June 22, Sunday afternoon.
On his computer at home, Song Yunshen sorted through the English Club's membership list and made a spreadsheet with the information on the 33 suspects he had counted the day before.
Then he slung on his schoolbag, went downstairs, and got on his beloved bicycle, planning to stop by the convenience store at the entrance to the residential complex to print out the spreadsheet.
But as soon as he parked his bicycle outside the store, he saw a familiar figure inside.
"Boss."
"What is it? Want to buy these two mugs?"
"Um... the sign says buy one, get one free for these two mugs, right?"
"That's right. Five yuan, and you can take both."
"Then if I only buy one of them, could you sell it to me for two fifty?"
"Young lady..." The shopkeeper was clearly a little speechless. "At least look at the buy-one-get-one-free sign. This is a special promotion for couple's mugs."
"If you buy one, who am I going to sell the other one to?"
"No deal, no deal. Either buy them both, or look at the other mugs. See those over there? They're four yuan."
"But..."
Song Yunshen walked into the convenience store and leaned closer for a look. It really was Yan Zhenxia's daughter, Ningning.
Remembering how troubled Yan Zhenxia had looked yesterday when she asked whether she could pay the rent late, and seeing Ningning agonize over a difference of a yuan or two, Song Yunshen walked up to the counter, took out his phone, and scanned the QR code.
"WeChat payment received: 5 yuan."
"Boss, I'll buy the mugs." Song Yunshen walked over to Ningning, picked up the two mugs, and held them out to her. "We met for the first time yesterday, so consider these a gift."
A little surprised, the girl looked up at Song Yunshen in front of her, then down at the two mugs he was offering.
Now that they were face-to-face, Song Yunshen could see her more clearly.
The girl wore a Shulan Middle School uniform. Her chest was still full, and the touch of baby fat on her face was just right, making her look especially sweet and adorable.
"I never said I was going to buy them..." Ningning was still being stubborn and didn't reach out to take them. Her personality didn't seem quite as soft and cute as her face suggested.
"You go to Shulan, right?" Song Yunshen glanced at the school badge pushed high on her chest. "That makes you my junior. I guess there's some fate between us."
"You went to Shulan for middle school too?" Ningning asked, a little curious.
"Yeah." Song Yunshen nodded. "Do you know Teacher Ruan, Ruan Zheng? She was my homeroom teacher in middle school. What year are you in? I think she's teaching the second-years now."
"Teacher Ruan?" Ningning's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Huh? You know her too?"
"She's our homeroom teacher..."
"That really is a coincidence." Song Yunshen raised his eyebrows in surprise, then smiled. "In that case, you really should take these mugs. Come on, take them."
"Teacher Ruan wasn't just my homeroom teacher in middle school. She's also my aunt."
"Back then, my uncle won Teacher Ruan over with a whole lot of assists from me."
"Huh?! That happened?" Ningning's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Ruan Tiger to have a past like that.
Drawn in by Song Yunshen's gossip, Ningning took the two mugs without thinking.
Meanwhile, Song Yunshen sent a file to the shopkeeper's QQ and asked him to print it out, continuing to chat with Ningning about amusing things from middle school.
But Ningning soon came to her senses and pulled the black ceramic mug from her arms, stuffing it into Song Yunshen's. "One is enough for me. You can have the extra one."
"Oh, sure." Song Yunshen nodded and accepted it.
"I'll transfer you two fifty too," Ningning said, taking out her phone.
"No need. I was giving them to you anyway." Song Yunshen shook his head and politely declined.
"No." Ningning stared at him stubbornly. "If you won't accept it, I don't want this mug either."
Seeing the stubborn look on her adorable face, Song Yunshen realized how determined she was. He didn't refuse again and could only take out his phone.
[Payment received: Doesn't Eat Lemons (**Ning)-2.5 yuan]
"How about we add each other on WeChat?" Song Yunshen said. "You're my aunt's student, and you happen to be my tenant too. If you run into any trouble, you can tell me."
"Oh, oh... sure." Ningning didn't think much of it. She scanned Song Yunshen's QR code and added him as a friend.
[Where Yunshen Is Unknown]: Song Yunshen. [Doesn't Eat Lemons]: Xia Kening.
After they sent each other their real names, Song Yunshen changed Xia Kening's contact name.
Then he took the freshly printed spreadsheet from the shopkeeper, slipped it into his schoolbag along with the black mug, and walked out of the convenience store with Xia Kening.
"By the way, what did you buy the mug for?" Song Yunshen asked, picking a random topic as he straddled his bicycle.
"It's all your fault..." Xia Kening muttered.
When Song Yunshen had visited her home yesterday, Xia Kening had gone to pour him some water as her mother instructed.
But the only mugs in the house were the ones the four of them used themselves. No one usually came to visit, so they didn't even have disposable cups.
It wouldn't have been very polite to use a bowl, and her mother would definitely have scolded her.
In the end, Xia Kening had gritted her teeth and poured Song Yunshen a cup of water in her own mug.
Although she had scrubbed it hard afterward, Xia Kening was a bit of a clean freak and still felt uncomfortable about it, so she had found time to come buy a new mug.
But now...
Xia Kening looked down at the mug in her hand, then stole a glance at Song Yunshen's face and actually felt herself blushing a little.
Come to think of it, the shopkeeper seemed to say these were couple's mugs... I wonder if he heard him.
This is so embarrassing!
The mug in her hand was white overall, but it had a little black dog on it, and the background was covered in pale black paw prints.
The one in Song Yunshen's schoolbag had a black background, but it had a little white cat on it and was covered in little cat paw prints.
The first time in her life that she had shared couple's mugs with someone was actually under these circumstances. Xia Kening even had the urge to pay another two fifty and take Song Yunshen's mug back.
But she glanced again at the boy astride the bicycle, her gaze falling on the sharp angles of his profile and his Adam's apple, which bobbed from time to time. For some reason, she pushed the thought down.
Mm... saving money is more important.
"I'll get going, then?" Song Yunshen didn't have as many thoughts as Xia Kening. Once he was settled on his bicycle, he spoke to her.
"Oh... goodbye." Xia Kening waved to him, then watched as Song Yunshen rode toward Ningjiang Middle School.
After arriving at school and parking his bicycle, Song Yunshen first went to the nearby English Club activity room and placed the reply he had written yesterday on the designated bookcase.
Then he hurried to the classroom of first-year Class Five. After reaching his seat, he took the list of suspects out of his schoolbag, turned around, and tapped Zhong Long, who sat behind him.
"Fat Dragon, I've got a favor to ask."
"What is it, Brother Shen?" Zhong Long had been sneaking a read of a novel in the seat behind him. When called, he looked up and asked curiously.
"I have a list of girls. You're well informed, so do me a favor and see which of them are pretty," Song Yunshen said, lowering his voice and speaking on the sly.
Zhong Long was the class's gossip broker. He loved making friends everywhere and had a wide network at school. Whenever there was gossip, he was always among the first to hear it.
At Song Yunshen's words, Zhong Long chuckled, his interest piqued. He held up one finger. "One dinner. No problem, right?"
"Deal."
"OK." Zhong Long patted his chest. "Let me see the list."
"Here."
"Any requirements?" Zhong Long asked. "What type do you like, Brother Shen?"
"What do you mean?"
"Aren't you looking for a girlfriend?" Zhong Long wore a mischievous grin. "Why else would you ask me to find out which girls are pretty?"
Song Yunshen was speechless. "...That's not it. Anyway, just pick out the prettiest few on the list."
He wasn't looking for a girlfriend.
He was looking for his future girlfriend.
Hmm... why does that sound like pretty much the same thing?
"All right." Zhong Long didn't think much of it. He lowered his head and scanned the list, but his gaze suddenly stopped, and he couldn't help asking again, "Are you looking for the prettiest few, or the single prettiest one?"
"What do you mean?" Song Yunshen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If you want the prettiest few, that'll take a little work. But if you want the prettiest one, isn't the answer right there in plain sight?"
"Which one do you mean?" Song Yunshen asked curiously.
"This one." Zhong Long pointed to the name in the twenty-third spot on the list. "Xia Jinshu from second-year Class Four!"