ChuSui shook her head. "Pitiful."
Lu TianBai quickly said, "It's no problem, I can float you the money first. You can pay me back when you have it."
Hearing this, Xu JiaNing hesitated briefly, then said to Xiao Yan, "Little brother, how about you lend me 30 yuan?"
Without lifting his head from his worksheet, Xiao Yan said, "Someone's offered to lend it to you already, so why come to me?"
Xu JiaNing glanced at Lu TianBai. Lu TianBai was also looking at him, tightly gripping her ledger notebook.
He lowered his voice, "I...don't feel right owing a girl money."
Sensing the disappointment in Lu TianBai's eyes, Lin ChuSui felt irked. "You still owe me money! Why not just pay me back first?"
"Are you a girl?"
"Attacking people now that you don't want to repay your debt!"
Xiao Yan took out his phone and asked Xu Jia Ning, "What should you call me?"
Xu Jia Ning was a smart man and immediately changed his words, "Brother-in-law."
"Call me daddy if you want money from me," said Xiao Yan.
"..." Xu Jia Ning was speechless.
"Xiao Yan, don't take an inch after taking a mile!" Lin ChuSui rolled her eyes in frustration. The top two students of the grade were so childish!
Eventually, Xu Jia Ning got the 30 yuan from Xiao Yan and promised he didn't need to pay it back. He even offered to help introduce business contacts, begrudgingly calling out, "Godfather, godfather, alright?"
It was the first time he had compromised himself for money after entering society.
Lu TianBai asked Lin ChuSui, "Are you going to perform for the New Year's celebration?"
"What are other people performing?"
"Singing, dancing, poetry recitation, stand-up comedy, anything goes. You get a small gift if you participate."
"What kind of small gifts?"
"Notebooks, calendars, things like that. First prize is a pot of primrose hand cream."
Xiao Yan told Lu TianBai, "I want to sign up."
"Huh?" Lu TianBai was surprised, "Xiao Yan, you want to perform?"
"Yes."
"Okay then." She took out a pen. "What will you perform?"
"I'll demonstrate solving a difficult trigonometry problem in under 3 minutes and provide three different solutions."
Lin ChuSui: ...
Lu TianBai's pen paused. "You...really want to show the audience how to do math problems on stage?"
"Yes."
"Alright then." Lu TianBai wrote down Xiao Yan's name, then asked Lin ChuSui, "Girlfriend, what about you?"
"Then I'll challenge myself to do one hundred push-ups in one breath," Lin ChuSui replied.
Lu TianBai threw down her pen in exasperation. "Can you two perform some normal acts!"
Xiao Yan looked towards Lin ChuSui, "Can you really do one hundred push-ups in one breath?"
"What, you don't believe me?"
"No, it's just...really impressive."
"Oh, how indecent of you."
"There's nothing indecent about it," said Xiao Yan.
Lin ChuSui patted him on the head. "Let me show you bunch of rascals what's truly entertaining."
Xu Jia Ning called Lu TianBai over, "Little Bai, sign me up to play guitar and sing."
"Sure, Brother Jia Ning!"
Just then, the lights in the classroom suddenly went out.
The students were stunned for a moment, then the whole class erupted in cheers. Not just their class, the entire school building was in an uproar―
"School's out! School's out! School's out!"
"Yayyyyy!"
"Blackout, awesome!!!"
In that moment the entire school was plunged into darkness, the high schoolers reacted like primary schoolers, throwing books and screaming...
In the past, Lin ChuSui would have been the rowdiest one, but right now, she saw Xiao Yan quietly turn on his phone's flashlight and flip open his math test paper, patiently working on the problems.
In the midst of the chaos, he seemed so out of place. No matter how the world changed, Xiao Yan would remain constant.
Lin ChuSui felt her heart settle down as well. She turned on her phone's flashlight and earnestly worked on the problems with Xiao Yan.
Noticing this, Xiao Yan angled his phone light towards her.
"I can see fine."
"To protect your eyes."
Lin ChuSui smiled at him, "Focus on your work, don't mind me."
"I said I would wait for you," Xiao Yan insisted.
"I don't want you to wait for me, Xiao Yan," Lin ChuSui said resolutely. "I can catch up, no matter how fast you go. Even if you climb Mount Everest, I will definitely...catch up to you."
The light illuminated her delicate features, but her eyes shone with determination and resolve. It was very powerful.
Xiao Yan looked at her silently for a long time, then turned off both of their phone lights.
"Huh?"
Before Lin ChuSui could react, he suddenly cupped her face and in the darkness, overwhelmed her with an irresistible force as he pressed his lips against hers.
Lin ChuSui never knew the seemingly stoic boy's lips could be so soft.
Like biting into a sweet pudding.
Her ears turned crimson red, letting him take the lead and "bully" her forcefully.
She was like a leaf drifting along the ocean currents, dizzy and disoriented...with ears blushing furiously.
In the darkness, Xiao Yan opened his eyes, unable to see her panicked expression, yet her sensations flooded his entire world.
So soft, so sweet, so fragrant.
Lin ChuSui didn't dare move a muscle, unsure where to place her hands, accidentally poking Xu Jia Ning's desk.
Xu Jia Ning watched expressionlessly as the intimate couple kissed in front of him.
"..."
Did you two really think everyone's blind just because the lights are out?
