Chapter 3: This Must Be the Legendary Natural Fragrance

Qingxia Bai bit her pink lips lightly, her voice squeezed out through her clenched teeth: "Just one!"

Nonsense! What about the strap I pulled before? Does that not count as clothing?

Lu Yuanqiu silently argued in his mind, amused, though he knew it would be utterly cruel to voice such a question aloud.

Perhaps it was the soul of a man in his thirties dwelling inside him that made him instinctively want to tease the teenage girl before him.

At this age, a little teasing could easily bring tears to her eyes—it was truly fascinating.

But even teasing had its boundaries.

Lu Yuanqiu nodded, refraining from making any more excessive demands. Instead, he leaned forward and gently lifted the collar of her school uniform. "Nothing hidden in your sleeves?"

Qingxia Bai replied, "No!"

Lu Yuanqiu turned to look at her; their eyes were much closer now than before. Surprisingly, a faint blush appeared on Qingxia Bai's cheeks, and her gaze quickly shifted away.

So this is what she looks like when she's shy. In all his time at school, Lu Yuanqiu had never seen the icy beauty show any excess emotion. He was quietly astonished.

He snorted coldly, "It's not enough for you to say so—I have to check myself."

While speaking, he moved his head towards her left armpit. Qingxia Bai turned her head away, cheeks burning with shame and anger.

At that moment, besides the fragrance of shower gel and laundry detergent, Lu Yuanqiu caught a delicate scent unique to young girls.

...Certainly not body odor.

This must be the legendary natural fragrance—pleasant, far superior to the artificial perfumes bought with money.

Her sleeves were clean, revealing a glimpse of her fair, tender arm. Lu Yuanqiu smiled and pretended to check her other sleeve, making Qingxia Bai turn her head to the opposite side, equally flustered.

Lu Yuanqiu noticed something worth pondering—a detail he never would have caught in his youth.

If a girl were subjected to such an invasive search by a boy, her eyes should be filled with disgust and coldness.

But Qingxia Bai only seemed embarrassed and irritated.

At that moment, Lu Yuanqiu understood something.

Qingxia Bai did not dislike him.

If one were to speculate further, perhaps she even harbored some fondness for him before this.

This explained why Qingxia Bai had voted for him.

Yet, in Lu Yuanqiu's memory, he couldn't recall any interaction between them.

They had never spoken a word to each other; not even a single glance exchanged in class.

Was his younger self too dull to notice?

Thinking back to his youth, Lu Yuanqiu felt a headache coming on. Back then, his heart belonged entirely to Caiwei Hu—he was timid and anxious, kept awake at night by her hot-and-cold attitude.

Looking back now, he thought himself so foolish then.

Lu Yuanqiu silently stepped back two paces, his gaze dropping downward.

"Nothing hidden in your pants?"

Upon hearing that, Qingxia Bai obediently turned out both pockets of her trousers, showing him.

Lu Yuanqiu barely looked, instead glancing at the wall clock—it had only been a few minutes...

That car that had hit someone probably hadn't even reached the intersection yet.

He continued to nitpick: "Just turning out your pockets doesn't prove anything. Let me check."

He crouched down, hand reaching forward, intending to touch her long, shapely legs beneath the school uniform trousers. Qingxia Bai hurriedly shrank back, truly panicked now, breathing heavily in distress.

Lu Yuanqiu had anticipated such a reaction and relented, saying, "True, there's a difference between men and women... It's not convenient. How about this—jump in place a couple of times for me."

Qingxia Bai looked up, confused.

Lu Yuanqiu explained, eyes wide, "I want to see if anything falls out!"

Qingxia Bai remained unmoved.

"Either I do it myself, or you jump—your choice."

Hearing this, Qingxia Bai took a deep breath and chose to comply.

Stealing is always wrong; she had no grounds to argue.

She raised her arm slightly, gathering her strength, and bounced in place once.

Lu Yuanqiu prepared to pretend to check the ground, but instinctively looked up instead, his eyes and head following her movement.

So intense!

Fortunately, the girl was utterly focused, head bowed, unaware of Lu Yuanqiu's gaze.

Qingxia Bai jumped again, and Lu Yuanqiu quickly said, "Alright, that's enough."

If she kept jumping, he would be dizzy.

"I'm not lying—I only took three buns. I've returned them to you now. Can I leave?"

Her voice carried a hint of choking sobs.

Lu Yuanqiu could find no reason to detain her further. Seeing no response, Qingxia Bai immediately went to the table and packed the items back into her bag.

Just as she was about to leave, Lu Yuanqiu called out, "Wait."

Qingxia Bai turned, clutching her bag tightly to her chest, her beautiful eyes wary as she watched him.

Lu Yuanqiu finally couldn't resist asking, "Are you very hungry?"

At his question, Qingxia Bai lowered her head in silence.

Lu Yuanqiu said nothing more. He turned, opened a bun, and handed it to her. "Eat before you go."

The warehouse fell silent. Qingxia Bai stood for a long time, not looking up or reaching out, hugging her bag as if punished, her thin frame seeming as if a gust of wind could knock her over.

Her face was hidden behind strands of hair; Lu Yuanqiu couldn't see her expression, so he continued, "I've already opened it; I can't sell it anymore. Take it!"

He firmly placed the bun in her hand.

A few seconds later, Qingxia Bai slowly lifted her hand and began taking small bites, then ate faster and faster.

Lu Yuanqiu watched with a satisfied smile.

Suddenly, he saw two tears slip from Qingxia Bai's eyes, falling to the floor like broken pearls.

Qingxia Bai was crying.

From the moment she was caught, through the search, she had stubbornly held back her tears—until she tasted the bun. Now, she couldn't help herself.

Lu Yuanqiu watched her silently, then tore open another bun and placed it in her free hand.

He rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a tissue, realized it was one he'd used to blow his nose, and tossed it to the floor in distaste.

Damn, his seventeen-year-old self didn't carry tissues?

A real man should always have tissues at hand.

Lu Yuanqiu wasn't sure what had happened in Qingxia Bai's family.

No matter how poor, it was the twenty-first century—how could a top student be forced to steal buns from a supermarket?

After finishing the second bun, Qingxia Bai looked at the third. Before Lu Yuanqiu could turn away, she went over, tore it open, and began eating.

While eating, she pulled out paper and pen from her bag, quickly scribbling a few lines.

When she finished, she wiped her tears with her sleeve and solemnly handed the sheet to Lu Yuanqiu.

It read:

[August 30, 2010. Qingxia Bai owes Lu Yuanqiu three buns.]

Lu Yuanqiu took the note, staring blankly.

His eyes locked on the name "Lu Yuanqiu."

He was silent for a long time.

Sharp yet elegant characters, exactly like the handwriting on the ballot paper in his memory.

Yes, Caiwei Hu's handwriting was equally delicate, but she couldn't produce that edge.

Handwriting reflects character; the girl before him was indeed both elegant and sharp.

Lu Yuanqiu tossed the IOU aside.

"You think writing a note settles today's matter?"