Chapter 25

At six o'clock on a late autumn morning, it was still dark outside, but Han Shuo opened his eyes as soon as the first bell rang in the dormitory.

For modern people returning to the early 1990s, the most difficult times would be the sweltering heat and freezing winters. There was no air conditioning in the summer and no heating in the winter. By the end of November, the temperature had already dropped to just a few degrees Celsius.

The other people in the dormitory usually wouldn't get up until the second bell rang, and Han Shuo used to be the same way, but now he had no choice; if he got up late, he wouldn't be able to get hot water from the cafeteria.

Everyone slept close together on the communal bed. The blankets were fairly warm, but getting up and getting dressed still required some willpower. Han Shuo stuffed his cotton-padded jacket and trousers, which were covering him with the blankets, into the bed. He then rubbed the clothes between his legs and quickly pulled them out while they were still warm and put them on.

After getting dressed, he climbed out of bed and was the first to pull the light bulb cord. As the light suddenly turned on, complaints filled the dormitory.

"Who's up so early again?" The person on the first bunk peeked out from under the covers, rubbing their eyes before recognizing the person and saying irritably, "Han Shuo, have you gone crazy lately? Why are you up so early every day?"

"The first bell has rung, what's the point of sleeping!" Han Shuo tied his shoelaces, found his red thermos under the washstand, opened the dormitory door, and strode towards the cafeteria.

It was still completely dark outside. To get to the cafeteria, you had to cross the playground. The moment he stepped out of the dormitory building, even without wind, the cold morning air was enough to seep into his cotton-padded coat from all directions. Han Shuo felt a slight stinging sensation on his face from the cold, and he almost shivered as he arrived at the cafeteria.

It was already quite early, and several self-disciplined students were eating breakfast in the cafeteria. Han Shuo continued walking inside, carrying a thermos.

The boiler room was quite warm, with wisps of white steam rising from the dim light.

After Han Shuo and the other students finished filling the thermos with hot water, they pulled out the cork, then filled the thermos with hot water by pointing the bottle at the tap. He then carried it back to the dormitory building, but instead of going to his own room, he went to another room on the same floor.

When he went in, several people on the first-floor beds had already gotten up, while Meng Yuxiu, who was on the bed by the window, was putting on a sweater.

When Meng Yuxiu finished putting on his clothes and his eyes were visible, Han Shuo grinned at him. But Meng Yuxiu acted as if he hadn't seen him at all and continued putting on his pants with a cold face.

This time, it was truly impossible to coax him. Half a month had passed since he left Meng Yuxiu's house. At first, Han Shuo thought that he only needed to go to the First Class every day, pleading and cajoling, and buying some snacks, just like before, and Meng Yuxiu would give in.

But this time, even after he tried to get hot water every day for half a month, it didn't work.

The people in Meng Yuxiu's dorm were already very familiar with Han Shuo. They didn't even need to see him; they knew he was coming just by the sound of his voice. A few of the more lively ones teased Meng Yuxiu, "Meng Yuxiu, your little wife is here?"

"Bringing hot water to your husband again?"

"Han Shuo, aren't you tired of getting up so early every day to fawn over your husband?"

Meng Yuxiu felt a headache coming on when he heard this, but Han Shuo just laughed happily.

Han Shuo didn't refute them. Although he was a very easygoing person, he knew that Meng Yuxiu couldn't accept being the one on the bottom. Right now, he was in the stage of coaxing people, so he didn't care what title others gave him. Anyway, between him and Meng Yuxiu, who was on the bottom was a private matter between the two of them.

So he shamelessly told others, "What's so tiring about it? I'd be happy to wash my husband's underwear, hahaha!"

After he finished speaking, the whole dormitory burst into laughter, but when Han Shuo turned his head, he saw Meng Yuxiu sitting on the bed, glaring at him through gritted teeth.

Han Shuo thought to himself, "Why is this guy so hard to please? He gets angry if I call him 'wife,' and he still gets angry if I call him 'husband.'"

However, Han Shuo didn't mind, after all, he had to be more tolerant of his future bed partner.

He found Meng Yuxiu's basin and mouthwash cup on the washbasin stand with practiced ease. Then he picked up the thermos, pulled out the cork, poured half a cup of hot water into the mouthwash cup and the basin, and went over to pat Meng Yuxiu's blanket.

"Come down and put on your shoes, I've already prepared hot water for you."

Hearing Han Shuo's doting tone, Meng Yuxiu felt even more annoyed first thing in the morning.

Especially when he got out of bed to put on his shoes, Han Shuo almost helped him put them on. He couldn't stand it anymore, and the two of them started tugging and pulling at each other on the lower bunk.

"You..." But with a large group of people in the dormitory, Meng Yuxiu could only lower his voice and say angrily, "I'm not a three-year-old child."

Han Shuo chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, then you can do it yourself."

Meng Yuxiu was getting annoyed. He had been touched by Han Shuo's various heartwarming actions, but Han Shuo always managed to make him not want to see him again the next second.

He pushed Han Shuo aside with his body, grabbed a mouthwash cup and a washbasin, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Han Shuo didn't dare to push Meng Yuxiu too hard. Now, apart from going to Meng Yuxiu for meals and after school, he didn't go to Class 1's classroom at other times, including during the ten-minute breaks between classes.

The key was that when he went to Class 1, Meng Yuxiu neither smiled nor paid him any attention, and he was bored sitting there doing nothing.

During morning self-study, the sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten. Han Shuo sat in his seat, listening to the reading aloud in the classroom and looking at his open draft notebook.

The draft notebook contained a few numbers he had written down.

December 25th is Meng Yuxiu's birthday, which means that there are only twenty-odd days left until Meng Yuxiu comes of age.

Judging from Meng Yuxiu's current attitude, it seems unlikely that the mission will be completed even after several more years.

Han Shuo shook his head. No, he needed to think of another way. Ideally, he should win Meng Yuxiu over on his birthday.

He asked Century Egg Tofu and Pan Xiaodong for advice, consulting them on what gifts would be best to give him for his birthday.

Pidan winked at him and grinned, "Shall we give it to Meng Yuxiu?"

Han Shuo raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What's wrong?"

Tofu started to jeer softly.

Pan Xiaodong: "I knew you two were having an affair a long time ago. If you ask me, you should have slapped Meng Yuxiu across the face so he'd give you the cold shoulder all the time. Why are you so eager to be with him? He should be the one to take the initiative."

Han Shuo: "No way, would I dare slap Meng Yuxiu? He'd probably never want to see me again. I wouldn't dare. Sigh, never mind, stop with the nonsense. You don't know my situation with Meng Yuxiu, so just tell me what you can give him?"

Pidan thought for a moment and suggested giving him a fountain pen, while Doufu suggested buying a birthday cake in the county town. Han Shuo promptly refused.

"Can you come up with something fresh? It's best if it's not too vulgar or materialistic."

Pan Xiaodong: "Just say you don't want to spend money."

Han Shuo chuckled and said, "You've already figured that out."

"Then let's give a scarf," Pan Xiaodong said. "The girls in our class usually buy yarn and knit their own scarves as gifts."

"How would I know how to knit this?" Han Shuo said.

"Oh, knitting a scarf is very simple. You can ask the girls in your class or the cafeteria lady."

Han Shuo thought about it for a moment and felt that the idea was indeed good. Meng Yuxiu had already rejected all his attempts to befriend him, except for the hot water in the morning, but this was an opportunity that Han Shuo had managed to seize before Meng Yuxiu got up.

If he had gotten up a few minutes later, he wouldn't have even had this opportunity.

Han Shuo immediately decided to make a scarf! With about twenty days left, he would personally knit a scarf for Meng Yuxiu, and he was determined to move the boy.

Once Meng Yuxiu was moved, he would pull him onto the bed and have sex with him seven times in one night on his birthday!

Pan Xiaodong was a day student, so Han Shuo asked him to help buy yarn balls after school.

"Ah," Pan Xiaodong said reluctantly, "I guess I'll have to go to the market to buy yarn balls, and my home isn't close to there."

Han Shuo: "Then you can make a trip there when you have some free time these next few days."

"Alright."

It's getting cold and it's hard to sit still in the classroom. Besides, Han Shuo needs to be careful before giving Meng Yuxiu the scarf, otherwise, if he angers Meng Yuxiu again, giving him the scarf might not help.

So Pan Xiaodong and the others suggested going to the playground to play basketball, and Han Shuo went along too.

Han Shuo knows how to play basketball, but since coming to this world, he hasn't had time to play because of missions.

I have to say, playing basketball in the cold weather is really great. After playing, my hands and feet weren't cold anymore. Some of the male students under the basketball hoop even took off their sweaters because they were so hot, leaving only their thin thermal underwear underneath.

After lunch, Han Shuo sat down on the steps next to him to rest after finishing a match.

"Han Shuo, are you still playing basketball after class?"

Han Shuo looked up and saw a tall boy with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a sunny smile walking over and sitting down next to him while carrying a basketball. This boy was named Gao Ze, and he was in the same class as Meng Yuxiu.

Boys get to know each other quickly after playing a basketball game. In addition, Gao Ze was an outgoing person, so for the next two days, as soon as the bell rang after class, he would run upstairs to Class 7 to call Han Shuo to play basketball.

Unexpectedly, Han Shuo actually became a little addicted to the game. One time after class, Gao Ze didn't call him, but Han Shuo couldn't wait to run to Class 1.

When Han Shuo went to Class 1, Meng Yu was studying with his head down when he was suddenly bumped by a male classmate's elbow.

"Hey, Meng Yuxiu, your little wife is here to see you."

Meng Yuxiu looked up and, sure enough, saw Han Shuo walking past the window.

Ever since Han Shuo kept pestering him to do tasks and calling him "wife," he told Han Shuo with a cold face, "Stop coming to our class after every class. I need to prepare for exams and I don't have any other thoughts on this for the time being."

Han Shuo: "Alright, alright, whatever you say."

As expected, Han Shuo is all talk and no action; it's only been a few days. Meng Yuxiu subconsciously frowned, preparing to give Han Shuo a cold shoulder for his persistent pestering, but then he saw Han Shuo walk into Class One and head straight for the last corner seat.

He was momentarily taken aback.

Han Shuo really wanted to play basketball, and he even forgot to glance at Meng Yuxiu when he walked into Class One. He walked over to Gao Ze's seat and patted him on the back.

"What are you doing here? Want to play ball?"

Gao Ze was working on a math problem when he looked up and saw Han Shuo. He immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Han Shuo! Wait for me! I'll finish the last problem right away!"

"So busy?" Han Shuo said, "Then you do your homework first, and I'll find you to play ball next class."

"Hey, wait!" Gao Ze grabbed Han Shuo's arm. "Wait for me, I'll be right there! You sit down first."

"Alright then." Han Shuo sat down on the stool next to him.

Gao Ze was quick; he scribbled away with his pen, handed the notebook to the group leader, then grabbed the basketball from under his seat and went out arm in arm with Han Shuo, laughing and joking.

"What's going on here?" Meng Yuxiu's male deskmate watched the two people walk out of the classroom, put his hand on the shoulder of the person next to him, and joked, "Meng Yuxiu, did your wife run off with someone else, haha..."

"Ha..." However, just as he turned his head with a smile, he saw his deskmate's dark and eerie eyes, and immediately swallowed the last "Ha" back down his throat.

Meng Yuxiu gripped the pen in his hand and coldly shook off his deskmate's hand that was on his shoulder.