Chapter 012

On the first day of National Day, He Ye was reading at home. After dinner, when the weather got cooler, she took the bus to a gift shop that she and Zhu Qing often went to.

Zhou Xiangming’s recommendation saved He Ye a lot of time. After entering the store, she just had to go straight to the area where the keychains were.

Most of the keychains were for girls, with fresh pink colors and various cute doll pendants.

He Ye resisted the temptation to buy one for herself and bent over to look at the ones suitable for boys.

In the end, she chose a black one with a chubby panda pendant on it.

He Ye thought that this black and white color should be more in line with Lu Jin’s cool temperament.

At seven o’clock in the morning, He Ye had just cleaned up the kitchen when she received a voice message from Zhou Xiangming.

“Have you woken up?”

“Lu Jin and I are still in the community and are about to leave. This is your last chance to join us. Do you want to come?”

“We are not in a hurry. You still have time to get up, wash your face, and eat.”

He Ye smiled and replied: [I really won’t go. You guys have fun.]

Zhou Xiangming: [Okay, let’s make an appointment next time!]

He Ye went to the study.

Out of curiosity, He Ye searched for information about rafting and saw many scenes of men and women sitting face to face in a boat. He Ye was even more glad that she did not agree.

At around 1:00 p.m., multiple message alerts came through WeChat. It turned out that Zhou Xiangming had sent photos of their trip.

There were group photos of the three of them, as well as individual photos of Lu Jin or Zhou Xiangming. Maybe the photographer was Zhou Xiangming, so there were more individual photos of Lu Jin.

In the photos, Lu Jin was covered in water. Some were sitting on the boat, while others had just come out of the water. Judging from their expressions, they were all secretly photographed by Zhou Xiangming.

He Ye is not much of a fan, but she feels that if these photos of Lu Jin are posted online, he will attract more fans than some male stars. He has the youthful vigor of his age but also a kind of coldness and maturity that exceeds that of a high school student. Of course, in addition to his temperament, the most important thing is his impeccable, handsome features. He can obviously make a living with his looks, but he is a provincial university bully.

When this faint sour smell came out, He Ye decisively exited the chat box, stopped taking a nap, and continued reading.

Zhou Xiangming posted some more photos, including those of him climbing mountains and barbecuing.

He Ye replied at first, but later she was too lazy to reply because she really didn’t know what else to say.

At around seven in the evening, WeChat rang again.

He Ye was helpless and opened WeChat. Unexpectedly, it was Lu Jin who asked: [Are you home? I’m here to deliver the cake. Uncle’s has already been delivered.]

He Ye was stunned. Even her father got some?

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Yes, thanks. I’ll be down right away. Please wait.]

Team leader: [No rush.]

He Ye grabbed the small gift box on the bookshelf and quickly went downstairs.

Before leaving the unit, she saw Lu Jin’s bicycle parked under the street light. He was sitting on it with one leg on the ground, holding a triangular cake in a box in one hand.

He had changed his clothes, and his short, wet hair in the photo had returned to its usual fresh look.

“The cake we ordered is too big, so everyone should share a little.”

Lu Jin handed the cake over and looked at her.

He Ye smiled: “Thanks, I was so busy looking at the photos Zhou Xiangming sent during the day that I forgot to say happy birthday to you. Here is a little gift from my heart, please don’t despise it.”

It was the first time for He Ye to give a gift to a boy, and she made up the greeting words on the spot. She felt awkward all over, and her face was slightly hot.

Lu Jin was slightly surprised. He took the gift box, shook it slightly, and asked, “What is it?”

He Ye whispered, “Keychain, I didn’t know what to give, so I just picked it randomly.”

Lu Jin: “That’s good. My previous one happened to be broken.”

He Ye smiled in her heart, thinking that it was the right thing to ask Zhou Xiangming for advice.

Lu Jin put away the gift and asked naturally, “It’s only right to return the favor. When is your birthday?”

He Ye said awkwardly: “No need, I just happened to know this time…”

Lu Jin: “I’m just being polite. Tell me first, and I’ll remember to prepare one. If you forget, forget it. You probably won’t treat me to a cake anyway.”

He Ye: …

How did he know that was what she thought?

“July 8th, we’ll all have the holiday then.”

Lu Jin: “So late? Then you are almost a year younger than me, and you will become an adult next summer vacation.”

He Ye smiled, lowered her eyes, and saw him take out a cell phone from his pocket.

Lu Jin: “I’ll make a note of it in case I forget.”

He Ye: …

“Go on up, don’t forget my cake next year.”

Seeing her lips purse in annoyance, Lu Jin waved his hand and rode away on his bike.

He Ye was in mixed feelings. There was still so much time left, and it was also the summer vacation after the college entrance examination. He wouldn’t really want to return the favor, right?

When school started after the holiday, He Ye still arrived at the classroom earlier than Lu Jin and the others.

When the two of them came in as the bell rang, He Ye had already finished reciting an article.

After a while, Zhou Xiangming’s exaggerated voice rang out from the last row. It wasn’t too high, but it was loud enough for He Ye to hear: “Where did you buy this keychain? It has a panda on it. It doesn’t look like your previous style.”

He Ye: …

Apart from the small episode of Lu Jin’s birthday, He Ye’s October was not much different from September. She was buried in books almost every day.

The school held a midterm exam in early November. Based on his grades, He Ye was placed in the second examination room, in the last position.

He Ye wanted to improve his grades but would not be too anxious about a one-time ranking issue. Her mindset was still calm during the exam.

In the morning, there was a Chinese class. After handing in the paper, He Ye slowly packed her schoolbag. Zhu Qing would have to rush down from upstairs to meet her anyway.

When she was walking out with her schoolbag, she saw Lu Jin appear at the classroom door. He was wearing a white shirt, his eyes were cold and indifferent, and there was no exam atmosphere at all.

“Let’s go to the cafeteria together?”

When He Ye walked out of the classroom with obvious confusion, Lu Jin made the invitation.

He Ye, who knew why he came here, said awkwardly, “I have an appointment with Zhu Qing.”

Lu Jin understood: “Then I’ll leave first.”

He Ye asked subconsciously: “You don’t have to wait for Zhou Xiangming?”

Lu Jin seemed to think about it for two seconds, then nodded: “Yes.”

He Ye: …

Don’t guys like to act together?

The stairs leading out of the teaching building were right next to an examination room. The two stood on the stairs several dozen centimeters apart. He Ye kept looking up the stairs. Not long after, Zhu Qing appeared, and Zhou Xiangming actually followed her. The two seemed to be discussing something, and they were both quite excited.

Seeing He Ye, Zhu Qing’s eyes lit up, and she ran over to ask, “Xiao Ye, the second multiple-choice question in the classical Chinese text is option B, right?”

Zhou Xiangming: “Obviously, choose C!”

He Ye: …

Didn’t we agree not to check the answers after the exam?

She was quite sure at first, but after the two of them argued, He Ye looked at the super student behind her and asked, “Lu Jin, what did you choose?”

Lu Jin: “You speak first.”

He Ye became less and less confident, and under the gaze of the three people, she whispered: “I chose A.”

Lu Jin smiled: “That’s A.”

He Ye couldn’t help but laugh.

Zhu Qing, Zhou Xiangming: …

It turns out that they were all wrong after arguing all this time?

He Ye cleverly changed the subject: “Are you two in the same examination room?”

Zhou Xiangming: “Yes, she is in the front row and I am in the back row, but it may not be the case next time.”

Zhu Qing: “I don’t know where this confidence comes from for those who are late for morning self-study every day.”

Zhou Xiangming: “Who is late every day? Don’t slander me.”

Zhu Qing made a face at him, took He Ye’s arm, and walked straight forward.

Compared to taking exams, what makes people most anxious is waiting for the results.

When the overall score ranking was posted on the classroom bulletin board, almost one-third of the students squeezed over.

When He Ye saw Zhu Qing leave, she didn’t move.

After a while, Zhu Qing came running over happily to report: “Xiao Ye, this time you ranked third in our class and 62nd in the grade.”

He Ye tried hard to smile modestly. Although she failed to enter the first examination room, this was already one of her better performances.

Zhu Qing looked back and said with envy and admiration: “Lu Jin is number one in the grade.”

He Ye was not surprised at all because that guy had never been among the top five in the grade.

In the past, Lu Jin was a name that symbolized a top academic master to He Ye. Now that the two of them had some interactions, the academic master had become a living presence around her. She could see him every day, and they would go home together after school at night. Naturally, Lu Jin had also brought certain positive stimulation to He Ye.

After returning from the cafeteria at noon, He Ye immediately took out the Chinese test paper that had just been distributed in the morning.

Someone passed by her and tapped the table lightly with their slender white fingertips, leaving a small ball of paper.

He Ye was startled. She covered the small paper ball as quickly as possible and tilted her head back, just in time to catch a glimpse of Lu Jin’s back.

When her heartbeat calmed down, He Ye quietly unfolded the paper ball and saw the words written on it: “Take all the test papers after school.”

He Ye didn’t understand what he was going to do, but he did it anyway.

After returning to the community after evening self-study, Zhou Xiangming sped up his bike as if he had something urgent to do.

Lu Jin looked at his watch and asked He Ye: “Uncle will be busy until what time tonight?”

He Ye: “He closes the shop at 10 o’clock, and after cleaning up, he gets home at about 10:30.”

Lu Jin: “Then go downstairs and I’ll help you check the papers.”

He Ye still didn’t understand: “What are you looking at? The teacher has already explained the wrong questions.”

Lu Jin: “Analyze your weak points so that I can recommend you tutoring materials.”

For someone like He Ye, who is in the top 100 in her grade, she no longer needs someone by her side to help answer her questions at all times. Instead, she needs dedicated practice on her weak points. With the right supplementary materials, she will be able to understand things better on her own.

He Ye was surprised and delighted. She had heard from Zhou Xiangming that Lu Jin’s parents were both scientific researchers, and they were both top students when they were in school. It was conceivable that Lu Jin must have been exposed to more tutoring materials or extracurricular reading materials than ordinary students like them.

“Thank you so much!” No matter how grateful He Ye was, she could only manage this simple phrase.

Lu Jin replied, “We’re all friends, no need to thank me.”

The first floor of each building was a public space with wooden benches for residents to rest on and a play corner for children.

The two sat side by side. He Ye reverently handed four test papers to the top student next to her.

Lu Jin focused on the questions she had gotten wrong.

He Ye’s performance in mathematics and comprehensive science was excellent, and she only lost points on the big questions at the end. However, her performance in Chinese and English was seriously lacking.

“Where did you lose points in Chinese and English before?” Lu Jin asked after collecting the test papers.

He Ye knew herself well and answered carefully and truthfully.

Lu Jin nodded, “Got it. I’ll go to the bookstore this weekend. Want to join me?”

He Ye smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll treat you to milk tea then.”

Lu Jin smiled back, picked up his schoolbag, and left.