Chapter 4: If You Don't Want Today's Events to Be Exposed

Lu Yuanqiu was now certain: the person who had quietly supported him as sports committee representative last semester was Bai Qingxia, not Hu Caiwei.

Damn it, Lu Yuanqiu had always thought it was that green tea girl.

He had even brought it up with Hu Caiwei once; she neither claimed credit nor denied it, deliberately acting mysterious.

Lu Yuanqiu assumed she was just shy, so he became even more excited, even more devoted in his pursuit.

Meanwhile, Hu Caiwei enjoyed the attentions of a devoted admirer. Conveniently, Lu Yuanqiu’s family owned a supermarket, and that green tea girl had freeloaded numerous times—mineral water, drinks, gum, even sanitary pads.

What made Lu Yuanqiu’s scalp tingle was that, when he gave her the sanitary pads, he even felt secretly pleased, thinking he and Hu Caiwei had advanced their relationship.

Thank goodness he had another chance at life.

Bai Qingxia looked down at the IOU lying on the floor. She quietly picked it up, her tone subdued, prepared for the worst: “How do you want to settle this?”

“I was just joking,” Lu Yuanqiu waved his hand dismissively, then opened the warehouse door and turned to her, “Come with me first.”

“I tore your backpack just now. I’ll make it up to you.”

Bai Qingxia was startled and quickly shook her head: “No need, I can sew the torn part.”

Lu Yuanqiu replied, “I decide how this goes. I don’t like owing people anything.”

He led Bai Qingxia to the area where backpacks were kept. Bai Qingxia’s gaze immediately locked onto a pink backpack, her eyes betraying her interest.

Lu Yuanqiu noticed the pink backpack seemed oddly familiar. Next to it was a blue one.

Right, his own high school backpack was that blue model.

The blue and pink were a matching couple’s set.

But Bai Qingxia only glanced briefly at the pink backpack before quickly looking away.

Lu Yuanqiu simply picked it up and shoved it into her arms: “Take this.”

Bai Qingxia was surprised he’d chosen this one, stunned for a few seconds, then hurriedly protested, “I don’t want it. My backpack is already damaged.”

She stubbornly put it back.

Lu Yuanqiu said, “If you’d rather today’s events get out at school, then put it back.”

Bai Qingxia’s hands paused, and she quietly took down the backpack again. She quickly pulled out the IOU, adding another item:

[One backpack]

She solemnly raised the IOU with both hands for Lu Yuanqiu to see, then glanced at the price tag of the backpack, her expression suddenly turning bitter.

It seemed she couldn’t afford it…

Lu Yuanqiu caught her fleeting expression and couldn’t help but smile.

He had never intended for her to pay him back.

“You’ve written an IOU, so come with me,” he said.

Bai Qingxia, dejected, lowered her head and silently followed him.

Lu Yuanqiu stopped in the stationary aisle. Suddenly there was a bump from behind; turning, he saw Bai Qingxia retreating, holding her forehead, her eyes innocent and plaintive.

“Watch where you’re going! Do you like bumping into me with your forehead? Next time, I’ll let you do it as much as you want!”

Hearing his teasing, Bai Qingxia bit her lip, embarrassed.

Lu Yuanqiu placed a pink pencil case in her arms.

Bai Qingxia glanced at the price and firmly refused, “I don’t want it!”

Lu Yuanqiu replied, “If you don’t want today’s events—”

“I don’t have enough money to pay you back!” Bai Qingxia interrupted, both embarrassed and annoyed, stomping her foot instinctively.

The gesture was so girlish, it overturned Lu Yuanqiu’s previous impression of her as aloof and distant.

Lu Yuanqiu crossed his arms, raised a brow, “I never meant for you to pay me back. Or maybe you could think of another way to repay me?”

Another way? Bai Qingxia tilted her head slightly, seeming to think of something. Her expression became odd. Seeing Lu Yuanqiu smiling at her, she quickly looked away, but her reddened earlobes betrayed her.

He couldn’t help but think her earlobes would taste like cherries.

Lu Yuanqiu continued to wander the supermarket with Bai Qingxia. He’d dreamed of this scene for more than ten years.

He’d imagined many times that, if he’d stopped Bai Qingxia that day, he’d have taken her around the supermarket, indulging in whatever they wanted.

Though his family’s old man might beat him for it…

Today, it had finally happened. Lu Yuanqiu raised his arms behind his head and hummed a cheerful tune.

Bai Qingxia didn’t understand why he was so happy.

But she didn’t feel so sad anymore, either.

Soon they reached another section. Bai Qingxia froze, then, blushing, turned to leave.

“Stop!”

Lu Yuanqiu called after her, his voice stern: “If you don’t want today’s events to get out at school... Listen, I’m a bad student. Bad students can do anything.”

Bai Qingxia slowly turned, her cheeks flushed, and said, “I don’t want sanitary pads!”

“Don’t want them? Let’s see… One in your bag, one tucked on you, that means you only have two left.”

Seeing Bai Qingxia clench her tiny fists in anger, yet unable to retort, Lu Yuanqiu smirked and tossed a package of sanitary pads from the shelf: “Catch!”

The girl jumped slightly and caught it with her hand.

Lu Yuanqiu watched, his head bobbing with surprise, forgetting to turn off his auto-targeting gaze.

No wonder, he thought, Bai Qingxia rarely wore just a short-sleeved shirt alone. Now he understood why.

As she updated the IOU to include the item, Bai Qingxia took advantage of Lu Yuanqiu’s distraction to quietly raise the prettily packaged pads to her nose.

Her eyes filled with curiosity and wonder.

So these really were scented?

She’d always used loose, unscented ones before, sometimes even finding tiny insect corpses inside, which she had to pick out one by one.

Just then, Lu Yuanqiu turned around, and Bai Qingxia hurriedly stuffed everything into her backpack, her delicate face regaining its icy composure.

“Is someone knocking?” Lu Yuanqiu asked, ears pricked, uncertain.

Bai Qingxia stepped back and looked toward the supermarket entrance, where she saw shadows moving outside.

She nodded gently.

Lu Yuanqiu walked over, and together they headed toward the door. He suddenly stopped, turned, and looked at her seriously:

“Be careful on the road, watch for cars, get home safe, and go to school as usual tomorrow. If you listen, today never happened. Understand?”

Bai Qingxia didn’t understand why he said all this, but she could tell he meant no harm.

Someone who noticed a damaged pencil case—how bad could he really be?

Bai Qingxia nodded softly, then raised her arm at a forty-five degree angle, presenting the IOU to him with both hands: “Here you go.”

Lu Yuanqiu suddenly thought her habit of handing things over with both hands was adorable, and for a moment he forgot to reach out. Bai Qingxia, serious-faced, tucked the IOU into his pocket.

“This IOU will always count.”

“Alright.”

Their eyes met; Bai Qingxia was the first to look away.

Lu Yuanqiu opened the supermarket door for her, but the sight outside stunned them both.

Three youthful, lively girls stood at the entrance.

The leader was sweet-faced, her hair in two braids, wearing a floral dress, white socks, leather shoes—a typical sweet girl look.

Hu Caiwei?

Lu Yuanqiu was bewildered.

He suddenly recalled: around half an hour after Bai Qingxia left on August 30th, Hu Caiwei arrived with her friends.

Hu Caiwei, too, looked bewildered. She never expected to see Bai Qingxia and Lu Yuanqiu together—two people who seemed utterly unrelated.

It was extraordinary.

Lu Yuanqiu sneered inwardly.

Well, since the protagonists of the “sports committee voting mishap” were all here, it was time to settle things once and for all.

He turned to Bai Qingxia: “Bai, wait a moment. Don’t leave yet.”

ps.

Please keep reading daily to the latest chapter—it’s important! Sweetness ahead!