Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

"You got 142 points, that's second place, not bad. But you usually get full marks, right? Did you make a mistake?"

Taking the phone from Yu Zhe, Qin Ruoke shrugged: "No mistakes, I just didn't know how. You saw that the third place is almost down from 135, right? This test was difficult to begin with. It was the teachers' way of keeping us from getting arrogant and getting us back on track."

As she spoke, she leaned slightly towards Yu Zhe, her eyes full of curiosity: "Yu Zhe, you actually managed to get a perfect score on the teacher's challenge. What's wrong with your brain... it's amazing."

"Ahem." Yu Zhe, unaware of the situation, awkwardly looked away. "How was I supposed to know that question was difficult... it didn't seem to make much difference to me..."

This was exactly what Qin Ruoke had expected. After spending this time together, she was well aware of Yu Zhe's abilities. What she considered difficult problems were probably just child's play for Yu Zhe.

As she continued her stroll, she looked up at the full moon in the sky and exclaimed, "This feeling is really amazing. If it were me in the past, if I knew that someone had a higher score than me, I would definitely be so anxious that I couldn't sleep all night and would have to find a way to surpass them."

"But now, even looking at this report card, I don't seem to feel any emotion."

because

It's you who's ranked first.

“That’s progress,” Yu Zhe replied. “Being competitive is good, but being overly competitive is counterproductive. You used to be so focused on the pressure of being number one. Haha, I remember... last time during the exam, you were so angry that you banged your hand against a pillar. The swelling is still painful to think about.”

"Let's not talk about that anymore..."

The two chatted idly as they walked halfway around the lake before finally finding an empty bench to sit on.

Looking down at the lake surface not far away, shimmering in the reflection of the lights.

Feel the cool but not cold night breeze.

Qin Ruoke's true thoughts naturally came out: "Yu Zhe... do you think I can do it?"

Regardless of the aspect, Yu Zhe had a clear idea in his mind: "Yes, it's possible. You are no longer burdened by those heavy shackles. You no longer live as Qin Yang's daughter, and you don't have those debts to repay. You are Qin Ruoke, just yourself. Since you are yourself, what's wrong with that?"

"Yeah…"

Yu Zhe's answer warmed her heart, but actually, the question had two layers of meaning.

The first layer, of course, refers to life in the future.

But there might be a second layer, mixed with a lot of courage and selfishness, she wanted to ask if it was still possible to stay by Yu Zhe's side in the future.

Perhaps Yu Zhe didn't care about such issues, so Qin Ruoke just watched him from afar, looking at the bright moon. For now, this was enough.

The two were originally on opposite sides of the bench.

At some point, Qin Ruoke sat closer to Yu Zhe: "You said back then that one day I could wear pretty clothes and go shopping with my friends, just like an ordinary girl."

"It's true, as you said, I've picked out several outfits myself. But friends... I've been feeling a bit uneasy lately. With my withdrawn personality, can I really make friends, and even go shopping together...?"

This issue is indeed fraught with unease.

But Yu Zhe's response was only one sentence: "Aren't I your friend?"

"..."

Qin Ruoke's eyes widened.

Seeing her standing there in a daze, Yu Zhe continued, "Going shopping is very simple. If you want, I can take you out shopping tomorrow and invite Zi Xiao and Xiao Meng along. But... this is now. In the future, you will meet more people and make more friends. Then, where will your so-called aloofness come from? Because you are already very cute, and people won't avoid you."

That's how people are; they're always making progress.

To predict and worry about the future based on the present is to be overly pessimistic.

Yu Zhe always believed that you should never worry about things that haven't happened yet; there's always a way out.

What surprised Qin Ruoke was not Yu Zhe's expectations of her, but what he had just said.

"Friend...can I be your friend...I've never done anything for you, I've only ever accepted your help, whether it's with my studies or what happened with my father..."

Qin Ruoke believes that mutual giving is what makes friends... but does she really deserve it?

Yu Zhe also quietly moved a little closer to her, and their shoulders were now very close.

He said in a very matter-of-fact tone, "Don't overthink it. Friends don't have so many requirements. Everything happens naturally. Besides, I've already considered you my friend. What, you don't consider me a friend?"

"Of course I consider you a friend! And..."

"That solves it."

Yu Zhe smiled and said, "Besides, it's not like I didn't receive your help."

"Huh?" Qin Ruoke didn't understand. She knew she had never been able to help Yu Zhe.

Seeing her puzzled look, Yu Zhe's eyes seemed to hold a thousand thoughts: "I... I used to be tired of seeing the conflicts of interest between people. I finally got out and about, and then I met you. You are brave, determined, and never give in to fate. You are such a lovely girl. You make me feel happy. I feel like I'm seeing a different side of this world. Tell me, didn't you help me?"

He continued talking to himself, not noticing that Qin Ruoke's face was already flushed red with embarrassment, and she had her head bowed low.

18. Don't be so jealous!

"Not only that, but the look in your eyes when you faced what seemed like a hopeless situation, the one that showed you absolutely no intention of giving up, also amused me. And there's more..."

"Okay, okay, I know... I know I've helped you, so please don't say anymore..."

Qin Ruoke had truly reached her limit. No one had ever praised her so enthusiastically in her entire life. Yu Zhe's incessant praise had almost instantly broken her defenses.

Yu Zhe glanced to the side and saw Qin Ruoke sitting on the left side of the bench, bending over with her face buried in her hands, peeking at him through her cherry-colored eyes.

"..."

I only gave her a couple of compliments, but I didn't expect her to react so strongly.

However, in this way...

"After saying all this, you should have nothing to worry about now. Let's not even talk about whether we're good enough friends. Even if we were, you're actually very outstanding, so please don't feel sorry for yourself."

It took Qin Ruoke a while to recover.

After repeatedly considering what Yu Zhe had just said, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he might indeed be overthinking things.

Friendships may not be such complicated things, and now, she has the person beside her as a friend, and that is enough.

Although they are just friends at this stage, Qin Ruoke really wants to take things further.

Well… it's not that she looks down on herself; at least for now, she absolutely doesn't deserve to be at that level.

Therefore, maintaining the status quo is already a great blessing.

Yu Zhe glanced sideways. The girl beside him had the lake in the distance as a backdrop, and her smile seemed to blend into the night, creating a pleasing scene with the gentle breeze.

At that moment, Qin Ruoke also made a wish upon the starry sky. Nowadays, you can't see stars in the city, so the stars are in people's hearts.

Qin Ruoke was left to ponder for quite some time.

After a long while, Yu Zhe finally stood up: "Xiao Ruo Ke, as a friend, I feel there's something I should ask you. Would you like to hear it?"

The girl's answer was naturally decisive: "Of course!"

“Alright.” Yu Zhe looked at the lake and said, “My birthday is in a few days, the day after Christmas. There will be a birthday party then. I wonder if you would like to come.”

invite.

It was truly an invitation. Only then did Qin Ruoke realize the immense joy that welled up within her when invited by someone she valued.

She stood up as well, nodding as if afraid of missing the opportunity: "Yes, yes! I'll go! No matter what happens that day, I'll go!"

"Okay, when we get back later, I'll write you an invitation with the address and time. Sigh, I have so many useless rules in my family. They won't let you into the banquet without an invitation. Those old fogies just love this sense of ritual. But what's the point? Really..."

Qin Ruoke was filled with anticipation as Yu Zhe began to complain to himself.

She knew how huge the Su family, to which Yu Zhe belonged, was, so whether she needed to wear a formal dress to Yu Zhe's birthday party... she'd ask about that later.

That's not important. What I'm really looking forward to is visiting Yu Zhe's real home a few days from now, with an invitation written by Yu Zhe himself. Just thinking about it makes me very happy.

In her joy, she suddenly realized something: "What about the gift... what should I do about the gift?"

Because they were sitting very close, the murmur did not escape Yu Zhe's ears.

He specifically instructed, "Don't worry too much about gifts, as long as you can come, that's fine. Besides, you gave us a mahjong set at noon, so that would be a nice gift too~"

"That won't do." Qin Ruoke certainly wouldn't agree. "Just wait, although I'm still broke... but! I'll definitely give everyone a better gift than anyone else!"

"Alright, alright, since you put it that way, I'll be looking forward to it."

Qin Ruoke's personality is indeed stubbornly unyielding. Even when giving a gift, she doesn't want to be inferior to others, or rather, she doesn't want to lose because it's a gift for Yu Zhe.

Their competitive spirit has finally found the right application.

This may also be the quality that Yu Zhe appreciates about her.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Yu Zhe tightened the collar of his down jacket.

Alright, now that everything that needed to be said has been said and the birthday party invitation has been sent, it's probably time to head back since staying outside is just going to be freezing anyway.

and…

Yu Zhe shifted his gaze to a spot not far away, behind a deer statue, where a cute figure was acting suspiciously. When it noticed Yu Zhe's gaze, it quickly shrank back behind the statue.

Zixiao...you're really not suited for stalking.

Qin Ruoke had just followed Yu Zhe's gaze, so she naturally saw Zi Xiao as well.

"..."

Speaking of which, Qin Ruoke is very sensible.

She naturally turned her head back, pretending not to see, and then whispered to Yu Zhe, "Your sister is behind that statue, so... I'll head back now."

At this point, Yu Zhe didn't say much: "Okay, see you tomorrow, I have to go catch that stalking cat."

Qin Ruoke smiled, and with light steps, headed back the way she came, leaving alone first.

Yu Zhe left and slowly walked behind the statue.

Before we even got there, Zixiao, who had been hiding behind the statue, came out on her own initiative.

She was wearing a brown trench coat, which looked just like a detective's outfit in a movie.

When Zixiao met Yuzhe's gaze, she couldn't help but feel a little awkward: "Haha... What a coincidence, brother! I was just taking a walk and happened to run into you... Has Senior Qin Ruoke already left?"

"You don't usually take evening walks... What's the point of telling me this?"

Of course it's useless. Zixiao knows herself well. She and her brother know each other's lifestyles inside and out. It would be strange if nonsense worked.

Seeing that Yu Zhe seemed a little angry, Zi Xiao lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry..."

"Oh, you really are..."

The next moment, to Zixiao's utter surprise, Yuzhe simply took her hands in front of him and gently breathed warm air on them, instantly sending a surge of warmth into her heart.

I initially thought my brother was angry because of the stalking incident, but it turned out that wasn't the case.