At that moment, Li Kai, humming a tune, strolled into the classroom. His sharp eyes instantly spotted the osmanthus cake on Tang Qing’s desk, and his face lit up as he quickly walked over.
"Is this osmanthus cake? It looks quite delicious."
After finishing his sentence, Li Kai shamelessly leaned over to take a closer look at the cake, obviously insinuating, "I’ve lowered my pride so much, how could you possibly not offer me a piece?"
Every time he wanted to eat something Wang Yan brought, he would act like this. After all, it was Wang Yan’s stuff, and he didn’t have the audacity to just help himself. However, if it had been Tang Qing’s, he wouldn’t have been so polite.
"Here, take it. Why are you peering so closely?" Tang Qing handed over the plastic box with a bemused smile. Wang Yan also chuckled along.
"Hehe, since you’re offering so kindly, I can’t possibly decline." Li Kai did not hold back, he grabbed a piece, put it in his mouth and savored it. He knew his limits though. He wouldn’t mind finishing up Tang Qing’s food because Tang Qing was rich. However, since it was Wang Yan’s, he only wanted a taste and didn’t want to overeat. Even if Tang Qing and Wang Yan wouldn’t mind, he wasn’t the kind to push limits.
Tasting the flavor in his mouth, Li Kai squinted his eyes with happiness and quickly nodded, "It’s really delicious, why don’t I ever get treated this way?"
"You have a desk partner too, why not ask them," Tang Qing said teasingly.
Li Kai had a crush on his desk partner for many years but had never confessed. Although Tang Qing, who understood Li Kai’s feelings, did not dare to meddle casually. He was afraid that if he encouraged Li Kai to pursue his desk partner, it might backfire. Many times, a crush can be a beautiful memory, and Tang Qing wasn’t sure if he should destroy Li Kai’s ’pure land’.
"We’re not that close." Confusion flickered across Li Kai’s face.
"You’ll get to know each other better if you talk more," Tang Qing suggested with a smile.
Li Kai’s crush was the sincere kind. He usually didn’t talk much, just like Wang Yan previously. It’s quite ironic, when one cares a lot about someone, they are careful about everything they say and do, often appearing reserved. However, when a man just wants to ’have a go’, he will let loose, flirting and behaving peculiarly, knowing that there will be countless women waiting for him in line. Even if he fails, he’ll just take it as a learning experience.
This ’careless’ initiative usually gives them a real chance to ’charge forward’. After all, women are emotional beings. They often get hooked by eloquent men who add a touch of flirtation to their conversation - even if it’s deception, they willingly accept it.freēReadNovelFull.com
The world works in such strange ways, which is in line with human nature. It’s not about right or wrong, it’s just a matter of perspective. The guy who did not get the girl feels resentment; he puts in all the effort and still gets hurt. From the perspective of the ’bad guys,’ they might say, "I’m just looking for a suitable match. Even if I have to try a hundred times, it’s because I cherish love."
Thus, love can be like a confusing game; it’s partly rational, but mostly makes no sense at all. If you don’t get the girl, you stamp your feet complaining, blaming the ’bad guys’ for hurting the goddess in your heart over and over again. But those who succeed look down upon the ’good guys’ for being cowardly. This mutual disdain might carry on till humans go extinct.
"Well, I think I’ll leave it at that for now. I’ll go back to my seat," Li Kai joked awkwardly, quickly returning to his seat, not wishing to discuss this topic further as he was still conflicted.
"What happened, does he have something going on with Chu Lan?" Wang Yan asked curiously after Li Kai left.
"You’re smart. But you have to keep it a secret. That guy is still confused," Tang Qing said with a smile. Li Kai had told him in the latter’s previous life that he decided not to pursue Chu Lan just before the National College Entrance Examination. He said that he just wanted to keep her as a cherished memory. Although he had a deep fondness for her, Li Kai never maintained any further contact with her. He didn’t follow her updates like she was a stranger to him.
In a way, Li Kai and Wang Yan were similar, both harboring unconfessed feelings, and barely interacted with their crushes. Maybe Wang Yan also believed that a crush should be a beautiful memory, not to be spoiled with a confession. Perhaps if Lin Jiaxue hadn’t encountered that incident and Wang Yan hadn’t overflown with sympathy, she would never have confessed her feelings to Tang Qing.
"Alright." Wang Yan nodded. Thinking of Li Kai reminded her of her own situation, she knew that her unrequited love was doomed, yet she couldn’t control herself. Perhaps... that was fate.
Looking at the secret interaction between Tang Qing and Wang Yan, and the very appetizing osmanthus cake on the table, many people were green with envy but did not dare to voice any sarcasm, even behind their backs. Not only was it because of Tang Qing’s academic achievements, but also because Su Ziwang had previously given a guy a hard time for gossiping about them. Tang Qing was aware of this, and although this action seemed bullying, it again came down to a question of taking sides. Like how people liked to gossip but didn’t like being the subject of gossip.
Tang Qing’s attitude towards Su Ziwang improved considerably seeing his flattery. Knowing when to advance and when to retreat, seizing opportunities and knowing how to handle matters was a skill. Even if Su Ziwang’s character wasn’t the best, he could still be useful when dealing with other people of dubious character.