"Damn it!"
"Su Ming stole all the spotlight!"
After school, Zhao Yuanhua marched aggressively over to the publicity officer's desk.
"Let me see what song Su Ming signed up for."
"Uh, that's confidential."
Actually, Zhao Yuanhua wasn't very popular in class because he constantly threw his weight around and used money to throw his weight at his classmates.
Hóuzi was about the only one who could put up with him—the kind of kid who could go far.
"You think you can refuse what my boss wants to see?"
Hóuzi snatched the list away in one motion and found the crucial information.
"Boss, Su Ming signed up for a rap love song."
"A rap love song? He's really going all out! Does he think he's a pop superstar?"
Zhao Yuanhua sneered dismissively, then pulled a ten-yuan note from his pocket.
You have to understand, back in those days, what did ten yuan even mean?
"I'll use this money to cross Su Ming's name off!"
This was Fandou High School, and Zhao Yuanhua wouldn't allow someone as full of himself as Su Ming to exist here.
Mainly, it involved Liu Rumeng, whom Zhao Yuanhua had long since considered safely in the bag.
The publicity officer had been dismissive at first, but thinking about how many, many spicy gluten strips ten yuan could buy, he suddenly found himself wavering.
Just then, however, Liu Rumeng, who usually went straight home after school, walked over.
"What he signs up for is his own right, and you have no business interfering."
Snatching the list right out of Hóuzi's hands, Liu Rumeng turned and walked into the teachers' office.
"Damn it!"
"You think Liu Rumeng got bewitched by that punk Su Ming's smooth moves?"
"Probably not. Big Sis has always been ice-cold; only you, Boss, could ever win her over."
"Hmph, well said. This money is your reward!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!!!"
Looking at it from another angle, Hóuzi's guess didn't seem wrong.
The only reason Liu Rumeng stood up for Su Ming wasn't because of anything else.
Just imagine: who was Su Ming's rap love song meant for?
The whole class, and even the whole grade, knew that recently Su Ming had been desperate to get closer to Liu Rumeng.
In other words, the reason she hadn't let Zhao Yuanhua get his way was actually just to satisfy Liu Rumeng's own vanity.
Having a loyal simperer sing a song to you in public—just thinking about it was deeply gratifying.
Besides, the better he sang, the more face she would have.
Meanwhile, outside the school gates.
"Achoo!!!"
"Who the heck is talking trash about me!"
Su Ming was having some rotten luck today; not only had he sprained his ankle, but he seemed to have caught a cold as well.
Looking at his Forever-brand bicycle standing there before him, he plunged once again into deep contemplation.
"Well, I suppose my luck could actually get even worse."
Yes, Su Ming's ride had run into a bit of a problem.
The pedals had been completely dismantled and vanished!!!
One had to admit that his rival moved pretty fast, catching Su Ming completely off guard.
"The guy's got a brain, at least. Knowing I have a pump, he didn't even bother messing with my tires."
Just as he was puzzling over it, a wave of pleasant fragrance seemed to drift through the air.
"Oh-ho-ho, isn't this our distinguished Young Master Su? What happened? Why are you just standing here frozen?"
Shen Ruoyan's voice rang out from afar. The little girl riding her bike looked far too pleasing to the eye, like someone who had stepped right out of a painting.
"Didn't we agree to go home together? Where did you just run off to?"
"I was in the head teacher's office. Guess who I saw?"
"No idea. Can't possibly be Liu Rumeng."
Hmph!
"Oh, bingo! That's the one you've been yearning for day and night~"
?(′Д`；)?:.*!
Shen Ruoyan naturally knew that Su Ming had been very fond of chatting with Liu Rumeng lately, so her tone carried a heavy dose of sarcasm.
You have to remember that before hitting his head, Su Ming hadn't spoken to Shen Ruoyan for days.
Ingrate!
"Cut it out. My heart only has room for you."
Just this short sentence completely broke Shen Ruoyan's defenses.
At an age when hormones were raging, how could anyone withstand such direct flirtation?
"Drop dead! Can you not say things like that? And even if you're going to, keep your voice down, okay!"
Someone's face turned red again—already several times today.
Shen Ruoyan felt that ever since Su Ming bumped his head, the whole person had just felt off.
Still, though.......
This isn't half bad either~
(/ω＼)!
"Anyway, Liu Rumeng handed the New Year's Eve gala list in. I wonder what she's playing at."
"Who cares about her!"
"So, what song are you planning to sing?"
Shen Ruoyan was intensely curious. In her memory, Su Ming was always loud and reckless; he was hardly good material for singing.
"Hmm....... I'll write the lyrics for you tonight. How about that?"
"No need to go through all that trouble. I like listening to music too—you can just tell me."
"No, no, no. I wrote this song myself, so you'll have to come and give your professional opinion."
Hearing this, Shen Ruoyan couldn't help widening her bright, clear eyes.
"You—you can write songs?"
"It's just rap. It's not that hard."
"Fine, I can't wait. Get on! I'll give you a ride!"
Since he was wounded, Su Ming logically took the backseat.
Whenever they went out to play in the past, Shen Ruoyan was always the one who got to enjoy this treatment.
Who knew that the moment he got on, they'd hit a snag right at the start.
After all, Su Ming was a towering 1.8-meter guy, and his weight was right there.
Shen Ruoyan was just a girl, so naturally she struggled a bit.
"I figured you couldn't handle it. You pack such a punch when you hit me, but when it really matters, is this all you've got?"
"Hmph! It's easy for you to talk sitting down! You're as heavy as a pig! If your foot didn't hurt, I wouldn't be caught dead giving you a ride!"
True enough, getting to ride in the school belle's backseat must have taken several lifetimes of accumulated good fortune.
Fortunately, most of the students had already left by this time, or else Su Ming would have been subjected to remote psychological attacks all over again.
"You're riding so slow!"
Su Ming muttered, then mischievously wrapped his hands around Shen Ruoyan's slender waist.
"Mm~"
As if triggering a mechanism, Shen Ruoyan let out an involuntary cry.
Nice!
"You—are you looking to die?!"
Some people were just like that; even through thick layers of clothing, they would feel inexplicably ticklish.
Temperatures were dropping right now, but due to their location in the south, the climate was still fairly mild.
"I don't have anywhere else to put my hands. You don't expect me to grab your ponytail, do you?"
"Then—then don't press so hard! I'm ticklish."
Shen Ruoyan didn't turn her head, but Su Ming knew the temperature on the little girl's face was definitely rising steadily.
"I have to say, your waist really is tiny. Do you work out before bed every night?"
"No way. I just take a casual walk."
Actually, being complimented like this by Su Ming made Shen Ruoyan, who was already in a decent mood, feel even more joyful at heart.
Because Su Ming hadn't been tailing Liu Rumeng like a lost puppy the way he had the past few days, so........
Wait!
The only reason he wasn't tagging along today was probably because he hurt his foot!
Well, what if it got better?
He'd go right back to trailing after her, wouldn't he!
Suddenly thinking of this, Shen Ruoyan reined in her smile and let out a cold huff.
Seeing a small pothole ahead in the road, Shen Ruoyan not only failed to steer around it, but deliberately sped straight into it.
Clunk!
"Ah!!!"
Unlike Shen Ruoyan's exclamation, Su Ming's was a full-on shriek of agony.
Taken completely by surprise, he took the bounce right on his tailbone.
You have to remember that guys and girls sit differently on bikes, and the consequence of Su Ming sitting with his legs apart was a deeply numb rear end.
"What—what was that for?"
"None of your business!"
"Hey, we were doing just fine a second ago. Why the sudden mood swing?"
"Sorry, I'm just that kind of person. Why don't you go find Liu Rumeng instead? She has such a sweet temper~"
Hearing this, Su Ming was completely dumbfounded.
No wonder the older generation always said a woman's face changes faster than flipping a book.
Going from clear skies to overcast to a torrential downpour didn't even take a full minute.
"Don't be upset. I'll take you to get something good to eat."
"Really?"
The little girl was easy to coax. Seizing the moment, Su Ming gently leaned his face against Shen Ruoyan's back.
At that exact touch, the girl's body suddenly grew somewhat rigid.
"Y-you're taking advantage of me again! I'm telling your mom!"
"It won't work. My mom said if I'm looking for a wife, I should find someone just like you. She'd probably be thrilled."
"Agh! Will you stop joking around!"
The lethality of Su Ming's words was staggering; Shen Ruoyan practically forgot how to pedal the bike.
"A-Yan, some truths are just spoken in a joking tone. You'll understand when you're older."
Looking at Shen Ruoyan as she turned her head back, Su Ming replied earnestly.
"Hmph! I'm only two months younger than you! Who are you trying to lecture as an adult?"
"Playing the adult? You're wrong. If I could, I'd rather stay in our student days forever."
"Really? I remember you used to look forward to adult life so much."
"You said it yourself—that was the past. But I'm already content now. After all, I have you by my side."
This time Su Ming wasn't laughing or joking; every word came straight from the bottom of his heart.
Shen Ruoyan didn't think too deeply into it, simply dismissing it as another one of his playful teases.
"Stop talking nonsense! Get off! Give me your hand!"
"What is it?"
"I'm going to bite you!"
"Hiss! The tigress is showing her claws!"
The camera pans out.
The evening glow is just right, and the figures are truly sublime.........