"It seems it must be a boy, Shiqing, who is it?"
Even though the big exam is tomorrow, Xiaoyanzi's gossiping heart is still ablaze with curiosity.
"I'm not telling you!"
Qin Shiqing's cryptic response only piqued Dong Ying's curiosity further.
"Let me guess, could it be Zhao Mingxuan?"
Although Qin Shiqing is the school beauty of No. 2 High School, and practically the goddess in the hearts of almost every boy, few dare to pursue her.
Because this top student is so outstanding that the boys are self-aware enough to know their chances.
Zhao Mingxuan dared; he is the class president, good at studies, and comes from a decent family.
Although his confession was politely declined, he never gave up.
However, Xiaoyanzi soon rejected her own assumption.
"No way, if it were Zhao Mingxuan, Shiqing definitely wouldn't be this happy!"
Transforming into Sherlock Holmes, Xiaoyanzi analyzed the situation with a logical mind.
Having dismissed Zhao Mingxuan, she immediately thought of another potential candidate.
"Could it be Jiang Xiaohua?"
Jiang Xiaohua is a good student and a quite handsome boy in the class, many girls secretly talk about him.
"Shiqing, I guessed it right, so you also have a secret crush on Jiang Xiaohua, then we're love rivals!"
"Nonsense, that's not the case!"
Qin Shiqing rebuked.
"If not Jiang Xiaohua, then who?"
Xiaoyanzi was puzzled.
"It can't be Su Zelin, right? Haha, my imagination is running wild. That guy, though, is your childhood friend, but he's just a slacker, it's impossible for him to be so considerate and thoughtful, who could it be?"
Xiaoyanzi racked her brains but couldn't find an answer.
"Shiqing, please tell me, otherwise I'll keep thinking about this, and won't be able to focus on tomorrow's exam!"
"Sorry, it's a secret!"
"..."
The next morning, the sky cleared up.
Su Zelin opened his eyes to the sound of the chirping cicadas, seemingly indicating it would be a good day.
On his way to the canteen for breakfast, Su Zelin was surprised to find.
The rosebuds on the campus wall were not completely destroyed by last night's heavy storm, they stood strong and instead bloomed proudly after the storm.
On the delicate petals hung drops of sparkling dew, reflecting colorful hues in the morning light, full of life.
Roses are the most common flowers, seen everywhere in life, yet they are Qin Shiqing's favorite, and she has a large patch of them in her yard.
Arriving at the canteen, Su Zelin handed his lunchbox to Lu Haoran, having his bro help him get breakfast, he then turned around and headed into the canteen kitchen with a thermos.
Qin Shiqing's period hadn't ended yet, and the cold hadn't improved, so for the past couple of days Su Zelin had been helping her make ginger tea.
"Here you are again, kid!"
The canteen lady in the kitchen gave Su Zelin a playful scolding.
This guy had become a regular in the canteen kitchen.
"Good morning, Sister Xie, you're looking especially radiant today, your cheeks are even prettier than the skin of the school beauty in our class!"
As the saying goes, flattery is the front line before the troops move.
Before making ginger tea, Su Zelin started with a compliment.
The canteen lady's plump face almost blossomed into a smile: "You're quite the sweet talker, I owe you one!"
She pointed to a small pot of ginger tea already prepared: "There, help yourself!"
"Thanks, Sister Xie!"
Su Zelin swiftly went over to pour the ginger tea.
"Isn't today the big exam? And you're still running around making ginger tea for someone, that girl must be pretty, huh!"
Sister Xie was rather gossipy too, chatting with Su Zelin while stir-frying.
"No, not at all, she's plain and has a few freckles on her face. You could throw a brick into a crowd and hit several girls prettier than her, I bet you were ten times more beautiful when you were young, Sister Xie!"
Su Zelin casually fibbed.
"Haha, you're right, Sister Xie was quite the beauty in the village back in the day!"
Sister Xie wasn't the least bit modest, taking his compliment without hesitation.
"There were quite a few boys who liked Sister Xie, some even became high-ranking officials later. Now, our city's deputy mayor, the one often on TV, but I ended up choosing the useless guy at home! Alas, I had a bad eye for men, but he was handsome when young, or I'd be a rich woman now, maybe it's just fate."
Sister Xie's tone was full of lamentation and regret.
No way, did our deputy mayor really pursue you?
Su Zelin was a bit shocked, and gaped.
It reminded him that appearances can be deceiving, Sister Xie might be plump like a barrel now, but she might really have been the village beauty in her youth.
Sister Xie still reminisced about old times, but Su Zelin had no time to listen to her ramble, after pouring the ginger tea, he slipped out.
Returning to the canteen, Lu Haoran had already gotten his breakfast.
To prevent students from frequent bathroom trips during exams, the school canteen had thoughtfully prepared rice and noodle dishes this morning, with a wider variety of buns to replace the usual porridge.
Su Zelin asked Lu Haoran to get him a bowl of noodle soup and two meat buns.
After breakfast, he arrived at the classroom, where many people were already present.
Some were still nervously reviewing, while others were more relaxed.
Handing the thermos to Qin Shiqing, Su Zelin noticed she looked quite well today.
"Alright, Zelin, no need to get me ginger tea tomorrow, I feel the cold is gone, you focus on preparing for the exam!"
Qin Shiqing's voice was full of energy again.
"It's alright, I just make a quick trip to the canteen kitchen every morning, it doesn't take much time. Plus, Haoran gets my breakfast, you should drink it for two more days at least until the exams are over; it helps when your period comes too."
To be safe, Su Zelin decided it was best to trouble Sister Xie for a couple more days.
After all, you raise soldiers for a thousand days to use them for a moment."
"Yes, since he has such a good relationship with the canteen lady, Shiqing, you shouldn't be too polite!"
Tang Yan also encouraged.
"Alright then!"
Qin Shiqing finally nodded.
Tang Yan glanced at Su Zelin, thinking, this guy's been quite attentive lately, could it be he finally realized he wants to pursue Shiqing?
Too bad the flowers have feelings, but the water is heartless, it might be too late now.
Shiqing already has someone in her heart, she must really like the mystery boy who gave her the umbrella last night.
When she mentions that person, Shiqing's expression changes, becoming shy and soft, too bad Xiaoyanzi couldn't guess who it was.
Perhaps it's a boy from another class, but she hadn't seen Shiqing interact with any boys from other classes.
As Xiaoyanzi was pondering this, Lu Haoran spoke up: "Zelin, the big exam is today, and despite the heavy rain last night, you were running around before lights outs, got back with half of your body soaked!"
"What, Lu Haoran? Su Zelin went out last night?"
Tang Yan quickly asked.
"Yes, it was when the sudden downpour hit, he stood on the balcony for a while lost in thought, then suddenly grabbed an umbrella and dashed out like mad. When he came back, he wouldn't say where he had gone!"
Not understanding why Xiaoyanzi cared so much, Lu Haoran still truthfully answered.
Tang Yan was stunned.
No way, could it be the person who gave Shiqing the umbrella was Su Zelin!
She turned her gaze to Qin Shiqing.
Qin Shiqing was pouring ginger tea as if nothing had happened, but Tang Yan noticed the bright blush on the girl's face.
Tang Yan's speculation was immediately confirmed.
Oh my, it's true!
This is explosive news!
Why did I have to find this out now?
Keeping this secret inside will drive me crazy; I have to share it with someone!
Can't trust Xiaoyanzi with her big mouth!
Just as Lu Haoran was about to say more, Su Zelin cleared his throat: "Haoran, it's almost time for the exam, focus on reviewing. Keep your thoughts to yourself, no one needs a reminder that you can talk!"
Zhao Mingxuan, listening with pricked ears, felt a dull ache in his heart.
Dammit, I was there first last night!
How did all this glory fall on Su Zelin!
Imagining Su Zelin and Qin Shiqing sharing an umbrella, walking through the rain back to the girls' dormitory together.
Zhao Mingxuan couldn't help but feel that the small patch of grass above his head had grown into a veritable Hulun Buir Grassland.
...