As winter break approached, another new student transferred into the Sakura Class.
Teacher Zhang stood at the podium and announced loudly, “Children, we have welcomed our second new student this semester. His name is Pei Yu. Let’s give him a warm welcome.”
At that moment, the new student who should have been personally introduced into the classroom by Teacher Zhang was already sitting next to Shen Lishu.
Pei Yu was holding a piece of shortbread, feeding it to Shen Lishu. However, after eating only a small half, Shen Lishu refused to open his mouth.
“Not eating anymore?” Pei Yu asked softly.
Shen Lishu shook his head, looking listless. “Don’t want to eat.”
“Then how about drinking some water?” Pei Yu asked again, frowning.
A few days ago, Shen Lishu had overeaten half a piece of rice cake at night, causing indigestion, and his appetite had been poor ever since.
This morning, he hadn’t even eaten breakfast.
Pei Yu took the water bottle and carefully fed him two sips of water. Only then did his tightly furrowed brow relax slightly.
After putting down the water bottle, Pei Yu looked up and saw everyone’s eyes fixed on him.
Especially the gaze of the person sitting to Shen Lishu’s right—the jealousy was practically tangible.
Was this person Xie Changyan, whom Shen Lishu had mentioned many times?
Hmph, nothing special.
Pei Yu accidentally met Xie Changyan’s eyes, and both of them quickly looked away as if they had seen something dirty.
Teacher Zhang said, “New student, could you stand up and introduce yourself?”
Pei Yu was reluctant at first.
But the moment he lowered his gaze and saw Shen Lishu’s sparkling eyes, he immediately changed his mind.
He stood up, his expression arrogant, and spoke in a flat tone, “My name is Pei Yu.”
That was it?
Teacher Zhang felt a headache coming on but quickly and skillfully smoothed things over.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but think how nice it would be if all the children in the kindergarten were as angelic as Shen Lishu.
More importantly, this new child’s background was anything but ordinary.
Teacher Zhang didn’t know the specifics, but that wasn’t something she needed to know.
Yesterday, the principal had instructed all kindergarten staff to pay extra attention to their attire today and arrive early at the kindergarten to wait, all for the purpose of receiving this new child and his parents.
For the past three days, the entire kindergarten had undergone a thorough cleaning inside and out.
As soon as Pei Yu arrived, he completely monopolized Shen Lishu and didn’t allow anyone else to approach casually.
This tyrannical, dictatorial behavior caused widespread complaints throughout the Sakura Class.
Especially Lu Huaichuan, who had already come to complain four times in just one morning, and every time it was about Pei Yu.
After listening, Teacher Zhang felt utterly overwhelmed.
When Teacher Zhang found Pei Yu, he was standing outside the bathroom, waiting for Shen Lishu to come out.
“Student Pei Yu, why won’t you let others play with Lili?”
Hearing this, Pei Yu lifted his eyelids slightly and replied calmly, “Mine.”
The brief two-word answer left Teacher Zhang momentarily unable to react.
Just then, Shen Lishu walked out of the bathroom.
Pei Yu immediately stepped forward, turned the faucet to warm water, and skillfully rolled up Shen Lishu’s sleeves.
After confirming the water temperature was suitable, Pei Yu took Shen Lishu’s hands and placed them under the faucet, carefully rubbing them.
“Is it a bit cold?” Pei Yu didn’t forget to ask Shen Lishu how he felt during the process.
Shen Lishu replied softly, “It’s okay.”
After washing his hands, Pei Yu took out a handkerchief and meticulously wiped away all the water droplets.
As she turned to head back to the classroom with Pei Yu, Shen Lishu finally noticed Teacher Zhang.
“Teacher Zhang, what are you doing here?” Shen Lishu tilted her head and asked curiously.
Pei Yu gazed at her with a heavy expression.
Meeting Pei Yu’s eyes, as if compelled by some unseen force, Teacher Zhang ended up fabricating a random lie in response to Shen Lishu’s question.
After listening, Shen Lishu simply said, “Oh, then Pei Yu and I will be going now. Goodbye, Teacher Zhang.”
Watching the two of them walk away hand in hand, Teacher Zhang suddenly realized what Pei Yu had meant earlier.
—Shen Lishu was his possession, and Pei Yu naturally wouldn’t allow anyone else to play with her.
At this thought, Teacher Zhang’s expression grew somewhat grave.
Today’s lunch in the Sakura Class consisted of lotus pond stir-fry, celery with beef, and pork rib seaweed soup.
While the other children were busy eating, Pei Yu was the only one holding a small spoon, feeding Shen Lishu.
“No carrots,” Shen Lishu whispered in refusal.
Pei Yu coaxed her gently, “Alright, we won’t eat the carrots. How about a little more beef?”
Shen Lishu obediently took a bite of beef but then refused to open her mouth again.
Only when Shen Lishu was holding her stainless steel bowl and drinking soup did Pei Yu turn around to eat his own meal.
After finishing, he began tackling the leftovers from Shen Lishu’s plate.
Teacher Zhang, who had observed everything, felt her eyelids twitch, and a sense of melancholy washed over her.
Before Pei Yu arrived, Shen Lishu had always been the child in Sakura Class who excelled in every aspect.
Who would have thought that as soon as Pei Yu showed up, Shen Lishu would start picking at her food?
After lunch, it was time for the midday nap. In Sakura Class, boys and girls had always slept on separate beds.
The beds were arranged neatly on either side of the classroom, lined up in rows.
This time, the two of them had to be separated.
Pei Yu lowered his gaze and saw Xie Changyan sleeping beside him, his face instantly darkening.
Then, looking at the clear divide between him and Shen Lishu, his expression grew even more somber.
No way!
He needed to figure out how to keep Shen Lishu from attending kindergarten.
However, the next second, Pei Yu met Shen Lishu’s bright, sparkling dark eyes.
Fine.
Suddenly, the half-hour nap didn’t seem so unbearable after all.
But sleep was out of the question. Pei Yu lay on his pillow, tirelessly keeping his eyes fixed on Shen Lishu.
Shen Lishu was his.
The blanket covered most of Shen Lishu’s body, leaving only her fluffy head exposed.
Yet Pei Yu found her utterly adorable.
Just then, a figure appeared, blocking Pei Yu’s view. Teacher Zhang whispered, “Time to sleep.”
Pei Yu paid her no mind.
But as long as Pei Yu refused to close his eyes, Teacher Zhang remained standing there, unmoving.
Pei Yu: “…”
Only after seeing Pei Yu close his eyes did Teacher Zhang stand there for a long while before quietly walking away.
Almost the moment Teacher Zhang left, Pei Yu opened his eyes again.
And then he saw Teacher Zhang carrying a chair, sitting sternly in front of Shen Lishu’s bed, completely blocking her from view.
Pei Yu’s face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot.
During the afternoon extracurricular activity class, Pei Yu found it impossible to keep guarding against everyone.
Too many people wanted to play with Shen Lishu.
Most importantly, Shen Lishu had actually left him behind and gone off with someone else!!
Pei Yu pressed his lips tightly together, his gaze growing shadowy and dark.
Surrounded by a crowd of children, Shen Lishu, who had been smiling with her eyes curved into crescents, suddenly noticed that Pei Yu was missing. She immediately stopped and turned to look at him.
Shen Lishu waved her hand, her voice clear and bright as she called out, “Pei Yu, come play with us!”
In that instant, the gloom in Pei Yu’s eyes vanished completely. As he walked toward Shen Lishu, he thought to himself, Forget it. As long as Shen Lishu is happy, that’s all that matters.
The strawberry seedlings the children had planted a few days earlier had begun to bear fruit—at least, the ones that survived had.
Shen Lishu’s hadn’t.
Her strawberry seedling had died, and it was the first among all the children’s plants to wither.
It wasn’t that Shen Lishu hadn’t taken good care of it—on the contrary, she had been very attentive.
But Shen Lishu was simply too popular in the Sakura Class. Every time the other children watered their own strawberry seedlings, they would also water Shen Lishu’s along with theirs.
Day after day, with one child watering it, then another, and another, Shen Lishu’s strawberry seedling ended up drowning.
At 3:50 p.m., the Sakura Class ended on time.
Just as Shen Lishu was about to leave with Pei Yu, Xie Changyan called out to her.
“Shen Lishu!”
Hearing her name, Shen Lishu, who had just stepped out of the classroom, immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
Seeing that it was Xie Changyan who had called her, Shen Lishu was somewhat surprised.
“Here, this is for you.”
He handed the pot of strawberries over to Shen Lishu.
Among the dark green leaves hung three or four large fruits. They weren’t fully ripe yet, with many parts still pale green and white.
Knowing that Shen Lishu would refuse, Xie Changyan had already prepared an excuse in advance: “You know how Xie Siran always targets me. If I keep these strawberries with me, he won’t let them ripen.”
“Then should I keep them safe for you?” Shen Lishu suggested tentatively.
He replied, “Okay.”
Shen Lishu took the pot and carefully cradled it in her arms.
“I haven’t thanked you yet for standing by my side and protecting me that day,” Xie Changyan added, his ears slightly reddening beneath his dark hair.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Changyan subtly shot a challenging glance at Pei Yu.
Throughout the exchange, Pei Yu kept his gaze lowered, fixed on Shen Lishu, as if he hadn’t even noticed Xie Changyan’s presence.
But Xie Changyan hadn’t missed the fleeting look of loss of control that had flashed across Pei Yu’s face earlier.
Xie Changyan asked, “Lili, can I call you that too, like the others do?”
Shen Lishu blinked. “Of course you can.”
It seemed that the task Teacher Zhang had given her earlier—to help Xie Changyan fit in—had finally been accomplished today.
Xie Changyan smiled. “Then see you tomorrow, Lili.”
On the way back, Pei Yu stared expressionlessly at the strawberry pot in Shen Lishu’s arms without saying a word.
Shen Lishu placed the strawberry pot in a corner of the flower bed, planning to cultivate it along with the other strawberries.
The two played at the Pei residence until dinnertime. After dinner, Shen Lishu had to return to her own home.
Before she left, Pei Yu tightly grasped Shen Lishu’s hand and asked, “Do you really like Xie Changyan that much?”
Shen Lishu tilted her head. “Why do you ask?”
“He called you Lili,” Pei Yu said, his face darkening. Though the words were few, they seemed to be forced out through gritted teeth.
Shen Lishu was even more puzzled. “But lots of people call me that.”
Forget it. Shen Lishu doesn’t understand anything at all.
For once, Pei Yu felt a rare sense of defeat.
“You can call me Lili too, Pei Yu.” Shen Lishu blinked and suggested.
Pei Yu replied somewhat sullenly, “I don’t want to call you the same as others.”
He wanted to be special.
Preferably something completely different from others, a name exclusive to Pei Yu alone for Shen Lishu.
This stumped Shen Lishu.
“You should go back.” Pei Yu suddenly let go of Shen Lishu. “I’ll come wake you up tomorrow morning. Goodnight.”
Shen Lishu was indeed tired, so she waved at him and said softly, “Goodnight, Pei Yu. See you tomorrow.”
After Shen Lishu left, Pei Yu lay alone in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
He knew exactly what Xie Changyan had been up to today.
But Pei Yu was extremely petty. The setbacks he had suffered at Xie Changyan’s hands would eventually be repaid twofold.
Shen Lishu was so sweet, so adorable. He needed to think of a name that was both special and could show others their unique closeness.
Adorable.
Sweet…
Suddenly, a name emerged in Pei Yu’s mind.
In the darkness, Pei Yu softly murmured, “Sweetie.”
The more he savored it, the more satisfied he felt with this name. For some reason, it felt strangely familiar, as if he had repeated it over and over again in the past.
“Sweetie.”
“My… Sweetie.”