Gift

In September, the new school year begins, and students from Huai'an No. 3 Middle School are returning to school one after another, along with the first-year high school students.

On September 2nd, the annual opening ceremony was held. Lu Er ranked third in her grade in the opening exam, and Deng Lianchun appointed her as the outstanding student representative to give a speech at the opening ceremony.

Lu Er, dressed in a neatly pressed blue and white short-sleeved shirt, calmly finished reading her speech. It seemed that her authority as an outstanding senior student, as well as the nonchalant tone of her words and expressions, touched the hearts of the freshmen, drawing applause like a thunderstorm.

The protagonist nodded in thanks. At that moment, the sky above was a deep blue, with a hint of fiery intensity creeping in.

Life has returned to a monotonous routine: school and home. Entering senior year of high school, the only thing that truly wakes everyone up is the thought: you're taking the college entrance exam, you have to study hard. Otherwise, you won't get into university.

University is like an abyss at the end of your student life. You must cross it; if you can't, falling into the abyss is like committing a crime, something no one dares to think about.

Review the knowledge points, practice questions, master them, and then move on to the next section. Days flow by monotonously, everyone drifts downstream, yet everyone seems to be going against the current.

Lu Er didn't feel much; she had long since learned to get used to the monotony over the past eight years. Only when she walked past an empty seat did that feeling surface more vividly in her mind.

I heard that after the intensive training for the art exams, Ruan Xiyan and the others will return to school to review their academic subjects. However, since their review progress is not uniform, the school will most likely reassign them to different classes.

This means that even if Ruan Xiyan comes back, she won't be a member of Class 18 anymore.

Lu Er rested her chin on her hand, thinking about this matter, and then she thought about their last meeting and their last conversation.

After blurting out "I like you," Ruan Xiyan probably felt incredibly ashamed and was too embarrassed to contact her again. Coupled with the closed-door training camp, it was as if all traces of him had truly been erased from her life; he had completely vanished from the face of the earth.

Lu Er also felt ashamed, but she recovered in just two or three days. She felt that she still needed to clarify things with Ruan Xiyan.

During her time at school, Lu Er slowly pondered for an opportunity.

When the seating arrangement changed at the start of the semester, Lu Er sat near Chen Xiang. From his casual conversation with his deskmate, she pieced together information about Ruan Xiyan's training camp.

During the intensive training, there were two days off at the end of the month. It was a completely closed environment where everyone had to hand in their phones, and students could only pick them up and have free time for half a day each week. Some art students couldn't bear it and called their families with tears in their eyes, crying and complaining.

Lu Er then waited out on Sunday, and she actually got her chance.

Ruan Xiyan updated her WeChat Moments with a photo of Mao Mao's face, without any caption.

Chen Xiang commented below, saying, "Mao Mao's birthday is coming soon?"

Ruan Xiyan replied, and then said that he planned to take Mao Mao to climb a mountain in Huai'an City.

As Lu Er stared at the conversation, an idea gradually began to form in his mind.

-

Lu Er had no experience making gifts for dogs. She rummaged through the room, finding only a pile of colorful yarn. Luckily, Lu Er had some sewing experience, so she decided to sew a little hat for Mao Mao.

Before National Day, No. 3 Middle School, No. 2 Middle School, and No. 7 Middle School organized a joint exam for senior high school students. The last subject of the combined arts and sciences exam was English. When the bell rang, after the answer sheets were collected, everyone excitedly rushed out of the exam room.

Lu Er didn't rush home. She slung her schoolbag, containing her school uniform and knitted hat, over her shoulder and boarded a bus that passed by Ruan Xiyan's house.

She didn't tell Ruan Xiyan about going to see him. His school started its holiday earlier than the school here, so he was able to go home this morning.

Lu Er held her phone, her whole being calm. She calmly waited for the train to arrive at its destination, calmly got off the train, and calmly approached Ruan Xiyan's house.

Ruan Xiyan was leading Mao Mao out the gate. Just like last time, he whispered to Mao Mao carefully, "Go to her neighborhood and wait for me to pick you up. We're going out for a late-night snack tonight." Mao Mao, who was used to this and even considered it a fun thing, happily wagged its tail twice.

Lu Er called out, "Ruan Xiyan." Then she saw Ruan Xiyan, frozen stiff like a moon, not daring to move.

Ruan Xiyan was in a state of confusion, her body stiff and cold. He thought, surely she didn't hate him so much that she would choose to personally come to his door to reject him?

But what could he do? He couldn't just run away like last time, fleeing home and escaping from her world.

Amidst the chaos, Ruan Xiyan let out a long breath and turned her face. On the wall beside Ruan Xiyan's house hung a wall of ivy. A gentle breeze stirred, and the leaves on the wall resembled green waves, crashing against her.

The person he longed for stood in the waves, looking at him with familiar eyes.

"Teacher Xiaolu." Ruan Xiyan had already mentally envisioned the predetermined ending, so she tried her best to appear relaxed as she spoke.

Lu Er decided to talk about something else first. She took off her backpack: "...I heard that Mao Mao is going to have a birthday, this is a gift I made for it."

Following an online tutorial, Lu Er sewed this bear-brown knitted beanie, which not only covers the head but also has a neck strap to prevent it from falling off during vigorous exercise.

Ruan Xiyan was stunned: "...Thank you, Teacher Lu." Mao Mao was much smarter, as if she knew who the hat was made for, and circled around Lu Er's lower body, excitedly lifting herself up.

Lu Er put the knitted hat on Mao Mao's head; it fit perfectly. She breathed a slight sigh of relief. Mao Mao became even more excited, wagging its tail from side to side.

“It likes it very much.” Seeing how happy Mao Mao was, Ruan Xiyan couldn’t help but smile. “This will take a long time to knit, right? And you’re at school, so it’s hard on Teacher Xiao Lu, who’s having trouble concentrating.”

"No, I finished it in four days." Lu Er shook her head; she was right. When she got tired of doing math problems, she would knit a little, balancing work and rest. She knitted one thread for each problem she did, and this knitted hat was completed in just four days.

This was the first relatively peaceful conversation the two had had since the start of their senior year of high school. With each additional word they exchanged, a greedy vine sprouted within Ruan Xiyan's heart.

I don't want to be rejected, and I don't want to drift further away from her.

But that matter was drawing near. Lu Er stood up and said, "What you said last time..." Her tongue seemed to be blocked by something, and she changed her words, "I washed the coat you left behind last time and brought it to you."

She took out another bag containing school uniform jackets.

Ruan Xiyan stared at the bag, not wanting to reach for it at all, but still had to pretend to be indifferent and extend her hand: "Okay."

As Ruan Xiyan took the slightly heavy bag in her hands, her heart sank.

He stared blankly, but then he heard her say softly, "That thing you mentioned last time... I'm sorry, I can't agree to it yet."

“…But we can start as friends.” Lu Er quickly added the last sentence, turning her face as if to look at another person.

Ruan Xiyan was truly stunned. He seemed not to recognize the characters, repeatedly saying, "Friend, friend?"

"……Um."

The word "friend" burned like a fire on Lu Er's face. For some reason, when Ruan Xiyan said it, it always seemed unusually ambiguous.

Ruan Xiyan tilted his head slightly, a smile slowly rising to the corners of his mouth: "Then it's settled?" As if afraid she would change her mind, he hooked his little finger out, insisting on making a pinky promise with Lu Er.

"Let's be friends first, don't avoid me."

Lu Er hooked her little finger together, nodded seriously, and said, "I won't avoid you anymore."

-

The normal seven-day holiday for students is reduced to three days for senior high school students. Chen Xiang hadn't seen Ruan Xiyan for a long time, so he still asked him to play basketball at the court on Tongnian Avenue during the holiday.

Chen Xiang tossed a few balls down below, and seeing Ruan Xiyan sitting on the steps for a while, he twisted his hand and slammed the basketball towards him: "Ruan Xiyan, what are you doing up there? Come down and play basketball."

"..." Ruan Xiyan steadied the ball and tossed it back. He sat there, his hands supporting his face, in the same posture as when he was troubled by his relationship with Lu Er last time.

Chen Xiang rushed up the steps and sat down next to Ruan Xiyan. Looking at his expression, he asked, "Are you still struggling with Lu Er?"

Chen Xiang hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. He had never been in a relationship himself, and he couldn't offer advice to his friend. Just as he was about to concoct some inspirational words to persuade him to let go of the relationship, Ruan Xiyan said softly, "She said, let's start as friends."

"Friends? That's great." Chen Xiang asked, puzzled. "Then why do you look like you're suffering from depression?"

Ruan Xiyan turned her face, which she had been supporting, and Chen Xiang realized that the boy wasn't depressed at all. He was smiling, a sweet and silly smile.

Ruan Xiyan asked mysteriously, "Do you know what the subtext of those words is?"

"What? Lovers become friends?"

Ruan Xiyan clenched her right hand tightly in front of her chest and said with barely suppressed excitement, "No, this gives me a chance to pursue her."

Chen Xiang rolled his eyes so hard they almost popped out of their sockets. He commented, "You two are really inexplicable."

Ruan Xiyan was lost in his sweet daydreams when Chen Xiang quickly pulled him out: "Hey, I haven't asked you yet, what events did you sign up for at the sports meet?" In Huai'an City, high school sports meets are almost always held in November. Chen Xiang knew that art students from No. 7 Middle School were allowed to return to school to participate in the sports meet, and naturally assumed that students from No. 3 Middle School could too.

Ruan Xiyan shook her head: "The teacher said we don't have any training facilities, so they didn't let us sign up."

"So you're not participating in the sports meet?"

“I’ve registered the referees, and—” Ruan Xiyan paused for a moment, “…the program for the gala.”

Chen Xiang said "Oh," but Ruan Xiyan didn't specify what program it was, and he didn't intend to ask. After sitting for a while, Chen Xiang suddenly remembered something and said, "Sheng Jiao said she'll come to see us at the sports meet. Do you have time to show her around?"

"Let me see if I'll be free at that time. Is she on vacation? Does she still have time to go back to China?"

Chen Xiang: "She stayed in China this year to study for her senior year of high school. She transferred to Wen Fei's school in the next province. She should be taking the college entrance exam in China." Wen Fei is also considered a childhood friend of Ruan Xiyan. After the high school entrance exam, he moved and transferred to the high school next door.

At this point, Chen Xiang couldn't help but chime in, "If you're with the class monitor, Sheng Jiao will definitely notice. Should you keep this from her?" Chen Xiang's thoughts were still lingering on the time when Sheng Jiao's confession to Ruan Xiyan was unsuccessful and their relationship remained entangled.

Ruan Xiyan said, "No. I don't like her, and she doesn't like me. If I keep it a secret, she'll definitely be able to tell. It's better to be open about it."

Chen Xiang didn't care anymore: "Fine, whatever."