After her knee was treated, Cady expressed her gratitude and prepared to leave with her meal tray.
Unaccustomed to school life, she was now sensitive and timid.
Mike shook his head at the sight, pushed his meal tray to the opposite side, and said, "Cady, if you'd like, you can eat right here."
"Really? That's great!" Cady responded loudly with surprise, looking excited.
One must know that in the animal kingdom, willingness to share territory is a sign of 'acceptance' and 'friendship'.
However, Cady quickly realized that this was not the African savanna, and her previous reaction was too exaggerated.
To avoid scaring the boy next to her, Cady calmed down and explained in as gentle a tone as possible, "What I mean is, you're a really good person."
In the girl's understanding, complimenting someone was also a form of 'kindness'.
However, in Mike's 'understanding', being deemed a 'good person' by a pretty girl was not a good thing at all.
But due to cultural differences, Mike could still understand her meaning.
"Thank you for the compliment, you're also a 'good person'," Mike said earnestly, then smiled, and in the girl's confused expression, sat down opposite her to continue enjoying his lunch.
This move was called: fighting magic with magic.
On the other side, although Cady didn't know why Mike complimented her as a 'good person', she had already felt his friendly attitude.
This was the first time the girl had someone accompany her for lunch at school, and the experience felt wonderful.
In the warm atmosphere, Cady felt she should say something more.
She looked up at the handsome boy opposite her, then saw the abundant food piled in front of him, and complimented him again, "You have such a big appetite~"
One must know that in the animal kingdom, only the strongest animals can have abundant food and a better appetite.
In the girl's heart, complimenting someone on a 'big appetite' was a very high compliment.
However, in civilized society, a 'big eater' usually makes people think of a 'glutton'.
Mike stopped his knife and fork, looked up at the girl opposite him, and saw her sincere expression.
This girl seemed unaware that her sincere 'compliment' could cause trouble for others.
"I'm growing right now," Mike explained indifferently, then gave the girl a meaningful look before continuing to eat.
His subtext was: well said, but don't say it again next time.
However, Mike overestimated the girl; Cady currently lacked the ability to read other people's expressions.
Sure enough, on Cady's side, seeing that her words had once again received a response, her desire to communicate was immediately piqued.
She secretly glanced at Mike's handsome face and continued to strike up a conversation, "Which class are you in? I haven't seen you at school before."
Mike didn't even lift his head this time, casually saying while shoveling seafood paella, "I'm a transfer student in eleventh grade. I just arrived today, so it's normal that you haven't seen me."
Mike ate the seafood paella with relish. To be honest, although the school cafeteria served mass-produced meals, the ingredients and portions were generous, and the taste control was decent.
At least this seafood paella was very much to Mike's liking.
On the other side, Cady, who was in the middle of an enthusiastic conversation, was completely unaware that Mike was being perfunctory.
Hearing that Mike was also a transfer student, she was first a little secretly pleased, and then shared her experiences with empathy: "Being a transfer student is very difficult. Changes in environment can make one uneasy. And new teachers, new classmates, all need time to slowly adapt…"
The girl, with a strong desire to confide, poured out almost all her emotional journey as a transfer student over the past two weeks.
At this moment, Mike on the opposite side had already started enjoying his giant beef burger.
The burger tasted good too, especially the thick and tender patty in the middle.
On the other side, Cady didn't need Mike to respond; she changed the subject and started talking about where she used to live: "Did you know, Africa is the region with the most wild animals on Earth. There you can see elephants, rhinos, lions, hippos, giraffes…"
Seeing the girl's radiant expression as she talked about Africa, Mike nodded in agreement while munching on an apple.
After introducing the animals, Cady then talked about the local tribal culture in Africa.
Finally, the girl 'showed off' with a hint of pride: "My family collects handicrafts from the Zulu and Maasai tribes; those are souvenirs given to my mother by the locals. If you're interested in them, I can take you to my house to see them."
A session of confiding and communicating restored Cady's youthful vitality, as a sixteen-year-old girl should have. Much of her previous awkwardness also dissipated.
Mike had also finished his lunch by this time. He cleared his tray and said, "Very interesting. If I have a chance next time, I'll definitely go see them."
After speaking, Mike picked up his empty tray, ready to leave.
"Wait~" Seeing him about to leave, Cady subconsciously wanted to pick up her tray and follow him.
However, she had been so engrossed in conversation that she had barely touched the food in front of her.
And having grown up in Africa, she had developed a habit of not wasting food.
So, between leaving and not leaving, Cady ultimately chose to stay and finish her food.
Facing Mike's gaze back at her, Cady's eyes first drifted a bit, and then she smiled brightly and said, "We've talked for so long, and I still don't know your name?"
"My name is Mike Quinn. It was nice talking to you," Mike said politely, then prepared to leave.
Watching Mike's retreating figure, Cady suddenly felt a bit reluctant. She called out again, "Mike~"
Mike, who had just walked a few steps, rolled his eyes: Are you trying to act out an idol drama with me here?
This time, Mike decisively stopped. He calmly walked back, pressed his tray onto the table, looked at the girl, and said, "Go on, what else is it?"
Cady didn't notice Mike's impatience. She twisted shyly and said, "Um… we already know each other's names. So, are we friends?"
"Of course~" Mike nodded and asked again, "Anything else?"
Having received Mike's affirmative answer, Cady, who had made her first friend at school, was now overjoyed.
Covering her cheeks, which were flushed from excitement, she said, "That's all, Mike, see you next time~"
At this moment, Mike unexpectedly saw several light clusters suddenly pop out from Cady.
[Memory attribute + 3], [Logical thinking attribute + 3], [Skin quality attribute + 1]…
Previously, she had confided for so long, and not a single light cluster had been generated. Yet, just because he agreed to be her friend, she generously contributed light clusters.
Mike: This girl is worth getting to know deeply.
After attracting the light clusters into his hand, Mike smiled and said, "Okay, see you next time~"
…
Meanwhile, following the guidance of Carnegie's 'How to Win Friends and Influence People', little Sheldon, who had failed to make friends, encountered Tam, a Vietnamese classmate who also had no friends, while returning books to the library.
Both enjoyed exploring the universe and rockets, so they hit it off immediately, becoming each other's first friends.
Afterward, they enjoyed their respective lunches together in the library.