Chapter 53: Sending Xiao Buding

Li Luo now had considerable prestige in his class.

It wasn't just that he'd been given a belt that morning.

The key was that everyone was出门 wearing military-green training uniforms and caps on their heads.

If they walked among a crowd, even their own dorm mates might not recognize them at a glance.

But Li Luo, standing in the carriage that morning, could always spot them instantly and call out their names with perfect accuracy.

It was a peculiar feeling.

So when Li Luo greeted them, many automatically stood up.

Zhu Yufei was the first to follow; Zhang Guohuang and Wei Chun, who had just sat down, immediately rose and walked toward Li Luo.

Several other boys also curiously followed.

Xu Yinghuan, watching from the side, quickly pulled Jin Yuting over to see: "What are Li Luo and the others doing?"

"I don't know," Jin Yuting said, puzzled. "That's the school wall over there—why are they going that way?"

Li Luo gave no further explanation, strode to the wall, and greeted Lin Xiufeng, who had been waiting outside: "Uncle, you've gone to too much trouble."

"What's there to it?" Lin Xiufeng laughed, turned to the car, and began unloading three large boxes, all wrapped in foam insulation.

A friend Lin Xiufeng had called to help stood beside him, steadying him as Lin Xiufeng stepped onto the gap along the wall's edge, lifted a box, and passed it over the wall.

"Zhu Yufei, lend a hand," Li Luo said, tapping Zhu Yufei's shoulder. "You're tall—climb up and take it; we'll hold you steady."

"Got it!" Zhu Yufei had already guessed the boxes contained drinks; he eagerly stepped onto the wall, caught the box easily, and passed it to Zhang Guohuang beside him.

After three such handoffs, all the items were received.

"Alright, I've got to get back to work—call me if you need anything," Lin Xiufeng said, not lingering; once the goods were handed over, he waved goodbye.

After seeing off Lin Xiufeng, Li Luo smiled and told the classmates to move the three boxes to Class Eight's assembly point.

The classmates who had stayed behind to rest now turned and stared curiously.

At this point, Li Luo had already opened the boxes, revealing an assortment of drinks: Coke, Sprite, Pulse, Shock, Gatorade, Red Bull, and more.

The foam boxes were packed with ice packs, ensuring the drinks inside remained chilled when opened.

"Help yourselves—everyone in our class gets some," Li Luo said, opening the last box.

This box didn't contain drinks—it held Xiao Buding ice cream bars, exactly fifty per box.

"There's also Xiao Buding—take one each, eat it early; it'll melt if left too long."

"Long live the monitor!" Zhang Guohuang, the most irreverent, grabbed a Xiao Buding without hesitation, raised it overhead, and cheered.

"Awesome, monitor—I love you so much!"

"Haha, I'm going to show off to the other classes."

"Watch out—you'll get beaten up."

The boys joked and teased; the girls walked over in groups.

Xu Yinghuan picked her favorite drink and a Xiao Buding, then sweetly told Li Luo: "Thank you, Monitor my lord~"

Hua Xiuxiu stood to the side, holding a drink and a Xiao Buding that Lin Yuan had brought her, her expression complex.

For her family's means, buying drinks and ice cream for the whole class—two or three hundred yuan—was easily affordable.

But before training began, she simply hadn't thought of this approach, let alone acted on it.

"Help distribute these—I've got something else to do," Li Luo said, taking several drinks and Xiao Buding from the box, then turning to Zhu Yufei.

After speaking, he walked toward Class One and Class Three.

……

After resting, Class One—being close to the cafeteria and snack stand—saw many rush there first to buy drinks and ice cream.

Liu Shaowen rushed out immediately and bought two cold drinks while queuing.

"You're going to drink both?" Liao Hailin asked, "We won't eat dinner for another two hours."

"Who said I'm drinking them myself?" Liu Shaowen chuckled. "I noticed Ying Chanxi didn't buy anything—I picked up one for her."

"Tsk tsk," Liao Hailin shook his head. "Didn't you just say Ying Chanxi definitely wouldn't date in high school? Then why bother?"

"What do you know?" Liu Shaowen glanced at him seriously. "It's about quiet, subtle companionship. If we both get into the same university after three years of high school, this companionship will naturally become nourishment for feelings."

"..." Liao Hailin was stunned by this logic—it somehow made sense. "You're impressive. I can't compete."

After buying their drinks, the two hurried toward Class One.

But as they neared Class One's spot, Liu Shaowen deliberately slowed his pace, pretending he hadn't gone out of his way—just happened to buy an extra drink.

He'd already rehearsed his lines in his mind.

We're the only two from Yucai Middle School in this class; helping each other out a little is only natural.

I bought it already—just take it and drink. If you feel awkward, you can return the favor next time.

That way, there's interaction, right?

As Liu Shaowen imagined this, his mood lifted, his steps lightened.

But when he looked toward Ying Chanxi, ready to walk over and hand her the drink, his steps froze.

A boy stood behind Ying Chanxi, holding a drink and an ice cream bar; while she wasn't looking, he pressed the icy bottle against her soft cheek.

Ying Chanxi startled, turned around, recognized the boy, and playfully slapped him before taking his drink and ice cream.

Seeing this, Liu Shaowen fell silent.

Liao Hailin fell silent too.

But Liao Hailin, having never acted at all, was only briefly stunned, and still managed to offer comfort: "That boy—we've seen him at the cafeteria—he's Ying Chanxi's cousin, right?"

Liu Shaowen nodded helplessly, silently relieved that it was Li Luo who'd brought the drinks, not some other guy.

Still, he believed that if another boy had brought them, Ying Chanxi would've likely refused outright.

"So… are you still going to give her your drinks?" Liao Hailin asked, glancing at the two bottles in Liu Shaowen's hands.

"Deliver it tomorrow!"

……

"Tastes good?"

Li Luo watched the melted pudding in Ying Chanxi's mouth and crouched beside her to ask.

Ying Chanxi glanced at him: "It's okay."

"I risked my life to bring you this, and this is how you treat me?"

"Why is it life-threatening? I'm not going to eat you."

"But the guys in your class have already been devouring me with their eyes."

"That's exaggerated," Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes at him.

Li Luo smiled and glanced at the boys around them, then handed another small pudding to Qiao Xinyan beside him: "You're her desk partner, right? Thanks for taking care of my cousin these past few days."

"Oh oh, thanks!" Qiao Xinyan was surprised she got a pudding too and accepted it happily. "It's actually溪溪 taking care of me—I didn't take care of her at all."

"Don't listen to him," Ying Chanxi bit sharply through the pudding. "I was born a day before him—he has to call me sister."