Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

"What should we choose for the last question?"

"Choose A!"

"I don’t know, I chose B."

"You all definitely got it wrong, I know this one, choose C!"

"Does anyone know where that one yuan actually went?"

"It must have been the waiter who used the Snake Talisman to hide the money!"

Having just finished the last exam of the midterms, the classroom was buzzing with chatter.

For the midterm exams, seat assignments were randomly distributed based on the first letter of names; Xu Qingfan, Xia Xiaoxiao, and Xiao Ruawen had all been placed in Class 1B.

No sooner had the trio of top students returned to their class than a large group of classmates gathered around them immediately.

"Team leader, what did you choose for the last question on the multiple-choice?"

"Brother Fan, where did that one yuan go?"

Lin Wanning’s small head emerged from the crowd, and upon seeing Xu Qingfan, she excitedly shouted, "Brother Qing Fan, Wanning can do so many now!"

"Pat on the head."

Xia Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and sat back down at her seat on her own.

"Don’t block the doorway, if you have any questions, we can discuss them later," Xiao Ruawen said to those jamming the classroom door as more and more students could not get in.

"Run fast, the female T-rex is about to explode!"

"Retreat, retreat!"

"Class leader, what should we choose for the last question?" Some persistent ones continued to ask.

"Choose D, now go back to your seats, the class teacher is coming."

"Shoot!" the three primary school students who had just gathered to discuss the answers cursed in unison.

"Brother Qing Fan, I don’t know how to do the question about Xiao Ming’s birthday!" Lin Wanning said as she sat down and clasped her hands around her face, looking at Xu Qingfan.

"The question is actually quite simple, you see. On Xiao Ming’s birthday, he invites Xiao Hong and Xiao Hua to a restaurant for a meal that costs 30 yuan. They split it equally, so each pays ten yuan. But the restaurant owner tells the waiter that today there’s a special promotion: anyone whose birthday it is gets 5 yuan off a total bill of 30 or more. So the waiter is told to give a refund.

The waiter secretly keeps 2 yuan and returns the remaining 3 yuan to Xiao Ming, who then gives 1 yuan back to each, Xiao Hong and Xiao Hua. So, each of them only paid 9 yuan in the end.

The three of them spent a total of 27 yuan, and with the 2 yuan that the waiter kept, that’s 29 yuan. So, where did the last 1 yuan go?"

"Yeah, where did it go?" Lin Wanning blinked her eyes in confusion.

"Actually, this question is a logical trap. The 27 yuan spent includes the 2 yuan hidden by the waiter, so it should actually be 27 yuan plus the 3 yuan returned, making a total of 30 yuan!" Xu Qingfan explained, and for Zhang Yiyi’s convenience, he wrote the exam question on a piece of scratch paper while he spoke.

Xia Xiaoxiao, meanwhile, had leaned over from where she was seated and rested her little head on his shoulder.

"Do you understand now?" Xu Qingfan gulped, drawing lines under the numbers 27 and 2 with his pen.

"Don’t understand!" Xia Xiaoxiao spoke up from behind him.

"I don’t get it either!" Lin Wanning raised her hand.

"Don’t understand," wrote Zhang Yiyi on the paper as well.

Xu Qingfan was momentarily taken aback for a few seconds, then looked back, his nose almost brushing against Xia Xiaoxiao’s fair cheek.

[Could it be, has Xia Xiaoxiao’s IQ been absorbed by me?]

"Then I’ll explain it once more, Xiao Ming’s birthday... understand now?" Xu Qingfan looked alternately at the three girls, "It’s the fifth time, you can’t possibly still not understand, right?"

"Understood... I guess?" Lin Wanning scratched her head weakly.

Zhang Yiyi nodded her head; it seemed she still didn’t get it.

"I don’t get it!" Xia Xiaoxiao punched Xu Qingfan on the shoulder and furiously sat back down in her seat.

"Why did you hit me, pig brain? Even Zhang Yiyi understood such a simple question!" Xu Qingfan turned around and pinched Xia Xiaoxiao’s nose.

Xia Xiaoxiao pushed him away and glared at him fiercely, "You’re the pig brain! The one who doesn’t understand is you! Xu Qingfan, I hate you the most!!"

After saying this, Xia Xiaoxiao puffed up with anger and ran out of the classroom.

"???"

Xu Qingfan, as confused as a monk, wondered if Xia Xiaoxiao had taken the wrong medicine today?

It was totally baffling!

"Let’s ignore her. Come on, Wanning, I’ll continue explaining the problem to you!"

"Xiao Ming is having a birthday, he invites Xiao Hong and Xiao Hua to a restaurant to eat, the flower..." Xu Qingfan suddenly paused and smacked his forehead.

"Damn!!!"

November 3, today was Xia Xiaoxiao’s birthday, and he had completely forgotten!

In his past life, after Xia Xiaoxiao went abroad, he never celebrated her birthday again. To avoid thinking about her, he even forced himself to forget this day, and as time passed, he actually did.

Xu Qingfan finally understood why Xia Xiaoxiao had just said the one who didn’t understand was himself. He couldn’t let it go and turned to ask Lin Wanning, "Today is Xia Xiaoxiao’s birthday, did you know?"

Lin Wanning blinked in confusion, "I knew it. Wanning even gave Xiaoxiao a gift at noon!"

"Uh... yeah, I just wanted to remind you, afraid you had forgotten and would make Xiaoxiao sad."

Lin Wanning pouted, "I wouldn’t forget. I have everyone’s birthdays posted on the calendar in my room!"

...

Not long after, Xia Xiaoxiao walked into the classroom with her homeroom teacher, one after the other. The little girl had just washed her face, her face still dotted with water droplets, and her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

"We’ll have a parent-teacher meeting next Monday. Notification slips will be distributed in a while, classmates please take them home for your parents to sign. The class leader will collect them tomorrow. Alright, school is dismissed!"

For the first time, Xia Xiaoxiao did not wait for Xu Qingfan; she picked up her backpack and quietly left the classroom.

"See you tomorrow." Xu Qingfan quickly packed his belongings into his backpack, took the bag containing a clay flute, and dashed out of the classroom.

All the school buildings were interconnected, and the school’s broadcast room was also on the fifth floor. Xu Qingfan hurried along and managed to sneak in before the staff arrived.

He caught his breath for a moment, turned on the microphone, and took out the clay flute from the bag.

"Stinky Xu Qingfan! Bad Xu Qingfan, I’m not talking to you anymore!" Xia Xiaoxiao kicked a small stone, feeling aggrieved. As she was about to reach the square, her steps unconsciously slowed, she looked back, but still did not see Xu Qingfan’s figure.

Suddenly.

Sizzling~

"Huff huff~ Good evening to all the teachers and students of Experimental Primary School. Today is the birthday of a very important person to me. Here’s a little tune from Dragon Cat, her favorite. Xia Xiaoxiao, happy birthday!"

The melody of the Wind Corridor flowed beat by beat from the clay flute, resonating across every corner of the campus through the broadcast.

In the offices, on the playground, in the classrooms—everyone stopped their current activities, looked up, and listened to the broadcast and the sunset glow in the sky.

Xia Xiaoxiao felt her heart skip a beat, making up for the moment it had stopped when she thought Xu Qingfan had forgotten her birthday.

Not knowing how long she stood there, the mischievous voice came from behind her, "Do you like it?"

"Xu Qingfan~" Xia Xiaoxiao choked up like a wronged kitten.

"Happy Birthday." Xu Qingfan stepped forward and hugged Xia Xiaoxiao, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don’t go away again."

"Hmm." Xia Xiaoxiao secretly wiped her tears and snot on Xu Qingfan’s clothes, sobbing in agreement.

She thought Xu Qingfan was referring to not waiting for him to come downstairs, but only Xu Qingfan knew what he really meant.

Hand in hand, they walked together, the sunset stretching their shadows long and long. [I hope I can be with the little troublemaker forever!] Xia Xiaoxiao silently wished towards the clouds in the sky.