You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

Su Qinghe's breathing was erratic, her mind racing with a single thought—

She always thought that she was the only one who had secretly done a lot of research for the other person.

She would secretly rummage through his wallet to remember his birthday, she would set three alarms to remind herself to prepare a gift, and she would even search for a lunar calendar conversion chart to carefully calculate the date.

She thought she had done enough and put in enough effort.

But she never expected that Jiang Che had already figured out everything about her from behind her back.

She knew even more than she did herself.

And he never said that.

If she hadn't brought it up today, he probably would never have mentioned it.

It's like something that should be taken for granted; it's quietly kept in my heart, without needing to show it off or claim credit for it.

Su Qinghe's nose suddenly stung, and she sniffed hard, desperately trying to hold back her tears.

But I couldn't resist.

Warm tears streamed down her cheeks. She quickly lowered her head, took a step forward, and threw herself straight into Jiang Che's arms.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and mumbled, "Jiang Che, how come you always manage to make me cry..."

Although her voice was trembling with tears, there was not a trace of resentment in her tone.

It was a complex mix of feelings of grievance and gratitude.

Jiang Che looked down at the small head in his arms, reached out and ruffled her hair, chuckled and teased her, "How can you blame me for this? It's because you cry too easily, it's not my fault."

Su Qinghe, in her arms, angrily raised her hand and punched him.

But the force of that punch was about the same as a cat scratching someone; it didn't hurt at all, not even an itch.

Moreover, the corners of her mouth never turned down, indicating that she wasn't angry at all.

She buried her face deeper into his chest, inhaling his familiar scent. Her heart felt a tightness and warmth, as if someone had gently squeezed it.

The two of them stood by the river for quite a while.

Only after Su Qinghe's emotions gradually calmed down did she lift her head from his embrace, wipe her tears haphazardly with the back of her hand, and then pull his arm to walk to the bench next to her.

"Sit down for a while... my legs are sore."

Actually, it wasn't that my legs were sore, it was just that I felt a bit weak after crying.

But she would never say such a thing.

The two sat down on a bench by the river.

The summer night breeze blows across the water, carrying a faint scent of damp grass and trees.

Su Qinghe leaned on Jiang Che's shoulder, and after a few minutes of silence, she took out her phone, opened a video app, and carefully typed a few words in the search bar: "Beginner's Cake Tutorial".

Then she started looking at them one by one and collecting them one by one.

"This buttercream piping looks so pretty... Look at how they piped the roses, I feel like I could learn how."

"Wow, this strawberry mousse is so beautiful, but it seems like there are a lot of steps involved..."

"This is easy! I'm sure I can make this!"

She read and commented, her expression shifting from serious to eager, and then from eager to bursting with confidence.

Jiang Che sat beside her, watching her without saying a word.

He was thinking about something.

He thought to himself—no matter how many birthdays he celebrates in his life, just watching Su Qinghe prepare the cake would be sweeter than eating it itself.

About ten minutes later, Su Qinghe's favorites folder was filled with nearly twenty cake tutorial videos.

She finally exited the search page with satisfaction, locked her phone screen, and then suddenly turned around, staring at Jiang Che with a solemn expression.

Her expression was as serious as if she were about to participate in the finals of some international competition.

"A-Che".

"Um?"

"You wait."

Su Qinghe's tone was very firm, and her eyes shone with a very serious light, "I will definitely make the most delicious cake in the world for you."

After she finished speaking, she paused for about a second.

Then the voice suddenly went quieter, and the gaze secretly shifted away, muttering a word to himself.

"Although... I'm not even very good at using an egg beater right now."

Jiang Che couldn't help but laugh when he saw her first confident promise and then suddenly become guilty.

"It's okay, I'll teach you if you don't know how."

Su Qinghe looked up at him, and the corners of her mouth slowly turned up. "Then you have to be patient, okay? I learn things very slowly."

"I never complained about you when I taught you how to make tiles, so what's a little egg beater?"

"...Jiang Che, are you implying that I'm bad at games?"

"I'm praising your learning spirit."

Su Qinghe snorted and snuggled back into his arms. "Just you wait... If you dare say it's not good, I'll..."

"What will you do?"

"I'll make you an even worse one."

The wind on the river was still blowing gently, and the warm yellow light of the streetlights cast long, long shadows of the two people.

Su Qinghe closed her eyes and listened to Jiang Che's steady and strong heartbeat.

She thought to herself—

November 23rd.

There are still more than five months to go.

That's enough. Enough for her to learn how to make the best cake in the world from scratch.

Although she really doesn't know how to use an egg beater very well now.

But it's okay.

Because he said he would teach her.

……

The next morning, because she had something on her mind, Su Qinghe woke up very early.

Then, after tossing and turning around for about ten minutes, she successfully woke Jiang Che up.

"What... what time is it...?"

Jiang Che groggily reached for his phone on the bedside table, glancing at the time with half-closed eyes—8:17.

For a high school graduate who has just finished the college entrance examination and is in the legally relaxed period of slacking off, getting up at this time is simply a desecration of youth.

However, Su Qinghe clearly did not think so.

She was already dressed and ready, wearing a cream-colored short-sleeved T-shirt and her hair tied up. She squatted by the bed, looking energetic, with her hands on the edge of the bed, her chin resting on the back of her hands, and her bright eyes staring at him.

"Ah Che, get up, get up, let's go to the supermarket!"

"What are you buying? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Buy ingredients! Ingredients for making a cake!"

She was still looking at cake tutorials on her phone in bed before going to sleep last night, and she reluctantly put the phone down when it was almost out of battery.

Looking at her eager expression, Jiang Che thought to himself that this little girl was quite proactive; she said she wanted to learn yesterday, and she's already starting to do it today.

Fine, I'll spoil you then.

The two went out and walked to a large chain supermarket nearby.

As soon as Su Qinghe entered the supermarket, she pushed a shopping cart, opened the tutorial videos she had saved on her phone, and then walked confidently toward the baking section.