Brother! This is the adoption certificate. I don't want your sister-in-law!

As they approached the school gate, Fang Yu burst out from behind the flowerbed, his smile impossible to hide, his shoulders shaking as he clearly had been holding it in the whole way.

Looking at his grinning face, Su Xiao really wanted to slap him, thinking that she had really lost face this time.

Fang Yu witnessed the entire process of Xu Niannian pushing Su Xiao down the stairs.

"Brother Su," he leaned closer, his gloating written all over his face, "Now you won't be able to win Xu Niannian's heart, will you?"

Su Xiao, supporting her lower back, glanced at him, her eyes looking at him as if he were an idiot.

Too lazy to explain.

Fang Yu was still laughing beside him, probably already mentally celebrating his return to single life.

Su Xiao patted him on the shoulder and silently made a mental note of it.

Once I finally win over Xu Niannian, I'll make that big idiot call me "sister-in-law" a hundred times in person.

You can't skip even one time!

……

On her way home, Su Wan Ning stood at the end of the sycamore-lined path, her backpack strap digging into her shoulder, her fingers unconsciously tapping her arm.

She would stomp her feet every now and then and look back towards the school gate.

Why aren't they here yet?

It was getting dark.

Did he go to an internet cafe to play games again?

No, no, he's been behaving quite well lately...

The setting sun stretched her shadow long, from the sidewalk all the way to the curb.

Several times she really didn't want to wait any longer and wanted to just walk back.

He turned around, took two steps, then stopped and returned to his original position.

Just then, Su Xiao's figure finally appeared at the end of the road.

Su Wan Ning saw him from afar, and a weight was lifted from her heart, but her face immediately hardened.

She gave a heavy snort, turned around and walked forward, her steps quick and hurried.

Seeing her suddenly speed up, Su Xiao quickly called out, "Don't walk too fast! I twisted my back and can't keep up!"

Su Wan Ning suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She stood still, neither turning back nor moving forward.

When Su Xiao limped over to her side, supporting his back, she turned her head and her gaze lingered for a second on his hand supporting her back.

"What's wrong with your back?" The voice was icy.

Su Xiao gave a wry smile and scratched the back of his head.

I got bumped into while playing basketball. It's nothing serious, it's nothing serious.

"You're really useless."

Su Wanning's tone was filled with undisguised disdain.

Then she reached out and pulled on the strap of his backpack.

What are you doing?

Give me your schoolbag.

Su Xiao was stunned for a moment, then obediently took her schoolbag off her shoulder.

Su Wanning took it and tossed it over her shoulder.

Her shoulders were already narrow, so one backpack was just the right size for her. Now, with two backpacks hanging on her shoulders, one on each side, they looked bulging and rather funny.

She adjusted the strap, didn't look at him, and turned to leave.

Su Xiao stood there, watching her back as she carried two backpacks, her ponytail peeking out from between the backpack straps, swinging back and forth as she walked.

She took a few steps, probably not hearing footsteps behind her, then turned around, frowning and looking impatient.

"What are you looking at? Hurry up and move along!"

Su Xiao grinned, then quickly followed, supporting her waist.

……

When Xu Niannian returned to the classroom, her tears had already dried.

She walked in through the back door with her head down, her bangs covering most of her face, revealing only her pointed chin.

Everyone had left the classroom, leaving only class monitor Li Ze wiping the blackboard.

Today is his and Xu Niannian's turn to be on duty.

Li Ze turned around and glanced at her.

Just now, when he went to the restroom, he happened to see Su Xiao pulling Xu Niannian towards the school gate through the window at the stairwell.

He paused in his wiping motion on the blackboard, turned around, and tossed the eraser in his hand.

"Xu Niannian".

His voice wasn't loud, but the classroom was quiet, and every word was clear: "You went out with Su Xiao again?"

Xu Niannian did not speak.

She walked to her seat, picked up a broom and began sweeping the floor, head down, sweeping very carefully.

"I'm not trying to be mean," Li Ze leaned against the podium, adjusted his glasses, and spoke with a condescending concern, "Why are you getting so close to that kind of person? You know what kind of person Su Xiao is—fighting, skipping class, climbing over walls—one gets disciplined, another gets a warning. He's a rotten apple that'll spoil the whole bunch sooner or later."

Xu Niannian paused for a moment while sweeping, then continued sweeping.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Li Ze assumed she had listened and continued speaking.

"Your grades are pretty good, so just stick with classmates who are about your level. Don't waste your time with this kind of bad student. He might lead you astray without you even realizing it. How about this, I'll go talk to Teacher He and ask him to move your two seats apart so it doesn't affect your studies..."

"don't want."

Li Ze was stunned.

Xu Niannian suddenly raised her head.

She still held the broom in her hand, her eyes were still a little red, but her gaze no longer darted away.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and distinct as she spoke each word.

"I will help him improve."

The setting sun slanted in through the classroom's glass windows, landing squarely on her face.

Because of the movement of lowering her head, her bangs parted slightly to the sides, and her face, which had been hidden in the shadows, was now fully illuminated by the light.

The blackboard eraser slipped from Li Ze's fingers, fell onto the podium, bounced, and a small cloud of chalk dust rose up.

His mouth opened slightly, and his breath paused for a beat.

Xu Niannian's face was round, fair, with a straight nose and small lips.

The most striking feature was her eyes, which were round and large with long eyelashes and a slight redness in the sockets, like a mountain pool after the rain.

He had never known that Xu Niannian looked like this.

He thought Xu Niannian was just a girl with good grades but a withdrawn personality, like everyone else in the class. He didn't have much of an impression of her, nor was he interested in her.

But now he knows.

His heart was beating very fast.

He swallowed hard, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the podium.

All the criticisms of Su Xiao and the reasons for changing seats that were on his mind were overshadowed by another thought at this moment.

The thought flared up like a fire, making his throat dry.

This is my precious girl!