Chapter One

  It's just about to be seen...

  "Knock knock," the sound of knocking on the door came at an inopportune moment. Xiao Xiao hastily closed Lin Qi's language textbook, looking guilty as she gazed at the person knocking on the door.

  "Excuse me, is this room 117?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Uh... I'm here to help my friend get a book, she's sitting at the first table in group four. Can you help me get it?"

  "Come and get it yourself."

  "Okay." The person came in and took the book from her position and opened it again, but Xiao didn't have the courage to sneak a peek at Lin Qi's composition again.

  After December, the weather started to get cold. In the south, there was no heating, and Xiao Xiao only wore two pieces of clothing: a base layer and her school uniform. The school uniform was so loose that it seemed like it was one size too big - or was Xiao Xiao just too thin? She remembered being teased for being too short after which she started drinking high-calcium milk. Lin Qi also gave Xiao Xiao some milk, saying if she didn't want to drink it, he would give it to her instead. At first, Xiao Xiao drank so much that she couldn't taste anything, but she kept on drinking. Now it seemed like she had grown a bit taller than before. Xiao Xiao was delighted.

  But anyway, I've grown taller, and my old clothes have gradually become shorter.

  There's a saying that goes like this: it's better to have style than warmth. People who don't know any better think so too. Lin Qi thought Xiao Xiao was the same, and asked: "Aren't you cold?"

  Xiao Xiao's teeth chattered, "It's okay, it's not that cold, just the school uniform they gave us is a bit big."

  "The school uniform is like this, wear it, anyway I'm not that cold." Lin Qi took off the scarf from his neck and handed it to Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao's face felt warmer, she could feel it herself.

  Actually, Xiaoxiao's dad gave her 200 yuan to buy winter clothes. Her father wouldn't buy the clothes for her, but just gave her the money and told her to buy something she liked that was a bit thicker. No one accompanied Xiaoxiao to go shopping, so after receiving the money, she didn't end up going to buy anything.

  The people in the dorm offered to lend Xiao Xiao clothes, but Xiao Xiao didn't take any. Now... she took Lin Qi's scarf, which still had Lin Qi's body temperature on it, and Xiao Xiao felt warm inside.

  "Thank you," Xiao Xiao said softly. The wind blew by, and it was unclear whether Lin Qi had heard her or not.

  "Brother, can you come to school earlier on Sunday?"

  "What's wrong with coming early?" Lin Qi asked her.

  "I want to go buy clothes, no one is going with me, I want you to go with me, can you? Xiaoxiao was full of expectation, and finally Lin Qi nodded, Xiaoxiao smiled, grabbing Lin Qi's arm, "Brother, you're so nice!"

  Lin Qi also smiled, like warm sunshine on a winter's day, shining into Xiao's heart and warming it up.

  At that time, the school girls started to popularize straight hair, and it looked good on their shoulders. Xiao thought so too. The school did not allow dyeing hair, but a head of straight hair was beyond the school's control. First, she went to get a head of straight hair, and Xiao still had 120 yuan left, which she planned to use to buy clothes with Lin Qi and treat him to something.

  Although it was cold in December, Xiao's heart was warm.

  "Brother, does it look good?" Xiao Xiao spun around in a circle, showing Lin Qi the hairstyle she had gotten on her way home that day.

  "It looks good, even better than what other girls in our class can do." Lin Qi smiled as he watched Xiao Xiao spin around, somewhat perplexed.

  Regardless of whether Lin Qi's words were true or not, Xiao Xiao was very happy. Ignoring the gazes of passersby, she pulled Lin Qi to go buy clothes.

  "Xiao Xiao, did you just get a haircut? It looks great." Yang Hui said, with neither admiration nor jealousy in her eyes.

  "Uh, the day I went home my dad took me to pull it off." Xiaoxiao's heart should be flying high at this moment, unable to see the jealous glances behind her back. Beauty is envied by others, and showing off is rejected by others. But Xiaoxiao was unconscious of all this.

  She put the apples she brought from home one by one on the desks of her three brothers, and specially picked a bigger one for Lin Qi. Xiao Xiao felt that this middle school was not as unpleasant as she had imagined at first. However, it wasn't.

  December 15th, Xiaoxiao can't forget this day.

  Xiao Xiao later said that on that day, Lin Qi confessed to her. Lin Qi was holding two cups of hot milk tea, the strong milk fragrance wafting through the air and into Xiao Xiao's respiratory tract. Xiao Xiao also knew she liked Lin Qi. Taking the milk tea from Lin Qi's hand, Xiao Xiao nodded in agreement, not caring that their school didn't allow dating, and agreed to be with Lin Qi. As for how romantic it was, Xiao Xiao didn't want to say, but I can roughly guess.

  Is there a line from an advertisement that says "What am I to you?" "You are my Yue Lai Mei." I don't know, all I know is that it can't be decided by just one cup of milk tea. It's just that this cup of milk tea is romantic for Xiao Xiao. From then on, whenever Xiao Xiao saw milk tea, she would feel a warmth in her heart, and after feeling this way, Xiao Xiao would want to cry.

  December 16th, Xiao said this was the second day after Lin Qi confessed to her. Something happened that day.

  Xiao Xiao was beaten up by someone in the girls' bathroom. Her face didn't know how many slaps it had received, her hair was pulled so hard it hurt, and her stomach and legs ached to the point of numbness. Xiao Xiao didn't cry, but listened as others cursed at her with words like "slut" and "bitch". Xiao Xiao also resisted, but it was useless. Several girls were pulling her hair, pinching her arm, and all Xiao Xiao could feel was her scalp going numb. First she thought of Lin Qi, then her family, then the people in her dormitory, and finally, Xiao Xiao remembered what had happened in September.

  It was like a historical review, but this time Xiaoxiao didn't know the reason.

  When being questioned by the head teacher in the office, several girls from other classes said that they couldn't stand Xiaoxiao and it was okay to hit someone if you didn't like them. This is a place without rules, and it's always been this way. The legal awareness of minors is nonsense, and whatever rules are mentioned are just kids fooling around. Who would care? Xiaoxiao's dad rushed over from home, feeling even more guilty towards his daughter Xiaoxiao.

  Xiao Xiao didn't speak, and she couldn't cry. She was also very curious about this problem - why was it that whenever someone hit her, she never cried?

  Xiao Xiao took a clear look at the faces of the people in front of her, and her father wiped some medicine on her. The strong smell of the medicine irritated Xiao Xiao's nose. Her father told her to listen carefully to the teacher's words and get along well with her classmates, not to cause any more trouble. After saying this, he left again, saying that he would come back to pick up Xiao Xiao on Friday. Xiao Xiao felt bitter in her heart as she watched her father leave.

  Xiao Xiao, who had never cried before, burst into tears when she entered the classroom and saw Lin Qi's searching and concerned gaze.

  It would be great if this matter could be resolved with just one cry from Xiao. But it's not that simple. Perhaps, for Xiao, this is only the beginning.