Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

Saturday. The glaring sunlight shone through the gauze curtains into the room, directly onto Xu Qingfan's face. The thick comforter had been kicked to the floor at some unknown time. In bed, Xu Qingfan slept splayed out in all directions until the sunlight became too much to bear, and he struggled to open his eyes. After a tiresome yawn, he grabbed the alarm clock from the bedside, it was exactly nine in the morning, early still! Xu Qingfan unconsciously let go of the alarm clock he was holding and went back to sleep. Yao Jiping returned from the market and habitually opened the door to Xu Qingfan's bedroom. Seeing the blanket that had been kicked to the floor and her son still sleeping, she felt an inexplicable anger and yelled in Cantonese: "Lazy boy, it's past eleven o'clock, and you're still in bed? It would have been better to birth a piece of char siu than you!" Xu Qingfan was startled awake in a sleepy daze, the bedroom door wide open, Yao Jiping already gone. He picked up the alarm clock that had somehow fallen to the floor, it was fifty-eight minutes past nine! [Mom, you really are something!] After irritably ruffling his hair for a while, Xu Qingfan folded the blanket and walked out of the bedroom. After more than a week of persistent rainy weather, the sky finally cleared up, a vast expanse of azure blue without a trace of fluff, as if filtered from all impurities, resplendently gleaming. Yesterday, it still felt too cold to wear just two layers of cotton pants, but after waking up from a good night's sleep, the pedestrians on the street were already willingly dressed in short sleeves and shorts. It's just a pity that the ancient punishment of exile to three thousand miles away referred to being sent right to Xu Qingfan's neighborhood, so much so that wanting to compose an apt poem for the occasion was beyond possibility now. After brushing his teeth and having two eggs and a bottle of milk for breakfast, Xu Qingfan, with nothing better to do, went to Xia Xiaoxiao's house to hang out. Xia Xiaoxiao was sitting in the living room, doing her weekend homework. Xu Qingfan sat down beside her, "Morning, why are you still wearing a jacket when it's so hot today?" Xia Xiaoxiao gave Xu Qingfan a glance, "I like it." "Let me copy your homework once you're done, I love our little Xiaoxiao the most." Xu Qingfan pinched the little girl's face and left with a smile. "Hmph!" [Copy away, just wait until I surpass you!] In this transitional period between spring and winter, wandering around the streets of Hong Kong can truly showcase the diversity of species. Xu Qingfan walked several big dogs around the neighborhood, and along the way, there were those in shorts and short sleeves, and others in long pants and long sleeves, not to mention the numerous fully armored ones in thermal underwear and down jackets. He stopped in a spot where the sunshine could fully reach him and bathed there for a few minutes. His entire body warmed up pleasantly, and he could hardly imagine how comfortable it would be to photosynthesize in such conditions. Many neighbors took out the quilts, which had been covered up all winter, to air them. Beating them with sticks, dust flew up, creating a beautiful Tyndall effect as the light passed through. Watching the flowers bloom and fade leisurely, this kind of moment was truly delightful, Xu Qingfan thought to himself. In his previous life, Xu Qingfan graduated from his undergraduate program and continued on in the same school for a direct doctoral program. At first glance, it seemed like he would have a bright future ahead of him. Initially, that was indeed the case. In his first year of graduate school, thanks to his advisor's care and his senior's affection, Xu Qingfan easily published an outstanding paper in a top-tier SCI journal with an impact factor of 6.0. However. From the second year, when he began choosing his own research topics and conducting experiments, Xu Qingfan's fortune seemed to turn sour. The same experimental data that used to be reproducible suddenly became unrecognizable when repeated. The same batch of reagents that his peers used successfully somehow didn't work for him. The graduation requirement for the direct doctoral program was to publish at least three papers in core journals with a combined impact factor of 15. As graduation approached, the second paper was nowhere to be published. Xu Qingfan spent days and nights in the lab until one day, when he woke up, he had inexplicably returned to a summer twenty years prior. Biochemistry, environmental science, and materials, run away fast! "If I ever touch scientific research again in this lifetime, I'm your brother, understand?" Xu Qingfan squatted down and said to the dogs soaking up the sun on the ground. "Woof?" ... After having lunch, Xu Qingfan ran over to Xia Xiaoxiao's house, "I'm heading to Zhang Yiyi's place later, are you coming?" "I'm going to the library with Xiao Ruawen in a bit." Xu Qingfan remembered that Zhang Chunxue had asked last time why Xia Xiaoxiao and Xiao Ruawen hadn't come, and he suggested, "Then that's perfect, let's go to Zhang Yiyi's house together first, and then we can all head to the library together." Xu Qingfan needed to return a few nanny books on painting that he had borrowed last semester. He had recorded all the essential parts on his computer and was just waiting to execute the plan with Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi. "Then... okay," Xia Xiaoxiao agreed after hesitating for a while. Around one o'clock, Xiao Ruawen arrived on her bicycle as promised. "Class President, good afternoon," Xu Qingfan greeted with a smile. "Brother Fan, good afternoon. Are you going to the library with us too?" Xiao Ruawen said with a chuckling smile. "He said we're going to Zhang Yiyi's place first, then heading to the library and grabbing some fried skewers," Xia Xiaoxiao explained. Upon hearing they were heading to Zhang Yiyi's house and would get to eat fried skewers, Xiao Ruawen's eyes lit up, "Great, great, what are we waiting for then!" "Waiting for you," Xu Qingfan laughed, picking up Xia Xiaoxiao's backpack and mounting his bike. Since they had already called Lin Wanning before leaving, as soon as the three of them rode their bikes to the street where Lin Wanning's villa was located, the little girl came running over with Zhang Yiyi. "Brother Qing Fan!" Xiao Ruawen smiled and greeted the duo, "Wan Ningyi, good afternoon." Zhang Yiyi first looked at Xu Qingfan and, obtaining his affirmative nod, said, "Good... afternoon... everyone!" "Hee hee, come over to my place, it's so hot today!" Lin Wanning plopped down on the rear seat of Xu Qingfan's bike and urged him to get moving. "Aren't your mom and dad at home?" Xiao Ruawen asked in confusion upon seeing the empty living room. "Brother Qing Fan, come help Ningning with the drinks. Mom left after eating lunch and isn't home," Lin Wanning's voice floated over from the kitchen. Xu Qingfan stood up, went to the kitchen, and helped to carry the washed glassware to the living room, while Lin Wanning held a 2-liter bottle of fruit juice in her hand. "Why did you buy this at home?" Xu Qingfan asked, pointing to the grape juice in her hand. "Didn't Brother Fan mention last time that this juice was tasty? So Ningning had mom and dad buy it. This way, you can also have delicious juice when you're at Ningning's house, duck!" Lin Wanning smiled as she took out ice cubes from the freezer. "Hmm, thanks, Ningning," Xu Qingfan said, going up to ruffle the little girl's hair. Lin Wanning made a couple of trips back and forth and arranged the strawberries and little cakes from the fridge on the dining table. "Thank you, Wanning!" Xiao Ruawen clasped her hands together to express her gratitude. "Hee hee, it's nothing! We're all good friends here!" "So lucky!" Xiao Ruawen, after spooning a bite of cake into her mouth, squinted her eyes in an expression of delight. "If you like it, I'll ask mom to buy it again next time!" "No need, it's nice to eat occasionally. My mom says eating too many sweets can make you gain weight." "It's fine, Class President, you'd still look good even if you gained weight," Xu Qingfan blurted out. All four girls turned to stare at him, and Xu Qingfan, feeling the pressure, wiped away non-existent sweat and added, "Xiaoxiao, Wanning, and Yiyi, you too, good-looking people will still be good-looking even if they gain weight!" "Hmm." ×4 [What's with this sudden sense of oppression?]