The school beauty’s parting words, “Just wait and see,” were not empty.

Ever since she confessed in the classroom that day, she had been fiercely pursuing Qiao. Every day, she would come to our class just to see him, always saying a few sweet words that left him at a loss for what to do. No girl had ever pursued him so openly; most girls who liked him were much more reserved.

The school beauty chased after Qiao like a spoiled young lord, as if Qiao were the girl.

She didn’t hesitate to bring him breakfast and gifts. Her gifts were unique—not luxurious items but rather simple things, some even handmade.

When she was with other guys, she would usually shower them with expensive gifts to make them happy. But it seemed she was putting genuine effort into her pursuit of Qiao.

In the sweltering classroom, the old fan oscillated, blowing random gusts of warm air. Everyone was sweating—some were panting and wiping sweat, others gulping down water, while some didn’t even care about appearances and scratched awkward itches.

Meanwhile, Qiao was tidying his desk, trying to make room by reluctantly pushing aside the small pile of gifts she had left. It was only after he moved everything aside that he had enough space for his books.

He had just come back from gym class, only to find his desk covered in small gifts. Most of them were practical, like a shiny black pen, boxes of health supplements, and a cushion the school beauty had sewn herself.

Not only did Qiao notice; everyone did, and the classroom soon filled with teasing laughter, catcalls from one side, and cheers from the other.

I muttered to myself, “So thoughtful.”

I thought the school beauty was considerate, but Qiao looked troubled. At first, he didn’t know what to do with all these gifts. He didn’t want to keep them, but he didn’t feel right throwing them away either. Being the frugal and diligent person he was, he couldn’t bring himself to discard them, so he ended up giving them to others.

The main beneficiary of this was Liao Sixing, who accepted them without hesitation as a reward for his academic progress. Whenever Liao’s grades improved a little, Qiao would pass on one of her gifts with the school beauty’s lingering fragrance as encouragement for “slow learner Liao.”

Recently, Qiao had been handling the gifts this way, and the school beauty assumed he was keeping them. But today, she happened to witness him giving one of her gifts away and stood by his desk, heartbroken, her eyes brimming with tears.

No other girl had ever cried in front of Qiao, not even the usual admirers who were bolder.

“Qiao, I stayed up late for several nights just to finish that cushion for you. I thought you’d feel comfortable sitting on it… It makes me so sad that you didn’t get to use it. I bought this pen online, searching for hours despite my sore eyes, hoping you’d write with it… It’s such a pity you didn’t. And the health supplements—I got lost for hours looking for them; it was terrifying…” The school beauty wept, recounting the hard work she put into each gift, holding up her fingers to show the countless tiny red marks. Her fair, delicate fingers, along with her tear-streaked, beautiful face, made it hard not to feel sympathy.

Liao glanced down at the soft cushion under him, embarrassed. His face flushed as he handed back all of Qiao’s “progress rewards.”

The classmates around us watched, stunned, at the sight of her tearful confession. Qiao didn’t seem to notice the returned gifts, but his usual calmness wavered slightly. It was hard to tell if he was distressed by her tears or simply felt guilty.

After a moment, he quickly pulled out a tissue, intending to help wipe away the tears on her delicate face.