Summer's Rose

Chapter 24: Count It as Me Buying You One

Liu Ma glanced at the boy leaving and then turned her attention back to Wen. "I made corn and spare rib soup today, come on, get in the car."

Wen smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Liu Ma."

Liu Ma turned on the car air condition, ladled a bowl of soup for Wen, and placed the dishes on the table. She seemed a bit guilty as she spoke, "I had intended for you to bring the umbrella with you earlier, but I forgot to remind you before you got in the car."

"It's fine," Wen replied, flashing her a warm smile. "This soup is really good."

Liu Ma, seeing Wen's praise, smiled, her crow's feet stretching in delight. "If you think it's good, drink more of it." She paused, then remembered the boy who had just left. "The boy who came with you earlier—was he your classmate?"

Wen nodded. "He's my seat mate now."

Liu Ma chuckled. "He seems like a nice boy. He even walked you to the door." She had noticed how he had tilted the umbrella toward Wen, getting himself wet in the process.

"Yeah, he's really nice. Just a bit... fierce sometimes."

...

When Wen returned to the classroom holding the umbrella, she was suddenly called out.

"Wen."

She turned around and saw a tall, slender boy standing by the door, his features delicate, with black-framed glasses that had silver edges. He gave her a brief smile. "How was the milk this morning?"

Earlier, he'd heard rumors that a new girl had transferred to class 17, and that she was exceptionally beautiful. At first, he had been skeptical—how good could she possibly look? But when he saw Wen walking past him that day...

They were all in the same uniform, yet some people wore it differently. Her appearance was so pure—her eyes, bright and clear like autumn water; her skin, pale and smooth; her nose, small and delicate. Her figure was slender, her bare arms glistening white in the light. Her simple ponytail didn’t detract from her beauty—it actually highlighted it.

Just one glance, and he couldn’t look away.

Wen tried to recall if she had any impression of this boy. She remembered the milk on her desk this morning. "The milk on my desk this morning—did you put it there?"

Clement nodded. "Yes." He held out a packet of snacks to her. "Here, these are for you."

Wen turned to him politely. "Wait a moment."

A group of boys from Class 17 watched from a distance, eyeing the boy by the door with growing curiosity. A pretty girl had just transferred to their class, and now someone was already trying to get close.

Wen stepped outside, holding the milk, and approached the boy. She smiled and spoke politely, "I don’t know who put the milk on my desk. I didn’t drink it, so I’m giving it back to you. Thank you for the gesture."

Clement wasn’t embarrassed. He didn’t reach for the milk. Instead, he said, "No other intentions, Wen. I just think you're quite special, and I wanted to get to know you, to be friends."

Yong Ming, seeing the scene from a distance, immediately felt as if his "sister-in-law" was being stolen away.

Wen pulled twenty yuan from her pocket. "Alright, the milk counts as me buying yours." She shoved the money into his hand and turned to walk back to class 17.

Clement stared at the twenty yuan in his hand, momentarily dumbfounded.

"Move."

Zhou Nan’s cold voice snapped Clement out of his daze. He stepped aside, his gaze lingering on Wen as she walked away. She seemed... different from the girls he had known. Very interesting.

Yong Ming interpreted the "move" as: "Stealing my girl, now get lost."

He had watched the entire exchange and couldn't help but gossip with Hao Ming when he returned to class. "Hahaha, Wen just killed me with that rejection. I’ve never seen anyone turn someone down so uniquely. If I’m not mistaken, that guy gave her the milk, she refused, and then he insisted, and she shoved twenty yuan into his hand. I can totally picture her saying, ‘Take my money and get lost.’ Hahahaha, I’m dying."

Hao Ming chuckled. "Yeah, I’ve never seen anyone turn people down like that either."

But the most outrageous rejection he’d witnessed was from Zhou Nan. Once, a girl confessed to him, but Zhou Nan’s cold expression scared the poor girl so much she couldn’t even speak.

Alicia waved at Wen as she approached. "That guy earlier was kind of cute. Was he trying to ask you out?"

Wen thought for a moment and shook her head. "Not really. He said I was special and wanted to be friends, so I returned the milk he gave me. He said it was for me to drink, so I gave him twenty yuan. I guess it’s me buying his milk."

"Ha!" Alicia couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She thought Wen had said something clever, but it turned out like that. No wonder the guy had looked a bit confused at the door.

"You shouldn’t take things from people, especially boys," she added, "Zhou Nan always says that."

Alicia couldn't help but say, "You’re so cute."

She looked at Wen. "You didn’t get too wet, did you?"

Wen answered honestly, "I used the same umbrella as someone else."

"Good," Alicia replied, then suddenly remembered something. "I still don’t have your contact information."

Wen asked, "Discord or Insta?"

Alicia grinned. "Both." She handed Wen her notebook and pen.

Wen wrote down her details and returned the notebook. "I’ll head back now."

"Okay, I’ll add you when I get home," Alicia said.

Back at her seat, Wen bent over to do some work when someone knocked on her desk. She looked up and met Yong Ming’s mischievous gaze.

"So, what did you say to that guy outside?"

"Hmm?"

"I’m asking about the guy who came to talk to you today. What did you say to him?"

Wen repeated to him what she had told Alicia.

Yong Ming noticed Zhou Nan glance up, then he spoke up in a righteous tone. "Special friends? That sounds like a playboy to me. Wen, stay away from guys like him."

"A playboy?"

"Yeah! Just listen to the way he talks. He’s definitely the type who doesn’t make his feelings clear and says he just wants to be friends. And his tone—he’s clearly a pro at chasing girls." Yong Ming was so sure of himself.

Wen nodded, somewhat confused, then smiled gratefully. "Got it, thanks."

A sweet and pretty girl—who wouldn’t like her?

No wonder Zhou Nan had given her his umbrella today.

Zhou Nan’s "territory" was still secure.