Ji Heng had attended an international school since he was young.
It was a K-12 institution.
He was a celebrity at school from a young age, not because of his parents, but because he was exceptionally handsome.
On his first day of freshman orientation, Fan Cheng accompanied him.
His small, handsome face attracted countless stares. The process of collecting textbooks caused a traffic jam, and the girls nearly fought over who would be his deskmate.
The school then decided to switch to single desks for everyone.
When he entered middle school, his height shot up, and he began to resemble Ji Zhixiu.
His facial features inherited the best traits of his parents.
The young man's brows were handsome, and the afternoon sunlight, catching the gold dust in the air, seemed to cast an oil painting glow on his eyelashes.
He wore the uniform white and blue school attire, exuding youthful energy and captivating a legion of girls.
Even though Ji Heng remained poker-faced and dedicated to his studies, it was all in vain.
Every day, his desk drawers were stuffed with love letters and snacks from classmates.
Today was no different.
Ji Heng frowned and emptied the contents of his desk drawers.
Then, he took them to the homeroom teacher's office.
The teacher's eyes lit up as soon as he saw him. "Are these more gifts from the little girls?"
Ji Heng nodded lightly. "For you."
He and the teacher had reached an unspoken understanding: he would always bring the love letters and snacks to the teacher to deal with.
The homeroom teacher would then post a notice in the group chat, asking students to come collect their snacks and letters.
But who would dare to come forward and claim them?
Not only would their offerings be rejected, but they would also be seen by others, a thought that was mortifying.
Thus, these snacks usually ended up benefiting the teachers in the office.
The homeroom teacher skillfully pulled out a "Golden Scroll of Excellence" from his drawer and handed it to Ji Heng. "Take this."
Ji Heng accepted it as usual. "Thank you, Teacher."
Back at his seat, Ji Heng began to work on his problems.
The girl in front of him turned around, suddenly blushing, and softly called out, "Ji Heng."
Ji Heng looked up, inquiring with his eyes what she needed.
He recognized this girl; she was the Chinese class representative.
She had been praised by the teacher multiple times for her eloquent and concise essays.
However, she had a weakness in other subjects, and her grades weren't as good as his.
They usually had little interaction.
Sheng Yaoyao's face was as red as a ripe apple. Even though she was sitting right in front of Ji Heng, they had never spoken.
The reason was simple: Ji Heng was usually taciturn and never accepted love letters or snacks, leading everyone to believe he was unapproachable.
Today, she had only mustered the courage to approach Ji Heng with encouragement from her friends.
She pursed her lips and whispered, "Are you hungry?"
Ji Heng shook his head. He wasn't hungry; he had rice balls prepared by his mother in his backpack.
Sheng Yaoyao was a bit disappointed but undeterred. She continued, "I made some sushi myself. Could you try it? Tell me if it's good and give me some feedback."
Ji Heng was a little surprised.
Children at international schools were all from wealthy or influential families. They were driven to school, and he had never seen anyone cook at home.
However, he nodded and uttered two elegant words: "You may."
Sheng Yaoyao was clearly delighted, her eyes curving like crescent moons. She cupped the sushi in her palms and offered it to him. "I made it with my aunt's guidance at home. It's delicious."
Ji Heng hummed and took a bite, then nodded.
It was indeed quite good, and most importantly, the filling inside was tuna, which he liked.
Seeing that he enjoyed it, Sheng Yaoyao became even happier, her eyes curving into smiles. "Next time, if there's anything else you'd like to eat, you can tell me."
Ji Heng nodded politely and said nothing more.
From one instance to another, Sheng Yaoyao became more comfortable approaching Ji Heng.
One day it was "Ji Heng, have a taste of these cookies I made myself," and the next it was "Ji Heng, can you help me with this problem?"
Although Ji Heng wasn't overly enthusiastic, he didn't refuse, as he felt indebted to her for the gifts and help.
It wasn't until he returned home that day after school, when Jiang Mian was tidying his backpack, that she exclaimed in surprise, "Heng Bao hasn't eaten the snacks I prepared for him for several days now."
Ji Zhixiu casually replied, "Perhaps Heng Bao isn't hungry."
"Impossible," Jiang Mian chided him with a glance, blaming him for being inattentive. "Our son has physical education classes in the afternoon, whether it's basketball or soccer. He can't possibly not be hungry."
Ji Zhixiu rubbed his nose and said nothing.
Yuan Bao, with her little hands, rummaged through her brother's backpack and pulled out something that didn't belong to her. "Yuan Bao, want eat!" she said in a milky voice.
Jiang Mian followed her little hand and said softly, "Yuan Bao, can you give that to Mommy?"
Little Yuan Bao nodded and held up her hand, handing it to her mother.
Jiang Mian took a closer look and was even more surprised. This wasn't made by her, nor by Aunt Song.
And the packaging of the sushi was exquisite pink, full of girlish charm.
She knew her son was very popular at school, but this was the first time he had brought something from someone else home.
With a plan in mind, she put the sushi back.
Yuan Bao was unhappy and immediately pouted, about to cry. "Eat! Want eat!"
Ji Zhixiu scooped up his daughter and lifted her high. "Daddy will make some for you. Don't be greedy for your brother's."
Yuan Bao immediately smiled.
That night, Jiang Mian lay in bed, unable to sleep.
Ji Zhixiu held her in his arms and, sensing her unease, kissed her cheek. "Something on your mind?"
Jiang Mian turned to face him, propping herself up with her arm. "Xiu, I think Heng Bao is in a romantic relationship."
Although she didn't oppose young love, she thought it was a bit too early to be in a relationship in middle school!
"The sushi Yuan Bao took out of his backpack today clearly looks like it was made by a girl. I suspect Heng Bao brought it home because he couldn't bear to eat it."
Jiang Mian sighed. Although Ji Heng had always been so easy to manage, the subsequent parenting issues still left her feeling helpless.
She feared not managing enough, yet also feared managing too much.
Ji Zhixiu comforted her. "Don't worry yet. Perhaps Heng Bao has just made a good female friend. If our son hasn't said anything, let's pretend we don't know."
Seeing his wife's strong desire to know, Ji Zhixiu whispered a plan in her ear. Jiang Mian nodded.
The next day at the dinner table,
Ji Heng was feeding his sister. Jiang Mian casually asked, "Heng Bao, have you made any new friends at school recently?"
Ji Heng paused, then slowly said under their gaze, "One."
Jiang Mian nodded. Her son was both intelligent and sensitive, so she didn't press further.
After the meal, Jiang Mian instructed Aunt Song to bring out the dessert.
"I made a little extra for you. Remember to share it with your classmates at school," Jiang Mian instructed him.
Ji Heng nodded, kissed his sister's cheek, and said, "Got it, Mommy."
In the afternoon, during the activity class,
The classroom was half empty.
Sheng Yaoyao remained seated and turned to ask Ji Heng, "You..."
Before she could finish, Ji Heng said, "I brought something to eat today. Do you want some?"
Surprise flashed in Sheng Yaoyao's eyes, and she readily agreed, "Yes, please."
Ji Heng handed her a packaged mousse cake. "My mom made it herself."
"Wow? Really? Your mom is amazing." Sheng Yaoyao opened it and took a bite, immediately impressed and unable to stop praising it.
A hint of pride appeared on Ji Heng's indifferent face. "Of course."
When he returned home that evening, Jiang Mian's mood was complex as she looked at the empty mousse cup.
Ji Zhixiu held her in his arms. "What's with that expression? It's a good thing that our son has a girl he likes. It's a necessary part of growing up."
Jiang Mian was immediately distracted by him, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, smiling slightly. "In that case, did Mr. Ji have someone he liked when he was in school?"
Ji Zhixiu sensed a hint of danger and spoke truthfully, "No, I was very focused and dedicated to my studies."
This was the truth; he was busy with skipping grades and managing the company back then. He didn't even recognize his classmates.
Moreover, later on, his heart had already been set on Jiang Mian.
Jiang Mian let out a soft hum. "I've decided. This weekend, I'll have Heng Bao invite this classmate over."
"Whatever you decide."
The next day, Jiang Mian mentioned it to Ji Heng at the dinner table. "The weather has been quite pleasant this week. Heng Bao, if you have time, would you like to invite a classmate over? The backyard is full of blooming flowers."
Ji Heng didn't immediately agree. He knew his mother wanted him to socialize more.
However, he wasn't aloof, just lazy and uninterested in those things.
He already had enough excitement from the children of Uncle Lu and Uncle Chang.
But he didn't want to disappoint his mother. Ji Heng said, "I'll ask."
Jiang Mian nodded. "Okay."
Upon arriving at school, Ji Heng couldn't help but think of Sheng Yaoyao, as she was the only classmate he was somewhat familiar with at school.
He planned to ask Sheng Yaoyao before school ended.
Unexpectedly, Sheng Yaoyao called out to Ji Heng before school ended. Her face was slightly flushed, and she had her hair in a high ponytail. It was evident she was a bit nervous.
"Ji Heng, can you promise me you'll look at it when you get home?" she asked, holding out a beautifully packaged letter with a pleading tone.
At that moment, Ji Heng felt no surprise.
He had a feeling that this was indeed the case.
He had long suspected that Sheng Yaoyao had a crush on him, otherwise, why would she be so nice to him?
He hadn't seen Sheng Yaoyao treat anyone else that way.
Besides, he wasn't lacking in female admirers, and Ji Heng felt it wasn't narcissism but confidence.
It was normal for someone to like him!
From their interactions over this period, he found Sheng Yaoyao quite good. Although her family was wealthy, her temper and personality were gentle.
Most importantly, with his guidance, her grades had improved by leaps and bounds, making it not too difficult for them to aim for the same university in the future.
Ji Heng pretended to think for a moment before矜持(jīnchí - dignifiedly) accepting her love letter.
Sheng Yaoyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she had truly feared he wouldn't accept it.
Ji Heng smoothly asked, "Are you free this weekend?"
He paused, feeling he shouldn't reveal his intentions, and emphasized, "My mom wants me to invite you over to admire the flowers at our house."