It's the students' fault if they are too popular.

Dongyang chatted privately with Bailu: "It's so troublesome. I still have to buy gifts."

Chu Jie was treating them, so they couldn't go empty-handed. Dong Yang found choosing a gift extremely troublesome.

Bai Lu: "It's okay, I'll buy you the same one as mine."

Dong Yang: “Buy something cheaper.”

Bai Lu: "Yeah, I'll go to the group to sign us up."

On the bed in the bedroom, Bai Lu stretched happily after reading the message sent by Xu Dongyang. She didn't care how old Chu Jie's birthday was. Her goal was to ask Dongyang out to play.

For so long, she has been carefully balancing this relationship, not asking Dongyang to come to her senses. After all, they are still young, and she will be satisfied as long as they can always accompany each other.

Going to the same high school is certain, and it would be best if we also go to the same university.

In the group, Bai Lu spoke:

"Xu Dongyang and I will go too."

Chu Jie: "Welcome, welcome!"

Passerby A: "Brother Jie has face!"

The group was bustling with people and messages kept flashing across the screen. Han Tingting was always interacting with Chu Jie. Several boys jokingly called her "sister-in-law", but she didn't refute them. She just sent a few emojis of beating people, which had no deterrent effect at all.

Amid the noise, they also played a game of red envelope chain.

then.

Chu Jie: "@Gu Nian, are you coming? It's my birthday."

Inviting a person of the opposite sex alone, the thoughts behind this are known to everyone.

But the boys who had called Han Tingting sister-in-law before were embarrassed, and Han Tingting was even more embarrassed. The originally lively group became quiet when the gossip happened.

Until the heroine of the story appeared.

Gu Nian: "No, I'm busy."

Very cold.

Chu Jie felt humiliated and said nothing.

In the end, it was Han Tingting who broke the deadlock:

"Let's continue the chain." Then he took the initiative to send a red envelope.

After playing the red envelope chain game for a few more rounds, everyone else lost interest and gradually became alienated from the group.

Bai Lu privately complained: "Chu Jie is still ruthless. He has been rejected several times."

Dong Yang: "A good girl is afraid of a clinging man."

Many middle school girls are like this. As long as the guy is not too annoying, they will eventually be pursued and won.

Late at night, the two said good night to each other and fell asleep.

Sunday, morning.

Everyone gathered at the school gate. Dongyang arrived first, followed by Bailu, each holding two small gift bags, which were the gifts they had bought.

Dong Yang asked: "What did you buy?"

Bai Lu waved her hand: "Fantasy novel."

Dong Yang nodded: "Okay."

As if all the parties could not arrive on time, they waited at the school gate for a quarter of an hour for the latecomers to arrive. During this time, Bai Lu had already found out a lot of news:

"Dongyang, guess what gift Han Tingting gave you?"

Dong Yang held the mung bean paste in his mouth through a straw and thought:

"Herself?"

Bai Lu covered her face and said, "Not so unrestrained... She gave me a white watch."

In the minds of junior high school students, a white watch means a confession of love.

But Chu Jie probably still can't forget Gu Nian, like the white moonlight in front of the window and the cinnabar mole in his heart. It is best to be agitated by what you can't get.

"How about we have barbecue at noon?" Chu Jie arranged among the crowd.

"it is good!"

I have to say that Chu Jie is a boy with great leadership skills. With more than ten people, he can manage everything in an orderly manner. He also has a good family background and is good at sports. He is the object of many girls' affection in the class.

Arriving at the barbecue restaurant, everyone was about to go upstairs when suddenly someone shouted:

"Hey, isn't that Gu Nian?"

Then he pointed to the restaurant next door.

The restaurant next door is called Fishing Village. The main dishes are marked with red stickers on the glass outside. It is obviously a place to eat fish.

Everyone looked in the direction and soon found Gu Nian sitting in a seat near the window. The man next to her should be her father, and the person sitting opposite the father and daughter was their class teacher.

"Tsk," Han Tingting sneered, "Another person who wants to use connections to curry favor with the teacher."

Another person laughed strangely: "Should we go say hello?"

As soon as the proposal was made, a group of people laughed and discussed what to talk about when they met.

Dong Yang pursed his lips: "I suggest you don't go, you will embarrass the teacher."

Those people looked at each other, unsure as they wanted to make Gu Nian look bad, but they also didn't want to affect their image in the teacher's mind.

"Let's eat our own food," Chu Jie also said, "If the teacher sees us playing outside instead of studying, he'll say something."

The host had spoken, so everyone gave him face and reluctantly gave up the idea.

Before going upstairs, Dong Yang looked back. With just one glance, she found that she and Gu Nian had an eye contact for a moment.

Gu Nian saw them.

Then, the girl in the restaurant quickly lowered her head, as if she had done something wrong.

Extra: Winter Sun (IV)

"Teacher, this child still needs your attention at school..."

"She should. Gu Nian is very good, has good grades, and is disciplined. But she is too honest. I hope she can be more open-minded."

"Niannian, did you hear what the teacher said? You should actively answer questions in class."

"……heard it."

Gu Nian answered sullenly, glancing at the corridor of the restaurant opposite from time to time. Her classmates had already gone upstairs.

But you must have seen her before.

She felt very uncomfortable and just wanted to escape from this place as soon as possible. She would feel uncomfortable eating with distant relatives, let alone with teachers. But there is one thing in common between the two: no matter how much you resist, your parents always want you to communicate more with these people.

She knew it was her parents' good intentions, but she didn't want to be the focus of discussion.

Outside the window, it is the same sunny day.

The golden light shines into the cafeteria on the third floor, filled with the laughter of youth.

Xu Dongyang did not eat the barbecue first, but chose a bunch of fruits and sushi, poured herself a cup of milk tea and an ice cream, and then sat down by the window. She tried to look at the "fishing village" downstairs opposite, but could only see the reflection of the glass.

"Dongyang," Bai Lu sat down opposite her with a plate in her hand, looking like she was asking for credit, "I got two steaks, I'll give you one!"

The restaurant serves steak, but you have to queue, so you have to queue twice for two servings.

"Thank you," Dong Yang pushed the fruit and sushi over, "I got some for you too."

"hey-hey."

Bai Lu picked up a cherry tomato, put it in her mouth, and her lips curled up.

There were only two seats at the table, facing each other.

Like a date, quiet and sweet, quietly satisfying the secret hidden in her heart.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was very good, with a professional person playing the piano. Junior high school students all liked this kind of genteel tune. Under the crystal chandelier, Han Tingting shook her wine glass in a serious manner and talked to Chu Jie, looking very happy. Xu Dongyang didn't understand, how could they be in the second year of junior high school and have the heart to fall in love, obviously at this age, everyone was immature. Some people regard falling in love as a capital to show off, some people are attracted by beauty, and she has not seen many pairs of "true love" that her aunt often talks about.

Based on the principle of "better to be alone than to be with the wrong person", she would rather not be in a relationship.

"Dongyang," Bai Lu said excitedly, "They will go to KTV later."

Dong Yang nodded: "Yeah."

It was somewhat impolite to leave early, but even though the KTV was noisy and light-polluting, she could still accept it.

-

-

It was one o'clock in the afternoon.

"Teacher, please keep this tea, it's very good for brewing!"

"Oh, no, no, no, you're too polite... You really don't have to..."

Gu Nian lowered her head and looked blankly at the cans of tea in her father's handbag. The teacher's repeated rejections made her feel bad for her father, but in the end, the teacher accepted the tea and promised to pay more attention to her.

The teacher is gone.

She asked quietly, "How much did this meal cost?"

My father pretended to be generous and said, "Just one thousand yuan."

"It's too expensive." The family's conditions are not too bad, but not great either.

"Silly girl, you have to spend some money. Many teachers are snobbish nowadays. If you give them gifts, they will take care of you, or at least won't embarrass you..."

"Our teacher is not that kind of person." She whispered, "I just want...the teacher to treat me as an ordinary student."

She has a little self-esteem and feels that she can win the teacher's favor with her good grades and does not need her parents to worry about her.

My father smiled and did not continue the topic:

"Let's take a taxi home."

Gu Nian stood silently on the side of the road. Suddenly, she saw familiar figures coming down the corridor opposite, one after another. Before she could react, the people on the other side started calling her:

"Gu Nian, here!"

"Gu Nian, do you want to go to KTV together?"

She was stiff, but her father patted her on the shoulder and said, "Don't stay at home and work hard all day. Make more friends. Go, I see some of your classmates with good grades are there too. Let's talk more."

Parents may not know all of their daughter’s classmates, but they will definitely know a few of those who are at the top of their class.

Gu Nian didn't want to go.

None of the people in that group were her friends. Maybe Xu Dongyang was one of them, but Bai Lu was there too, so she could only stand aside.

"What's wrong? Are you not on good terms with them?" the father wondered.

"No," Gu Nian lowered his eyes, "very good."

The father flipped through his wallet, closed it again, and finally transferred 300 yuan to his daughter using his mobile phone: "Don't be too frugal when you are out there, you still have to spend what you need to spend."

While we were talking, Chu Jie had already walked over and greeted us politely:

"Hello uncle, it's my birthday today, I want to ask Gu Nian..."

The father smiled and said, "You are a good-looking young man. You can ask Nian Nian yourself. I will not get involved."

Chu Jie looked at Gu Nian hopefully.

Gu Nian nodded slightly and said goodbye to his father.

She also wants to have many friends.

A friend like Xu Dongyang.

But it is difficult to fulfill one's wish.

"Hey, where's Teacher Xiang?" Han Tingting lost her good face when she saw Gu Nian, and sneered, "Didn't I have dinner with you just now?"

Gu Nian did not respond.

Chu Jie was in a dilemma. He didn't want the girl he liked to suffer, but he also couldn't bear to make the girl who liked him sad.