We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

Ring ring.

After evening self-study, it was Li Mubai's group's turn to clean up. He picked up the mop and went to the toilet.

Deng Yi was standing at the classroom door waiting for Xie Shu. She had originally wanted to help Xie Shu clean up, but the latter refused.

"Class monitor, I'm going to throw out the trash now." Li Mubai said to Xie Shu, picking up the trash bag that was already filled with trash after he finished mopping the floor.

"Okay." Xie Shu nodded gently. She checked the classroom again to make sure it was clean, then put on her backpack, turned off the lights, and the floor was plunged into darkness.

"Shu Bao~" Deng Yi exclaimed excitedly.

"Hmm?" Xie Shu looked at her in confusion, wondering why she was so agitated.

After glancing around and making sure no one else was around, she lowered her voice and said mysteriously:

"Shubao, guess what I saw today?"

"What did you see?" Xie Shu asked directly.

"I saw Li Mubai with a girl!"

"Hmm." Xie Shu's response was indifferent.

"And that girl is actually his childhood sweetheart!" Deng Yi deliberately feigned surprise.

"Green plum?" Xie Shu asked in confusion, as he had never seen him with this so-called green plum before.

"Yes, but she's a transfer student who appeared out of nowhere."

"oh."

Is it possible for a person to like one person at the same time as another person?

"Shu Bao, why are you so calm? This is like a childhood sweetheart sent from heaven!"

"Deng Yi, why are you so concerned about Li Mubai's private life?" Xie Shu asked rhetorically.

"Because...because of what you did to him, as your friend, I pay more attention to the people around you," Deng Yi said after thinking for a while.

"Deng Yi, your evaluation and impression of Li Mubai doesn't seem very good, and you keep trying to convey this impression to me." Xie Shu paused for a moment, "But I don't know what led you to this impression."

Deng Yi scratched the back of her neck, thinking about Li Mubai, whom she had known since the first year of high school. Could it be because he "didn't know what was good for him" and rejected their kindness back then?

"Has he done anything heinous?" Xie Shu asked.

"Uh—no."

"Has he become obsessed with trivial things and neglected his studies?" Xie Shu asked in a flat tone.

"Uh—it doesn't seem so."

"So, does he have a messy romantic history and cheat on his girlfriend?"

"It seems...not really..."

"Then why did you treat him with malice?" Xie Shu paused deliberately, then finally said, "With ill intent?"

...She said all she had to say; if Deng Yi remained stubborn, then so be it.

"I'm sorry, I was too prejudiced and viewed him with bias." Deng Yi apologized sincerely.

"Perhaps you should apologize to him."

"I will, if I have the chance! Thank you, Shu Bao, I almost became one of those villainous supporting female characters."

"In fact, we sometimes can't help but view a person with subjective impressions. If the other person doesn't fit our aesthetic preferences, we will still have a bad first impression."

Xie Shu continued speaking to herself, then changed the subject:

"However, I think a gentle person can overcome these superficial things and get to know the true soul hidden beneath the skin."

Deng Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded in deep agreement.

"Of course, as ordinary people, what we can do is not let our subjective first impressions influence our judgment of a person," Xie Shu continued.

"Well said! Shu Bao, you're amazing! No wonder you're the most well-read girl among us." Deng Yi couldn't help but applaud.

Xie Shu smiled modestly, then reverted to her usual aloof demeanor. "The most read?" she asked. Because she too had once been alone, uninterested in anything except reading…

"Shu Bao, may I ask a question related to Li Mu Bai?" Deng Yi said, glancing at Xie Shu, who remained expressionless. Deng Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Um."

"Have you ever been in a relationship before?" This was a bold question, and Deng Yi pondered for a long time before asking it.

"No." Xie Shu looked at her, wondering why she asked that.

"It's Shu Bao, I'm sure you know Li Mu Bai better than I do, but do you know yourself?"

"Um?"

"Because people might want to be in a romantic relationship when they reach puberty, could that be why you're interested?"

Deng Yi phrased it tactfully, but Xie Shu understood. She was asking whether Xie Shu's feelings for Li Mubai stemmed from puberty, or whether his desire to get closer to Li Mubai was solely due to his feelings for him.

Is her feeling towards him a sign of attraction? Does she like him? Will they be together in the future?

Xie Shu was never interested in books on love and romance; she preferred the rhythmic beauty of poetry, which could add a touch of color to her once dull and hopeless life.

But now she has read all the books, and none of them can solve the problem she is facing.

"I'm too young, I don't know how to love!"

This is a line she used on the cover of his "The Little Prince." This "love" may not specifically refer to romantic love, but it still applies today.

"Deng Yi, what if it were you?" Xie Shu asked softly.

"Sigh, I guess it's like cement sealing my heart. I was originally second in my class in the third year of junior high, but my grades were affected by dating. In the end, my partner broke up with me. Fortunately, I studied non-stop for the last two months and managed to catch up a bit," Deng Yi sighed softly.

"Feel sorry."

"It's alright, so much time has passed and I don't care anymore." Deng Yi smiled and said, "That's why I'm worried about you, Shu Bao... afraid you'll repeat my mistakes."

Xie Shu remained silent, and Deng Yi continued:

"Of course, there are couples who maintain their grades even after getting together, and even motivate each other to study." She changed the subject, "But I still suggest you consider it after the college entrance exam. After all, there won't be so many constraints after the exam."

"Let's see, we're in the dorm now," Xie Shu said softly.

She hadn't figured it out yet, hadn't decided where she and he wanted to go, hadn't figured out what her own feelings were...

"At that time, I was not good at understanding people at all! I should have judged the flowers by their actions, not their words. The flowers brought fragrance and light to my life. I should never have run away! I should have guessed that behind her little tricks lay her tenderness. The flowers are always so contradictory! But I was too young then, and I didn't know how to love her." (The Little Prince, p. 48)

dong dong dong.

Wu Changguo gently tapped on the side of Li Mubai's wooden bed, bringing the latter back to reality from the world of books.

"Read less at night, it will affect your eyesight." Since it was almost midnight and everyone else had already gone to sleep, with Yang Kun even snoring, Wu Changguo lowered his voice.

"OK."

Li Mubai carefully put the book away and placed it beside his pillow, then turned off the lamp. Wu Changguo glanced at Wang Rui again, who also wisely turned off the light and lay down.

Why does Wu Changguo like to visit the men's dormitory so much...?

The door was gently closed, and the figure still standing in the dormitory disappeared. Two minutes later, Wang Rui's light was turned on again.