A Female Lead Wants a Lifelong Union With Me (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 33

This Chinese lesson was the last class of the morning. The moment the bell rang, the classroom instantly transformed back into a playground for the children.

The teacher had barely stepped out when An He grabbed Han Peiqiu’s hand and dashed back to their seats to pack their bags, moving so fast she practically left a trail of wind behind her.

Being grabbed so suddenly, a flush of red bloomed on Han Peiqiu’s face. Her eyes instinctively lowered, staring silently at their joined hands. She wasn’t used to being touched; since she was little, very few people—whether teachers or classmates—had ever held her hand so firmly.

However, An He’s hand was soft, feeling like a ball of cotton. To her surprise, being held like this didn’t feel unpleasant at all. So, she didn’t try to break free, allowing An He to lead her through the chaotic classroom.

“Why are you running so fast?” the System asked in her head. “You look like a startled deer.”

“Duh! School is finally out. Of course I’m in a hurry to go home!” An He said.

“You can’t go home.” The System chuckled with a hint of schadenfreude. “When your mom dropped you off, she already signed you up for the school’s lunch program. You have to stay here for noon.”

“Huh?” An He felt all the energy drain out of her.

Ever since she was a kid, she hated staying at school. When the bell rang, she used to run faster than anyone, like a bird finally escaping its cage. When she got older and the school holidays didn’t meet her “requirements,” she’d create her own vacations by skipping class every few days. Luckily, she was smart; she could remember most of the lessons just by half-listening, so her grades never suffered, and she usually ranked near the top of her class.

Now that the System said she had to stay at school, her reflex was to bolt.

“If you run, where are you going to eat?” the System asked.

“What do you think?” An He patted her pocket with a smug look. “I’m a wealthy person.”

By the time she finished talking to the System, she was back at her desk, and her bag was almost packed. Han Peiqiu had finished packing too, but she didn’t seem in a rush to leave. She sat there waiting, her gaze glued to An He.

As An He slung her bag over her shoulder, she caught Han Peiqiu looking at her and gave her a bright smile.

“I’m heading out,” she said softly.

“Mhm…” Han Peiqiu seemed to have something else to say, but the words were pushed back by An He’s goodbye. In the end, a thousand words condensed into a single “mhm.”

“See you this afternoon, then.” An He didn’t say more, just waved and skipped out of the classroom like a wild horse breaking its tether.

Watching her retreating back, Han Peiqiu felt a strange urge to smile. She paused, tucked her bag back into her desk, and stood up. She turned and found a perfect vantage point by the window, looking down.

This side of the teaching building faced the main gate. She had often seen kids huddled here, drooling over the egg-filled pancakes (jidan guanbing) sold outside. She didn’t know if they were actually good, nor did she care to find out. The only reason she was leaning here was to catch a glimpse of An He.

Since school had just let out, the ground below was a bustling sea of people, like a swarm of little ants crawling toward the gate. Han Peiqiu frowned and leaned further out, her forehead pressing against the glass.

Soon, she spotted An He in the crowd. A tiny figure that seemed to glow, looking particularly spirited. Like a weight finally lifting from her heart, Han Peiqiu’s brow relaxed. She watched that small figure, a beautiful smile playing on her lips.

An He hurried down the stairs and shot out of the building like an arrow. No matter how old you are, as long as you’re on campus, the most exciting moment is always when school lets out.

The System called out in her head, telling her she was so excited she’d put her backpack straps on twisted.

“Oh.” An He realized something felt off and quickly took the bag off to adjust it. “I was wondering what was poking me.”

“Probably your dwindling IQ,” the System sighed.

An He: “…”

Once she fixed the straps, the System chimed in again, saying it had noticed something.

“What?” An He asked dismissively, her feet moving like the wind.

Just as she was about to step out the main gate, the System said, “I noticed your Big Boss is standing by the window watching you.”

“Ah, really?!” An He froze, then immediately turned back to look. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

The System ignored her, letting out another helpless sigh. There were too many people behind An He—mostly tall upperclassmen who completely blocked her view. She shifted left and right but couldn’t even see a corner of the Boss’s sleeve before being swept out by the crowd.

It happened so fast that by the time she regained her bearings, she had been pushed to the roadside and had already crossed half the street.

An He: “???”

“Forget it,” the System comforted her. “Go eat. You’ll see the Boss every day.”

“Fine.” An He didn’t struggle further and followed the System’s advice to go find food.

The snacks near the school were plentiful; the area was practically a food street. Looking around, there was a bit of everything, and the aromas were competing to catch her attention. Carrying her red 100-yuan bill, An He felt like a high-ranking official out on an undercover inspection, with all the shops waiting for her “favor.”

After walking up and down the street, she chose a noodle shop that smelled the best and had the most reasonable prices. Unlike the prices in her original time, a bowl of noodles here was only 3 yuan, topped with fresh green vegetables and several pieces of dark brown beef.

An He sat in the shop enjoying her noodles, thinking about what kind of gift to buy for the Boss.

The System suggested a doll.

An He: A doll won’t work. It doesn’t match the Boss’s “cool” persona.

“Then buy some snacks,” the System said.

An He: “Junk food is bad for the stomach.”

System: “Then buy some practice workbooks!”

An He: “The Boss is already working so hard. I don’t want to make it tougher for her.”

System: “…”

One person and one system went back and forth for ages. Even after An He finished her noodles, they hadn’t reached a conclusion. Just then, the proprietress came over with a ledger to settle the bill. A fountain pen clipped to her chest caught the light, flashing in An He’s eyes.

“I’ve got it!” The moment she saw the pen, An He finalized the gift.

“What are you sending?” the System asked.

“A fountain pen.” An He smiled, took her change, and left.

Ten meters east of the noodle shop was a stationery store. Since it was near a primary school, most of the stock was pencils and gel pens; fountain pens were scarce. The owner rummaged through boxes for a long time before finally finding five styles to set before An He.

“Which one looks better?” An He asked.

“They’re all good, all good,” the owner said.

“Which one writes better?” she asked again.

“They’re all good, all good,” the owner repeated.

“They’re all so excellent? Then which one should I buy?” An He laughed at the owner’s repetitive sales pitch.

“Buy them all, buy…” The owner cut himself off halfway.

“I’ll take this one.” An He didn’t want to drag it out. She picked a sleek, solid black one. “I want two.”

“A gift for a boyfriend?” the owner gossiped with a smile while packing the pens.

An He wanted to say it was for her “daughter.” But the words were caught in her throat and she forced herself to change it to “best friend.”

“That’s nice, that’s nice,” the owner said, snatching her 50-yuan bill.

Before the afternoon session began, An He arrived at the classroom early. There weren’t many people yet, except for Han Peiqiu, who was sitting perfectly upright, head down, working diligently on her problems.

“Why are you here so early?” An He walked to her seat, put down her bag, and asked with a blink.

“I don’t go home at noon,” Han Peiqiu stopped her work and looked up to answer softly. “My mom is busy, so she has me eat at school. Someone picks me up in the evening.”

“I see.” An He nodded, feeling a bit sorry for the Boss.

“Um,” she paused, giving Han Peiqiu a beautiful smile. “Actually, I’m not going home at noon anymore either. Starting tomorrow, I can stay and eat with you.”

“Really?” Hearing this, Han Peiqiu gently set down her pen, an irrepressible look of surprise and joy on her face.

“Mhm, really.” An He smiled and reached out to hold her hand. “Not only that, I have something I want to give you.”

“Give… me something?” She saw Han Peiqiu freeze the moment she said it.

An He remembered from the book that the Boss wasn’t good at socializing as a child, so she never had many friends. This was likely the first time she had ever received a gift from a peer.

“Yes, a little gift between friends.” An He intentionally emphasized the word “friends.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the two packaged fountain pens.

“I didn’t know if you’d like this style,” An He said as she gently placed one into Han Peiqiu’s palm. “So I took the liberty of buying it. I hope you like it.”

“I like it!” Before she could even finish, Han Peiqiu blurted it out, looking quite nervous.

“You haven’t even opened it yet,” An He laughed gently. “How do you know if you like it?”

“Ah, sorry.” Han Peiqiu’s cheeks flushed. She quickly lowered her head to unwrap the pen, her every move careful and deliberate.

Finally, the pen revealed its true form. It was solid black with a textured metallic luster, and it felt great in the hand. Han Peiqiu stared at the pen, her eyes shimmering.

“Ask me again,” she whispered to An He.

“Ask what?” An He smiled.

“Ask if I like it…” Han Peiqiu said.

“Okay.” An He nodded, playing along. “Do you like it?”

“I like it,” Han Peiqiu replied, reaching out to grasp An He’s hand, holding both the hand and the pen tightly. “I like it very, very much.”

“Thank you.”