We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Little White, Little White, what do I need to do?"

……

"Xiaobai, let me tidy up the kitchen."

Li Mubai really didn't know if Xie Shu had some strange switch flipped, because from the end of breakfast until now, she had been teasing him about his nickname with great enthusiasm.

However, if you look closely, Li's mother is 90% responsible. Why did she have to choose a nickname like "Xiaobai" (Little White)? It sounds like the name of a husky.

He stood at the kitchen doorway, watching Xie Shu briskly pick up a rag and bend down to wipe the stove, and a sense of emotion suddenly welled up in his heart.

That year, not only did he himself change a lot, but Xie Shu also became more cheerful.

A year ago, she was always ordinary and unremarkable, like a pool of water that never rippled.

But now, she's like a lively girl next door, laughing and deliberately drawing out her voice when she calls him "Xiaobai—".

"Let me do it." Li Mubai reached out his hand, wanting to take the rag from her.

He would probably feel guilty if Xie Shu's delicate, fair hands developed calluses.

"It's okay, I... I do some housework at home too." Xie Shu held onto the rag tightly, refusing to let go, and turned away from him.

"Really?" Li Mubai looked at her with some skepticism, but then thought, "Let Xie Shu do what she wants. Doing nothing would only leave people feeling lost."

He turned around, put the washed dishes and chopsticks into the sterilizer, and then sat down on the sofa.

Xie Shu quickly tidied up the kitchen. She took out a tissue to wipe her hands, walked over and sat down next to Li Mubai, turning her head to look at him.

"Xiaobai, what are we doing this morning?"

Li Mubai pretended not to hear.

"Little White, why are you ignoring me?"

He closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa.

Suddenly, everything went quiet. Just as Li Mubai was wondering what was going on, a warm breath was already near his nose. He opened his eyes abruptly, and all he could see was Xie Shu's fair face.

He was so close that he could see the curve of her eyelashes and feel the subtle breaths she exhaled brush against his lips.

Xie Shu slowly closed his eyes.

Li Mubai looked away with difficulty and coughed twice: "Cough cough... Let's study first, I haven't done my summer homework yet."

"...Okay, I'll teach you." Xie Shu opened his eyes and stepped back.

"By the way, Xie Shu, didn't you bring anything?" Li Mubai suddenly remembered this.

"no."

"So how did you get here yesterday?"

"I got here by relying on my memories." She spoke calmly, as if she were talking about something very easy.

What should I say...? Should I praise her good memory, or her physical strength?

Li Mubai raised his hand and gently rubbed the top of her head.

He found himself becoming somewhat addicted. Xie Shu's hair was in excellent condition; even with just regular shampoo, it felt smooth and silky to the touch.

That's really... stupid.

"Do you like my hair?" Xie Shu asked softly.

"no."

I like you as a person...

Li Mubai withdrew his hand and took out his phone: "Let me ask Teacher Wu for leave for you."

"it is good."

He opened DingTalk, clicked on Wu Changguo's chat page, pondered his wording, and began typing.

Although it might be a bit strange for him to ask for leave on Xie Shu's behalf, Teacher Wu should be able to understand.

"I need to do my homework." Li Mubai put down his phone.

"Okay, you go first, I'll teach you if you don't know how."

He stood up and walked towards his room. When he reached the door, he hesitated for a moment and looked back at Xie Shu, who had followed him.

"May I come into the room?"

"Of course, this is your room."

Having received an affirmative answer, Li Mubai pushed open the door with peace of mind, afraid of seeing something he shouldn't have.

The morning sunlight slanted across the wooden floor, bathing the room in a warm golden hue.

He glanced quickly at his bed, where the blankets were neatly made and the birthday gift Xie Shu had given him and the box he had given Xie Shu were placed side by side on the bedside table.

I don't know if she opened it or not... If she did, then it would be a bit awkward.

On the desk lay a copy of "Pride and Prejudice," the same one Xie Shu had flipped through last night. Li Mubai took out his homework for today, put it together, and prepared to take it to the coffee table to do it.

"You can sit at the desk. I'll read next to you and won't bother you," Xie Shu stopped him.

"Hmm—okay." It's not very convenient to use the coffee table, and the dining table is prone to getting greasy.

He turned around and sat down at his desk. Xie Shu took the copy of "Pride and Prejudice" from his side, hugged the book, and leaned against the headboard. The desk was small and could only be used by one person.

"Shall I draw the curtains? It's a bit sunny." Li Mubai turned to look at her.

His desk was positioned to the side of the window, and his bed was next to the window.

"it is good."

He got up and drew the curtains, only covering the half near the desk, leaving the other half untouched. The sunlight from that half fell precisely between the bed and the desk, providing some light for the person reading.

Li Mubai sat back in his chair and glanced back at Xie Shu, who was leaning against the headboard.

The bright sunlight in the middle separated the two people into two shadows. He suddenly felt that the scene was a bit like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, with the Milky Way running through the middle.

"Never mind, I'll study first," he thought, turning his gaze back to the math test paper on the table...

Squeak - squeak -

The cicadas outside the window started their work on time, perched on their respective "workstations" and chirping at the top of their lungs.

Li Mubai put down his pen, rubbed his sore wrist, and after writing for more than two hours, he finally finished today's part of the summer homework for Chinese, Math, and English. Next, it would be time to move on to the humanities section.

He glanced back—

Xie Shu had fallen asleep again sometime earlier, the book in his hand still open on a certain page, his fingertips resting loosely on the paper, his breathing calm and long.

The sunlight shifted its position without her noticing, and a warm golden hue spread across the cool blanket covering her, like a thin veil.

Li Mubai slowly stood up, tiptoed to the window, and gently pulled the other half of the curtain closed. The golden sunlight instantly disappeared from Xie Shu, and the room became darker.

He quietly pulled open a crack in the curtains on his side, letting in a little light to do his homework.

If Xie Shu could stay here forever...

He knew this thought was selfish, just as he knew that the cicada outside the window could only sing for one summer at most; some things are destined to have an expiration date.

But he still couldn't help thinking about it.

The cicadas outside the window continued their tireless chirping. Inside the room, all was quiet except for the scratching sound of a pen nib on paper, one stroke after another, like some kind of countdown...

"You got this question wrong, you idiot."

Xie Shu woke up around 11 o'clock.

Li Mubai moved a chair from the living room, and the two of them squeezed together in front of the desk. Her shoulder was almost touching his arm, and when she looked down at the test paper, a few strands of hair fell down and brushed against the back of his hand.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"You absolutely cannot be careless during exams. You must repeatedly check your problem-solving steps and answers. It would be such a waste to lose points in these areas."

When the topic came up, Xie Shu's expression became serious, and his eyes showed a serious focus.

"Okay, I'll be careful." Li Mubai nodded emphatically.

"Let me look at the other questions."

While Xie Shu was checking his math test, Li Mubai was thinking about what they should do that afternoon. He had finished all his homework for the day, and he couldn't just stay at home in silence, with nothing but tears streaming down his face.

"Xie Shu, shall we go for a walk this afternoon?"

"Have you finished your homework?"

"It's done."

"I'll do whatever you say." Xie Shu looked up, smiled, and then looked down at the exam paper again.

Then let's go find Chen Qiuhe. Li Mubai's phone still shows their chat history; she's asking Xie Shu why he hasn't replied to her messages...