We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Liu Xiaoqing, someone is looking for you."

Someone's looking for me? Liu Xiaoqing looked up and glanced blankly towards the door.

During the break between evening self-study sessions, most people were still sitting in their seats studying. Xie Shu, unusually, also sat in his seat and flipped through a book, which was quite different from his usual behavior of disappearing during breaks.

She put down her pen, stood up, and walked outside.

Who exactly is looking for her? Could it be some junior student who wants her QQ number? That won't do, unless the other person is as good-looking as the celebrity she admires.

She walked out of the classroom. The corridor lights were blindingly bright. She looked around and saw no younger students, only one person standing sideways by the railing, as if waiting for her.

"You were looking for me?" She stepped forward, her brows furrowed.

Li Mubai glanced at her: "Please stop your malicious slander against Chen Qiuhe. What you said is completely fabricated."

Liu Xiaoqing's temper flared up immediately.

She glanced at him sideways, her tone carrying its usual sarcastic tone: "Who knows if she cheated? Her grades improved so quickly, it's definitely not normal."

"So, according to you, my grades are also improving, does that mean I'm cheating too?" Li Mubai's tone remained unchanged.

Liu Xiaoqing glanced at him up and down, then rolled her eyes dismissively: "Who knows?"

"This is malicious defamation. According to Article 1024 of the Civil Code, I or Chen Qiuhe can file a civil lawsuit against you. In more serious cases, we can sue you for criminal defamation under Article 246 of the Criminal Law."

Li Mubai spoke calmly; he had done his homework beforehand.

Liu Xiaoqing's face visibly paled for a moment, but she still stubbornly said, "Stop trying to scare me! It's not that easy to file a lawsuit! People like you are just putting on airs."

"Hehe." Li Mubai chuckled. "Believe it or not, it's up to you. If you don't stop, then you can expect to be sued."

After he finished speaking, he turned to leave, but after taking two steps, he stopped, turned his head, and said:

"By the way, inciting others to isolate classmates is also considered school bullying from an administrative perspective, and it can be dealt with by calling the police."

Call...the police?

Liu Xiaoqing's mind went blank for a moment. She stood there, watching Li Mubai's figure disappear around the corner of the corridor.

Is it really that serious...?

She lowered her head and walked into the classroom, sitting back in her seat with a somewhat fearful look in her eyes.

Suddenly, she felt a pen poking her back.

She turned around stiffly.

"Hey Xiaoqing, is it Li Mubai, that ordinary guy, who's looking for you? What did he say to you?" her best friend asked in a low voice.

"He told us to stop targeting Chen Qiuhe."

"Stop?" Her best friend scoffed, her tone as dismissive as ever. "Who does he think he is? Just like I said before, he's gotten cocky after living off a woman."

Liu Xiaoqing lowered her head, recalling how she and her best friend had secretly teased Li Mubai about his family background when they were in their second year of high school.

"He said that if we didn't stop, we could file a lawsuit or call the police," she said.

"Call...call the police?" Her best friend was clearly taken aback, her voice losing some of its confidence. "It can't be that serious...can the police handle such a small matter?"

"I'm not quite sure either." Liu Xiaoqing shook her head blankly.

"Besides, we didn't do anything illegal or criminal. We were just making our own speculations," her best friend, sitting in the back, stubbornly insisted.

"He spoke with great conviction, even bringing up the Civil Code and the Criminal Law."

"Wait for Xiaoqing, I'll go ask the others if they've heard anything like this."

"Um."

Liu Xiaoqing nodded. The noise of the break seemed to be blocked out by a thin film. She sat in her seat, lost in thought...

Ring ring—

Li Mubai slung his backpack over his shoulder, got up, and walked outside.

Hopefully, Liu Xiaoqing and her friends will be more pragmatic. If they were to report the matter to the teacher, it would probably be resolved peacefully and without any further conflict.

Ugh--

He shook his head inwardly, wondering what these people were thinking. Instead of focusing on their studies, they were attacking and spreading rumors about others.

As the weather gradually warms up in March, most students wear the black and white school uniform jackets issued by the school over their clothes.

As he walked out of the teaching building, his gaze habitually swept over the tree by the roadside. Standing in the shadow of the tree was a person in a school uniform, the black and white jacket outlined faintly by the streetlight.

"Thank you, Shu." He walked over and said softly.

"..." The person under the tree's shadow stepped out. "Sorry, I'm not Xie Shu."

"Chen Qiuhe? What are you doing standing here?"

"Can't I stand here?" she pouted, habitually retorting.

"Okay, so what do you need me for?"

"Can you come with me for a walk around the playground?" she asked, her voice a little softer than before.

Li Mubai frowned slightly. The idea of ​​a lone man and woman going to the playground together sounded rather awkward.

"never mind……"

He raised his hand to refuse, but Chen Qiuhe interrupted him.

Xie Shu said he'd be waiting for you on the playground.

"Huh?" Li Mubai was stunned.

By the time he realized what was happening, Chen Qiuhe had already turned around and walked towards the playground. He hesitated for a few seconds, but quickly followed after her.

"Is Xie Shu waiting for me on the playground? Why didn't she just come directly?"

"You'll see when you get there," Chen Qiuhe said without turning around.

"Such a mystery, are you trying to trick me into going to Myanmar?" he joked.

"Why do you talk so much?" Chen Qiuhe turned her head to look at him, a hint of disdain in her eyes. "Are you this talkative when you're with Xie Shu?"

Li Mubai closed his mouth and thought for a moment, but did not answer.

When they reached the entrance of the playground, Chen Qiuhe suddenly stopped and turned around to face him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She paused for a few seconds, as if to make sure no one else was around, then bowed slightly and said earnestly, "Thank you for your help."

"..." Li Mubai didn't expect her to be so serious, and felt a little uncomfortable. "No need to be so polite. As a friend, it's only right."

Chen Qiuhe straightened up.

The lights at the entrance to the playground weren't very bright, barely enough to illuminate each other's faces. The faint chirping of crickets came from the nearby haystacks, one chirp after another.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no sound was heard.

"What did you say?" Li Mubai didn't hear clearly.

"I said—" She looked up, a smile playing on her lips, "I wish you and Xie Shu continued happiness."

She met the right person at the wrong time. What if, she wondered, what if she had met Li Mubai and become his deskmate when she was in the first year of high school?

But the reality was that when she looked up, the boy in front of her was already standing with another girl.

"It seems like a lot of people will give us this kind of 'poisonous milk' (jinx)." Li Mubai chuckled.

That proves that many people want you to be well.

She saw a figure slowly walking towards Li Mubai from behind, with very light footsteps.

It was time to leave, but in the end they didn't even get to walk a lap around the playground.

"I'm going back to my dorm." Chen Qiuhe took a step back. "Xie Shu is waiting for you on the playground. Goodbye."

"Okay, goodbye."

She took two steps, then turned back: "Oh, by the way, I just wanted to tell you that if my mother's condition continues to improve, she might be able to go home next month."

"Really?" Li Mubai's tone was full of surprise. "That's wonderful."

Chen Qiuhe smiled, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

But... why you guys?

Before Li Mubai could think it through, someone suddenly wrapped their arms around his back, their arms passing under his waist and holding him tightly, with no intention of letting go.

"Ahem." Li Mubai coughed twice. "Xie Shu, we're still at school."

"What's wrong?" Her voice came from behind him. "You could call my name at the 100-day countdown rally, but you can't even hug me?"

"..." Li Mubai's voice froze. "Didn't we just hug each other this afternoon?"

"I can't get enough of hugging you~" Her voice was soft, with the last syllable drawn out, as if she were being coquettish.

Li Mubai didn't speak again. He gently pulled away and turned to face her. The streetlight shone on her face, making her eyes shine brightly.

"Release it when someone comes over," he said.

"understood."

Before she could finish speaking, she pounced on him again, this time more naturally than before.

A breeze from the entrance to the playground swept through, causing her hair to flutter slightly. The playground was quiet on this spring night, so quiet that they could hear each other's heartbeats.