"Ai, the way that little girl shows she cares… Huang Yifan really couldn't hold it together."
He was genuinely touched, but when he walked into the classroom, he kept his expression completely neutral.
To be honest, after reading Zhang Huiping's messages, he wasn't sure how to face her anymore.
In his past life, Huang Yifan had been a total shut-in. He wrote novels and had never even had a girlfriend, only fantasies. Of course, having lived two lives now, he knew exactly what her messages meant. Still, he was just a third-year middle schooler. The future was long; who could say how things would turn out?
He'd lived two lives. His mind was more mature in every way. It wasn't strange for a girl to have a crush on him.
But the future? Who could predict it?
So he chose to act as always, pretending to know nothing, and returned to his seat.
"Huang Yifan, yesterday… did you delete the messages I sent you?"
Zhang Huiping had already arrived and wasted no time asking him.
"No."
Huang Yifan shook his head.
"No?"
The moment he said that, Zhang Huiping's face turned red.
"Nope. You didn't send me any messages, so what would I have to delete?"
"Ah… you didn't get them?"
"Yeah. So what did you send? Come on, tell me now."
Huang Yifan played dumb on purpose.
"It was nothing… really. I just asked where you went. Maybe there was some network issue, and the messages didn't go through. But it doesn't matter now. You're back, and that's what counts."
Zhang Huiping let out a small breath of relief and glanced at him shyly.
She didn't know why, but even though she felt relieved… it also felt like something was missing.
If he 'had' seen those messages…
Ah! What was she thinking?
She quickly stopped herself. She didn't understand why she'd even have such thoughts.
If he had read them, someone as smart as Huang Yifan, he would definitely have noticed something.
Before they could talk more, someone from behind suddenly patted Huang Yifan on the shoulder.
"Huang Yifan."
Huang Yifan turned around. "Yu Bin? What are you doing in our class?"
"Keep your voice down!"
It was indeed Yu Bin. Seeing Huang Yifan's startled reaction, he put a finger to his lips and motioned for silence, then pulled him out into the hallway.
"Bro, remember when you said you'd teach me a move? It's been almost twenty days!"
"…Sheesh."
Huang Yifan finally understood.
So this guy had switched classes just to chase after a girl?
"I mean… Yu Bin, you followed Li Luozhi into Class 2, at this point, why not just confess already? What are you so scared of?"
"Confessing is useless! Didn't I tell you? Li Luozhi has high standards. Even if I confess, it won't work."
"Hm. That does make things tricky. Alright, let me think… give me about a month, and I'll figure something out."
"No, no, no, bro, don't!"
Seeing Huang Yifan turn to leave, Yu Bin quickly pulled him back. "There's only about a month left before the high school entrance exams. If you say you need a month to think, how will I find you by then? I switched classes just so I could make her fall for me before the exams. If I miss this chance, we might never be in the same school again."
"Smart thinking. But if you're that clever, why can't you win her over?"
"C'mon, bro, don't roast me. Help me out here. I know you're brilliant, wise, unparalleled…"
"Stop, stop, stop."
Huang Yifan cut him off.
"Hold on, let me think for a few minutes."
Originally, Huang Yifan had no intention of helping. Giving someone love advice like this was just way too cliché. He'd only agreed earlier to shut Yu Bin up; back then, the guy was relentless. But now… after remembering how Li Luozhi had acted like Jiang Weiwei the other day, always bothering him for no reason, he suddenly changed his mind.
"Alright, Yu Bin, listen up. Getting Li Luozhi to fall for you is actually not that hard. First, you have to understand her personality. Clearly, she's the cold and aloof type, one of those academic overachievers. Girls like that admire people stronger than they are in studies. So if you can outperform her, she'll definitely start paying attention."
"Bro, now you're just being cruel. Li Luozhi didn't get her reputation as a study queen for nothing. If I could outdo her in academics, I'd have won her over already."
"Yeah, it's hard to beat her at studying. So let's shift the angle. Aside from studying, what else does Li Luozhi enjoy?"
"Let me think…"
Yu Bin scratched his head. After a moment, he said, "She's great at writing. Back in Class 3, her essays were always used as model papers. I heard one of them even got published in 'Youth Daily'. Everyone in our class was jealous."
"She loves writing? Sounds like we're dealing with an artsy girl."
"Uh… what?"
Yu Bin blinked, then caught on. "Right, right! That's spot on, bro. Li Luozhi's definitely an artsy girl. She loves writing, and I've heard she's good at singing too. Maybe even dances a bit."
"Hold up."
Now, Huang Yifan had an idea. "If she's into the arts, then Yu Bin, you need to attack her from that angle too."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Dummy. Start with a love letter."
"No way! Bro, I've already tried that kind of note. She just ripped it up without even reading it."
"Okay… and what did you write?"
"I said, 'Li Luozhi, I like you. Marry me.'"
"…Dude, what the hell?"
Huang Yifan was speechless. "That's what you call a love letter? If I were her, I'd tear it up too. Think about it, if some random girl you didn't like handed you that kind of note, would you suddenly fall for her?"
"Well… I mean, even if I didn't like her, I'd still feel kinda happy. Like, hey, someone's into me, right? When I'm bored, I could chat with her about life and stuff."
"Oh, for god's sake."
Huang Yifan held back the urge to smack him. "Yu Bin, you beast. You're you. Li Luozhi is Li Luozhi. She's a beautiful, aloof girl, a girl with brains, depth, and artistic taste. You think a random scribbled note is gonna win her over?"
"Right, right, you're right! That note really was too blunt."
Huang Yifan's lecture left Yu Bin dazed but enlightened. He nodded repeatedly.
"Good! There's hope for you yet."
Seeing Yu Bin's humbled look, Huang Yifan was satisfied. "But you weren't entirely wrong. Whether it's a guy or a girl, even if they don't like the person confessing, just knowing someone likes them still makes them happy. It's basic human vanity. Still, your so-called note was way too crude. Love is sacred, man, you can't just blurt it out like that. Even if you're direct, at least add some flair. I'm telling you, go back right now and draft a beautifully written, poetic love letter. I guarantee you, when Li Luozhi reads it, she'll be moved. Even if she doesn't fall for you that day, you'll definitely have a shot before the exams."
"Really?"
"If you don't believe me, forget it."
"No, I believe you! I totally believe you! I'll go write it now!"
With Huang Yifan's blessing, Yu Bin sprinted back to the classroom and dove into writing his masterpiece of a love letter.
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