Sang Ru wanted to tease Zhou Tingzhao, but ended up feeling bashful as well. She rested her chin on Zhou Tingzhao’s shoulder, her palm continuing to linger on his school notebook, feeling the crisp pages that were satisfying to touch.

“Notes?”

“Mm.”

“Next time I want to see them,” seeing no response from him, Sang Ru tapped the notebook again, “okay?”

“…Okay.”

What room was there for negotiation? If he said no, would she stop asking?

Zhou Tingzhao had never experienced such friendly persistence before. He could only agree to whatever she said.

Having received a satisfactory answer, Sang Ru turned her attention in a different direction, moving toward his most treasured possession.

Her hand was gentle as she reached for his backpack. When she picked up his pencil case, the object felt as if it contained numerous secrets.

The classroom setting restricted her curiosity, preventing Sang Ru from looking through everything at once, but this encouraged her to lean even closer as she whispered questions.

Sang Ru’s fingertips gently traced the edge of his notebook, turning the page while noticing his handwriting become increasingly neater with each chapter.

Zhou Tingzhao’s breathing grew slightly quicker. Sang Ru pointed at a small doodle in the margin when suddenly, her finger found a folded note.

Sang Ru paused, then carefully unfolded the piece of paper before finally withdrawing her hand from his notebook.

Seeing clearly what was on the note, Sang Ru curved her lips, holding it up to Zhou Tingzhao’s eyes as if showing off a discovery.

The carefully written words shone with meaning in the light. She still pressed close to him: “Look, your secret…”

Zhou Tingzhao turned his head away, his earlobes red. Sang Ru smiled at his embarrassment, then softly called his name.

He looked over to see her with curious eyes and an innocent expression as she brought the note closer. Then her small smile widened, obviously pleased with her discovery.

Zhou Tingzhao’s forehead creased as he finally uttered her name with slight embarrassment.

“Hmm?” she responded, not showing the slightest regret. She tilted her head slightly in a thoughtful motion, then said: “I have secrets too. Do you want to know them?”

Something sparked in Zhou Tingzhao’s mind. Before he could think, his attention was already drawn to the person beside him.

Their school was peculiar. The blue and white uniforms that students usually wore were one set, but now Sang Ru and Zhou Tingzhao wore another set. The former was for daily wear, unremarkably plain, while the latter was one of the few red and white British-style designs, paired with a pleated skirt, which students were only required to wear on formal occasions.

Sang Ru wore a pleated skirt today, so when she took out her notebook, it rested neatly on her lap under the desk.

Being invited to share secrets, Zhou Tingzhao completely focused, quietly allowing Sang Ru to show him her notebook, bringing him closer to her private thoughts, and closer still.

Suddenly, he saw a page of poetry, and a feeling of connection began at his fingertips, sweeping through his entire being.

She had indeed written beautiful poems, filling her notebook. With one accidental glimpse, he saw words about dreams and hopes.

Zhou Tingzhao instinctively wanted to look away, but was encouraged by her gentle smile.

It seemed that even sharing this made her nervous. The confident girl who had just been teasing him now had slightly flushed cheeks, though he hadn’t truly said anything about her writing yet.

Not just the poems, Zhou Tingzhao thought. Her thoughts were beautiful everywhere.

Friends need no further encouragement to connect. Zhou Tingzhao almost instinctively began to read her words, nodding as emotions flowed through her writing, touching his heart as well.

She was so thoughtful, so sincere. Zhou Tingzhao read carefully; her poetry was like delicate crystal that revealed deeper meanings with each view.

During these moments, Zhou Tingzhao had already leaned slightly toward Sang Ru, conveniently allowing her to point out her favorite lines. She was so passionate that she continuously made small, excited sounds, like an enthusiastic, endearing young poet.

“Do you like them?” Zhou Tingzhao asked.

“Mmm, yes… I love writing…”

Zhou Tingzhao’s heart warmed at her answer. A thought came from somewhere, and he suddenly turned to a blank page, his pencil poised above it.

So inspiring…

Zhou Tingzhao felt himself beginning to write, a few small verses that were probably about friendship, with ideas flowing out from inside, filling the page.

Sang Ru watched him write with bright eyes, her attention completely focused while enjoying this shared moment.

Zhou Tingzhao wrote with purpose, filling the page, then said thoughtfully: “Read my poem?”

If he hadn’t been continuously showing interest in her writing, Sang Ru would hardly believe these words came from Zhou Tingzhao.

But her curiosity was piqued. Following his invitation, she placed her attention on his poem, and they began to secretly share their creative thoughts.

Zhou Tingzhao inadvertently wrote a particularly meaningful line, and at this moment, he noticed Sang Ru began to smile more brightly. Understanding inwardly, he added more depth to this idea.

Zhou Tingzhao stated simply: “I’ve never shown anyone.”

“Don’t worry… It’s wonderful…”

She beamed with appreciation. Zhou Tingzhao could see her eyes shining as he looked up. When he spoke, there was a sense of accomplishment he didn’t notice: “Did you like it?”

Sang Ru didn’t speak right away. She straightened up to look at him once. This glance was brief, but its impact was immense. Zhou Tingzhao closed his notebook, feeling a sense of pride.

He was about to burst with happiness.

What Sang Ru did next almost made him completely speechless.

She suddenly leaned closer, pulling out a small folded paper from her pocket, and placed it carefully in his book.

Zhou Tingzhao was surprised and suppressed a gasp. Someone in the front row heard the sound and turned around, asking groggily: “What’s wrong?”

He almost immediately covered the note with his hand, saying calmly: “Nothing.”

As that person responded with an “Oh” and turned back, Zhou Tingzhao opened the note under his desk.

She waited with anticipation, her face brightening with hope, as he read it.

Simple, sincere, meaningful.

She smiled warmly, with friendship shining in her expression. She said, “I heard you gasp, Zhou Tingzhao.”