My Straight Childhood Friend Successfully Pursued Me After The Breakup - Chapter 9

Days passed, and in her life…

Days passed one by one. Aside from the addition of the noisy Xue Shuangxi, Zuo Xian felt that nothing else had changed in her life.

Gradually, the matter of the pink box was largely forgotten by Zuo Xian, only occasionally brought up by Xue Shuangxi.

Winter had begun, and in a few more days, it would be Tao Ran’s birthday.

Zuo Xian began to ponder what to get Tao Ran as a birthday gift.

Zuo Zhimin had always been generous with pocket money, and over the years, Zuo Xian’s private stash was quite plentiful.

However, teenagers at this age often feel that sincerity is more important than money. A gift bought with money, no matter how expensive, feels a bit perfunctory.

But Zuo Xian and Tao Ran had known each other for so many years that she had pretty much run out of handmade gift ideas. Consequently, Zuo Xian was troubled for quite a while.

That is, until Xue Shuangxi showed up with a great idea.

“A gift?” Xue Shuangxi popped a spicy snack into her mouth. “The key to a gift is catering to their preferences. Just give Tao Ran what she likes, right?”

Zuo Xian mused, “That makes sense.”

Xue Shuangxi paused. She looked around the surrounding environment.

The classroom was noisy, a cacophony of sounds mixed together. Even the person in front of Zuo Xian was busy chatting and fooling around with friends. No one would notice the two of them in the corner.

Xue Shuangxi bent down, beckoned Zuo Xian closer, and only whispered when Zuo Xian leaned in: “But since we’re minors, just don’t send anything that’s not allowed to be written about in novels.”

“Xue Shuangxi, are you sick?” Zuo Xian exploded for what felt like the umpteenth time.

Furious, she immediately confiscated all the packets of dried fish Xue Shuangxi had placed on the desk and shooed her away.

“See, you’re getting agitated again.” Xue Shuangxi smacked her lips, looking longingly at her dried fish. “Let’s make a deal. Give me back the dried fish, and I won’t tease you next time.”

“Get lost.”

“Alright then.”

Xue Shuangxi promptly left, but the inspiration she provided, along with the remaining packets of dried fish, stayed with Zuo Xian.

Zuo Xian looked out the window in a daze.

The osmanthus flowers planted on campus were in full bloom. The orange-yellow blossoms dotted the branches and leaves, and the sweet, rich fragrance permeated the entire school.

Catering to her preferences…

Today was November 11th, a Friday, and it was Tao Ran’s birthday.

The alarm clock rang promptly at seven. Tao Ran washed up and got ready as usual, then went downstairs to wait for Zuo Xian.

The moment she saw Zuo Xian, before she could even say a word, Zuo Xian pulled out a small leather box from behind her back.

Inside was a ladies’ wristwatch.

The watch was beautiful. It was from a globally renowned brand specializing in fine ladies’ watches. This particular model seemed to be a limited edition, and the price was not low.

The chestnut-brown strap and simple dial were perfectly suited to Tao Ran’s temperament and style.

Tao Ran fell in love with the watch almost at first sight, and not just because Zuo Xian gave it to her.

“Happy Birthday, Ranran! Do you like it?” Zuo Xian smiled brightly, her eyes gathering starlight, appearing radiant even in broad daylight.

“I like it, I like it very much.” Tao Ran smiled back, her gaze lingering on Zuo Xian’s smiling face.

“If you like it, put it on right away,” Zuo Xian offered the box. “Let me see if it fits.”

“Okay.”

Zuo Xian held the box, and Tao Ran carefully took out the watch, habitually fastening it on her right wrist.

Tao Ran’s hands were very fair, a paleness that seldom saw the sun. Her nails were neatly trimmed, her fingers slender like scallions.

Because she was thin, the fine blue veins slightly protruded against her skin, and the styloid process on her wrist made it look even more delicate. The watch strap for a ladies’ watch was already slim, and it fit her wrist just perfectly.

It was a perfect fit, almost merging with the person that was Tao Ran.

Zuo Xian’s eyes lit up, and she praised, “It looks great! It makes you look especially smart.”

Tao Ran curved her lips, “Only looks like it?”

“Our Ranran is inherently smart; this watch just complements you perfectly.” Zuo Xian’s mouth was full of unstoppable compliments, as if dipped in honey, and her eyes seemed glued to Tao Ran’s hand.

But before she had looked enough, Tao Ran slowly took off the watch. Zuo Xian immediately frowned, “Why did you take it off? Don’t you like it?”

“I love it. It’s because I love it so much that I won’t wear it,” Tao Ran put the watch back in the box and closed it before explaining, “At school, there are many people, and bumps and scrapes are inevitable. I can’t bear to risk it.”

“Bumps are just bumps! If it breaks, I’ll buy you an identical one next year!” Zuo Xian declared with a grand gesture, sounding like a domineering CEO.

Tao Ran put the watch away and looked at Zuo Xian. “This watch isn’t cheap. Even if you didn’t spend a single yuan of the annual pocket money Aunt Zuo gives you, you wouldn’t be able to save up half of it by next year, right?”

That was true. For this watch, Zuo Xian had drained her private savings of several years.

Her boast was exposed, and Zuo Xian gave a silly smile.

Tao Ran smiled helplessly. “I just won’t wear it at school. Outside of school, I will definitely wear it often.”

“So you promise? I expect to see you wearing it whenever we’re not at school from now on.”

“Deal.”

It was getting late, so the two didn’t chat any longer or waste time. They took the elevator and got into Aunt Li’s car, heading to school.

They soon arrived at school. There was still a little time before the morning study session when they reached the classroom. Tao Ran casually hung her bag next to her desk.

Her movements paused, and she took the watch box out of her bag and placed it in the corner of her desk drawer. Only then did she take out her homework to hand in to the class representative and prepare for the morning study session.

Tao Ran’s deskmate was the math class representative. By the time she returned after collecting the homework, the morning study session was about to begin.

She took out her English book and silently read for a while, then glanced at Tao Ran next to her, pausing in surprise.

“Be conscientious, all of you. You are only in the first year of high school, and your attitude towards studying is the most important thing.” The English teacher came down from the podium, patrolling the class between the desks. She was about to reach Tao Ran’s side.

The deskmate quickly nudged Tao Ran with her elbow and whispered, “English, English.”

Tao Ran straightened up slightly, quickly swapping the Chinese textbook in her hand for the English book.

The English teacher just happened to walk past, glanced at the two of them, and left without saying anything more.

The deskmate breathed a sigh of relief, then looked down at Tao Ran. “Why are you so distracted today? Teacher Wang just punished those who didn’t do their homework yesterday. If she catches you today, she’ll definitely make an example out of you.”

“Thanks,” Tao Ran didn’t explain much.

But there was no sign of the embarrassment of being almost caught by the teacher on her face; she seemed to be in a very good mood.

The deskmate mumbled that it was strange and didn’t say anything more.

High school campus life was so boring that time passed very quickly. The dismissal bell rang almost in the blink of an eye.

Unlike her usual slow movements, Tao Ran quickly packed her school bag, put the watch box inside, and then hurried to the entrance of Class 2, Grade 1, to wait for Zuo Xian.

As soon as she reached the entrance of Class 2, Grade 1, she saw Zuo Xian and Xue Shuangxi sitting in the back row, chatting about something.

Zuo Xian looked a little anxious. Xue Shuangxi patted her shoulder and said something. Zuo Xian then sighed, and her expression brightened a little.

Tao Ran stood outside the door, paused her steps, and then knocked emotionlessly on the metal door frame.