Chapter 011

He Yong brought home some wedding candies wrapped in small red boxes for his daughter. These were prepared by the newlyweds, and the remainder were distributed among the relatives.

The next day at school, He Ye gave one box each to her good friend Zhu Qing and her deskmate Wu Yuanyuan.

“I like chocolate.”

“I prefer this hard candy.”

During the break, the two girls gathered around He Ye, enjoying their candy and chatting.

A row away, Zhou Xiangming was secretly annoyed and muttered to Lu Jin, “Why do they get candy and we don’t?”

Lu Jin: “You could ask for some.”

Zhou Xiangming: “It’s the thought that counts. What’s the point of asking?”

Because of the wedding candy, the three of them rode their bikes home together in the evening. Zhou Xiangming was unusually quiet, frequently glancing at He Ye.

“It wasn’t just about the candies; he was concerned about whether He Ye considered him and Lu Jin as friends.”

Although Lu Jin liked He Ye, Zhou Xiangming had also been making an effort recently and genuinely regarded her as a friend.

The more he thought about it, the more hurt he felt.

Zhou Xiangming sighed dramatically.

He Ye, riding ahead, looked back at him in confusion.

Zhou Xiangming couldn’t keep his feelings to himself and said sourly, “Xiao Ye, you’ve let down my enthusiasm.”

He Ye was puzzled: “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Xiangming turned away and snorted, “You know what you did.”

He Ye: …

Lu Jin: “He saw you giving Zhu Qing and the others wedding candies and felt upset that you didn’t give him any.”

He Ye was initially surprised but then smiled. She stopped her bike, took out two more boxes of wedding candy from her schoolbag, and handed them to the two boys: “I had some prepared for you as well. It wasn’t convenient to give them in the classroom, so I wanted to give them to you at the community entrance.”

Considering how much Lu Jin had helped her and the friendship between the three of them, these wedding candies were definitely necessary.

Zhou Xiangming’s mood brightened immediately. He opened the box, popped a candy into his mouth, and rode off, humming a tune.

Lu Jin, still nearby, smiled.

He Ye whispered, “I still owe you a cup of milk tea. Let me know when you want it.”

She had intended to buy Lu Jin a drink when she returned to the community, but he had said he didn’t need one for now.

Lu Jin: “Why do you seem so eager to repay your debt?”

He Ye bowed her head, acknowledging the debt of gratitude.

Lu Jin: “I’ll let you know by this weekend at the latest.”

He Ye smiled.

By Sunday noon, He Ye went to the supermarket to bring lunch to her father.

He Yong, who usually greets his daughter with a smile, had a heavy expression today. As soon as the guests left, he fixed his gaze on his daughter and asked, “Did you encounter some hooligans last week? Why didn’t you tell me?”

He Ye was taken aback: “How do you know?”

He Yong: “Lu Jin came this morning and said he happened to see someone bothering you when he came to buy something.”

He Ye didn’t want her father to worry, so she quickly explained, “Dad, don’t worry. That person only said something inappropriate, and Lu Jin arrived soon after. There was no trouble afterward.”

A week had passed, so He Yong was no longer anxious but was still angry and wanted to catch that yellow-haired guy and give him a good beating.

He Ye quietly opened the lunch box and observed her father. When she saw that his anger had subsided, she asked softly, “Lu Jin came to buy something?”

He Ye was grateful for Lu Jin’s help but didn’t want to make her father unnecessarily upset.

She had a small complaint about this.

He Yong: “No, he came specifically to tell me about the incident and suggested that I install surveillance cameras in the supermarket. It would help prevent theft and deter troublemakers.”

He Ye was stunned.

He Yong: “I used to run a small supermarket in an old neighborhood, and back then, we didn’t consider installing cameras since the space was small and there weren’t many blind spots. But now, after Lu Jin’s suggestion, I’ve decided to install them.”

“Your classmate is really good. He even searched for several models online for me to choose from. I have just placed an order, and it will be delivered in two days. He also said that he will teach me how to use it when the time comes.”

He Yong already admired Lu Jin, a promising candidate for Peking University and Tsinghua University, and now his impression of Lu Jin had improved significantly.

He Ye’s little complaint about Lu Jin just now turned into sincere gratitude. It turned out that he was not talking too much but was trying to persuade her father to install surveillance.

While her father was eating, He Ye walked to the shelf and sent a message to Lu Jin: [I heard from my father that it’s a good idea for supermarkets to install surveillance cameras. Thank you.]

Team leader: [Even if I don’t tell you, Uncle will realize that private surveillance will become more and more popular.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [I’ll study it when I get back. I won’t bother you with the installation.]

Team leader: [Sure, call me if you have any questions.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Well, I’m outside the community now. Do you want me to bring you a cup of milk tea?]

Team Leader: [Err..No, lemon juice should be fine.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [You live in Building 10, right? I’ll call you when I get there.]

Team leader: [OK]

After the chat, He Ye put away her phone and waited for her father to finish eating. Then she left with the lunch box.

After waiting for the milk tea for a few minutes, He Ye walked into the community holding a parasol in one hand and a lunch box, bag, and milk tea in the other.

She was thinking about the route to Building 10, and with her umbrella held low, she didn’t pay attention to the pedestrians on both sides of the road.

Until a bike bell rang nearby, He Ye looked over subconsciously and then was stunned.

Under the shade of the tree, Lu Jin sat on his bicycle, looking at her with a slight smile.

He Ye: “You, what are you doing…”

Lu Jin: “Building 10 is quite far from here. You’ve already treated me to a meal, so I don’t have the nerve to ask you to walk there in such hot weather.”

After saying that, he turned his head and motioned for He Ye to get on: “Since you are here, I will give you a ride.”

“He Ye felt inexplicably guilty and looked around. She had also taken his bike last weekend, but it was at night, so she wasn’t worried about being seen by anyone.”

Fortunately, the sun was shining brightly, and there were only her and Lu Jin on the road.

After some polite exchanges, at Lu Jin’s insistence, He Ye put away her umbrella and quickly sat in the back seat of the bicycle.

The sun was very hot, and Lu Jin was riding very fast, which brought a cool breeze that made the hair by He Ye’s ears flutter and rub against her face, making it a little itchy.

Soon, the bicycle stopped under the shade of a tree in front of Building 7.

He Ye get off the bike and handed over his iced milk tea.

Lu Jin took the milk tea in one hand and took out a transparent portable box from his loose shirt pocket with the other hand. The box was filled with peeled red pomegranate granules, which were 70% full.

“My mother loves to eat pomegranates. She peels too many. This box is for you.”

He Ye: “Did your aunt peel it?”

Lu Jin: “I peeled them. There are still a few left. If she wants to eat some, I’ll peel them again. They’re still fresh.”

As he said that, he stuffed the box into He Ye’s hand and rode away on his bike.

The wind blew up his open clothes, making them flutter lightly in the air.

He Ye looked at the portable box in her hand. It seemed that it had just been taken out of the refrigerator and was still cold.

Back upstairs, He Ye washed her hands, sat at the dining table, and started eating.

Pomegranate has a lot of flesh and small seeds, and it is sweet and delicious.

He Ye just had the idea of leaving half a box for her father, but she gave it up. What was there to leave? How would she explain when her father asked where the pomegranates came from?

I can only say that Lu Jin is really good at making friends. Someone like He Ye cannot be so comprehensive.

Two days later, the surveillance camera that He Yong purchased online arrived.

He Ye also completely figured out how to install and use the monitor, spending an hour that night to complete the installation with her father’s beginner’s guidance. The 40-year-old He Yong actually directed his daughter to walk around the supermarket as if she had a fun toy while he sat in front of the screen to observe the effect.

It was almost half past eleven when the father and daughter returned home.

He Ye thought about it and sent a message to Lu Jin: [The surveillance camera has been installed. My dad likes it very much and keeps praising you.]

Team leader: [Uncle know how to use it?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [I taught him. It’s quite simple. Thank you.]

Team Leader: [You’re welcome.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [There is nothing else to do, let’s go to bed early.]

Team leader: [Well, good night.]

Putting down her phone, He Ye listened to some English audio and soon fell asleep.

On this day, at the end of the month, students were obviously more agitated than usual because the National Day holiday starts tomorrow, although high school students only have three pitiful days.

After the evening self-study, He Ye stuffed almost all the books and exercise books for all subjects into her schoolbag, preparing to continue working hard at home for the next three days.

“As soon as I saw your schoolbag, I knew you didn’t want to go out and play.”

Far away from the school, Zhou Xiangming approached He Ye and sighed.

He Ye: “With so much homework, there’s no time to play.”

Zhou Xiangming: “Time is like a sponge. If you squeeze it, there will always be some. Besides, it’s Lu Jin’s birthday on the 2nd. He has already made arrangements. He invited us to go rafting.”

He Ye: …

Is “us” what she understood it to mean?

Lu Jin, who had been riding behind, finally came to He Ye’s right and explained, “The scenery over there is pretty good, and it’s close to the city, so it’s very suitable for a day trip. In addition to us, Li Liang will also be invited. Have you seen him?”

Of course, He Ye had seen Li Liang before. He was a tall and thin man wearing glasses, and he often came to Class 8 to play with Lu Jin and Zhou Xiangming.

He Ye: “If you guys are going, I won’t go, right?”

They weren’t familiar enough to travel together, not to mention she was the only girl. He Ye felt uncomfortable just imagining the travel scene.

Zhou Xiangming: “We are all friends, there is no need to distinguish between boys and girls. Besides, the rafts over there only seat two people. If you don’t go, we will have to bring someone else to make up the number.”

He Ye bit her lip.

Lu Jin looked at her and said, “It’s okay if you don’t want to go. It depends on whether you like it or not.”

Zhou Xiangming: “If He Ye really doesn’t want to go, then you can find someone else. I want to go with Li Liang. By the way, have you bought the ticket? Can you return one?”

Lu Jin: “It’s still not too late to buy it tomorrow.”

He Ye breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “Then you guys have fun. I would rather read at home.”

Lu Jin: “Yeah.”

Zhou Xiangming: …

After they separated in the community, Zhou Xiangming couldn’t help but complain to his good friend: “I set the stage for you. If you had just said that you already bought the ticket and it was difficult to return it, He Ye would definitely have gone. You’re so stupid for telling the truth.”

Lu Jin just rode his bike calmly.

Zhou Xiangming: “Okay, if you are not proactive, I won’t care about you anymore!”

Lu Jin: “Well, read more and be less distracted.”

Zhou Xiangming: …

Although He Ye didn’t want to go rafting with the three boys, since everyone knew that Lu Jin No. 2 was having a birthday, she had to express her gratitude. After all, Lu Jin had included her in his travel plan.

The problem was that He Ye had never given a gift to a boy and had no experience.

He Ye searched the internet for various things, and the more she looked, the more confused she became. She had no choice but to ask Zhou Xiangming, who knew Lu Jin best, for help: [What does Lu Jin like? I will prepare a gift for him as well.]

Zhou Xiangming: [Hehe.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [?]

Zhou Xiangming: [Let me think about it. He doesn’t have many hobbies. He is more practical.]

He Ye also hoped to give a more meaningful gift. Buying something and then having it thrown aside is a waste of money.

A few minutes later, Zhou Xiangming said: [Belt, razor, keychain. Please choose one; they are all things he mentioned wanting to buy recently.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Then let’s go with a keychain.]

The belt seemed too ambiguous, and the razor too weird.

Speaking of which, He Ye didn’t pay much attention to it. Did Lu Jin even grow a beard?