Lu Yu watched her act and wanted to laugh, wondering how a girl could show so many different faces.
He couldn’t help but say, "When I saw you talking about that girl just now, you were all fierce, but looking at you now, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never believe you’re the same person."
Gu Shengyin took a bite of the noodles. The noodles were chewy, and the soup was fully flavored—it was delicious.
She replied earnestly, "You naturally adopt a certain posture when dealing with different kinds of people. Take that Qing Luochen, for example. Do you believe that if I didn’t show some dominance, she would definitely think I’m an easy target to manipulate?"
She couldn’t possibly play the naive and sweet girl forever in front of her lover; her true self also needed to be known to him.
Lu Yu’s focus was entirely elsewhere, however.
He asked, "Then tell me, why do you act in front of me?" Simple and harmless, like a delicate little cat.
Gu Shengyin blinked and said with a giggle, "Because I know you really like me deep down in your heart, and you are truly good to me."
She didn’t hesitate for a moment when she said this, but Lu Yu’s ears suddenly felt hot upon hearing it.
How could she, so easily, speak the word ’like’ in front of a boy?
Lu Yu struggled with himself for a moment, but after noticing that Gu Shengyin’s expression was very normal, without any peculiarities, he finally realized that her meaning of ’like’ was completely different from what he had understood.
Once he figured this out, he laughed at himself: Lu Yu, Lu Yu, everyone says you’re mature and stable, bearing the demeanor of a general who remains unflustered even when the mountain crumbles before him. But who knew, you could be so disturbed by an offhand remark from a young girl?
He set aside those swirling thoughts and began eating his noodles.
After finishing the meal, Gu Shengyin was ready to say goodbye to Lu Yu.
"Thanks for the noodles, Top Student Lu. Next time I’m free, I’ll treat you to a meal," Gu Shengyin said in a chummy way.
Lu Yu couldn’t help but smile: "Then I’ll be looking forward to it."
Watching Gu Shengyin get ready to leave, Lu Yu thought for a moment and still called out to her, "Well... I heard about the thing with your boyfriend. Don’t be sad, and... your boyfriend might not be much, but there are many great guys out there in the world." Like me.
Gu Shengyin laughed, showing no sign of distress, "I know, I won’t be upset about such a person! There certainly are great guys, like the Top Student Lu right in front of me, who is handsome and gentle, cool on the outside but warm on the inside, a real heartthrob..."
Her last words became faint as the girl ran off into the distance.
Lu Yu stood in the afternoon sunlight, watching the girl’s figure get farther away, her shadow stretched long, full of the boundless vitality unique to youth.
His heart was racing because of Gu Shengyin’s last sentence.
So in her eyes, he was a handsome and gentle heartthrob?
A breeze that picked up from nowhere lifted the corners of his lips, lingering for a long time before falling.
Gu Shengyin, who had just flirted with her sweetheart, was in a delightful mood on her way home.
Had she not encountered someone waiting at her doorstep, that delight might have lasted the whole evening.
"What are you doing here?" She dropped the smile from her face and asked coldly.