"I... I'll take you there," Lin Ruoruo said softly, quickening her pace.
She wanted to get Xu Lai to his destination as quickly as possible so she could go home and cook dinner for her mother.
"Okay, thank you, classmate Lin Ruoruo," Xu Lai said with a smile, speeding up to keep pace with her.
"N... no need to thank me. You bought me breakfast and helped me with problems, so I should be the one thanking you."
The March sunshine felt warm and pleasant upon them.
The two left the teaching building, walked through the school's green corridor, and stepped out of the school gates.
Lin Ruoruo glanced at the small alley on her right, pressed her lips together, and kept walking along the main road.
Only, her footsteps grew a little faster.
Before long, the two were standing in front of a shop.
"H... here it is." Lin Ruoruo raised her arm, pointed at the sign overhead, and then added, "Classmate Xu Lai, I'm going back now."
With that, she turned around, ready to head back.
"Wait a minute. Since we're already here, let me treat you to some noodles. Eat up before you go back." As he spoke, Xu Lai stepped up behind Lin Ruoruo, gently pushed her back with his hands, and nudged her right into the shop.
"Boss, two bowls of tossed noodles, add two braised tiger eggs and two dried bean curds."
"Coming right up! Anything else?"
Xu Lai shook his head. "No, that's it."
"Alright, that's sixteen yuan in total. QR code or cash?"
Lin Ruoruo stood beside Xu Lai, her right hand clutching her pants pocket, which held the thirty yuan her mother had given her for groceries today.
Pursing her lips, Lin Ruoruo finally reached into her pocket, took out the money, selected a twenty-yuan bill, and handed it to the cashier. "Here."
"I said this was my treat." Xu Lai caught Lin Ruoruo's hand, pulled it back, and took out his phone to scan the QR code to pay.
The sudden physical contact made Lin Ruoruo's face flush red.
"Y... you already treated me to breakfast, I..."
Xu Lai took Lin Ruoruo by the arm and led her over to a nearby table to sit down. "You sit here, I'll go get the noodles."
With that, Xu Lai walked up to the counter and handed the receipt to the woman boiling the noodles inside.
Before long, the two bowls of noodles were ready. Xu Lai picked them up, added the side condiments, and brought them over.
"Here, dig in."Lin Ruoruo nodded obediently and began to eat.
Because she was somewhat nervous, it wasn't until after a few bites that she noticed there were no green onions in the noodles.
How did he know I don't eat green onions? Could it be a coincidence again?
She had no time to dwell on it, as she needed to finish quickly and go back to cook for her mother.
Naturally, Xu Lai could guess why Lin Ruoruo was eating so fast, so he also sped up his pace.
After finishing the noodles, Lin Ruoruo looked up to see Xu Lai holding out a tissue to her. "Here, wipe your mouth."
Lin Ruoruo took the tissue, wiped the sesame paste from her mouth, and said softly, "Classmate Xu Lai, I'm heading home now. Thank you for treating me to noodles."
"You're welcome. Let me walk you home," Xu Lai said with a light smile.
Lin Ruoruo hurriedly waved her hands. "N-No need, I can go back by myself."
Xu Lai looked at Lin Ruoruo, blinked, and said, "You ate my noodles, and letting me walk you home calls it even."
Lin Ruoruo lowered her head and said timidly, "W-Why would you walking me home after I ate your noodles make it even?"
Gazing at Lin Ruoruo's endearing and pitiful appearance, Xu Lai was momentarily dazed. "I treated you to noodles, and you reward me by letting me walk you home. That's only fair."
"Ah?" Lin Ruoruo stood there in a daze, still trying to puzzle out the logic behind it, when she heard a voice from outside.
"Aren't you in a rush to get home? Hurry up and go."
Coming to her senses, Lin Ruoruo quickly turned and ran out of the shop, catching up with Xu Lai.
"X-Xu Lai, are you really going to walk me home?" Lin Ruoruo asked nervously.
"That's right." Xu Lai smiled as he looked at Lin Ruoruo. "Classmate Lin Ruoruo, why do you keep calling me Xu-Xu Lai?"
Faced with this question, Lin Ruoruo instantly felt even more nervous. "S-Sorry, Classmate X-Xu Lai, I didn't mean to."
Xu Lai gave an indifferent smile. "Well, alright, I'll allow only you to call me Xu-Xu Lai."
Hearing this, a blush immediately crept over Lin Ruoruo's face.
Along the way, Lin Ruoruo walked ahead with her head down, wondering what she was thinking about.
Yet, hearing Xu Lai's unhurried footsteps behind her, she felt a profound sense of peace.This was the most peaceful walk down this alleyway in years.
Soon, the two of them reached the building where Xu Lai had last seen Lin Ruoruo and Liu Sufang meeting.
"I'm here, Xu Lai. Thank you for walking me back."
Xu Lai nodded gently. "Alright, go on in. I'm heading back to school too. Bye-bye."
With a smile, he waved at Lin Ruoruo and turned to leave.
Lin Ruoruo watched his figure gradually disappear around the corner, biting her lip as she muttered under her breath, "Bye-bye."
Then she turned and walked into the building.
When she got home, the Chen Sisters from across the hall were, unsurprisingly, at her place again, and her mother had already eaten.
***
In the afternoon.
The bell for the first class had just rung.
The history teacher walked in and told the students to open their textbooks.
Just then, Fan Wenyi appeared at the classroom door leading a student.
"Teacher Peng, I'm borrowing a few minutes of your time."
The history teacher nodded and stepped aside to the edge of the podium.
The students in the classroom looked at the girl who had walked in behind Fan Wenyi. She was not wearing the school uniform; instead, she wore casual clothes that made her look exceptionally radiant.
Her hair was tied in a high ponytail that swayed gently with her movements. Her large, bright eyes were like dazzling stars, and her long eyelashes fluttered slightly like butterfly wings.
Her gaze was clear and lively, exuding an air of innocence. A unique aura radiated from her, drawing everyone's attention.
Only Xu Lai was filled with disbelief when he saw her.
When the new girl saw Xu Lai looking at her, she playfully stuck her tongue out at him. Then, she gave a meaningful glance at the frail girl sitting beside Xu Lai, followed by a wink at Xu Lai, as if saying, "Well? Surprised?"
The girl happily waved at her classmates.
"Hello everyone, my name is Xu Ke. My hometown is Sanchuan. It's very nice to meet you all, and please take care of me for the next six months."
Hearing Xu Ke's introduction, Xu Lai smiled helplessly.
Beside him, Lin Ruoruo wore a complicated expression. Why did she make a funny face at Xu Lai? Do they know each other? Xu Lai was clearly an orphan, so why did she share his surname of Xu...
Lin Ruoruo had countless unanswered questions in her heart.
Sharing Lin Ruoruo's bewilderment were the other students in the class.
"Xu Ke? What's her relation to the new kid Xu Lai?"
"Could she be Xu Lai's twin sister?"
"You know, they actually do look quite a bit alike."
"Sanchuan? Wasn't Xu Lai from Jinling?"
"Exactly, they're not even from the same place."
Without waiting for everyone's confusion to grow, Xu Lai watched Xu Ke walk down the podium after her self-introduction, marched right up to her, and flicked her forcefully on the forehead.
"What are you running over here for?"
"Ouch, that hurts!" Xu Ke cried out in pain, letting out an exaggerated yelp.
Before Xu Lai could speak, Xu Ke put on a grievance-stricken expression and said, "Big brother, the academic pressure at the Affiliated High School of Normal University is just too intense. I couldn't handle that kind of hardship, so I begged them to let me go."
Hearing this, not only did Xu Lai's forehead crease with dark lines, but Fan Wenyi on the podium and the rest of the classmates were also left utterly speechless, thinking to themselves that No. 1 High School turned out to be just a backup choice all along.
"You've got some nerve, transferring schools behind our backs. Who authorized your transfer from the Affiliated High School? And who accepted you here at No. 1 High School?" Ignoring everything else, Xu Lai asked with a stern expression.
Seeing how serious Xu Lai looked, even Xu Ke felt a little nervous, terrified that Xu Lai might actually get angry and go make trouble for the leaders of both schools.
When head teacher Fan Wenyi heard this, he panicked slightly and quickly said that Xu Ke should get acquainted with her classmates, before turning on his heel and heading straight back to the principal's office.
Xu Ke continued to act spoiled, trying to gloss it over. "Oh, big brother, now that I'm already here..."
Seeing that Xu Lai still looked angry, Xu Ke suddenly lit up as if she had found a savior.
She bypassed Xu Lai, walked right up to his desk, reached out toward Lin Ruoruo, and said, "Sister-in-law, hello! I am Xu Ke, Xu Lai's younger sister. My brother has been nagging in my ear about you for five or six years now, and I finally get to meet the real you."
Another wave of gasps rippled through the classroom.
"What is going on here? They all know each other?"
"I don't get it, I really don't get it. Oh my god, what kind of plot twist is this?"