Getting Along with High Emotional Intelligence

By now, Ji Qinglan had been put in a rather passive position. At least in the sparring between the two of them so far, Xiao Bei had been leading her by the nose. So she decided to take a gamble, retreating in order to advance, just to see what Xiao Bei would do.

Sometimes, when you faced a situation and didn't know how to handle it, a clever retreat could be the way forward.

The corners of Xiao Bei's lips curled up. "As long as Goddess Ji is willing, I think I can hold on to it. Don't you agree?"

At that, Ji Qinglan's face instantly flushed red. Fine, she had lost.

Xiao Bei really wasn't an ordinary guy. Ji Qinglan lowered her head and said shyly, "Just eat your food!"

Xiao Bei smiled to himself at the sight. You think you can compete with me, huh?

He then pretended nothing had happened and continued eating his spicy hot pot. What was that joke called again? Eating spicy hot pot? How many times was it?

With her head lowered, Ji Qinglan occasionally sneaked glances at Xiao Bei. This Scoundrel really was quite handsome, and he was rather interesting too. His emotional intelligence was high as well!

"Stop looking. If you keep staring, the food will get cold."

Xiao Bei looked at Ji Qinglan and said it outright. Her face reddened even more, and she stubbornly retorted, "Don't flatter yourself. Who was looking at you? I was looking at the food in your bowl!"

"That's not good, Goddess Ji. Eating what's in your bowl while eyeing what's in the pot isn't a good trait."

There was actually a hidden meaning behind Xiao Bei's words: he was telling Ji Qinglan not to be fickle.

"Hmph, can't you just let me have my way?"

Ji Qinglan said with puffed cheeks, sounding a little coquettish. Then she bit into the shrimp paste Xiao Bei had just placed in her bowl.

It tasted surprisingly delicious.

After finishing it, Ji Qinglan looked at Xiao Bei's bowl and couldn't help saying, "Um... um..."

Xiao Bei knew what she wanted to say, so he pushed his spicy hot pot to the middle.

"Let's eat together. I can't finish it by myself anyway."

Ji Qinglan smiled slightly at that, and her impression of Xiao Bei improved greatly. He was the kind of boy who wouldn't make others feel embarrassed.

Could such an amazing hidden gem already have a girlfriend?

So, while picking up food with her chopsticks, Ji Qinglan casually asked, "Junior Brother, you're so handsome and such a smooth talker. Your girlfriend must be very happy, right?"

Xiao Bei smiled faintly. Seeing Ji Qinglan like this amused him greatly. Anyone who wasn't an idiot could tell that she had begun testing the waters with that question.

Xiao Bei looked at Ji Qinglan and put on a wronged expression. "I want a girlfriend too, but my ability won't allow it!"

"Huh? Why? You're so outstanding. Are all those girls blind?"

"Then, Senior Sister, are you blind or do you have eagle eyes?"

Xiao Bei immediately turned the tables on Ji Qinglan. Caught while eating, she panicked for a moment before saying shyly, "Just eat!"

Xiao Bei found her truly adorable. He placed a small meatball into Ji Qinglan's bowl.

"Thank you!" Ji Qinglan took it with a red face and put it into her mouth.

"Is it good?"

Xiao Bei smiled as he watched Ji Qinglan dig in heartily.

"It's pretty good, just a little spicy!"

"Eat slowly. No one's going to steal it from you."

As he spoke, Xiao Bei poured a cup of Sprite for Ji Qinglan.

In fact, Xiao Bei had deliberately not stopped Ji Qinglan from ordering so much earlier because he wanted to spend a little more time with her at the dinner table.

Pursuing a girl required a few sincere tactics.

Goddesses were people too. There was no need to deify them; just treat them normally. Why couldn't so many people win over a goddess?

Because they put her on too high a pedestal and made themselves seem lowly. In reality, you only needed to interact with her normally and ignore the fact that she was supposedly a goddess. So what if she was a goddess?

She still ate, drank, peed, and pooped like everyone else. What, did your goddess not eat, drink, pee, and poop?

Once you had that realization, you could pursue a goddess too. But even with that realization, you couldn't just charge in like an Honest Fool. You had to take it step by step.

The way Xiao Bei and Ji Qinglan interacted now had already peeled away Ji Qinglan's "goddess" skin.

"Mm, Xiao Bei, this is so good! The spicy hot pot is too delicious! I regret not coming to Lajistreet sooner!"

Ji Qinglan looked at Xiao Bei as she spoke.

Xiao Bei noticed some oil on Ji Qinglan's lips, so he picked up a napkin and said, "Don't talk yet!"

"Hm?"

Ji Qinglan stared at Xiao Bei with wide eyes, not knowing what he intended to do. Yet strangely enough, she actually obediently closed her mouth.

At that moment, Xiao Bei extended his hand with the napkin toward Ji Qinglan's lips.

Ji Qinglan froze. She wanted to lean back, but for some reason, she remained completely still. Perhaps part of her heart was expecting something too.

Then, under Ji Qinglan's surprised and bashful gaze, Xiao Bei covered her mouth with his hand and gently wiped away the oil.

Ji Qinglan sat there blankly, not knowing what to say. This was the first time she had been so intimate with a boy. Her mind was completely blank, and she had no idea what to say.

After wiping Ji Qinglan's mouth clean, Xiao Bei asked, "Was it good?"

"Delicious!"

"Do you want to eat it again in the future?"

"Mm, I do!"

"Then I'll bring you here every day from now on, okay?"

Xiao Bei said with a smile. Hearing that, Ji Qinglan finally realized she had been led around by the nose by this Scoundrel again. Yet she wasn't unhappy at all. Instead, she felt a little expectant. But as a girl, she still had to maintain some reserve.

"Hmph! You bad man, all you know is how to sweet-talk me!"

"Hahaha, then Goddess Ji, would you be willing to honor me with your company in the future?"

"Hehehe, that depends on your performance!"

After saying that, Ji Qinglan shyly lowered her head, her eyes darting nervously toward Xiao Bei as she continued eating.

Before long, the two of them finished their meal.

They then walked out of the mala tang restaurant.

"Goddess Ji, want to take a walk?"

"Hey, stop calling me Goddess Ji. It sounds awful!" Ji Qinglan had wanted to say that earlier, but the food had completely distracted her!

"Then what should I call you? Goddess Qinglan?"

Xiao Bei teased.

"Xiao Bei, I'm realizing you're kind of annoying!"

"Just call me by my name, or Qinglan!"

As she said that, Ji Qinglan kept her head lowered, looking a little embarrassed.

"Okay, Qinglan. Want to take a walk and help digest the food?"

Xiao Bei looked at Ji Qinglan.

Ji Qinglan nodded slightly. There happened to be a park in the nearby university district.

The two of them headed straight across the street.

Along the way, Ji Qinglan looked at Xiao Bei's back. He looked very handsome, so she walked up beside him.

"Xiao Bei, you... you really... don't have a girlfriend?"