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

The next morning, the parents of Deng Hui, Qiu Kai, and Qian Jia all came to the school from the countryside.

Qian Jia is still resting in bed in her dormitory. She is much better today than yesterday, but she is still not suitable for sitting for long periods of time.

Xu Su brought Qian Jia's parents to the dormitory. When Qian Jia's mother saw her daughter's injury, she was heartbroken and burst into tears.

Although no bones were broken, the bruises on the skin and flesh became even more frightening overnight. Not to mention her own mother, even Xu Su felt heartbroken and distressed when she saw it.

After offering a few words of advice, Xu Su said goodbye and went back to class.

As for how the matter was handled, Qian Jia herself revealed it later.

Since Qian Jia's injury was not caused by Deng Hui and Qiu Kai's intentional actions, and given that both of them showed a good attitude in admitting their mistakes and had a good track record at school.

They were two well-behaved students.

So this incident wasn't recorded in their files. They just wrote two self-criticisms, read them aloud in front of the whole class, and solemnly apologized to Qian Jia. In addition, they each compensated Qian Jia with 300 yuan for nutrition expenses.

Qian Jia was picked up by her parents that afternoon and taken home to rest.

It just so happens that May Day is just two days away, so we'll have a few days off together.

On the afternoon of April 30, Xu Su went home and stayed overnight. She returned to school on the afternoon of May 1.

During their day at home, Chen Shulan and Xu Weiping had some complaints about Xu Su not coming home for the previous two weeks, but after she explained that she had a heavy workload, they accepted her explanation.

When Xu Su was preparing to return to school, Chen Shulan gave her two hundred yuan, saying it was to make up for the food expenses of the previous two weeks, and also because she was worried that Xu Su would not be home for several more weeks, so she gave her more money in case of emergencies.

His words were earnest, and he seemed to care deeply about his daughter.

Xu Su did not refuse and accepted the two hundred yuan.

Time passed slowly, and soon it was Xu Su's seventeenth birthday.

During her lunch break that day, she received a call from Zhou Mochen, who returned carrying two shoe boxes.

Zhou Mochen's birthday gift to her was two pairs of sneakers.

In the past, when it was cold in winter, Xu Su wore cotton shoes made for her by her maternal grandmother. Last summer, she brought two pairs to Changshi, so she had shoes to wear at the end of the year.

As the weather gets warmer, Xu Su has recently been wearing canvas shoes that she bought with her savings from her living expenses; they are the most affordable student style.

Zhou Mochen rarely saw Xu Su this semester, and he was quite thoughtful to notice that Xu Su only had two pairs of canvas shoes.

This time, he bought shoes from a domestic brand, endorsed by a famous superstar. The market price was about 200 yuan a pair. He bought two pairs, which did not exceed the price set by Xu Su.

Unable to think of a reason to refuse, and not wanting to argue with Zhou Mochen for too long, Xu Su simply returned with the shoebox.

Huang Feng and Qian Jia were unaware of her birthday, and Xu Su hadn't mentioned it either, so they assumed the day would simply pass by like that.

Unexpectedly, before evening self-study started, Huang Feng was not at her seat, and Xi Zirong walked over at this time. Since they had exchanged a few words in the cafeteria a few days ago, the two of them had not been in contact.

Xu Su assumed that Xi Zirong's romantic thoughts were directed at someone else, and was momentarily stunned when she saw this person standing in front of her.

It was still early before evening self-study, and there were only a few people in the classroom. In addition, the two of them hadn't interacted much this semester, so Xi Zirong's actions didn't attract anyone's attention.

Xi Zirong took a small box out of his pocket, placed it on Xu Su's desk, and whispered, "This is a birthday present for you, Xu Su. Don't refuse it. You said we're friends."

Xu Su fell silent.

Wasn't this guy supposed to be someone else's heartbreaker? Why is he still thinking about sending her a birthday present?

Xi Zirong seemed a little nervous. Seeing that Xu Su didn't speak, he sat down in Huang Feng's seat and leaned closer, saying, "This gift isn't expensive. I just wanted to give you something. Will you accept it? You gave me a gift for my birthday too."

Xu Su didn't think anything of it at first, until she heard his last sentence.

Thinking about that so-called gift made me feel inexplicably uneasy.

She glanced around and saw that several people in the class were already looking in her direction. It was finally a bit quiet, and Xu Su didn't want to cause any more scandals. She quickly opened the gift box on the table, inside which was a watch.

The black leather strap and the delicate, small dial make it look very beautiful.

"How much did you pay for it?" Xu Su asked.

Xi Zirong was prepared. He took out a receipt from his pocket and handed it over: "It's really not expensive."

When Xu Su opened the invoice, her expression faltered for a moment; she almost thought someone was eavesdropping on her.

The price is fixed at 499 yuan.

Xi Zirong looked at her cautiously, as if afraid that she would refuse.

The weather in May was already very hot. Xi Zirong was wearing his summer school uniform, and his hands were on the table, with the watch face on his wrist being very eye-catching.

Xu Su noticed his watch at a glance and blurted out, "Did you give me a matching watch for us?"

Even the watch straps were the exact same color. Xu Su's eyes twitched, and she handed the box back speechlessly: "Xi Zirong, you should give the watch to Gu Yunjia. She'll like it."

Xu Su didn't have anything on her mind when she said this, but for some reason, she felt that her words had a hint of jealousy.

Sure enough, Xi Zirong paused for a moment, then quickly asked, "Gu Yunjia? Why would I give it to her?"

"..." Xu Su realized she had misspoke and wanted to explain, but this wasn't the place to have a proper conversation, so she nudged him and said, "Go back to your seat, class is about to start."

Xi Zirong remained unmoved, his gaze fixed on Xu Su, and said solemnly, "I have nothing to do with her."

Feeling a little embarrassed by being stared at like that, Xu Su felt like she was throwing a tantrum and waiting for her boyfriend to coax her, so she pushed the man's arm hard. "Go back to your seat first, Huang Feng will be back soon."

Huang Feng went to the convenience store to buy things, and Xu Su, unusually, didn't go with her. As a result, Xi Zirong came to her door, which was a real miscalculation.

Xi Zirong pulled her hand down and looked down at her, "Then you can accept this watch."

More and more people filled the classroom, and people at the desks in front and behind were watching. This person was holding her hand like that, and some boys were already making strange noises.

Xu Su felt sweat beading on her face. She was both anxious and angry. She quickly pulled her hand back, put away the watch box, and said, "I'll take it. You can go now."

Having achieved her goal, Xi Zirong, though she hadn't explained Gu Yunjia's situation clearly, didn't want to press her too hard and got up to leave.

He left not long before Huang Feng returned.

Fortunately, Huang Feng was unaware of what happened in the classroom; otherwise, she probably would have pressed him for details.

As evening self-study began, Xu Su quickly got into study mode.

During the break between classes, I went to the toilet and came in and out together with Huang Feng.

By 9:30, after three self-study periods, day students began to go home one after another, and the classroom was half empty. Xu Su felt a vibration in her pocket.