Chapter 85: Xiao Heqing Delivers Drinks at Military Training

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Xiao Heqing Delivers Drinks at Military Training

Xiao Heqing was now one of the pretty girls hotly discussed among the boys. The moment she appeared, whether they had heard of her or not, the boys of Class One all turned to look, unanimously captivated by her pure and sweet appearance.

"Is this girl really that pretty? Who is she?"

"She looks this good even in a military training uniform?"

"Isn’t that He Qing from Class Three? What is she doing here?"

"Looks like she’s delivering something to someone... Does she have a best friend in our class? Or maybe..."

The boys whispered among themselves, many curious about who she was walking toward.

At this moment, the boy who had his elbow resting on Lin Zhengran’s shoulder—the same one who had just praised He Qing’s beauty—spoke up shyly. "He Qing? Why is she in our class?" He froze for a second. "Holy shit! Why is she walking towards us? Don’t tell me she’s looking for me?!" His heart raced with nervousness.

Xiao Heqing was naturally aware of everyone’s gazes. She pursed her lips shyly, but upon spotting Lin Zhengran in the crowd, the other boys completely vanished from her eyes. She slowly walked over, stopped in front of him, and stared at him. "Lin Zhengran... I bought you some lemonade. Can you get up for a second? I have something to tell you," she said, clutching the drink in her hands.

Everyone in Class One was stunned. The boy from earlier fell into utter despair.

He Qing from Class Three was delivering water to Lin Zhengran?! What was going on?!

Some wondered if they were boyfriend and girlfriend, while others guessed that He Qing was actively pursuing Lin Zhengran. After all, quite a few girls had been buzzing around him over the past couple of days.

Seeing that He Qing had something to say, Lin Zhengran stood up. Under the watchful eyes of the majority, the two walked off to the side. Being stared at by so many people, Xiao Heqing blushed furiously. She lowered her head, looking incredibly adorable.

Lin Zhengran looked at her in her military training uniform. Although the attire was plain, her ponytail was incredibly smooth. Her lovely face and forehead were dotted with tiny beads of sweat from the morning’s drills. Her pure, almond-shaped eyes set against her fair skin gave off the distinct vibe of a first love straight out of a romance novel. As for her upper body, even the loose military uniform couldn’t completely conceal her already mature figure.

"Why did you come over?" Lin Zhengran asked.

Xiao Heqing looked up at him and pushed the drink forward a little. "To bring you a drink," she said softly. "I saw girls from other classes bringing drinks to their boyfriends during the break, and some boyfriends doing the same for their girlfriends. I figured you’d be tired after training and wouldn’t want to move, so I bought a cup and came looking for you."

Lin Zhengran marveled at how this little girl was growing bolder with each passing year. Taking the bus alone to find him back in middle school was brave, but she had still been quite timid in public. Yet here she was, delivering a drink in front of such a large crowd. The Xiao Heqing from their childhood—who hadn’t even dared to speak up when addressed—would absolutely never have been capable of this.

He took the lemonade from her hands and glanced at the onlookers from Class One. Many of the boys were glaring at him with growing murderous intent. He sweatdropped and turned back to Xiao Heqing. "Didn’t you buy one for yourself?"

Xiao Heqing shook her head. "I already drank some! I brought my own water bottle for military training, so I’m not thirsty. Hurry up and drink, or it won’t taste good once the ice melts." She then asked quietly, "Should I put the straw in for you?"

Seeing that he didn’t shake his head, she tore open the wrapper and poked the straw inside with a POP. She tucked the trash into her own pocket. "Drink up. I’ll throw the cup away for you when you’re done, otherwise you’d have to run all the way to the trash can over there."

"Thanks."

Lin Zhengran found a spot to sit down, and Xiao Heqing quickly sat beside him, resting her small hands on her knees. Sixteen-year-old Xiao Heqing watched him drink his water and smiled happily. Although she was still somewhat scatterbrained, she was much smarter than when she was little.

Her coming over to deliver water this time was partly out of a genuine fear that Lin Zhengran would be thirsty, but it was also to declare her sovereignty. She wasn’t blind; she had seen plenty of girls from other classes trying to strike up conversations with him after that sports competition. If she didn’t show her face today, who knew how much trouble would brew in the future? Moreover, by making this public appearance, many of the boys who liked her would naturally lose interest. Of course, she didn’t plan on keeping any of this from Lin Zhengran, so she laid it all out for him.

"Lin Zhengran... did you really get first place in all your events during the sports competition a few days ago?" she asked.

Taking a sip of his lemonade, Lin Zhengran hummed in acknowledgment. "They were just recreational matches. Everyone had to participate."

"You’re really amazing then," Xiao Heqing praised him. "I saw you all the way from my class. None of them could compare to you; you beat them all."

Lin Zhengran glanced at her, noticing that she seemed to be holding something back. "Just say what’s on your mind. Why does it feel like you’re beating around the bush?"

Xiao Heqing kept her small hands on her knees, her ten fingers interlaced. Sounding adorably jealous, she said, "It’s... it’s nothing much... It’s just that since you performed so well in the sports competition recently, have a lot of girls been chatting with you and asking for your number? You... you shouldn’t be interested in any of them, right? You don’t like their types, do you...?"

Lin Zhengran let out a long breath and gave an affirming hum. "No, I’m not really interested."

Xiao Heqing became visibly ecstatic, grinning from ear to ear. "Right? I thought so too! Um, recently some boys have been talking to me as well, and some even said they... l-liked me and stuff like that. But I ignored all of them and rejected them!

"I didn’t accept any of the gifts they tried to give me, either. I’m telling you this because I was afraid you’d think I was talking to them. I’m really not. I only want to talk to you, seriously. I don’t want to pay attention to any boy besides you."

Lin Zhengran looked at Xiao Heqing’s sincere expression, as if she were taking a solemn oath. He offered the half-finished lemonade back to her. "How do you like high school so far?"

"It’s okay." She took the unfinished water and the straw he had chewed on. "The military training is a bit tiring, but other than that, it’s fine. Are you done drinking?"

"I wasn’t that thirsty to begin with. This was enough." Lin Zhengran gazed off into the distance and continued, "High school is different from middle school, especially since it’s further from home. If you run into any problems at school that you can’t solve, come find me, and I’ll help you. Make sure to get plenty of rest this weekend after training is over so it doesn’t affect your competition in two weeks."

Hearing his concern for her, Xiao Heqing’s heart fluttered. She hummed happily and looked at him. "Don’t worry, I’m not tired. It’s just... can I only come find you when I have a problem? Can I come over when I don’t have any problems too...? I want to see you every day."

"Whatever you want. I didn’t tell you to come today, and you still showed up, didn’t you?"

Xiao Heqing grinned broadly. She chatted with him for a few more minutes before holding the half-finished drink and bidding him farewell.

As for that half-cup of lemonade, she naturally couldn’t bear to throw it away, because Lin Zhengran had drunk from it. However, she was too embarrassed to drink from the exact same end of the straw. So, she pulled it out, flipped it over, poked it back in, and began drinking the remaining half. As she drank, she blushed and thought, "I should definitely bring him drinks next time too. That way, I can drink what he has drunk again."

[He Fairy saw you were exhausted and specially gifted you an Immortal Elixir. You received the Cold Ice Divine Water from He Fairy. Gained Charm +2, Physical Strength +1.]

After Xiao Heqing left, Lin Zhengran returned to the rest area. The boy who had previously rested his elbow on Lin Zhengran’s shoulder looked thoroughly devastated. He had witnessed the entire exchange. Other things might be deceiving, but a young girl’s blush never lied.

"Lin Zhengran... if you don’t treat He Qing well, I will definitely kill you~" he said with deep resentment. SOB SOB SOB. Wailing in despair, he stood up and walked away.

Lin Zhengran sweatdropped as he sat there. Fortunately, two other boys were still around, chuckling.

A boy surnamed Pan said, "Lin Zhengran, so your girlfriend is He Qing from Class Three? No wonder you aren’t interested in any other girls. By the way, I saw that He Qing is really close with Jiang Xueli from her class. Do you happen to know if she has a boyf—"

Before the boy could finish his sentence, the shy yet stubborn Jiang Xueli suddenly walked over from a distance, also holding a cup of lemonade in her hands.