Chapter 102

It perfectly accentuated her leg shape. The coat and skirt combination was exactly like Yukino Yukinoshita's outfit from the anime * My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU *! And she had long hair now too! She really loved this outfit. But unlike Yukino, she hadn't encountered any female or male Hachiman Hikigaya wanted to interfere with her life. Instead, she met a very, very important friend. She didn't want to date any so-called boys. Hua Xin typed on her phone, replying to Xia Yan's message. The message was very much in her online style—humorous and demon girl —making Xia Yan quickly apologize, act coquettish, and call her "wife." "So shameless..." "You're such a pervert..." Hua Xin muttered softly, but there was no anger in her eyes. The computer fan stopped whirring; Chun Qiu was asleep. She turned off her phone and placed it on the bed, sitting by the window watching the darkening sky, which felt different from usual. "It's snowing..." The girl didn't open the window, gazing absently at the falling snowflakes. At 4:29 PM on December 16, 2024, Hua Xin saw the first snow of the year. It seemed like snow hadn't appeared in ages, and it had been a very long time since she'd been able to look outside without fear and step out the door like this. Watching the snowflakes, the girl murmured her innermost thoughts, both caring and indifferent: "If I'm all alone, what does it matter if it's a man or a woman?" "I'll just stay in this house until I die anyway, nobody will care about me." "But you can only be my friend." "But you're the second person to celebrate my birthday, my only friend, and Hua Xin's best, best friend..." The girl reached out and opened the window. A chilling wind and cold air rushed in, and tiny snowflakes gently drifted onto her legs, adding a contrasting purity to the stark blackness. She gently touched the snowflakes with her fingers; the delicate snowflakes, their unique shapes barely visible under a microscope, were simply picked up and carried away by her fingers. Just like herself, always rejected by everyone. "I'm a monster who went from boy to girl." "I'm already satisfied just being your friend by hiding my identity with a hood and mask." "Whether it's Liu Ruoyun or Lin Qingyu, they are both so much better than me... If they were normal, I wouldn't have to do this." "What right do I have to be your... so-called 'girlfriend'?" Her cascading black hair danced behind her in the cold air that kept pouring into the room, and then after the gust of wind dissipated, only snowflakes drifted down from the window. "You agree, right?" Hua Xin said softly. The snowflakes melted away because of the warmth in her hands. She seemed to be asking someone else. Or perhaps she was asking herself. 89. Is the main package you like my girlfriend? 3k4 Xia Yan is an exceptionally self-disciplined person. No matter how tired or late he is, or what other unexpected events occur, what needs to be done today must be completed today. If he procrastinates day after day, he will only develop a habit of escapism. A man! He must be self-disciplined, self-disciplined, and self-disciplined again?! This matter was firmly kept in his heart when he began to choose to change himself, and it became his life motto. Ever since that incident in his childhood, Xia Yan has always believed that his transformation wasn't due to talent, but rather the result of day-to-day hard work—the reward of diligence. No one is born a genius. Like him, someone who could only be bullied and unable to fight back, how could he become the person he is today, with so many friends and universal respect? It's impossible to achieve this without hard work. He constantly observes details, knowing what people like, what they love, what they dislike, or what they're taboo about... Everyone around him, everyone he interacts with, even strangers like the ones he visits for computer installation, subconsciously tries to capture this information. Xia Yan is often afraid of saying the wrong thing, so he always wears a smile, trying to make a good first impression. But it's exhausting. Xia Yan walked into the shop and said directly to the owner, "Uncle Yun, two bowls of beef noodles, one with an extra beef and a fried egg, to go." "Okay, that'll be... seventy-five." "Okay." Xia Yan placed the bag of groceries he had just bought at the supermarket on the chair, took out his phone, and scanned the money. "Anyone visiting?" Uncle Yun asked with a smile as he cooked noodles. Since this place was near Xia Yan's home, he'd been eating there frequently since high school and was quite familiar with the owner, often chatting when it was quieter. "Yeah, that's why I didn't order two bowls. Has A Zi not come back yet?" "She's too far away. All the tickets for the nearest station are sold out. She'll come back in a couple of days. After all, she's studying in Xinjiang. I don't know what she's thinking..." "She said she missed you. Without your tutoring in high school, she wouldn't have gotten such high scores." "Oh, not at all. You cooked for me and even paid for my tutoring." Xia Yan said with a smile, his eyes slightly reminiscing. That was back in high school. Living alone, he had to support himself, so he went to school Xia Yan and worked part-time at a pool hall at night, barely managing to cover his school expenses and living costs. One day during his senior year of high school, he saw two hooligans groping a female colleague's leg. It was late and there weren't many people around, so Xia Yan, of course, didn't stand idly by. He punched the two hooligans hard, delivering a powerful blow! Then came the spectacular unemployment crisis. After all, he was still a member of WCN (a term referring to a specific social organization), and his boss was inclined to protect him. Fortunately, there was his colleague's gratitude and that meal of Japanese ramen. Later, by a twist of fate, he became the tutor of the ramen shop owner's daughter. Although they were both seniors in high school, Xia Yan's academic talent and hard work were clearly more than enough for the role. And a major reason was that it was close to home. "Okay." "Thank you." "By the way..." As Uncle Yun handed him the two bowls of noodles, he suddenly said mysteriously, "If you're dating, don't tell her, or A Zi will be heartbroken." "After all, she doesn't have the courage to confess to you." "It won't affect you." Xia Yan held the noodles in one hand and picked up the shopping bag in the other, saying with a slight smile, "I will. You really know your daughter well..." Uncle Yun: "Absolutely."... Leaving the noodle shop, he was already very close to home. He sighed wearily. Although he was tired, thinking about how much money he had earned today made the fatigue less tormenting. Before, he had been working in his spare time while studying for exams all night. But now that the exams were over, the rest of his time was filled with part-time work. Every little bit helps, after all, holidays are for focusing on making money. Unlike in high school, when he had to study for the next semester, the pressure of university studies was much lighter. He wanted to save up a million as soon as possible and get married sooner. I'm going on a date with my Cat Wife the day after tomorrow, so I need to prepare plenty of money for shopping, movies, dining out, and maybe even... ahem. A gentleman, a gentleman. Besides, this is also possible...