Mo Li arrived at the classroom and, before putting down his schoolbag, stole a glance at Xia Linyin's feet.
Seeing Xia Linyin wearing the snow boots he had given her, Mo Li couldn't help but smile slightly.
He sat at his desk, his heart overflowing with satisfaction. Seeing Xia Linyin wearing the new shoes he had given her, and the still-healing bruises on her body no longer hurt at all.
After the first class ended, when no one was looking, Xia Linyin slipped a shoebox under the table to Mo Li.
"Take it quickly, don't let anyone else see it," Xia Linyin whispered.
If others see her giving Mo Li a gift, there will definitely be a lot of gossip.
She wasn't afraid, but she was afraid that Mo Li would get hurt.
Moreover, the homeroom teacher has been particularly strict about students dating lately, and several couples in the class have been called in for talks.
There was nothing between her and Mo Li, except for exchanging gifts.
However, the homeroom teacher now adopts a "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free" attitude, and will give a subtle warning to any student in the class who seems to be dating.
Mo Li took the shoebox, turned sideways to face the wall, and opened it. Inside was a pair of new black sneakers.
The color is understated and also dirt-resistant.
Xia Linyin wasn't sure if the shoe size would fit. She estimated it to be a size larger than her foot and thought it might be a bit big, but a little big for sneakers was fine; if it were too small, she wouldn't be able to wear it.
"Try it on and see if it fits. If it doesn't, I'll take it to exchange it."
Mo Li stared at the shoes in silence for a long while before finally picking them up.
Why? Why be so good to him?
He was really about to lose control of his feelings for Xia Linyin.
I like it so much, I like it so much, I like it so much.
When Mo Li picked up the shoe, he saw a stack of money underneath it, and his body stiffened.
"Take this thousand yuan first. Give the money you spent on buying shoes to your dad. Consider it a loan from me, and you can pay me back later."
Xia Linyin said that Mo Li had spent the scholarship money, and his father would definitely not let this go so easily.
They will definitely keep pressing Mo Li for the whereabouts of the money until he reveals where it went, but given Mo Li's personality, he will only remain silent.
"Take it. I've already accepted the gift you gave me. I really like it. This money is just a loan to you."
"You have to pay me back, okay?" Xia Linyin's tone was mischievous as she deliberately said, "I'll pay you back after you start working. Then, no matter if we go to the same university or not, we have to keep in touch. I can't let you get away."
Mo Li's body finally relaxed. He nodded, then put on his new sneakers, wiggled his toes, and whispered, "I really like them."
Her tone was joyful, and her ears, hidden behind her hair, were red.
"I'm glad you like it," Xia Linyin said happily.
When Zhou Xiaoyun returned from the restroom, she wiped her hands with a napkin and asked, "Linyin, what were you and Mo Li whispering about again?"
"It's nothing." Xia Linyin shook her head, lowered her head to read, and couldn't suppress a smile at the corners of her mouth. Mo Li was so cute.
...
In the small, messy living room, which was piled with clutter, there was a bed made of wooden planks against the wall. The bedding on the bed was so dirty that its original color was no longer visible, and it was all tangled up in a messy ball.
This is Mo's father's bed.
When Mo Li returned home that evening, his father was sitting on the edge of the bed with a bamboo stick in his hand.
As soon as Mo Li entered the door, her father's eyes, sharp as eagle claws, fixed on her.
He stared intently at Mo Li, who was walking towards the room with her head down. When his gaze fell on the sneakers on Mo Li's feet, his brow furrowed deeply.
"Stop!" The bamboo stick in his hand struck the ground with a loud "smack."
With a grim expression, Mr. Mo questioned, "What's wrong with those shoes on your feet?"
Mo Li kept his head down and didn't say a word. Mo's father got angry when he saw him like this, and suddenly stood up and scolded, "Damn it, did you take the money to buy shoes?!"
A surge of rage coursed through his body. Father Mo brandished a bamboo stick and lashed out at Mo Li, yelling, "I'll beat you to death, you little beast! Tell me! How much did these shoes cost?!"
Mo Li dodged to the side as the bamboo stick in her hand slipped from her grasp.
Mo's father paused, then slapped Mo Li even harder.
"Hide! I'll teach you to hide!"
"You little brat, you've got some nerve! You even know how to hide now. If I don't beat you to death today, you'll be all over the place tomorrow!"
"Tell me! Did you use the money to buy shoes? And where did the money go?!"
"Will you tell me or not! Will you tell me or not!"
The moment Mo Li was about to be struck by his father, he thought of Xia Linyin.
If he gets injured, he won't be able to go to school, and if he can't go to school, he won't be able to see Xia Linyin.
Thinking back to those two days lying in bed, and that agonizing feeling of longing, a sense of panic welled up inside him. He wasn't afraid of pain, thirst, or exhaustion, but he was afraid of never seeing Xia Linyin again.
When Mo's father pulled out the bamboo stick, Mo Li, who had long been numb from being beaten, dodged it.
His experience from childhood taught him that the more he tried to hide, the more fiercely and severely his father would beat him.
If you don't dodge or flinch, your father will vent his anger and stop hitting you when he gets tired.
But now, more than Mo Li's father's beatings, Mo Li is afraid of never seeing Xia Linyin again.
After several attempts to draw a name without success, and nearly tripping over himself in the process, Mr. Mo nodded breathlessly, "You won't tell, huh!"
He sneered, took out the one-inch photo from his pocket, and asked while holding the photo, "Is this the girl you love?"
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