We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

After my mind calmed down completely, I felt nervous and uneasy about what was about to happen.

Li Mubai had to admit that he had indeed acted impulsively this time.

He hadn't even properly planned what to say or do when he got to Xie Shu's house. Should he directly suggest it to her parents? Would that seem too presumptuous and unrealistic?

He looked down at the document in his hand, a thin leather file folder. He didn't know exactly what it contained, only that it was a task assigned to him by Wu Changguo, and perhaps there were other tasks as well.

If you do nothing, the outcome is already decided...

On Saturday afternoon, following the address given to him by Wu Changguo, he took the subway and arrived at the gate of a villa area.

Yuehu Bay.

The three gilded characters gleamed brightly in the afternoon sun, almost blindingly so, as if silently proclaiming the distance between this place and ordinary neighborhoods.

The security guard at the entrance stood ramrod straight and motionless, but his eyes were fixed on Li Mubai, scrutinizing him from head to toe, making Li Mubai feel extremely uncomfortable.

Li Mubai reached out and gently pushed the door, but it didn't budge.

"What are you doing here?" Seeing that he was clearly not a resident, the security guard immediately questioned him without any politeness.

"I'm here to deliver some materials to my classmate," Li Mubai replied.

"Delivering materials to a classmate? Which household?"

"No. 24 Yuehu Bay".

"Wait."

After the security guard finished speaking, he turned and walked into the guard booth, dialed the landline on the wall, and heard a regular "beep beep" sound from the receiver, each sound like a tap on Li Mubai's heart.

He suddenly realized a serious problem—he hadn't told Xie Shu beforehand that he was coming. What if no one was home? What if she was unavailable?

After a long two seconds, the call was connected.

"What can I do for you?" It was Xie Shu's voice, calm and composed.

The security guard's attitude instantly underwent a complete 180-degree turn, his tone becoming almost polite and respectful.

"Hello, Ms. Xie! There's a young man at the door who claims to be your classmate. Would it be convenient for you to let him in?"

"Let him in, um—" Xie Shu paused, then continued, "and then please take him to number 24, thank you."

"Okay, okay!"

Li Mubai's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, settled down slightly. It seemed that Wu Changguo had already informed Xie Shujia in advance.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 10 ...

"Come in, follow me." The security guard remained expressionless, his tone indifferent.

"..." Li Mubai used to read urban web novels and whenever he saw security guards in high-end clubs or upscale residential areas stopping the male protagonist in school uniform and making things difficult for him, he thought it was unrealistic. Are there really security guards like that in real life?

Now I've seen it for myself. Although there's no overt discrimination or malice, they do "treat people differently based on their status." They're indifferent to ordinary people and interrogate them particularly strictly.

Novels often depict people from privileged backgrounds as preferring those who are neither arrogant nor humble.

Li Mubai took a deep breath, suppressed the curiosity in his eyes, forced himself to keep his eyes straight ahead and not look around, and quietly followed behind.

"We've arrived." The security guard said this and turned to leave, leaving Li Mubai standing alone in front of the villa.

This is a modern-style detached villa with a small courtyard and low walls, so quiet that you can hear the wind rustling through the leaves.

He took another deep breath, mentally preparing himself to face Xie Shu's parents, and raised his hand to ring the doorbell of the courtyard gate.

Ding-dong-

The doorbell rang, but the yard remained silent, as if a stone had sunk into the sea.

After waiting for nearly half a minute with no response, Li Mubai hesitated for a moment and then pressed the button again.

Click—

The electronic lock popped open, and the door opened slightly inward, but there was no one behind it.

He pushed open the door and tiptoed inside. When he looked up, he saw Xie Shu standing at the entrance of the villa, quietly watching him.

She didn't tie her hair up; her long hair fell naturally. She wore a gray V-neck knit sweater, with a clean white inner layer peeking out from the neckline. She looked gentle and refreshing.

"Why are you here?" Xie Shu asked first, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible doubt.

"Huh? Class monitor, I've come to bring you some materials, didn't you know?" In his nervousness, he subconsciously reverted to his usual form of address; when people are flustered, they tend to rely on habits.

"My name is Xie Shu," she whispered.

"Sorry... Xie Shu, I've come to deliver some documents to you." Li Mubai quickly changed his tune and handed over the file folder in his hand.

"Come in first." Xie Shu stepped aside and opened the villa door.

"Do...do we need to change our shoes?" Li Mubai asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Need not."

His heart was pounding faster. He was on edge with every step he took, afraid that a strange middle-aged couple would suddenly appear from the living room and ask him, "Who are you?"

Xie Shu led him to a side hall, which looked like an elegant tea room:

"Please sit here for a while."

Li Mubai didn't sit down; instead, he stood there even more awkwardly, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet.

A short while later, Xie Shu returned, carrying an exquisite little gold box and an unopened tea set.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked.

"No need, class monitor, I'll just have some water." Li Mubai quickly waved his hand.

This time, Xie Shu did not correct his form of address, but simply picked up the kettle on his own.

She unwrapped the new tea set; inside were a pair of pale blue teacups and a small teapot. She gently placed one of the cups beside him and whispered:

"Sit here, don't be nervous, no one's home."

...Huh? Nobody's here? Li Mubai was stunned for a moment.

Huh? Nobody's here? He spent the whole night simulating with Doubao last night, and nobody's here?

He slowly sat down and once again handed the file folder forward:

"Ban... Xie Shu, this is the information Teacher Wu asked me to give you."

"Try this tea first."

Xie Shu did not accept it immediately. Instead, he took a few dried tea leaves from the small golden box, put them into the pot, and poured in boiling water. A delicate fragrance instantly spread out – the scent of jasmine.

"This is jasmine tea. Don't you like jasmine? You can try it."

"I'll just use a disposable cup," Li Mubai said, a little embarrassed.

"It's alright, these are new tea sets. You can use them next time you come."

Is there going to be a next time? Li Mubai's heart skipped a beat. Next time might not be so coincidental, with her parents not being home at the same time.

He looked down at the cup. The cup had fine, cicada-wing-like crackles on its body, and the pale celadon glaze was warm and lustrous. The rim of the cup was inlaid with an extremely thin gold border. When the sunlight fell on it, the celadon tinged with a faint warm yellow.

"Is this Ru ware?" he asked.

"Yes, you bought it before?"

"No, there are pictures of Ru ware in the first-year high school history textbook."

"Mmm, try it!"

Li Mubai picked up the teacup, and the aroma became even stronger. He took a small sip; the tea was neither bitter nor astringent, but rather sweet and smooth with a refreshing aftertaste.

"It's delicious," he said sincerely.

"If you like it, this is for you." Xie Shu smiled slightly and pushed the small golden box in front of him.

A golden dragon robe? It looks incredibly valuable; he can't afford it.

"No need, thank you." Li Mubai waved his hand in refusal, then handed over the file folder, "Teacher Wu asked me to give this to you."

"Um."

Xie Shu put the box back, took the brown paper file folder, opened it, and pulled out a piece of paper. Her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

However, Li Mubai still caught the change in that instant. His gaze quickly swept over the most conspicuous words on the paper—proof of enrollment.

The air gradually quieted down, with only the faint steam rising from the teapot gently wafting between the two.

"Meow--"

A soft meow broke the silence.