Chi Xu's body stiffened slightly. He never expected that Jiang Yuan, who was usually easily shy, would hug him beside the counselor's office. His heart blossomed like gorgeous fireworks.
However, he soon relaxed, the corners of his lips curving slightly. He reached out and gently patted Jiang Yuan's back, feeling her warm breath on his neck.
"Okay, let's look for it together."
Suddenly, he felt the girl tighten her hold on his neck. Her warm lips gently brushed past his ear: "Chi Xu, I've decided. I forgive you. I truly and completely forgive you."
It was like a heavy punch hitting Chi Xu on the head. It made his head buzz and his vision turn colorful. For a moment, he thought he was floating in the clouds, unable to distinguish between reality and dream.
He had waited for this forgiveness for a very long time.
He had yearned for it for ages. And now, unexpectedly, it reached his ears. He tightly hugged the girl and murmured to himself, "Yuan Yuan, do you really forgive me? I feel like you're just joking with me."
Jiang Yuan was inexplicably tickled. She lowered her head and silently laughed. All her bad mood just now vanished. She let go of her hands, slipped out of Chi Xu's embrace, put her hands behind her back, and tilted her head. "Alright then, if you didn't hear it, forget it..."
"No, I heard it. You said you forgive me. I'm really happy, Yuan Yuan." The boy said impatiently.
After Chi Xu said that, he realized he had been too eager. He carefully looked at Jiang Yuan, as if afraid she would take it back the next second. He nervously and expectantly stared at her.
Looking at his appearance, Jiang Yuan found it both funny and heart - wrenching. She gently walked up to Chi Xu, took his hand, and said seriously, "I really forgive you. The things in the past are over. I don't want to mention them anymore."
"Let the past be the past."
"Yuan Yuan, then what's my current status?" Chi Xu turned his head, wrapped his palm around her small hand, and held it tightly, afraid she would slip away.
"Let's be together after this matter is resolved." Jiang Yuan's voice gradually softened, as if she was talking to herself. "You don't want our being together to be because of this, right? It's not romantic at all."
These days, she had seen and remembered every bit of Chi Xu's actions.
Just as Lin Suye had said, two people who clearly liked each other shouldn't be separated because of various reasons. Moreover, mutual love was the rarest thing.
Chi Xu was overjoyed. He gently lifted Jiang Yuan's hand to his lips and touched it devoutly without any hint of desire.
His eyes curved into a smile as he said, "I'm really happy, Yuan Yuan."
He had never been this happy before.
The two walked downstairs hand in hand. Jiang Yuan's cheeks were tinged with a rosy blush, and she tightly grasped Chi Xu's hand.
"Yo yo yo, Yuan Yuan, Chi Xu, are you together?" Lin Suye had sharp eyes. As soon as their figures appeared in the corridor, she immediately saw their clasped hands. The corners of her mouth curled up, and there was a hint of schadenfreude in her eyebrows.
"If Zhou Xiangmeng knew that her 'good deeds' had brought you two together, wouldn't she be furious?"
"She deserves it." Yu Huan shook her head, took a step forward, and was more concerned about the punishment for Jiang Yuan's cheating. "How was it? What did the counselor say? Did you get a disciplinary warning?"
"No, but he said..." Jiang Yuan told them everything in detail and sighed. "Zhou Xiangmeng definitely won't admit it. We can only find out who left the note."
"Actually, it's not too difficult. The exams in our college are arranged according to student numbers. We can ask the teacher in the Academic Affairs Office for the seating arrangement of this classroom, and basically we can trace it back to the person." Su Kexin gave advice beside them.
"Yes, but this is cheating. That person may not admit it." Jiang Yuan pulled a long face, looking about to cry. "He wasn't caught, but he caused trouble for me."
"Actually, there's a simpler way. We don't need to look for the person one by one." Chi Xu appropriately interjected, smiling slightly and saying slowly.
"What is it?" The four of them asked in unison.
After hearing Lin Suye's account, Chi Xu had a general idea on the way over: "That person's cheating may not be perfect. The classmates around may know something. We can offer a generous reward, and someone will take the initiative to tell us."
This was the most convenient way.
"This... Maybe we'd better forget it. At most, I won't be able to get the scholarship in my freshman year. The money we spend may even be a loss." Jiang Yuan said weakly. "Moreover, we don't have any connections."
"Yuan Yuan, have you forgotten about me?" Chi Xu sighed slightly and rubbed the girl's head. "I'm the president of the student union. I have a wide network of connections. Money is a small matter. What if you want to compete for postgraduate recommendation in the future? Cheating in your freshman year will be a stain on you."
"I'll just take the exam by myself." Jiang Yuan said stubbornly. "The competition in and out of school is equally fierce."
Chi Xu held Jiang Yuan's shoulders and looked directly into her eyes: "If you're worried that in our relationship, I'll spend far more money and time than you can bear, Yuan Yuan, you really don't have to."
Jiang Yuan awkwardly turned her head away and didn't look at him.
After knowing each other for so many years, Chi Xu could now see through what she was thinking at a glance.
He had already given enough.
She really didn't want to become a blood - sucking parasite, simply relying on Chi Xu and surviving on his blood.
Chi Xu continued, patiently guiding her: "We've known each other for so many years. The relationship between people is built when you trouble me and I trouble you, and then it becomes a deep - seated affection."
Jiang Yuan's eyes flickered, but she remained silent.
"Yuan Yuan, your destination is not here. This is just your starting point. The world is so big. One day, you'll soar in the blue sky. By then, you'll give more than me. Don't scold me for being a gigolo."
There was a joking tone in Chi Xu's words, but his eyes were burning.
"Yes, Yuan Yuan. Now the most important thing is not how much you give or how much he gives. The most important thing is to quickly find out the person who threw the note." Lin Suye picked up where Chi Xu left off and tried to soothe her.
"Don't let Zhou Xiangmeng affect your future. She's not worth it." Su Kexin snorted. "You should know what's more important, Yuan Yuan. Why are you being so confused about such an important matter?"
"To put it bluntly, Yuan Yuan, Chi Xu hurt you before, making you sad every day. You can just think of this as his compensation for you. No amount of money can make up for your sadness." Yu Huan shook her head.
The good sisters surrounded her, chattering one after another. The noise made Jiang Yuan's ears a bit painful.
Most of her attention was distracted, and she didn't seem to care as much as she did at first.
Su Kexin was right. She really couldn't let a Zhou Xiangmeng affect her future.
Under Chi Xu's eager gaze, Jiang Yuan slowly raised her head, her tone firm yet gentle: "Okay, then thank you, Chi Xu."