电车狼

After a few seconds, he cleared his throat and casually spoke up to prove himself: "I\'m not dating early either."

Jiang Yan glanced at his bright red ears, unable to hold back a smile. How had he always been so well-behaved from childhood to now? It would be perfectly justified to tease him more in the future.

...

Jiang Yan and Song Li\'an were assigned to the same exam site, but not the same vehicle.

On the afternoon when the college entrance exam ended, students had to suppress their excitement as they rode the bus back to pack their luggage.

Traffic police at intersections directed vehicles to give way to school buses, as they had for three days. The police tape around the exam venues was finally being taken down. Everything was coming to an end.

Lu Yuliang repeatedly confirmed that they didn\'t need to be picked up, focusing instead on preparing a grand meal at home.

Jiang Yan and Song Li\'an ran back home, pulling their suitcases.

There were many vendors selling flower bouquets at the school gate. Song Li\'an suddenly turned back, his eyes fixed on the pile of bouquets, shouting for Jiang Yan to come back.

"Shall I buy you a bouquet?" Jiang Yan asked, amused by his excited expression.

Song Li\'an stood still, asking Jiang Yan to choose one.

Jiang Yan picked a bouquet of jasmine mixed with white roses, which smelled very fragrant. But just as Song Li\'an paid and was about to leave, Jiang Yan called him back.

Above the flowers, the girl\'s eyes were filled with a smile as she asked him to choose a bouquet too.

Song Li\'an didn\'t hesitate, confidently picking up a bouquet of the most plentiful red roses.

Holding the flowers, he couldn\'t keep still, swaying back and forth behind Jiang Yan, tugging at the hem of her clothes, saying with a satisfied tone: "Now we have our token of love."

When they returned home, Jiang Yan\'s armful of flowers startled their parents. But after learning that the children had exchanged flowers, they felt relieved, thinking it was just for the sake of ceremony.

After the admission results were released, they welcomed the long holiday that truly belonged to them.

Before submitting his application, Song Li\'an specifically double-checked his choices with Jiang Yan. The two had applied to almost identical schools, just with different majors. As expected, both were successfully admitted to the local A University.

Because the two families were so close, they arranged the college admission celebration together. They booked a large hotel, invited familiar relatives, and prepared many tables full of food.

Song Li\'an and Jiang Yan were the stars of the day.

Zhou Sisi had once again dressed them up in matching outfits. Jiang Yan wore a wine-red and gray-white patchwork shirt with a pleated skirt, while Song Li\'an wore a shirt and trousers in the same color scheme.

The adults who were used to seeing them didn\'t think much of it, but the more precocious cousins kept covering their mouths and giggling.

Especially when Jiang Yan, having eaten her fill, sat on a nearby couch playing with her phone. Her black hair partially obscured her profile, the wine-red clothes accentuating her slender figure and exceptionally pale skin. Her long, shapely legs crossed, drawing attention.

Song Li\'an\'s female cousins weren\'t very familiar with Jiang Yan, but they couldn\'t help stealing glances, finding her pleasing to the eye.

The meal wasn\'t over yet, but the sky was getting a bit overcast. Song Li\'an ran down to fetch his own sports jacket from the car.

The adults were still at the table, eating and exchanging pleasantries.

Song Li\'an stood in front of Jiang Yan, coaxing, "It\'s getting cooler and a bit chilly. How about putting on a jacket?"

But without waiting for a response, he gently took away Jiang Yan\'s phone and grabbed her hand, guiding it into the sleeve. Before Jiang Yan could react, she was wearing the jacket.

After helping her put on the jacket, Song Li\'an unhurriedly sat on the raised edge of the sofa, his arm propped behind her. He smiled at her like he used to when they were little: "Baby is so good."

Jiang Yan sat on the sofa, a bit shorter than him, and could only look up at Song Li\'an. But at this moment, she was a bit dazed. Both his tone and the way he had just helped her put on the jacket were unexpected.

Wasn\'t Song Li\'an supposed to be the good boy? How come he was praising her now? Something felt off.

But Jiang Yan quickly dismissed these doubts.

Naturally, they received red envelopes full of money at the celebration dinner until their hands were sore, but before Jiang Yan could even feel the warmth, Lu Yuliang had taken them away.

Under Zhou Sisi\'s watchful eye, Song Li\'an managed to sneak a red envelope to please his little girlfriend, even earning praise from his unsuspecting mother.

As they were leaving, Song Li\'an\'s female cousin couldn\'t help but say, "It feels like you two are getting engaged."

This was the first time in all these years that Song Li\'an didn\'t dislike what she said.

...

After discussion, they decided to spend the first half of their vacation working part-time jobs and the second half on a graduation trip.

So, Song Li\'an and Jiang Yan met every day at the supermarket downstairs. The supermarket uniforms were dark green and looked quite nice on them.

Song Li\'an even insisted on taking photos with Jiang Yan, calling it their new couple outfit.

The advantage of being childhood sweethearts was that no matter how close they became, their parents wouldn\'t suspect anything.

Until — they saw it with their own eyes.

Jiang Yan\'s job at the supermarket was to greet customers at the entrance. Song Li\'an\'s job was to promote fruit inside.

Just as he was feeling bored, a tall boy wearing a mask suddenly approached him and asked, "How are the strawberries?"

Song Li\'an dutifully praised his product: "They\'re big and very fresh."

The boy hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Do girls like them?"

Song Li\'an was particularly sensitive to this kind of thing. Was this guy trying to show off in front of him? But sorry, he had a girlfriend too.

Song Li\'an responded with understated defiance: "I don\'t know, tastes differ. But my girlfriend likes them."

The boy seemed persuaded and took a box of strawberries.

Song Li\'an was about to go find his girlfriend to show off his sales skills when he turned around and saw the boy at the entrance giving Jiang Yan the strawberries and trying to add her on WeChat.

Song Li\'an: Did I just... get robbed in my own home?!