In the face of Bei Sangyun’s anger, Fei Chuan remained calm. He shifted his gaze to his laptop and resumed working, casually replying.
"It is as you have read."
Bei Sangyun gritted her teeth, "Did you even consider my proposal?"
"There’s nothing to consider." Fei Chuan shrugged.
Bei Sangyun narrowed her eyes, uncertain of how to respond to rejection. Right now, all she wanted was to force him to accept her ’confession’.
However, she retained some composure. Fei Chuan wouldn’t appreciate being pressured into it.
Taking a deep breath, Bei Sangyun retrieved the crumpled paper. "I will pretend I didn’t see it. You haven’t seen how great I am yet, so don’t reject my proposal too early."
Fei Chuan, who was pretending to be busy, paused. He glanced at her in surprise.
Was she going to continue this farce?
He only hesitated for a moment before deciding to act like he didn’t care. After all, he couldn’t stop Bei Sangyun, but he wouldn’t let her take the lead in this game.
He had learned his lesson; trying to figure out her thoughts or the purpose behind her every action was a waste of time.
"Whatever," was Fei Chuan’s only reply.
Bei Sangyun sat on her chair with a dark face, staying silent throughout the morning class.
Meanwhile, Zhong Cheng, whose attention was on the back, was dying to know what had happened between the two for them to suddenly become quiet and a bit distant.
.....
At break, Bei Sangyun did not follow Fei Chuan to the cafeteria but pulled Zhong Cheng to the clinic.
She showed him the black card.
"This is his reply," Bei Sangyun said with an ugly expression.
Zhong Cheng stared at the word ’NEVER’ with wide eyes.
Brother-in-law was so powerful! He dared to reject the tyrant boss in the most domineering way! No wonder the Boss was so angry!
Zhong Cheng never expected that Fei Chuan would play hard to get. Unlike Bei Sangyun, who was greatly affected by this rejection, Zhong Cheng was undeterred.
"Boss, don’t get too angry. It’s normal for girls-- I mean boys who are being chased to play hard to get. If you get him too easily, you might not want to treasure him afterwards. After all, we treasured the things that we worked hard and put a lot of effort to get."
Zhong Cheng tried to console Bei Sangyun. He even compared Fei Chuan to the girls he chased before.
"Just be patient and court him step by step. If he sees your perseverance and sincerity, there is no doubt he would be moved."
Bei Sangyun bit her lips. If it’s not Fei Chuan, she wouldn’t be this humble. She sighed and accepted the fact that she got rejected, and she just needed to work harder next time. Fei Chuan was worth it after all.
"Then what should I do?"
Zhong Cheng patted his chest. "There’s no need to worry, boss, just follow along with our operation! You confessed to him, so I’m pretty sure you caught his attention successfully. He would be constantly thinking about why you wrote those words, what you like about him, and why you chose him. His mind should be full of you right now!"
Bei Sangyun nodded, convinced. When Fei Chuan mentioned that the past ’him’ loved her, she was haunted by those words and constantly thought about him.
"Just express your feelings with sincerity!" Zhong Cheng, the Guru*, suggested with vigor.
****
The cafeteria buzzed with students’ chatter and laughter, creating a lively atmosphere. However, the vibrant surroundings seemed to have no impact on the farthest corner of the cafeteria.
Isolated from the cheerful ambiance, Fei Chuan sat alone at a table, quietly engrossed in his meal. His eating seemed absentminded-- as he felt that something was missing.
He glanced at the empty seat in front of him.
Where did that woman go?
It was rare for her not to accompany him at lunch. By now, she would have exchanged his utensils and picked the dish he had just touched.
Fei Chuan continued to eat in a daze, not noticing that the lively noise paused for a moment before resuming.
Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of him. The owner of the hand placed his favorite juice beside his plate.
Bei Sangyun appeared behind him with a domineering smile. "This is my affection. Accept it."
Fei Chuan: "...."
She was still not over it, huh.
Fei Chuan had long gotten used to Bei Sangyun bringing him a drink. Despite him telling her to stop doing errands for him and not accepting the drinks, the woman kept bringing them to him. In the end, Fei Chuan felt it was futile to reject it, so he accepted her ’hard work’.
He was about to pick up the straw when Bei Sangyun suddenly snatched the straw and the drink. She then put the straw in the juice and handed it to him. "Here."
Fei Chuan: "...."
He accepted it naturally.
Bei Sangyun sat in front of him. She put her chin on the palm of her hand and stared boldly at him.
Fei Chuan, who initially wanted to ignore her stare, couldn’t last for more than a minute. He felt awkward. He put down the juice and frowned at her. "If you’re going to say something, just say it. You don’t have to stare at me all day long."
Bei Sangyun suddenly reached out and lifted his long bangs, taking him by surprise. "I am just appreciating how handsome you are."
Fei Chuan: "..."
He slapped her hand away, and his ears flushed red. "Shameless."
He should have gotten used to her shamelessness, but he couldn’t. He knew those praises were empty words, but he could not help but be flustered by them, which made him annoyed.
"If you are not going to eat, then I’ll leave."
Bei Sangyun looked at him in surprise, "You were waiting for me?"
Fei Chuan: "..."
Bei Sangyun’s eyes brightened at this realization, and a smile bloomed on her face. "I thought you hated having lunch with me. If I had known you were waiting for me, I should have come earlier. Did you miss me? Did you think about me? Is your mind full of me?"
Fei Chuan: "..." He shouldn’t have said anything.
He stood up to leave. "Nonsense."
"Hey, I haven’t eaten yet!" Bei Sangyun stood up.
"Then eat by yourself." Fei Chuan ignored her and hurriedly escaped from the cafeteria, his ears hidden under his hair still flushed red.
****
A/n: Guru*-(in Hinduism and Buddhism) a spiritual teacher, especially one who imparts initiation.