We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"I'll drink this one." Xie Shu reached out and took the rose-red drink, gently pushing the pale gold glass towards Li Mubai.

He raised his glass, took a sip, and a faint sour taste spread across his tongue, followed by the refreshing sweetness of orange juice, resulting in a delightful flavor.

What is this? Just orange juice? He wondered to himself.

"This is a cocktail," Xie Shu explained, seemingly reading his mind. "Don't worry, it's very low in alcohol, you won't get drunk."

Li Mubai's heart skipped a beat; he had actually drunk wine with Xie Shu.

"So, my class monitor, would you like to take a walk with me in Yunhu Park after dinner?" Xie Shu raised the rose-red glass in his hand, a faint smile on his lips, and a hint of teasing in his tone.

"Uh—okay." Li Mubai didn't catch the teasing undertone in Xie Shu's address to him.

Western food is basically an enhanced version of KFC and McDonald's. Li Mubai's Chinese stomach wasn't used to the vegetable salad, and Xie Shu didn't seem to like salad either.

The conclusion is that the vegetable salad is not tasty.

There wasn't much Western food, and the leftover vegetable salad was untouched, so it was more than enough, unlike when we eat barbecue where we always eat until we're stuffed.

"I need to use the restroom first," Li Mubai said, making an excuse.

"it is good."

He walked to the front desk and asked:

"Hello, is our table's price 298?"

"Yes, sir, you've already made the payment."

Did Xie Shu beat me to it?! When?

He returned to his seat, and Xie Shu put his phone away.

"Xie Shu, have you... paid yet?"

"Um."

Perhaps it was from drinking a cocktail, but Xie Shu's face was flushed with a faint blush, and her voice was barely audible.

"I... will invite you, Xie Shu," Li Mubai said.

"Then you can treat me next time," Xie Shu said.

"Will there be another chance next time?"

Xie Shu didn't answer; she lowered her head and rubbed her temples.

"Let's go for a walk."

So, will there be another chance next time? He and she each asked themselves this question in their hearts.

This is a villa area, and also a suburb, so there aren't many pedestrians, which is somewhat similar to the situation at Li Mubai's house.

However, it wasn't that dark; the park gradually lit up with lights.

The early spring night was a bit chilly, and a gentle breeze swept by, instantly dispelling any sense of intoxication. She pointed to a low hill in the park:

"I want to go to the top of the mountain, can you come with me?"

Looking in the direction she was pointing, the hill was hidden in the night, pitch black, without a single light. It must be an undeveloped mountain. Going up the mountain at night would probably be dangerous.

A hint of hesitation crossed Li Mubai's mind as he looked at Xie Shu's face.

"Is it okay?" Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, Xie Shu turned around and looked at him with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

Even as darkness fell, and even though she had dark eyes, her gaze still shone brightly like a star.

"it is good."

How could he bear to tell her he was refusing?

The mountain road was pitch black. Li Mubai was wrong. This was not an undeveloped hill, but a semi-developed one. Although there were no streetlights, the wooden boardwalk under his feet told him the answer.

He used his phone's flashlight, proceeding cautiously, step by step, as if afraid of stepping on some rotten piece of wood.

Compared to him, Xie Shu seemed very light and agile. She didn't use a flashlight, but only relied on the light that the person behind her subconsciously wanted to provide for her to move forward.

The hill wasn't very steep or very high, so they reached the top in less than ten minutes.

There is a small pavilion protruding from the top of the mountain. Walking up, you can see low buildings and relatively flat land all around the mountain. This hill is already considered the highest in this area!

Xie Shu's face had returned to its original color, but she seemed excited and happy, like a little girl, which she always had been...

"You know what? I've always wanted to do a lot of things at night. I wanted to walk home from school, take a walk in an empty park, and... climb this mountain."

Climbing the mountain wasn't about conquering anything; the night had given her black eyes, and she had simply come here to find the night.

"Did the first two come true?" Li Mubai asked.

"The first one is not available."

It's already quite late, 7:10. Time always slips away so quietly. Li Mubai remembers leaving home at 3:00 PM. Because his parents were at the shop, he didn't inform them.

Just then, my phone vibrated. It wasn't a call, but a voice message.

Li Mubai opened the message and it was converted to text—it was from his mother, asking if he had eaten dinner.

Since Li's mother was not very literate, he could only reply via voice message, speaking in a low voice:

"I ate it, I ate it at home."

He lied, and the insects around him heard it, as did Xie Shu next to him.

"Your family?" she asked softly.

"Um."

Li Mubai didn't want to mention his parents too much.

Xie Shu turned his gaze back to the scenery below the mountain, where there were parks, commercial districts, and... rows of villas.

"My father's name is Xie Zhiqiang, and my mother's name is Xu Ting. Do you know what that means?" Xie Shu suddenly spoke, his tone calm.

Li Mubai shook his head.

"Their names are the same as ordinary people's names, so they also come from ordinary families."

"?!" Li Mubai looked surprised. He thought Xie Shu's family was like those wealthy and powerful families that had been passed down through generations.

"Doesn't that seem strange?"

Li Mubai didn't turn on his flashlight. He glanced to the side, unable to see Xie Shu's expression in the darkness, but he could hear Xie Shu's soft laughter.

"They both got into the economics department of Xiamen University. After graduation, they started their own business from scratch. My father always liked to tell me stories of his struggles when he was young. He would tell me one story three or four times. I can even recite it backwards."

He didn't speak, but listened quietly.

"My mother," Xie Shu paused for a moment, "she always felt that there were many things she didn't do perfectly when she was young, so she placed that regret and expectation on me."

She didn't speak again, her eyes filled with melancholy.

"Xie Shu, do you remember what you once told me?" Li Mubai asked.

"Um?"

"Tell me, we can say to ourselves, I can do it. I don't have to be perfect, even if I'm weak or timid."

Li Mubai said that he always remembered what Xie Shu had told him:

"Perhaps we should also tell our parents and let them hear our thoughts. Even if they are not adopted or there is no response, we should still make our voices heard."

Xie Shu didn't speak. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair wrist and the silver watch. She took off the watch and turned her wrist over.

"Take a look."

The night was pitch black, and Li Mubai squinted, but he couldn't see anything clearly.

"You can turn on the flashlight," Xie Shu said softly.

As the lights came on, a white scar was clearly visible across Xie Shu's wrist.