December 24, 1996, Tuesday. After school in the afternoon, Guan Xuchen walked up to Gao Xinglang's desk with a warm smile, "Lang, do you have practice today?"
Gao Xinglang hurriedly packed his schoolbag, grinning as he replied, "Yeah, Soupy. Be careful on your way home, alright?"
"Got it," Guan Xuchen chuckled. He then produced a beautifully wrapped box and said, "This is for you - both a Christmas gift and an early birthday present. Happy birthday in advance!"
"Soupy, since when did you become so stingy? Combining the birthday and Christmas gifts?" Gao Xinglang teased before accepting the box with genuine gratitude, "Thanks, Soupy."
Just then, Shen Yitian came over and urged, sounding a bit anxious, "Prince Lang, we need to hurry or the coach will have our heads!"
"Oh, got it." Gao Xinglang carefully placed the box in his desk drawer, smiling at Guan Xuchen, "I'll pick it up after practice."
With that, he and Shen Yitian bolted from the classroom toward the gymnasium.
Guan Xuchen leaned down to adjust the box's position in Gao Xinglang's drawer. As he turned around, he saw Cai Yunfei standing before him, holding an exquisitely wrapped box.
"Ah, Cai Yunfei. It's great that you haven't left yet. I was just about to look for you," Guan Xuchen said with a gentle smile.
"Oh? What can I help you with, Guan Xuchen?" Cai Yunfei asked with a bashful smile.
Guan Xuchen opened his schoolbag, took out an exquisite small box, and handed it to Cai Yunfei. "This is a Christmas gift for you," he said with a smile.
"Ah, a gift for me?" Cai Yunfei was both surprised and delighted. She took the box and asked shyly, "Why are you giving me a Christmas gift?"
"Oh, well..." Guan Xuchen rubbed his nose with his hand and said with a beaming smile, "You're my good friend. And last time at Xiqiao Mountain, thanks to your hair tie..."
"But you already bought me a new hair tie later," Cai Yunfei said as she opened the box. Inside, she saw five hair clips neatly arranged. They were adorned with various ornaments in different shapes and colors, like white pearls, purple flowers, or sky-blue stars...
"Wow, they're so lovely. Thank you, Guan Xuchen!" Cai Yunfei's smile was as beautiful as that purple flower, but it faded quickly. She asked, looking worried, "These hair clips are so beautiful. They must be very expensive, right?"
"Not at all, " Guan Xuchen quickly shook his head and waved his hands. Looking a bit embarrassed, he said, "They're just some ordinary hair clips I bought at a boutique. I want to thank you for helping me a lot. There's really nothing special about it..."
"Thank you, Guan Xuchen," Cai Yunfei's face turned a bit red. Then she handed over the box she had been holding and said shyly, "Guan Xuchen, this is a Christmas gift for you."
"I'm getting a gift too?" Guan Xuchen was a bit surprised.
"Mhm," Cai Yunfei nodded, looking a bit bashful. "It's just... it's just to thank you for helping me a lot with my English studies. There's really nothing special about it..."
"Oh, it's only natural for classmates to help each other," Guan Xuchen said with a warm smile. "Thank you, Cai Yunfei."
Then he asked curiously, "But what's inside? Can I open it now?"
Cai Yunfei quickly stopped him. "Better wait until you're home," she said.
"Oh, all right." Guan Xuchen agreed and then said tentatively, "Well... shall we go together?"
YOU ARE READING
Love Me in Another Universe
General FictionIt was such a long time ago that you don't even remember why you fell for that person in the first place. You just remember stubbornly that you were once deeply in love with someone with that name... It's a story about the bond between two Chinese b...
