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

"..." This person really knows what it means to learn something new and apply it immediately.

Xu Su became increasingly angry and said fiercely, "If anyone's going to do something, it'll be me doing it to you, Zhou Mochen. You're not allowed to swear at me!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu Su regretted them. Damn it, what kind of wild and indecent words were those!

The force around his waist tightened, and Zhou Mochen pressed himself against him, his breath warm and seemingly delighted, his voice hoarse: "Okay, I'll do it for you."

...That shameless bastard!

This inexplicable argument was eventually resolved, and Zhou Mochen seemed to have completely ignored Xu Su's hurtful words.

On the way back to school, he gently reminded Xu Su, as always, to remember to reply to her messages and to call her if she needed anything.

After the car stopped, he took a bag of snacks and fruit out of the back seat, "to take to school."

Xu Su was a tough nut to crack. Even though she had just been intimidated by him, she still refused outright: "My roommates all know that my family is poor. These fancy snacks of yours are out of place with me. I don't want them."

In the past few weeks, he had been preparing snacks and desserts for her, and even after being rejected, he continued to do so. Little did he know that this time was expected.

Zhou Mochen opened the bag and gestured for her to see, "These are all things you can buy at a regular supermarket. If you think it's too much, just pick a few to take with you."

That serious look...

Xu Su finally chose a box of filled chocolates and a bag of Fuji apples, which she put directly into her schoolbag.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief when I got back to my dorm room.

Today, her casual remark almost made Zhou Mochen think that there was no hope of getting her to "voluntarily" agree, and that he would have to resort to force.

That pervert!

Thinking of Zhou Mochen's mocking face, Xu Su became more and more resentful. She was determined to teach him a lesson one day!

After giving each of her roommates a chocolate, Xu Su locked the rest in the cabinet. These things are high in calories, so they're okay as a late-night snack.

Anyway, Xu Su is using her brain too much every day, so she's not worried about gaining weight.

On Monday, news broke that the school had received a large donation from a social entrepreneur. It was said that the donor specified the purpose of the donation: to support the school's scholarship program.

In other words, if the news is true, then starting this semester, scholarships for all grades may increase, and the number of places may also change.

However, there is no definite information yet regarding the specifics of the changes.

Qian Jia was extremely excited in the cafeteria.

"If the school could expand the number of scholarships to the top 100 or even the top 80, that would be great. Then I would also have a chance to receive a scholarship."

Qian Jia ranked 54th in the entire grade in the final exam last semester.

Her family wasn't well-off; in fact, they might not be as well-off as Xu Su's family. After all, although Xu Su's family favored sons over daughters, they were at least genuine homeowners in Changshi, while Qian Jia's family lived in a village in a county below.

She receives 150 yuan a month for living expenses. Sometimes, when she doesn't have a holiday and can't go home, her father sends her that money every month.

One hundred and fifty yuan lasts for four weeks, which is less than forty yuan a week. Apart from food and daily necessities, there is almost no extra money.

She was able to get into the top class because of her good grades, but she didn't rank in the top 50 in the whole grade in the final exam last semester. If the number of scholarships can be increased this time, then Qian Jia may be able to get a scholarship this semester.

Even if it's just a few hundred yuan, that's enough for her living expenses for several months.

It could even ease the family's tuition burden for the next semester.

Huang Feng's grades were slightly better than Qian Jia's. Last semester, she received the lowest scholarship, 500 yuan. Her family was well-off, and her parents didn't confiscate the scholarship money. Instead, they let her keep it for her own spending money.

Hearing Qian Jia's words, Huang Feng also had high hopes for her. "Our school has a good reputation, especially in recent years with the rapid economic development of Changshi. Many wealthy people are willing to donate money to the school. When I was in junior high school, our school's comprehensive building and canteen were donated by people from the community."

"However, I heard that the entrepreneurs who donated money all had some 'small requests,' such as wanting their children to attend No. 1 Middle School," Huang Feng said, leaning closer and speaking in a low voice.

She attended the junior high school section of No. 1 Middle School and knows the school very well. She said, "Speaking of which, this is the first time someone has specified that donations can only be used for scholarships."

As Xu Su listened from the side, she inexplicably felt that something was amiss.

This is...

Then she realized she was overthinking it. If Zhou Mochen really was the donor, he would have told her, right?

In March, the weather was unpredictable, alternating between sunshine and rain. After finishing her meal in the cafeteria, Xu Su came out with the sun high in the sky. Feeling that her down jacket was too hot, she told the others to go to the classroom first and went back to her dormitory to change out of her down jacket and put on a school uniform jacket instead.

As soon as she left the women's dormitory, she ran into Xi Zirong walking out of the men's dormitory. The two were less than ten meters apart and looked at each other.

I felt inexplicably awkward...

Since the start of this semester, the two have had very little interaction. It's mainly Xu Su who's avoiding Xi Zirong. Qian Jia and Huang Feng accompany her everywhere she goes. In the classroom, Xu Su is focused on her studies and doesn't even glance at Xi Zirong.

As a result, after more than a month, some busybodies at the school even spread rumors that the two had 'broken up'.

Now that it's just the two of them meeting, Xu Su doesn't know what Xi Zirong is thinking, but she just feels awkward.

To get to the classroom, one had to pass by the men's dormitory building, and seeing that she was standing still, Xi Zirong stood at the door and waited.

The two classmates who came out with him glanced at Xu Su, said something to Xi Zirong, and then quickly walked away.

Then, Xu Su saw Xi Zirong walking towards her.

"..." Xu Su, who had originally planned to wait for Xi Zirong to leave first, was speechless.

I finally managed to be alone, how did he happen to catch me?

Xi Zirong walked to within an arm's length of Xu Su and said, "Going back to the classroom? Let's walk together?"

His voice remained as gentle and polite as ever.

Xu Su took a half step back and shook her head: "You go first. If we walk together, people will gossip again."

He chuckled. "It's not like it hasn't been rumored before, Xu Su, are you afraid of these things?"

This statement is very unfortunate to Xi Zirong.

Xu Su raised her head, putting aside her embarrassment, and said decisively, "I don't want to go with you."

Xi Zirong's smile faded, and she nodded gently: "Mm."

Xu Su thought he was being sensible and waiting for him to leave first, but unexpectedly Xi Zirong took a step closer and asked, "Why didn't you reply to my messages?"

"..." Speechless at the questioning tone, Xu Su paused for a few seconds.

Since the start of the semester, Xu Su has seen messages from him on her phone almost every night after self-study and when she returns to her dormitory.

They had simple daily conversations, with him occasionally complaining about why she wasn't paying attention to him anymore.

Seeing Xi Zirong's persistent look as she waited for an answer, Xu Su said bluntly, "I think I've said almost everything I needed to say, Xi Zirong, please don't be like this."

Don't act like you've been dumped, or Xu Su will start to doubt herself and think she's a bad woman.