Serenade-Chapter 7: On the Playground

The next morning, Jin Xi and her roommates went out for breakfast.

Lin Luo stood by the door, smiling, and Jin Xi poked her head out. "What are you looking at?"

"Look for yourself."

At the other end of the hallway, next to the door of the four "golden flower" roommates, several boys were queuing up to deliver breakfast to them, smiling and attentive.

"Thank you," the girl's voice was soft and sweet, sending shivers down people's spines.

The girls shivered and closed the door, heading downstairs.

Lin Luo sighed, "Beauty is a weapon. It's used to deal with men, and it hits the mark every time."

Jin Xi showed some backbone, "It's just breakfast. We have arms and legs. We can make our own food."

Lin Luo gave the young girl, who had yet to grow up, a glance. "Then why are you still single?"

"I only want to focus on my studies!" Jin Xi replied firmly.

...

As they walked out of the dormitory door, Jin Xi's face changed suddenly, as if she had seen a ghost.

Lin Luo followed her gaze and saw Shen Pingchuan standing tall under a parasol tree on the side of the road, holding a lunchbox in his hand like a wooden stake.

Jin Xi bolted away, "My cruel brother is here. I'll go first!"

However, Shen Pingchuan caught up with her in two or three steps, grabbing the back of Jin Xi's collar.

His face was grim, his voice low, "You've grown up, little brat. You moved into the boys' dormitory without telling me?"

Jin Xi was lifted up by him, with no resistance like a short-legged corgi.

"These boys are not good guys. You shouldn't be near them, let alone go up to them!" Shen Pingchuan scolded. 𝒻𝑟𝑒𝓮𝔀ℯ𝓫𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝘭.𝑐𝓸𝓶

Jin Xi finally gave up struggling and pitifully covered her face, "Put me down first. It's so embarrassing with so many people watching."

Shen Pingchuan hesitated for a moment, seeing her blushing face, and realized that this little girl had grown up and that a grown-up girl had her pride.

So he patiently put Jin Xi down, and said irritably, "The girls' dormitory is where you should be living. Why did you move to the boys' dormitory?"

"The girls' dormitory is an eight-person room, isn't it?" Jin Xi muttered under her breath, "My best friend insists on living in a four-person room, even if she has to squat on the toilet. So we moved here."

"I don't care what others do, but you have to move back for me," Shen Pingchuan replied.

"Why should I?" Jin Xi refused to obey.

"Living here is not safe," Shen Pingchuan warned.

"Really, Shen Pingchuan, stay away from me and I'll be safe," Jin Xi replied carelessly.

Shen Pingchuan was speechless.

Jin Xi's words seemed unintentional, but Shen Pingchuan felt a little hurt. He paused for a moment, threw the lunchbox in his hand into her arms, and left in a huff.

In the cafeteria, Lin Luo brought Jin Xi some porridge and eggs, and opened Shen Pingchuan's lunchbox.

Inside the lunchbox were freshly-made sweet buns, still warm.

Lin Luo exclaimed, "The steamed bun shop on the backstreet is so popular that they sell out of buns by eight o'clock in the morning. Your brother must have waited in line for a long time to get you these."

Jin Xi pushed the buns towards her, "You eat them."

"Aren't you eating?" Lin Luo asked.

"I suddenly lost my appetite."

Chu Zhao grabbed a steamed bun with a smile, "I won't be polite, thanks!"

Lin Luo said, "Actually, Shen Pingchuan is pretty good to you. I don't have a brother like him. If I did, I'd be so happy!"

Chu Zhao chewed on the fragrant steamed bun, "The country owes me a brother too. I'm so jealous."

"You guys are just talking nonsense," Jin Xi said gloomily, "I don't know how I survived all these years. He's so fierce, he's like a fascist!"

Lin Luo exclaimed, "Oh my god, he's so handsome and he cares about your big brother. Don't give him to me! I want him!"

Chu Zhao, who had eaten a lot of buns, smiled and said, "I want him too."

"Fine, he's all yours," Jin Xi generously said. "Please take him away quickly and liberate the oppressed working people."

After breakfast, the group headed towards their dormitory. After Lin Luo and Chu Zhao's long lecture, Jin Xi felt she had gone a bit too far with what she said to Shen Pingchuan earlier. She was editing a text message to apologize when they reached the door of the male dormitory and found that Shen Pingchuan had not left.

He was blocking the door and threatening a male student who had just come out, "410, my sister's dorm. You better not harass her!"

"You little brat, don't even think about it, or you'll regret it!"

"You look like a criminal with that face. Are you thinking about my sister?"

Jin Xi: ...

She promptly deleted the apology.

**

That evening, the school held a welcome party on the sports field. Based on past experience, there was no limit to the number of viewers, but seats were limited, so it was first come, first served.

The three roommates decided that one of them would go to the sports field to save seats while the other two would go to dinner and bring back a meal for the seat-saver.

Jin Xi volunteered to save seats at the sports field.

The chairs on the field were already filled with various items, such as books, notebooks, and water bottles, that people had used to save seats. She searched for a while and finally found a few empty seats on the edge, quickly took a seat and pulled out a book to save it.

The welcome party was a school-level event that attracted many freshmen every year. Jin Xi had heard from her senior sisters that the performances were of high quality and that she would regret not attending.

As the sun set, she sat alone on the small stool, waiting for the show to begin.

Near the sports field, the green formation of the National Defense Academy had just finished training.

Bo Yan drank from a water bottle, the water droplets spraying all over his neck, making him feel extra cool. He shook his damp short hair and was about to go take a shower when he saw a girl sitting on a small stool not far away, looking at her phone with her head down.

He smiled and his long legs took him towards her, as if they were out of his control.

Today, the little girl didn't tie her hair in pigtails, but instead had two small tails twisted behind her ears. The setting sun made her small ears blush, revealing her fine white hair, which was especially cute.

She sat on a small chair, occasionally pushing up her glasses and focusing on her phone, seemingly editing a message.

Bo Yan quietly walked over to her, moving back and forth, but the little girl didn't even look up at him.

He simply sat down next to her and looked down at her phone screen.

Her chubby little finger poked into a deep black profile picture and edited a message —

"Senior Baiyan, are you going to the Freshman Welcome Party? I'm saving a seat."

Click, send.

Bo Yan spoke up: "I didn't bring my phone."

"Wow!"

Jin Xi was startled again, and almost fell over the small stool, but Bo Yan quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"Senior, are you a ghost?" Jin Xi scolded, "You walk without making any noise."

Bo Yan smiled: "Is that my fault?"

He had sent so many signals, and she hadn't caught a single one.

Jin Xi held her chest: "You scared me."

Bo Yan's gaze lingered on her heaving chest for a moment before moving away, saying lightly, "My name is not spelled like that."

"Huh? Isn't it Baiyan?"

"That character is used as a surname and pronounced 'bai', not 'bo'."

Jin Xi nodded thoughtfully, feeling stupid and uncultured for mispronouncing someone's name and being caught on the spot, feeling a little embarrassed.

She could only pretend to be calm and ask, "What are the two characters of your name, Senior?"

Bo Yan, like an old fox with bad intentions, hooked the corner of his eye and said, "Put your hand out."

Jin Xi obediently handed over her hand, which had complex and soft lines.

Bo Yan took her hand and wrote his name in her palm, stroke by stroke.

Jin Xi looked up at him, his eyes were really beautiful!

A pair of phoenix eyes, especially charming when smiling, and when looking down, the eyelashes were thin and dense.

If these eyes were on a girl's face, they would be so pretty that they would make all men go crazy.

After finishing writing, Bo Yan closed her palm and asked, "Do you remember it?"

Jin Xi shook her head in surprise.

What did he write? She didn't pay attention at all.

Bo Yan: ...

Damn, he couldn't even flirt with her.

Jing Chi and his group of male students looked at them for a while, unable to resist, and said, "Junior sister, Senior Bo Yan's name is spelled lightly, 'bo', and delayed, 'yan', remember that!"

Jin Xi turned around, "I know 'bo', what's 'delayed'?"

Jing Chi laughed and said, "Delayed ejaculation..."

Bo Yan took off his hat and threw it at them, and the boys scattered.

He felt a little embarrassed and looked at Jin Xi again, who blinked her eyes, looking clueless.

This little girl had clear eyes and didn't understand anything.

"Senior, what were they talking about?"

"Nothing, don't talk to them in the future."

Jin Xi obediently nodded and asked, "Senior, do you want to go to the Freshman Welcome Party together?"

"No." Bo Yan half-knelt next to her, his hand supporting his knee, frowning and looking at the sunset in the distance. "I'm going to take a shower when I get back. I've been training all day today."

"Oh, okay."

"Are you not eating?" He looked at his watch. "It's still early, it doesn't start until 8 o'clock."

"I have to save my seat. My friends went to eat, they'll bring me something later."

"Are you hungry?"

Jin Xi shook her head, her gaze lowered to the mineral water bottle in Bo Yan's hand. "I'm just a little thirsty."

There was still a small amount of water left in the mineral water bottle that Bo Yan held.

Handing her the bottle after drinking seemed a bit too casual, but not handing it over would make her seem petty as she looked at him expectantly.

Between being too casual and being petty, Bo Yan chose the former.

He shook the mineral water bottle in his hand. "There's still some left."

Jin Xi grew up with two older brothers and had a carefree personality. She used to compete with her brothers for cola and never had any gender boundaries.

She took the mineral water bottle from Bo Yan, unscrewed the cap, and drank it all in one go.

Bo Yan raised an eyebrow as he watched her.

She held the bottle in her mouth, preventing any water from spilling out. She took small sips, and her pure white neck moved slightly as the water flowed down her throat.

Drinking water for a girl and a boy were completely different.

Bo Yan licked his dry lips.

She drank most of the remaining water in one gulp, looking like she was really thirsty.

After Jin Xi finished drinking, she prepared to throw away the empty water bottle, upholding her good moral character of protecting the environment.

The cleaner grandpa, who had been watching them for a while, came over and asked, "Do you still need this bottle?"

Bo Yan didn't want to give away the bottle that she had just drunk from, so he took the empty bottle and said, "Yes."

The cleaner grandpa reluctantly looked at the empty mineral water bottle and left when he realized that Bo Yan really had no intention of throwing it away.

Jin Xi asked, "Do you still collect empty mineral water bottles?"

"I do."

Jin Xi didn't expect Bo Yan to care so much about the environment, so she said, "Senior, I support you. I'll save all the mineral water bottles from our dorm for you in the future."

"Okay." Bo Yan replied.