In this critical moment, Shang Yunmiao displayed a composure beyond what was expected. Chen Bing only saw her answer with a level of shyness, "Ah... this? Um, it's the same. I bought it to complete a set. Chen, Chen Bing, can you help me put it on?"

Of course, the nice guy Chen Bing wouldn't refuse. He grabbed Xiao Shang's wrist and quickly put the watch on the girl's wrist.

"Hmm! The couple's style is really nice, they match very well. Comrade Xiao Shang, I have to say something to you, why didn't you bring this out sooner?"

Feeling guilty, Shang Yunmiao didn't dare to argue back and simply hummed in agreement, taking the blame upon herself.

Without dwelling on the question, Chen Bing quickly asked if there was anything else in the box.

Relieved, Shang Yunmiao knew she had gotten away with it this time. She would keep the question of what was hidden in the secret compartment of her watch a secret forever.

"The following is something I wrote before an important exam."

Before Shang Yunmiao could finish introducing it, Chen Bing couldn't wait to take a look.

[...I really want to kiss Chen Bing, I want to pin him against the wall, hold his hand...I want to threaten him, control him, bully him from head to toe, I want to see him anxious yet passively accepting, I want him to...]

With a complex and amused expression, Chen Bing put down the papers, then looked at Shang Yunmiao with a mischievous grin and said, "I didn't expect you to be..."

"Ah! No, no, don't talk about it, it's all in the past. Everyone overthinks things sometimes, right?"

This isn't just overthinking; you're bordering on insane.

I never imagined that my seemingly well-behaved and innocent classmate would become so despicable because of my charm.

Sigh... I am such a sinful man.

After her initial reflection, Chen Bing continued reading, following Xiao Shang's explanation.

Most of the little girl's treasures from her middle school years were her little secrets, such as thoughts she didn't tell me at a certain time, or small items she secretly hid away.

For example, the little girl has kept a copy of every ID photo she's taken from elementary school to today. There are many photos that even Chen Bing herself can't remember, but Xiao Shang has collected the whole set.

Chen Bing only remembered that some of the small gifts were given to him voluntarily, but he probably didn't give them to others.

"Where did you get this photo from your high school graduation exam?"

With her eyes darting around, Shang Yunmiao certainly didn't dare to say that she had taken it secretly, otherwise she would be a thief.

During this process, Chen Bing discovered that the older something is, the more interesting it is.

For example, the yearbook from when you graduated from elementary school.

This yearbook is quite something; Xiao Shang actually wrote two copies, one real and one fake.

The fake one, the very ordinary, formulaic one, is still tucked inside my elementary school yearbook, while the real one has been hidden here all along.

In terms of content, this record is incredibly detailed, especially the descriptions of Xiao Shang Yunmiao's views on Xiao Chenbing, the most unforgettable experiences they had, and their evaluations. It's truly exciting to read on.

The expression of that vague affection was secondary; what excited Chen Bing the most was the date recorded in the document!

Just like for an archaeologist, nothing is more exciting than the unearthed Xia Dynasty documents, and if there is one, it must be from the Yu Dynasty.

Besides the written records, Chen Bing also unearthed physical evidence in this wooden box—a jar of origami stars. According to Shang Yunmiao herself, she folded these when she was in the fourth grade of elementary school, intending to give them to Chen Bing to express her feelings.

Chen Bing probably already knows what his intentions are without him having to say it outright.

Haha! Kids will be kids! It's perfectly normal for them to overthink things!

Continuing to read, Chen Bing discovered several more love letters. Indeed, they were the very letters Shang Yunmiao had anonymously written to Chen Bing before.

Time flies, so many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I never expected it to be so well preserved.

Overjoyed, Chen Bing was also deeply moved.

The girl next to me is just like that—a girl who takes herself and their shared experiences so seriously, a girl who has liked me for a long time.

Before they knew it, their heads were touching, and their hearts seemed to be very close as well.

As Chen Bing flipped through the pages to the end, something familiar caught her eye.

It was a treasure that spanned a long period of time, and it was the first time that Shang Yunmiao's affection for him was revealed.

I reached out and picked up the white glue stick. It was tiny, less than the length of a finger.

After turning the dial at the bottom, Chen Bing discovered that it was still usable.

"It seems time has indeed recorded a lot." With a satisfied sigh, Chen Bing looked at the familiar girl in his arms.

"So... Chen Bing, are you satisfied with my birthday present?"

"Satisfied, extremely satisfied!"

"Hehe, what about mine?"

Chen Bing patted Shang Yunmiao on the back, signaling her to move aside so she could get her gift.

She stood up from Chen Bing with a smile and took a few steps back to stand properly. Shang Yunmiao's eyes were fixed on Chen Bing's movements, curious about what gift he had prepared for her.

"Originally... I had similar thoughts to you, and I was planning to give you my gratitude notebook as a gift. But unfortunately, I used it up a few days ago. Now that I think about it, just having the notebook isn't enough; I should also include a bookmark."

After saying that, Chen Bing magically produced a rectangular blue gift box.

"Hmm, is it a necklace?!"

After a slight pause, Chen Bing gave an awkward smile, then opened the gift box. Inside, instead of a necklace, lay a blue rose.

Realizing she had guessed wrong, Shang Yunmiao, who was somewhat embarrassed by Chen Bing's mistake, immediately laughed.

"I really like roses, especially blue ones! This is the first time you've ever given me roses, Chen Bing!"

Recovering from the embarrassment of almost being guessed correctly, Chen Bing walked to Shang Yunmiao's side and said with a smile, "I'm glad you like it. Here, take this and let's take a picture together to record this moment."

"Uh-huh."

Xiao Shang reached out and accepted the rose from Chen Bing.

"Oh, right, carry the flower in your mouth, I think it looks better that way."

The obedient Shang Yunmiao held the flower stem in her mouth and waited patiently for Chen Bing to come over for a photo.

Chen Bing turned on her phone's camera and stood next to Shang Yunmiao, capturing the scene at that moment.

"Hmm... something feels off. Xiao Shang, your hair at the back is a bit messy. Come on, let me fix it for you."

She obediently turned around, her two small hands folded on her lower abdomen, a flower in her mouth, and tilted her head to wait for Chen Bing.

After walking behind her, Chen Bing did not reach out to tidy Shang Yunmiao's hair, but instead reached out to take the rose from the girl's lips.

Realizing his intention, Shang Yunmiao naturally let go of his mouth, thinking that Chen Bing was going to use the flower stem to fix her hair.

Hmm, it's kind of romantic~

To the girl's complete surprise, after taking the flower, Chen Bing immediately picked off the blooming blossoms.

Then, he gently broke off the flower stem, and a blue teardrop-shaped necklace appeared before her eyes as if by magic.

"I'm sorry, I just lied to my little Shang. The thing that's wrong isn't your hair, but that your beautiful neck is missing a pretty piece of jewelry."

A warm breath brushed against her ear. Turning her head, Shang Yunmiao saw Chen Bing's eyes filled with tenderness.

"Shall I put it on you?"

"Um!"

With her head bowed, this was the first time Shang Yunmiao had ever worn a necklace, and it was precisely the person she loved who put it on her.

Overjoyed, Shang Yunmiao put on the necklace and turned to hug and kiss Chen Bing.

She no longer wants to eat rice or cake.

She longed to enter the adult nightlife sooner, and wanted to snuggle up with Chen Bing.

After the first round of kisses, Xiao Shang's flushed face pressed against Chen Bing's chest, and she softly suggested in her signature sweet voice, "Shall we go back to the room?"

Chen Bing felt the same way as Shang Yunmiao, also wanting to enter adulthood as soon as possible. However, considering the need to replenish his energy, he suggested, "Let's eat some cake to fill our stomachs first, and forget about the rest, they're all cold."

Slightly surprised, Xiao Shang looked up at Chen Bing and readily agreed.

"Okay, here, let me cut you a piece. I wish my little Shang a happy year too."

After saying that, Chen Bing cut off a piece of cake and pushed it in front of Shang Yunmiao.

"Hmm~ Chen Bing, you eat too. Shall I cut it for you?"

"No need, no need, I can do it myself. You eat first. Haven't you been asking for cake a lot these past few days?"

Chen Bing gently patted Shang Yunmiao's head. After seeing the girl lower her head to eat the cake, Chen Bing carefully observed her while cutting the cake.

Xiao Shang was indeed hungry, and in no time at all, she had cut off a piece of cake and put it in her mouth.

Meanwhile, Chen Bing hadn't even cut the second piece of cake yet.

"Hmm?" Feeling puzzled, Chen Bing examined the remaining cake more closely.

Did I make a mistake? Should I coax the shopkeeper into eating another piece?

"Chen Bing, what are you looking for? The chocolate brand is right here."

"Ah... I wanted to eat a piece of fruit. By the way, Xiao Shang, which piece would you like to eat?"

"I'm fine with either one, Chen Bing, you choose."

Relieved, Chen Bing thought to himself that he couldn't make a mistake this time. He recalled where he had hidden the ring, and then cut the cake again.

Pushing the food towards Shang Yunmiao, Chen Bing smiled and said, "Eat up."

"Hmm, Chen Bing, which one do you want to eat? I'll find it for you."

Not wanting to refuse again, Chen Bing casually made up a story: "Then let's have the piece with mango."

"Mangoes? No, we don't have any."

"Where isn't it? It's over there, you idiot."

After saying that, Chen Bing saw Xiao Shang turn around with a wronged look on her face and say, "I just didn't see it... don't be mean to me..."

Oh, is that considered fierce? Don't I usually call you this affectionately?

Chen Bing was puzzled, but didn't say anything more.

"Even though I didn't see the mango, Chen Bing, wouldn't you like to eat the ring?"

"ring?"

Before she knew it, Shang Yunmiao's lips were already close to hers.

With a soft sound, a hard, ring-shaped object was pushed into Chen Bing's mouth.

At this point, Chen Bing was well aware that he had been tricked by this little girl, Shang Yunmiao.

Chen Bing had intended to teach the girl a lesson and show her who the real boss was, but then he suddenly saw a look of shyness and joy on the girl's face.

She slowly extended her hand, tilted her head cutely, and said, "Can I wear the ring? Remember, it's on my ring finger, don't put it on the wrong one."

Chen Bing's heart felt as if it had been violently clenched, and all the words he had prepared to say were now forgotten.

After simply humming in agreement, Chen Bing reached out, took the ring out of her mouth, and put it on the girl's ring finger.

Next, it was Chen Bing's turn to shine. He stood up and picked up Shang Yunmiao, determined to let her know the punishment for ruining his marriage proposal plan.

Tonight is long, let's spend it slowly.

In the beginning, there was only hydrogen in the world. Fusion inside stars only goes up to iron. Heavy metals like gold and platinum can only come from the most spectacular funerals in the universe, such as supernova explosions. In other words, if you give someone a platinum ring, she is wearing a fragment of a star.

...

(The main text ends here! There are about twenty more chapters of extras to come. I used to love super long extras when I was reading books, and now that I'm writing my own, I'm going to indulge myself.)

I feel a bit rushed as I finish writing this, mainly because I have a lot of final exams to deal with, including reviewing, papers, and assignments. I also need to prepare new books for January 1st, so I have to be quick.

Updates will definitely be much less frequent for the next period of time. I will be able to update more frequently after the winter break starts in late January next year.

I'll save the words of gratitude for when the side story ends.