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

"Wow! Little Meng! You're amazing! This castle gives me the feeling that you could actually live in it!"

To...to move in?

Xiao Meng looked down at the castle, which was a little over a meter in diameter, and the small door, which was only a few tens of centimeters long. Her mind went blank for a moment. She stomped her little feet hard on the sand and pointed at Xiao Lizhi with a blushing face.

"Oh! You actually mocked me for being short!"

"No!" Little Lychee quickly waved her hands. "I just meant that Sister Meng has the air of a princess and should live in a castle!"

"Oh, sorry... is that what you mean?"

"Mmm, but you're talking about being short... a petite princess is super cute too!"

"As expected, the emphasis on small size is still unavoidable?!"

"Oops! Little Meng is angry!"

Zixiao looked at the scene before her with a helpless, bitter smile.

Xiao Meng, who looks like a child but is quite mature at heart, angrily chases after Xiao Lizhi, who looks mature but is still a child at heart, around the castle.

It's really hard to tell who's the child!

I didn't even think about trying to persuade them; they were just there to have fun anyway.

more importantly...

Zixiao turned around and fixed her gaze on Qin Ruoke, who was sitting alone on the shore, picking up seashells and occasionally throwing them into the sea.

Senior Qin Ruoke... doesn't seem unapproachable, she's just quite taciturn.

You can tell she's trying hard to get to know everyone. She came over several times to ask about the construction progress of the sandcastle, although anyone can tell she's not really interested in building a sandcastle.

Well... we can't always let the senior sister try to integrate on her own. Zixiao also wants to take the initiative to talk to her. It's not that we have to go swimming or playing in the sand or anything. Maybe what the senior sister Qin wants is to sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk.

Having realized this, Zixiao started walking to the shore where she was sitting.

He gently patted her shoulder.

"Senior, what are you thinking about?"

76. So-called growth

Zixiao's voice was gentle, just like the sound of the rolling waves, and it did not startle Qin Ruoke.

When Qin Ruoke turned around, Zixiao had already held up the hem of her swimsuit with one hand and sat down next to Qin Ruoke, about a fist's distance apart.

"Senior, may I sit here?"

"Ah, please, please go ahead."

"Yes, thank you."

A gentle breeze swept by, causing Zixiao's black hair and Qin Ruoke's pink hair to sway slightly in the same direction.

When the wind stopped, Qin Ruoke hugged her knees with both hands and pulled her legs back.

What...what happened?!

Why did Zixiao suddenly start talking to me? Did she want to talk about something, maybe about Yuzhe? Or does she think I'm too quiet and withdrawn?

Qin Ruoke's mind was racing for a moment, but she glanced at Zixiao beside her out of the corner of her eye, wanting to say something first, but she hesitated and didn't say anything.

Ah, at a time like this, I, as the senior student, should speak first!

Why do I always have a lot of ideas when I'm writing essays for exams, but then I fall apart when I'm talking to someone face-to-face?

Qin Ruoke has cursed herself for being bad at socializing countless times. She wants to be more lively and can liven up the atmosphere around her like Xiao Lizhi and Xiao Meng, but her naturally introverted personality just doesn't support that.

In short, Zixiao is sitting next to me now.

And the situation where you don't know what to say...

It was really a bit awkward.

Seeing her frowning and glancing at her out of the corner of her eye from time to time, Zi Xiao initially just blinked curiously. After a while, Zi Xiao suddenly burst out laughing.

"Haha... Senior, actually, there's no need to force yourself to think of something. That's too tiring."

"Uh...did we find out...sorry..."

Qin Ruoke was genuinely apologizing; she knew that her sullen personality must be annoying Zixiao.

To everyone's surprise, Zixiao simply waved her right hand to indicate that it was all right, and then, mimicking Qin Ruoke's posture, hugged her knees with both hands and looked at the endless coastline in the distance, just like Qin Ruoke had done earlier.

Qin Ruoke turned her head slightly to look at Zixiao's profile.

To be honest, Qin Ruoke was usually a little insecure and rarely made eye contact with people, but when Zixiao looked into the distance, she finally had the courage to take a closer look at her.

All I can say is that Zixiao truly deserves to be called the school beauty of Fenghai No.1 High School...

Her long, jet-black hair had an ethereal quality reminiscent of a starry night sky, and her exquisite profile was flawless, embodying the best gift a girl could ever have. Her red eyes were full of brilliance, without a trace of impurity.

More importantly, during their six months as neighbors, which was neither too long nor too short, Qin Ruoke learned that Zixiao's soul was more beautiful than her perfect appearance.

It's true... Yu Zhe is surrounded by such perfect girls.

In comparison, I am...

Qin Ruoke withdrew her gaze, curled her toes together, and drew ten lines of varying lengths on the sand.

She never thought of comparing her looks with Zixiao and the others.

She was able to survive a life filled with hunger, cold, and despair, all thanks to the happiness Yu Zhe gave her. She had no energy left to think about such a luxurious matter.

But ever since she confirmed that she could really stay by Yu Zhe's side, Qin Ruoke sometimes would think about...

They are all so perfect, am I the only one embarrassing Yu Zhe...?

Just as she was thinking about random things, Zixiao's voice suddenly rang in her ear again.

"Speaking of which, I've always wanted to say that senior's pink hair is really beautiful. From a distance, it looks like falling cherry blossoms, so gorgeous."

"Huh?"

Only after Zixiao finished speaking did Qin Ruoke snap out of her reverie.

She reflexively grabbed a strand of her pink hair and held it in front of her.

"No... Zixiao, you said you envy me... but your hair is so much prettier! Sometimes I even think about going to the hair salon and dyeing it black..."

"No!" Zixiao quickly turned her head to stop her, "Why do you want to dye it! Senior, this is your natural beauty. What I said just now wasn't flattery. I really think your hair is super beautiful. I think my brother must think so too."

"Really...really?"

"Ok!"

"Okay... then I won't dye it."

Zixiao's tone was completely genuine, which made Qin Ruoke feel a faint joy from the bottom of her heart.

But she didn't quite know how to express her joy, so all she could say was, "Then I won't dye it."

Her reaction made Zixiao laugh again.

Well, by using what she had wanted to say before, she finally got to the point, and Zixiao was finally able to continue speaking.

"Speaking of which, senior, although we've been neighbors for more than half a year, it seems like we've barely exchanged a few words?"

"I'm sorry... I'm too quiet; I should really talk more..."

"No, no~ Actually, I'm not that good at communicating... because of this, my brother often criticizes me."

"Eh? Zixiao, you too..."

"Can't tell, can you?"

"Hmm...because in my memory you are quite cheerful. It's really impressive that you were able to become friends with Xiao Lizhi at school."

"Senior, if Xiaolizhi hears you say that, she'll be sad."

"Feel sorry..."

Indeed, Zixiao never expected that when she transferred to Fenghai No.1 Middle School, she would become friends with Xiaolizhi.

Being classmates and sitting at adjacent desks is both a coincidence and an inevitability.

Recalling this incident, Zi Xiao frankly told Qin Ruoke, "Speaking of Xiao Lizhi... I feel that I was also influenced by her a bit, which is why my personality has become a little more cheerful. That girl is always carefree and nonsensical, causing trouble for her brother, but... I should definitely learn from her ability to liven up the atmosphere."

"really..."

At this point, Zixiao hugged her knees tighter in embarrassment and said to Qin Ruoke with a wry smile, "Speaking of which, I didn't tell you before, but more than a year ago, didn't I live with my brother Yuche in the Su family villa?"

“Yes, I heard Yu Zhe say that he has only been living in the apartment for about a year.”

"Yeah, before I moved into this apartment, the only people I dared to talk to face-to-face were my brother and Yu Che. Haha... It's a bit embarrassing to say. Although I didn't show up at any banquets or meetings back then, partly because my brother protected me and wouldn't let me go out, and of course, another reason was... I was just too scared. With so many people around, I felt nervous just looking at them, let alone talking to them. So when I saw my brother still smiling and talking fluently in front of a crowd, I really thought he was a hero."

Qin Ruoke listened very attentively.

At this moment, the light in Zixiao's eyes shone even brighter, showing that Yuzhe held a place in her heart that was like her entire world.

Yes... Zixiao is right. In Qin Ruoke's eyes, Yuzhe is also a hero, who brought her from hell.

A great hero among men.

After saying this, Zixiao looked directly into Qin Ruoke's cherry-colored eyes and smiled with her head tilted.

"But even so, after leaving the villa with my brother and coming to this apartment, I slowly tried to change. Sister Xinye came back, I met Xiaolizhi, learned about Senior Sister Xiaomeng, and learned about Lingyun's past. Now I've reunited with my mother. I feel that my life is becoming more and more colorful. Of course, there's also you, Senior Sister. Getting to know you is also a gain for me this year. The fact that I can talk to you face to face like this proves my growth, doesn't it?"

So... Zixiao, you guys are really too dazzling.

Qin Ruoke smiled wryly, but was also happy for Zixiao's happiness.

But before Zixiao could finish speaking, she paused, picked up a seashell from the side, and threw it forcefully into the sea.

The seashell fell into the water with a crisp "plop," splashing up tiny droplets.

"I'm able to change like this thanks to you all. Senior, you might not realize it, but in the past six months, you've actually become even more outstanding than before, haven't you?"

"Me...?"

77. What are your plans for the future?

"Yes, senior, your growth has far surpassed mine. Haven't you realized it yourself?"

"I've made some discoveries, more or less."

Qin Ruoke does not deny the changes she has undergone in the past six months.