"Who gave you the gift?" Su Cui asked as she tidied up.
"It was Su Yang! Grandma, do you remember him? He's the boy who borrowed a 2B pencil from me during the high school entrance exam. He also got into A City High!" Su Baixue laughed.
"What a coincidence?" Su Cui stopped moving and felt a twinge of suspicion. She pulled Su Baixue to sit on the bed and carefully asked how many times she had met Su Yang and what they had said. Su Baixue, unsuspecting, told her: "Not many times—just twice total. The first time was during midterms, outside the teacher's office. He asked for my phone number..."
"Ah! Why didn't you tell Grandma!" Su Cui said anxiously. "Next time someone approaches you alone, you must tell me immediately."
"Okay!"
"Did he contact you afterward?"
Su Baixue shook her head, disappointed. "No. He never contacted me... The second time was today. He came to school and gave me a Christmas gift."
Oh, no contact—that's good. Su Cui relaxed a little and asked with confusion: "So you've only met three times in total. You're not even close. Why would he randomly give you a gift?"
Su Baixue lowered her head.
Yeah, they weren't close, yet he gave her a gift. That proved she was a little special to him, right?
"I get it! He's repaying you for lending him that 2B pencil." Su Cui thought it over and made this conclusion. Little did she know, her words shattered her granddaughter's rare moment of romantic fantasy and maidenly shyness into pieces.
Hearing Su Cui's conclusion, Su Baixue looked up, stunned.
The sweet feelings of spring were swept away by a cold draft. Outside the window, a lump of snow on a branch fell with a plop, and along with it, Su Baixue's budding feelings froze and vanished.
"Besides giving you the gift, did he say anything else? Did he invite you out?"
"...No."
"Did he often come to see you?"
"No..."
"Was he especially close when talking to you?"
"No."
"Did he touch you?"
"No!" Su Baixue quickly said. "Grandma, we just talked. Why would he touch me? Absolutely not. Besides, Su Yang has a bad heart; he's always sick and hardly ever comes to school."
Su Cui said with delight: "He's in poor health? That's good... Er, I mean, no. His parents must be so worried. He definitely shouldn't take it lightly and should take a leave of absence for proper treatment."
Bad health means bad kidneys. And since he neither contacts Su Baixue nor touches her, he can basically be ruled out as a scumbag or pervert.
As the absolute female lead of this harmonious novel, Su Baixue wouldn't have men with such severe health issues around her. Even minor characters wouldn't have heart problems.
Su Cui stated firmly: "Giving you a gift must be his way of repaying you for the 2B pencil!"
"After all, not having a pencil during an exam is a huge hassle. He's a very polite and good kid." Su Cui praised him.
Su Baixue pondered for a while and then nodded vigorously. "Mm, Grandma, you're right."
Sigh.
What was she being so sentimental about? Her face flushed with embarrassment. She decided not to overthink it. Su Yang was just returning a favor. She shouldn't dwell on it.
She needed to focus on her studies. "Grandma, I'm going to study!" Su Baixue adjusted her mood and perked up.
"Go ahead." Su Cui encouraged her. "Keep it up, Baixue. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Today, on my way to the market, I passed a roast duck shop and won a lottery—got a roast duck! When you get tired, just take it from the fridge."
Su Baixue nodded. "Okay!"
Without any scumbags or perverts bothering her, Su Baixue, thanks to Su Cui's daily encouragement and praise, began to undergo subtle but important changes in her personality, even without realizing it.
She was about to close the door when Su Cui suddenly thought of something and suggested: "By the way, Baixue, you could give him a gift in return. Before, you received an apple and later gave that small desk lamp to Shao Li, right? Want me to go downstairs and buy something for you to give back tomorrow?"
"No need, Grandma. I want to give him something else. I'll buy it myself." Su Baixue replied.
"Alright. But he is a boy. I still hope you'll focus on studying for now. High school is an important time. Besides, he's not in good health, so it's best not to disturb him too much."
Su Cui gave her sincere advice along with her opinion. "You're in high school now. In middle school, we were struggling, so you didn't have time to make friends or enjoy life—only study. But now I'm here, and I want you to live more comfortably."
"At school, whether it's boys or girls, I support you in trying to make friends. Friends aren't limited by gender. Don't worry about gossip, as if talking to a boy means you're dating or going to marry him." Su Cui looked into Su Baixue's eyes. "This isn't the old days anymore. Normal friendships and interactions can teach you a lot. As long as you think that person is worth associating with, you can be friends."
"But before you get to know someone, stay cautious. Not everyone who smiles at you means you well. Do you understand?"
Su Cui didn't use the term 'Grandma' for herself, and Su Baixue understood. She smiled and nodded. "Mm."
Good girl. Su Cui watched as Su Baixue closed the door.
Recently, she had been encouraging Su Baixue to interact with more people, to understand different personalities and thoughts through socializing, and to discern and choose friends. This might increase the risk of encountering scumbags, but Su Cui couldn't bear to let Su Baixue be so lonely at this beautiful age.
Su Baixue's longing eyes when she mentioned friends. The joy she felt when receiving a gift from Shao Li. And today, the excitement of getting a Christmas gift. Su Cui didn't want to eliminate all possibilities of Su Baixue making friends just to prevent scumbags.
If that were the case, she could lock Su Baixue at home and never let her go out or attend school—wouldn't that protect her even more? But that wasn't the life Su Cui wanted for Su Baixue.
Of course, this would increase her burden, but Su Cui felt a rare burst of enthusiasm as she looked at all the things on her bed.
She cheered herself up. Who would have thought, after studying for so many years and graduating ages ago, now as an old woman, she had learned square dancing and elderly fashion, and now she had to learn swimming and weapons. Hahaha. It seemed that no matter where you are, if you want to live well, you have to keep learning. Learning is endless!
Su Cui opened her phone and started comparing nearby swimming classes, checking the nearest legal shooting ranges, and also looking into shooting clubs and their prices.
*
The next day, when Su Baixue went to Class Ten to see Su Yang, she didn't find him.
After school, Chen Baozhu cornered Su Baixue at her seat. Tian Ling sat behind her, with Chen Baozhu and Chen Shumin on either side, forming a three-pronged encirclement. They pressured her to reveal what Su Yang had said.