As the saying goes, “Clothes make the man, and gold adorns the Buddha.”
Now that the students were dressed in baseball jackets, they truly looked the part.
Pei Xingyan touched the fabric of his jacket, thinking to himself that the principal’s desire for improvement was something he now genuinely understood.
The material of this jacket was unlike the usual baseball jackets made just for fashion; it was thick and substantial.
“Let’s go—”
A boy at the door waved to Pei Xingyan, calling for everyone to leave together.
Although girls make friends quickly, the boys weren’t far behind.
Even though no one in the room knew each other’s names yet, their conversations had already become quite familiar and casual.
“I’ll stay a bit longer, feeling a bit short of breath,” Pei Xingyan feigned weakness and leaned against the wall, sitting down on a chair.
“No way, you look so weak?”
The other boys laughed and teased him, but after a few rounds of concern, they left.
Pei Xingyan wasn’t really weak—neither physically nor otherwise—but he did feel short of breath.
Just thinking about the two pairs of eyes glaring at him outside the door made his lungs feel like they were about to burst.
He had no doubt that if he went out now, whether it was Lin Xiaoyu or Su Shanshan, they would immediately rush over from the stands.
What would happen next was beyond his imagination.
He absolutely could not do that.
Supporting himself on the chair, he pressed his head against the wall.
Using the pain to calm himself, he hurriedly thought through what to do next.
Su Shanshan would definitely want to stick close to him after this ended, while Lin Xiaoyu’s approach would be different.
Given her temperament, Lin Xiaoyu would probably say a few brief words and then leave in a hurry.
So, for now, he needed Su Shanshan to go wait somewhere else first, then handle Lin Xiaoyu inside the playground.
With a rough plan in mind, Pei Xingyan didn’t dare delay even a moment.
He quickly took out his phone and sent Su Shanshan a message:
【Why haven’t I seen you? I’ll wait for you at the restaurant entrance then.】
He locked his screen and prayed that Su Shanshan would receive the message immediately.
But he had underestimated just how attentive Su Shanshan was to him.
Before his prayer was even finished, Su Shanshan’s voice sounded out—it was the sound of her bidding Lin Xiaoyu goodbye.
“Bye! My baby missed me terribly after just a few minutes apart, so I have to go first~”
Her happiness was overflowing, and then, like the wind, she flashed past the window in front of Pei Xingyan.
With her heart set, her body naturally followed closely behind, not even sparing a glance at the person only a step away, and quickly escaped the playground.
Only after confirming she had really gone far did Pei Xingyan grumble as he slipped out of the house.
He had only said he’d wait for her in the cafeteria, so where was this “missed her terribly after a few minutes” nonsense?
That was obviously just to show off in front of Lin Xiaoyu.
“The competitive streak among women is really strange…”
Muttering softly to himself, he had just stepped outside when he bumped right into Lin Xiaoyu.
“You’re here!” She looked surprised and delighted, grabbing Pei Xingyan’s hand, “Why did you come out so late? I thought you’d already left.”
She never would have made such a move before—clearly, Su Shanshan’s words had taken root in her heart.
“I’m feeling a bit unwell.”
Pei Xingyan kept up the excuse to avoid stirring up any trouble.
He was already beginning to fear fate’s will.
“Huh?”
Lin Xiaoyu immediately showed concern between her brows, frowning as she stepped closer, “Do you want me to accompany you to the school clinic?”
“It’s nothing serious. Just a bit nervous standing on stage, overbreathing a little, and my hands tingled,” Pei Xingyan smiled gently, treating her as usual, so she wouldn’t suspect anything.
“Hehe,” Lin Xiaoyu turned her worry into joy, laughing lightly, “You get nervous too? I thought it was just me!”
“Of course not. Anyone would get nervous. It’s just different situations and occasions,” Pei Xingyan said casually, glancing sideways at the playground, avoiding Su Shanshan sneaking back.
Thankfully, she didn’t, and she was probably racing straight to the cafeteria by now.
“Hey, I saw a really pretty girl just now. She was so interesting,” Lin Xiaoyu grabbed his hand, not showing any intention of letting go anytime soon.
Like a faithful informant, she was ready to share her recent observations with Pei Xingyan.
“Oh? Then you’ll have to tell me all about it next time, okay?”
Pei Xingyan skillfully brought up the topic of food, “I just found a pretty good place recently. When we go eat, you can tell me all about it.”
The happiness on Lin Xiaoyu’s face deepened, her eyes nearly sparkling with joy.
But her dark pupils suddenly shifted as she recalled the advice she once strongly agreed with: “Don’t wait for your beloved to make the first move.”
So she turned around and made an invitation herself.
“Actually, why not go now? I’ll treat you. I’ve been meaning to treat you for a long time.”
Pei Xingyan hadn’t expected this invitation from Lin Xiaoyu, but he couldn’t ignore Su Shanshan now and go out with her.
He shook his head slowly, “Now is probably not very convenient. I still have quite a few things to handle… Look, the school gave us jackets that still smell. I need to take this back and wash it first.”
Lin Xiaoyu was a simple-minded girl, not scheming at all.
When it came to her angelic crush, she was even more so.
She nodded in disappointment but then thought of another idea.
“Then let me help you wash it, okay?”
“Better not. It’s not that I don’t trust you; I’m just afraid you’ll get tired,” Pei Xingyan joked, “How could I let the young lady do it herself? That’s just shortening her life.”
Lin Xiaoyu blushed furiously, mumbling “young lady my foot,” and playfully patted Pei Xingyan’s chest.
But in her heart, she was overflowing with a harvest of joy.
She felt this teasing was almost… flirting…
“Well, alright. Since you have important things to do, I won’t push it. But don’t underestimate me—if I ever get the chance to wash your clothes, you’ll definitely see just how virtuous I am!”
She finished with a blush, and no one knew what she was thinking as she said it.
Maybe it was Pei Xingyan happily taking the clean clothes from her hands, or perhaps the thought that for some “reason,” their clothes would end up mixed together in the laundry from then on.
She deeply agreed with Su Shanshan’s advice, which gave her the courage to raise her voice much louder than usual.
And the result was beyond satisfying.
Pei Xingyan looked even gentler than usual—he must have felt the warmth of her sincere feelings because of her boldness.
But she still had to face his departure.
Every time at moments like this, she felt an emptiness, as if her body had been hollowed out.
But this time was different.
Before Pei Xingyan left, she summoned her courage again, imitating Su Shanshan’s style from just a moment ago.
She cupped her hands like a trumpet and shouted to Pei Xingyan:
“Pei Xingyan, you look really handsome in that baseball jacket!”
Lin Xiaoyu clearly saw Pei Xingyan’s face flush deeply as he neared the playground gate.
And on her side, even without a mirror, she knew her own face had turned just as red—so red she could barely bear to show it.