Chapter 26

The boy was wearing a white shirt and black pants, and his features were indescribably clean and handsome.

Perhaps because it had been quite a long time since we last met, I was surprised to see him so suddenly.

But she didn't lose focus for long. Soon she was in front of him, hands in her pockets, and said, "Want to go shopping with me?"

Xu Wang glanced at her. Today she was wearing a green dress, which swayed in the wind, making her look exquisite and beautiful.

In the year or so that followed, she seemed to have grown a few centimeters taller, her figure slender and graceful, like a jasmine flower, exuding an indescribable elegance and beauty.

He quickly looked away, saying as if he didn't care at all, "If you have your own things to do, go ahead and do your own thing. I'm not here to find you."

Jiang Yi couldn't help but scoff inwardly, "How can this person be so hypocritical? He says he's here to see me, is he really that shameful?"

Jiang Yi casually replied, "Oh, okay, do you want to come shopping with me today? If not, I'm going back to my dorm to sleep. I've already turned down my part-time job anyway."

Xu Wang quickly said, "Since it was my fault that you turned down your part-time job, I'll pay you your salary today."

They're still using the same old tricks. But accompanying him shopping today is definitely going to be exhausting. Since the young master is trying to find a way to give her money, she might as well accept it.

"Okay, where would you like to go?"

Seeing that she was obsessed with money, Xu Wang said with a hint of displeasure, "Seriously? I said I'd give you money, and you're really going to take it?"

So this guy has become so stingy that he's not even going to give me this little bit of money anymore?

If you weren't willing to give it, why did you bring it up in the first place?

Jiang Yi said, "How could you go back on your word?"

Xu Wang raised an eyebrow and said, "If I don't give you money, will you come shopping with me?"

Jiang Yi gave in and said, "Well, I don't have anything to do today, and you're here, so I'll keep you company."

"Okay, then I'll pay your wages."

As Xu Wang spoke, a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

Jiang Yi looked over and saw the bright smile on his face, feeling a little confused.

No, this person is even more abnormal than before. If he wants to pay me, he should just say so once. Why go through all this trouble, giving me money one minute and not the next?

That's weird.

Soon, she was busy looking at the map to find places for him to play, and she didn't have time to worry about such trivial matters.

They have quite a few attractions to visit here, including seaside scenery, waterfalls, famous classical gardens, and a historically significant base. She opened the map on her phone and showed it to Xu Wang, asking, "Where do you want to go?"

Xu Wang leaned closer, looked at the map on her phone, tapped it casually, then tapped the spot with the waterfall view, and said, "How about here then?"

Jiang Yi glanced at his leg, her expression somewhat suspicious, and asked, "Is your leg alright?"

Although Xu Wang's leg is basically ruined now, there will inevitably be some aftereffects. Jiang Yi is still a little worried that he might not be able to hold on for long.

When Xu Wang heard her mention her legs, his expression instantly darkened, and he said, "Are my legs in the way?"

Although he has recovered now, his walking posture is still slightly different from that of a normal person, which is something that Xu Wang cares about. When Jiang Yi mentioned it, his expression turned a little sour.

Upon hearing his words, Jiang Yi knew she shouldn't have brought up the matter of her leg, as it was his Achilles' heel.

Because of her mention of it, the two of them became somewhat silent the whole way. As they walked up the mountain, Jiang Yi even regretted bringing it up for no reason. Now, Xu Wang was no longer saying anything.

To ease the tension, she cleared her throat and said, "Um, would you like me to tell you about the waterfall?"

Upon hearing her words, Xu Wang raised an eyebrow and said, "Okay."

Seeing that he had responded, Jiang Yi breathed a sigh of relief and then began to talk about the history of the waterfall.

"This waterfall is probably several hundred years old. It is said to have been formed by an earthquake..."

Jiang Yi was also telling him history using her phone, after all, she had only been here for a little over a month. Halfway through, she felt that it was a bit silly to be telling him history using her phone, so she said, "Why don't you just use your own phone to read it?"

Xu Wang had his phone in his pocket. He clearly said it was fully charged, but he deliberately said, "My phone doesn't have much battery. Please continue."

Jiang Yi was surprised that this person didn't even charge his phone after coming out. She silently complained about him in her mind before continuing her story.

As she approached the waterfall, she felt a bit thirsty, so she bought a bottle of water. Just as she was about to pay, a hand reached out and scanned a QR code to pay.

Jiang Yi also secretly glanced at it at this moment and discovered that a certain boy's phone was clearly fully charged.

Jiang Yi felt it was going too far to tell her that his phone was out of power when it was clearly fully charged. She said with dissatisfaction, "Hey, aren't you being a bit unreasonable? Your phone clearly has power, yet you lied to me?"

Xu Wang didn't think his behavior was anything to be ashamed of. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and said, "You're the host and my guide today. What's wrong with telling me about the history of this place?"

Damn, this person is so shameless.

Jiang Yi was a little angry and chased after him to hit him.

When Xu Wang saw her chasing after him, a smile played on his lips, and he ran off quickly as well.

The boy had long legs and ran fast, so Jiang Yi couldn't catch up no matter how hard she tried. After chasing him for a while, she was exhausted, like a dog.

After panting for a while, Jiang Yi realized that he couldn't catch up with her, so he had no choice but to give up and said, "Alright, alright, stop for a minute and wait for me."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on his legs, and she couldn't help but get a little agitated.

Haha, she was just thinking about how inconvenient his leg was, but now she feels it's really convenient. This person runs so fast that she can't even catch up with him.

Xu Wang was still holding the water she had just bought. Seeing how exhausted she looked, he smiled, walked over, handed her the water, and looked at Jiang Yi, who was squatting on the road, asking with some concern, "Are you tired?"

Jiang Yi raised her hand and gave her a sharp rap on the head, then said with a cold smile, "What do you think? Aren't you tired?"

Xu Wang wasn't angry at being hit like that; instead, a very faint smile appeared on his lips, carrying a hint of tenderness.

The two quickly arrived at the waterfall.

Because it's a holiday, a lot of people have gathered here and are playing at the waterfall right now.

Jiang Yi followed them as they walked along the rocks under the waterfall. Halfway down, she slipped and almost fell, but luckily Xu Wang reacted quickly and grabbed her, preventing her from falling into the water.

Back on flat ground after descending the waterfall, Jiang Yi had a great time, her face beaming with a happy smile.

Looking at the smile on her face, Xu Wang suddenly said, "How about I retake the college entrance exam and come here to study?"

Jiang Yi thought she had misheard and asked in confusion, "Why?"

"Guess for yourself."

After Xu Wang finished speaking, he turned around and left.

Jiang Yi couldn't guess. Although she had that guess in her mind, she felt it was impossible. The year of the college entrance examination was so tough, and the pressure of repeating it would be so great. He shouldn't be that crazy, right?

Jiang Yi didn't take it to heart because she thought he was just saying it casually.

However, not long after Xu Wang returned, Jiang Yi heard about this from her mother on the phone.

Jiang Yi hadn't expected this guy to be serious, so she made a voice call and asked, "Seriously? You're really going to retake the college entrance exam?"

Xu Wang paused for a moment, his voice slightly muffled, and said, "Mm."

Jiang Yi felt a bit pressured because of his behavior. After all, she felt it would be difficult for her to reciprocate his affections, and said in a low voice, "But I don't think it's necessary..."

Xu Wang chuckled softly and continued, "You don't think I'm doing this because of you, do you? I'm doing it because I don't like it here and want to go to a better school. Don't get your hopes up too high. I won't apply to your school. What I said the other day was just a lie."

When Jiang Yi heard him say that, she didn't know what to say. After all, Xu Wang wanted to go to a better school, so there was no need for her to stop him.

Jiang Yi could only offer him her sincerest blessings, saying, "Then, I wish you every success."

Xu Wang's tone was even colder than before as he said, "Oh. Thank you for your well wishes."

In the time that followed, Xu Wang was busy preparing for the college entrance examination again, while Jiang Yi, in her new environment, was busy with club activities, student council affairs, and her own studies. She worked part-time with friends on weekends, and even during the Chinese New Year, she only went home for a few days before continuing her part-time work.

Lu Qiao gave Jiang Yi enough money to live on, but her daughter was still keen on making money, which left Lu Qiao feeling quite helpless. Fortunately, Fu Zhaoya comforted her, saying that it was a good thing that her daughter was ambitious. So, although Lu Qiao was reluctant for her daughter to spend the New Year alone outside, she still let her go.

As the Lunar New Year was drawing to a close and school was about to start, Jiang Yi used the money she earned from her part-time job to buy a gift for her mother and a gift for Fu Zhaoya, who often called to check on her. When buying gifts for the two elders, Jiang Yi hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she bought Xu Wang a fountain pen at the stationery store. Although she didn't know if he would be able to use it, she still wanted to give him a gift as a token of her appreciation.

What she didn't know was that the pen she gave him was repeatedly caressed by Xu Wang during the year he silently repeated his studies. Many times when he felt he was about to give up, he would think of the girl waiting for him at the finish line, and thinking of her would give him motivation again.

For the next year, the two didn't have much contact. After the college entrance examination results came out, Jiang Yi sent a message to ask Xu Wang about his score. When she learned that he was the top scorer in the college entrance examination that year, she was stunned for a moment, and then sent a congratulatory message.