Chapter 15: Rainy Day Kindness

Those girls had run off ages ago, and it only hit Xiao Heqing later that she was panicking. She wondered if they would tell the teacher.

That would mean she’d get scolded for sure.

Oh well, if it happens, it happens, she told herself. After all, she was just doing the right thing, and even if Lin Zheng Ran found out, he probably wouldn’t blame her.

Glancing back at Han Wenwen, whose face was still bleeding, Xiao Heqing asked, “Are you okay? Did I take too long to get here?”

Snapping out of her shock, Han Wenwen smiled. “No, not at all. Thank you for helping me. If they tell on us and call parents, I’ll vouch for you.”

Xiao Heqing breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn’t help but admire how pretty Han Wenwen was. Her smile gave her eyes a mischievous fox-like charm, and her delicate oval face was strikingly refined.

“Don’t mention it. Do you want me to walk you to the medical room? Your face is cut up.”

“I’m fine.” Han Wenwen pulled a small mirror from her pocket, checked the wound, and shrugged. “It’s just a scratch, doesn’t hurt a bit. I’ll handle it myself. You go grab lunch in the cafeteria.”

With that, Han Wenwen headed off into the rain without an umbrella. Xiao Heqing watched her go and hurried after her.

“Wait, don’t you have an umbrella? Let me come with you—you’ll catch a cold like this!”

Seeing Xiao Heqing chase after her, Han Wenwen looked puzzled at her kindness. “Why are you so nice? If you stick with me, you’ll miss your lunch.”

Xiao Heqing gave a helpless smile. Good thing Lin Zheng Ran wasn’t around, or he’d see right through her—her expression was straight out of his playbook. “Skipping a meal is no big deal. The teacher always says helping classmates comes first, and we’re in the same class anyway.”

Han Wenwen never imagined anyone would say that for real. She just laughed and nodded, walking alongside Xiao Heqing.

Instead of the medical room, they headed to the school’s small garden, where there were pavilions and a fish pond.

Xiao Heqing wondered what they were doing there. She watched as Han Wenwen went to a wall, pried out a loose brick, and pulled a small box from the crevice.

Inside were band-aids, lip balm, hair clips, and other little girl essentials.

Han Wenwen stuck a band-aid on her face, held a small hair clip in her hand, and put the rest back. Then she sat on a bench in the pavilion.

Xiao Heqing blinked in confusion. “Why are you sitting here? If we’re not going to the medical room, we could still make it to the cafeteria for food.”

“We’re waiting for someone to bring us food,” Han Wenwen replied.

“Bring food? Who would do that? Do your parents work at the school and come by at lunch?”

Han Wenwen blinked her pretty fox-like eyes. “No, you’ll see soon enough. By the way, what do you like to eat? I heard they’re serving chicken rice today—do you like that?”

Xiao Heqing had heard about it too. “I do like it, but the chicken rice goes fast—you have to line up early or it’s gone.”

Han Wenwen smiled knowingly and patted the spot next to her. “Let’s just sit and wait. Since you helped me, I can’t let you go hungry.”

Xiao Heqing didn’t get it at first, but soon enough, she saw people actually showing up to bring Han Wenwen food.

And it wasn’t just one person or an adult—it was a group of boys!

Holding umbrellas, the boys arrived, each carrying a meal box. “Han Wenwen, what do you feel like today? We got it all for you.”

In the midst of Xiao Heqing’s shock, Han Wenwen walked over and picked two chicken rice meals from their hands.

She flashed them a sweet smile. “Thanks so much. As a reward for fetching my food, here—take my hair clips.”

The two boys she chose took the hair clips, their faces turning red with excitement.

They looked thrilled.

As for the other three boys, Han Wenwen didn’t even glance their way before sitting back down next to Xiao Heqing.

Grinning at Xiao Heqing, she said, “See? I told you someone would bring us food. This one’s for you.”

Almost in a daze, Xiao Heqing took the meal and watched as Han Wenwen started eating with her spoon.

The boys soon left.

But one persistent one shouted back, “Han Wenwen! Tomorrow I’ll guess what you want to eat for sure! And you have to give me a gift!”

Han Wenwen ignored him and kept eating.

Once the boys were gone, Han Wenwen explained to Xiao Heqing between bites of chicken rice,

“I know you have a ton of questions. Basically, those boys who brought the food all like me and have confessed to me before. But I don’t like them, so I just ignore them.”

Han Wenwen licked a bit of rice from her lips:

“Some guys are really stubborn, though. They think if they keep chasing me, I’ll change my mind. So they send gifts and food every day, but I don’t feel anything for them. At first, I even found it annoying.”

Turning to Xiao Heqing, she added, “But then I thought, if they want to bring me food, why not? It’s like they’re just doing my errands. I give them my hair clips or hair ties as thanks, and everyone’s happy.”

Xiao Heqing was stunned. “What you’re saying makes sense, but it also feels weird—like is this really how kids our age act?”

“Weird? That can’t be right. You’re pretty too, Xiao Heqing—haven’t any boys confessed to you?”

Xiao Heqing blushed and waved it off. “Well, not really—no, wait, there was one last year and another this year, but I turned them down. We’re still so young, and besides, I…”

She stopped short of saying someone already had her heart—she wouldn’t fall for anyone else.

Han Wenwen blinked her fox-like eyes. “Maybe not enough boys have chased you. Let me think—I’ve had seven or eight confessions just this semester.”

“Wait, that many?! I get it, you’re really beautiful, but that’s still crazy!”

Han Wenwen’s eyes curved into crescents. “Maybe it’s my fox-like looks. I’m not the prettiest, but guys seem to love this type—they all want to win me over.”

Seeing Xiao Heqing hadn’t touched her food, she reminded her, “Go on, eat up. I traded my hair clip for this, and they’re not cheap.”

Xiao Heqing opened the box and saw it was indeed chicken rice—the kind that’s always sold out.

She was amazed.

Taking a bite, it was delicious, but then she remembered the earlier fight. “So, those girls who attacked you got it wrong, right? You don’t even seem to like boys that way.”

Han Wenwen blinked her pretty eyes. “Of course they did. Why would I flirt with their childhood friends or brothers? I can’t stand those guys.”

Xiao Heqing felt relieved.

But then Han Wenwen went on, “Though, their friends and brothers do cling to me. In fact, a couple of the boys who brought food today are those guys. I’m actually being nice—if I told them their sisters hit me, they’d probably side with me and get revenge.”

Xiao Heqing just stared.

Han Wenwen slowed down. “I never meant to break them up—it doesn’t do me any good.”

Then she happily took another bite of rice:

“I’m telling you this because you saved me. I’ll remember it, and I’ll pay you back someday. Even with those boys, I don’t take their stuff for free—I always give something of equal value in return. I don’t like owing anyone.”