Li Shengfei could sense that Cheng Meng was out of sorts, so he scratched his head. “I was just asking.”
These words caused Cheng Meng’s face to turn even colder, his tone sharp, verging on the brink of a frantic outburst: “How should I know? You ask me about his business? Li Shengfei, do I look like someone who knows anything about him?”
“Don’t be angry. A situation has come up, and I need to coax Ningning back into good graces.” Li Shengfei cupped his face and rubbed it gently, attempting to soothe his irritable mood. “You don’t look good at all when you’re angry, smile more. Also, are you jealous? That’s quite rare, truly cute.”
His praise didn’t improve Cheng Meng’s mood at all; rather, it left him even more annoyed. Slapping his hand away, he departed directly without a single word.
Li Shengfei found Cheng Meng to be completely baffling. In the past, he would have merely uttered a couple of mocking remarks, never reacting this intensely.
He didn’t chase after him to coax him either. Catching sight of Han Tian a short distance away kicking a pebble along the path in frustration, he instantly grew amused. The moment Han Tian arrived before him, he let out a laugh: “Your energy is quite terrible, isn’t it?”
Han Tian knit his brows, staring at him as though looking at an absolute idiot. Turning things over in his mind to deduce why the other boy was mocking him, he was angered to the point of laughter: “What are you so smug about? At least Ningning merely distanced himself from me. Unlike you, he views you directly as a stranger, which is ten times more wretched than my situation.”
“Ningning and I have the best relationship, he will forgive me,” Li Shengfei said, hooking his arm around Han Tian’s neck in a close display as he leaned in to say, “But a short-tempered fellow like you isn’t guaranteed a second chance. You don’t know how to coax people, and you fling your face at the slightest provocation. Tsk, best of luck.”
Han Tian aggressively rammed him with his elbow, muttering a low curse, “Dumbass.”
He initially had no desire to speak further with Li Shengfei, but an idea striking him, he narrowed his eyes and said, “The person Ningning likes is me. What’s the use of having a good relationship with him when he doesn’t like you? Let’s just wait and see who coaxes him back first.”
By the end of his sentence, he couldn’t help but appear highly triumphant.
“Fine,” Li Shengfei nodded.
The two men formed a wager just like that, both harboring immense confidence in themselves. The moment class concluded, they blocked the corridor outside Cheng Shuoning’s classroom. In their scramble to secure a position by the window to speak with Cheng Shuoning, they close to engaged in a physical altercation, drawing the attention of passing students.
“Ningning,” Li Shengfei, who ultimately secured the position by the window, shoved Han Tian’s face away. Noting that Cheng Shuoning held a water cup, he snatched it directly. “I’ll go fetch warm water for you. You can just wait for me inside the classroom.”
Without waiting for Cheng Shuoning to speak, he ran off immediately.
Once he departed, Han Tian stared at Cheng Shuoning, placing a carton of milk onto his desk as he revealed a grin, “The milk I purchased for you. Drink more milk, it’s good for your health.”
Not long ago, Han Tian had still adhered to the theory of “ignoring Cheng Shuoning, as he will surely find it unbearable and take the initiative to stick close to me again.” Now, he threw that completely to the back of his mind.
He believed in himself, and believed even more in his own charm, still maintaining that Cheng Shuoning liked him and was merely playing hard to get because he was angry.
How could a person’s affection for someone alter so rapidly? Therefore, Cheng Shuoning most likely still concealed a deep liking for him in his heart. As long as he took the initiative slightly, the two of them would surely bury the hatchet.
Cheng Shuoning stared at Han Tian, expressing some displeasure: “What do you want to do?”
This defensive question left Han Tian somewhat frozen, his heart suffering a massive blow. He explained, “I don’t want to do anything, I just came over to deliver milk for you to drink. Truly, I know I committed a wrong previously. Rest assured, I won’t disturb you. Now that the milk is delivered, I am leaving immediately.”
“Wait a moment,” Cheng Shuoning called out to stop him.
The corners of Han Tian’s lips curled upward frantically. Look at that, he truly still liked him, being touched by his actions so rapidly.
As long as he ceased the cold war, he could still choose to forgive Cheng Shuoning.
Han Tian turned his head, his face rippling with a brilliant smile, only to find Cheng Shuoning setting the carton of milk outside the window expressionlessly in the next second, his attitude cold and rigid: “I don’t drink milk. Take it away.”
As though being slapped hard across the face, Han Tian’s smile vanished completely, standing frozen on the spot like a nailed piece of wood.
He picked up the carton of milk, thinking of how quickly he had run solely to purchase this milk, yet his good intentions were completely rejected. Angered to the point of embarrassment, he threw the window open, tossed the milk onto Cheng Shuoning’s desk, and departed.
“Even if you don’t want it, I am still giving it to you.”
He refused to believe that Cheng Shuoning would still refuse to drink it once the milk was forced upon him.
Cheng Shuoning didn’t consume it, simply placing the milk outside the window once more and ignoring it entirely.
The classroom was exceptionally noisy, yet Cheng Shuoning caught the sound of pages turning, faint and easily disregarded, yet he noticed it, unable to resist sneaking a glance toward Xu Wangzhi, who sat beside him reading a book.
When he arrived at the classroom this morning, lessons had already commenced, so he and Xu Wangzhi engaged in no exchange.
The marks on the youth’s face remained thoroughly obvious, the broken skin beside his lip already scabbed over. His expression was cold and flat, his gaze never leaving the pages of his book, entirely unaffected by any surrounding noise, appearing aloof and unapproachable.
It was a highly bizarre sensation.
Even though they sat together, Cheng Shuoning felt an immense distance between himself and Xu Wangzhi, as though Xu Wangzhi existed in one world while he existed in another.
Cheng Shuoning stared like that for a long while, until Xu Wangzhi turned his head to look over. He retracted his gaze frantically, staring nervously at his own book as he brainwashed himself to remain calm.
“Why are you staring at me?” Xu Wangzhi set his book down, asking in a flat voice.
“You look beautiful, Does, does your face still hurt?” Cheng Shuoning blurted out subconsciously.
Xu Wangzhi: “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Immediately following that, he looked at Cheng Shuoning and ask, “How beautiful do I look?”
Cheng Shuoning’s face flushed crimson instantly, daring not lock eyes with him. Forcibly ignoring his burning cheeks, he stared at the pen on his desk and spoke seriously, “Very beautiful, super beautiful.”
He then noticed that the corners of Xu Wangzhi’s lips seemed to tilt upward slightly.
The window was suddenly pushed open, and Li Shengfei handed the filled cup to Cheng Shuoning, “Ningning, here, the warm water I just fetched.”
He noticed Cheng Shuoning’s flushed cheeks, pausing slightly as his gaze landed on Xu Wangzhi. His entire being was close to being swallowed by an indescribable fury.
Cheng Shuoning actually blushed because of him!
“Thank you, please do not do this again in the future. I do not require you to fetch water for me.” Cheng Shuoning accepted the cup and set it aside, his face devoid of expression, a massive contrast to his previous lifestyle.
This discrepancy was impossible for Li Shengfei to accept, a wave of unspeakable heartache washing over him.
He felt some jealousy toward Xu Wangzhi, yet recalled that Cheng Shuoning had been just as obedient and gentle to him over the past ten years, blushing in embarrassment from time to time, it was his own foul mouth that drove Cheng Shuoning to distance himself.
He could only blame himself, and couldn’t fault anyone else.
“Are you still reluctant to forgive me, Ningning?” The more Li Shengfei turned it over in his mind, the more regretful he became, unable to resist saying, “My mouth is just a bit foul. After returning home that night, the more I thought about it, the more I felt like an absolute bastard. Grant me an opportunity to turn over a new leaf, I will never act that way again in the future. Is that alright?”
Meeting his expectant gaze, Cheng Shuoning pressed his thin lips together slightly, saying coldly, “No.”
The detached attitude indicated he would never believe Li Shengfei again.
“Why act this cruelly, Ningning?” Li Shengfei murmured, appearing rather pitiful. “Grant me another opportunity, please?”
Cheng Shuoning genuinely desired to know how much sincerity he currently possessed, slowly lifting his head to look into his eyes.
Li Shengfei offered him a smile, yet his inner voice complained: {I have already humbled myself to this extent to seek reconciliation with you, yet you still refuse. What more do you want? Refuse me now, but don’t regret it in the future. Without me and Han Tian, let’s see who else remains by your side. I am offering you an opportunity right now, don’t reject my good graces.}
Cheng Shuoning’s face darkened instantly.
Li Shengfei was no different from Han Tian, both maintaining that he couldn’t survive without the two of them, uttering pleasant words on the surface while constantly disparaging him in their hearts.
Cheng Shuoning let out a light scoff, pulling the window curtain shut, refusing to look at Li Shengfei further.
“The one who is cruel isn’t me, it is you.”
Li Shengfei knocked on the glass but received no response, departing with a resentful gaze.
Cheng Shuoning took out his phone, logging into a rental app to examine nearby apartment listings.
Most were shared apartments, lacking suitable single listings. Cheng Shuoning furrowed his brows, altering the regional filters to search further.
Xu Wangzhi caught a glimpse of his screen inadvertently. Pausing slightly, he asked in a low voice, “Searching for an apartment?”
“Mm, I want to move out and live on my own.” An idea striking him, Cheng Shuoning looked at Xu Wangzhi, “Are there still vacant listings in the residential estate where you stay?”
A dark light flickered in the depths of Xu Wangzhi’s deep eyes. He spoke slowly, “Yes, the room right next to mine is vacant.”
Cheng Shuoning grew somewhat happy, “Then I will go check it out after school concludes and search for the landlord’s contact details. If nothing unexpected occurs, we will be neighbors in the future.”
He curved his eyes into a smile, his fair skin as delicate and flawless as the finest porcelain, making his entire being appear soft and obedient.
The frenzied emotion buried in the depths of his heart became a fraction more restless, yet Xu Wangzhi merely offered a flat reply, “Mm.”
During the break after the second period, Han Tian arrived once more. Even though Cheng Shuoning ignored him, he remained guarded by his side, only departing reluctantly when lessons commenced.
He considered himself to be highly deeply affectionate, since Cheng Shuoning didn’t wish to be disturbed, he wouldn’t disturb him, quietly accompanying him, believing he would gradually touch Cheng Shuoning’s heart bit by bit.
As a result, he made an effort to seek out Cheng Shuoning after school concluded, leaning into the classroom to take a look, only to find Cheng Shuoning’s desk entirely vacant. The person had vanished long ago.
Slightly enraged, he walked toward the cafeteria while dialing Cheng Shuoning’s number.
People streamed back and forth inside the cafeteria, most tables already occupied. The moment Li Shengfei sat down, he spotted Cheng Shuoning searching for a seat a short distance away, waving his hand as he called out loudly, “Ningning, over here! Sit beside me.”
He patted the vacant seat beside him, desperately wishing for Cheng Shuoning to approach.
But the exquisitely featured youth merely swept a flat glance over, failing to approach, choosing instead to sit at a corner table.
Looking closely, the person sitting across from him was none other than his desk mate, Xu Wangzhi.
This fellow truly refused to leave them in peace.
Enraged, Li Shengfei slammed his chopsticks down. In the next second, someone sat beside him.
Han Tian, who had failed to connect his call, stared at Cheng Shuoning with a grim gaze. Seeing the smile on the youth’s face, his fury mounted further, asking Li Shengfei, “Are you still continuing?”
“What?”
“Continuing to coax him.”
Li Shengfei said nothing.
Han Tian was the first to speak, “I plan to give up. Why should I coax him? He was already unpleasing to begin with, and the things I said were all the truth. Instead of altering his behavior, he expects me to coax him, it’s ridiculous to even consider.”
Li Shengfei felt his words carried considerable logic, also noting his fury, “Then stop coaxing him, I will do it.”
Han Tian: “…”