We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

The old neighborhood was quiet in the afternoon, with only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the treetops.

Li Mubai anxiously picked up his phone. The message he sent an hour ago, asking if Xie Shu could come out, had not yet received a reply.

It was almost five o'clock, so he decided to set off.

He packed his things, slung his student-style backpack over his shoulder, and since no one was home and his parents were at the restaurant, he could head out.

Ring ring—!

Just as his hand touched the doorknob, his phone suddenly vibrated.

A fleeting hint of joy flashed across Li Mubai's face, but it vanished as soon as he saw the caller's name, and he pressed the answer button.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

The noisy sound of a wok sizzling could be heard from the other end of the phone.

"Xiaobai, are you busy right now? If you're not, come up and help your dad and me."

"I'm busy, Mom, I need to go buy stationery."

"What stationery do you want to buy?" Li's mother asked instinctively.

Li Mubai's brain was racing, desperately trying to come up with a stationery item that couldn't be bought at the nearby supermarket.

"If you want to buy a loose-leaf notebook, the supermarket doesn't carry them; you'll have to go to Qingyun Road."

"Going out so late?" Li's mother questioned, but was quickly interrupted by the sound of ordering food. "Could you help your dad and me on your way? It'll only take a little while, it'll be quick."

He wanted to struggle a little longer, but Li's mother didn't give him time. As soon as she finished speaking, the phone was hung up.

Li Mubai sighed inwardly, opened the door, and walked towards the Jixiang Restaurant.

"Boss, have you cooked our dishes yet? We've been waiting for ages! If they're not cooked, we don't want them!"

"It'll be ready soon, almost done."

"Boss, could you please tidy up this table?"

"Xiaobai, quickly put down your schoolbag and tidy up the table over there," Li's mother called out as soon as she saw Li Mubai walk in.

"Damn! There are usually hardly any people here, why are there so many today!" Li Mubai thought to himself. He put down his backpack and silently started clearing the table, hoping it would end soon.

"Hey young man, could you please take ours too?"

……

After working for almost half an hour, the number of people gradually dwindled.

"Why are there so many people today?" Li Mubai couldn't help but complain.

"It's summer vacation, and the aquarium is having an event." Li's mother took a break from her busy schedule to check her phone account and couldn't stop smiling.

Well, the aquarium is a kilometer or two away from here, I didn't expect it to be affected.

"Mom, I'm leaving." Li Mubai slung his backpack over his shoulder and prepared to go out.

"Okay, be careful on the road. Let us know if you need more money."

Li Mubai nodded, lowered his gaze, and pushed open the door to leave.

Looking up again, a young girl was standing quietly not far from the Jixiang Restaurant.

Li Mubai's brain froze for a moment, but after regaining his senses, he quickly went to meet him.

"Thank...Thank you?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

She nodded, but her eyes were red-rimmed.

"What's wrong with you?" Li Mubai's tone suddenly became anxious.

"Can I come to your house?" she asked softly.

Li Mubai glanced back at the large red signboard with white characters that read "Jixiang Restaurant," hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

Mr. and Mrs. Li... probably won't close the door and go home until 10 p.m.

He grabbed Xie Shu's hand and quietly bypassed the Jixiang Restaurant. Along the way, he anxiously asked Xie Shu what had happened, but she remained silent.

When he arrived at the entrance of the residential area, Li Mubai was still a little uneasy, worried that his home environment would affect his image in Xie Shu's mind.

He glanced at Xie Shu, whose hand he was holding tightly. She had her head down, and her long bangs covered most of her face.

Li Mubai walked very slowly, worried that she wouldn't be able to keep up.

"Be careful," he reminded us as we went upstairs.

Xie Shu gave a soft "hmm".

Li Mubai was about to loosen his right hand to grab the key when Xie Shu's left hand immediately caught up and tightened its grip on him again.

With no other option, Li Mubai could only awkwardly reach for the keys in his right pocket with his free left hand.

The moment the key was inserted into the lock, a surge of nervousness welled up inside him. This was the first time he had brought a classmate to his home, regardless of gender; Xie Shu was the first among them.

Click, the door lock gently popped open, he pulled the door open. There was no air conditioning in the house, they usually just opened the windows for ventilation, but on this hot day, all that blew in was hot air.

"Do you need to change your shoes?" Xie Shu asked in a low voice.

"Hmm—no need."

Li Mubai pulled her inside. The moment the door closed, he felt the grip on his hand tighten. When they got to the living room, there were still orange peels on the coffee table. Li Mubai looked embarrassed.

Who knew Xie Shu would come today?

He glanced at Xie Shu; she was only wearing a simple dress and seemed to be carrying nothing at all.

"Xie Shu, so... what exactly happened?" Li Mubai asked softly.

Xie Shu didn't answer; she kept her head down. Li Mubai thought it was something embarrassing to talk about. The next moment, Xie Shu let go of his hand, rushed over, and gently hugged him.

Li Mubai's body stiffened slightly.

Immediately, he felt as if a patch of his clothes had become wet, and Xie Shu's shoulders were trembling slightly.

His heart clenched, and all his doubts vanished in that instant. He hugged her, gently patting her back, wanting nothing more than to comfort her.

After a while, Xie Shu's tears gradually stopped.

Li Mubai didn't say anything, he just held her quietly.

"My mom..." Xie Shu's shoulders trembled slightly again, "...tells me to get out of the house."

No wonder, even the strongest person would feel terrible if their parents said such things to them.

Li Mubai hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, "If you don't mind, you can stay at my house for now."

"Is it okay?" Xie Shu lifted her head from his embrace, looking at him with teary eyes.

Li Mubai took a tissue from the coffee table and gently wiped her face. Xie Shu lowered her eyes for a moment, and after he put down the tissue, she looked up at him again.

"Of course," Li Mubai said confidently.

He will try his best to explain to Li's parents. Of course, it is also possible that Xie Shu's parents will come looking for him that very night.

"Thanks."

"We don't need to be so polite between us, that's what you said," Li Mubai said.

"Hmm." Xie Shu chuckled softly.

Seeing that she wasn't so sad anymore, Li Mubai asked curiously, "Xie Shu, how...how did you know about my family?"

Xie Shu paused for a second before speaking, "Huang Lingling came to your house before, and I asked her about it."

Okay, so should he thank Huang Lingling...?

The clock in the living room ticked away, and the air was somewhat silent. Li Mubai was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Hmm—would you like to come to my room and take a look?" he suggested.

"it is good."

Just then, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock rang out, the door was pulled open, and then slammed shut again.

As Li's mother walked into the living room, she immediately saw the two people on the sofa and froze on the spot...