Meng Yuxin felt guilty and afraid. She knew her actions were irrational. However, thinking of Chu Han's excited expression and his care for her made Meng Yuxin feel it was worth it.
After some thoughtful consideration, Meng Yuxin dialed the phone number of a friend she had known for a while.
"Mr. Li, the knockoff set you mentioned last time, I'd like to order it. Please bring it to me this afternoon."
Meng Yuxin had been unable to find the commemorative badges issued by the National Basketball League on various platforms. A friend of hers had recommended a store that specialised in replicas. The full set of badges from this shop was incredibly well-made, so much so that it was nearly impossible to distinguish them from the originals without close examination.
Despite this high level of imitation, Meng Yuxin never seriously considered using a knockoff for her gift to Chu Han. First, she didn't want to deceive him, and second, even if Chu Han didn't mind, she was unwilling to give him a fake item under the pretence of it being genuine.
An hour after the call, Meng Yuxin received the box of knockoffs. Upon first glance, it looked identical to the original packaging from Chu Ci.
Meng Yuxin received the jerseys and basketballs and carefully repackaged them into the wet carton. The new packaging was identical to the original express package sent to Chuci. Unless someone inspected it closely, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Following Meng Yuxin, Auntie Zhang was called over. "I'm sorry, Auntie Zhang," she said. "I just asked Xiaohan, and I didn't realise that this wasn't a gift from my cousin. You should take it to her room."
Aunt Zhang was unaware that the contents of the package had been swapped, so she complied with Meng Yuxin's instructions. She understood how humble Chuci was and knew that Miss Meng would never take anything belonging to Chuci.
When Chuci returned, Mrs. Zhang approached her with the open courier package. "Miss, this delivery belongs to you. It accidentally got wet just now, and Miss Meng was worried the contents might be damaged, so she asked me to open it first," Zhang Wei explained to Chuci.
According to the order from the Chu family, Chuci is the eldest. Although most people in the family still struggle to accept this, the old man's decision is final, and all servants must follow his instructions.
Chuci glanced at the package and took it without asking any questions. The next day, he packed the contents of the box into his schoolbag and brought it to school.
As soon as Lin Nuo arrived, Chuci placed the items in front of him.
"What are you doing?" Lin Nuo asked.
"For your friend," Chuci replied.
Lu Xing's birthday is in a few days. Being the most popular guy in school, Lu Xing's birthday party is widely known. A few days earlier, Chu Ci overheard a girl discussing it. Since Lu Xing is the captain of the school basketball team, and basketball is likely his favourite sport, it makes sense to give him something related to basketball for his birthday.
Lin Nuo looked at Chu Ci and then at the box. So, she is trying to impress him by impressing his friends? That is indeed a clever strategy.
Lin Nuo examined what Chu Ci had prepared. The items all revolve around Yi Xuecheng, a star player who's hard to come by. Chu Ci really has a thoughtful approach, knowing exactly what to offer.
"So, do you want to give it to him or me?" Lin Nuo asked Chu Ci.
"Give it to you," Chuci stated.
Lin Nuo is a kind man across three incarnations, but Lu Xing is not. It's been a week since Chu Ci transferred to their class.
Throughout this week, apart from eating and sleeping, she hardly paid attention in class. Even when the teacher called on her to answer questions, she remained clueless. She also did not engage with others, responding very coldly to anyone who tried to talk to her.
He is the only exception.