We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Why don't we have the three children introduce themselves?" Teacher Yang suggested with a smile, putting down her wine glass.

"Old Yang's suggestion is good," Shen Huairui was the first to agree.

"Let's start with small books." Xie Zhiqiang glanced at Xie Shu, who was staring blankly at the bowl.

Upon hearing this, Xie Shu put down his chopsticks and stood up.

"Hello Grandpa Yang and uncles and aunts, my name is Xie Shu, the 'Shu' in 'sparse stars and pale moon,' and I am a senior in high school at Pingyang No. 6 Middle School. I wish Grandpa Yang and uncles and aunts a happy Mid-Autumn Festival."

She spoke calmly, then sat down. Shen Nianning was the second to speak, and the boy was the last.

"Hello, Uncle and Aunt. My name is Yang Zihan. I am also a senior in high school and I live in Jiangnan. I am honored to be able to participate in this gathering today. I wish you, Uncle and Aunt and your two classmates a happy Mid-Autumn Festival."

After he finished speaking, he raised his wine glass and took a small sip, the movement so natural, as if he had done it many times before.

"That's right, Zihan's grades must be very good. Do you have a target school in mind for the college entrance exam? Would you like to consider coming to our Xiyue University?" Shen Huairui asked with a smile.

Yang Zihan gave a restrained smile, and was about to speak when her mother interrupted her:

"Our Zihan is preparing to study abroad for a period of time after finishing the college entrance examination."

"Studying abroad?" Xu Ting sat up slightly, showing some interest.

"Yes, Mr. Xu, do you have any good suggestions?"

"No, it's just that my daughter is also planning to study abroad."

Xie Shu's expression remained unchanged, but his movement of picking up food paused slightly before he quickly regained his composure.

"Really? That's quite a coincidence," said Yang Zihan's mother. "Which university does Mr. Xu's daughter plan to attend?"

"LSE, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK"

"This school must be hard to get into," the other person said, somewhat surprised.

"It's not easy to get in, but Xiao Shu has always worked very hard." Xu Ting smiled, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Impressive! Zihan is also preparing to go to England. He can learn a lot from Xie Shu in the future."

Yang Zihan's mother gave him a wink, and Yang Zihan understood. He stood up and walked to Xie Shu's side, holding a wine glass in his hand.

"Hello Xie Shu, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hmm," Xie Shu responded indifferently, without making any move to clink glasses with him.

She merely raised the juice glass in her hand briefly before bringing it back and taking a sip.

Yang Zihan's smile lasted for half a second, as if she hadn't expected the other person to be so cold, but she quickly composed herself:

"Um... Xie Shu, may I ask for your contact information? If I go abroad in the future, we might be in the same city, which would make it easier to keep in touch."

Behind him, Yang Zihan's mother nodded imperceptibly.

"I don't use my phone often," Xie Shu said without looking up.

Yang Zihan's smile froze instantly, and the scene became somewhat awkward.

"My daughter Xiaoshu studies very hard and rarely uses her phone," Xu Ting said at the right moment, covering her mouth and laughing twice, lightly smoothing things over.

Yang Zihan stood still for two seconds, then turned around and walked towards Shen Nianning.

Xie Shu stopped paying attention and looked at the exquisite champion mooncake in front of her. She thought for a moment and then looked up at Teacher Yang on the other side.

"Grandpa Yang, may I have another mooncake?"

Teacher Yang was chatting with Xie Zhiqiang when she heard this and was slightly taken aback.

"Does Xiaoshu like this mooncake? Dad will buy a few boxes online," Xie Zhiqiang replied.

"Boss Xie, you're a big and wealthy man, you don't need this little bit of money," Teacher Yang joked, then changed the subject, "However, this mooncake isn't publicly available, I had a student bring this box for me."

He stood up, took the box of mooncakes from before, opened it, and took out the last one: "There's one left, for Xiao Shu."

"Thank you, Grandpa Yang."

Teacher Yang handed over the mooncake, but did not sit back down immediately.

He looked down at Xie Shu for a moment, then, as if remembering something, his tone softened: "Xiao Shu, how are you doing at No. 6 Middle School? Is anything bothering you?"

Xie Shu thought for a moment, lowered his gaze, and the corners of his mouth curved into a barely perceptible smile.

"Everything is fine. I'm very happy at school."

"That's good. You were such a lively and cheerful little girl when you were little, curious about everything. Now you don't smile much anymore." Teacher Yang sighed. "When you're born, you can't take anything with you when you die. Happiness and health are the most important things."

"Yes, as children grow up, they inevitably encounter setbacks and have some conflicts with their parents, but as parents, all they care about is that their children can live happily." Shen Huairui nodded in deep agreement.

Xie Zhiqiang did not respond, but simply nodded slightly.

Xie Shu sat back down, placing two mooncakes beside her. The metal box made a soft scraping sound in her hands. Xu Ting was right next to her, so she couldn't take out her phone to look at them and could only stare blankly at the mooncakes.

The Mid-Autumn Festival dinner didn't last long. As they were leaving the restaurant, Teacher Yang suddenly called out to Xie Zhiqiang and Xu Ting.

"Zhiqiang, Xiaoting, come here. I have something to tell you. No one else should eavesdrop." Teacher Yang led Xie Zhiqiang and Xu Ting to the other side.

Xie Shu stood by the roadside, carrying a bag containing two mooncakes. The night breeze blew through the eaves, wrinkling the smooth hem of her skirt. Suddenly, she felt a light tap on her left shoulder.

"Hey, what a coincidence." Shen Nianning stood behind her, touching the back of her neck.

"Um."

"So you're Xie Zhiqiang's daughter. My dad always talks about your dad at home, saying that he was at the bottom of his class when he was in school, but then he made a huge leap and got first place in the whole grade. He's really amazing."

"Hmm." Xie Shu said indifferently. Xu Ting's autobiography also mentioned this incident, and she had read it several times.

The atmosphere was a little awkward, and Shen Nianning scratched her head.

"Hey Xie Shu, can I add you on QQ or WeChat?"

The air froze for a second.

"QQ135xxxxxx".

"What? Wait, let me write this down on my phone." Shen Nianning quickly took out her phone.

Xie Shu slowly repeated it again. Her phone vibrated. She opened it and saw not only QQ friend requests but also a WeChat message from Li Mubai an hour earlier.

Li Bubai: "At Lan Shiyu's house."

Lan Shiyu...?

"Xiao Shu, we should go." Xu Ting's voice came through, and Xie Shu exited WeChat.

"Goodbye, Xie Shu." Shen Nianning waved goodbye to her.

"goodbye."

Xie Shu didn't know what Grandpa Yang had said to Xie Zhiqiang and Xu Ting, which caused them to be somewhat silent at the beginning of their journey.

She opened the car window, letting the early autumn evening breeze blow in, just like at the beginning.

When they were almost at Yuehu Bay, Xie Zhiqiang finally spoke:

"Little Shu, do you like that 'Top Scholar' mooncake? Should Dad ask someone to get a few more boxes?"

"...No need, Dad, two are just right."

"Two? Are you giving them away?" Xie Zhiqiang glanced at the rearview mirror.

"Yes, I'm going to give this to my deskmate, Chen Qiuhe. She's always been very hardworking, and I hope it will inspire her to keep working hard."

"fine."

Xie Zhiqiang chuckled twice and didn't ask any further questions.

Xu Ting, sitting in the front row, remained silent and did not expose her daughter's little scheme.