I turned reality into a romantic comedy

Seeing that Chen Junqian didn't immediately agree, Lin Mu became a little nervous and concerned. After thinking for a while, she held up one finger at him again:

"Then I'll ask Dad again to help me get a Jay Chou autograph?"

"...I'm not thinking about that kind of thing."

Chen Junqian couldn't help but shake his head and deny Lin Mu's somewhat excessive reaction.

"So you're worried about whether you're troubling our family or me."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mu reached out and gently poked Chen Junqian's cheek with her finger, looking a bit sulky and not even wanting to eat anymore.

"If Qianqian thinks like that, it means he doesn't consider me his best friend at all. My mom is practically treating you like her own son, and my dad has said that you are smart, sensible, and responsible, and that I should spend more time with you."

"And most importantly, I don't feel anything is wrong with it myself, so how can you assume that? Do you think Qianqian sometimes feels like I'm causing you trouble? Besides, it's only natural for friends to help each other. If I need your help with something, do you think Qianqian wouldn't help me?"

Faced with Lin Mu's sudden, rapid-fire speech, Chen Junqian had no choice but to surrender, admitting that he had overthought things and that he would obediently take his internal ticket and sit with Lin Mu in the front of the audience to watch Jay Chou, whose attendance was still uncertain.

However, just as the other party said, this is probably what the relationship between childhood sweethearts is like. This relationship is not limited to the two people, but also the parents of both sides are quite familiar and affectionate towards each other's children, even treating them as their own children. This is the most unique thing that distinguishes him and Lin Mu from Xu Youwei and Zhu Wenjun.

"Hmm...that's more like it. Don't think like that again."

Seeing Chen Junqian readily raise his hands in surrender, Lin Mu finally nodded with satisfaction and continued eating. She felt that he shouldn't have hesitated on such a trivial matter from the beginning; in fact, even the slightest hesitation would have been a betrayal of their relationship.

However, the next topic Lin Mu brought up was a bit harder for Chen Junqian to agree to, unlike the previous one.

"The class was talking about the Shanghai World Expo today, Qianqian, do you want to go?"

He vaguely remembered that the last time Lin Mu talked to him about this topic was during the National Day holiday last year, but at that time it was just a casual mention. Now, however, he stated his position more clearly:

"I'd also like to go during the summer vacation, but my parents will probably be very busy then. So if your family is going, it would be great if you could take me with you. Of course, I'll bring my own money, so don't worry about that."

"Um... how did you know?"

"It was when I visited your house last time that your aunt told me about it. You had just gotten first place in the grade in the midterm exams, and your aunt casually mentioned the bet between you two, so that's how I found out."

"But Qianqian actually wants to be number one in the grade for the whole year. If I could get number one in the grade... no, class just once, my parents would probably grant me any wish."

Well, it just goes to show that sometimes having such a good relationship between the parents and the two children isn't necessarily a good thing.

In a sense, Chen Junqian, who had been betrayed by his own mother, initially considered carefully choosing his words. However, perhaps because he had just been subjected to such a lengthy and serious discussion about childhood sweethearts, and seeing Lin Mu's clear and transparent eyes staring straight into his, he could only surrender once again and state his thoughts verbatim:

"Actually, it's possible, since my parents will be going, and bringing you along is no problem at all. But I'm going to meet an online friend in person, so I might not be able to spend as much time with Mumu as I want."

"Netizen?"

In an instant, Lin Mu thought of Zhong Yu's online romance, which was quite famous in the class, and almost dropped her chopsticks. She was clearly surprised and blinked at him twice.

"...Online dating?"

"It's not an online romance, just friends who play games together. She is indeed a girl, but she's two years older than us. During the summer vacation, she was practically a middle school student. To be honest, she's about the same age as the brothers, sisters, and cousins ​​that Zhong Yu has met in the game."

Hearing that the other person was two years older than him and Chen Junqian, Lin Mu felt much more at ease, especially after hearing the term "middle school student." After all, how could a middle school student possibly have an online romance with immature elementary school students like them? She could be considered an older sister, okay?

Besides, they're just online friends. After meeting in person once, they'll have to part ways again. It seems like I don't need to think about this kind of thing too much. She can't go to and from school (especially at noon) with Qianqian every day like I do, go to each other's homes on weekends, and sit in the front row to watch Jay Chou's concert in September.

"I see, I understand. Qianqian can go if she wants to. After all, it's really hard to have the chance to meet with netizens from all over the country in person. Even people like Zhong Yu, who are only in the next county, can't meet with each other all the time."

With that, Lin Mu nodded in relief and made this declaration.

She has always been a very generous child. The shade of the slowly growing saplings always attracts other small animals to rest for a while. Lin Mu, who quietly curls up in the innermost corner, doesn't mind that these creatures only stay for a short while and then become passersby in each other's lives.

After all, she was still in the most intimate and unique position where she could smell his scent just by lying there, nuzzle his body when she raised her head, and get a response from him the moment she spoke.

Chapter 58: Schools on Stormy Days Are Always Hotbeds of Stories (Part 2)

June is undoubtedly summer, but apart from the old-fashioned fan in Chen Junqian's classroom, which makes every elementary school student worry that it might fall down when they look up, and the fan still creaking loudly to assert its presence, the students have to figure out their own solutions.

After all, the homeroom teacher who keeps spouting nonsense like "a calm mind brings coolness" actually has air conditioning in his office, you know.

However, precisely because of this, some students suddenly seemed to have a breakthrough during this period and became passionate about learning. They would run to the office to ask questions without fail after each get out of class. Sometimes, if the teacher was busy, they would respectfully say that they would wait by the side. It was truly unbearable heat.

However, for most students who are naturally intimidated by places like offices, this method is obviously not very feasible, so they have to rely on their own abilities in the classroom.

The first change was naturally reflected in clothing. Since the experimental primary school they attended only required students to wear school uniforms and red scarves, and did not have any special requirements for shoes, almost all the boys changed into Velcro sandals overnight without wearing socks.

Although the trade-off is that your feet will get tanned and look like zebra stripes under the sun, they are definitely cool to wear. And considering that there are frequent showers in the summer, these shoes are much more comfortable than those thick black rubber shoes or ordinary sneakers. So what if you step in water?

Then there's the aspect of tools.

For kids like Zhong Yu, whose families are rich... every summer they're decked out in electric fans and iced drinks, but they can only enjoy them during breaks, because if the motor starts during class, the teacher can come down from the podium and confiscate them in a heartbeat.

If all else fails, just buy a folding fan from outside, or simply grab one of those plastic fans that you can get for free on the street every weekend with ads for the mysterious Bo'ai Hospital specializing in men's and women's health. It's not as good as the big palm-leaf fan at grandma's house, but it'll do.

If you don't even have a fan like that, that's okay too. After all, elementary school students are at the age where they are most good at finding their own solutions. In just a few moments, they can fold a few completed test papers into a decent-looking paper fan.

After finally getting through the school day at noon, Lin Mu, who was holding the same electric fan as Zhong Yu, looked quite hot. However, on the way back to after-school care with Chen Junqian, she thoughtfully moved the fan closer to him and then took it back, making sure that both of them could enjoy a precious breeze in the summer.

Of course, since it's already time for school to end, elementary school students naturally have more convenient and quick physical cooling methods.

Soon, the two saw that the freezer in front of the shop was crowded with people, which showed that the popsicle business was indeed good in the summer.

"By the way, does Qianqian's family sell popsicles wholesale?"

"Yes, it was just approved last week, it should last for a while."

Just like buying firecrackers in winter, buying popsicles in summer is always one of the happiest things for children. After all, it is quite satisfying to fill your freezer with dozens of different kinds of popsicles.

The ensuing battle of wits with family over how many popsicles to eat in a day is another matter entirely.

"Hehe, I got mine approved at home too, and I've filled the bottom two cabinets with it. I'll treat you to Chocola and Big Torch next time Qianqian comes over."

However, even if the popsicles at home were delicious, they were now something that couldn't be seen or touched. So the two of them walked toward the freezer of the small shop while talking, since it was indeed easy to want to eat something cold to cool down on this day.

"So what would you like to eat, Qianqian? I'll treat you—as long as it's not too expensive, I should have enough money on me."

After saying that, Lin Mu added and emphasized:

"Don't say 'whatever,' or I'll really give you a free change."

Perhaps only when it comes to popsicles isn't the "whatever" answer so universally applicable, since that brand of popsicles actually exists. However, Chen Junqian himself doesn't dislike them; in fact, he quite likes popsicles with a chocolate and milk flavor. So, in the end, he smiled and replied to Lin Mu:

"Then I'll have whatever you like."

"Okay, let me see what I want to eat... I'll have this then."

After confirming the type of popsicle Chen Junqian wanted, Lin Mu also chose the one she wanted: a popular corn popsicle. It looked like a corn cob, wrapped in a cone-like shell, and the popsicle itself was revealed after biting into it.

Eating popsicles on an empty stomach before a meal might not be good for their digestive system. In order to avoid being scolded by the after-school care teacher, the two found a shady spot to sit and finish their popsicles before returning to the after-school care center.

Actually, when it comes to eating popsicles, Chen Junqian and Lin Mu are both slow eaters. Compared to some of their peers who can bite off half of a popsicle in one go, neither of them is particularly good at it.

Don't ask, the only answer is that biting it makes my teeth and gums hurt, and since I paid for the popsicle, I should eat it slowly to make it worthwhile.

That's why both of them ate the ice cream slowly, mainly by licking and sucking. However, in such hot weather, the exposed ice cream quickly began to melt, forcing them to constantly observe and adjust the direction of the ice cream by turning the sticks on their wrists, using their mouths to catch the melting parts in advance.

However, even with such precautions, there are always oversights. After finishing all the ice cream, Lin Mu inevitably had melted ice cream on his hands, making his fingers sticky. After returning to the daycare, he had to wash his hands again before getting his food and sitting down in front of Chen Junqian.

According to their usual practice, this time of day is usually for cartoons. However, since SpongeBob SquarePants ended in the first half of the year, the show airing at this time was "Goodnight Makka Pakka" and "In the Night Garden". So, due to complaints from the children in the daycare who did not want to watch it, the daycare was forced to change the channel and start playing Ultraman Seven DVDs.

Although Chen Junqian only learned about the "three major tokusatsu" in Japan after he grew up, in his childhood memories, Ultraman was definitely the most popular. The Super Sentai series would occasionally air shows like Hyakujuu Sentai, Dinosaur Sentai, and Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, but Kamen Rider was quite rare, perhaps because the similar Armor Hero had already captured the market.

Accompanied by the catchy background music of "Seven - Seven - Seven", little Lin Mu started his bitter melon swallowing contest again. Chen Junqian himself wanted to complain about why this childcare center was so fond of bitter melon. It's hard to believe that they spend most of the year eating bitter melon here, they're practically becoming bitter melon kings.

"Summer vacation is almost here, less than a month away."

Lin Mu, who swiftly dealt with the dishes he least wanted to eat, then slowly began to eat the rest, fully embodying the spirit of "bitter before sweet" in his approach to food, looked out at the bright sun and started calculating the holiday time. It seemed he was extremely excited about the longest holiday of the year for the children.

"Yes, the school should be issuing the reply slips regarding the summer vacation schedule and drowning prevention safety education in a couple of days."

In Chen Junqian's memory, this was basically the fixed procedure before the summer vacation every year. After all, they prevented drowning every year, but people did drown every year. Even though there hadn't been any particularly serious accidents that resulted in death in recent years, the school didn't dare to be careless and emphasized it a thousand times every year.

"I don't know if there are any water parks in Shanghai. I'd like to visit one while I'm at the World Expo."

Upon hearing Lin Mu speak, Chen Junqian subconsciously recalled the description of a certain achievement in his list of unlocked achievements.

Summer is all about swimsuits!

As we all know, the seventh and eighth months of the lunar calendar are traditionally known for their good fortune. Hot springs are popular in winter and beaches are a must in summer. In the scorching summer, beaches, seaside resorts, and fireworks displays are indispensable.

Many stories end here, but many more begin here. A girl's blush always speaks louder than words. Whether it's blindfolding her to hit a watermelon or personally applying sunscreen to her, sincerely compliment her with "Your swimsuit suits you well," right now, before the summer is even over.

Condition for achievement: Create unique summer memories at the beach with the heroines who are adaptable to romantic dramas and are wearing swimsuits.

Chen Junqian glanced again at Lin Mu's perfectly slender figure, which was flat in every way, and silently ate a mouthful of rice. He was already thinking about how to say something like "This swimsuit suits you very well" without hurting the other person's young and fragile heart.

----------------------------------

Summer rain always comes unexpectedly. The weather forecast last night was completely unpredictable, and the morning sun was shining brightly, but just before school let out in the afternoon, a sudden downpour and strong winds arrived.

Chen Junqian has always enjoyed welcoming such weather in the classroom, and as he grew up, he also saw various well-reasoned analyses from netizens regarding both psychological and physiological reasons.

What he agrees with most is probably the statement that what he is fascinated by is not the storm itself, but the cracks in a certain daily order.

Indeed, when the weather is like this, some of the daily order in the school will naturally collapse in an instant. Students who are usually not very talkative will crowd into the corridor during the break and stretch out their hands to watch the torrential rain. During class, after a startling flash of lightning and thunder, they can also shout and cheer together without regard for classroom discipline, and the teachers will mostly not care.

Moreover, in this situation where there are a group of people around, the bright classroom actually feels safer against the dark background, gloomy sky, and stormy weather.

After all, children of this age don't need to worry about what items might be drying in the house, or about washing their own clothes when they get dirty or wet, or about the inconvenience of commuting—issues that only adults need to consider.

However, not everyone likes this kind of weather.

As the person who accompanied Lin Mu into the empty school classroom to retrieve her homework, Chen Junqian knew his childhood sweetheart's personality very well.

Those books, like "The Adventure Tigers," are considered horror books, and "Oriental Divine Child" is considered a source of nightmares. Girls with very little courage can't bear to listen to any ghost stories.

That's why, whenever it was time to leave get out of class, Chen Junqian would always go to her seat to chat with her, and they would dramatically cover their ears together before the impending thunderclap. The same thing happened after school.

"With such heavy rain today, let's go back as soon as possible. I'll take Mumu to her mother's car first."

After saying this to Xu Youwei, who was still waiting for him today, Chen Junqian turned his head away without looking at her expression, probably because he had stood her up quite a few times recently.

After opening the umbrella he had brought, he took Lin Mu's hand and walked a little ahead, trying his best to shield her from the wind and rain. In the pouring rain, they finally managed to find the other car and led Lin Mu there.

"It's raining so hard—Qianqian, why don't you come back with us? I'll have Mom drive you home, otherwise your clothes will get completely soaked."

As Lin Mu opened the car door to get in, she spoke loudly to Chen Junqian, and Lin Mu's mother, who was in the driver's seat, turned around to indicate that it was no problem.

Seeing Lin Mu's earnest eyes and the way he was tugging at his backpack strap, Chen Junqian initially wanted to agree, but then, as if remembering something, he shook his head and answered loudly in return:

"It's raining so hard today, my dad will probably be picking me up in his new car, so I won't trouble you, Auntie."

After saying that, he pulled his upper body back into the car, slammed the door shut, turned around, and drove back a short distance towards the school.

Xu Youwei was indeed still standing in the corridor on the first floor of the teaching building.

She didn't know if she had actually seen Chen Junqian return, or if she simply believed that he would definitely come back to her.

The girl standing there, facing the raging wind and rain, simply tossed her already opened umbrella into the wind, then stood there motionless watching it being blown away by the wind to who-knows-where.

It wasn't until Chen Junqian ran back to the teaching building with his umbrella that he saw the other person blinking innocently at him twice and calling out the nickname they only used when they were alone together:

"Hey, Qinqin, do you know what?"

"My umbrella just got stolen."

Chapter 59: The Vanished Rainy Day - I Want to Get Rained On Again (Part 2)

The moment Xu Youwei uttered those words, an untapped achievement in Chen Junqian's mind began to glow faintly, constantly asserting its presence.

[A matching umbrella for rainy days]

Sharing an umbrella with someone, or "ai ai ga sa" (相合), has always been a classic element in romantic comedies. After all, the area under the umbrella is usually considered private space, and allowing others to share private space is itself a form of recognition or tacit acceptance of an intimate relationship.

Moreover, in rainy or snowy weather, the umbrella itself becomes a symbol of protection. Sharing an umbrella with someone else means providing shelter to them or receiving shelter from them.

Of course, most importantly, if the person holding the umbrella isn't carrying a large double umbrella, there's often not enough space under it. So whether it's trying to get as close as possible to avoid getting wet and achieve direct physical contact, or thoughtfully tilting the umbrella brim towards the other person, these are all quite blush-inducing romantic comedy scenes.

Condition for achievement: Share an umbrella with the heroines who are suited for romantic comedies on a rainy or snowy day.

Even after seeing the achievement that could be unlocked with a simple tap, Chen Junqian didn't immediately intend to trigger it. Instead, he wiped the rain and sweat splashing on his face and asked Xu Youwei:

"Where are your family members? Didn't they come to pick you up?"