Chapter 142: You Buy Me Some Water, Okay?
Back at the school entrance, Dragon Brother returned the bike.
He strolled toward the school gate.
From afar, he spotted a figure standing by the entrance.
Amidst the bustling crowd, she stood out like a lone, frosty lamp in a sea of, well, more frosty lamps. Even surrounded by people, there was an odd pull to her calmness.
With an inner sense, she slowly turned and looked up.
Her gaze was bright and clear, as if it could pierce through time and the masses. A hint of a smile flickered in her eyes, briefly melting away the coldness that surrounded her.
As Dragon Brother approached, Lin Wan Ning’s mind was a complete blank; the excuses she’d rehearsed in her head were nowhere to be found at this moment.
She usually had a chilly demeanor, rarely showing her feelings, which made her seem distant and aloof.
But, in truth, that cool exterior masked a tangle of complex, rich emotions—she just had no clue how to express them.
“I-I sent you a message…” The sudden appearance of Dragon Brother made her forget all her carefully crafted excuses, causing her to blurt the truth out in desperation.
Dragon Brother pulled out his phone, spotted the little red dot on the Penguin app, and chuckled sheepishly. “I was riding, didn’t hear it.”
“What’s up? Is something wrong?”
Lin Wan Ning turned her head, directing her gaze elsewhere as she said, “I wanted to treat you to a meal.” Her cool, unique voice suggested a dinner invitation, yet it came out icy.
People unfamiliar with her might think she was just a sassy princess too proud to mingle. But those who knew her understood that her subtle head-turn indicated her bashfulness had already replaced her initial cool temperament.
Lin Wan Ning’s emotions were generally stable with minimal fluctuations. Yet, for reasons unknown, standing before this boy made her heart race like a roller coaster.
So much so that she couldn’t muster the courage to look him in the eye.
“Well, I just had a meal.”
At his words, Lin Wan Ning instinctively tightened her small hands, her lips becoming a thin line, and her earlobes, hidden by her long hair, slowly turned a shade of red.
She was… rejected.
Being turned down wasn’t in Lin Wan Ning’s playbook because, let’s face it, with her looks and brains, the thought of rejection was as foreign to her as eating tofu in a meat factory.
Now, she was left in a daze, not knowing what to do next.
Glancing at Lin Wan Ning, who was caught in a whirlpool of confusion, Dragon Brother chuckled, “How about you treat me to some water?”
Lin Wan Ning, who had been at a loss for what to do, now had her eyes suddenly light up. “Okay!”
After that little word escape, her tense heart relaxed, and there was an almost imperceptible glimmer of gratitude in her gaze.
There were plenty of shops selling milk tea and fruit drinks nearby the school.
Soon, Lin Wan Ning emerged holding two cups of fruit tea. She handed one to Dragon Brother, meaning to say the weather was hot, and milk tea could cause heartburn, so fruit tea would be better.
But when it came to her lips, all she managed was, “Here you go…”
Afterward, she inwardly grimaced, cursing her tongue for being so clumsy. Why did her words come out so cold?!
She had actually come over to thank him for helping her…
He had helped her and even got hurt in the process; didn’t this make her sound utterly ungrateful? Would he regret helping her?
So she quickly pivoted, “Drink this.”
Seeing the frown on Lin Wan Ning’s face, akin to someone regretting a bad haircut, Dragon Brother couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know, you can really let loose! The greatest purpose of life is to be happy!”
“If something makes you smile, don’t go getting all critical with yourself.”
“Oh, and fruit tea is delicious.”
Sometimes, being overly sensitive just backfires. Loosening up and being your true self isn’t such a bad approach!
Lin Wan Ning nodded lightly. “I’m actually easy to get along with.”
“Yeah, I can tell.”
“Really?” Lin Wan Ning asked earnestly, looking at Dragon Brother.
Many claimed to be difficult to approach…
“Absolutely.” He pulled out some ointment from his pocket, giving his fruit tea a little shake. “Whether someone’s easy to interact with isn’t measured by what others say, but rather by what they do.”
No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Lin Wan Ning’s lips gently curled into a smile. “Thank you.”
“I know you don’t want me to keep saying thank you, but this one is genuinely from the heart.”
“It’s not that I mind, I just think helping a bullied girl isn’t exactly a monumental feat to brag about.”
“Besides, even without me, that cowardly bully would’ve thought twice about acting up in front of an audience,” Dragon Brother said nonchalantly.
Lin Wan Ning shook her head softly. “Maybe it doesn’t mean much to you, but it does to me. It really isn’t nothing.”
So many people chose not to help her, yet some random guy from the music academy lent a hand.
Maybe because he helps lots of people, he thinks helping her is just a small gesture!
But only she knows how humiliating and desperate she felt back then, in need of help…
The silver lining? She was genuinely helped, how could she ever forget that?
What’s more, she sensed Dragon Brother was different from other boys.
He didn’t treat her like an object to be evaluated; he didn’t impose demands on her for helping; if she hadn’t made the first move, he probably wouldn’t have even thought of adding her on his Penguin app.
And even after adding her, he didn’t bombard her with pointless small talk.
In fact, it was she who had mentioned wanting to grab a meal today.
In that moment, Lin Wan Ning couldn’t stop herself from stealing glances at Dragon Brother, wondering if perhaps he just wasn’t into girls…
“What are you thinking about? Your eyes suddenly turned all mischievous!”
Oh no! Nothing is more embarrassing than being caught sneaking peeks!
Lin Wan Ning froze for a split second, her exquisitely beautiful face flashing with a hint of being caught red-handed. Her tear mole blushed, reminiscent of a fiery orchid blooming brilliantly under the moonlight… stunning and utterly beguiling…
