Despite all the angry words before, Lu Xingyan was willing to tolerate them because it was Xu Chengzhou’s birthday. But he couldn’t tolerate the last sentence under any circumstances. Just as Xu Chengzhou was about to hang up after venting out his anger, Lu Xingyan stopped him.
“Wait, Xu Chengzhou, hold on, take back the last sentence, quickly.”
“No!”
Xu Chengzhou was stubborn. If Lu Xingyan were standing in front of him, he might even spit in Lu Xingyan’s face.
Lu Xingyan didn’t even bother knocking on the door. After taking a deep breath, he threatened in a low voice, “Are you going to take it back? I’m telling you, if you take it back now, I’ll let bygones be bygones. You can curse me all you want, and I won’t argue with you.”
After a moment of silence, Xu Chengzhou seemed to sober up a bit. “I’ve said it, how can I take it back? ‘I, Xu Chengzhou, retract the curse that Lu Xingyan will never catch up to Shen Xingruo.’ Like that?”
“Yeah, just like that.”
Stupid…!
In the end, Lu Xingyan manages to get Xu Chengzhou to retract the curse and retrieve the crystal ball from him, after giving him a game console as a birthday present.
However, Christmas had passed, and Shen Xingruo remained cold and distant for several days, not bothering to interact with him. She hadn’t even bothered to open the gift he retrieved for her.
Lu Xingyan was puzzled, and on Wednesday night during dinner, he couldn’t help but tap Zhao Langming’s bowl and ask, “I’ve explained it so many times, it’s not a big deal, why is she acting like this?”
Zhao Langming looked up, snagged a chicken leg from Lu Xingyan’s bowl, and explained in a particularly experienced tone, “You don’t understand. Her attitude entirely depends on your previous attitude.”
“I mean, how could you use the same packaging for the gifts you gave to Xu Chengzhou and Shen Xingruo? Doesn’t that imply to Shen Xingruo that she’s no different from Xu Chengzhou?”
“I already taught you before, when giving gifts to girls, they have to be unique. But you made it look like something straight out of a wholesale market. Who would be happy with that?”
…?
Wait, wasn’t he taught before that the gifts had to be expensive?
Lu Xingyan didn’t have time to dwell on these details for now; he just found it all absurd. “It’s just packaging, come on, is it that serious? And besides, the contents are different.”
Considering that he managed to think of buying gift boxes from the stationery store across the school, that was quite an achievement for him.
Zhao Langming took a mouthful of rice and waved his chicken leg as he continued, “You can’t think like that. You should…think of it like playing a game.”
“You know how in games, they promise you these super rare items with really low drop rates, and you spend a ton of money just to get them, but then they end up giving them away for free to everyone? Doesn’t that piss you off? Don’t you want to curse out the game developers?”
Pissed off.
Wanted to.
“…”
Even though the analogy felt off in many ways, Lu Xingyan was oddly convinced.
After dinner, back in the classroom for evening self-study, Lu Xingyan deliberately brought a cup of milk tea for Shen Xingruo. But as he entered the classroom, he noticed from afar that Shen Xingruo was already holding a cup, so he didn’t embarrass himself by approaching her.
Returning to his seat, he simply placed the milk tea on He Siyue’s desk.
He Siyue was puzzled.
“I’m offering it to you,” Lu Xingyan said.
He Suoyue “…”
Lu Xingyan twirled his pen and said casually, “Oh if you’re not busy, could you teach me some math problems? The ones from today’s math test.”
This was what Zhao Langming had told him.
A real man isn’t afraid to ask for help, even from his rivals.
He Suoyue seemed puzzled at first, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Which parts are you struggling with?”
Seeing Lu Xingyan’s silence, he kindly rephrased, “Which parts do you already understand?”
Lu Xingyan paused, puzzled.
He struggled to contain the urge to throw the test paper at He Suoyue’s face. After all, burning bridges wasn’t a wise move, especially when the river hadn’t been crossed yet.
During this evening study session, Lu Xingyan surprisingly refrained from mischief, calmly finishing his homework and even completing an entire set of math problems.
As the evening study session ended, snow began to fall outside.
Shen Xingruo walked out with Shi Qin and Ruan Wen. When they reached the school gate, they parted ways. Only then did Lu Xingyan approach.
With his hands in his pockets and elbows slightly bent, he bumped into Shen Xingruo. “Hey, I finished my homework and the math test. Can you take a look for me when we get back?”
Shen Xingruo glanced at him. “Changed your ways?”
Lu Xingyan raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Kidding aside, when I get serious, what concern is it of you nerds? Let me tell you, you can quiz me on any words from ‘a’ to ‘l,’ I’ve memorized them all.”
Feeling superior in the cold outside, Lu Xingyan boasted, his breath forming puffs of white in the air. Snowflakes landed softly on his tousled hair, revealing half of his shiny, well-aligned teeth when he smiled…
Lu Xingyan suddenly stopped. “Why are you staring at me?”
Shen Xingruo snapped out of it. “I got dazzled by your charm.”
Lu Xingyan laughed. “Hey, Shen Xingruo, seriously, I can’t tell if you’re telling the truth anymore.”
“Forget it, I’ll just assume you’re being sincere.”
With that, he smoothed down his hair.
“…You said you’ve memorized words from ‘a’ to ‘l’? Then translate this sentence.”
Lu Xingyan nodded.
“What a foolish guy you are,” Lu Xingyan pondered seriously. “Foolish means 愚蠢的 (yú chǔn de). So, it’s like, ‘What a foolish gay you are.'”
As he finished translating word by word, he realized, “Oh, it’s like saying ‘What a foolish homosexual you are?'”
“…You’re truly clueless.”
“…?”
He hurried to catch up. “No, what did I say wrong? If it’s not that meaning, then what does it mean?”
Shen Xingruo stopped and repeated, “You’re truly clueless.”
What’s wrong with this girl? She starts insulting people as soon as she opens her mouth.
The snowfall intensified, combined with the previous days’ ice, which hadn’t fully melted, covering the path to Xinghe Bay with a thin layer of new snow. The footprints left on it were particularly distinct, and the sound was crunchy.
Returning home through the snow, Shen Xingruo took a hot bath, changed into a thick cashmere coat, and stood on the balcony watching the snow.
Suddenly, she remembered something and turned back to retrieve the crystal ball that Lu Xingyan had given her.
In this era, it seemed rare for anyone to give crystal balls as gifts; it sounded quite outdated. When it came to giving gifts to girls, lipstick, skincare products, and perfume had become standard, even for high school students. But Shen Xingruo rather liked these… old-fashioned gifts.
She switched on the crystal ball, and the pale yellow crescent inside emitted a soft glow. As she turned the key, the familiar prelude of “Castle in the Sky” began to play.
She held the crystal ball and shook it gently, causing the colorful glitter at the bottom to flutter and dance, shimmering in harmony with the snowflakes outside.
After Lu Xingyan finished his shower, he knocked on Shen Xingruo’s door.
Shen Xingruo only opened the door after putting the crystal ball back in the cupboard.
He shook the books and papers in his hands and said, “Good evening, Teacher Shen.”
Shen Xingruo ignored him, taking the papers and starting to walk back.
“These are all your work, not copied?” Shen Xingruo asked as she sat down at her desk.
“Don’t underestimate me,” he replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down as well.
Shen Xingruo then asked about his problem-solving approach, and he answered confidently, finally gaining her reluctant trust.
The tutoring continued until midnight. Lu Xingyan glanced at the time and suddenly said, “We only have two more days of classes before New Year’s Day.”
Shen Xingruo glanced at the calendar on the desk.
Indeed.
She had arrived in Xingcheng during the chilly February. Unconsciously, a year had passed.
“Oh, by the way, are you going back to Huize for Chinese New Year this year?” Lu Xingyan asked.
Shen Xingruo hesitated. “I’m not sure.”
“The winter break is only about two weeks. If you don’t feel like going back, just stay. It’s too much hassle going back and forth. Our family celebrates quite grandly; I can show you how to set off fireworks and stuff,” Lu Xingyan said casually, scratching his neck.
Shen Xingruo closed the calendar. “We’ll see.”
True, there was still over a month to go.
Lu Xingyan didn’t say anything more.
This New Year’s Day fell on a Saturday. Nobody dared to hope for a full three-day holiday, but they all hoped for a complete weekend at least.
But reality is often cruel. The day before New Year’s Day, the school informed them that they would have Saturday off but would need to make up classes on Sunday, and Friday’s evening self-study session would still be held.
Upon hearing this arrangement, the students collectively lamented.
Wang Youfu stood at the platform, holding a thermos, solemnly saying, “You’re all in your final year of high school. Is this the kind of thing you should be concerned about? Having one day off every week is already pretty good.”
“Look at the neighboring No. 1 High School. Since they split classes for Grade Two eight hundred years ago, they haven’t had a complete weekend. Even in Grade Three, they only get half a day off. What are you dissatisfied with?”
“The most important thing now is the college entrance examination. After the exam, are you afraid you won’t have any time off? Are you afraid you won’t have any time off when you go to college? If you keep this attitude, the day you fail to get into college will be a holiday for you at home! You’ll be on vacation until you don’t want to be anymore!”
“Don’t any of you dare skip the evening self-study. Stop thinking about going back to watch New Year’s Eve programs. It’s much better to study the political agenda!”
Below, the atmosphere remained subdued, but no one dared to lament anymore. All was quiet as if in a state of suspended animation.
It had been snowing for the past few days, and the snow was getting thicker and thicker. After finishing the evening self-study absentmindedly, Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo walked home through the snow.
Zhou Yi was health-conscious. When they returned, she served them a bowl of seaweed and pork rib soup before going to bed.
The two of them sat in the living room by the fireplace, drinking soup and watching New Year’s Eve program.
The program started at 8 o’clock, and by the time they returned home, it was almost halfway through. But with several TV stations competing for attention, there was no shortage of exciting programs.
Shen Xingruo seemed quite fond of a few male celebrities and would praise them when they appeared on screen.
Lu Xingyan couldn’t stand her praising others. Whenever Shen Xingruo praised someone, he would give her a comprehensive rundown, pointing out everything from lip-syncing to scandals, before changing the channel to watch another New Year’s Eve program.
At around 11:30, Lu Xingyan suddenly got up from the sofa, pulled back the curtains, and looked outside.
Then he turned around and said, “Shen Xingruo, come with me. I have a New Year’s gift for you.”
“What is it?”
Shen Xingruo didn’t move.
Lu Xingyan thought for a moment. “Alright, you don’t have to come. Just remember to answer the phone later.”
With that, he put on his coat and left on his own.
Lu Xingyan mentioned the gift, and Shen Xingruo recalled the Christmas present she had prepared for him earlier, which she hadn’t yet given away or thrown away.
She got up, went back to her room, looked around, and then found a card, writing a message of blessing.
To Lu Xingyan.
After finishing the beginning, she didn’t know what else to write.
Sitting at the desk for a while, she suddenly felt her phone vibrate.
“Shen Xingruo, quickly go to the balcony in your room!”
Lu Xingyan’s voice on the phone was as clean and clear as the winter snow.
Shen Xingruo walked to the balcony, opened the window, glanced down, and saw Lu Xingyan waving to her in the snow.
Was there a little snowman next to him?
More than thirty floors apart, Shen Xingruo couldn’t see very clearly. “Hold on, I’ll come down right away.”
She hung up the phone, hurried back to the desk, and hastily wrote a common blessing: “Wishing you all the best and happiness every day.”
She then stuffed the card into the gift bag, forgot to even change her shoes, and went straight downstairs.
“New Year’s gift, how’s that?”
Lu Xingyan stood next to the snowman, gesturing towards Shen Xingruo.
His skills were indeed a bit crude, and he lacked tools. The snowman’s eyes and nose were intact, but it had no hat or arms.
Shen Xingruo reluctantly praised, “It looks quite nice.”
Lu Xingyan was satisfied.
“Oh, by the way, the Christmas gift I got you last time, here it is.”
Lu Xingyan was slightly surprised. “You prepared a gift for me? What is it?”
He had been busy in the snow for a while, his hands were already red from the cold. When Shen Xingruo handed him the gift bag, she accidentally touched his hand, causing him to instinctively recoil.
“You built a snowman with bare hands? Do you have a problem with your IQ? You’ll get frostbite.”
Seeing that Lu Xingyan’s hand seemed numb, struggling even to hold a gift, she snatched it back and took out the box.
She left the scarf underneath undisturbed and just unwrapped the gloves on top.
Lu Xingyan noticed a card inside and exhaled it onto his hands before picking it up.
He read the message and suddenly smiled. “Hey, Shen Xingruo, are you serious?”
Shen Xingruo looked up at him.
“It’s easy to wish for success and happiness every day. If you become my girlfriend, won’t I achieve that automatically?”
Shen Xingruo remained silent.
“These gloves are warmer than your hands. Let me warm them up for you.”
Lu Xingyan, slightly shivering from the cold, put down the card again and held her hand.
As the second hand on the clock hit fifty-nine and returned to zero, it struck midnight, and fireworks exploded in all directions.
Shen Xingruo looked at him for a while and suddenly said something.
But the sound of fireworks was deafening, and Lu Xingyan and she stood face to face, with only her lips moving, and he couldn’t hear a thing.