We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"This year is almost over. Do you think the college entrance exam is still far away? Look at these numbers. 164 days! Do you think that's a long time? Not much time left! It will be over in the blink of an eye..."

Li Mubai twirled his pen idly, his fingertips slipped, and the pen, which he hadn't been holding properly, fell to the ground with a thud.

He quickly glanced at Zhong Jianjun, who seemed not to hear him and continued talking about the urgency of time.

He bent down to pick up the pen. No chalk stubs were thrown at him, and he wasn't singled out for criticism. He breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"I won't say much to those students who are still struggling to get into top-tier universities. The mock exam at the beginning of next semester will be an opportunity to test your true abilities."

The mock exam... Time seems to have flown by. Where are they now after the college entrance exam?

The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class and pulling Li Mubai back to reality.

Zhong Jianjun left the classroom with his textbooks, and Li Mubai followed the group slowly downstairs toward the cafeteria.

He walked down to the first floor and suddenly saw a figure standing vaguely under a familiar tree. He wasn't wearing his glasses, so he rubbed his eyes and looked again. Sure enough, there was someone standing there.

He quickened his pace and walked over.

"Chen Qiuhe? What are you doing standing here?" he asked, somewhat disappointed.

"Waiting for someone."

"oh."

Li Mubai was about to walk forward when Chen Qiuhe caught up with him in a few steps and walked beside him.

"Aren't you waiting for someone?" He turned his head to look at her.

"The person has arrived."

Li Mubai was stunned for a moment, then realized that the people Chen Qiuhe was waiting for were him.

"What's up?" he asked.

Chen Qiuhe glanced at the dwindling crowd around her and finally took her hand out of her cotton-padded coat pocket.

"Here, this is for you."

He looked down, and in her palm was an apple wrapped in colorful paper.

"Today is Christmas Eve?" he asked, puzzled.

"Have you gotten confused from all that school? Christmas Eve was yesterday, today is Christmas Day."

"Oh—" Li Mubai nodded, "But I'm Chinese and don't celebrate Western holidays, so thank you for your kindness, but there's no need for you to send me anything."

"Why are you talking so much? Just take it." Chen Qiuhe stuffed the apple into his coat pocket without saying a word.

"I really don't want to..."

"I have a few questions for you. This apple is like a consultation fee, right?" Chen Qiuhe interrupted him.

After thinking about it, Li Mubai reluctantly accepted it.

"What do you want to ask? Math or English?"

"No, that's not it. Let's get the food first, I'll talk to you later."

It's not a math problem, and it's not English, so what else could it be?

Li Mubai got his food with some questions in mind, wandered around the cafeteria, and finally found two empty seats in a corner.

"It's so hard to find!" Chen Qiuhe sat down and complained.

"So what do you want to ask?" Li Mubai sat down opposite him.

"Hmm—" Chen Qiuhe hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice, "I want to ask you, what does it feel like to be with Xie Shu?"

? ?

Li Mubai looked at the person opposite him with a puzzled expression.

Why are you asking that question?

"Can't I just ask?" Chen Qiuhe said matter-of-factly.

"Could it be..." Li Mubai pondered for a moment, "that you have someone you like?!"

"How could that be!" Chen Qiuhe's voice suddenly rose, then quickly fell back down. "I was just asking, so answer me now. You did accept my apple."

Li Mubai noticed a fleeting hint of embarrassment on Chen Qiuhe's face. He remembered her saying before that she would never get married.

Time flies, everyone changes.

Once he understood this, he patiently explained it to her.

"Your question is a bit broad. Are you referring to how we feel when we're together?"

Chen Qiuhe rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, then shook her head: "It's about how you feel you like someone?"

Li Mubai thought for a moment and said, "I just felt like it, so I liked it."

"Your words are truly enlightening!" Chen Qiuhe was somewhat speechless. "For example, what specific examples are there? Like how you used to sneak peeks at Xie Shu in class."

Li Mubai was a little embarrassed. Why did Chen Qiuhe use his route as an example?

"Ahem." He coughed twice. "To be specific, it's like I want to see her, but I'm also afraid to see her. That's how it is for me."

"Why?" Chen Qiuhe asked, puzzled.

"Because I feel happy when I'm with her, but I'm also afraid and nervous, worried that I won't perform well and that my image will be tarnished in her eyes."

"Oh—" Chen Qiuhe nodded unconsciously, "So, you feel happy as long as you're with someone you like?"

"That's right." Li Mubai nodded affirmatively, then asked in a low voice, "So, which boy are you interested in?"

"No way, I'm not interested in any other boys," Chen Qiuhe immediately denied.

Seeing her strong opposition, Li Mubai couldn't help but wonder if he had guessed wrong. What exactly was Chen Qiuhe asking this question for?

Before he could think it through, Chen Qiuhe casually asked:

"By the way, what will you do if you don't get into Peking University?"

"Then let's tighten the screws!"

"I'm serious, don't joke around." Chen Qiuhe's expression became more serious.

"Well……"

To be honest, he hadn't really thought about that question.

"If you might not get into any of the schools, then go to other schools in Beijing."

Xie Shu is going abroad, so what's the point of him staying in Beijing? He couldn't help but think about this question again.

"Actually, Renmin University of China is quite good too. Your score should be high enough to get in," Chen Qiuhe continued.

"We'll see." He hadn't thought about anything else yet; he was focused on getting into Peking University.

Chen Qiuhe pouted.

"Eat your food, or it'll get cold," she said.

"It's because you asked the question that my food got cold."

"Hey! You still have the apple I gave you in your pocket!"

"Putting Apple aside, aren't you just as wrong?"

"..."

It's a pity I can't beat him up like I used to...

I remember when I was a child, the corner store used to sell snow spray and apples for Christmas, but now they are rarely seen.

Li Mubai put the apple in his desk. He looked around and realized that he was the only one in the classroom with an apple.

He looked away and prepared to study. Ever since the midterm exams, he seemed to have been stuck in fifth place. He had to move up one place by the end of the semester.

It was another ordinary evening study session, just like on holidays. Students were all immersed in their studies until the bell rang, at which point they would mechanically lift their heads, pack their things, and head back to their dormitories.

Li Mubai walked out of the classroom and looked up at the night sky. If this were the north, it would probably be snowing right now.

If Xie Shu goes abroad, is there any point in him staying in Beijing?

He wasn't actually very interested in seeing the scenery of the North.

The streetlights on campus shone with a warm yellow light, and the wind blew in from the narrow corridors, causing the breath to condense into a thin white mist in the light.

Four girls were walking hand in hand, laughing and joking, blocking his way. He had no choice but to follow them slowly downstairs.

Upon reaching the stairwell, the group turned towards the playground, and suddenly the path leading to the teaching building opened up before them.

Under the tree by the roadside, a figure stood there again. Li Mubai squinted slightly, but still couldn't make out who it was.

Maybe it's someone else. Xie Shu said he wouldn't be back for at least a week, at the earliest Wednesday, and today is only Monday.

He walked over slowly, but his eyes unconsciously drifted in that direction.

The shadows of the trees obscured the figure of the person approaching, and the streetlights were not bright enough. Even as he got closer, he still couldn't recognize who it was.

Just as he was about to walk over, the figure under the tree suddenly spoke: "Where are you going?"

"Thank...Thank you?" He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Hmm." She emerged from the shadows of the trees, still wearing a mask, making her difficult to recognize in the darkness.

"Weren't you supposed to be back in at least a week? Are you fully recovered?"

"Ahem." Xie Shu coughed lightly twice after he finished speaking. "Not yet, but it will be soon."

She glanced at the location of the playground: "Let's go for a walk on the playground."

"If you're not feeling well yet, you shouldn't stay outside for too long. It's a bit cold tonight, and it feels like it might snow by tomorrow morning," Li Mubai said half-jokingly.

"It's okay, I'm dressed warmly." Xie Shu was wrapped in a thick down jacket, which she turned around to reveal her favorite light blue color.

Li Mubai was still worried, fearing that her pneumonia might worsen if she stood outside for too long, as it hadn't fully recovered.

"Let's go," Xie Shu said, making a move to walk forward. "If you don't come, I'll walk alone."

Li Mubai had no choice but to follow.

"So why did you suddenly come back today?" he asked.

"Hmm...this is for you, I wrapped it myself."

Xie Shu took an apple out of his down jacket pocket. It wasn't wrapped in ordinary plastic, but in light-colored canvas shaped like a candy, tied with a thin hemp rope in a small bow.

Li Mubai hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took it: "I didn't even prepare one for you..."

On the empty playground, the cold wind swept in from all directions. Xie Shu stopped in her tracks. Her bangs were gently blown by the wind, and her eyes were as bright as the moon.

"You are my best Christmas gift."

Xie Shu tilted her head slightly. Although her expression was obscured by the mask, her lowered eyebrows still indicated that the girl standing in front of her was smiling gently.

"So, Merry Christmas, Li Mu Bai."

"It's snowing!" A girl's excited voice suddenly rang out on the playground.

Li Mubai and Xie Shu looked up at the same time, and it seemed that there were indeed tiny particles slowly falling from the night sky.

Li Mubai lowered his head. A few tiny snowflakes had already fallen on Xie Shu's hair, and they hadn't had time to melt yet.

She was looking at him too, a speck of white dust clinging to her eyelashes, like a tiny star.

"Merry Christmas……"

I hope we can be together for Christmas in the future...