I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

If it were Lin Mu, he would probably have started to look away uncomfortably after a few seconds of eye contact, but Xu Youwei just stared intently at Chen Junqian, as if she wanted to see a flower bloom on his face.

Completely different from the wild girl I saw on Saturday, once back at school, she dressed up again in that rather deceptive way. Her hair and even her eyebrows seemed to have been deliberately styled. The cuffs and hems of her school uniform and trousers were all neatly rolled up, and even the red scarf fluttering on her chest was a standard, meticulous style. She was the perfect template for a disciplinary committee member that no one could find fault with.

Although Chen Junqian had no doubt that she was already carrying a bunch of unruly toys in her pockets or the gaps in her backpack, after all, it was a fact that he and Lin Mu had witnessed with their own eyes.

A short while later, as the time came, the tightly closed school gate slowly opened from left to right with creaking sounds. The groups of children waiting in front of the gate began to walk in in an orderly manner. Since it wasn't time to be late yet, no one ran in randomly, which made it convenient for the discipline monitors.

To be honest, although their main responsibility is to check whether students entering the school are wearing their red scarves properly, in reality, unless there is really no other way, most students who forget to wear their red scarves will do everything they can to relieve themselves right there at the school gate. There are very few students who knowingly try to force their way in without wearing their red scarves.

The same applies to school uniforms. While it's true that some people might forget to bring their red scarves, it's practically impossible for anyone to forget to wear their school uniform when going to school. However, their school isn't particularly strict about uniforms, especially now in autumn. Basically, as long as you wear a jacket when you enter the school, you can wear whatever you want underneath. Once you get to school, you can pretend to be hot and take off the jacket. It's very easy to manage.

Finally, there's the most abstract issue of appearance and demeanor, which is mainly the responsibility of the teachers from the academic affairs office who are standing here with them. However, elementary school students are not yet at the age where they learn to dress up deliberately. At most, they will only pick on a few students whose hair is too long, who have tattoo stickers on their wrists to show off, or who have manicures.

Of course, as I said before, elementary school students have always had a hidden talent for this. Unless their acting is too clumsy or their behavior is too outrageous, they will generally not be stopped in front of the school gate and get into trouble.

In conclusion, Chen Junqian's first duty as the discipline committee member ended smoothly and without incident. After the bell rang for the start of the morning reading class, everyone dispersed.

Accompanied by Xu Youwei, they went to the guardhouse to retrieve the schoolbag they had left there. The two then slowly walked towards the classroom. After standing still for so long, they really needed some time to stretch their limbs. Besides, the morning reading class could definitely be postponed as much as possible, which could be considered a small perk for the discipline committee member.

"How's the throne you made the day before yesterday? (Referring to after it's assembled)."

"It looks pretty decent, it's just a pity I can't bring it back to the city, I can only leave it at my hometown for now, otherwise I could sit on it and do my homework every night, it feels a bit like the emperor reviewing memorials in a TV series?"

"If you want, you can make a different one, so that you have a throne in both your city and country homes."

"...Let's forget about that. After all, there's only my grandma in the countryside, so it doesn't matter what I do, you know that?"

As she spoke, Xu Youwei turned her head again and continued to stare into Chen Junqian's eyes:

"There's no way I'm going to bring that kind of thing back."

"But you can keep them in your secret base, right? Didn't you just tell me you have a whole bunch of secret bases?"

"Tch, didn't someone just tell me that a secret base for one person doesn't really count as a base?"

After exchanging a few sharp words, Xu Youwei tightened the strap of her backpack, unusually showing a hint of weakness or seeking help in front of Chen Junqian:

"There are many things I want to do that I just can't do here...you know that, right?"

In just a few words, this was the second time the other party had asked Chen Junqian a similar question, as if they desperately wanted to hear a definite answer from him.

However, Chen Junqian still did not answer with "I know" because he still felt that he did not truly understand Xu Youwei. Unlike Lin Mu, who was simple-minded and had been inseparable from her for the past week, he had not had much interaction with Xu Youwei so far, and much of his information came from Lin Mu or the homeroom teacher.

So he simply avoided the question and answered:

"If there's anything I can do to help, I definitely would, just like when we're in the countryside on weekends."

"Okay...so, are you planning to subscribe to extracurricular magazines this school year?"

Upon hearing Xu Youwei bring up this topic, Chen Junqian also recalled some memories from his elementary school days.

When he was in elementary school, at the beginning of each school year, the school would organize students in each class to subscribe to extracurricular magazines that they were interested in. This was a free act based entirely on personal preference, and it didn't matter if they didn't subscribe to any of them.

However, in Chen Junqian's memory, even many students who were not interested in the content of the magazines would still choose to subscribe to one or two of them, because in order to attract elementary school students to subscribe, each type of magazine would come with a toy gift pack closely related to its theme, which was more attractive to children than the magazine itself.

After all, the parents pay for the magazine subscriptions, but the toys are theirs, so they definitely can't miss out on such a good deal.

If Chen Junqian remembers correctly, he himself had once ordered many magazines such as "Little Copernicus: Military Science", "Science Exploration", "Little Nobel: Popular Science", "Military Fan World", and "Happy Detective" just for the toys.

Incidentally, around 2024, before his rebirth, when Chen Junqian came into contact with these contents again due to work, he discovered that many of these magazines had been operating and publishing to this day, but the gifts they gave away had also evolved to an absurd degree.

For example, the subscription gifts for "Happy Writing and Reading" have become Anya's Playhouse figurine, Egg Party water jet, and Black Myth Golden Cudgel figurine. Other gifts include Peace Elite paratrooper, League of Legends water gun launcher, Kapibal transparent notebook stickers, and Honkai Impact 3 water jet. Chen Junqian was stunned and could only sigh that each generation has its own trend.

"I will order, but I haven't decided which one yet?"

“My family wants me to subscribe to ‘Interest-Based Chinese Language’ and ‘Fun Writing’, but I don’t want to subscribe to or read these… Well, since you haven’t decided which one to subscribe to yet, Chen Junqian, could you subscribe to them for me?”

Which one do you want to book?

"Happy Detective".

Chen Junqian wasn't surprised by Xu Youwei's answer. After all, he could tell that she genuinely liked detective and adventure themes. So it was quite reasonable for her to choose "Happy Detective," which had just been launched this year and was touted as the first children's detective magazine in China, from among all the extracurricular magazines available.

Coincidentally, before his rebirth in his previous life, Chen Junqian had tried to submit articles to them and later to the newly launched magazine "Detective Mike Fox," which also focused on juvenile detective literature, but they were not accepted in the end.

"And the toy that comes with it is a Conan laser watch. The watch cover can pop open to act as a sight, the mirror has a built-in magnifying glass function, and there is a laser emitter next to the watch face... I really want it."

Faced with Xu Youwei's constant nagging and darting glances at him for his reaction, Chen Junqian thought for a moment and then agreed:

"That's alright. Actually, I'm quite interested in this kind of subject matter."

What he said wasn't entirely untrue. After all, the Adventure Tigers and Happy Detective were also books he was enthusiastic about during his childhood. Not to mention that he later revisited them due to work, and he still felt a certain fondness for them.

Hearing Chen Junqian nod in agreement, Xu Youwei subconsciously raised the corners of her mouth, her little tiger teeth flashing. If the two weren't walking in the corridor of the classroom, she probably would have cheered and given him a hug.

"You've been a huge help, thank you so much! If there's anything I can do to help in the future, just let me know, hehe."

It has to be said that Xu Youwei's smile was indeed quite infectious. Being looked at and thanked by her with such a smile made Chen Junqian feel much better. He didn't know if it was the subtle influence of a certain embarrassing system, but he even had an urge to reach out and pat her head.

After the morning reading session and the two classes in the morning, there was a long break. After the four-person blackboard bulletin board group skipped it again with a clear conscience, just before the third class was about to start, Xu Youwei had already thrown away the chalk, patted the chalk dust off her fingers, and jumped off her chair:

"Then please have the class monitor and Mu Mu finish writing the remaining half of the words. Chen Junqian and I are going to get our eye exercises checked."

"Ah, oh, um."

Lin Mu, who was concentrating on copying the manuscript on the blackboard, was also stunned by what she heard. By the time she carefully turned around from her chair, Xu Youwei had already grabbed Chen Junqian's arm and left, leaving only two figures walking away into the distance.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Lin Mu suddenly stop what he was doing, Lu Cheng, who was writing furiously on the other side of the blackboard, casually asked the same question.

"nothing."

Lin Mu carefully turned his body back to face the blackboard and placed the chalk he was holding on it again, but his lips were unconsciously pursed, and even the force with which he wrote on the blackboard was a little heavier than before.

The improved relationship between Chen Junqian and Xu Youwei should be a good thing, and it's the result she hoped for. After all, with the former by her side, the latter should never again have the frightening idea of ​​using the sheep talisman to play dead.

After finishing copying this page of the manuscript, Lin Mu slowly climbed down from the chair, the coins in his pocket clinking as he did so.

Oh right, she hasn't paid back the two yuan she owed Chen Junqian yesterday.

Thinking of this, Lin Mu took advantage of the last bit of time before the other students returned to class and quickly went back to Chen Junqian's seat. He took out the two yuan he had gotten from his parents and, after hesitating for a moment, put it into Chen Junqian's pencil case.

For some reason, she suddenly glanced into Chen Junqian's desk drawer. After discovering that the Miaolian drink she had given him that morning, as usual, was already more than half gone, she calmed down and went back to her seat.

As another eyewitness who was still in the classroom at that moment and witnessed the whole process, Lu Cheng also showed a solemn and respectful expression.

Goodness, it turns out that now they're not just delivering milk, they've gotten to the point of paying for it?

Terrifying, utterly terrifying.

Chapter Twenty-One: The Privileges of Childhood Sweethearts

"I've also learned some things about Xu Youwei."

As the wind demon roared on the television screen, Chen Junqian took the initiative to bring up the topic with Lin Mu during the midday after-school care session.

Lin Mu, who was still struggling with green vegetables today, looked up with some confusion upon hearing this. It seemed that she was the one who usually brought up this topic, so it was a little strange that Chen Junqian was the one who spoke up first.

As one of Xu Youwei's few two friends in class, Chen Junqian had no intention of hiding her family situation from Lin Mu. After all, given her personality, even if she knew, she wouldn't go around spreading it around. Rather than letting little Lin Mu worry and speculate every day, it was better to just tell her directly.

Ultimately, there are some things that Lin Mu is better suited to do than him, and the other party does indeed have positive ideas in this regard. He was the one who was initially brought in by Lin Mu.

After listening to Chen Junqian's explanation, Lin Mu nodded thoughtfully, biting his chopsticks, and said:

"So, the reason why Weiwei doesn't want to go home after school is because she feels there's nothing left in that home or that house that she cherishes?"

"Although it hasn't reached that point yet, there is indeed that aspect involved. Of course, before we find out the whole truth, we can't just make subjective assumptions and prejudicially imagine her father and stepmother as villains. After all, blended families can also be happy."

"Yes, that's how it is in 'Home with Kids'. Xia Yu, Xia Xue, Xia Bingbao... no, it's that Liu Xing and the others also have a very good relationship."

"So we should make bold assumptions and carefully verify everything. After all, we don't know if the atmosphere at her home is really that bad and oppressive, or if she simply hasn't accepted the current situation yet. Although I personally think the former is more likely, since it's only been a summer since her mother passed away, the transition was a bit too fast."

At this point, Chen Junqian paused slightly:

"But we'll have to find out about these things gradually, one step at a time."

"Yes, I talked to Weiwei about it when I got out of school this morning, and she agreed to walk you home together. You can just ask her about it while you're chatting with her on the way."

Although he was trying hard to project a lively tone as usual, Lin Mu still seemed a bit down, but he quickly forced himself to smile at Chen Junqian.

"Oh, right, I told my parents about you this morning before I went to school. They also want to meet you and thank you in person. They'll be picking me up from school today. Would that take up just a little bit of your and Weiwei's time?"

"That's fine, but did you get scolded for telling everyone about losing two hundred yuan?"

"I definitely got hit, after all, it was two hundred yuan. And they even asked why I didn't call them after such an incident. Apparently, they kept some cash in a hidden compartment of one of the drawers at home... But nothing's happened now. It's more like this week has become more unforgettable."

With a hint of disgust, Lin Mu gulped down all the greens and bitter melon in the bowl, swallowing them whole without even chewing. Then, he quickly drank two large mouthfuls of water.

"I don't know when I'll be able to get used to the food."

"It's not easy to stick to eating food you can't get used to, look."

As he spoke, Chen Junqian gestured towards the others sitting next to him. Many children were quite picky eaters, either picking out what they didn't want to eat from their bowls or leaving it in. Lin Mu, who clearly didn't like the food but still tried his best to swallow it without wasting it, was definitely a good child among good children.

"Because a balanced diet is essential for good health, growth, and to prevent turning into the mountain demon Bo Gang from TV."

"really."

Hearing Lin Mu mention Bo Gang, Chen Junqian wholeheartedly agreed. After all, no one wants to be seen with the words, "The divine token that subdued the mountain demon Bo Gang is a drum." This was also one of the driving forces behind his successful weight loss in high school in his previous life.

"The class is organizing magazine subscriptions soon, are you interested in subscribing?"

Suddenly remembering what Xu Youwei had told him that morning, Chen Junqian casually asked Lin Mu about it, only to be met with a rather frank shake of his head:

"No, I've never subscribed to those kinds of magazines. There's nothing in them that interests me, whether it's the free toys or the magazines."

"I see..."

After Lin Mu said that, Chen Junqian understood another reason why Xu Youwei bypassed the other party and went directly to him. They had known each other for much longer than he had, and they probably knew that Lin Mu had never subscribed to a magazine, which was why they did not choose to seek help from her.

"What's wrong? Does Qianqian have his eye on some toy and want me to order it for you?"

"...What the heck is Qianqian?"

For a moment, the title made him hallucinate either the lead singer of "Serious Snow" or another illegal figure, and Chen Junqian looked embarrassed.

"Who told you to have such a long name? My name is also Weiwei."

Completely oblivious to the annoyance of reduplicated words, Lin Mu said this as if it were perfectly natural, then tentatively changed the way she addressed him, propping her cheek up to the side:

"Or perhaps Junjun?"