We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Uh—want to play games?"

Lan Shiyu stood in the center of Li Mubai's bedroom, unsure of what to do with her hands and feet, and broke the silence with an embarrassed expression.

"I won't fight." Li Mubai leaned against the desk, looked up at her, and asked, "What are you doing at my house?"

"How would I know? My mom dragged me here." Lan Shiyu pouted.

On Sunday noon, Aunt Lan suddenly brought Lan Shiyu to visit. Li's mother greeted them warmly in the living room, while Lan Shiyu was asked to go to Li Mubai's room, the reason being that the two children should communicate and study together.

Lan Shiyu curiously examined Li Mubai's bedroom. The room was just as clean and tidy as before. Her gaze swept over the bookshelf, finally landing on the corner of the desk, and her eyes suddenly lit up:

"Hey, isn't this the cultural and creative doll that they sold at the Qingzi County Museum last time? It's only the size of a palm and it costs forty yuan. You're willing to buy it even though it's that expensive."

Upon hearing this, Li Mubai quickly stuffed the small wooden doll on the corner of the table into his pocket.

"I have money but nowhere to spend it," he casually made up.

Actually, I don't have that much money. Including the money I usually save and the occasional royalties from submitting articles, it's only about 1,500 yuan.

Maybe... I really should start thinking about how to make money.

But he's just a high school student, what reliable connections could he possibly have? The payment for writing poetry is unpredictable, it's not every month, and usually it takes at least a month, and at most two or three months, for a piece to be published after submission.

Moreover, the most expensive song is only 200 yuan, and the normal price is below 60 yuan.

Lan Shiyu looked at him absentmindedly and gently sighed, pulling him back to reality.

Li Mubai turned his head and looked at her quietly.

"When exactly did you and Xie Shu get together?" Lan Shiyu asked in a low voice, her face full of gossip.

"Students should just focus on their studies and not worry about these kinds of topics," Li Mubai said indifferently.

"Don't look down on me! Do you think my grades are that bad? I'm telling you, I'll definitely be in the top ten of the class in this midterm exam!" Lan Shiyu puffed out her chest and made a solemn vow.

Li Mubai found it amusing and didn't believe it at all. His impression of Lan Shiyu was that she was the kind of person who talked nonsense. Just like the Maybach she mentioned last time, he used to go to Aunt Lan's house often, so how could he not know if she had a Maybach?

"So stop changing the subject and tell me, what's going on between you and Xie Shu?" Lan Shiyu persisted.

Li Mubai put down his pen, looked up at her directly, and spoke calmly:

"Remember that time we went to Qingzi County? You secretly wanted to ask me out that night, it wasn't just for a late-night snack, was it? Were you also planning to go to the amusement park to digest?"

"How could that be? How could I be that kind of person?" Lan Shiyu pouted, not daring to look him in the eye.

dong dong dong.

There was a gentle knock on the bedroom door.

"Shiyu, it's time to go home. You still need to pack your things to go back to school," Aunt Lan's voice came from outside the door.

"Okay—" Lan Shiyu replied in a drawn-out tone.

"Why don't we let Shiyu go back to school with Xiaobai this afternoon? It'll be more convenient if the two of them go together," Li's mother suggested enthusiastically from the living room.

"No, no, it's too much trouble for you," Aunt Lan quickly declined. "Whichever of us, her father or I, is free to take her home."

Li Mubai nodded subtly, supporting Aunt Lan.

Lan Shiyu stood opposite him and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Alright, Shiyu, quickly say goodbye to Aunt Yang and Xiaobai."

"Goodbye Aunt Yang, goodbye Xiaobai," Lan Shiyu called out casually.

"What do you mean 'Little Bai'? You should still call Li Mubai 'brother'. He's a few months older than you." Aunt Lan gently patted her shoulder and corrected her softly.

"Oh, goodbye, Li Mu Bai."

"Goodbye, Sister Shiyu," Li Mubai replied in a serious tone.

Lan Shiyu glared at him, but said nothing.

Click!

The door was closed, and after Lan Shiyu and the others had walked away, Li's mother finally spoke:

"Actually, Shiyu is a pretty good girl. She has a cheerful personality and is also very cute. If you can't find a partner in the future, you can seriously consider her."

"Impossible." Li Mubai blurted out without hesitation.

"Alright, alright, you're always thinking about your rich and beautiful girlfriend." Li's mother smiled helplessly. "Hurry up and pack your bags, go back to school and study hard."

"There's traffic again," Mr. Li said, looking up. "We'll have to park further away."

This is what happens when students return to school on weekends. Once there are many students returning, the school is packed with cars, and traffic police are even on duty to manage the traffic.

"Dad, I'm going back to school."

"Hmm," Mr. Li replied simply, then strode away.

If everyone acted like them, the traffic jams probably wouldn't be so bad; people would just stop and go.

Stepping into the campus, the tree-lined paths are filled with students dragging suitcases and chatting and laughing.

Li Mubai looked up at the sky. The weather wasn't very clear today. A thin layer of clouds covered the sky, with a few rays of sunlight occasionally letting through. It wasn't too hot or stuffy; it was just right.

For him, school was no longer a cage that bound him.

There are endless exams and tests here, but it's also a place where he can openly and peacefully see Xie Shu.

Di-

A crisp car horn pulled him back to reality. A car was approaching from a distance, slowly driving from the school toward the back gate.

How can vehicles be allowed to drive freely on campus? Can't you see the roads are full of students? Li Mubai frowned slightly.

As the car slowly approached, he suddenly felt that it looked somewhat familiar.

The windshield wasn't tinted with dark privacy film, so the view was clear. Li Mubai immediately recognized the person in the driver's seat—Xu Ting, Xie Shu's mother.

He paid special attention to her at the last parent-teacher meeting and still remembers her face clearly.

As the BMW drew closer, Li Mubai instinctively stepped back to the side of the road, but he didn't stop walking and continued forward.

His gaze didn't waver, only filled with curiosity, wanting to see the person controlling the kite, assuming that Xu Ting had no recollection of him at all.

But an unexpected event occurred.

As the car brushed past him, Xu Ting, in the driver's seat, suddenly turned her head and glanced at him. Li Mubai quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened.

The BMW did not stop, but drove smoothly away and gradually disappeared.

Li Mubai breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his gaze had been too obvious, causing the other party to notice...

"Hey, isn't this Mujia's doll? Didn't you say you wouldn't buy it because it was too expensive?"

In the afternoon, Chen Qiuhe arrived at the club activity room as scheduled and became curious about the keychain on his backpack.

Li Mubai's pupils subconsciously glanced at Xie Shu beside him.

Her expression remained calm, and she continued to slowly turn the pages of her book, as if she hadn't heard anything.

"Well—there's a reason why it's expensive. The legend of Azhi and Mujia adds to the value of this doll."

"What story?" Chen Qiuhe pressed.

"Didn't you go too? Why are you asking me?"

"I wasn't listening."

"The love story of Azhi and Mujia is a well-known tale in Qingzi County. Azhi was the daughter of the chieftain, and Mujia was an ordinary hunter. Even though the chieftain strongly opposed it, they still firmly chose each other, giving up wealth and honor to live a simple and peaceful life."

"Huh? Shu Bao, didn't you not go? How did you know?" Deng Yi looked at Xie Shu in confusion.

Xie Shu didn't speak, but simply raised his hand slightly, revealing the Azhi doll hanging from the zipper of his backpack.