"Jie, can we go on a date?"

Summer vacation is coming to an end, and it's time to bid farewell to the happy times. Although it feels reluctant, time still moves forward. Now, we should consider how to make the most of the remaining time without any regrets.

Sigh...there's still a pile of summer homework to catch up on, I want to die...

"Hmm? Jie..."

"Ah...sorry, what did you just say? I was lost in thought."

"Jie, can we go on a date?"

"A date?"

"Mhmm!" Zhiye nodded.

"A date!?" The pen in my hand dropped on the floor.

"Does the idea of going on a date surprise Jie? Is it too spontaneous?" Zhiye asked in confusion.

Spontaneous? Of course, it's spontaneous. I haven't finished my pile of homework. Am I thinking of getting a month-long punishment of cleaning the boys' restroom from the teacher?

Um...Zhiye, look at this mountain of homework I have," I said with a bitter smile, pointing to the stack.

"Jie, haven't you finished it yet?"

"Mhmm..." I nodded like a garlic crusher. In my heart, I both wanted to cry and laugh.

Cry, because how could anyone finish so much? Laugh, because the education system in this country is a joke.

"There are still a few days until school starts..."

"Mhmm...there are still a few days, but at this speed, I can't finish it in a week. Besides, there's just too much."

Anyway, I've lost my motivation. I can't even care about my image. I really want to set it all on fire and burn it to ashes, burying the dust in the ground.

"Umm..." Zhiye also knew it was a headache, although my head hurt more.

"So...about the date..."

"No! I need to..."

"You need to?"

"No...I just want to spend some time alone with Jie," Zhiye said shyly.

The idea is nice, but my homework doesn't allow me to go, I said helplessly.

"It's okay, I can help Jie...share some of the burden."

"Share some of it? Really?"

In any case, this pile of homework is driving me crazy. Seriously, even elementary school students don't have this much homework. It's usually just a summer homework booklet of fifty to sixty pages.

But mine consists of test papers, newspapers, and multiple workbooks. I really want to drop dead on the spot.

"Yes, after all, if Jie can't enrol smoothly, it will be troublesome. And you look really miserable too."

"Mhmm!" No one understands me like Zhiye does.

"But let's leave that for tonight. Can you accompany me outside now?"

"I can...I mean, is it that urgent?"

"Dates are best done early..."

"I've never heard of that before."

"Let's go out. I've prepared some food. You can eat if you're hungry."

Zhiye gestured towards a beautifully crafted basket on the dining table. It seems like Zhiye has planned this for a while. Holding my chin, I nodded.

"Can we go now? Jie..."

"Well, at least wait for me to change my clothes. Don't rush."

I found it a bit amusing. Did Zhiye get a little too anxious?

"Mhmm...I'll wait for you."

"Three minutes." After saying that, I ran back to my bedroom and changed into a light summer outfit then walked back to the living room.

"I didn't keep Zhiye waiting long, did I?"

"No...can we go now?"

"Of course..."

As we walked out, although it was almost September, the heat wave hadn't subsided. It was still hot.

"So, where should we go for our date?"

"Jie, do you have any place in mind?"

"I can't think of any good places off the top of my head. Let's just find a cool spot and relax for a bit before deciding where to go."

"Okay."

And so, Zhiye and I sat on a bench outside an old shop. A cool breeze blew from somewhere, making it quite pleasant.

"Wow! Ice cream!"

"Hey...there's nothing so exciting about it. It's just a saltwater ice with a hint of lychee flavor. I used to eat it often, but it doesn't compare to strawberry ice cream."

A little boy's eyes lit up as he stared at the ice pops in the freezer. However, the little girl next to him seemed uninterested.

"Would you like to buy one, kid?"

An old lady approached them with a smile.

"Well...I was thinking..."

The little boy hesitated and lowered his head.

"Here, take one for free," the old lady pulled out a popsicle from the freezer and handed it to the little boy.

"Um...grandma, I can't accept this."

The little boy declined.

"You don't have to pay for it."

"But...I still can't take it..."

"But you really want to eat it, don't you?"

"..."

"Well...thank you, Grandma," the little boy finally accepted the ice pop, and the old lady smiled kindly.

"Grandma, won't you lose money giving away a popsicle for free?"

The little girl asked in confusion.

"It's just one, and my shop isn't doing well anyway. If it doesn't sell, it's a waste."

"Um...I see."

"Do you want one too?"

"I...I don't want it."

"Hehe..."

However, the old lady still insisted and handed a popsicle to the little girl.

"It's the same flavor. I've grown tired of it, but it's not bad."

"I...I think it's pretty good."

Watching the two kids enjoy themselves, I couldn't help but get lost in the moment. Of course, I had no interest in these cheap popsicles.

"Miss...would you like one?"

Huh? The target has shifted to Zhiye now.

"Is it okay?"

"Don't be polite."

"Thank you..."

A popsicle had swindled away the little boy, the little girl, and Zhiye. Ha, I was determined not to take one.

"Young man, would you like one too?"

"Ah...thanks!"

As I put the popsicle in my mouth, I felt like I had lost all my dignity.

"Really...how can we thank you guys? We, the elderly..."

Yes, why was the old lady saying this? It was because Zhiye and I decided to buy all the popsicles in the freezer.

What the...what was I thinking? This was an impulsive act of excessive kindness and compassion.

As the old lady waved goodbye with a smile on her face, I couldn't help but laugh. She even gave us a few packs of spicy chips and some 50-cent lollipops.

Off we went, kidnapping little kids.

I laughed until I cried. Was it worth spending that money?

But when I looked at Zhiye, she seemed happy. Well, as long as she's happy, I don't mind.

"Jie...are you tired?"

"Ah...not really," holding a bag of popsicles in each hand, saying I'm not tired would be a lie. But I'm really worried that these popsicles will melt.

It would be better to put them in the fridge, but Zhiye said we couldn't go home now. She really is willful.

Okay, okay, I don't care about melting into ashes,

"Where are we going next?"

"Well ~ how about sitting in the park over there?"

Sure enough, sitting is the only option, but that's okay. My arm is tired from carrying the bag anyway.

We entered a certain park and found a bench to sit on.

I checked the bag and oh no, the popsicles turned into sticks in less than ten minutes.

"Jie, what's wrong?" Zhiye asked, seeing me frowning.

"These popsicles are all melting,"

"We bought too many..."

"Well, at least... I'm still happy that we helped the old lady."

"Ah... yeah," Zhiye also had a good quality of being helpful.

"It's just a waste to see these popsicles melting... What should we do?"

"Yeah... we can't finish them ourselves. Even if we put them in the fridge, it seems like there's not enough space. How about..."

I looked around and saw that there were still many people. So why not...

"Let's share them with everyone,"

"Well, that's a good idea," Zhiye agreed with my point of view.

"Then let's strike while the iron is hot and quickly hand out these popsicles,"

"Yeah!"

So Zhiye and I distributed the popsicles to the people around us like handing out flyers. At first, we thought people wouldn't accept them and assumed we were trying to promote something, but we kept talking and persuading them.

"It's free, come and taste it."

"Please share some, we bought too many,"

Zhiye also tried hard, and gradually, these people became less resistant. In the end, everyone took them willingly.

One after another, adults and children came by.

Just when I was busy and happy, my phone rang.

As soon as I answered it, I heard an impatient voice.

"Where are you, Xu Youjie?!"

My ears almost went deaf.

"What's up? Miss Su Yuqian,"

"Where are you? Tell me!"

"I'm busy,"

"Fine... Don't let me find you, if I find you, I'll..."

"Alright, alright, I'm afraid of you,"

Su Yuqian's fists are made of iron, and my body can't withstand them. So I wisely told her my address, forgetting one important thing: I'm on a date right now. Well, Zhiye won't mind.

"Don't push, everyone can have some,"

What a passionate crowd.

"Xu Youjie!" Someone seemed to call me and ran towards me in a flash, kicking up dust.

"Cough... who is this?"

I didn't know that inhaling dust was harmful to the body.

"I've been looking for you so hard," Su Yuqian said, grabbing my collar with a fake smile on her face.

"What's wrong?"

I was confused.

"We agreed to go to the library today... and you actually stood me up, making me wait for so long,"

"What?" I had a confused expression on my face.

"Xu Youjie, take a taste of my iron fist and pay the price for your actions,"

"Wait, wait!" Su Yuqian's fist is about to hit my face.

"You make me... remember,"

"Are you struggling to the very end? Alright... let me see how you explain it to me, Miss."

"Well..." I rewound my memory back to a week ago.

"Next week at this time, accompany me to the library."

"Oh... no problem."

Suddenly, my body shivered, I actually forgot. I didn't even care at that time.

"Well... I'm sorry, I really forgot."

"Xu... You... Jie! Die!"

"Ah ah ah, Miss, I was wrong, I won't dare next time!"

"Begging for mercy is useless," Su Yuqian burned with anger, afraid that even a bucket of water couldn't put it out.

"I know I stood you up, it's my fault, I'll make it up next time."

"Make it up? Does it work?"

"If it doesn't work... then please have an ice pop to calm down."

"Miss doesn't eat ice pops sold on the roadside."

"The price is cheap, but it tastes good."

"I won't eat it!"

"Eating one won't kill you."

"I won't eat it! I, Miss, won't eat this kind of thing."

"Shut up and eat it obediently," I directly stuffed one into her mouth, and Su Yuqian reluctantly ate it.

"Jie... You had plans with Yuqian, and you actually kept it a secret from me."

Hey hey hey, I just let out a sigh of relief, and Zhiye is going to become dark again. Please don't, my heart can't take it.

"Zhiye, have one too, the taste is good."

In short, the secret to making them shut up is to stuff ice pops into their mouths. If they eat it, they won't have time to speak.

"Come and get free ice pops... come and eat."

"Can Xi have one?"

"Oh... of course..."

When I handed the ice pop to the girl in front of me, her voice sounded familiar, I was confused, isn't this Xi?

"You..."

"Ah... why are you here?"

"Well, Xi was passing by and heard someone calling for free ice pops, so I came to take a look. I didn't expect it to be You."

"Ahaha, sorry for embarrassing you."

"Is You promoting something?"

"No, no, I just did a good deed and left behind a mess."

"Is that so?"

"Cough cough... how have you been recently?"

"Okay... Although my parents have communicated with me and won't make me marry someone from Japan anymore."

"Isn't that great? Everyone's happy," I said happily.

"Well... it's just that Xi's feelings for You... is really real. Xi really likes You."

"Ah... would you like an ice pop? The taste is good."

"Can I?"

"No need to be polite."

"Then thank you."

I quickly changed the topic. This conversation feels dangerous. I vaguely saw a few pairs of eyes staring at me from a corner.

"What does You think?"

"As for me... as I always say, Xi will meet the right person, and I'm not the person Xi should meet."

"Is that so?" Xi seemed a little disappointed.

"Anyway, I'll go take care of these ice pops first," I ran away without permission. But when I looked at that spot after a few minutes, Yu Xi was gone. Although I was a little worried, there was nothing I could do, so I simply stopped caring.

After that, I focused on giving out these ice pops.

"Ah... so tired," I sighed with relief as I finished devouring the popsicle I had bought. Finally, I could take a break. But for some reason, both Zhiye and Su Yuqian seemed off.

"What's wrong with you two?" I asked.

"Jie...!"

"Xu Youjie!"

"Cheating is not right, especially for middle school students! x2" Su Yuqian and Zhiye chimed in unison.

"What are you guys talking about?!" I exclaimed.

"I hate unfaithful boys the most, Jie. You should only love me, and if you have feelings for someone else, then I can only... kill... you," one of them seethed with anger, while the other emanated a dark aura. What on earth was going on?

"What's wrong with you guys? Are you talking about Yu Xi?"

"Hey, hey, hey... Yuqian, put your fist down. Zhiye, that knife is really dangerous."

"Just die/Go die," they both said.

"Ah, ah, ah..." I let out a series of screams and then fled for my life. Why was this world so terrifying?