Quick Transmigration: The Control Group in Sweet Novels

The people around laughed.

Qi Yang looked over when she heard the noise. Chen Zuo was also smiling. The boy's handsome eyebrows were slightly curved, and there was a smile on his lips. The next second, he also turned his head to look at her. Their eyes met, and he smiled and raised his eyes at her. The boy's smile, which was illuminated by the light golden sunlight, was particularly clean and clear.

Qi Yang pursed her lips, her gaze lingering for a moment.

Ji Tingyu, standing beside her, glanced at it, shook her head, and sighed, "Why is it that boys' happiness is so simple?"

......

The autumn winds have completely faded, and a biting east wind sweeps across the entire city.

Autumn passed and winter came silently.

The sycamore trees on campus have shed their last withered leaves, leaving only bare branches stretching towards the gray sky. The temperature has plummeted, and thin autumn clothes have been replaced by thick, soft sweaters.

Chen Zuo's breakfast was served non-stop throughout the day, and he would always be waiting for her in the corridor on time after school in the evening to accompany her home.

Qi Yang's grades have been steadily improving, and her ranking has gradually stabilized in the top 30 of her grade. She is getting closer and closer to her goal.

Until the city was filled with color by the first snow.

Chen Zuo leaned against the corridor as always. He was tall and slender, and his clothes never made him look bulky. On the contrary, his clothes complemented his appearance.

Students passing by in the corridor would glance at it more or less.

He lowered his eyes slightly and waited quietly.

The backpack behind him was pulled by a slight force, like a cat scratching. He turned his head and saw Qi Yang with her fluffy head down, her fingers clutching his backpack.

Chen Zuo couldn't see what she was doing. He glanced at her but couldn't see anything, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

Qi Yang didn't even look up: "Don't move."

Chen Zuo obediently remained still.

After a while, Qi Yang got up, patted his schoolbag, and said, "Okay."

Chen Zuo raised an eyebrow, grabbed her schoolbag and pulled it to the front. A pink and white doll keychain was hanging on the zipper of the schoolbag.

Chen Zuo looked at Qi Yang, and the girl blinked. "Do you like it?"

Chen Zuo smiled: "Hmm, not bad."

His backpack was black, but now a pink doll was hanging on it, which looked a bit out of place.

For some reason, Chen Zuo remembered that a friend of his would wear his girlfriend's hair tie on his wrist when he was in a relationship, saying that it was a symbol that he was not single.

Chen Zuo felt as if Qi Yang was asserting her sovereignty, which made his heart flutter and filled him with joy.

Thinking this, he asked aloud, "Why did you think of giving me this?"

Qi Yang looked up at him, her eyes clear and frank: "Isn't today your birthday?"

Chen Zuo paused, somewhat surprised. "How did you know?"

Qi Yang tilted her head. "Lou Yu told Xiao Yu, so I found out too."

Her tone was casual, but Chen Zuo felt a strange mix of emotions, a bittersweet feeling that mingled together in his heart.

He glanced down at the pink rabbit dangling from his backpack, and asked, feigning composure, "So... it's a birthday present, nothing more?"

Qi Yang asked, puzzled, "What else can I do?"

Looking into her pure eyes, Chen Zuo suppressed the secret thoughts that had been lingering in his mind. "It's nothing. Let's go home."

The two walked side by side, stepping on a thin layer of the first snow. Chen Zuo walked on her outside, shielding her from most of the wind and cold. The pink doll hanging on his black backpack swayed gently with each step, standing out in the gray winter night.

When he arrived home, the living room was still lit with a warm yellow light. Chen's mother, wearing a cashmere shawl, was sitting on the sofa reading a book. Hearing the door open, she looked up and said gently, "You're back."

Chen Zuo walked over. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Chen's mother closed the book, her face appearing exceptionally gentle in the light. "Auntie made a cake and left it in the refrigerator for you."

Understanding that she wanted to celebrate his birthday, Chen Zuo felt a warmth in his heart. "I understand. You should go and get some rest."

"Okay." Chen's mother stood up. "Your father and I have already put the gifts in your room. We'll celebrate properly when you're on vacation."

As she spoke, she patted her son's arm.

Chen Zuo said, "Thank you, Mom. I'll go upstairs now."

Mrs. Chen nodded, her gaze sweeping over the pink and white rabbit doll pendant, which trembled slightly. She paused almost imperceptibly, raising an eyebrow slightly. Without saying anything, she looked away and said in her usual tone, "Go."

After closing the bedroom door, Chen Zuo casually placed his schoolbag on the desk. His gaze paused for a moment, then he reached out and picked up the doll, examining it closely in his palm. The soft, fluffy fur was cute and exquisite, and Chen Zuo felt that it looked a bit like Qi Yang.

The boy gently stroked the doll's ears with his fingertips, his eyes softening unconsciously, and the corners of his mouth curving upwards uncontrollably, showing his genuine affection.

He gently put the doll down, unzipped his backpack, and prepared to look for the test paper, but his fingers touched something hard.

Chen Zuo was somewhat surprised and took the item out.

It was about the size of a palm and tied with a dark gray ribbon.

Chen Zuo's heart skipped a beat; he already had a vague premonition. He pursed his lips, untied the ribbon, opened the box, and inside was a black mechanical watch, very similar to his usual style.

Chen Zuo held his breath slightly, his fingertips tracing the smooth surface of the watch face, but his heart was burning hot.

Inside the box lid was a sticky note with a few lines of neat handwriting that he recognized.

"This is also a gift. Happy birthday, Qi Yang."

Chen Zuo held the sticky note tightly, unable to suppress the smile on his lips. He carefully put the watch on his left wrist, his heart melting completely.

He pulled out his phone, which he usually kept in his drawer, and accurately found the chat box that he had pinned to the top. He looked at it for two seconds. The background was a picture he had secretly taken of Qi Yang, who was drinking milk tea with her head down, looking obedient and quiet in profile.

Chen Zuo typed, then deleted, then typed again, then deleted again, repeating this process several times. Finally, after thinking for a few seconds, he sent only one photo.

The black mechanical watch reflects the pale, slender wrist, and the dial gleams with a cold light under the lamp.

Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, "The other party is typing..." popped up at the top of the chat box, and Chen Zuo's nerves tightened.

Qi Yang: Is this appropriate?

Chen Zuo smiled and typed: It suits me very well, I like it very much.

There was a pause on the other end, and then a message came: That's fine. I noticed that your usual style is black, white, and gray, so I chose this one.

Chen Zuo could already picture the scene from between the lines: a girl standing alone in front of a shopping mall counter, carefully selecting items repeatedly.

That soft spot in his heart started to warm up again, so he didn't bother typing and just made a voice call.

It rang twice, and then the other end answered.

"Feed?" A girl's soft voice came through the receiver. There seemed to be some rustling sounds on the other end, like someone lying in bed. Then she asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen Zuo's Adam's apple bobbed. "Someone secretly slipped something into my bag. I need to find out what happened."

"What do you want to ask?"

Chen Zuo ran his fingers through the doll's fur. "I was afraid I might have misunderstood, so I wanted to ask."

He paused for a few seconds, then asked, "Does this mean... you like me too?"