Huaicheng is in the south, and it only snows once every three to five years. Each snowfall is a much-anticipated surprise. The snow is usually just a thin layer that melts as soon as it hits the ground. However, if there is a heavy snowfall that can cover the ground and houses, it will surely attract the children who are afraid of the cold and have been staying at home for a long time to run out happily to see this rare sight.

Huaicheng had already entered winter, but clearly, this winter held no surprises.

Although there was no snow, it didn't stop a group of young people from excitedly preparing for Christmas. For some reason, Western holidays are always exceptionally popular among young people; Christmas is always a time of celebration for them.

However, there are exceptions. Su Xun doesn't celebrate Christmas. She never follows trends and genuinely doesn't want to join in the fun. She'd rather do more practice problems than celebrate the holiday.

But the people around him were different. Early on Christmas Eve, Su Xun received an apple and a card from Tang Shi. Even Pu Xiaochuan, who was usually carefree and didn't think much of things, gave him a big apple.

The apples were packaged in an exquisite gift box and placed side by side on the upper left of my desk, as the box couldn't fit inside the desk due to its height.

Su Xun glanced around and saw that almost every classmate had several apples on their desks. Some were beautifully packaged in boxes, while others were simply wrapped in one or two colorful bags. Everyone was enthusiastic about writing Christmas cards to their best friends and the people they secretly liked.

Su Xun began to wonder: since everyone else was stuck at school, how did the other students manage to buy apples?

Pei Ke's table next to him had been piled high with apples at some point, several of which Su Xun had put there for someone else.

When Pei Ke returned from the restroom, this was the scene he saw: the entire table was filled with apples without a single gap, and a stack of colorful cards was neatly arranged at the corner of the table.

Su Xun organized it; she saw the cards were all messy and helped fold them neatly and put them together.

Pei Ke, carrying two more boxes in his hands, sat down and silently piled the boxes on the floor, finally clearing the table.

He let out a breath and sighed with lingering fear, "These people are terrifying, Su Xun. It's a good thing you didn't give me an apple, otherwise I probably wouldn't want to see an apple for the next few months."

"Sorry, I don't celebrate Christmas, so even if you ask me, I don't have any." For some reason, Su Xun felt a little uncomfortable seeing so many people giving Pei Ke gifts, especially since most of them were girls.

"Hey, I've finally found someone like me who doesn't celebrate Western holidays. Our traditional festivals are so much better! From now on, I'll go hiking on the Double Ninth Festival and race boats on the Dragon Boat Festival. They're much more interesting than these apples, don't you think?"

Su Xun, who was still feeling a bit annoyed, almost burst out laughing at Pei Ke's words. "Okay, then go ahead. I want to see how you row a dragon boat with a bunch of people."

Seeing that the man finally smiled, Pei Ke's tone became even more relaxed, "Okay, next time if we go dragon boating, you can watch from the shore how I overtake them."

As evening approached, the long winter nights meant that while there was usually light around this time, it was now pitch black except for the brightly lit teaching building.

With about twenty minutes left before evening self-study began, Su Xun planned to use this time to finish the biology homework assigned in the afternoon.

A sudden commotion at the doorway made Su Xun curious about what had happened. Then, a girl from the class excitedly ran into the classroom and exclaimed, "Gan Tang, someone is looking for you outside!"

Gan Tang, who was also studying, heard the call, put down her pen, tidied her hair, and then steadily walked towards the door.

Before she even left the classroom, someone ran over, held up a large bag, and shoved it in Gan Tang's face.

For a fleeting moment, Gan Tang's usually unchanging expression cracked with fright.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the person opposite him was an acquaintance.

"Gan Tang, the boys on our floor know that you and I used to be classmates, so they all asked me to pass on their gifts to them. Look, this is such a big bag." The girl winked at Gan Tang with an ambiguous expression.

Rossi Middle School has six classes per grade, two of which are honor classes and the remaining four are regular classes. The latter three regular classes are of a lower standard and are not in the same teaching building, but there is a corridor connecting each floor of the two teaching buildings.

"Tell me, why didn't they deliver it themselves? A bunch of cowards," the man continued, his face flushed with emotion.

Gan Tang wasn't too surprised. She accepted the bag and calmly said, "Well, I don't know who gave these gifts. Please thank them for me."

The girl nodded, "I promise to spread the Goddess Gantang's gratitude all the way to the third floor of Building B!" She looked rather comical.

If you still can't figure out what's going on at this point, then you're just too slow-witted.

Gan Tang was arguably the most beautiful girl in the entire grade. Her pure and innocent looks were so appealing that many years later, people referred to her face as the "first love face," and she was very popular at school. Moreover, since the last midterm exam, she had also become a top student in many people's eyes.

Such pretty and smart girls always attract more attention, and even with strict school regulations, it's impossible to stop the boys from secretly discussing them in their dorm rooms.

Su Xun watched the whole thing and felt a little sad. The difference between Gan Tang and her was like the clouds in the sky and the mud on the ground—there was no comparison.

However, she wasn't too disappointed; instead, she wanted to focus on her studies.

After evening self-study, Su Xun put two apples into his schoolbag and was about to leave when Pei Ke, who was beside him, grabbed him.

"Um, I have so many apples I can't finish them all, you can take them." He then handed over a large bag.

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