We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

Since we're going to participate in the competition, the question of whether or not we need to use our real names comes up.

Li Bubai: "Does this competition require real-name registration?"

If he has to register with his real name, then he won't participate.

Yan Shu: "No need."

Yan Shu sent him a screenshot of the competition rules. Due to the nature of the online competition, pseudonyms could be used, and a group name was also required.

Yan Shu: "What should we name our group?"

"Yan Shu is filling out the registration form," she asked.

Li Bubai: "Anything is fine, you can come and get it."

He doesn't have many requirements for naming.

Yan Shu: "That's called Chunqiu Pavilion?"

Chunqiuxuan? It sounds like a name from a fantasy novel about cultivating immortality, but it's probably a combination of the pen names of the two people.

Li Bubai: "Okay."

A name is just a label anyway, there's no need to rack your brains over it.

Yan Shu: "I've submitted the registration form. We'll send out a notification next weekend."

Li Bubai: "Okay, thank you."

Speaking of poetry, I've always troubled Yan Shu. I used to ask her to help me publish on Baiqiang, and now I have to ask her to help me submit my work for registration.

Yan Shu: "You're welcome, keep it up."

Li Bubai: Let's cheer each other on.

……

On Sunday, Li Mubai returned to school, topped up his meal card, and went straight back to the classroom.

Before he even reached the classroom, he heard whispering sounds coming from inside.

Li Mubai walked in through the back door of the classroom. Some girls patted the still-chattering student and gestured with their eyes. Before long, the entire classroom fell silent...

Was the homeroom teacher standing behind him? Li Mubai turned around in confusion, but there was no one there. He went to his seat and sat down. The girls in the classroom started whispering again, glancing at him from time to time.

Li Mubai was puzzled. What had happened?

When Xie Shu arrived in the classroom and sat in front of him, the chatter intensified. Amidst the noise, Li Mubai couldn't glean any useful information, only hearing a few phrases—puppy love, being together…

Could it be a misunderstanding that he and Xie Shu are together?

The commotion subsided temporarily after the evening study bell rang, and everyone returned to their seats.

Speaking of which, after changing seats today, he will be separated from Xie Shu and Chen Qiuhe for a week.

According to the rotation, he and Wang Rui sat in the first row of the third group, while Xie Shu and Chen Qiuhe sat in the last row of the third group, truly worlds apart.

As usual, Wu Changguo put on the news during the first evening self-study session, and then gestured for Li Mubai to follow him to the office.

Wu Changguo, usually neither humorous nor amiable, was certainly not serious. But today, he had a stern face and a slightly furrowed brow. He sat in his chair looking at Li Mubai, as if trying to see through him. He asked, seemingly casually:

"How's your studying going lately?"

"It's great. I'm memorizing vocabulary every day, and my math has improved a bit."

"Did you ask Xie Shu about the math problem?" Wu Changguo continued to ask.

Li Mubai's heart skipped a beat, but he still nodded slowly. "It was you, Wu Changguo, who told me to ask. I'm just following your instructions."

"I also heard about memorizing vocabulary from Teacher Li. Who did you ask to give you dictation tests?"

"I found the class monitor."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Mubai still told the truth. Teachers always have a kind of hierarchical suppression over students, which forces students to speak the truth involuntarily, even though Li Mubai may have already guessed why Wuchang Kingdom summoned him this time.

Wu Changguo remained silent for a long while before speaking:

"The teacher moved you to sit with the good students so that it would help your studies. I hope you understand the teacher's good intentions and don't focus your energy on other things, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mubai lowered his head and said:

"Yes, teacher."

"That's good. Go back and continue with your evening self-study. We'll see how things go after the monthly exam next week."

Depends on the situation? Depends on what situation? On his tutoring progress recently? If it has declined, will he be moved away from Xie Shu?

Li Mubai returned to the classroom, but there was no one in front of him except for the blackboard. He turned around and pretended to take something out of his bag. When he looked up, he saw other people. Xie Shu was sitting in the last row, and his view was blocked by the others.

Let's focus on preparing for the monthly exam; they'll be rotating to the last row next week too.

After evening self-study, Li Mubai returned to his dormitory to wash up. He was lying in bed reading "The Little Prince" when Yang Kun suddenly said:

"Hey, really nothing's going on between you and XS? Lots of girls in class are saying you're dating XS."

Besides studying and eating, the only other things happening on campus are dating and gossip.

"Nothing, why would such a rumor spread?" Li Mubai asked, puzzled.

"Some people say you two have been together for a long time, not just that time you went to No. 1 High School on Friday, but also the New Year's Eve party last semester, where you two performed in a play together. Tsk tsk tsk, girls all feel like it's a love story."

When talking about stage plays, Yang Kun exclaimed in surprise, "Why didn't you cast me as the male lead?"

"Yes, I also thought it was a love story when I watched it," Zhao Feng echoed.

Okay, even Li Mubai thinks so. Is there such a thing as pure friendship between boys and girls? Maybe it exists, but it's extremely rare.

People who can develop into friends often share similar interests, and it is precisely because of these shared interests that so-called pure friendship between men and women is more likely to develop into love.

"It's nothing really. I've already told you the reason for Friday's incident. It's probably because they didn't have enough people for the play, and I just happen to be a little familiar with the class monitor," Li Mubai said, feigning helplessness.

"Not enough manpower? Why don't you come to me?" Yang Kun asked back.

"You ugly duckling, are you supposed to be a comedian?" Zhao Feng bluntly mocked.

"What are you saying? This is a formality, why are you targeting me?"

"You can ask me anything, but you can't say why we didn't contact you."

Yang Kun and Zhao Feng are truly a pair of star-crossed lovers.

"So, to be honest, if they don't have enough people, they can go find girls, which would be more in line with the theme—friendship," Zhao Feng continued.

Li Mubai remained silent.

"Indeed, I think Xie Shu just likes to talk nonsense," Jiao Yong said directly.

"Oh my god, Brother Yong, how dare you call XS by his name!" Yang Kun exclaimed in surprise.

"What's wrong? Has XS become the Heavenly Emperor? Or Cthulhu? Can't I call him by his name?" Jiao Yong asked.

"Be careful, the walls may have ears," Wang Rui interjected.

"That's true."

"So, Lao Bai, what exactly is your relationship with Xie Shu now?" Jiao Yong asked again, and the others also turned their gazes to him.

"Yes... we're friends."

"friend?"

"Yes, friend." Li Mubai nodded, confirming his answer.

"No other ideas?" Zhao Feng asked.

"……No."

At least not now, and there shouldn't be any further progress. He's not good enough, and he can't be on par with her.

The stories in novels about rich young ladies falling in love with penniless men are all lies; in reality, there's always an invisible barrier between us.

"Actually, the two of them are too different. If they were together, they might break up soon. It's better to be friends," Wang Rui said.

Li Mubai remained noncommittal.

The same scene was playing out in the girls' dormitory...