The next morning at breakfast, Jiang Shu made a rare appearance without needing Assistant Zhou to invite him three or four times. Wearing only his pajamas, his black hair slightly messy, he looked as though he hadn’t slept all night.
Holding her bowl of porridge, Shen Fu secretly looked up. Their eyes met.
Shen Fu: “…”
He’d actually gotten dark circles from being so angry…
So… had he really woken up after she slapped him last night? Then why hadn’t he exploded on the spot?
Feeling terribly guilty, Shen Fu quickly looked away. As she heard Jiang Shu pull out his chair and sit down, she shifted in her seat, hurriedly stood up, ladled him a bowl of porridge, placed it in front of him, and said, “Morning.”
Jiang Shu lowered his eyes to the steaming bowl. His expression was one of profound sorrow. “No.”
Shen Fu looked a little embarrassed. “I… I just wanted to apologize.”
Jiang Shu looked up at her solemnly. “I know exactly what you’re thinking but you can’t.”
Shen Fu: “…” Why did it feel like he actually had no idea?
Jiang Shu pushed the porridge aside. Then he grabbed the desk calendar from the table and with a loud thump placed it in front of her. The young man’s handsome face was unusually serious. “There are only…”
He frowned and counted for a moment. “…one thousand and three days left until the college entrance exam. Focus on studying. As for everything else… Don’t even think about it.”
Shen Fu: “…”
Assistant Zhou sat beside them eating noodles, looking utterly bewildered. “What’s going on with you two? What happened?”
Could they say it? Obviously not!
How could Jiang Shu possibly admit that the girl sitting across from him had been overcome by his good looks and had secretly touched his face while he was asleep?
There were plenty of girls at school who pursued him. Some had even “accidentally” stumbled into his arms during the sports meet while running. But Young Master Jiang had an incredibly strong sense of self-protection. His ability to dodge girls was even more practiced than dodging attacks in video games. He had never allowed himself any excessive physical contact with the opposite sex.
Yet because he’d let his guard down for one brief moment… the first time someone ever touched his face had been stolen by Shen Fu.
It was a bolt from the blue for Young Master Jiang.
He spent the entire night unable to recover from the shock. Jiang Shu wasn’t interested in Shen Fu romantically but he also didn’t want to reject her too bluntly and hurt her self-esteem. After all, Shen Fu was different from everyone else.
In his heart, she was a little like a timid little rabbit he’d picked up during that rainstorm. Even if she kicked him, she was still his rabbit kicking him.
Leaning back in his chair, the teenager stared at Shen Fu with the imposing air of an authority figure. “Put all your attention into studying. Remember that?”
Shen Fu had thought he’d lose his temper over having her hand smack his face. Who would’ve guessed… this was all? She quietly let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll remember.”
Jiang Shu had been planning to lecture her a bit more. Instead, Shen Fu accepted it so obediently that all the words he had prepared got stuck in his throat.
How had she turned back from the brink so quickly?
Jiang Shu touched his own face. For some inexplicable reason, he felt even more dissatisfied. It felt as though his chastity had been stolen with ridiculous ease, only for him to be discarded immediately afterward.
Carrying the gift she’d carefully selected, Shen Fu went to the academic committee member’s birthday party.
The karaoke room was bustling. At least thirty or forty people had brought birthday presents. Shen Fu realized she’d worried for nothing. The gifts were piled into a mountain, there wasn’t even enough time to unwrap them all. No one cared what she’d brought. Who would laugh at her gift for being inexpensive? After eating some sushi with everyone for a while, Shen Fu left before the gathering ended and returned to the villa.
After finishing her homework, she carried a watering can downstairs to water the flowers. She realized that this place still made her feel the most at ease.
Jiang Shu was fiddling with a newly delivered motorcycle helmet. Hearing movement downstairs, he wandered onto the balcony and casually looked down. He saw Shen Fu crouching there, helping Aunt Zhang move flowerpots. She somehow looked rather pitiful.
He knew what the Class Fifteen crowd was like. They’d never end a party before midnight so why had Shen Fu come home so early?
The birthday gift she’d given wasn’t expensive but it was certainly the one she’d put the most thought into. She’d wandered all over the city just to find it.
Unfortunately, the people in Class Fifteen didn’t know anything about her family circumstances. They probably judged gifts only by price. They might not even give hers a second glance.
“Shen Fu.” Jiang Shu sighed. Resting both hands on the balcony railing, he called down, “Do you want to throw a birthday party too? Invite your classmates over?”
According to the information he’d read, her sixteenth birthday was coming up soon as well.
The sun had almost set. A few lingering rays still hung in the sky. The evening had already grown dim. Suddenly hearing someone speak above her head, Shen Fu jumped.
Holding a small gardening shovel, she looked up at Jiang Shu and hurriedly replied, “No, I don’t like noisy gatherings.”
Jiang Shu looked at her. “My family has several houses downtown…”
The corners of Shen Fu’s mouth twitched. She thought he was about to start showing off again. Instead, Jiang Shu continued, “If you want to invite your classmates over, you can. Pick whichever house you like. Assistant Zhou can go prepare it in advance.”
Shen Fu froze. She looked up at the boy standing on the second floor.
Jiang Shu continued, “You can fill the whole place with balloons or stuffed animals, whatever you want. It’ll definitely be cooler than your classmate’s birthday party.”
Shen Fu paused for a long moment before finally understanding what he meant.
“Thank you but… there’s really no need.”
Jiang Shu couldn’t tell whether she genuinely didn’t want it or whether, like with that piano before, she desperately wanted it but believed she didn’t deserve it. He leaned forward slightly, frowning as he carefully studied the emotions on Shen Fu’s face, trying to figure out which it was.
He… couldn’t tell.
The tall teenager was so lanky that with one long stride he could have stepped right over the balcony railing. One foot was already hanging over empty air. The glow of the setting sun stretched behind him, making it look as though he might fall at any moment.
Shen Fu smiled and said, “Really, there’s no need. Be careful. If you fall, you’ll end up with a broken bone.”
Jiang Shu’s face immediately turned red. She’d already promised to focus on studying, so why was she worrying about him again?
He hurriedly retreated into the house as if escaping.
Watching his back disappear, Shen Fu took out her phone. Scrolling through Moments, she saw all the lively group photos everyone had posted from the birthday party. The loneliness in her heart was still there but much less than before.
Winter soon arrived. The school’s winter sports meet began.
Jiang Shu had always believed that sweating profusely while running around a track wasn’t cool at all. He had absolutely no interest in signing up for any events. Unfortunately, in order to force him into the habit of morning jogging, the old master had long ago registered him for the long-distance race.
The event was about to begin, yet he was still in the locker room changing his shoes. His homeroom teacher was furious and sent the sports committee representative to bang on the door.
Even before the starting gun fired, Jiang Shu still hadn’t taken his place. When the Class Seven homeroom teacher saw him strolling over with obvious impatience, he grabbed him by the arm. “I only have one request, just don’t run the wrong direction.”
Jiang Shu: “…” Did he think he was an idiot?
Sign-ups for the sports meet had taken place at the beginning of the semester. Since Shen Fu was a transfer student, she hadn’t registered for any events. She carried cases of bottled water with several girls from her class up to the spectator stands. At a glance, she spotted Jiang Shu warming up with a slight frown.
The teenager wore a bright red athletic jersey. Tall, handsome, with striking features, he was simply impossible to overlook. Just standing there casually made him the center of everyone’s attention. The girls beside Shen Fu had originally come to cheer for the boys from Class Fifteen. Yet the moment they arrived, the topic of conversation naturally shifted to Jiang Shu.
“His shoes are so expensive.”
“Does he seriously have any flaws at all? Oh my God.”
Shen Fu: “…” He has enough flaws to write on a list long enough to circle the entire track, okay?
Jiang Shu casually swept his gaze across the stands. Immediately, his eyes met Shen Fu’s. She was holding two bottles of mineral water.
Forgetting she was still carrying them, Shen Fu gave him an almost imperceptible nod.
Although he’d insisted they pretend not to know each other at school, it should be fine when no one was looking, right?
Jiang Shu’s gaze landed on the bottles of water in her arms. He instantly misunderstood.
She’s bringing me water?
“…”
How can she be this obvious?!
He immediately looked around.
The sports meet was packed with people. If he accepted her water, people would immediately start guessing about their relationship. But if he refused it, she’d be humiliated in front of everyone.
Jiang Shu looked at Shen Fu awkwardly and conflictedly.
Shen Fu: “…?”
Before the long-distance race, athletes were supposed to hydrate and replenish their energy. The coach instructed each class to deliver water to their runners first. Holding the bottles, Shen Fu hopped down from the stands and walked toward the boy from her own class who was competing. As she passed Jiang Shu, the weight in her hand suddenly disappeared.
She looked up. The black-haired teenager had already snatched away one of her bottles, twisted off the cap, and taken a drink.
Shen Fu: “…”
The boy from Class Fifteen: “…”
People farther away couldn’t see clearly but everyone nearby exploded with excitement. After Shen Fu, completely baffled, handed the remaining bottle to her classmate and returned to the stands, a crowd of girls immediately surrounded her. “Ahhh! Why did Jiang Shu accept your water?”
Deep down, Shen Fu desperately wanted to clarify.
He hadn’t accepted it.
He’d snatched it.
She hadn’t been trying to give him water at all!
She answered vaguely, “Maybe… he has face blindness and mistook me for someone from Class Seven bringing him water.”
One of the girls looked skeptical. “But girls from Class Seven have brought him water before, and he never accepted it.”
Shen Fu: “…”
He’s really that awful? Does he think he’s the male lead in some romance novel?
She quickly added, “You’re overthinking it. Really. He was probably just thirsty and grabbed a random bottle. When I walked past him, he even glared at me. He probably just finds me annoying.”
Through Shen Fu’s determined efforts, the girls from Class Fifteen were finally convinced. Although Shen Fu was beautiful, she’d never had any interaction with Jiang Shu before. Nor did it look like they would have any in the future.
Besides, he really had glared at her just now.
Jiang Shu had originally planned to take it easy. As long as he looked cool and finished second or third, that would be enough. But then he realized, Shen Fu had been standing in the spectator stands watching him the entire time. It looked as though she’d come specifically to cheer him on.
When the starting gun fired, the cheers from the stands rolled over the track like crashing waves.
“Go!!”
As Jiang Shu sprinted forward, the wind rushed past his ears. For some reason, he suddenly wanted first place. He surged to the front of the pack. His bangs flew back in the wind. Sunlight illuminated his handsome face. For a moment, the spectator stands erupted with screams.
Even the Class Seven homeroom teacher couldn’t understand it. Why was Jiang Shu giving it his all today? He was overwhelmed with pleasant surprise.
Could it be… did my words of encouragement before the race inspire him that much?
Jiang Shu crossed the finish line first. His classmates rushed over to support him. He slapped hands with the charging Wang Xuanheng, then proudly raised an eyebrow toward the stands.
But he couldn’t find Shen Fu anywhere.
Seeing him searching everywhere, Wang Xuanheng said, “The class monitor from Class Fifteen is running the relay over there. A lot of their class went over to cheer for him.”
Jiang Shu: “…”
Unscrewing a bottle of water, Jiang Shu poured it over his own head. Shaking the droplets from his hair, he snapped, “We’re going over there too.”
Wang Xuanheng: “…” What the h*ll? Why are we going to watch another class compete?
Jiang Shu strode off angrily in front. Wang Xuanheng and several Class Seven boys followed behind in complete confusion. After weaving through the crowd and reaching the other athletic field, Jiang Shu suddenly stopped.
Following his line of sight, Wang Xuanheng looked over. Under a tree in the corner stood a boy from some unknown class. He had stopped Shen Fu. Holding out a letter with both hands, he was stammering nervously as he spoke.
Wang Xuanheng grinned. “Someone’s delivering a love letter to your girl?”
Leaning casually against a long concrete wash basin, Jiang Shu turned on the faucet and rinsed his hands. Without a trace of concern, he replied, “Is that surprising?”
Although Shen Fu hadn’t fully grown into her looks yet, her beautiful features were already no less striking than those of the celebrities on television. If she were dressed up and put in front of a camera, she’d be prettier than anyone else on screen.
“At least that kid has good taste,” Jiang Shu said smugly.
Wang Xuanheng couldn’t understand. “You’re not angry?”
Jiang Shu looked at him as if he were asking something ridiculous. “Why would I be angry?”
Wang Xuanheng exploded. “Then why is it that every time I so much as glance at her, you try to kick me?”
“That’s different.” Jiang Shu couldn’t be bothered explaining. He washed his hands leisurely and said, “Besides, she’s not going to accept anyone else’s love letter anyway.”
Now Wang Xuanheng was even more confused. “Are you the worm in her stomach or something? How do you know she won’t accept one?”
“None of your business.” Jiang Shu snorted coldly, though his handsome face inexplicably flushed a little.
Of course he knew. Back in late autumn, she’d secretly touched his face. She’d touched it again and again, first brushing her fingers over the ends of his eyebrows before slowly sliding down to caress his cheek.
There was no way she’d fall for someone else when she spent every day with a ridiculously handsome guy like him.
The setting sun dyed the school field red. Shen Fu looked at the envelope being held out to her.
It was sealed with an elegant wax stamp. It was obvious the sender had prepared it with great care.
She knew the envelope carried someone’s sincere, innocent feelings.
“Thank you.” She reached out and accepted it.
On the other side, the air suddenly fell silent.
Wang Xuanheng: “…”
Jiang Shu: “…”
Clack– Jiang Shu abruptly shut off the faucet.
Wang Xuanheng instinctively shrank his neck and glanced over. Jiang Shu’s handsome face had already gone frighteningly dark.
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