The cultural performance perfectly concluded as the spotlight slowly faded.
The crowd reluctantly stood up and left the performance hall in an orderly fashion.
Lin Can walked to the side of the stage and returned the hairpin to Zhu Yanxi. "Thank you for your hairpin."
"You're welcome." Zhu Yanxi took the leaf and looked at it carefully. "I didn't expect you to have this talent."
Zhu Yanxi was an art student, so naturally, she was interested in boys with talents.
"What talent, it's just a little skill. If you hadn't egged me on, I wouldn't have shown it. By the way, these sanitary pads are for you."
"No, no need."
"You're at an age where you definitely need them. You're not pregnant, and you're not menopausal, so you'll need them both day and night. The rest, I'll share with Wuluo and Xiaoxiao. Take them, don't be shy."
Lin Can shoved several packs of sanitary pads into her hands.
Zhu Yanxi looked at the sanitary pads in her hands, both amused and helpless. She had lived for so long and this was the first time a boy had given her something like this. She smiled.
She suddenly found Lin Can quite interesting.
"Thanks, I'll go change clothes. You all wait for me by the door."
Zhu Yanxi held the sanitary pads and went backstage, tapping her way.
Lin Can watched her leave. She was a dancer, and her figure was really good—her chest held high and her stomach in, walking with grace and poise.
"Xiao Lin." At that moment, a familiar voice called from the audience.
Lin Can immediately recognized the middle-aged man below the stage as their middle school homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang.
"Mr. Wang, what are you doing here? I was just thinking of visiting your place."
"Haha, didn't expect to run into you here."
"Mr. Wang, look, I don't even need these, you can take them back for your wife."
"Your wife's already menopausal, she won't need them."
Well, no solution there.
Mr. Wang smiled and patted Lin Can's shoulder. "I heard you got into Ningda, that's great."
"It's all thanks to you, Mr. Wang, you taught me well. Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask you about the demolition issue in our village…"
At the cultural center entrance.
Yang Wuluo and the others waited for a while, and then Zhu Yanxi came out from backstage, holding a bag full of sanitary pads.
"Did Lin Can give these to you?" asked Zhou Xiaoxiao.
Zhu Yanxi chuckled awkwardly. "He insisted on giving them to me, it was really something."
Zhou Xiaoxiao said, "I'll take some later too."
Wang Peng added, "Take a hammer. If you want some, I'll buy them for you!"
Zhou Xiaoxiao retorted, "Buy your sister. I don't need you to buy them for me. If there's a bargain, a fool wouldn't take it, got it?"
Wang Peng was annoyed and grumbled, "This kind of bargain shouldn't be taken. It's a sponge trap—small at the front, big at the back!"
Zhou Xiaoxiao: "Mind your own business."
Zhu Yanxi: "Stop arguing, stop it. Here, Wuluo, your leaf."
Yang Wuluo took the leaf, gazing at it intently under the sunlight.
Zhu Yanxi and the others looked at Yang Wuluo in a trance, then at Zhou Hao, who looked dejected. It was so cruel.
However, everyone had to admit one thing—Zhou Hao had money, but Lin Can didn't, yet Zhou Hao couldn't win her over, while Lin Can used a leaf to captivate her.
Some things just can't be forced.
"Let's go, don't block the door, let's wait under that tree."
Zhu Yanxi patted Zhou Hao's shoulder and led everyone over to wait under the tree.
Yang Wuluo was still lost in her trance with the leaf. In her daze, she missed a step and twisted her ankle, falling down the stairs. Before Zhu Yanxi and the others could react, Yang Wuluo had already collapsed on the ground.
"Wuluo, are you okay?" Zhou Hao rushed up to help.
"No need, I—" Yang Wuluo pushed herself up, but her injured knee scraped against the ground, and the bandage began to bleed.
"Why are you looking at the leaf while walking? Seriously." Zhu Yanxi and Zhou Xiaoxiao helped Yang Wuluo up. She winced in pain. "I can't do it, I need to sit for a moment. My ankle's hurt, and my knee's also painful."
"Should I carry you?" Zhou Hao crouched down, looking genuinely concerned.
"No need!"
"What's wrong?" At this moment, Lin Can approached, looking down at Yang Wuluo. "Did you hurt your knee again? Are you an idiot?"
"What are you saying? She's hurt, and you're scolding her," Zhou Hao shouted angrily as he stood up.
Lin Can ignored him.
"I… I…" Yang Wuluo held the leaf, "I didn't notice there was another step."
Everyone: ???
You fell, and you're explaining to Lin Can, hoping he'll forgive you?
Lin Can sighed, crouched down, and without a word, wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her knees. He lifted her without asking and walked straight toward the flower bed.
Zhu Yanxi and Zhou Xiaoxiao gasped. Which girl could stand such unreasonable pampering?
Even the nearby aunties, seeing this scene, felt their hearts stir.
Wang Peng sighed. Zhou Hao could finally give up. Just look at how happy Yang Wuluo looked in Lin Can's arms.
Zhou Hao stood there, stunned. To know that the woman he liked was being carried away by another man, that kind of feeling must be incredibly painful.
Lin Can placed Yang Wuluo gently on the flower bed and squatted down beside her, looking at her knees. When his gaze lifted, uh… he accidentally saw her underwear.
Yang Wuluo quickly shut her legs, her left hand falling to cover herself.
Hah, in the end, I'm still not a true friend to him.
"Take the medicine out."
Yang Wuluo took the medicine from her bag, and Lin Can once again helped her bandage the wound.
Yang Wuluo had gradually gotten used to being cared for so attentively by Lin Can.
Getting used to it also meant she was slowly falling for him.
"Next time, be careful. Don't injure your knee again. If you leave a scar, how ugly it would look."
"…"
Okay, Yang Wuluo understood. He doesn't care about me, just my legs.
Is a scar his bottom line?
She wanted to ask him: "Are you only nice to me because of my legs?"
She didn't dare ask, fearing she'd get the answer: "Of course, that's obvious."
That would hurt deeply.
So, I have to protect my legs well, because… he likes them?
Meanwhile, Zhu Yanxi and Zhou Xiaoxiao, who were unaware of the deeper feelings, were both touched and jealous by the sight of Lin Can squatting down to carefully help Yang Wuluo with her injury in front of everyone.
If a leaf could captivate a woman, that would only last for a while. But this kind of thoughtful care in front of so many people—any girl would skip over liking and go straight to loving, right?
Zhou Hao watched Lin Can's hands move over Yang Wuluo's thighs. His heart felt like it was freezing.
After bandaging her leg, Lin Can rolled up her knee-high white socks and adjusted them along her thigh, gently rubbing the fabric.
Such skill—everyone was certain this wasn't the first time Lin Can had helped Yang Wuluo with stockings.
Zhu Yanxi: "Thanks, everyone, for watching my performance. I'll treat you all to dinner, how about it?"
Yang Wuluo: "No, no need. I promised my mom I'd go home early."
Zhu Yanxi: "A meal won't delay us much."
Zhou Hao: "Yeah, after the meal, I'll drive you home."
Yang Wuluo: "Really don't need to, let's do it next time. We'll have plenty of time in the summer, right?"
Zhu Yanxi suddenly realized. Yang Wuluo liked Lin Can, and since Zhou Hao was there, she didn't want to go.
Uh… suddenly, old classmate Zhou Hao became an outsider?
Zhu Yanxi: "Okay, let's meet next time."
Yang Wuluo: "Mm."
"I'll go start the car."
This was Zhou Hao's last chance.
He ran to bring his Porsche Macan, lowered the window, and deliberately counted the number of people.
"One, two, three, four, five, six—there are six of us, but my car can only fit five. Lin Can, sorry, I'll drive my classmates and send Wuluo to the station. You can take a taxi. Is that okay?"
"No problem."
Lin Can turned around and walked alone to the parking lot.
Zhou Hao thought to himself, in the end, he only knew how to play with trivial tricks like a worthless leaf. What good was that? When it mattered, it was all about real power.
Zhu Yanxi and the others had to admit, in terms of power, Lin Can was indeed no match for Zhou Hao, that was undeniable.
Zhou Hao got out of the car and opened the front passenger door. "Wuluo, let me help you into the car."
Yang Wuluo: "No need, you all go ahead. I'm waiting for Lin Can."
Zhou Hao: "Lin Can is an adult, he won't get lost."
"Really don't need to, I came with Lin Can, I'll go back with him."
"You…"