Han Ming: "..."
At first, her words sounded flattering, but when you listened carefully, it actually appeared a little ironic. It seemed as if she was complaining about having been thrown out.
Han Ming directly observed Wang Jingyuan's reaction.
He saw that the person was silently in thought for a few seconds before a playful look appeared in Wang Jingyuan's eyes. He slowly walked over with his long legs, knuckles resting against the edge of his trouser pockets.
He bent over and lowered his eyes to look at her.
His lips slightly twitched, "You care about me so much…"
The tone rose slightly, "Are you my girlfriend? Hmm?"
He was born with well-defined eyes. When he looked up at people, they were sharp and full of confidence, but when he lowered his eyes, it gave people a false sense of gentleness instead.
The word "girlfriend" that came from his mouth sounded ambiguous and full of tenderness, so much so that it caused those who heard it to go soft.
Even Han Ming, who had seen all kinds of flirtatious styles from schoolboys and scoundrels alike, almost bit his tongue. His internal monologue screamed, What the hell is this seductive nonsense?!
Was this still the same cold-blooded class tyrant who once asked a classmate to shut up for breathing too loud?
Why was this person so coquettish as soon as he left school?
F*ck, it was coquettish enough to break his legs.
His voice was ambiguous, laced with softness and provocation. The kind of tone that made even a simple question sound like an invitation to cross a line.
Lu Qingyan's brain stuttered.
Did he just—?
'Girlfriend'?
Was he joking or trying to make her combust from sheer awkwardness?
Lu Qingyan was shocked and shook her head.
"No."
Wang Jingyuan softly let out an "Ah."
He then raised his chin slightly, stood up straight, returned to his previous expressionless face, and said in a light and slow tone—
"Then, how is it any of your business?"
Lu Qingyan: "..."
It was so reasonable that she had no way to refute it.
Han Ming: ??
He was just about to compliment Wang Jingyuan for finally considering his future and learning how to flirt with girls, but the next sentence was undoubtedly the insensitive words of a straight man that dealt a critical hit and destroyed all prospects.
He covered his face and thought with emotion,
What was he thinking earlier? Complimenting this guy for finally learning how to flirt?
This wasn't flirting! This was verbal arson!
Whether it was in school or out, Wang Jingyuan was still Wang Jingyuan.
The old dog Wang is destined to be single for life!
***
For the next few days, in order to fill in the blanks of her academic knowledge, Lu Qingyan ended up studying until 2am every night.
When the alarm clock went off at six in the morning, she felt like she only took a nap.
On her way to school, she bought a few packets of candy at the convenience store near her home.
When she arrived at school, she unpacked the mints, and adhering to her plan of using snacks as an apology, she stuffed a few into her seatmate's desk.
Today, Wang Jingyuan didn't arrive right when the bell rang.
Instead, he came very early.
Wang Jingyuan was already in class. Earlier than the early birds.
He was already in class when Peng Jianda and the others came over to ask for help with their homework after realizing that they all had different answers.
When they asked for help, they also asked about his physical condition, and even the teacher came to his seat to offer condolences when he was quietly reading.
With his face and eyes lowered, he resembled a sickly beauty. He looked especially frail as he carelessly said, "It's getting better."
Lu Qingyan who saw the entire act: "..."
Get this man an Oscar.
Actually, get him a whole trophy room.
Did he rehearse that frail expression in front of a mirror? What about the subtle rasp in his voice? Where were the cameras?
She didn't dare to say or ask anything.
Anyways, it had nothing to do with her. She quietly lowered her head to decrease her presence.
After Peng Jianda finished expressing his sympathies, he asked Wang Jingyuan for his homework for reference.
When Wang Jingyuan took out his homework from his desk drawer, he caught a glimpse of the mints that were hidden in the corner of his drawer.
He lowered his eyes to look at the few mints and his original cold expression became a little subtle. He turned his head to look at Lu Qingyan, who was seated to his right.
Her head was buried deeply in a Chinese book that she held in her hands as she recited it quietly.