Chapter 24: Is There Really Pure Friendship Between Men and Women?
Almost exactly what Ye Liang Chen was thinking.
When Li Qing Xue saw that message, she froze in place like a statue.
【Don’t want to see myself】【Need silence】
Once she read those words, her brows furrowed tightly.
She stood there, puzzled as to how things had gotten to this point.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this from the start.
Thinking of this, Li Qing Xue felt a little wronged inside.
She glanced around and realized she had unknowingly arrived at the water bay during her anxious rush here.
The river was flowing steadily, with elderly folks doing their morning exercises nearby.
Down on the riverbank, some people were fishing, others were painting or sketching the blue sky and flowing water.
Li Qing Xue’s heart currently was feeling a strange sort of grievance.
So she also sat on the grass, curling her long legs absentmindedly, staring at the ceaseless flowing river: “Could it be—are there really no pure friendships between guys and girls?”
“Depends on the situation,” came a lazy reply not far away.
Li Qing Xue instinctively looked up.
There was a teenage boy lying on the grass, basking lazily in the sun, with two leaves covering his eyes—looking quite at ease.
Li Qing Xue’s stomach was churning with bottled-up grievances, and she was a cheerful person, so speaking to a stranger didn’t make her blush or get shy. She simply sniffed twice and asked, “What’s the situation?”
“The first kind is if that guy is gay—that kind of guy/girl friendship is totally pure.”
Li Qing Xue was no longer naive—it was just that her eyes weren’t completely clueless anymore. She understood what “gay” meant.
“And the second kind?”
“None. That’s it.” With a tone implying that unless the guy was gay, pure friendship between boys and girls was impossible.
“How can you be so sure?” Li Qing Xue stood up and moved closer to him.
Hearing footsteps on the grass, the boy lowered the leaves from his eyes and squinted at the approaching person.
He was bored and thought the scenery looked nice, so he just wanted to lie here and listen to the river flowing to relax.
Hearing someone talking, he couldn’t help but interject.
“You!”
Li Qing Xue looked at Long Ao Tian and exclaimed happily.
“Is that you?” Long Ao Tian saw that this girl was the classmate who had interviewed him that day. He simply decided to stay lying down instead of getting up.
Watching Long Ao Tian’s leisurely posture, Li Qing Xue sighed.
“Why sigh at such a young age?” came Long Ao Tian’s casual reply, accompanied by a sigh.
“You still haven’t said why you’re so sure there’s no pure friendship between boys and girls,” she pressed.
Long Ao Tian adjusted his position, probably now used to Hu Yu Ying’s role as his life mentor, and said in an elder’s tone: “The most complicated relationship in this world is feelings.”
Hearing this, Li Qing Xue seemed to think of something and sat down next to him.
“I have a friend I’ve known for many years, but he seems to like me. Because of this, our friendship seems to be having some issues now.”
“He likes you, do you like him?” Long Ao Tian covered his eyes with the leaves again and said lazily.
“I—I don’t know. We’re just too familiar. He cares for me a lot, treats me well, and I see him as a good friend, even like a brother. But now… he’s…” she hesitated.
“Stop,” Long Ao Tian raised his hand to cut her off before she could finish.
Isn’t this just classic post-itz girl drama dialogue?
He flicked a glance at the leaves, noticing the pure look in her eyes and the genuine sadness on her face. Barely seemed like a villainess.
He then said, “His attitude now—that’s what a friend should have.”
Li Qing Xue didn’t understand immediately: “What do you mean?”
Long Ao Tian, considering himself more of a psychological counselor in this world, thought about how he should open a counseling clinic after getting certified—focusing on high schoolers’ mental health, making bank, definitely.
“No one’s nice to someone for no reason. If they are, then they’ve had some kind of psychological change.”
“He likes you, so he’s willing to be kind to you. That kind of kindness definitely surpasses just friendship.”
“Think about your friends around you. Is there anyone who’s nicer to you than he is?”
Li Qing Xue pondered carefully. Even her best desk mate at school didn’t treat her as well as Ye Liang Chen did—so she shook her head.
“You’re just used to his ‘special’ ‘favor,’” Long Ao Tian said. “Once he puts himself back into his proper place, you’ll realize your friendship has a little problem.”
“In the end, it’s because you’re no longer enjoying his ‘unique favoritism’ that you think your friendship is muddled.”
Li Qing Xue suddenly understood what Long Ao Tian meant.
Ye Liang Chen liked her, so he unconsciously favored her.
But if that “like” piece is taken away, he’ll just treat her as an ordinary friend.
It’s just that her mind couldn’t accept this sudden contrast at once.
Actually, Ye Liang Chen didn’t change.
Between friends, that’s really all there is.
Li Qing Xue, as if her balloon had deflated, mumbled: “So that’s how it is…”
But since they’d brought it up, Long Ao Tian, a little bit nosy, asked: “You care so much about him, you probably have some feelings too, huh?”
Li Qing Xue thought for a moment and said regretfully, “What does it feel like to like someone?”
Haha! Confirmed—this girl isn’t a sly “sea snake” type, she’s just hopelessly lovesick.
Maybe she’s lively and clever in daily life, academically excellent, but when it comes to love, she’s so clueless she’s like an eighty-year-old granny hobbling around.
Everyone else’s car speed is soaring, and she’s still asking what “liking someone” feels like…
“Liking someone means you’ll see their heartbeat speeding up in a flash, your eyes can’t help but fall on them, and just being with them—even doing nothing—feels never-endingly fun…”
“No, I’ve never felt those ways,” Li Qing Xue seriously thought and then firmly said.
“You really should take a good look at what you call ‘friendship.’”
“If you can’t reciprocate effectively, you should calmly accept their change.”
“After all, if you don’t like someone, they still have the right to like others. They’ll withdraw their ‘favor’ from you and give it to someone they truly like.”
“Of course, if you can’t accept their change, try liking them instead.”
……
