Chen Shuo Never Worked So Hard

In the car, Chen Shuo kept hugging the paper box that he didn't allow Su Xiyan to touch. He was being mysterious about it and treated it very preciously, refusing to even put it in the trunk and insisting on holding it in his arms at all times.

Since the front passenger seat was too small, Chen Shuo simply sat in the back seat, hugging the box.

Su Xiyan drove while occasionally glancing at Chen Shuo from the rearview mirror.

"Chen Shuo, don't be late tonight."

Chen Shuo nodded, "Don't worry! You told me so many times already, I definitely won't be late."

After parking the car, Chen Shuo rushed ahead clutching the gift box, as if he had something very important to take care of.

Su Xiyan locked the car and chased after him, "Chen Shuo, see you tonight."

The warm autumn sun shone on Chen Shuo, making him seem to glow all over.

This boy with a smile as bright as the sunlight turned to Su Xiyan and smiled, "See you tonight!"

Su Xiyan stood at the fork on the tree-lined path, watching Chen Shuo depart. Her vision seemed to blur.

Why was there this vague feeling?

It must be her imagination. Or she was overthinking things.

Su Xiyan lingered at the intersection until Chen Shuo's figure disappeared around the corner before heading towards her own classroom building.

After bidding Su Xiyan farewell, Chen Shuo did not go to the classroom building but turned around towards another school gate, waiting for his rideshare while calling his former roommate Lu Chen:

"Is the location accurate? Is the packaging good? If it doesn't look good I'm going to hold you accountable!"

On the other end of the phone, Lu Chen said, "If the packaging doesn't look good I wouldn't have recommended it to you!"

Chen Shuo said, "Remember to answer for me when the teacher takes attendance!"

Lu Chen chuckled, "Don't worry about that!"

"The teacher would never expect a model student like Chen Shuo to skip class."

"Right, what gift are you going through so much effort to package this time?"

"It's for Miss Campus Beauty Su right??"

Although Chen Shuo denied it, his expression was very proud: "If it wasn't her birthday today, why would I give her a gift!"

"I'm not telling you more, my ride is here."

The rideshare took Chen Shuo straight to the gift shop near campus.

When Chen Shuo opened the paper box at the gift shop, the owner's eyes lit up at the exquisitely made gift inside: "Young man, where did you buy this? You can't get this stuff nowadays."

Chen Shuo smiled, "It's unavailable now, so I made it myself."

The middle-aged owner looked at the young Chen Shuo in astonishment, "You made this yourself? Impressive!"

"It's not easy putting this together!"

Chen Shuo grinned and scratched the back of his head, "It was hard work! I was up working on it several nights, changing the blueprints several times. Even getting the materials, I had to run around several small merchandise marts before finding everything."

"Boss, please wrap this beautifully."

The professional shop owner put on gloves before carefully lifting out Chen Shuo's gift and looking for suitable packaging.

"This gift is for someone important, yes?"

Chen Shuo nodded, "Yes!"

The owner gave Chen Shuo a meaningful look, "Looks like it's for your girlfriend?"

Girlfriend? Such a distant yet familiar term!

Chen Shuo rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed, "Not yet, but hopefully someday."

"Boss, you have to wrap this nicely for me! She has very high-end taste."

The shop owner was very confident, "Don't worry! I'll make sure it's wrapped beautifully."

"Hopefully after receiving this gift, you'll win the beauty's heart."

Chen Shuo was also fully confident, "Of course!"

Soon, Chen Shuo realized the shop owner's confidence was deserved.

The packaging technique and aesthetic were truly impressive! The gift was first secured in a packaging box, then wrapped in an attractive outer box, and finally tied with ribbon.

Chen Shuo had specifically skipped class to come gift wrap in hopes that Su Xiyan's eyes would light up when she saw the present later.

He knew Su Xiyan was a perfectionist with a touch of OCD.

A thoughtfully handmade gift plus exquisite packaging was sure to delight her.

After the gift wrapping was done, Chen Shuo returned to his former dorm room.

Today was Su Xiyan's birthday. Chen Shuo had deliberately worn the men's version of the couple's outfit Su Xiyan had previously bought him.

It was just the right autumn style, long sleeves, perfect with an extra coat now.

Other than the one time Chen Shuo wore it under Su Xiyan's coercion, he hadn't worn the couple's outfit since.

This time, Chen Shuo decided to take the initiative to wear the matching outfit to see Su Xiyan. Even if he didn't say anything outright, she would understand his intentions.

Confessing was so awkward. Best avoid saying it out loud if possible! A smart woman like Su Xiyan would grasp the meaning as soon as she saw him dressed in the couple's outfit.

Lu Chen, Zhu Fei and Shen Xu who shared the dorm had gone to class.

After changing into the couple's outfit, Chen Shuo carefully shaved and washed his hair, even styling it in the mirror.

Seeing his reflection, Chen Shuo was already imagining life with a girlfriend.

The lack of sleep last night had left dark circles.

Since he was skipping class already, might as well take the chance to catch up on sleep and show up to the party well-rested!

Lying in bed, Chen Shuo found himself feeling a bit nervous looking up at the ceiling.

The last time he felt this nervous was probably before his college entrance exams!

Confessing to Su Xiyan was as important as his college exams!

After helping Su Xiyan make her birthday gift last night, he was too exhausted and ended up sleeping until late afternoon.

Waking at 4pm, Chen Shuo washed up, put on the couple outfit again with a baseball coat, grabbed the gift box and headed out to the party.

Upon exiting campus, the weather seemed to have taken a gloomy turn.

The morning had been perfectly sunny, how did it become overcast by afternoon?

Chen Shuo stopped by a nearby florist to pick up the pink rose bouquet with a pearl crown decoration he had preordered days ago.

And so, Chen Shuo held the flowers in one hand and the gift box in the other as he took a car to the private kitchen restaurant where he was meeting Su Xiyan.

At 4:30pm Su Xiyan also arrived at the venue, a little earlier than Chen Shuo.

As soon as she entered the private kitchen, Su Xiyan sensed something amiss.

From the young lady who greeted her, to the server who offered her a hot towel, to the private room attendant who came to confirm the food order time, they all seemed to be different people than the staff she had met during her previous reservation.

Su Xiyan had an exceptional memory. She could remember the faces of anyone she had seen before.

But from the moment she stepped into the venue, every face she saw was unfamiliar.