Locking away my heart and love! Going back to 2000 to be a top student again.

“…” Xu Su didn’t want to see him at all; she wanted to see him as little as possible.

She shook her head again: "I can't. I have a lot of studies to do, so I don't have time to celebrate my birthday, and I don't care about these things."

Before she turned sixteen, her grandmother would cook her a bowl of noodles with two eggs for her birthday in the countryside.

As for cakes, gifts, parties, and all sorts of celebrations, there were none of them.

This answer was exactly what Zhou Mochen expected. He sighed and couldn't help but reach out to hug her, but Xu Su took two steps back to avoid him.

"Get to the point, don't resort to violence, Zhou Mochen, watch your temper."

Xu Su glanced at the time, somewhat impatiently: "If there's nothing else, I'll head back to school."

"Something came up." Zhou Mochen called out to her, somewhat helplessly, "Since you're not coming out, I'll have to give you my gift ahead of time. Xu Su, you wouldn't accept Shen Chen's gift but not mine, would you?"

An eighteenth birthday is a significant event in everyone's eyes, but Xu Su doesn't seem to care at all.

Hearing Zhou Mochen's words, Xu Su turned around and raised an eyebrow: "Are you planning to give me a gemstone necklace again?"

This person was like this in his past life, always afraid of not showing off his wealth and power.

Zhou Mochen chuckled: "I won't give you any gems this time."

He took a box out of his pocket, and took out a necklace with a small, exquisite jade lock as a pendant.

The crystal-clear jade, paired with a delicate platinum chain, made Xu Su fall in love with it at first sight.

Zhou Mochen's eyes seemed to be filled with stars, and he was full of tenderness. He said, "Your eighteenth birthday means you've become an adult, Su Su. I'm giving you this lock, hoping that you will live a long and peaceful life."

Such a cliché blessing, yet Zhou Mochen spoke it with utmost sincerity.

He took a few steps closer, seemingly a little scared by her rejection, and said again, "This price isn't expensive, Xu Su, please don't refuse me."

"..." With the discerning eye Xu Su had developed in her previous life, this jade was of excellent quality and its price was likely no less than seven figures, not cheaper than that sapphire. This person was taking advantage of her lack of knowledge about jade now.

I want to refuse, but I can't explain why.

Just like Zhou Mochen said, it wouldn't make sense for her to accept gifts from Shen Chen after meeting him twice but not accept his.

You can't exactly say, "I have a great eye, and I could tell at a glance that this jade lock is very valuable," can you?

Xu Su's current identity is that of a poor student from the countryside who was admitted to the city.

She remained silent for a long time, looking very hesitant, which made Zhou Mochen laugh. He leaned closer and coaxed, "Is it so hard to accept a gift from me? Su Su, I feel like you're being exceptionally harsh on me. Now I can't even compare to Shen Chen?"

Hearing this, Shen Chen, who had been silent all along, chuckled and said, "How could that be? Your Su Su would rather avoid me than stay away."

Zhou Mochen didn't even turn his head in the face of Shen Chen's teasing, acting as if he didn't exist. He said to Xu Su, "It's inconvenient for you to wear the necklace yourself, so I'll put it on you."

Xu Su grabbed his arm as he raised it to put on the necklace, "No need, I can put it on myself."

Zhou Mochen kissed the top of her head, his kiss brooking no refusal: "I'll put it on for you, so you don't have to ask someone to put it on for you when you get back."

After nearly two years, Xu Su's hair had grown quite long, and in order not to affect her studies, she usually wore it in a bun.

Therefore, it was very convenient for Zhou Mochen to help her put on the necklace.

Seemingly bewitched by the girl's delicate neck, after putting on the necklace, he didn't immediately step back, but couldn't resist leaning in and kissing her.

Xu Su shrank back two steps and glared at him.

Zhou Mochen smiled somewhat innocently: "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

Then, his smile faded, and he said seriously, "Xu Su, I wish you a happy birthday in advance."

Xu Su was taken aback, not expecting him to be so serious, and reflexively thanked him.

This simple "thank you" made Shen Chen, who had been silently observing from the side, burst into laughter.

"I've never seen you two interact like this before. One says 'Happy Birthday,' and the other says 'Thank you,' hahaha." Shen Chen couldn't help but ask his own thoughts: "Are you two really a couple? What couple acts like this?"

Just as Xu Su was about to speak, Zhou Mochen turned around and gave Shen Chen a cold smile, then pointed to the car behind him, "Now shut up, get in the car, and don't let me know you're still here."

Zhou Mochen's intimidating presence remained as strong as ever. As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Chen immediately fell silent, gave him an OK sign, and quickly got into the car.

"..." Xu Su looked at this scene and was speechless. "I'm going back."

"Okay." He readily agreed, but when he saw Xu Suzhen preparing to leave, and thinking about how he hadn't had a proper hug with her during their rare meeting, he still felt a little unwilling. "Do you want me to hug you?"

"..." Xu Su didn't even turn her head. "No."

Even after the girl's figure disappeared from sight, Zhou Mochen was still looking in the direction she went.

Seeing him standing there like a statue waiting for his wife, Shen Chen couldn't help but roll down the car window: "Brother Zhou, she's already gone. You can stand there until dawn and she won't even know. Go back to sleep. I have to go back to Beijing tomorrow."

Zhou Mochen glanced back at him, all the tenderness and doting he had shown Xu Sushi vanished, and he got into the car expressionlessly, asking, "What was wrong with you just now?"

They were obviously asking him why his expression had suddenly changed.

Shen Chen started the car and casually said, "It's nothing, I just suddenly realized that you have a good eye. Your dear Su Su is indeed very good-looking. In two years, she will probably be a beauty that is one in a million."

Zhou Mochen frowned at the flippant words and said coldly, "She's not one of those women you know. Watch your attitude. I don't want to hear that kind of talk again."

"...!" Shen Chen was shocked once again. "I didn't say anything, what's wrong with my attitude...?"

The rest of his words disappeared into Zhou Ge's suddenly cold gaze.

~~

On the other side, after saying goodbye to Zhou Mochen, Xu Su originally intended to go straight back to her dormitory.

There was a shortcut from the school gate to the girls' dormitory that didn't require passing through the teaching building, but after hesitating for a while, she decided to return along the same route she had taken.

When she arrived at the place where she had just argued with Xi Zirong and did not see him, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that he knows to leave; Xu Su was really afraid that this person would just stand there forever.

Then, before she could even catch her breath, she saw a blurry figure crouching in the corner of the wall in the darkness, and she could vaguely make out a black and white school uniform jacket.

Xi Zirong loves wearing the same school uniform as her, and today is no exception.

"..." Xu Su rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on, and resignedly walked over.

As she drew closer, she heard familiar footsteps, and the figure in the corner looked up.

“Su Su…”

Xi Zirong squatted here for an hour or so, her voice a little hoarse.

Xu Su felt a pang of sadness, and the anger she felt from being forcibly kissed earlier gradually subsided.