We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

Li Mubai, panting, pushed open the dormitory door, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

"Hey, you didn't bring an umbrella?" Yang Kun asked, holding a bowl of instant noodles.

"No." Li Mubai took off his backpack, turned it over to check, and thankfully it wasn't wet.

Zhao Feng looked him up and down, then asked suspiciously, "Lao Bai, where's your school uniform jacket?"

"I gave it to Xie Shu." Li Mubai said casually, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary, and turned to walk into the bathroom.

"oh--"

"I'm so envious. I also want to give my clothes to my boyfriend." Yang Kun ate a mouthful of instant noodles.

"Xiao Chu Nan, stop daydreaming and just eat your instant noodles."

"Heh, we ordinary people also fall in love." Yang Kun sneered, finishing the last bite of his drink.

It was late at night, and the rain was still falling outside the window. Li Mubai lay in bed and thought to himself, "I hope this rain won't last too long, and it would stop as soon as I wake up tomorrow."

He picked up his phone and glanced at it; it was almost midnight.

Yan Shu: "I took the school uniform to wash it, and I'll return it to you after it's dried."

Li Bubai: "Okay."

Yan Shu: "Get some rest early, goodnight."

Li Bubai: "You too, goodnight."

Looking at the words on the screen, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a smile. Then he turned off his phone, and the last bit of light went out.

By the time they reached their senior year of high school, even Wang Rui stopped staying up late...

Ring ring—

"Students, wake up..."

The bell rang at 6:30, and Li Mubai pushed open the dormitory door and went out.

He went down to the first floor, where the dormitory door had already been opened by the dormitory auntie.

The light rain was still falling, the ground was wet and had a grayish sheen. Li Mubai stood at the door, momentarily at a loss.

Why hasn't this damn rain stopped yet?

"What's wrong? Why are you standing at the door and not leaving?" came the voice of the dormitory supervisor from behind.

"Auntie, I didn't bring an umbrella."

"Didn't bring an umbrella?" The aunt hesitated for a moment. "Wait here, I have an extra umbrella here, you can borrow it first."

Li Mubai shifted his gaze to the outside of the dormitory. In the hazy rain, a figure stood quietly by the roadside, holding an umbrella.

"No need, Auntie," he said, then ran into the rain.

"Hey!" The aunt tried to call him back, but the boy dashed off in a flash. "What if he gets soaked?"

She looked in the direction Li Mubai was running and saw that the boy had crawled under a girl's umbrella.

"Thank you, Shu." Li Mubai took a breath.

"Mm." Xie Shu nodded slightly. "I knew you didn't bring an umbrella, so I was waiting for you."

"Um—uh—" Li Mubai stammered for a few seconds before finally managing to squeeze out three words, "Thank you."

"Didn't we say we don't need to say thank you to each other?" Xie Shu chuckled softly. "Let's go to the cafeteria for breakfast first."

"Okay." He lifted his leg and walked alongside her, taking the umbrella from her hand. "If I don't say thank you... then what should I say?"

She raised her hand to her chin, pondered for a moment, her finger lingering on her lips for a second, then turned to look at him:

"You can hug each other to show your gratitude."

Li Mubai's face stiffened.

He turned to look at Xie Shu under the umbrella. Xie Shu was serious.

If you hug someone in a school, a place full of students and teachers, the news will spread throughout the entire grade the next day. It won't be enough to hang it on the confession wall once; there will have to be a sequel.

"Aren't you afraid the school will cause trouble for us?" Li Mubai asked curiously.

"Don't worry, I'm number one."

Does being number one mean you can do whatever you want? Li Mubai pondered. He didn't think he had ever been number one before, and this was already the best stage of his learning.

"You'll see when you get first place in the exam," Xie Shu added, his tone as certain as if stating a fact that would happen sooner or later.

"I won't pass the exam..." Li Mubai said softly.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, he folded Xie Shu's umbrella and handed it to her.

"We'll need an umbrella when we go back to the teaching building." Xie Shu glanced at it but didn't take it.

"it is good."

Li Mubai ordered a bowl of porridge and an egg as usual, while Xie Shu ordered the same thing, but secretly bought two steamed buns.

"If you get first place in the exam, then getting into Peking University won't be a problem." Xie Shu sat opposite him, his gaze calm.

"Isn't it you who's number one...?"

"Then I'll give it to you." She pushed a steamed bun towards her.

"What's this?" Li Mubai stared blankly at the extra steamed buns on the table.

"You ate too little in the morning, and you study for a long time. You need to eat more, otherwise you're prone to low blood sugar."

"Oh, okay, thanks..."

Li Mubai's "thank you" stuck in his throat. He glanced around. Although there were few people, there were still some classmates present. He couldn't very well give Xie Shu a hug here.

He glanced at Xie Shuqian's eggs and had an idea.

"I'll peel an egg for you as a thank you."

"Okay." Xie Shu smiled gently.

She rested her chin on her hand and watched as the person in front of her peeled away the rough shell of the egg, revealing the smooth, white egg inside.

Li Mubai peeled the shell, handed it over, and waited for her to reach out and take it.

Xie Shu gathered her loose hair, then lowered her head and took a small bite.

Li Mubai's heart suddenly raced as his fingers touched Xie Shu's lips.

He quickly glanced around and breathed a slight sigh of relief; thankfully, no one had noticed.

"Xie Shu, you can keep it."

"Okay." She took the eggs.

Li Mubai lowered his head to peel his own eggs. He glanced at Xie Shu out of the corner of his eye, wondering if he could feed Xie Shu when no one was around.

"Never mind," he shook his head slightly, shaking off those romantic notions, and decided to focus on his studies first.

He rarely has time alone with Xie Shu now. After they were separated into different classes, even seeing each other felt like rushing between events...

The rain kept falling outside the window. When Li Mubai finished his self-study at noon and came out of the classroom, he saw Xie Shu standing quietly waiting for him by the railing. She was also carrying an umbrella.

"Are you... going to pick me up from school?"

"Yes." Her voice was calm.

"Really..." Li Mubai's tone carried a hint of guilt. Fortunately, the first and second years of high school had not yet started, otherwise Xie Shu would have had to wait in a long line just like him.

They walked into the stairwell side by side. Many people glanced at them, then looked away.

He and Xie Shu arrived at the cafeteria under their umbrellas, but unfortunately, they ran into Zhong Jianjun again. Li Mubai quickly lowered the brim of the umbrella to cover half of his face.

Zhong Jianjun, hunched over, brushed past them.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

However, it seems that they were discovered by Zhong Jianjun several times, but the other party did not say anything. Could it be that his achievements have intimidated the other party?

"Keep trying and get first place. The school will make way for you." Xie casually brought up the matter from that morning again.

"First place is yours, I'll try my best to get second." Li Mubai smiled.

"As for second place, you also need to work harder." Xie Shu's tone still carried a hint of barely perceptible disappointment. "Besides, you haven't asked me any questions in a long time."

There's no way around it. He rarely has any free time now. Monday to Saturday is packed with classes, and Sunday is mostly taken up by Zhong Jianjun's "early return to school".

Moreover... there's no quiet place to be alone with Xie Shu anymore. The key to the activity room has already been handed over, and students often go to the rooftop to recite their lessons.

"But I believe in you." She suddenly stopped and looked up at him. "So you must believe in yourself too."

The cafeteria was bustling with people. Li Mubai looked at the girl in front of him and suddenly wanted to reach out and hug her. She always gave him support.

So he carried "The Little Prince" with him, as if to remind him that even though they were separated, Xie Shu was always by his side.

What can I offer her?

He raised one hand, stopped in mid-air, and then put it down again, surrounded by many teachers and classmates.

"Let's eat first," he said.

Xie Shu nodded and followed him into the cafeteria.