The heartfelt gift sent out was met with a cold shower.
Wan Xiaoyi clutched her stomach and quickly walked to the back of the classroom. She lowered her voice and said to Qi Xu, "Could you show a movie for the class next period? My stomach hurts terribly."
Qi Xu nodded: "Okay, go ahead."
Having received permission, Wan Xiaoyi rushed out of the classroom.
"Um..." Qi Xu turned to Hao Nan beside her, the numbness in her legs making her unable to move. "How about... you think of a movie to watch and we put it on?"
Hao Nan shrugged: "I don't know what to look at either."
"I see." Qi Xu's tone was tinged with disappointment.
My legs are so numb that I can't stand up for a while.
Just then, the school bell rang sharply.
Unsurprisingly, this was still a "movie relaxation class".
The substitute teacher looked up from his lesson plan and glanced around the classroom: "Nobody's going to show a movie? Then take out your textbooks and review."
A hush fell over the room. Qi Xu's legs hadn't recovered yet.
Hao Nan glanced at her, then got up and walked to the podium.
He opened his browser, and a girl in front of him immediately whispered, urging, "Hao Nan, play a horror movie! A horror movie!"
Hao Nan ignored him and deftly typed "comedy movies" into the search box.
The page redirects, and the first result is surprisingly "Home Alone".
Without hesitation, he pressed play and turned back to his seat.
"Are you feeling unwell?" He turned his head, his gaze falling on Qi Xu's face with a hint of barely perceptible concern.
A slightly embarrassed smile appeared on Qi Xu's face: "No... I just slept too soundly and my legs went numb."
Hao Nan couldn't help but chuckle softly, then turned his gaze to the projection screen.
Qi Xu also composed himself and looked at the movie.
When a funny clip appeared on the screen, the classroom erupted in laughter, instantly dispelling the oppressive atmosphere.
After the school celebration ended, a few of Qi Xu's friends dragged her to a small restaurant outside the school. A celebratory party just for them had already been secretly prepared.
Wan Xiaoyi raised her glass first: "Cheers to our little winners!"
The others immediately echoed, raising their glasses and clinking them together, saying in unison, "Congratulations to Qi Xu and Xu Sheng on their successful award!"
After the clinking of glasses, everyone buried their heads in admiring the dishes.
At night, Qi Xu looked in the mirror and gently pinched her earlobe, which had almost recovered.
The pain was still fresh in her memory, but her desire to look good prevailed, and she decided to go to Sister Wan Xiaoyi's shop again tomorrow to get her ears pierced again.
I slept soundly through the night.
After breakfast, Qi Xu messaged Wan Xiaoyi: "Is your sister at the shop? I want to get my ears pierced."
The reply popped up quickly: 【Yes, come on over.】
【OK. 】
Qi put down his phone and continued eating.
At this moment, Han Xue rubbed her sleepy eyes, staggered out of the room, and slumped down at the dining table.
"Why are you all up so early?" she muttered, her eyelids so heavy she could barely lift them.
Han Cheng glanced at the wall clock and joked, "Still early? Look, it's already noon. Did you stay up late studying again last night?"
"Hmm... I watched it a little late."
Han Xue responded vaguely, resting her chin on her hand and nodding her head as if she were about to fall into the bowl at any moment.
"How about... going back to your room and sleeping some more?" Qi Xu couldn't help but suggest, seeing her looking like she was about to faint at any moment.
Han Xue's head was still nodding inertia, like a roly-poly toy.
Han Cheng couldn't help but chuckle and said to Qi Xu with a smile, "Look at her."
Qi Xu laughed and gently poked Han Xue's arm.
"Ah!" Han Xue suddenly jolted awake, looking around blankly. "Wh...what's wrong?"
Seeing the father and daughter's faces as they tried to suppress their laughter, she instantly sobered up a bit and waved her hand dejectedly, "Never mind, I'll just go to sleep..."
After saying that, he got up without another word and drifted back to his room as if in a dream.
After cleaning and putting away his dishes, Qi Xu picked up his phone and said to Han Cheng, who was still eating, "Dad, I'm going out for a bit."
Han Cheng nodded and reminded him, "Be careful on the road."
"Okay." Qi Xu's voice came as the door closed.
As soon as she stepped downstairs, Qi Xu's gaze met a pair of eyes that were all too familiar to her.
The moment their eyes met, both of them involuntarily smiled.
Qi Xu walked quickly up to him, a slightly puzzled smile on her face: "What are you doing here? Is something the matter?"
Looking at her bright smile, Hao Nan's smile deepened: "I heard from Wan Xiaoyi that you're going to get your ears pierced. She's afraid you'll do something outrageous again, so she asked me to keep an eye on you."
"I've learned my lesson. One painful experience is enough." Qi Xu resolutely refused and turned to leave.
Hao Nan nimbly stepped to the side, blocking her path, his tone laced with just the right amount of grievance: "I'm really fine, just killing time?"
Qi Xu found herself unable to refuse him, especially his eyes, which seemed to have a magical power that made her afraid to look directly at them and unable to say no.
She quickly lowered her eyes and her voice softened: "...If you want to go, then let's go."
Hao Nan subconsciously clenched the small red velvet box in his pocket and walked side by side with Qi Xu toward the Wenxi Tea shop.
Having learned from her previous painful experience, Qi Xu was much calmer this time, but when Wen Xicha picked up the alcohol swab, the unforgettable memory of the pain still made her involuntarily tense up.
Wen Xicha carefully examined her earlobes and praised, "They've recovered quite well."
The cool alcohol rubbed against her skin, causing a slight tingling sensation, followed by two crisp clicks as two sparkling little diamonds were firmly embedded in her earlobes.
"You must listen to me this time. Wear them for a full month before changing them, and remember to get silver earrings," Wenxi Tea solemnly reminded her again.
"Okay, I got it." Qi Xu replied earnestly.
With a smile, Wenxicha took out two beautifully packaged small gift boxes from the drawer and handed them to the couple: "I'm getting married! To share in the joy, here are some small gifts for you."
"Congratulations!" "Happy wedding!" the couple said in unison.
"Thank you!" Wenxi smiled radiantly.
Looking at the exquisite little gift in his hand, Hao Nan's heart stirred slightly. He quickly caught up with Qi Xu, who had already walked outside the store, and handed her the warm red velvet box. He gently opened it, and inside lay a pair of exquisitely designed butterfly earrings, shimmering with pure silver light, on a black velvet lining, the texture of the wings clearly visible.
Qi Xu's eyes lit up instantly, her face beaming with immense joy. She even stammered with excitement, "Give...give...to me?" She looked at Hao Nan in disbelief.
Hao Nan stared at her, his eyes extremely serious: "Yes, it's for you."
For a butterfly enthusiast, this was a dream gift! Qi Xu's hand instinctively reached out, but stopped abruptly in mid-air and withdrew.
After the initial joy came a habitual wariness. There's no such thing as a free lunch, especially not such beautiful butterfly earrings. She quickly suppressed her smile, her face hardening as she stared seriously at Hao Nan: "Why...why did you suddenly give me these earrings?"
Hao Nan looked at her instantly wary expression and almost laughed: "You're quite wary, aren't you? Because I saw how your ear piercing was infected and ulcerated last time."
“I knew I’d have to take these earrings off eventually, and I guessed you didn’t have any silver studs, so I bought these. Who knew…” He shrugged helplessly, “you couldn’t wear them anymore.” His explanation was frank and detailed.
However, Qi Xu's attention was almost entirely captured by the silver butterfly in the box that was about to take flight, and Hao Nan's words only vaguely brushed past her ears.
She couldn't help but ask again, "Is it really... for me?"
“Of course,” Hao Nan said confidently, “I picked it out especially for you.”
Upon receiving a definite answer, Qi Xu's face instantly brightened, her smile even more radiant than the sun. She quickly picked up the earring box and clutched it tightly in her hand: "What's given to me is mine, no take-backs allowed."
"Don't worry," Hao Nan said, looking at her childlike behavior with a doting smile in his eyes, "it belongs only to you."
Qi Xu fiddled with the small box, then suddenly remembered something, turned to Hao Nan, and said seriously, "However, I can't take things from others for nothing. That's my principle. What kind of return gift do you want? Just tell me."
These words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing all the light and warmth in Hao Nan's eyes.
His smile froze, and his gaze darkened. What did she mean? In her heart, was he always just an "other person" with whom she needed to draw clear lines? A "passerby" with whom she could exchange things on an equal footing?
A surge of anger at being misunderstood and alienated welled up inside Hao Nan. He pursed his lips, remained silent, and abruptly stepped past Qi Xu, striding forward.
Qi Xu stood there, stunned, looking bewildered: What did I say wrong?
Watching Hao Nan's resolute back, she carefully stuffed the earring case into her pocket, jogged after him, and secretly glanced at his tense profile. Her voice was low and tentatively ingratiating: "Hey... Hao Nan? What's wrong? Tell me about it?"
Hao Nan was seething with anger, but her soft, gentle voice was like a feather brushing against his heart, preventing him from retaliating.
But he remained stern-faced, showing no sign of slowing down.
Standing at 185 cm tall, with long legs and a very long stride, Qi Xu had to jog to barely keep up.
Noticing that she was chasing after him in a somewhat disheveled manner, Hao Nanqiang suppressed the urge to smile and maintained his cold and hard demeanor.
He could tolerate it once or twice, but Hao Nan remained silent and didn't give him a reason, which made Qi Xu's stubborn temper flare up.
She abruptly stopped, ceasing her pursuit, and deliberately slowed down, leisurely swaying behind.
Hao Nan strode a distance away, only to find that the familiar footsteps were no longer behind him.
He stopped and looked back.
I saw that Qi Xu was tilting his head and staring intently at the flower bed by the roadside, as if there was some breathtaking scenery there. His gaze was fixed on her and he wouldn't look at her at all. His posture clearly showed that he was angry.
Hao Nan's eyes dimmed, and the last glimmer of hope in his heart was completely extinguished.
He didn't linger, turned around, and walked straight home without looking back.
Two people, one in front of the other, a short distance apart, like two parallel lines that will never intersect, silently walk on the same road.
The air was thick with the silent smoke of gunpowder.
Two or three whole days.
In the stairwell and corridor, Qi Xu bumped into Hao Nan, his gaze sweeping straight over the air above Hao Nan's head as if he were invisible, his steps not pausing for a moment.
Every time Hao Nan saw her completely ignoring him, his anger would flare up. What was she doing? Was she making a fool of him?
Physical education class.
The team had just assembled and stood in line.
Hao Nan had just stood in the boys' line when he heard a clear voice coming from the girls' line next to him, addressed to Wan Xiaoyi: "Xiaoyi, let's switch places."
Wan Xiaoyi paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Qi Xu and Hao Nan.
She had noticed the subtle tension between the two of them over the past few days. They used to be inseparable, but now they seemed to want to stay as far away as possible.
"Oh... okay." Although she was puzzled, she still agreed.
Upon hearing this, Hao Nan, who was standing nearby, felt his already simmering anger ignite and burn even brighter.
What does she mean? Does she really not want to see him? She doesn't even want to stand next to him?
Fine! The more you try to hide, the more determined I am to stand my ground!
Just as the two turned to switch positions, Hao Nan suddenly grabbed Qi Xu's slender wrist!
Caught off guard, Qi Xu was momentarily stunned by his pull and angrily glared at him.
Hao Nan met her gaze, his chin slightly raised, his eyes carrying an undeniable stubbornness and a hint of provocation. Trying to run? No way!
Qi tried to break free, but Hao Nan's hand was like an iron clamp, the more he struggled, the tighter it gripped.
The two engaged in a passionate exchange in silence.
In the end, Qi Xu and Wan Xiaoyi were unable to switch positions.
Hao Nan's hand still held Qi Xu's wrist tightly, but the force was slightly loosened, no longer squeezing her painfully, but still ensuring that she could not escape.
Qi Xu felt uncomfortable being held like that by him. She could feel the heat of his palm on her wrist, and even a slight dampness from his sweat. She awkwardly twisted her wrist slightly.
"Don't move." Hao Nan suddenly leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said in a warning tone, "If you move again, I can't guarantee that the PE teacher won't think we're holding hands and messing around, and make us run as punishment."
Qi Xu glared at him angrily, her chest heaving, but she dared not make any more moves. She could only suppress her grievances and anger and stand stiffly.
Those wide-open eyes were filled with a silent accusation and an angry "you just wait" tone.
The PE teacher strolled over with his hands behind his back and began his pre-class address as usual: "Cheer up! Exercising is for your own good, so cherish the opportunity to have PE class once a week."
"Alright, same old routine, three laps for warm-up! Left turn! March!"
Hao Nan only let go of her hand after the loud "Run!" command was given.
Qi Xu immediately pulled his wrist back, leaving several light red finger marks on his fair skin, as well as a small, slightly cool patch dampened by the sweat on his palm.
The sound of orderly footsteps and slightly panting slogans instantly echoed across the playground.
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