Is this your boyfriend?

H

Chen Fan excitedly pushed his bicycle as he followed Su Ruochu out through the school gates.

Seeing how fast Su Ruochu was walking ahead of him, Chen Fan couldn't help quickening his pace.

But just then, Su Ruochu suddenly stopped and turned to look at him.

Startled, Chen Fan hastily slammed on the brakes and stopped.

"What's wrong?"

Chen Fan gave an awkward smile.

Seeing that Su Ruochu was only looking at him without saying anything, he waited.

Chen Fan promptly raised a hand.

"Got it, got it. I'll leave right now."

With that, he turned and started pushing his bicycle away.

"Hey... wait!"

Su Ruochu suddenly called out.

In a flash, Chen Fan spun a full hundred and eighty degrees, hoisted his bicycle, and darted back in front of Su Ruochu.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing how cautious Chen Fan was being around her, Su Ruochu wanted to laugh, but held it in.

"Um... let's walk together."

"Huh?"

Chen Fan froze, wondering if he'd misheard.

"What did you say?"

"If you didn't hear me, forget it."

Su Ruochu gave a soft huff, turned with a swish of her ponytail, and pushed her bicycle onward.

Delighted, Chen Fan hurriedly called out.

"Coming!"

"Chen Fan, wait for me..."

Guo Shuai came racing out of the school gates on his bicycle.

Chen Fan immediately turned toward him and mouthed a single word.

"Scram!"

Guo Shuai stared, dumbfounded and indignant.

"You animal! Ditching your buddy for a girl!"

"Just like that, you've forgotten your best friend..."

Chen Fan pushed his bicycle beside Su Ruochu for a while.

But she kept her head lowered and said nothing.

Growing anxious, Chen Fan gave an awkward smile.

"Haha, this is a little awkward, huh? How about I tell you a joke to break the ice..."

"I'm telling you, this one's hilarious. It's been my go-to for half my life..."

"Have you been going to White Birch Grove with Guo Shuai a lot lately?"

Su Ruochu suddenly spoke, then lifted her head and stared at Chen Fan.

"Huh?"

Chen Fan quickly shut his mouth, looking a little bewildered.

After a moment's hesitation, he hurriedly told her the truth.

"Yes."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Su Ruochu's eyes.

"The college entrance exam is almost here."

"Is this what you meant by studying hard?"

"You even said you'd get into a top-tier university. So you're just another boy who does nothing but boast."

Seeing his dream girl looking disappointed, Chen Fan panicked and hurried to explain.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I don't go to White Birch Grove to play games."

"I'm not like Guo Shuai, who does nothing but play games all day. I go there to learn."

He silently told himself.

Sorry, buddy. For the sake of my future marriage, you'll just have to take one for the team.

"You go to an internet café to learn?"

Seeing that Su Ruochu didn't believe him, Chen Fan quickly raised a hand.

"I swear, everything I said is true."

"If I told even one lie just now, then... then may I never win you over."

"W-what are you talking about?"

Su Ruochu's face flushed. She chided him shyly and turned her head away.

But Chen Fan remained completely serious.

"I really do go there to learn."

"I saw something on the news recently saying the internet might dominate the future, so I thought I'd get a head start on learning about computers."

"Students from small places like ours aren't like students from big cities."

"They get to use computers from an early age, and they know more than we do."

"Most students here don't even know how to type yet. Kids in big cities probably already know their way around all kinds of software."

Chen Fan scratched his head.

"I just wanted to learn a little in advance so I won't be too far behind everyone else when I get to university."

Su Ruochu was stunned.

She looked at Chen Fan in surprise.

It was as though she was getting to know her deskmate for the first time.

"Is... is that really what you're thinking?"

"Of course!"

"I told you, for your sake, I'll definitely get into the same university as you."

"Not only that, I'll do my best to keep up with you, so I won't embarrass you once we're there."

Su Ruochu's cheeks were rosy, and she looked a little shy.

"Why would you embarrass me... you... there's nothing between us."

Then she added, "But it's good that you're taking the initiative to learn."

Chen Fan chuckled.

"Please don't praise me, or I won't be able to sleep tonight again."

Su Ruochu rolled her eyes and gave a soft huff.

"Even if you want to learn about computers, you can't let it get in the way of what matters."

"The most important thing for us right now is the college entrance exam."

Chen Fan hurriedly vowed, "You can rest assured about that. For your sake, I'll definitely take the exam seriously."

Blushing, Su Ruochu turned her head away.

"What does whether you study or not have to do with me?"

After pushing her bicycle a few more steps, Su Ruochu asked another question.

"When school let out, Guo Shuai said you wanted to use a computer?"

"Oh... yeah, that's right."

Chen Fan smiled. "I want to learn a few things, but the internet café is too chaotic."

Su Ruochu paused for a couple of seconds, seemingly considering something.

"If you really want to learn about computers, I could help you."

"Huh?"

Seeing Chen Fan looking at her in confusion, Su Ruochu got on her bicycle.

"Come with me."

Still bewildered, Chen Fan got on his bicycle and followed Su Ruochu through the city for a while.

Eventually, they reached a shopping street in the south of town, where Su Ruochu stopped in front of a storefront with a sign.

Puzzled, Chen Fan looked up at it.

"Honghai Computer School."

"Computer basics, typing lessons, document editing..."

Chen Fan was surprised. He hadn't expected there to be a computer school in their little town.

How had he never noticed it before?

Su Ruochu parked her bicycle and glanced back at Chen Fan.

"Come with me."

Chen Fan hurried after her.

Once inside, he realized the place wasn't very big. It was even a little shabby.

The space was less than eighty square meters, with a dozen or so computers arranged in two rows.

They were all bulky old machines with the most basic specifications.

The curtains were drawn, leaving the room dim, and an old fan overhead creaked as it spun.

Standing in the doorway, Su Ruochu turned to explain.

"This computer school belongs to an older guy from my neighborhood."

"If you want to learn about computers, I can ask him for you."

Without waiting for Chen Fan to respond, she stepped inside first.

Chen Fan could only hurry after her.

The room was quiet, with just three students working at computers.

Chen Fan took a curious look around.

One was practicing typing with two fingers, while the other two were playing a little frog-hitting game.

At the reception desk nearby, a man and a woman sat with their backs to Chen Fan, fiddling with a laptop.

"Honghai!"

Su Ruochu called out to him.

The young man in black-framed glasses who had been studying the computer looked up.

"Oh, Ruochu. What brings you here today?"

Su Ruochu smiled. "I was passing by after school, so I thought I'd drop in."

"Your college entrance exam is coming up, isn't it? How's the preparation going? Feeling confident?"

It was clear that the young man knew Su Ruochu well.

He walked over to greet her, then noticed Chen Fan beside her, and the corners of his mouth lifted.

"Oh? Is this your boyfriend?"

"Look at you! I haven't seen you for a while, and you've already got yourself a boyfriend."