Chapter 18: A Birthday Secret and a Detour

School life remained as monotonous and dull as ever, a routine of two points and a straight line each day.

Students of Gotang Middle School’s third year didn’t get to relax for long after their monthly exams.

Midterm exams were scheduled for mid-November, and their results would again be ranked by grade, posted as announcements next to the blackboards in every classroom.

Teachers would even specifically mention students who showed significant improvement or obvious decline in their rankings during class.

If there was any novelty during this period, it was the small note Lin Duo discovered in her desk one day upon arriving at school.

Its words were exceedingly cheesy.

Naturally, she calmly tore the note into pieces and discarded it into the trash can.

Lin Duo showed slight improvement in the midterm exams, ranking 43rd in the grade.

However, she still had a significant gap to close to reach her target school, Nanli Affiliated High School.

Wang Linshu, on the other hand, made immense progress, leaping from 110th in the last monthly exam to 81st.

His efforts were clearly evident, and the homeroom teacher specifically praised him during the exam summary.

Of course, another monthly exam would follow the midterms, before the semester’s final exams.

Although the school, with a semblance of humanity, still granted a two-day weekend on Saturdays and Sundays, many students were unable to enjoy it.

Their parents would arrange various extracurricular cram classes for them, leaving them with no free time whatsoever.

In fact, they often found themselves busier than during actual school hours.

Under such intense pressure, a polarization occurred among the students.

Most of those with good grades continued to study diligently, driven by the fierce competition; a moment’s inattention could see them fall behind their peers.

Meanwhile, some students with poor grades began to give up on themselves, frequently skipping classes to visit internet cafes and arcades.

Teachers found these ‘bad students’ to be a headache, usually trying to persuade their parents to consider alternative educational paths sooner.

As November arrived, autumn finally descended upon Nan’an City.

Students began donning warm sweaters beneath their loose school uniforms, and Lin Duo was no exception.

What touched her even more was that the close-fitting sweater she wore had been knitted by her adoptive mother overnight.

Her mother had said she simply wanted to do more for her daughter.

Every time Lin Duo recalled the sincere love her adoptive parents showed her, her nose would sting with emotion.

That day, Lin Duo walked home from school hand-in-hand with Gu Xuexuan, as they often did.

Along the way, Gu Xuexuan suddenly recalled something.

“Oh, right,” she began, “the other day I think I saw you at the courier station across the street, picking something up from the window sill.

“Was it a new reference book?””

‘Lin Duo’s heart tightened slightly.’

Indeed, she had gone to collect medicine two days prior.

Her adoptive parents adored their new daughter and provided a generous allowance, a significant portion of which Lin Duo discreetly converted into small pills.

Having learned from her previous near-exposure, Lin Duo was now far more cautious.

She specified courier stations far from the fruit shop, requested the dealer remove outer packaging before shipping, and purchased several months’ supply at once.

The gum boxes containing the pills were also hidden with extreme care, usually tucked away in unreachable corners beneath her bed.

So far, everything had proceeded smoothly; no one in Nan’an City knew about her medication.

Yet, coincidences always happened.

For instance, that day Gu Xuexuan had been idly gazing out the window from her windowsill and happened to spot Lin Duo retrieving her package.

Naturally, Lin Duo immediately offered a small lie.

“Yes, exactly,” she replied. “Some reference books my classmates recommended weren’t available at local bookstores, so I had to order them online.””

“I knew it!” Gu Xuexuan, naturally, wasn’t one to overthink.

“Oh, by the way, it’s my birthday this Saturday! I’m hosting a small party in the evening. Can you come?””

Lin Duo hesitated for a moment.

“Who else will be there?” she asked.

“Hmm, let me think…” Gu Xuexuan mused. “My two best friends from my old school will come, and three good friends I’ve made in the new class will also be there.

“I might invite others too… but don’t worry, everyone coming is a girl, so you won’t have to worry about your parents suspecting anything!””

Given the circumstances, Lin Duo found it difficult to refuse.

“Alright, alright, I’ll definitely be there that day!” she agreed.

****

During a break the following lunchtime, Lin Duo asked her deskmate.

“A friend of mine has a birthday coming up,” she began. “What do you think would be a good gift?””

“A birthday gift, huh…” Wang Linshu responded, a hint of nervousness in his voice. “Boy or girl?””

“A female friend, of course!”

Wang Linshu secretly exhaled in relief.

“Ah, I see…” he said. “Well, there’s no standard answer for that. It really depends on what the person likes!

“For example, what kind of gifts did you used to receive for your birthday?””

This sentence immediately triggered an unpleasant memory for Lin Duo.

For various reasons, Lin Duo had lacked friends since childhood, so naturally, no one had ever invited her to birthday celebrations.

Similarly, her own birthdays were always exceptionally quiet, usually just her mother making her a bowl of longevity noodles and buying a small cake.

Consequently, after entering middle school, she had never told anyone her birth date.

She feared hearing remarks on her birthday like, ‘This person is so solitary, they didn’t even receive a single gift.’

Wang Linshu clearly didn’t realize what he had said wrong.

However, Lin Duo’s sad and melancholic gaze filled him with concern, prompting him to quickly apologize.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I spoke out of turn. How about this: during lunch break, I’ll go with you to the gift shop by the entrance, and help you come up with an idea.””

Lin Duo had no other ideas, so she simply nodded gently.

Middle school lunch breaks typically lasted over an hour.

After eating, about forty-five minutes remained.

Some boys would head to the playground to shoot hoops, while others, disliking the school cafeteria food, would buy snacks outside.

Lin Duo, however, usually stayed quietly at her desk, working on exercises.

Today marked her first time leaving school grounds during lunch.

Having studied there for over two years, Wang Linshu was extremely familiar with the school’s surroundings.

He led Lin Duo to a particular gift shop.

Unfortunately, Lin Duo gazed at the dazzling array of small gifts, unsure of what to choose.

Wang Linshu patiently guided her. “First, what price range are you looking for?” he asked.

“Price, hmm… around a hundred?””

“Around a hundred, you say… there are too many gifts in that price range,” Wang Linshu admitted, having no brilliant ideas himself.

Just then, Lin Duo spotted an exquisite music box.

When opened, it surprisingly played the ‘Happy Birthday’ song.

Wang Linshu, who had been standing beside Lin Duo, commented, “This isn’t bad either.

“It doesn’t take up much space, and it conveys the sentiment well.””

“This one, then!” Lin Duo finally decided, heading to the counter to pay.

With the gift purchased, they should have returned to school, but Wang Linshu had another idea.

“There’s still some time before class,” he suggested. “How about we walk around the campus for a bit?””

“But I want to go back and do my exercises…””

“Oh, come on,” he chided. “Don’t you get bored staying in the classroom from morning till night?””

“Bored?” Lin Duo responded. “Not at all! Students are supposed to be in the classroom!””

That was genuinely her belief.

Wang Linshu scratched his head, looking troubled.

“Maybe it’s because you’re a girl,” he mused. “Anyway, I couldn’t stand sitting still like you do all the time!

“Tell you what, I came out to help you buy something, so how about you consider it repayment and just walk around with me for a bit?””

Upon reflection, Lin Duo realized his argument was sound.

She no longer refused. “Alright,” she conceded, “but we absolutely can’t be late getting back!””

Soon, Lin Duo realized Wang Linshu was leading her down a very unfamiliar path.

She couldn’t help but stop. “Hey,” she called out, “where are you taking me?””

“You’ll know when we get there!” he replied, reassuring her. “Don’t you trust me?””