Christmas Eve

There were only two students in the biology class who scored full marks on this monthly exam: Fu Xingchuan and Lin Luo. Ruan Ye unfortunately lost two points due to carelessness.

When Lin Luo saw her name right below Fu Xingchuan's in the biology score, she was so excited that she couldn't sleep for several nights. Ding Wenxin would always treat the top two students to dinner, and she was looking forward to going with Fu Xingchuan.

But now that she knew Fu Xingchuan and Tong Yun were dating, she suddenly stopped looking forward to it.

Lin Luo, Xu Yangyang, Zhu Changyu and others came to the dessert shop. Qi Yao was discussing with Zhu Changyu what gift to give Fu Xingchuan on his birthday.

Xu Yangyang looked over there, gazing at Qi Yao's face with an infatuated expression. Lin Luo was eating cake. Xu Yangyang asked, "Didn't Sister Wenxin treat you to a meal? You're full now, so you won't have an appetite later."

"I don't want to go."

"Why?" Xu Yangyang turned around. "This opportunity is so rare! Although you may get full marks in the future, you may also be unable to return to your former glory like me. So you should cherish this hard-earned reward! Otherwise, what will you do if you regret it later?"

Seeing that her emotions were relatively stable, Xu Yangyang continued to persuade her, "It's amazing that you can get a perfect score on a comprehensive science exam with limited time and not too simple questions!"

"I just happened to be lucky, and I spent most of my time on biology. I didn't even finish several physics questions that I had an idea for! I don't know if it was worth it."

"Xiaoxiao, are you hiding something else from me?" Xu Yangyang squinted his eyes and looked at her.

Lin Luo shook his head, "No, why do you ask?"

"You're definitely hiding something from me, but since you don't want to tell me, I won't ask." Xu Yangyang said to her earnestly, "Think carefully about whether it's worth giving up the reward you worked so hard for because of that incident."

Lin Luo fell into deep thought. After she finished her cake, she and Xu Yangyang walked out of the dessert shop. She leaned over to Lin Luo's ear and said, "After I finish the college entrance examination, I must confess my love to Qi Yao."

"Good luck." That was her original intention. But, there was no but.

Lin Luo saw Tong Yun waving at them from a distance.

It was still lunchtime and there were quite a lot of people on the street. A middle-aged man in his forties passed by and accidentally bumped into Lin Luo's shoulder, causing her to stagger.

The man didn't apologize. Xu Yangyang supported Lin Luo and said to him, "Watch your step."

The man turned around, and Lin Luo saw his face clearly. It looked strange and eerie, with a long scar on his forehead.

"I'm sorry." The voice was low.

Lin Luo noticed that he only had four fingers on his left hand. She looked away from the severed middle finger and replied, "It's okay."

The man walked away, and Tong Yun walked over to her. Lin Luo finally came back to her senses. She looked a little strange. Lin Luo asked, "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing."

Ding Wenxin invited them to dinner after evening self-study. Lin Luo was struggling over whether to go or not, so before evening study, she went to the sprint class on the top floor to look for Tong Yun again.

She was reading in the corridor, and Lin Luo was standing next to her.

Tong Yun saw that she had something to say, so he put the book down and said, "Xiaoxiao, just say whatever you want to say!"

"Um..." Lin Qi gritted her teeth and said, "I overheard people talking about you and Fu Xingchuan on the way home from evening study yesterday. They said...that you two were together. Is that true?"

"Who is it?" Tong Yun opened his eyes wide and looked alert.

Lin Xiao said honestly, "I don't know him either. He looks like a delinquent."

Is it true? Actually, Lin Luo already has the answer. He admitted it himself, so how could it be false? But she just wanted to hear it from Tong Yun.

"It's true." Tong Yun held her hand and said sincerely, "But Xiaoxiao, can you keep this a secret for me? I don't want anyone else to know."

Lin Xiao nodded, "Do you believe me?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation.

The bell for the evening reading rang, "I won't bother you anymore, I'm leaving now."

"good."

Lin Luo walked up the stairs. Even though she already knew what was going on, she still felt sad when she got the exact news. She took the next step, then climbed up again, repeating this over and over again, never reaching the fourth floor.

But before evening self-study, she still went downstairs to meet up with Ding Wenxin and the others.

Lin Luo figured it out. Xu Yangyang was right. It depends on whether it is worth giving up.

She couldn't give up Ding Wenxin's reward. This was a rare full score that she earned by actively raising her hand to answer questions in every biology class and memorizing knowledge points day and night.

She couldn't give up Fu Xingchuan, even though he already had a girlfriend, who was still her good friend. But her one-sided and silent love was worth it, and it was hard for her to let go now.

Ding Wenxin was driving the car, while Lin Luo and Fu Xingchuan were sitting in the back seat. He was looking at his cell phone, while Lin Luo was memorizing English words in a booklet.

"Among so many class teachers, your teacher Cheng is the most unreasonable. It's always very difficult for me to ask him to approve my leave." Ding Wenxin complained softly.

Lin Luo smiled faintly. She realized that Ding Wenxin was actually a woman under 30 years old and would also have some small emotions behind her back.

"Fu Xingchuan, didn't you say last time that you would never come again?" Ding Wenxin asked him, and Fu Xingchuan raised his head.

He always came first, so it wouldn't be good to take up a spot. After going there once, Fu Xingchuan generously gave up his spot. Lin Qi was also curious about why he agreed to come this time.

He returned his gaze to the screen and said nonchalantly, "I'm bored."

Lin Luo continued to memorize the vocabulary with her head tucked into her scarf. This scarf was knitted for her stitch by stitch by stitch by Du Yunyan, and its bright red color made her skin look very fair.

"Lin Luo, are you afraid of the cold?" After getting out of the car, Ding Wenxin took her arm and walked in front of her into the store.

"Yeah." She wrapped herself up like a dumpling again. Du Yunyan said keeping warm was the most important thing.

The restaurant Ding Wenxin booked was a plain home-style restaurant with ordinary decoration, but it was quite crowded. "This restaurant doesn't look very good, but the food is delicious."

"I see." Lin Luo followed her into the box, and Fu Xingchuan followed silently. He kept holding his cell phone and didn't look like he was idle at all.

"Something happened suddenly." He explained after entering the box and noticing their gazes.

Ding Wenxin ignored him and sat next to Lin Luo, asking about her studies and life. She also praised her scarf and said it suited her very well.

"My mother knitted it."

"I really envy you." Lin Luo blinked at her and smiled bitterly, "My mom favors boys over girls. When I was in my third year of high school, she didn't pay much attention to me at all. She only gave the good things to my younger brother."

"Is it still like this now?" Lin Luo asked.

"Not anymore. My younger brother isn't doing well, and she's worried about no one taking care of him when he's old. So now she has me as her daughter," she said lightly, returning to the topic of encouraging education. "That's why learning is so important. It can change your destiny!"

She also taught Lin Luo how to review. The food was served slowly, and Fu Xingchuan put down his phone and listened carefully to Ding Wenxin.

"Do you have a target school? Which school do you want to apply to?"

Lin Luo shook her head; she hadn't made up her mind yet.

Two pairs of eyes looked at Fu Xingchuan, and he said, "Peking University School of Medicine."

Ding Wenxin asked: "Is your dream to be a doctor?"

"Yes." Lin Luo thought that a large part of it was due to Zhu Sui'an's illness.

But Peking University is a top university in the country, and the admission score is frighteningly high. Lin Qi thought about his own score ranking and realized that the gap between them was not small.

"Oh." Ding Wenxin picked up some food for her. "What about Lin Xiao? Do you have any dreams?"

Dream? Standing on the podium to receive an award, is that too small? Wanting to be an outstanding person, is that too broad?

"Not yet."

"You're still confused! But I was the same when I was your age. I didn't know where I would go to, what major I would choose, or what my future would be like."

"But after going through it, you'll realize, without a doubt, that when things don't go as planned, there must be other arrangements. Everything is for the best. We just need to do our best in the present and prepare for the college entrance examination with peace of mind."

"Teacher Ding, you are not treating us to a meal! You are treating us to chicken soup." Fu Xingchuan put down his chopsticks.

"Okay, I won't spoil your appetite. Come on and eat! Food gets cold easily in cold weather."

"Okay." Lin Luo pursed her lips.

After dinner, Ding Wenxin sent them directly back to Changlin Lane. It was rare for Lin Luo and Fu Xingchuan to go home together.

Fu Xingchuan walked in front. Lin Luo did not follow him and walked side by side. She walked behind him. The two were about three fists away from each other. Fu Xingchuan suddenly said, "Your Uncle Tang is a very nice person."

She probably saw Tang Heng coming to pick her up, "Yeah."

"Ruan Ye and Zhu Sui'an are together." He tilted his head, and Lin Luo saw his well-defined profile and his coat fluttering in the wind.

"I know."

"He also quit smoking."

Lin Luo didn't know this.

Fu Xingchuan added: "You have made an indelible contribution."

What does it have to do with her? Because she helped Ruan Ye keep the cigarette box last time.

"I didn't do anything." Lin Luo said softly.

There was silence for a moment.

"If you haven't thought about your dream yet, how about I give you one?" He turned around and walked backwards, his hands in his pockets, his posture frivolous, his jacket zipped up to the top, full of temptation.

"What?"

"Come with me to take the entrance exam for Kyoto University!"

With him

"Ruan Ye is also going to take the entrance exam for Peking University." Fu Xingchuan stopped, and Lin Qi also stopped. He asked, "How is it going?"

So it's just everyone together. She was being sentimental again. She had to figure it out. The person in front of her already had Tong Yun. Lin Xiao said in her heart.

"Okay! Let's take the entrance exam for Peking University together. Didn't we agree to go to Jinghe to see the snow?" She said this, but she was still unsure in her heart. With her current grades, it was simply a fantasy to get into Peking University.

"There are still more than 160 days left. I believe you can do it." Fu Xingchuan stared at her and said, "And I will help you."

Lin Luo looked at him. The wind was blowing from the end of the alley, and Fu Xingchuan just happened to block the wind for her.

"Thank you in advance." Lin Luo blinked and walked side by side with him. "I heard from Zhu Changyu that your and Zhu Sui'an's birthdays are coming up soon. Is it next Monday?"

"Um."

"Qi Yao and Zhu Changyu have been preparing gifts these days. Do you want anything? I'll give it to you."

"Classmate Lin Luo, you say that as if you can give me whatever I want." Fu Xingchuan tilted his head to look at her. Her hair was blown by the wind, but her scarf blocked most of the wind for her.

He was just afraid she couldn't give him what he wanted. She said calmly, "Anything within my ability is fine."

"Well... then give me an apple!"

Just one apple

Yes, he lacks nothing.

"I have to go to Jinghe on my birthday, and it will probably take some time for me to come back. Please send me off in advance so that nothing bad happens." He reminded.

"good."

Lin Luo gave Fu Xingchuan the gift the day before his birthday, which was just an apple.

His and Zhu Sui'an's birthday was on Christmas Eve, December 24th. The shops in front of the school displayed colorful apple gift boxes of various shapes. Lin Luo bought two red gift boxes with Santa Claus printed on them and put the apples in them.

She didn't give it to him at school, nor did she give it to him individually. Instead, she went to the old house and gave him the gift box in the presence of his grandparents and Zhu Sui'an. She gave Zhu Sui'an the same gift box and even saved her lunch money to buy her a teddy bear that she liked.

Without favoritism, she also contributed money to the camera that Zhu Changyu and Qi Yao bought for Fu Xingchuan, and gave it together with them. She was very thoughtful.

Tong Yun gave him a beautiful notebook.

Fu Xingchuan and Zhu Sui'an went to Jinghe, and Lin Luo saw the notebook among the pile of books on his desk. Apples disappear after being eaten, but notebooks can be preserved for a long time.

"Ah!" A scream brought Lin Luo back to her senses.

During Christmas Eve evening study, everyone in the class was breaking apples. Half an apple fell to the ground, covered in dust and inedible. The owner of the apple lamented, and the people around her gossiped, "Was it a gift from CZL? I'm so envious. No boy has ever given me an apple."

Lin Qi lowered her eyes and returned to her seat. Xu Yangyang had just broken open an apple and put it in her hand. Zhu Changyu, holding the apple in his hand, blushed. "Xu Yangyang, how did you open it?"

"I didn't use any skills, I just used brute force." Xu Yangyang bit into the apple, a crisp sound coming from his mouth, "Do you want me to help you?"

"No, I want to drive myself."

"Are you going to give it to Tong Yun?"

Zhu Changyu didn't answer, which probably meant he agreed. Lin Luo seemed to be thinking about something, wondering if he knew about Tong Yun and Fu Xingchuan, but she couldn't say anything.

"Lin Luo." Someone called her. Lin Luo turned around and saw it was a classmate sitting at the back door. She was holding an apple gift box for her. On the box was a sticky note that read: [Please pass this to Lin Luo.]

"Someone left it on my desk." They couldn't recognize the handwriting.

Xu Yangyang was curious and looked at the gift box. The packaging was simple, white, with only a reindeer drawn with colored pencils on it. "Who gave it to me? Judging from the design, it must have been given by a boy!"

"Someone likes you!"

"Giving an apple doesn't necessarily mean love! It could also mean wishing the other person safety."

This is indeed a possibility, and Xu Yangyang couldn't refute it.

Lin Qi took the apple out of the gift box, folded the box and put it in the drawer. "Thank you. I will enjoy it."

In the end, Zhu Changyu was unable to open the apple, and after a few days it rotted on the table, so he threw it away. Meanwhile, the apple Lin Luo received, which was a gift from someone unknown, was left on the coffee table at home and eaten by Tang Heng.

The packaging was still in her drawer, just under a pile of books, and Lin Luo later forgot about its existence.