The Christmas party slightly dispelled the tension brought about by the final exam of the semester. The party ended at ten o 'clock in the evening. Everyone carried their chairs back to the classroom, talking about the students who had made a big splash in the performance tonight.

Qiao Lan felt around in her pocket and carefully avoided the crowd.

She gave Tan Mo an apple, and Tan Mo gave her an apple in return. The apple was so hot that Qiao Lan felt hot in her hand.

As Qiao Lan carried the chair back to her room, she thought about what she owed Tan Mo. It was getting harder and harder to repay him.

When Qiao Lan returned home that night, she saw that the door to her room was wide open. Old Lady Joe was cursing, "The door is locked all day long. It's like you're hiding something shameful."

Qiao Lan originally wanted to hide the jade pendant in her room, but when she saw the messy room, she immediately changed her mind.

She carefully put the small box in the most secret place at the bottom of her bag, zipped up her bag, and put it on the bedside table.

The next day, she went to school. Today was the official Christmas. The students seemed to have not come out of the joy of the holiday yet. This atmosphere would only subside after the New Year's Day holiday.

Especially the first year of high school.

The morning self-study session was another language self-study session for the head teacher. The head teacher stood at the lectern and patiently told the students to focus. There were only ten days left until the final exams of the semester. The students answered that they understood. After the head teacher left, some of them were still talking, and some of them were secretly playing with their phones.

Affiliated High School did not allow students to use their phones during school hours, but there were rules and countermeasures. More than half of the students in the class still carried their phones with them and played hide-and-seek with the head teacher and the head teacher every day.

After Christmas Eve yesterday, it snowed all night. Walking on the campus in the morning, it was a vast expanse of white.

After the morning self-study session, the students who could no longer hold it in rushed out of the classroom to have a snowball fight. Class 13, in particular, was on the first floor, so they were in a unique position.

Most of the students in the classroom ran out, leaving only a few sitting in their seats. Some were reading books, and some were secretly playing with their phones. Qiao Lan also took out her exercise book and started studying as usual. Only when Tan Mo came did she open her eyes to greet him.

It was winter in the north, so it was very cold outside the classroom. Qiao Lan was wearing thick clothes, but Tan Mo looked very thin. When he came in and sat down, Qiao Lan's body was cold.

Qiao Lan looked down at his hands on the wheelchair. He was not wearing any gloves''s's's way,'s's's's's's's's's.

When Tan Mo looked up, he saw Qiao Lan staring at his hands. He subconsciously wanted to withdraw his hands, but then he heard Qiao Lan ask him, "You're wearing so little. Aren't you cold?"

Tan Mo shook his head honestly. "No, I'm not cold."

He really wasn't cold. He was very sensitive to the sun and the wind, but he was not sensitive to heat or cold. Uncle Chen always wanted him to wear thicker clothes, but when the clothes were wrapped around his body, the dense fabric pressed against his skin, and this feeling was hard for him to accept.

But his fingers were indeed frozen stiff.

When he spoke, he always stared at her out of habit. A lot of people used to think it was weird, but Qiao Lan never thought anything of it. Tan Mo looked at her as he spoke to Qiao Lan. His gaze involuntarily fell on Qiao Lan's neck.

It was empty. There was nothing there.

Tan Mo suddenly stopped talking.

Qiao Lan was stunned by his gaze. She followed Tan Mo's gaze and realized that Tan Mo was looking at her neck. She reacted for two seconds before she hurriedly explained, "I was afraid I'd break it, so I didn't wear it."

After she finished speaking, she opened her bag and carefully took out a small box from the bottom.

When she opened the box, a moist and delicate jade pendant was neatly embedded in the small velvet box.

Tan Mo watched as Qiao Lan took the box out of her bag and stared at the jade pendant for a long time. Suddenly, he reached out and took the box.

He took the jade pendant out of the box and used the red string from the bottom of the box to string the jade pendant together. After stringing the jade pendant together, he handed it to Qiao Lan.

Qiao Lan was stunned and hurriedly explained, "I have to work every day. If I'm not careful, I'll really break it."

"It's okay." Tan Mo maintained his hand gesture and slightly pushed it forward. "Put it on."

Qiao Lan stared at the jade pendant in the young man's hand for a long time. Then, she stared at the young man's face for a long time. She reached out and took the jade pendant and tied the red string around her neck.

The young man, who had been nervous and stubborn, finally calmed down. He wanted to laugh, but he didn't know how to. The corners of his lips curled up into a slightly strange smile.

Qiao Lan didn't wear it. Tan Mo couldn't help but worry that Qiao Lan didn't like it.

Qiao Lan put her hands behind her back and tied the red string. Her hands were a little weak. She was worried that if she didn't tie it properly, it would fall off.

She raised her head and looked around. There were only five or six people in the classroom. The closest one was Pei Ning, who was introverted and didn't go out to play. After hesitating for a while, she said, "Why don't I wear it when I get home?"

Tan Mo still looked at her and didn't say anything.

Qiao Lan had no choice but to turn to Tan Mo and say, "Can you help me? I can't tie it myself."

Tan Mo's heart, which had just calmed down, suddenly jumped up again. He was stunned for a moment and didn't react.

Help … Help … Help Qiao Lan tie the red string …

His fingers couldn't help but tremble. He stretched his hand forward and hesitantly retracted it.

He didn't dare to.

Everyone was playing outside. The five or six people in the classroom were also doing their own things. Only Pei Ning, who was sitting very close to them, seemed to have felt something. She subconsciously glanced at Qiao Lan and Tan Mo. After being stunned for a long time, she asked tentatively, "Do you need my help?"

Tan Mo suddenly reached out and held the red string tightly with his fingers.

"No need."

Qiao Lan hurriedly pressed her body down so that Tan Mo could use more strength.

Pei Ning, who was sitting at the side, turned back with a dumbfounded expression. However, she couldn't help but take another look.

However, Tan Mo's solemn expression made people nervous when he helped her tie the pendant. She was afraid that he would accidentally drop the pendant.

Tan Mo was indeed very nervous.

During the time when he sat at the same table with Qiao Lan, they had talked about problems close to each other. Qiao Lan also asked Tan Mo to wake her up when she was sleepy. Tan Mo always felt that this was close enough. However, now, they could be even closer.

Tan Mo's cold fingers were a little unsteady when holding the red string. When his fingertips accidentally touched Qiao Lan's warm skin, they subconsciously trembled.

From time to time, Qiao Lan could feel the young man's cold fingers on her neck. She wanted to ask Tan Mo if he was really not cold, but she seemed to feel the young man's nervousness. Therefore, she quietly lay down and didn't say a word. She didn't want to disturb Tan Mo.

After a long time, Tan Mo finally spoke, as if relieved of a heavy burden. "I'm done."

He quickly sat up straight again. However, after a while, he couldn't help but glance at Qiao Lan again. Seeing her smile and the jade pendant swaying gently around her neck, his cold eyes had a faint layer of warmth.

This feeling was very subtle. It was just like when he first saw his name listed together with Qiao Lan's name. It was an indescribable sense of satisfaction and happiness.

After the second class, the sun finally came out from the gloomy sky. The snow finally started to melt little by little. The students had been playing with snow all morning, so they slowly lost interest. When they returned to the classroom, they all talked at once and brought the topic back to yesterday's gala.

There were nearly 20 performances in the gala, and there was no lack of handsome guys and pretty girls. For example, Song Yao from Class 13, Chu Jing from Class 1, and all kinds of pretty girls. There was also the celebrity student from Class 5, Hao Ying, who was caught by the homeroom teacher to act in a skit.

Hao Ying played the role of a hooligan rich second generation. She used the classic line, "My father is Li Gang," to make a deep impression on the students that night.

The 15 and 16-year-old boys and girls were always very interested in pretty girls and handsome guys. The gala was already over, but they still didn't get tired of discussing who looked the best yesterday. In the end, it gradually spread to counting the handsome guys and pretty girls in the school.

Song Yao's dreamy dress yesterday had touched the hearts of many boys, so she was at the top of the list.

Qiao Lan wasn't interested in these things. When everyone was counting Song Yao's beauty, Qiao Lan also agreed. She was indeed beautiful and outstanding. When she heard the discussion in class, she blushed quite cute.

Tan Mo also heard it.

He wasn't interested in these things either, but Qiao Lan would always be interested in him.

When he heard the other students' discussion, he glanced at Qiao Lan's face. Suddenly, he remembered the way Qiao Lan walked out of the auditorium on Christmas Eve, wearing shiny antlers.

The purple-blue light shone on her face. Tan Mo, who had never had any opinions about beauty, felt that Qiao Lan was very beautiful for the first time.

Wasn't she beautiful?

He stared fixedly at Qiao Lan's side profile. The contours of her face were very beautiful. Her nose bridge was very high and beautiful. The curve of her eyes was also very beautiful.

Qiao Lan felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by Tan Mo, so she turned her head. Tan Mo met Qiao Lan's dark and bright eyes. He looked away again, thinking that this pair of eyes was the most beautiful.

He really felt that Qiao Lan was very beautiful, but why didn't any of the students around him mention Qiao Lan's name?

The person they mentioned the most was a girl named Song Yao.

Tan Mo finally found out who Song Yao was after two classes.

He looked at Song Yao for a while before his gaze fell back on Qiao Lan's face.

A girl sitting behind Song Yao gently tapped Song Yao and whispered to her, "Song Yao, I noticed that Tan Mo has been looking at you for the past two days."

Song Yao was stunned and hurriedly glanced at Chen Yaoyang. "You must be mistaken."

"I'm sure I'm not mistaken. He's really been looking at you."

Tan Mo, who had been "looking at Song Yao", didn't know anything. The more he compared Qiao Lan and Song Yao, the more he felt that Qiao Lan was superior.

Her nose bridge wasn't as high as Qiao Lan's, and the contours of her eyes weren't as unique as Qiao Lan's. Song Yao's face was too round, and her height was far less than Qiao Lan's …

He really felt that Qiao Lan was better than Song Yao in many aspects. However, when everyone talked about the good-looking girls, they never mentioned Qiao Lan's name.

After school in the afternoon, Tan Mo sat in the car while Uncle Chen turned on the radio to listen to the news. Tan Mo was silent for a long time before he suddenly spoke.

"Is Qiao Lan good-looking?"

Uncle Chen, who was listening to the radio, was stunned for a long time. "What?"

Tan Mo was still expressionless, but his words shocked Uncle Chen. He repeated himself, "Do you think Qiao Lan is good-looking?"

Uncle Chen was so shocked that he didn't even hear what the radio said.

Why did he suddenly ask this kind of question?

Why did he suddenly ask about Qiao Lan's appearance?

What could he say that would make Tan Mo happier?

A lot of thoughts flashed through Uncle Chen's mind, but in the end, he decided to answer Tan Mo's question from an objective point of view.

"Actually, Miss Qiao's facial features are very outstanding." As an old man with normal aesthetic standards, he could still give an accurate answer. "However, Miss Qiao has been malnourished for a long time. You see, she works every day. Her family must not be well-off, so her nutrition can't keep up. That's why she looks pale. If her complexion was better, she would definitely be different …"

While Uncle Chen was still talking, Tan Mo's eyes were looking at the streetlights outside the car window. No one knew what he was thinking.

Christmas and New Year's Day made the students relax for many days. Finally, after the three-day New Year's Day holiday ended, they began to slowly settle down and focus on the final exam.

However, as the Chinese New Year approached, Qiao Lan's work became busier than before. Sometimes, when she returned home at night, it was even past one o 'clock in the morning.

Tan Mo looked at Qiao Lan with a gloomy face. Qiao Lan's complexion was even worse than before.

Qiao Lan and Tan Mo had been sitting together for a long time. She gradually noticed that Tan Mo's expressionless face had different emotions. Moreover, today, Tan Mo seemed to be quieter than usual.

Qiao Lan turned to look at him and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?" After a while, Tan Mo asked her out of the blue, "How long are you going to work?"

Qiao Lan didn't know why he suddenly asked about working. She couldn't figure it out, so she answered honestly, "I should be working until the end of the first year of high school."

Tan Mo's eyes became even gloomier.

What the hell was going on?

When Qiao Lan asked again, Tan Mo kept his mouth shut. He didn't say anything.

Tan Mo didn't know how to lie. Once he encountered a question that he didn't want to answer, no one wanted to pry a single word out of him.

The next day, Qiao Lan came to study. After the morning self-study session, she greeted Tan Mo, who had just walked in. Tan Mo took out a palm-sized box from his backpack.

Qiao Lan glanced at it and asked casually, "What's this?"

Tan Mo pushed the box in front of Qiao Lan. "For you."

For me?

Qiao Lan's heart trembled again.

She was really afraid that Tan Mo would give her something. She owed Tan Mo too much. Every time she heard Tan Mo say "for you," she felt like her conscience was being condemned. After accepting the apple pendant last time, Qiao Lan swore that she would never accept anything from Tan Mo again.

Seeing that Qiao Lan didn't move or open the box, Tan Mo said again, "Aunt Chen made it. For you."

Tan Mo reached out and opened the box. It was a nutritious porridge that was still warm. Through the transparent glass, she could see the shrimp inside.

After a while, Qiao Lan took a deep breath. "I've had breakfast."

Tan Mo stared at Qiao Lan. After thinking for a while, he said, "It's okay." He took out the box and placed it in front of Qiao Lan. "It's not much."

It wasn't much. She could eat a little more after breakfast.

Qiao Lan was speechless.

"I really ate a little too early. I'm not hungry," Qiao Lan repeated.

Not only did he give her money at night, but he also gave her breakfast in the morning. Even though she knew that Tan Mo had good intentions, Qiao Lan really couldn't accept it.

Tan Mo's body stiffened. His good mood in the morning disappeared in an instant.

Uncle Chen said that Qiao Lan was malnourished, so Tan Mo asked the nutritionist to prepare a special menu. Because it wasn't convenient to bring large portions of nutritious food in school, he asked Aunt Chen to make nutritious porridge in the end.

He had seen many of his classmates eating porridge in the classroom before.

No one knew that when he brought the nutritious porridge out in the morning, he was secretly happy and expectant. But now, Qiao Lan didn't want it no matter what.

Tan Mo couldn't describe his feelings at the moment. He didn't understand the complicated feelings of irritation and anger, which were mixed with disappointment, grievance, and sadness.

He looked at the nutritious porridge expressionlessly. After a while, he turned his head coldly.

"If you don't like it, then throw it away."