Chapter 85: He Qing Brings a Drink During Military Training |
By now, He Qing was already one of the most talked-about beauties among the boys. Whether they had heard of her before or not, the moment she appeared, every guy in Class 1 turned to look at her, all captivated by her pure and sweet appearance.
“Wow, she’s gorgeous! Who is she?”
“She looks amazing even in a military uniform?”
“Isn’t that He Qing from Class 3? What’s she doing here?”
“Looks like she’s delivering something… Does she have a close friend in our class? Or is she…?”
The boys murmured amongst themselves, all curious about who she was approaching.
At that moment, the guy who had just been calling He Qing pretty nudged Lin Zhengran’s shoulder, looking nervous. “He Qing? Why is she coming to our class?” He paused for a second, then suddenly panicked, “Wait… oh sh*t! She’s walking toward us?! Could she be coming for me?!” His heartbeat quickened.
Of course, He Qing noticed the attention on her. She pursed her lips shyly, but when her eyes locked onto Lin Zhengran amidst the crowd, every other boy instantly faded from her view.
She walked up to him, stopping right in front of him, staring directly into his eyes.
Class 1 fell silent.
The hopeful boy from earlier looked utterly devastated.
He Qing from Class 3 was giving Lin Zhengran a drink?!
What was going on?!
Some speculated they might be dating. Others wondered if He Qing was trying to pursue him—after all, quite a few girls had started approaching Lin Zhengran since his recent sports competition victories.
Seeing that she had something to say, Lin Zhengran got up, and the two of them moved to the side under the watchful eyes of the entire class.
With so many people staring at her, He Qing’s face turned bright red. She kept her head down, looking absolutely adorable.
Lin Zhengran glanced at her military uniform. Though plain, her long, silky ponytail and delicate features, combined with the light sheen of sweat on her forehead from the morning training, made her look like a classic first-love heroine straight out of a novel.
Even though the loose military uniform didn’t reveal much, it still couldn’t fully hide her developing figure.
“What brings you here?” Lin Zhengran asked.
He Qing raised her head slightly, pushing the drink toward him as she whispered, “I came to bring you a drink. I noticed that during break time, lots of girls from other classes were bringing drinks to their boyfriends, or vice versa. But I figured you’d be too tired from training to bother getting one yourself, so I bought this for you.”
Lin Zhengran raised an eyebrow. This little girl was getting bolder every year.
Back in middle school, she was brave enough to take a bus by herself just to find him, but she was still too shy to speak in public. Now, here she was, openly bringing him a drink in front of an entire class.
The timid little He Qing from childhood would have never done something like this.
Lin Zhengran accepted the lemon water, glancing at the boys from Class 1. Several of them were staring daggers at him.
Feeling slightly awkward, he turned back to He Qing. “Did you get one for yourself?”
She shook her head. “I already drank some water. I brought my own bottle, so I’m not thirsty. You should drink it before the ice melts—it won’t taste as good then.”
Then, she hesitated before whispering, “Do you… do you want me to put the straw in for you?”
Since Lin Zhengran didn’t refuse, she quickly unwrapped the straw, inserted it into the drink with a soft pop, and tucked the trash into her pocket.
“Drink up. When you’re done, I’ll throw away the trash for you. Otherwise, you’d have to walk all the way to the trash can.”
“Thanks.”
Lin Zhengran found a seat and sat down, while He Qing quickly took a spot next to him, placing her hands neatly on her knees.
The sixteen-year-old He Qing watched Lin Zhengran drink with a delighted smile.
She wasn’t the sharpest girl around, but compared to her childhood self, she had definitely gotten smarter.
Bringing him a drink wasn’t just about keeping him hydrated.
It was also a way to stake her claim.
She wasn’t blind—ever since the sports competition, plenty of girls had been approaching Lin Zhengran.
If she didn’t show up today, who knew how many more would try in the future?
At the same time, her presence also discouraged the boys who had been interested in her.
Of course, she didn’t plan to hide any of this from Lin Zhengran. She laid everything out for him honestly.
“Lin Zhengran… you got first place in every event the other day?”
Lin Zhengran took a sip of lemon water and nodded. “It was just a school-wide event. Everyone had to participate.”
He Qing beamed. “That’s amazing! I saw you from my class—we were all watching. Nobody even came close to beating you.”
Lin Zhengran glanced at her, sensing she had something else to say. “If you want to say something, just say it. Why are you beating around the bush?”
He Qing fidgeted with her fingers, her voice soft and a little jealous.
“It’s… it’s nothing… Just that, since you did so well in the competition, I’m guessing a lot of girls have been talking to you, asking for your number and stuff… Y-you’re not interested in them, right? You don’t like those types, do you…?”
Lin Zhengran exhaled and nodded. “Not really.”
He Qing visibly brightened, grinning widely.
“Right?! I knew it! Actually, lately, some boys have been talking to me too. Some even said they… l-liked me. But I ignored all of them—I rejected every single one! I didn’t accept anything they gave me either. I just wanted to tell you so you wouldn’t think I was talking to them or anything. I’m not. I only want to talk to you. Really. I don’t want to talk to any other boys.”
Lin Zhengran looked at He Qing’s earnest expression—she was practically making a solemn vow.
He handed her the half-finished lemon water. “How’s high school so far?”
“It’s fine.” She took the bottle, not minding the fact that it had his straw in it. “Military training is tiring, but otherwise, it’s okay. You’re not drinking anymore?”
“I wasn’t that thirsty to begin with. This was enough.”
Lin Zhengran gazed into the distance. “High school is different from middle school. You’re farther from home now. If you run into any problems you can’t solve, come find me—I’ll help you. After training ends this week, rest well over the weekend. Don’t let it affect your competition in two weeks.”
He Qing felt warm at his concern, nodding eagerly. “I’m not that tired. But… can I only come find you if I have a problem? What if I just want to see you…?”
“Do whatever you want. You’re here now, aren’t you?”
He Qing giggled.
After chatting a little longer, she waved goodbye, still holding the half-finished drink.
Of course, she had no intention of throwing it away—it was the one Lin Zhengran had already drunk from.
But she was too shy to drink from the same side as him, so she flipped the straw around and used the other end.
As she took a sip, her face turned red.
I should bring him a drink again next time, she thought. That way, I’ll get to drink from the same one again.
Just then, a system notification appeared—
【Fairy He, seeing your exhaustion, has gifted you a divine elixir! You receive He Fairy’s Frost Spirit Water. +2 Charisma, +1 Stamina.】
—
Back at the rest area, the boy who had been leaning on Lin Zhengran’s shoulder looked devastated.
He had witnessed the entire scene firsthand.
He might have been able to convince himself otherwise, but a girl’s blushing face never lied.
“Lin Zhengran… If you ever treat He Qing badly, I swear I’ll kill you~”
With a sorrowful wail, he left.
Lin Zhengran sighed.
Before he could catch a break, another classmate nudged him.
“So, He Qing is your girlfriend, huh? No wonder you weren’t interested in the other girls. Speaking of which, do you know if Jiang Xueli has a boyfr—”
He didn’t even get to finish.
Because at that moment, a shy yet determined Jiang Xueli appeared in the distance, holding another bottle of lemon water.
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