Several thunderclaps burst from the thick clouds over A City, but the rain still refused to fall.
Su Baixue's last class of the day was PE. The teacher dismissed them five minutes early to pack up. Cheers rose from the playground.
Su Cui saw He Li leave the classroom window overlooking the playground, a pleased smile on his face. He adjusted his appearance, picked up his bag, and quickly walked to the building where Su Baixue's classroom was.
From behind a lush green hedge, Su Cui watched He Li's back, then silently followed him.
She saw him stop at the door of Su Baixue's classroom.
Su Baixue walked out with her short class monitor, laughing. With her backpack on, she seemed almost radiant, even in the gloomy weather—not sickly pale, but a healthy, glowing white with a hint of pink.
She looked surprised to see He Li.
Su Cui watched them exchange a few words. Then Su Baixue said goodbye to the monitor, shouldered her backpack, and walked off with He Li—not toward the school gate, but turning toward the basketball court.
There were quite a few people near the court, but Su Baixue looked relaxed.
They chatted and laughed for a while. He Li took out a stack of papers and handed them to Su Baixue. She took them. After more talk, He Li produced two bottles of drinks and offered one to Su Baixue.
She declined at first.
So He Li adjusted his glasses, unscrewed the cap, and offered it again, saying something. His eyes were clear, and with his pretty boy looks, he seemed like a kind senior.
This time, Su Baixue accepted.
He Li also opened his own bottle and took a sip, watching Su Baixue naturally.
Su Baixue smiled and raised the bottle to her lips...
"Ouch!" Su Cui yelped, falling to the ground. Her old, familiar voice immediately caught the attention of Su Baixue, who turned to look.
Su Baixue had seen her grandmother in a mask many times and recognized the fallen old woman as Su Cui. Startled, she stopped drinking. Her hand loosened, and the bottle crashed to the ground, the soda fizzing and spilling everywhere.
Su Baixue rushed over to help Su Cui up.
"Grand... madam, are you okay?" Su Baixue almost said 'Grandma' but caught herself under Su Cui's raised eyebrows and changed it to 'madam.'
"I'm fine, thank you, classmate." Su Cui stood up and thanked her.
He Li also came over.
He recognized the cleaner from a few days ago who had wet his bag. Apparently, she recognized him too. "Oh, aren't you... He Li?"
Su Baixue looked from her grandmother to He Li, wondering how they knew each other.
Su Cui said with a smile, "School's over. Shouldn't you two be heading home? Especially you, He Li. With your foot like this, you should go home early to rest."
Cursing the old hag under his breath, He Li barely nodded, suppressing his anger at the mention of his foot because Su Baixue was still there.
Su Baixue, thinking Su Cui had misunderstood her relationship with He Li, quickly said, "We're going home soon. Thank you for the cultural festival materials, Senior He. Sorry about the drink just now—I lost my grip."
"It's fine. Where do you live? Want to walk together?" He Li asked with a smile.
Su Baixue shook her head. She always walked home with her grandmother. Even Shao Li parted ways at the school gate, so there was no way she would walk with He Li in front of Su Cui.
"No thanks, Senior. I always walk home alone." She said apologetically.
He Li looked impatient, but seeing her distant politeness, he forced a smile. "Alright... go home early. Be safe on the way."
Su Baixue left. He Li watched her for a moment, then turned to pick up the bottle.
But it was gone!
Looking around, he saw the old cleaner had cheerfully picked up the bottle and even poured out the remaining liquid at the nearby sink.
Seeing him look, Su Cui patted her uniform and said, "Students, if you're done with your drinks, don't litter. The recycling center can sell them. Are you done with that bottle in your hand? If not, you can give it to me~"
He Li: "..."
He tightened the cap on his bottle, put it in his backpack, and walked away with a dark face.
[Author's Note]
First update, making up for yesterday's (22nd). Second update will be a bit later.
Xunlu Jun 5 bottles; Jiang Qiao 3 bottles.