We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Xiao Shu, this is your last semester, right?" Xu Ting sat in the passenger seat with a smile on her lips. "In the second semester, you can go to England to experience the university atmosphere there for your parents."

Xie Zhiqiang didn't reply, his gaze remaining fixed on the road ahead, his fingers resting on the steering wheel, gently stroking it.

"Hmm," Xie Shu responded from the back row, his tone indifferent.

"How are you doing with those books I gave you before?" Xu Ting asked again.

"I've finished watching it."

"That's good. These books will be very helpful for your future business studies, and then..."

"We've arrived," Xie Zhiqiang suddenly said, interrupting Xu Ting.

"Goodbye." Xie Shu pushed open the car door, picked up his schoolbag, and got out of the car.

Xie Zhiqiang also unbuckled his seatbelt and followed her out, going around to the trunk to take out his daughter's suitcase.

Xu Ting sat in the car and saw Xie Zhiqiang bending down and saying a few words to Xie Shu through the car window, with a kind smile on his face. Xie Shu nodded and dragged his suitcase toward the school gate.

Xie Zhiqiang watched her walk away before returning to the driver's seat, closing the car door, but without releasing the handbrake.

He remained silent for a moment, his face grim, before speaking: "I think we need to reconsider Xiaoshu's study abroad plans. Does she really want to study business? Does she really want to go?"

Whenever he had the chance over the past few months, he would bring up the matter again.

"Enough, Xie Zhiqiang!" Xu Ting's voice suddenly rose half an octave, filled with obvious impatience. "Am I doing this for myself? I'm thinking about Xiao Shu's future."

"The future?" Xie Zhiqiang turned to look at her. "Will Xiaoshu lack food, clothing, or necessities in the future? Xu Ting, you can't earn all the money in the world. When will you understand that? Contentment brings happiness, what's wrong with that?"

Xu Ting didn't respond, as if she hadn't heard what he was saying at all.

She paused, then continued directly, "Besides, haven't you always wanted Xiao Shu to stay away from that boy? Her going abroad to study is exactly what you wanted, isn't it?"

"..."

Xie Zhiqiang suddenly fell silent. He lowered his eyes, his face expressionless, and his fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel.

After a long silence, he finally said nothing, released the handbrake, and left the school gate...

"Brothers, did you miss me?" Yang Kun asked loudly as he pushed open the door, dragging his suitcase.

"Who are you? Are you from our dorm? Get out."

"Stop messing around, don't you even recognize me, Brother Chicken?" Yang Kun dragged his suitcase to his bed, glanced around the dorm, and said, "Hey, where's Lao Bai? Still not back?"

"I arrived early and went to the classroom as soon as I was ready."

"Holy crap, this is so curly?" Yang Kun's eyes widened.

"You think Lao Bai is now the number one male liberal arts student among us?"

"The so-called number one male liberal arts student is actually only fourth place."

"Don't kid me, Chicken Bro, you're still in the forties."

"I have a question, who is the top female liberal arts student?" Jiao Yong interjected.

"Isn't that a pointless question? Who else could it be but XS?" Yang Kun gave him a disdainful look.

"Sure, the two first place winners are together now," Wang Rui joked with a smile.

"This is love!"

……

"You did well on the final exams last semester. We have two spots for the Progress Award, and I've already submitted your names."

Zhong Jianjun calmly opened the document that had been sent out this morning.

"After review by the school leaders, it was unanimously agreed that Li Mubai and Lin Xinle should be nominated as recipients of the Dream Building Scholarship Progress Award."

An award for improvement? One thousand?!

Lin Xinle bowed slightly, her voice trembling with excitement, "Thank you, Teacher Zhong!"

"Thank you... teacher." Li Mubai's reaction was much more indifferent.

Zhong Jianjun glanced at the two men's drastically different reactions and continued:

"Don't think you can relax just because you won an award. Your real goal is the college entrance exam, understand?"

"clear."

"In a few days, next Tuesday, will be the school's 100-day countdown rally. Two students who have made progress will be selected to speak on stage. I have one spot here. You can discuss who should go."

Zhong Jianjun's gaze was fixed on the computer screen, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

A 100-day countdown rally?

Li Mubai's heart stirred slightly. He remembered watching others shouting their target universities and scores on stage.

"Never mind," he thought to himself, shaking his head.

"Teacher Zhong, I'm not very good at speaking, so I won't go up," Lin Xinle said first.

"Alright, let Li Mubai go up and give it a try."

What?!

Li Mubai turned his head to look at Lin Xinle, who was looking down at the ground, and the corners of her mouth seemed to be slightly upturned.

"Teacher, I..."

"You're suitable too, right? I remember you used to host the school assembly, and you ranked fourth in the final exams, just a little short of making it into the top three." Zhong Jianjun interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

Li Mubai fell silent; he was indeed hesitant.

"Alright, go back and study hard. Write your speech in advance and show it to me later."

Zhong Jianjun seemed to have already made the decision for him, waving his hand to indicate that they could leave.

As Li Mubai and Lin Xinle left the office, Lin Xinle's steps became noticeably lighter when the door closed behind them.

The sound of suitcase wheels scraping against the ground could still be heard from downstairs in the teaching building, as if reminding every senior high school student that their final stretch of the journey was about to begin.

A hundred-day sprint... There are less than four months left until the college entrance examination.

"Li Mubai," Lin Xinle suddenly called out to him.

He stopped and looked at her, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

"The top three will probably give a speech on stage, right?"

She asked a seemingly random question, but Li Mubai understood it.

He nodded, his tone flat: "Yes, I know."

He was also hesitant about this, but ultimately, if Xie Shu was going to take the stage, then he would go too.

Lin Xinle seemed to smile slightly, then turned and walked towards the classroom without saying anything more.

"Lin Xinle." Li Mubai suddenly called out to her, his tone more serious than before, "Didn't you report about me and Xie Shu to Teacher Zhong before?"

Lin Xinle stopped in her tracks, her back to him, without turning around.

"Don't do that again," he said again.

"Okay, okay." She turned around, a hint of guilt in her expression. "It won't happen again."

"So it really is you?"

Lin Xinle was taken aback, then realized she had been tricked, and her lips twitched slightly: "Sorry... I had no choice before."

She bowed slightly, her tone filled with sincere apology.

"Never mind." Li Mubai waved his hand. "Just don't act as an informant anymore."

He didn't actually intend to investigate further. He had only vaguely suspected it before, and it seemed that she was always there whenever something happened.

"Don't worry! It will never happen again." Lin Xinle raised three fingers together, looking as if she were making a solemn oath.

"Hmm." He nodded and was about to turn around when someone gently patted his shoulder from behind.

"Hey!" Startled, he took a small step back and turned his head. Chen Qiuhe was standing behind him with a smile.

"Why do you walk so silently? It's like a ghost," he said, frowning.

"A ghost?" Chen Qiuhe tilted her head. "Have you ever seen a ghost as agile as me?"

Li Mubai pursed his lips, remaining silent. If he could see ghosts, then his life was over.

"Uh... I'll head back now." Lin Xinle managed to squeeze in, said goodbye, and quickly returned to the classroom.

After Lin Xinle had walked away, Chen Qiuhe spoke, her tone scrutinizing:

"So what were you doing just now? As your friend, I must warn you, don't do anything foolish. I've been watching you closely."

"What could I do?" Li Mubai countered. "I just noticed something was off about Lin Xinle, and I found out by asking her."

"Oh~" Chen Qiuhe nodded as if she understood. "So what's wrong?"

Li Mubai said a few words briefly.

"So that's how it is, there were informants," Chen Qiuhe suddenly lowered her voice, "Should we arrest Lin Xinle and torture her?"

"..."

"Haha, I was just kidding." She suddenly couldn't help but sigh, "But your relationship is just too difficult."

Li Mubai fell silent. Was it difficult? Who could say what would happen in the future?

"Work hard, and you'll be relaxed after the college entrance exam," Chen Qiuhe promised, painting a rosy picture of the Chinese college entrance exam.

Li Mubai forced a smile.

"So what are you doing on the fifth floor?" he asked.

"I'm a student, this is a school, why can't I come?" she asked habitually, then chuckled, "Of course, you'd never guess why I'm here."

"You're not here to see some guy, are you?" Li Mubai recalled the scene last semester when she came to ask him what it felt like to like someone.

"Wrong! Completely wrong!" Chen Qiuhe crossed her hands and said seriously, "First of all, there is no such boy. Secondly, I came here because I received a scholarship for improvement and I was preparing to go back."

"Oh~"

"Isn't your sister Chen amazing? I'll treat you to milk tea and potato chips later." Her face was filled with barely suppressed smugness.

"I got it too."

"What? A scholarship for academic advancement? You can get one too?"

"I came in fourth place, why can't I win?"

"I fought my way up from the bottom of the class to the top ten..."

Chen Qiuhe and Li Mubai walked side by side, her laughter fading into the distance with each step, until they finally disappeared down the corridor...