Gu Xirou’s waist was truly slender.
That was Li Chen’s most genuine feeling at this moment.
Aside from excitement, his heart fluttered with a bit of panic, as he was genuinely afraid Gu Xirou might veer straight into a roadside curb the next second.
Especially seeing her earlobes and the roots of her ears dyed a deep crimson, it would be a lie for Li Chen to say he wasn't nervous.
"Gu, Gu Xirou, have you hardly ever ridden an electric scooter before?"
"Um... I only bought this electric scooter yesterday afternoon. I practiced a bit last night, and this is my first time carrying a passenger today."
Gu Xirou’s tone was earnest, yet it failed to conceal her inner nervousness.
"!!!"
Li Chen tightened his grip slightly around her slender waist and stammered, "Gu Xirou, um... how, how about... I drive instead? It's a bit awkward having a girl like you carry me, haha."
Though holding her felt wonderful, if they crashed, it would genuinely hurt...
"Okay."
Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Xirou pulled the electric scooter over to the roadside and stopped.
Reluctantly, Li Chen released his grip and planted his feet on the ground. Gu Xirou quickly dismounted from the scooter, her fair, tender cheeks slightly flushed as she looked at him prettily.
"Hop on." Li Chen shifted forward and couldn't help smiling at Gu Xirou’s nervous yet alluring appearance.
Without a second thought, Gu Xirou lifted her long, slender legs and settled onto the back seat, her fingers lightly gripping the fabric at Li Chen's waist.
"Li Chen, do you know how to ride an electric scooter?"
"I rode a classmate's a few times back in junior high. Hold on tight."
Feeling the sweat on the handlebars, Li Chen acted as if nothing was the matter and started the scooter on his own.
Gu Xirou quietly fell silent once more, pouting her red lips as the blush on her face slowly faded.
Originally, after that incident happened, her parents wanted to pick her up and drop her off at school every day; it was simply because she didn't want her parents to see Li Chen that she had bought an electric scooter instead.
Screech—
An elementary school student suddenly darted across the street ahead. The steadily moving electric scooter slammed on the brakes.
"Ah! What's wrong?" Gu Xirou gasped in surprise, her entire body lunging uncontrollably against Li Chen’s back as her face turned crimson once again.
"Someone just ran across the street, nearly hit them." Feeling the soft pressure against his back, Li Chen blurted out, "Hold on tight and stay steady, let's go."
"..." Hesitating for a moment, Gu Xirou finally extended her fair, delicate arms and wrapped them around his waist.
A wave of smug triumph washed over Li Chen. Gu Xirou’s figure was truly fantastic; even through their school uniforms, he could still feel the heavy, substantial pressure.
Today's twenty-minute ride home had become exceptionally thrilling and exciting simply because of her.
...
Ten minutes later.
"Gu Xirou, I'm here." Li Chen slowly decelerated the electric scooter and stopped by the roadside.
"Mm-kay, then you go home and eat first. My house isn't too much farther from here." In high spirits, Gu Xirou looked at Li Chen, the flush on her face long since vanished.
"See you this afternoon," Li Chen dismounted and watched her, hesitating as if he had more to say. "Will you... be okay riding back by yourself?"
"Don't worry, I rode all the way to school by myself this morning. See you this afternoon." With eyes brimming with smiles, Gu Xirou waved at Li Chen and turned to leave.
Watching Gu Xirou’s retreating figure, Li Chen narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself, "Why do I keep feeling like she’s known me for a very long time..."
After pondering for a while without figuring it out, Li Chen finally turned and walked toward his home.
Looking at the aging residential building before him, while shopping for daily necessities was quite convenient, the old downtown district lacked elevators, meaning residents had to climb the stairs on foot—a supreme inconvenience.
Especially since his family lived on the ninth floor, the very top floor!
Li Chen desperately wanted his parents to sell this old apartment and pitch in a bit more money to buy a new place in a better environment, but he wasn't blind to his family's financial situation.
"Sigh, money... in the end, it's always a money problem."
If he wanted to buy a home, it seemed he would have to rely on himself; the hard-earned money his parents scraped together was strictly off-limits.
Though he knew how terrifyingly and absurdly housing prices in this city would soar in a few years, having zero capital right now left him as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof.
How come when other people transmigrated and made a fortune, it was as easy as picking up cash, yet when it came to him, it was so difficult?
He wanted to buy a lottery ticket and win a massive jackpot, but in his past life, he had never paid attention to that sort of thing, so how could he possibly remember the winning numbers?
He knew the real estate and stock markets inside and out, but whether trading property or stocks, a considerable amount of starting capital was always required.
As a poor student, he could scrape together three or five hundred yuan, but trying to touch either of those two fields was no different from daydreaming.
Shaking his head and sighing, Li Chen felt his transmigration was far too aggrieved. Out of the corner of his eye, he inadvertently caught sight of a fake antique shop by the pedestrian walkway.
Wait?
Fake antiques? Fake curios and artifacts?
A memory instantly flooded into Li Chen’s mind. He remembered that every Saturday and Sunday, the pedestrian walkway downstairs would be lined with vendors selling fake antiques and curio books.
Legend had it that right before the college entrance examination this very year, someone had picked up a bargain, unearthing a palm-sized golden bull wrapped in a thick layer of old iron plating—something ordinary methods would find virtually impossible to see through to the treasures inside.
The incident caused a massive stir in the neighborhood at the time, and the vendor was so furious he wished he could turn back time, forced to accept his bad luck and watch his money fly away.
At this thought, Li Chen’s eyes lit up. Wasn't someone essentially delivering this first pot of gold right to his doorstep?
It just so happened that the weekend was coming up in two days, so the timing lined up perfectly. He only hoped that person hadn't snatched up the bargain beforehand.
...
The sky was blue, the sun blazed fiercely, and the midday temperature approached nearly thirty degrees.
After finishing lunch and resting for a bit, Li Chen went downstairs to a small supermarket, bought an old-fashioned popsickle, and headed straight for the bus stop.
At that moment, he genuinely envied those who rode bicycles to school.
Twenty-odd minutes later, upon arriving at the school, Li Chen happened to see Gu Xirou getting off her electric scooter.
"Gu Xirou, you're here pretty early?" Li Chen waved at Gu Xirou as she walked over, smiling with bright and gentle warmth.
"I wanted to spend more time reviewing my lessons, otherwise I won't be able to keep up with your class's pace." Approaching him, Gu Xirou tucked a strand of dark hair behind her temple. Her face was slightly flushed from the intense midday heat.
She genuinely wanted to seize every spare minute to avoid falling short of the score needed for the university she loved.
Seeing the tiny beads of sweat oozing from Gu Xirou's forehead, Li Chen felt a twinge of regret. Had he known, he should have bought an extra popsicle outside to help her quench her thirst.
"You go on to the classroom first; I'll go to the canteen and buy you a bottle of water."
Popsicles weren't sold inside the school, so water was the only option.
"No need to buy any, I'm not thirsty." A flash of happy amusement lit up Gu Xirou's eyes as she pulled a small pink water bottle from her backpack. "Look, I brought water with me. Whenever I'm thirsty, I drink this."
"That works too. Let's head back to the classroom then." Li Chen smiled, and the two of them walked toward the teaching building.