Chapter 111 (4): The Hearts of Young Boys and Girls

On the last three days of the make-up classes, Cheng Beibei came to visit her at school.

Zhuang Fuyao took the hot milk tea, took a sip, and smiled. "What's with that expression?"

"I've been watching you through the window for a long time, and you didn't even notice me. That's so unlike you, the king of slacking off."

"..."

"I saw you doing practice problems just now?" Cheng Beibei asked curiously.

Zhuang Fuyao raised an eyebrow noncommittally.

Cheng Beibei stroked her chin. "It seems being deskmates with a top student really works." She glanced into the classroom. "Is he not here today?"

"No, he probably took leave for something."

Zhuang Fuyao herself was a professional at taking leave, so she casually steered the conversation away from the topic and chatted with Cheng Beibei about random things.

However, Liang Huaixu still did not come the next morning.

Zhuang Fuyao sent him a message. But even after the tutoring session ended that day, he still didn't reply.

That's when I started to worry.

When she got home for dinner that evening, she casually inquired about Liang Huaixu with Lao Zhuang.

"This kid is very inspiring, and he seems mature for his age." Zhuang Shaoping picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and slowly said, "His family isn't well-off. His parents are gone, and he lives with his grandmother. His grandmother is old and has no source of income, so she relies on government assistance and scavenging to make ends meet..."

Liang Huaixu's family lived near a breakfast noodle shop that Zhuang Shaoping liked to eat at. He often saw the child scavenging with his grandmother, not caring about other people's opinions. It was a sight that made people feel sensible and sorry for him.

Zhuang Fuyao was stunned.

You wouldn't guess it from Liang Huaixu's appearance at all.

Her parents were loving and doted on her. She attended the best schools from a young age, and her classmates were either rich or noble, or had exceptionally good grades.

Cheng Beibei also came from an average family and got into No. 1 Middle School because of her excellent grades, but no one's family was as well-off as Liang Huaixu's.

As a teenager, Zhuang Fuyao was well protected by her family and had never seen such human suffering.

On the last day of make-up classes, Liang Huaixu still didn't come, nor did he reply to her messages.

I later learned that it was Liang Huaixu's grandfather who had passed away at that time.

-

On the first day of school, Zhuang Fuyao got up early, which was unusual for her.

When Zhuang Shaoping came in to wake his daughter, he was slightly surprised to see that the bed was empty and the bathroom light was on.

He felt that his daughter was really sensible. Not only did she study hard, but he also didn't need to be woken up in the morning. He smiled and reported the situation to his wife.

Breakfast wasn't ready at home yet, and Zhuang Fuyao was in a hurry to get to school. After washing up, she grabbed her schoolbag and headed out the door, hearing her parents calling after her.

"Why did you leave already? You haven't even had breakfast!"

"This child!"

-

When she arrived at school, Liang Huaixu was actually in the classroom earlier than her.

Zhuang Fuyao subconsciously adjusted her hair and went over to greet him.

When they met again at the start of the new semester, they talked about their winter break homework.

During the winter break, Liang Huaixu adjusted his mood and seemed no different from usual.

Zhuang Fuyao scrutinized him closely, her gaze settling on the breakfast on his table.

It's very simple and plain: two tea eggs, a red bean bun, and a cup of water. That's all.

In contrast, she had just casually bought a KFC meal at the school gate. Liang Huaixu ate the same thing last semester, and she never thought much of it until she learned about Liang Huaixu's family situation from Lao Zhuang.

Upon careful consideration, Liang Huaixu was indeed diligent, frugal, pragmatic, and reliable.

They have no desire to compare themselves to others or be vain, they don't try to put on a show, and they are neither arrogant nor humble.

These are all things that touched her.

The next morning, she deliberately bought more than she should have, ordering the largest portion of the set meal, and shared some with Liang Huaixu.

Fearing he wouldn't accept, she made up an excuse: "I accidentally bought too much. It's shameful to waste money. Can you help me finish it off?"

Liang Huaixu did not like to eat greasy food in the morning.

But remembering that it was from her, he accepted it.

After that, he often helped Zhuang Fuyao "finish her breakfast," and he had all kinds of breakfasts.

He didn't quite understand why she ordered so much food if she couldn't finish it, and asked her out of curiosity one day.

Zhuang Fuyao broke off half of the hamburger and said, "Because I want to eat everything, but I can't finish it all."

"..."

She was indeed the kind of person who liked to try everything, and Liang Huaixu had no doubt about that. Whenever he had something delicious to eat, he would share it with her in return.

After these two encounters, their relationship grew much closer.

Gradually, Zhuang Fuyao became less and less afraid of the class monitor's "authority" and even dared to skip class right under his nose.

She even dragged him to skip class.

Helpless, he had no choice but to turn a blind eye.

Unable to refuse, I followed her and her friends, hiding from security guards, to pick up the takeout they had ordered from outside the school.

I skipped evening self-study to go to the rooftop of the main building to watch a star concert at the stadium next door.

This was something he never dared to even imagine before.

He genuinely enjoyed being around Zhuang Fuyao, finding it made life more vibrant and less about tedious and monotonous studies.

As long as it wasn't too outrageous, he would go along with her.

Over time, perhaps because his behavior was too obvious, people noticed something was amiss.

One day, his dining companion asked him with a knowing smile, "Do you like Zhuang Fuyao?"

Liang Huaixu felt a pang of panic, but pretended to be calm, saying, "That's not true."

He was afraid that she would find out he liked her, and he was also afraid that it would have a bad impact on her if it were exposed. He began to restrain his behavior and acted like an ordinary classmate.

It was precisely because of this that, for many years afterward, Zhuang Fuyao believed that she had fallen in love with Liang Huaixu first.

-

Unlike Liang Huaixu, who kept his thoughts well hidden, Zhuang Fuyao was not so calm.

She recently noticed something was wrong with her; she kept dreaming about Liang Huaixu, secretly watching him, feeling happy when she saw him, and wanting to talk to him.

There was an added touch of strange restraint during their time together.

Her thoughts did not escape Cheng Beibei's notice. Although Cheng Beibei had never been in a relationship, she was a seasoned reader of romance novels.

Even if you've never eaten pork, you've at least seen pigs run.

Cheng Beibei immediately diagnosed her, "You don't actually like him, do you?"

Zhuang Fuyao quickly shook her head, saying how could that be?

But on that very day, after evening self-study, a girl from another class came to find Liang Huaixu, and a strange feeling rose in her heart.

The girl was holding a box of chocolates, which usually means she's there to confess her feelings. She pretended to be calm and walked away without looking back.

Back in the dorm, I couldn't stop guessing, tossing and turning without any sleepiness.

She woke up the next day with dark circles under her eyes, still wondering if he had answered the call. This emotion was so obvious that she had to face the fact that she was jealous.

What attracted her to Liang Huaixu was his maturity beyond his years, which gave him the feeling of a fine wine that was worth savoring.

After figuring it out, she explained it to Cheng Beibei. When Cheng Beibei found out, she teased her for a long time and even acted as her wingman.

Unfortunately, it had little effect, and Liang Huaixu showed no reaction.

She had once thought it would be difficult to win over this unattainable beauty and was somewhat discouraged, until she discovered that Liang Huaixu, despite being lactose intolerant, still insisted on drinking the milk she gave him.

During a break, a male classmate who was close to Liang Huaixu approached him for a chat. His eyes fell on the milk on Liang's desk, and he casually asked, "Aren't you lactose intolerant? Why are you drinking milk?"

The girl sleeping next to him trembled slightly, her eyelashes fluttering. It dawned on him: no wonder Liang Huaixu always ran to the toilet!

Zhuang Fuyao pretended to be asleep and waited until lunchtime before talking to Cheng Beibei about it. "Zhou Ziyi knows he is lactose intolerant, so he couldn't possibly not know it himself."

She added uncertainly, "But was he too embarrassed to refuse his tablemate's offer, which is why he drank it?"

“Fufu.” Cheng Beibei interrupted her guess.

"Um?"

"We've known our class monitor for so long, do you think he's the type of person who's too embarrassed to say no to others?"

Zhuang Fuyao hesitated before saying, "Doesn't seem like it?"

"It's completely unlike anything I've ever seen!"

Although Liang Huaixu is the class monitor, in a sense, he is a "not very sociable" person, and it is common for him to refuse others.

Cheng Beibei chuckled and said, "So I think he likes you."

These words made Zhuang Fuyao blush instantly.

Yet, somehow, she came to understand her feelings for Liang Huaixu.

It's different from my feelings about Yu Heng.

The mere guess was enough to make her overjoyed.

Then, I became a little worried.

This person is clearly lactose intolerant, so why does he still drink milk?

...

After dealing with her inner turmoil, the next morning, eager to find the answer, she asked as soon as she entered the classroom, "Why didn't you refuse the milk I gave you because you're lactose intolerant?"

These words came out of nowhere.

Liang Huaixu was surprised that she would say that, and even more surprised that she knew about his lactose intolerance.

Even the most composed teenagers will inevitably feel nervous and helpless in this situation, and their usual composure will completely collapse at this moment.

He stammered, "You heard everything..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Teacher Song, who had come looking for him.

Liang Huaixu was called to the teacher's office for a talk.

Taking advantage of the brief moment, Cheng Beibei quickly moved closer and whispered, "Why did you ask so directly?!"

Zhuang Fuyao was a little confused. "Shouldn't you have asked?"

Cheng Beibei slapped her forehead and sighed helplessly.

I think Fufu is being way too direct, but thinking about it, I can understand. It's always the guys who fawn over Fufu; this is the first time Fufu has taken the initiative to pay attention to a guy like this.

Even Yu Heng didn't receive this treatment before.

Lacking experience inevitably leads to being a bit too direct.

The classroom was crowded and noisy, so it wasn't convenient to talk about anything too specific. The two went to the corridor and talked quietly.

"If you both like each other, would you be open to dating in high school?"

"I won't accept it," Zhuang Fuyao replied without hesitation.

If Ms. Ji and Lao Zhuang find out she's in a relationship, her legs will be broken.

Although she is usually a bit unreliable, and she can play around and make a fuss, she still doesn't dare to have a relationship too early.

Not to mention Liang Huaixu, even if she dared, he, as an outstanding student representative and a model student, would never do it.

"That's it. Since we can't be together now, it's better not to break the ice. The ambiguous period is the best time to make things interesting."

After being prompted by Cheng Beibei, Zhuang Fuyao finally realized what was happening.

Asking about it at an inappropriate time will only create more awkwardness.

After that day, Liang Huaixu felt awkward for a few days, wondering what she would think of him. Fortunately, she didn't bring it up again.

She didn't ask, so naturally he wouldn't tell her.

Time flies, and before they knew it, it was their senior year of high school. Zhuang Fuyao went to intensive training with art students for a few months.

When they returned, there were less than 100 days left until the college entrance examination. The rest of the time was spent in a sprint, and the two had no time to think about anything else. They focused all their attention on studying and finally ushered in the college entrance examination.

On the last day, many students tore up their previous test papers and workbooks in front of the teaching building, leaving a large white stain on the ground.

Zhuang Fuyao stayed with Cheng Beibei, secretly observing Liang Huaixu tidying up his things through the window.

That night, they made plans to go out for barbecue all night. There are many small cliques in the class, and they often have some overlap with each other. Friends invited other friends, and in the end, more than a dozen people showed up.

Liang Huaixu also came.

After finishing their barbecue, they booked several more rooms and played board games together while the TV showed the most popular idol dramas of the time.

Laughter filled the room.

In this atmosphere, many people who dared not speak of their secrets before now had a reason to talk about them.

Liang Huaixu, who rarely participates in entertainment activities, relaxed for once, with a faint smile on his face.

There were several people between Zhuang Fuyao and him.

She secretly watched him for a long time, only focusing her attention fully when it was her turn to play. The next second after she looked away, Liang Huaixu happened to be looking in her direction, and their gazes intertwined and pulled at each other in the air.

I don't know how many times courage has risen and fallen.

As dawn broke and everyone gradually returned home after staying up all night, no one spoke a word about the secrets of the young men and women that night.