December is almost here, and the wind is howling and rattling against the windows.

The indoor air in the southern city is not heated, but the cold seems to penetrate to the bone, making one feel excessively stiff even if one moves even slightly.

Rossi School is known for its rigorous teaching methods, and naturally, air conditioning is not installed in the classrooms in order to cultivate students' willpower.

The weather is really cold. This winter seems to be even more severe than in previous years. It really does live up to the saying in the textbook: "The weather is extremely cold, the inkstone is frozen solid, and the fingers cannot be bent or stretched. One must not be lazy."

This is what the homeroom teacher mentioned. It's the third year of junior high school, and the weather is so cold. This is a test from God for them. They just have to grit their teeth and get through it.

Upon hearing this, the students were utterly astonished. Could people really be so superstitious?

When it came time for Chinese class, the teacher started quoting classical texts again, saying, "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their will and strengthens their body..."

The students below were speechless. The teachers were indeed teachers; they could come up with so many classic stories just because the weather was cold.

The teachers' words were very inspiring, but they were only aimed at a group of immature teenagers. After listening to the teachers' words, they were so excited that they wanted to study hard and stay up late to learn. What did the cold matter? It was all a test from heaven.

Most people are just ordinary mortals with delicate bodies, so it's impossible for them to get through the whole winter on their own. Therefore, many people obediently wrapped themselves in layers of clothes, and some even secretly took hot water bottles from home or filled their water bottles at the hot water taps in the corridor, which was enough to last them through a class period.

Although it was a waste of water, the teachers probably knew that their encouraging words wouldn't have much effect, so they turned a blind eye and let them do as they pleased.

With so many people needing hot water, you need to be fast and big enough to grab the perfect temperature.

This also makes it convenient for some people who want to curry favor, taking advantage of their male status to offer a bottle of warm water to the person they like.

For example, Gan Tang's many followers.

Su Xun watched expressionlessly as another boy slammed the freshly filled hot water bottle onto the Gantang table and then ran off as fast as he could, as if some ferocious beast was behind him.

heart:……

Gan Tang ultimately failed to win Zhang Jixin back, but she eventually let it go. Since it was beyond repair, there was no need for her to date one boyfriend after another to provoke him. Now she was very Zen-like, focusing entirely on her studies, either at the office or on her way to the office.

Just because Gan Tang has put aside her feelings doesn't mean that the restless boys feel the same way.

Yes! That's right, a goddess truly lives up to her name.

Gan Tang picked up the still-warm water bottle from the table and turned to hand it to Su Xun.

"Su Xun, this bottle is for you." She couldn't possibly use all of it, so she might as well give some warmth to the people around her while it's still hot.

Before Su Xun could even say thank you, Zhou Beibei next to him got excited and started counting on her fingers, seemingly lost in thought: "This is already the fifth one today, and it's only the end of the third period this morning."

Gan Tang was too lazy to banter with Zhou Beibei, so she just shrugged helplessly and tapped on Su Xun's table.

"You're so afraid of the cold, didn't your Pei Ke show any concern?" As the biggest wingman between her and Pei Ke, Gan Tang naturally knew the whole story.

"We're not officially together yet, so we need to avoid suspicion at school," Su Xun said softly, afraid of being overheard.

Little did anyone know that Zhou Beibei, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines, stared with her already large, round eyes as if she had heard something unbelievable, "Didn't you and Pei Ke have been secretly having an affair for a long time? How come you're still not together?"

Pei Ke usually doesn't talk to people, but he becomes more talkative when he's with Su Xun. The classmates already felt there was something between them, and recently, they've been frequently seen together, which only seems to confirm the rumors. They even speculate that maybe they're keeping it private because they're both top students.

Su Xun: ...

"We're not together yet..."

They weren't really confident saying that, but they had already reached a pretty good point in their speech that day, and it was just a formality that was missing.

Gan Tang: "I really don't understand you young people." After saying that, she put the bottle of water back on the table and turned around.

Su Xun: Is Gan Tang very old? Why does she seem to be being ridiculed by her elders?

Yes, every relationship Gan Tang has had is a high-profile affair, known to the entire grade. They must not understand what she and Pei Ke are doing. They have clearly confessed their feelings to each other, but they haven't taken it any further, let alone done anything that normal couples would do on campus.

She picked up the bottle of still-scalding hot water; the heat traveled directly through her skin, warming her entire body. This bottle of water was clearly the first bottle of hot water at the water dispenser—it was so scalding. That boy must have rushed out of the classroom as soon as class ended; judging from the way he ran, he was obviously very fast.

She followed his gaze and glanced at Pei Ke.

The boy sat calmly in his seat, his back straight, but his head was lowered, probably looking at the homework the physics teacher had just assigned.

She knew that Pei Ke was very fast at solving problems. He could usually figure out the solution to a problem at a glance and would finish his homework during the break between classes without ever procrastinating. So, while everyone else was busy finishing their homework during evening self-study, he had plenty of free time to study on his own.

Undeniably, she really liked Pei Ke's serious demeanor. Even though formulas, vocabulary, and grammar were tedious and complicated, everything became so simple in his mind.

Her boy should be the purest, forever clear-headed. He should be able to do what he likes without any worries, whether it's reading foreign classics that are beyond the reach of others, playing the violin, or doing nothing at all, just sitting quietly in his seat, waiting for the wind outside the window to brush his hair.

In short, he shouldn't be like those hot-blooded, impulsive young men who would fight over a girl who is far away from them, disregarding their image.

Sometimes, Su Xun felt that he should be a breeze that is always clear and bright, always going wherever he wants, and he also felt that he should be a carefree prince in a castle, always innocent and pure, unaware of the complexities and vulgarity of the world.

She was so lucky to have met such a person who helped her grow from her gloomy state and made her, who was always calm, go crazy. She felt even luckier that such a person, whom countless people envied, would stop for a simple, unscented flower on the road and be willing to take her with him on his journey.

Actually, what makes her most fortunate is that she and he still have a very, very long time to go.