The next day, Zhong Yun woke up feeling refreshed, his body buzzing with restless energy, itching to flip a somersault just to release it.

After much coaxing and persuasion, he managed to dissuade Yang Siqing from accompanying him to school. Imagine the scene: if she followed him, people would surely assume his grandfather was so worried he had to tail his grandson. He’d be laughed senseless.

Arriving at school, Zhong Yun found himself enjoying the familiar yet strangely new scenery of the campus grounds.

“Zhong Yun.”

He had barely stepped through the school gate when a girl’s voice called his name—a voice that usually gave him a headache. Still, pretending not to hear was impossible now.

He turned, forcing a smile onto his face. “What a coincidence.”

The caller was none other than Xiao Ruo’s friend, that sharp-tongued, fiery girl, Xiao Fen, who had verbally thrashed him nearly bald that other day. Beside her stood Xiao Ruo, elegant and statuesque in a water-blue dress, resembling a narcissus bloom peacefully reflected in water.

Seeing him look over, Xiao Ruo became a little shy, her gaze drifting away, unable to meet his eyes.

Xiao Fen, holding onto Xiao Ruo’s arm, walked up and fell into step beside him. She nudged his arm. “Hey, what gifts are you planning to give us?”

“Gifts?” Zhong Yun blinked, momentarily stumped.

“Judging by your expression, you haven't prepared anything, have you?” Xiao Fen shot him a look of disdain.

He actually hadn’t thought about it. Truth be told, Zhong Yun had genuinely forgotten.

Traditionally, after returning from a school trip, classmates exchanged gifts. Everyone usually dragged back bags and bags of souvenirs. Swapping presents and recounting travel anecdotes was part of the fun, though it was generally reserved for closer friends.

In the past, Zhong Yun only had Tian Hai as a friend. They did everything together on trips, buying double of everything—if one had it, the other did too. What was the point of exchanging gifts?

So, he had never given gifts to classmates before, and naturally, no one had ever given him any either.

“Of course, I have prepared something.” Zhong Yun unslung his backpack and, under Xiao Ruo’s expectant gaze, pulled out two carefully wrapped gift boxes.

Watching the happy look on Xiao Ruo’s face as she accepted her present, Zhong Yun secretly wiped a bead of sweat. These two gifts hadn’t actually been intended for them; they were just handy for this emergency.

Every year after the school trip, he would bring back two gifts: one for Xiao Qing, and one for Xiao Qing’s father. He had eaten at the Yunlai Restaurant for three years, and they had never accepted a cent from him, using the excuse that they were taste-testing dishes for Xiao Qing. But he knew clearly in his heart that Xiao Qing simply refused to take his money. These two gifts were merely a token of his appreciation.

“This is for you,” Xiao Fen tossed him a beautifully packaged box casually, saying indifferently, “Considering you still have a sliver of conscience.”

Zhong Yun was unsure whether to laugh or cry—did she really think he was a bad person? He shrugged helplessly and tucked the gift into his bag.

“This is for you,” Xiao Ruo murmured softly, handing him a small, exquisite gift box.

“Thank you,” Zhong Yun accepted it with a gentle smile.

“Xiao Ruo, is your health better?”

“Mhm, much better.”

“You still look a bit pale. Why don't you take a few days off?”

“No need, I’m fine.”

The three chatted as they walked back to the classroom.

When the rest of the class saw the trio entering while chatting and laughing, their expressions turned somewhat strange. It seemed the rumors were true; there really was something going on between those two.

The "two" they referred to were naturally Zhong Yun and Xiao Fen, whose explosive gossip had broken during the school trip. For students whose extracurricular lives were rather dull, what could be more interesting than a romance rumor between a boy and a girl? Moreover, Zhong Yun was the recognized underachiever who kept a low profile, and pairing him with the academically excellent Xiao Fen only added fuel to the gossip fire.

Of course, a few male students looked decidedly unhappy; they were all secretly infatuated with Xiao Fen.

Zhong Yun sensed the unusual scrutiny, but he paid it no mind.

Returning to his seat, just as he sat down, a boy diagonally across from him suddenly turned around and winked. “Man, didn’t realize you were so slick.”

“Go away, go away.” Tian Hai waved the boy off, then leaned close to Zhong Yun. “The whole class is buzzing about you and Xiao Fen…”

Ignoring his question, Zhong Yun suddenly asked, “Do you have any unopened gifts you were planning to give away?”

Tian Hai paused, then shook his head. “No, what are you up to?”

“I do,” Chen Wen, sitting in front, suddenly turned around and handed him a small gift box. “This is perfect for a girl.”

Zhong Yun didn’t stand on ceremony and took it.

Just then, the bell rang for class.

The teacher entered, and all the students quieted down, focusing on the lesson.

The class passed quickly. As soon as the teacher stepped out, the classroom erupted into chaos, students clutching their wrapped gifts to give to their friends.

As Zhong Yun held the gift Chen Wen had given him, hesitating on what to do next, Liu Yunqi suddenly stood up and walked straight toward him. Meanwhile, Tian Hai nudged his shoulder, making encouraging gestures.

While Zhong Yun was still spacing out, Liu Yunqi reached his desk. “Thank you for staying with me these past few days. This is just a small token of my appreciation; please accept it.” As she spoke, she offered him a gift box she held.

“Oh…” Feeling he had lost his composure, Zhong Yun scrambled to his feet. “Um… I…” He hadn’t expected Liu Yunqi to present him with a gift in front of the entire class; he was caught completely off guard.

“Hurry up and take it, idiot,” Tian Hai urged him sotto voce, nearly cursing in his anxiety.

Only then did Zhong Yun snap out of his daze and take the gift from Liu Yunqi’s hand.

The commotion had already captured the attention of the entire class. Many boys unconsciously kept tabs on Liu Yunqi’s movements; they dared not look at her directly, only daring to greedily admire her infinitely beautiful silhouette as she passed. When they saw her walking up to Zhong Yun’s desk, they already had a bad feeling. When she produced the gift box, everyone who witnessed the scene suffered a sudden mental shutdown.

Unknowingly, the noisy classroom had fallen into an eerie silence. Everyone stared blankly at the central figures—Zhong Yun and Liu Yunqi—their mouths wide open, as if watching a ridiculous play unfold.

After presenting the gift, Liu Yunqi remained standing there, her beautiful eyes fixed on him. Zhong Yun seemed bewitched, foolishly asking, “Why aren’t you leaving yet?”

Tian Hai’s vision momentarily darkened, and he nearly tumbled to the floor. Only one thought echoed in his mind: It’s over. How dense must one be to utter such a moronic question?

Chen Wen almost burst out laughing but managed to suppress it, wondering if the guy was truly crazy or just playing dumb.

“You haven’t given me my gift yet,” Liu Yunqi replied, playfully batting her eyelashes.

This girlish, slightly coquettish tone made Tian Hai and Chen Wen feel like they were sleepwalking. Was this really the untouchable, sacred, angelic Liu Yunqi, who seemed above mortal affairs?

Zhong Yun slapped his forehead. He didn’t know what had gotten into him today; he was acting foolish, like a novice boy facing his crush for the first time. “I forgot.”

Saying that, he finally pulled the gift box out from his drawer.

“What an absolute idiot.”

Liu Yunqi shot him a look, then smiled as she took the gift box.