Chapter 12

Jiang Qiao turned her face away, ignoring him.

After a while, when there was no movement, she wondered if he had left.

Jiang Qiao anxiously turned around to look and met Lu Xun’s calm gaze.

He hadn’t left.

Jiang Qiao felt happy inside but acted awkward. “I know you’re tall, but why are you standing here showing off…”

Lu Xun took a step toward her, slightly mocking, “Are you jealous?”

Jiang Qiao widened her eyes, unable to believe he could say such shameless words.

At 163 cm, she wasn’t exactly tall, and to glare at Lu Xun, she had to look up.

Insulted, Jiang Qiao kicked a small leaf at his faded white sneakers, shook her head, and stormed off.

Her high ponytail swished through the air, brushing past Lu Xun’s chin.

The sudden itch made him squint his eyes but he didn’t touch it.

At home, Jiang Qiao kept complaining about how straightforward and annoying Lu Xun was.

After ranting, she noticed that 166 was silent. She thought back and realized that ever since her relationship with Lu Xun was confirmed, 166 hadn’t been online.

Strange.

Jiang Qiao dropped her bag and reached inside to grab something, feeling a plastic bag.

What was that?

Curious, she pulled it out and found a can of Yunnan Baiyao spray quietly lying inside.

“……………”

Jiang Qiao held the spray, frozen. Her ankle throbbed suddenly, and she clearly remembered that she hadn’t bought this. Who could have?

At the door of the Red Pavilion, the plastic bag that Lu Xun had placed behind him had flashed past.

The spray worked wonders, and a few days later, the swelling on Jiang Qiao’s ankle had completely gone down.

She didn’t know why, but she didn’t ask Lu Xun about it. The spray seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Her relationship with Lu Xun remained lukewarm. As long as Jiang Qiao didn’t take the initiative to seek him out, he wouldn’t say a word to her. Sometimes, even when she tried to talk to him, he ignored her.

The weather in the city suddenly turned cold, and people started wearing windbreakers and thick sweaters.

166 still hadn’t come online, and Jiang Qiao had almost forgotten about its existence.

Jiang Qiao was idly resting her chin and listening to her physics class when it suddenly made a sound: [A new plot point is coming, please get ready.]

?

Jiang Qiao sat up straight: [Oh, you’re back?]

166: [……………]

166 firmly corrected her: [The system is artificial intelligence. It doesn’t die, it only gets recycled or destroyed.]

[So, did you get recycled recently?]

[………… I was evolving.]

[Oh~]

166 couldn’t argue with her: [Three days from now, there will be a new plot point. Get ready.]

After that, it sent Jiang Qiao a plot segment.

Considering Lu Xun’s personality, he would likely ignore “Jiang Qiao” completely. The reason he would later come to dislike “Jiang Qiao” started with this plot point—the birthday banquet of Jiang Qiao.

Library.

“Lu Xun, what kind of cake do you like?” Jiang Qiao sat across from him, gazing at him eagerly.

Lu Xun didn’t respond and continued to pull out a new exam paper to write.

“Fruit? Chocolate? Yogurt?” Jiang Qiao snatched the black pen from his hand and pouted, “Speak up~”

Lu Xun finally looked up at her, tapping his finger twice silently on the “keep quiet” sign.

Jiang Qiao: “……………”

She stayed quiet for two seconds but couldn’t hold back anymore: “If you’re not going to buy me a gift, I won’t like whatever you get me.”

“What gift?”

Jiang Qiao: “……………”

She couldn’t help but add: “The day after tomorrow is my birthday.”

Lu Xun’s eyes showed a fleeting moment of surprise before returning to normal. “Oh.”

Oh, just like that?

Jiang Qiao was angered again.

Leaving Lu Xun alone, staring at the test paper, deep in thought.

The next day in class, he overheard some students discussing what to give Jiang Qiao, and some even asked her what she liked.

Jiang Qiao glanced over in one direction and deliberately answered loudly, “There are a lot of things I like, but it’s not about the gift, it’s the thought behind it. You all being here is enough.”

“That’s not good enough. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely prepare a surprise for Miss Jiang!” Someone teased, and the class erupted in chatter.

Song Qingying shifted her gaze, hiding the emotions in her eyes, but the bitterness in her heart couldn’t be suppressed. She turned to the person next to her and softly asked, “Lu Xun, will you go to Jiang Qiao’s birthday?”

Lu Xun’s expression remained unchanged. “Not sure.”

Seeing Song Qingying’s puzzled look, he explained, “If I’m free, I’ll go.”

Song Qingying didn’t get the answer she wanted, feeling a little disappointed. “I see.”

Three days later came quickly, and Jiang Qiao’s birthday party was held at a venue on the south bank of the river. The event was grand, with an entire class of classmates invited, as well as friends from different circles—some familiar, some not so familiar, and even those bringing their partners.

In the first ten minutes, she received a large pile of gifts.

Ye Qingqing had saved up her living expenses for a month to buy a limited-edition crystal bracelet for her. “Qiao’er, happy birthday.”

Jiang Qiao smiled absentmindedly, accepting the gift. “Thanks, Qingqing.”

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy on your birthday?” Ye Qingqing asked, confused.

Jiang Qiao didn’t say anything but kept glancing toward the door.

Ye Qingqing looked around the room and quickly understood what was going on—Lu Xun hadn’t shown up.

Her brows furrowed, displeased. She’d never approved of Jiang Qiao being with Lu Xun from the start. Watching the two of them, she could tell that Lu Xun had no heart, and Jiang Qiao was just throwing herself at him.

And now, for her girlfriend’s birthday, Lu Xun hadn’t even shown up—what was that all about?

She thought it over and voiced it out loud.

Jiang Qiao’s thoughts were exposed, and with Lu Xun’s absence, she couldn’t keep her face straight anymore. “Who’s waiting for him? If he doesn’t want to come, then fine.”

Someone in the room called her to cut the cake, but Jiang Qiao took one last look outside, not seeing a familiar face.

If he doesn’t come, then so be it. I don’t care…

Jiang Qiao took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in her heart, and turned to cut the cake.

Red Pavilion.

The manager transferred last month’s salary to Lu Xun’s WeChat and casually asked, “Why did you apply for an early leave today?”

Lu Xun accepted the transfer, put his phone in his pocket, and pressed his lips together. “Got something to do.”

“Alright, if you have something to do, go ahead,” the manager waved him off. “You can make up for it later.”

“Okay,” Lu Xun replied.

The bicycle sped down the busy street. Lu Xun glanced at the time, increasing his speed. The cold wind lifted his short hair, revealing his cold, handsome face, his ears slightly red from the chill.

The bike stopped in front of a brightly lit accessory store. Lu Xun stared at it for a moment before walking in.

“Hello… sir, can I help you?” The young saleswoman, in her twenties, was momentarily stunned by Lu Xun’s looks. Blushing slightly, she quickly regained composure.

Lu Xun’s gaze swept across the array of bracelets and necklaces, finally stopping at a specific section.