Qingfeng Academy is located at the westernmost part of Hejia Town. It was almost noon when they arrived at the entrance of Qingfeng Academy. Ge Erping pulled Xiaoyue and pushed open the small door to rush in, but they were stopped by an uncle who was in charge of guarding the gate.

Ge Erping, who was used to being arrogant at home, stood with his hands on his hips and said in a very rude manner to the uncle, "We are Gao Lei's family."

Xiaoyue followed behind Ge Erping without saying a word, silently taking a few steps back. She didn't want to help Ge Erping out of the predicament, nor did she want to say anything more, for fear of giving others something to talk about when she got home.

The uncle was kind-hearted. He could tell that Ge Erping was a spoiled girl from the village, so he didn't say anything. He told Xiaoyue and Ge Erping to wait outside the door. Ge Erping retreated to the doorway, somewhat resentful.

Gao Lei came out quickly, wearing a dark green student uniform and carrying a food box in his hand, looking like he had just returned from getting food at the cafeteria.

Ge Erping saw Gao Lei walk out through the crack in the door. He straightened his clothes, excitedly hid behind the door, glanced back at Xiaoyue who was standing there like a wooden stake, and pulled Xiaoyue behind him.

As soon as Gao Lei pushed open the small door, Ge Erping suddenly jumped out, startling Gao Lei. Gao Lei had been thinking that his family had come to visit him, and he really thought it was his family. He never expected it to be Ge Erping. Since he was already out, Gao Lei had no choice but to be patient. When he saw Xiaoyue behind Ge Erping, his eyes lit up.

"I'll rent a house outside Qing Academy. It's not very convenient to talk here," he said, glancing at Xiaoyue before turning away and leading the way. It turned out that none of the students at Qingfeng Academy lived in dormitories; those who lived far away could only rent small houses nearby.

After walking for more than fifty meters, they arrived at the house Gao Lei rented. The house was next to the road, with one room on the left and one on the right of the main gate. Gao Lei took out his key and opened the left door, then said to the two of them, "The one on the right is Hu Banxia's."

Pushing open the door, I entered the room. On the left was a washstand, and directly opposite the door was a single bed with a desk next to it. The desk was covered with books, and there was a stool in front of it.

Gao Lei put down the food box, turned around and asked, "What do you need me for?" He glanced at Xiaoyue, who had just come in, and then said, "I got my food, so I'll just eat this." Xiaoyue glanced at the food box and knew that Gao Lei had only found out that a relative had come to see him after he got his food, so he hadn't even eaten and had just left with the food box.

When Ge Erping heard that Gao Lei had invited the two of them to eat, he opened the food box and saw that there was braised pork inside. His eyes lit up and he hurriedly said, "Great, great!" He then sat down in the only seat. Feeling that there wasn't enough food, he simply ignored Xiaoyue and started eating by himself.

Xiaoyue tugged at Ge Erping's arm, and Ge Erping turned to Xiaoyue and said, "Gao Lei and I grew up together, it's okay." He completely ignored Gao Lei's embarrassed expression.

Ge Erping had almost finished eating and could catch his breath, but he still emphasized, "Brother Gao Lei, it was Xiaoyue who asked me to come and explain what happened that day to you. It wasn't my choice to come. That day was not what it seemed at all."

Ge Erping also grabbed Xiaoyue and pulled her in front of Gao Lei, saying, "Why don't you explain this to Brother Gao Lei!" Then he continued, "You hit me first that day, didn't you? Didn't you?"

Xiaoyue nodded without saying anything, and Gao Lei probably already knew what Ge Erping was like.

Gao Lei glanced at Xiaoyue and immediately looked away. Xiaoyue also caught Gao Lei's gaze, but it was fleeting. Xiaoyue thought she must have seen wrong and didn't take it to heart. Ge Erping was focused on eating, so she and Gao Lei stood by the bed. Gao Lei gestured for Xiaoyue to sit on the bed, but Xiaoyue suddenly felt that it wasn't right for her and Gao Lei to stand there while Erping ate. So Xiaoyue moved to the doorway.

Even after taking a bite of food, Ge Erping persisted, saying, "Speak up, it wasn't my fault that day."

"Was it really you who did it that day?" Gao Lei smiled when he saw Xiaoyue nod. He felt that the woman in front of him was very special, but when he thought of her unclear background and her entanglement with the Ge family, his heart tightened.

She looked down and turned her gaze to Ge Erping. Seeing that Ge Erping had almost finished his meal, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and hurriedly said, "I didn't get enough rice. Xiaoyue, wait a moment, I'll go get another serving." With that, she was about to leave the room.

Xiaoyue stood by the door, and in her haste, she quickly grabbed Gao Lei's sleeve and said, "No need. If you feel embarrassed, just find me the simplest book to borrow."

Xiaoyue's face was also flushed, and she didn't dare to look at Gao Lei. This was because she was afraid that Gao Lei would run out to get food for her. She had already lent Xiaoyue farm tools last time, and she really didn't want to owe him too many favors.

Gao Lei turned around and saw Xiao Yue tugging at his sleeve. His face was also flushed. Gao Lei's face was completely red with embarrassment. Taking advantage of Xiao Yue's inattention, he glanced at her, then immediately lowered his head and retreated to the bedside. He hurriedly said, "Okay, but I'm afraid you won't understand the book. I'll write a few words for you so it will be easier for you to remember."

After saying that, Ge Erping took the calligraphy brush from the desk, spread out a piece of paper, and moved the food box he had finished eating to the side of the table to make enough space for Gao Lei to write. He then dipped the brush in ink and wrote: Ge, Erping, Xiaodou, Ding, Gao Lei. Afterwards, he asked Xiaoyue, "What's your name?"

"Xiaoyue".

The characters "晓" and "月" were added.

He blew the ink dry and pointed to Xiaoyue with his finger: "These words are Ge Erping, Xiaodouding, Gao Lei, and Xiaoyue. Remember them. Next time, I'll write something else for you once you've memorized them all." Gao Lei said in a deep and mellow voice that was unique to men.

Xiaoyue walked over, took the paper, looked at it, repeated the name, and then bowed her head, saying, "Thank you."

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