The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

"Okay, teacher."

Although her mind was full of questions, Wen Yao didn't show it at all.

She looked at Xu Xi gently and waved to her.

"Go on, go with your class monitor."

Xu Nian patted Xu Xi on the shoulder.

Xu Xi nodded, stood up, and followed Wen Yao out of the office.

Before leaving, she turned back to look at Xu Nian with lingering reluctance.

"Ms. Yang, I'm wondering how much the tuition is for our school each year. Would this be enough?"

Once the two footsteps had faded into the distance, Xu Nian took out a newspaper from her bag, unfolded it, and revealed a stack of banknotes inside.

Yang Jidong looked at the colorful banknotes, some in whole and some in small print, then at Xu Nian's weathered face, frowned and shook his head.

"Is it not enough, teacher? If it's not enough... can I pay you back later?"

Xu Nian suddenly panicked.

"Brother Xu Xi, Officer Zhang Feng has already told me about your family's situation."

Yang Jidong walked back to his desk, picked up the document he had just written, and handed it to Xu Nian.

The document was titled: Scholarship Application Form.

In the name column, Xu Xi's name was written neatly.

"Students like Xu Xi meet the eligibility criteria for scholarships, which can fully cover tuition fees, with some money left over to cover daily expenses such as tuition and lunch."

"So you don't need to worry about school fees."

Xu Nian opened her eyes wide and grasped Yang Jidong's hand with trembling hands.

"Thank you so much, Teacher Yang! You're so kind!"

"No need to thank me, this is all government funding, I'm just helping those who truly need it to get it."

Yang Jidong smiled slightly.

"Brother Xu Xi, from what I understand, you should be around the same age as Xu Xi, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Xu Nian replied.

Yang Jidong looked at Xu Nian's rough hands and yellowed clothes, his eyes revealing pity and admiration.

"Do you want to go back to school? I can help you."

Go back to school?

A hint of confusion appeared in Xu Nian's eyes.

He longed to finish his studies so he could earn money more easily in the future and no longer have to spend his days toiling away.

But now that I'm in school, where will I and Xu Xi get our living expenses?

He shook his head with a wry smile.

"No need, thank you for your kindness, Teacher Yang. But I'm not very bright and can't really learn anything."

Seeing this, Yang Jidong's eyes showed a hint of regret, but he did not continue to persuade him.

He had learned about Xu Nian's background from Officer Zhang.

He knew that Xu Nian and Xu Xi were not biological siblings, but he still treated Xu Xi as his own sister and shouldered their lives with his young shoulders.

In his view, this noble character is more valuable than academic performance.

"It's okay. If you change your mind later, you can come to me anytime."

"OK."

......

Class two and three of high school.

"It's so hot! Why hasn't our homeroom teacher come yet?"

"Hey, you know Old Yang's personality. Every time, he quietly refreshes the back door and catches a few people who are skipping."

"Where did you guys go for summer vacation?"

"Shenyang is definitely a great place to escape the summer heat. As expected of a northern city, the temperature never exceeded 40 degrees Celsius throughout the summer."

"Haha, I went even further north than you, to my grandma's house in Penang, where we never turned on the air conditioning."

Xu Bowen turned his head and patted Song Jiayi, who was sitting at the back table reading a book.

"Jiayi, where did you go during summer vacation? I called you but you didn't answer."

Song Jiayi took off his glasses, revealing his calm and indifferent eyes.

"My mom enrolled me in a closed-door math olympiad class, and I've been living in the dormitory without my phone."

"Wow, no wonder you're number one in the grade, you're so stubborn."

Xu Bowen shook his head and sighed.

Song Jiayi shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

"I thought you went on a date with Zhao Lin from Class Two."

Xu Bowen chuckled.

"Don't talk nonsense, we're just classmates."

Song Jiayi frowned.

"Tch, just tell me honestly, do you like her or not?"

Xu Bowen rolled his eyes.

Song Jiayi did not answer, staring blankly out the window like a puppet with its strings cut.

"I have to say, you're really something. That girl chased you for a year, she's got such a hot body, and her family is so rich, yet you still managed to hook her like a fish."

"If they change their mind later, you won't be able to live off them anymore."

Xu Bowen grinned.

"Alright, alright, stop talking."

A hint of displeasure appeared on Song Jiayi's face.

"Then tell me why you disagree."

Xu Bowen asked curiously.

"If a rich young lady like me were to pursue me, it would be disrespectful to money if I hesitated for even a second."

"Rich woman~ I'm hungry~ I need food."

As he spoke, he opened his mouth, pointed to his throat, and made a begging gesture.

Song Jiayi put her glasses back on and used an English magazine to cover Xu Bowen's face.

"Tch, boring."

Xu Bowen turned his head and went to chat with his other friends.

"Quiet down, everyone!"

Class monitor Wen Yao walked into the classroom and slammed the blackboard hard with the eraser.

The previously noisy classroom gradually quieted down.

"Teacher, with such a loud voice, you'll never find a girlfriend!"

Xu Bowen started making a fuss, which immediately caused several classmates around him to burst into laughter.

"Shut up! Does it make you look like you have a mouth?"

Wen Yao glared at him fiercely.

Xu Bowen quickly made a gesture of surrender.

Wen Yao withdrew her gaze, turned and left the classroom, leading Xu Xi to the podium.

"This is Xu Xi, who will be our classmate from now on. Everyone, please welcome her."

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

"This is a true goddess, so beautiful, her skin is so white, like a porcelain doll."

"My goodness, that little girl in the white shirt and pink skirt is so adorable!"

"This is incredible! It's like seeing an anime heroine come to life?"

Seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys are at the age when they are just beginning to experience romantic feelings.

When they see a pretty girl, they can't help but whisper among their best buddies.

Some who are so deeply involved that they can't extricate themselves will even announce to their close friends that they are going to pursue so-and-so.

On the one hand, I hope my good brothers can give me some advice.

Furthermore, it avoids the situation where your best friend falls for the same person, potentially ruining your friendship.

In the end, however, the strategists often fail to offer any useful advice, and instead, when they are with their crushes, they constantly nag and tease them.

"Quiet!"

Wen Yao patted the podium and pointed to an empty seat next to her own.

"Xu Xi, you can sit there. I'll sit with you."

"it is good."

Following the direction Wen Yao pointed, Xu Xi walked to the middle seat on the side of the classroom near the window.

While reading, Song Jiayi felt her foot being lightly stepped on.

"Excuse me."

He looked up and saw Xu Xi nervously lowering her head; for a moment, her usually calm eyes lost their focus.

"It's...it's okay."

After Xu Xi sat down at the table behind him, Song Jiayi rubbed his eyes, pretended to look around, and turned around to secretly glance at Xu Xi, who was packing her things.

A strange feeling he had never experienced before gradually welled up in his heart.