Summer Green Apples

School starts on Monday.

Ji Xiwen took her change of clothes and went to the dormitory first.

The dormitory door was ajar; some people had already arrived.

She pushed open the door, and Zhang Qingyan was squatting on the ground with her suitcase open. She turned her head when she heard the noise and her eyes met Ji Xiwen's.

Zhang Qingyan seemed relieved, "Thank goodness you came. Let me copy this week's homework."

"Um?"

Ji Xiwen was taken aback. "You didn't write it?"

"without."

Zhang Qingyan remained in that pose, her expression surprisingly shy. "Didn't I have a gaming buddy before? I met him in person the day before yesterday."

"Is he very handsome?" Ji Xi asked.

"He's not exactly handsome, maybe a little," Zhang Qingyan said. "And you know him, so you can guess."

"I know him too?" Ji Xiwen asked casually. "Xu Jiyang?"

Zhang Qingyan was taken aback. "How did you guess him?"

"I'm only a little familiar with him and Chi Sui at this school, and Xu Jiyang often mentions games," Ji Xiwen said.

Zhang Qingyan shook her head: "It's not him. I don't like pretty boys."

Ji Xiwen: "..."

She had originally wanted to guess who Chi Sui was.

However, Chi Sui is more like a gigolo than Xu Jiyang.

She shook her head and said, "I can't guess."

"Cui Kai," Zhang Qingyan said, "is the one Wenjing told you about before."

"That bully from the sports class?" Ji Xiwen had a vague recollection of him.

"Yes." Zhang Qingyan hissed again, "This way of addressing him is a bit awkward, but he really doesn't study hard. Speaking of which, he and your deskmate are good brothers."

Ji Xiwen pondered for a moment and said, "Chi Suiren is actually a good person, he doesn't seem like someone who's going astray."

"Your eyes..." Zhang Qingyan found the homework, took the test paper from Ji Xiwen, and frantically finished the homework. "He was pretty bad in the first year of high school, but he's doing a little better now."

Ji Xiwen shook her head. "I can't quite imagine it."

She had quite a bit of contact with Chi Sui.

I just felt that this young master was a typical example of someone who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and needed to be coaxed by others. Once he was coaxed, he would agree to anything.

-

There are math competition classes during the first two self-study periods in the evening.

Ji Xiwen got a perfect score on the monthly exam. When the math class ended in the morning, the bald man called her over to remind her to go to class that night.

When the last class ended in the afternoon, Ji Xiwen asked Xu Jiyang for help with what things she should bring.

Dinner was eaten on the second floor of the cafeteria.

Luo Wenjing said, "I heard that the top student from Class 1 is also here. Could you help me see if he's really as amazing as the rumors say?"

Ji Xiwen slowly chewed on the vegetable root and said, "Is it the one you mentioned before who got full marks in physics and chemistry on the joint entrance exam?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Luo Wenjing nodded and said, "I heard he's incredibly good at mental arithmetic, and he rarely even uses scratch paper."

"Okay, I'll go check it out then," Ji Xiwen readily agreed.

She has a natural affinity for people who excel academically, especially those whose reputations are often exaggerated.

Ji Xiwen said, "What does he look like? I'm afraid I won't know his name when I meet him."

Zhang Qingyan was classmates with this academic genius. She raised her hand to gesture, "He's a little taller than me, probably around 1.75 meters. He has fair skin, wears black-rimmed glasses, and is quite reserved."

"Okay." Ji Xiwen nodded and made a note of it.

The three of them ate and chatted, and just as they were about to leave, someone suddenly sat down next to Zhang Qingyan.

The three of them stopped moving in unison and turned to look.

This was the first time Ji Xiwen had seen Cui Kai's face clearly.

His skin was tanned dark, a healthy wheat color. He had a buzz cut, broken eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and deep-set eyes. However, the lower half of his face wasn't well-proportioned, with thick lips, so he could only be considered slightly handsome.

He held a cup of milk tea he'd bought from a bubble tea shop, smiled at Zhang Qingyan, and asked, "Want some?"

Zhang Qingyan: "Why are you here?"

"I missed you." Cui Kai smiled.

The blunt words caused Ji Xiwen and Luo Wenjing to lower their heads and begin to eat seriously.

Zhang Qingyan cursed, "Smooth-talking."

A faint smile graced his face.

It's obvious that she really likes this kind of thing.

A group of people at a table in the distance, having witnessed the whole thing, sighed and shook their heads in unison.

He Ran's injury wasn't serious; he stayed home for a day before coming to school.

He shook his head. "Damn it, that bastard actually met a beautiful girl online."

Xu Jiyang said, "What kind of strange observation is that? Shouldn't your attention be on being shocked that his online dating partner is Zhang Qingyan?"

"What's so surprising about that?" He Ran asked.

Xu Jiyang said, "Many people in the grade said she was quite promiscuous. She started dating in the first year of junior high school, but none of the relationships lasted more than two months. She had countless ex-boyfriends."

"So what?" He Ran said, "It's Kai talking to her now, not you talking to her."

"He's just jealous," Li Junyu said.

"Huh?" He Ran's eyes widened. "Jealous of whom?"

Li Junyu cleared her throat and said, "We went to the same junior high school as Zhang Qingyan. Back then, Zhang Qingyan often gave Xu Jiyang things. Xu Jiyang thought that Zhang Qingyan liked him. He wanted to refuse her, but he was too embarrassed, so he held back for a whole semester."

He Ran was eager to know what happened next, "And then what?"

"Later, well..." Li Junyu had only uttered two words when Xu Jiyang, enraged and embarrassed, covered her mouth.

Chi Sui casually picked up the conversation, "Later I found out it was a joke. Zhang Qingyan wanted to give it to Xu Jiyang's deskmate. After Zhang Qingyan found out, she even said something."

He Ran: "What did you say?"

"I don't think much of these pretty boys." After saying that, Chi Sui glanced at Cui Kai's table.

Compared to the tall and strong Cui Kai and the strikingly beautiful Zhang Qingyan, the first person he noticed was Ji Xiwen.

She still had the same bangs that covered most of her face, wore a well-fitting school uniform, and quietly ate her meal with her head down.

He Ran clutched his stomach and laughed, "Hahahaha, pretty boy, hahahaha...it really is kind of funny..."

"Damn it, Chi Sui, aren't you a gigolo too?" Xu Jiyang released his grip and glared angrily at Chi Sui.

Chi Sui said calmly, "So what? I'm not angry or embarrassed."

Xu Jiyang: "...I can't live like this anymore."

Li Junyu put her arm around his shoulder, "Yangyang, don't be sad."

Then, shifting the blame, she said, "Hey Sui, look at Kai, he's almost out of the single life. When are you going to find someone?"

He Ran was shocked: "Really? With whom?"

Xu Jiyang smiled like a cat that had just stolen some cream. "Ask him yourself who that girl with the light pink profile picture on his WeChat is."

He Ran gasped. "Which pink profile picture?"

Xu Jiyang frowned and thought for a moment, "It seems to be that strawberry from 'Fruit Ninja,' what's its name again?"

Li Junyu calmly replied, "Shangguan Ziyi."

"Yes, Shangguan Ziyi."

Xu Jiyang clapped his hands.