Chapter 17 - Love Mentality
Lin Qian: Did Huo YeRui invite you to his birthday party too? What’s his angle?
The seniors of No. 12 Highschool were in cla.s.s this Sat.u.r.day. Thankfully last period was self-study, so it was a slow afternoon. Lin Qian was currently reviewing while texting Zheng PingQing on the side.
Zheng PingQing replied: On the surface, it’s probably a gesture to convey that he wants to be friends with us. As for the actual reason… I don’t know.
Lin Qian: Did your ident.i.ty of a rich second generation son get exposed?
Zheng PingQing: No way, I’m being very low-key.
Zheng PingQing immediately continued, a second text soon arriving: Only my most beloved person knows that behind my seemingly simple face, is a prominent and remarkable man.
Lin Qian, who was used to this fool constantly trying to mention their love in every conversation they have, directly ignored him: Then you’re not going?
Disgust colored Zheng PingQing’s reply: To be honest, I really don’t want to go. Going means I have to get him a present.
Then another text came: But if my boyfriend wants to go, I’ll have to accompany him.
His boyfriend: ……
The boyfriend eventually replied, helpless: Your boyfriend can’t afford to decline. After all, this is a cla.s.smate. I have to give him a little face.
Truthfully, Lin Qian was a little curious about Huo YeRui’s birthday party.
In their last life, Huo YeRui also held a birthday party, but by then, he had already lost his F University recommendation. However, it was still a pretty important celebration, so Lin Qian had some vague memories of other students talking about it. They said that Huo YeRui invited a lot of people, and some were even students from foreign schools. It was only then that everyone discovered Huo YeRui’s vast connections and deep interpersonal relationships.
It was ‘they said,’ because in his last life, Huo YeRui invited all of the students in the top cla.s.s, but not Lin Qian and his friends.
But in this lifetime, Huo YeRui didn’t manage to s.n.a.t.c.h his recommendation from him. So why did he still announce his party with great fanfare? And he even invited Zheng PingQing too.
Zheng PingQing couldn’t help but guess that Huo YeRui’s motives were anything but honorable. He texted: Probably to cheat some gifts out of the guests. After all, us second-generation rich kids aren’t the type to skimp on such things.
Lin Qian couldn’t help but ridicule:…You’re right, he totally only wants you for your money.
In the end, they decided to go to Huo YeRui’s party together. Zheng PingQing carelessly ended this line of conversation. He didn’t want to waste time talking about some useless person. For him, there were much better things he could be doing in this wonderful second chance they were given.
Zheng PingQing: I didn’t want to stay at home this Sunday anyway.
Zheng PingQing: I guess the only thing I have going on is this plastic Huo YeRui’s birthday party.
Lin Qian could imagine what Zheng PingQing looked like right now based on the text messages that he had just sent. Chin on the table, with his entire being in a state of depression. If one looked closely, they would probably see a wisp of his soul starting to leave his body.
Since their rebirth, the two felt like they had been given a huge responsibility, with their biggest hurdle naturally being the college entrance exams. It was what ultimately changed everybody’s fate.
For their own sake and for the friends around them, they studied hard, giving them almost no time for anything else. They needed to crazily cram in as much high school knowledge as they could, especially Lin Qian, whose F University recommendation was still in the middle of being approved. With the monthly exams near at hand, if his marks were to fall too much, who knows how many criticisms and storms will come their way.
Fortunately, Lin Qian had a solid foundation. To make up for his poor performance in the college entrance exams and his subsequent failure to get into university, he took postgraduate examinations in his last life. So while he was in a bit of a rush, progress was good, and studying hadn’t been too difficult.
However, because of their crazy cramming, Zheng PingQing’s original plan of having a youthful campus love had been forcefully put on hold.
Every word in Zheng PingQing’s next message had heartache written all over it: I initially felt so thankful for this miraculous second chance seemingly given to us by the heavens. I thought that this time around, we could enjoy things a bit more and watch the stars, see the moon, create poetry and sing about the good days. I didn’t expect that the language I’d have to read is English and Math, and the poetry I’d have to write was about the miserable life of students in remedial cla.s.ses…
Zheng PingQing: This is a non-anonymous appeal: Stop studying and save your boyfriend.
Lin Qian couldn’t help but laugh out loud, as his heart ached for him.
They had been at odds for far too long and had wasted too much time. They hurt each other and used the best years of their lives to hate. After they got together, Zheng PingQing had always regretted being so reckless during his teenage years. Probably due to some kind of psychological compensation, Zheng PingQing would always want to do something for Lin Qian, and always tried to create new memories, as if to cover old scars.
When they were reborn, their old scars disappeared. But Zheng PingQing felt that this wasn’t enough. He wanted to plant flowers all over their memories, instead of just leaving the slate wiped clean.
Lin Qian didn’t think the same, but he liked Zheng PingQing very much. So naturally, he didn’t want to let Zheng PingQing down.
Lin Qian: …Alright, for the sake of my handsome boyfriend, let’s go somewhere.
Zheng PingQing’s reply was instantaneous: Where?
Lin Qian: Library.
Zheng PingQing didn’t reply for five solid minutes.
Zheng PingQing: Your boyfriend is on the verge of dying. You have one chance to save him.
Lin Qian: -3-
Zheng PingQing: Who’s that impostor? My boyfriend has double eyelids.
Lin Qian: =3=
Zheng PingQing: Well, I guess it’s the library.
Putting down his mobile phone, Zheng PingQing began to seriously think of the many cla.s.sic scenarios on how one could fall in love in a library. Then, someone shuffled their desk next to his. Dong MingEn whispered to him: “Boss….Boss…”
Zheng PingQing squinted. “Speak fast.”
Dong MingEn leaned closer and with a slightly wretched smile, said: “Let’s go have fun tomorrow. XinDou, he…”
Zheng PingQing didn’t even wait for him to finish before directly refusing. “Not going.”
“Hey, hey, listen to me,” Dong MingEn continued to persist, saying: “XinDou asked the girls in No.9 Highschool to go skating together. They’re all cute and single, XinDou told them that us boys could teach them…”
“No.” The Zheng PingQing that was now living a clean and honest life refused without hesitation.
Dong MingEn was stunned by his resolute att.i.tude and tried to tempt him: “Don’t you remember that time last semester, there was this one girl you thought was pretty, and….”
Zheng PingQian was greatly shocked when he heard this. During his teenage years, he once thought that he was an infallible iron-clad straight man and with his hungry adolescent brothers, understandably expressed some ignorant views on girls around them.
To Dong MingEn, this happened last semester, but to him, it happened more than a decade ago. How could he remember such an insignificant detail?
And the most important thing was the fact that he already had a boyfriend. How could he tolerate these past scandals that might affect his loving image?
Zheng PingQing, who became terribly afraid of being harmed by this piece of information, immediately interrupted Dong MingEn and righteously said: “My type had changed.”
Dong MingEn: “…”
It’s only been a few months…
Dong MingEn looked back towards Luo XingGuang, at a loss.
Luo XingGuang joined team persuasion, saying: “Boss, you need to learn that love must be grasped by both hands. You’re almost an adult. If this goes on, you’ll miss your chance to experience teenage love.”
Zheng PingQing finally looked up with a meaningful glance.
Just as Dong MingEn thought that their words had moved him, Zheng PingQing replied with no trace of reluctance: “Not interested.”
In fact, how is he not interested; He wanted to show off his love, shout it from the rooftops for everyone to hear. But they were stuck in a special sort of situation right now. He and Lin Qian were both young and h.o.m.os.e.xual. How can they come out of the closet when the college entrance exams are looming, ah.
For everyone’s sake, no matter how ecstatic his heart was, they could only keep a low profile.
Even if that meant the only thing he can do is foolishly smile while rolling around under his quilt every night.
Dong MingEn looked at Zheng PingQing. His mouth said ‘not interested,’ but his face had ‘unwilling’ all over it. This made Dong MingEn think.
Boss, where are you not interested, you clearly want to experience love, ah!
It’s so horrible!
Dong MingEn’s heart turned sour. “Boss, we’ve been studying every day. We need to relax sometimes…it’s important.”
Zheng PingQing impatiently closed his textbook: “I have very high standards. I’ll only fall in love with the smartest and most beautiful person I can find.”
Dong MingEn turned towards Luo XingGuang and hatefully whispered: “The Boss is crazy, doesn’t he know that he actually needs to start looking to get results?”
Luo XingGuang melancholy replied: “…the Boss isn’t going…what do we do now?”
Dong MingEn couldn’t help but worry with him.
The reason they tirelessly tried to persuade Zheng PingQing to go was that while the No. 9 Highschool beauties were willing to meet up with them, their goal was actually Zheng PingQing.
Furthermore, last semester Zheng PingQing actually praised one of the girls. They thought this would be a slam-dunk. Who would’ve thought that Zheng PingQing would actually refuse to go? This is simply not giving people a chance, ah.
Nearby, Gou XinDou wasn’t as anxious as they were. He didn’t care if those top-tier ladies became unhappy. Anyway, he hadn’t been aiming at those girls in the first place.
However, Gou Xindou was curious. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard a student of Cla.s.s 8 requiring good grades in a girlfriend. I guess Boss really deserves his t.i.tle, being so lofty!”
Dong MingEn didn’t think the same, replying: “No, the Boss isn’t thinking realistically. Asking not only for the prettiest but also the smartest; no girl in our school meets such conditions.”
Lou XingGuang also chimed in: “With this mentality, the Boss is going to stay single forever.”
While they continued to converse, Zheng PingQing, on the other hand, was currently experiencing a crisis and was sending short text messages to Lin Qian.
Zheng PingQing: If that Xu Yao kid tries to introduce you to a girl, you have to firmly refuse.
Lin Qian: Dong MingEn tried to introduce you to a girl?
A critical hit on the first try.
Zheng PingQing: I vehemently refused.
Dong MingEn made one last attempt. “Boss, you really don’t want to go?”
Zheng PingQing replied: “I hate skating with other people.”
As he said this, he sent out a text.
Zheng PingQing: Let’s go skating after the library. I’ll take you.
Will our MC finally experience a date full of fluff? Or will he get thwarted yet again?