Haven’t seen him in a while. I miss him so much.

But of course, he must miss me too.

Because he likes me.

— Su Zai Zai Fairy’s Diary

Su Zai Zai stared at those two sentences for a long time, unable to react.

She tossed her phone back onto the bed, turned around, and grabbed her pajamas, heading toward the bathroom.

But soon, she turned back, picked up her phone, and stared at those two sentences again.

Completely unable to accept this sudden farewell, she felt a little angry, yet she didn’t have the courage to lash out.

Su Zai Zai sniffled and slowly typed: Be careful on the road.

Before she could send it, another message popped up.

As if he had racked his brain for a long time but could only come up with these simple words.

— Don’t be mad…

Su Zai Zai’s fingers paused.

She immediately deleted her previous message and changed it to: I AM MAD!

Zhang Lu Rang: “……”

Su Zai Zai: Even when I just go get a glass of water, which takes only a minute, I tell you.

After sending that message, she fell silent, staring at the screen, waiting for his reply.

At times like this, she had to say less, or he wouldn’t realize how angry she was.

But when he didn’t reply for a long time, Su Zai Zai couldn’t hold back.

— You’re leaving for B City tomorrow, for a whole month! And you’re only telling me now? You only told me because I asked you to go cycling tomorrow—what if I hadn’t asked…

Before she could finish venting, her phone chimed.

She glanced at the screen.

Zhang Lu Rang: …I’ll buy you jelly.

Her anger instantly evaporated.

Su Zai Zai pursed her lips and, betraying herself, deleted her previous messages again.

Then, tapping at her screen, she shamelessly demanded: I want it now.

He responded quickly.

— Okay.

— Come down in five minutes to get it.

Su Zai Zai was stunned for a moment. She rushed to the full-length mirror to check herself.

She was still in her blue-and-white striped school uniform, looking wrinkled. Her hair was a mess from her own tugging, and she appeared a bit disheveled.

She smoothed her hair with her hands, washed her face in the bathroom, and ran outside.

In the living room, Mother Su was watching TV.

Seeing her changing into outdoor slippers, she frowned. “Where are you going so late?”

“I’m going to the convenience store to buy something,” Su Zai Zai said casually.

Mother Su didn’t question further, just reminded her, “Come back quickly after you buy it.”

“Got it.”

“It’s cold outside. Wear something warm.”

“Okay.”

Su Zai Zai pushed open the door, took the elevator downstairs, and walked out of the building.

She saw Zhang Lu Rang standing under a tree not far away.

It seemed like every time, he waited for her there.

She walked over.

One step, two steps.

Something felt different.

This time, the feeling was real, tangible.

She could hear Jiang Jia’s voice echoing in her mind.

— “Don’t you think Zhang Lu Rang treats you differently? Like giving you his silver medal and helping you move your chair just now.”

— “Think about it, even when his deskmate made such a fuss, he didn’t react at all. I heard from a friend that he was completely unaffected…”

— “Anyway, I think the things Zhang Lu Rang does for you, he would never do for another girl.”

Su Zai Zai stood in front of him, looking at the brown paper bag in his hand without saying a word.

Zhang Lu Rang hesitated, also unsure of what to say.

After a moment, Su Zai Zai asked softly, “Where did you get so much jelly?”

“I bought a lot before,” he answered.

Su Zai Zai looked up at him, her eyes sparkling like a sky full of stars, shimmering with hopeful light.

“Zhang Lu Rang, do you like eating jelly?”

He paused, then softly replied, “Mhm.”

Then, looking away, he reached up to touch his neck, trying to act calm.

Su Zai Zai’s heart skipped a beat.

She asked, “Did you like the jelly I bought for you last time?”

Still touching his neck, he nodded.

“Did you finish it?”

He finally lowered his hand and answered obediently, “Mhm.”

He didn’t like jelly, but he ate it all.

He didn’t like jelly, yet he bought a lot to keep at home.

Su Zai Zai lowered her head.

She didn’t know how to describe what she was feeling at this moment.

She was so overjoyed she almost wanted to cry.

Seeing her fall silent, Zhang Lu Rang bent down slightly to meet her gaze.

He lifted the corners of his lips and smiled. “If it’s not enough, I’ll buy more for you.”

His tone carried a hint of coaxing.

Why was he so good to her?

What reason did he have to be so good to her?

For the first time, Su Zai Zai dared to follow that thought.

Unapologetically, without hesitation, she arrived at that conclusion.

Su Zai Zai looked at him and said, “It’s not enough.”

Seeing Zhang Lu Rang nod, she quickly grabbed the hem of his shirt.

“Wait until you come back to buy me more.”

—

Su Zai Zai carried the bag of jelly home.

She placed it on her desk, then sat on the carpet beside her bed.

Turning on her phone, she opened her chat with Jiang Jia.

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she slowly typed:

— Jia Jia.

— I think… Zhang Lu Rang might like me a little.

—

The next afternoon, after waking up from a nap, Su Zai Zai grabbed her phone and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

She had only received one message from Zhang Lu Rang.

— I arrived.

Su Zai Zai blinked and immediately sat up.

After a moment’s thought, she shamelessly typed:

— First day without Rang Rang, miss him.

Zhang Lu Rang: “……”

Su Zai Zai: Sigh, don’t you miss me?

She stared at the “typing…” indicator on the screen.

She waited for a while but didn’t get a reply.

Su Zai Zai: You know, right?

Su Zai Zai: When you’re typing, I can see “the other person is typing…” on my screen.

Zhang Lu Rang: “……”

Zhang Lu Rang: I’m sleeping.

Su Zai Zai: Rang Rang.

Su Zai Zai: I want to travel.

Zhang Lu Rang: Alone?

Su Zai Zai: Yep.

Zhang Lu Rang: Don’t run around.

Su Zai Zai immediately said: I want to go to B City.

Zhang Lu Rang: ……

He didn’t reply again.

But the chat box clearly showed that he was typing.

Su Zai Zai curled her lips into a smile and patiently waited.

After a long moment, she finally received his response.

— Don’t mess around.

— It’s not safe to travel alone.

Su Zai Zai tossed her phone aside and sighed.

Let’s see how long she could hold out.

If she really couldn’t take it anymore, she would definitely go to B City.

She didn’t believe that if she went ahead and acted first, the great beauty wouldn’t show up.

As she was thinking, she heard her parents coming home.

Su Zai Zai got up, opened her door, and walked out.

She had to communicate with the two elders first…

As soon as she entered the living room, she saw a small cage placed beside the coffee table.

Inside was a tiny, two-toned corgi, lying down and looking around.

Su Zai Zai’s eyes widened. She walked over, knelt beside the cage, and curiously observed it.

Mother Su also came over, smiling. “Cute, right?”

Su Zai Zai nodded. Looking at the tiny creature, her heart was melting.

Unable to resist, she opened the cage and reached out to touch it.

She completely forgot about telling her parents she wanted to travel to B City.

“Your dad and I both have to work, so you have to take good care of it,” Mother Su said.

Su Zai Zai immediately nodded, overwhelmed by how adorable the little corgi was.

“What name do you want to give it?”

Su Zai Zai stared at the corgi for a long time before finally saying, “Little Short Legs.”

Mother Su: “……”

—

With a new little life in the house, Su Zai Zai’s plan to find Zhang Lu Rang in B City was ruined.

Su Zai Zai poured some milk cake dog food and goat milk powder into the dog bowl, then added warm water to soak it.

She placed it in front of Little Short Legs and whispered, “Go on, eat.”

It sniffed at the food and slowly started licking it.

Su Zai Zai sat in front of it and talked to it. “From now on, your name is Little Short Legs, got it?”

“That’s your nickname.”

“Your full name is Zhang Xiao Rang, but only the two of us will know that name.”

“You’re still small now, so I won’t teach you yet.”

“In the future, when I call you Zhang Xiao Rang, you must respond to me.”

“That means you have to bark once for me—‘woof’.”

“Got it? ‘Woof’ once.”

Little Short Legs: “……”

After eating, it slowly crawled onto its mat and fell asleep.

Su Zai Zai watched it for a while.

She wanted to wake it up to play, but she couldn’t bear to.

So she lay back on her bed and messaged Zhang Lu Rang.

Su Zai Zai: Rang Rang.

Su Zai Zai: Let’s play an idiom relay game.

Zhang Lu Rang replied quickly: Mm.

Su Zai Zai: I’ll go first—”You’re always on my mind, even in my dreams.” (魂牵梦萦)

Zhang Lu Rang: “Always on my mind… more like stuck in my stomach.” (萦肠惹肚)

Su Zai Zai: Knew it—you miss me too.

Zhang Lu Rang: ……

Su Zai Zai: If you miss me, just say it. Otherwise, I can’t tell through the screen.

Zhang Lu Rang: It’s your turn.

Su Zai Zai pouted and continued: “Every day feels like a year without you.” (度日如年)

Zhang Lu Rang: “Ah, the foolishness of youth.” (年少无知)

Su Zai Zai: Are you insulting me?!

Zhang Lu Rang: …… Are we still playing?

Su Zai Zai: Yes.

Su Zai Zai: But how could you use such underhanded tricks to insult me?

Su Zai Zai: I’ll forgive you this time, but you have to change the word.

Su Zai Zai: “Practice makes perfect.” (熟能生巧)

Zhang Lu Rang paused for a moment before replying: “Masterful craftsmanship.” (巧夺天工)

Su Zai Zai: Kung Fu Panda.

Zhang Lu Rang: “……”

He pressed his lips together and decided to mess around too: Tom and Jerry.

Su Zai Zai: That’s not an idiom! Don’t make things up!

Zhang Lu Rang: ……

Zhang Lu Rang: Not playing anymore.

Su Zai Zai: Sigh, Rang Rang, your temper is really bad.

Zhang Lu Rang: ……

Su Zai Zai: Only I would spoil you this much.

Zhang Lu Rang really didn’t want to deal with her anymore.

He closed his phone and did his homework for a while.

But eventually, he got too distracted and reopened his phone, typing: I’m going to do homework.

—

On New Year’s Eve.

Su Zai Zai went with her parents to her grandparents’ house for the reunion dinner.

After dinner, the adults sat on the sofa chatting.

The younger cousins went to their rooms to play on the computer.

The older ones sat in a quiet corner playing on their phones.

Su Zai Zai wandered around the courtyard.

The cold wind blew, making her shrink her neck.

She sat down on the swing, curled up her legs, and swayed gently.

Taking her phone out from her coat pocket, her fingers stiff from the cold, she typed slower than usual.

She blew warm air onto her hands.

Slowly, she typed: Rang Rang.

Su Zai Zai: It’s New Year’s Eve. Aren’t you going to send me a red packet?

She thought he was probably still having dinner and would take a while to reply.

Just as she exited the chat to message Jiang Jia instead, her phone vibrated twice.

A red notification dot appeared next to Zhang Lu Rang’s profile picture.

—[WeChat Red Packet] Go buy jelly.

Su Zai Zai blinked and tapped to open it.

A big “200.00” appeared on the screen.

Her fingers paused, feeling a little flustered: I was just joking.

She decided to send a voice message. “Rang Rang, think of this 200 yuan as a loan from me.”

“If you come back one day earlier when school starts on February 18, I’ll add ten yuan. Two days earlier, twenty yuan. And so on.”

After a while, he sent a voice message back.

There was a hint of laughter in his voice: “No need, just keep it.”

“You think it’s too little?” she grumbled.

Before he could reply, she continued, “Then I’ll change it to 100.”

Su Zai Zai kept talking, and he kept listening.

There was no chance for him to reply.

“I’m telling you, one of Little Short Legs’ ears finally stood up. One’s up, one’s down. It looks so dumb.”

“It poops everywhere. Sigh, I’m exhausted.”

“So many physics test papers. I don’t want to do them.”

“Did you finish your English homework? Want me to teach you?”

Her voice messages kept coming one after another.

Zhang Lu Rang wore his earphones, listening attentively, wondering how she always had so much to say.

Finally, the last message played.

“Rang Rang, if you’re going to return to B City, should I apply to B University?”

Just as he was about to reply, there were three knocks on his door.

A boy around his age opened the door slightly and peeked inside.

He looked at Zhang Lu Rang and said softly, “Brother, Dad wants you to come out.”

Zhang Lu Rang lowered his head and pressed the power button.

The long list of voice messages disappeared into darkness.

After a moment, he looked up at the boy and said, “Okay, I’ll be out soon.”

The boy nodded, stepped back, and closed the door.

Zhang Lu Rang turned his phone back on and quickly typed: Don’t apply to B University. Apply to Z University.

Su Zai Zai sent another voice message.

It was short, only one second.

Zhang Lu Rang didn’t listen to it.

Carefully, but with quiet anticipation, he sent a voice message.

“Let’s apply to Z University together.”

—

—Zhang Xiao Rang could be a cute way of expressing her love for Zhang Lu Rang. The “Xiao” (小) makes it sound like a smaller, more adorable version of him

—On WeChat or AliPay during Chinese New Year, sending a red packet (红包, hóngbāo) is a popular way to share blessings and good fortune. People send digital red packets to family, friends, and even colleagues as a modern version of the traditional cash-filled red envelopes.