Saturday evening, the sky was dyed warm orange by the setting sun as Lin Chen and Su Wanqing finally finished packing up the sticker stall. Lin Chen counted the pile of coins in his hand, shaking them with a grin.
"Made 168 yuan today. Next time we hit our goal, I'm taking you out for that internet-famous ice cream shop!"
Su Wanqing laughed, taking her share and tucking it carefully into her backpack. "Deal! But I better hurry home now—if I'm late again, my mom's going to freak out."
They parted ways at the intersection. With her pink backpack bouncing, Su Wanqing hurried toward home, her lips curved up as memories of the funny moments at the stall replayed in her head.
The moment she pushed open the door, though, her heart dropped. The living room lights were on, her mother sat on the sofa, and dishes on the table were still covered with lids—clearly waiting.
"Mom, I'm back." She quickly changed her shoes, her chest tightening.
Her mother didn't get up to take her bag like usual. Instead, she glanced up, her tone laced with scrutiny. "Why are you always coming home so late lately? You've been hanging around that boy, Lin Chen, every day, haven't you?"
A blush rushed to Su Wanqing's cheeks. She clutched her bag straps. "Yeah… we've been running a stall together, and also reviewing math. My math scores have gone up a lot."
"Running a stall? Reviewing?" Her mother rose, frowning as she stepped closer. "Wanqing, it's not that I don't want you to have friends. But Lin Chen's family isn't well-off. Right now, the most important thing is preparing for college entrance exams. Don't let yourself get distracted! And besides, you're still young. It's too early for… relationships. You two aren't a good match."
"We're not in a relationship!" Su Wanqing's head shot up, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Her voice rose. "We just help each other. We study together and push each other to improve. My math went from barely passing to over 80 points—how is that bad for studying? You can't judge him just because of his family background!"
"I'm only thinking about your future!" her mother snapped, her own tone heavy now. "I've eaten more bitterness than you've walked roads. I can see things you can't. He's from an ordinary family. What could he give you later? Your job is to focus on studying hard, getting into a top university, not spending your nights running stalls with him!"
"What's wrong with being ordinary?" Su Wanqing's tears finally spilled over. "Lin Chen is a hundred times better than those spoiled rich kids who throw their weight around! He works hard, he's motivated, and he even tutors me in math. How can you not see how good he is?"
"You think I don't see?" her mother sighed, her voice tinged with helplessness. "I'm afraid you'll regret it in the future. Starting tomorrow, you're not allowed to run stalls with him anymore. After school, come straight home. Did you hear me?"
Su Wanqing couldn't hold back anymore. She spun around and slammed her bedroom door shut. Throwing herself onto the bed, tears soaked her sheets. Her chest swelled with both anger and hurt—her mother didn't understand Lin Chen, or the pure friendship and encouragement they shared. Why did everything have to be measured by family background?
After crying for a while, she wiped her tears and pulled a slip of paper and pen from her desk drawer. In the glow of moonlight streaming through the window, she carefully wrote:
Lin Chen, my mom found out about us running the stall. She's upset, but don't worry—we'll still meet at the library tomorrow to review math. Don't let it get to you.
She folded the note into a small star and slipped it into the outer pocket of her backpack.
From outside her door came her mother's voice. "Wanqing, dinner's still hot. Come eat."
She didn't answer, just hugged her pillow tighter, whispering in her heart: I'll prove it with my grades—that my friendship with Lin Chen not only won't hurt my studies, it'll make us both better.
The next morning, she woke to find a warm breakfast waiting on the table. Her mother had already left for work, but a sticky note lay beside the food: I was too harsh yesterday. Don't take it to heart. Eat well, study hard.
Her chest warmed. She finished breakfast quickly, then rushed off with her backpack to the library.
When she arrived, Lin Chen was already there by the window, his math error notebook open. Seeing her, he waved with a bright smile. "You're here! Sit down—I organized all the function problems you missed last time. Today, we're going to nail them."
Su Wanqing sat across from him, pulling out the folded star from her bag. She slid it across the table. "Don't let what my mom said bother you. Let's keep working hard together."
Lin Chen unfolded it, his chest swelling at the neat handwriting. Looking up, his eyes burned with resolve. "Don't worry. Next exam, we'll both hit the top ten. We'll use our grades to prove to your mom that our friendship only makes us stronger."
Su Wanqing nodded hard, her eyes shining bright again. Together, they pulled out books and scratch paper, diving into study. Sunshine spilled across their shoulders, warm and hopeful.
But neither of them knew—in her office, Su Wanqing's mother was on the phone with their homeroom teacher.
"Mr. Wang, could you please keep an extra eye on Wanqing and that boy, Lin Chen? I'm worried they're too close and it'll affect her studies. Maybe you can adjust their seating, or at least remind them often…"
On the other end, the teacher readily agreed. Hanging up, her mother gazed out the window, her heart full of what she thought was care. She didn't realize that this decision was about to stir up fresh trouble for both Su Wanqing and Lin Chen.