Yang Zhi Is Also a Charming Person (Please Bookmark, Please Vote)

First thing in the morning, the English teacher praised Ding Yebai's test paper in class. He had finally taken the teacher's words to heart!

Then, when the math quiz was handed back, he saw that he had gotten full marks again. He had also heard that he was the only one in the entire grade to get full marks on the chemistry quiz!

Ah, what a wonderful day.

That was what Ding Yebai had originally thought.

But who would have expected his bicycle to break down when he was heading back to school at 1:50 in the afternoon?

After pushing his bike to school, he attended class in a gloomy mood all afternoon.

After school that afternoon, he pushed his bike out of the school gates and headed for the nearest market, where an old man repaired bicycles.

He and the repairman were old acquaintances. Back when he was little and mischievous, he used to wreck his bike all the time and came here every few days.

Now that he had grown so much, the old man's hair had naturally turned much whiter too.

As he repaired the bike, the old man sat on a worn-out stool, turning the pedals with his dark, thick hands.

Ding Yebai stood beside him with a lollipop in his mouth. After glancing around, he spotted a familiar figure at the end of the road.

That slender, beautiful figure...

Sister Yang Zhi!!

Ding Yebai very naturally turned his head in the other direction.

Just as he was wondering what he should say when they met, Yang Zhi had already slowly walked up to him.

"Eh? Ding Yebai?"

"..."

She still came!

"Sister Yang Zhi, what a coincidence." Ding Yebai slowly turned around and politely greeted her.

Yang Zhi was dressed in an artsy, fresh style, her long black hair draped loose behind her. She looked as gentle as water.

Both her hands were full of vegetables and fruit, and a four- or five-year-old child stood beside her.

"Why are you here?"

"Oh, I came to pick up my younger sister from school and buy some groceries while I was at it. Qiqi, this is Older Brother Ding Yebai," Yang Zhi said to the little girl.

"Hello, Older Brother," Qiqi obediently said.

Ding Yebai said, "Hello."

Seeing how cute the little girl was, Ding Yebai's heart melted right then and there.

The corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably, but a second later, he put on a cool expression again.

Yang Zhi looked at him, a spring-breeze-like smile still on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Ding Yebai said, "My bike broke down. I'm getting it fixed."

"Oh, I see."

"My bike will still take a while to fix. Sister Yang Zhi, if you have something to do, you should go ahead first."

Yang Zhi smiled and nodded. Just as she turned to leave with Qiqi, the bicycle repairman suddenly shouted, "The bike's fixed!!!"

Then she slowly turned her head back to look at Ding Yebai.

Yang Zhi said, "..."

Ding Yebai said, "..."

And so, thanks to the bicycle repairman's "blessing," Ding Yebai ended up walking together with Sister Yang Zhi and Qiqi.

Whatever. They were headed the same way anyway.

Seeing Sister Yang Zhi carrying such a huge bag of things, Ding Yebai immediately said, "Sister Yang Zhi, let me carry that for you."

That big bag looked difficult even for him to carry, let alone a woman.

Yang Zhi said, "All right. Thank you."

That way, she could free up one hand to hold Qiqi's.

Ding Yebai took the bag and hung it from his bike. When he was about to ask for her other bag, he noticed that it was black. Guessing it contained feminine products, he did not say anything else.

Qiqi stood to Yang Zhi's right. She tilted her head to the left, looking at Ding Yebai, then at Sister Yang Zhi.

Her big eyes blinked and blinked, as though she were thinking about something.

"Older Brother is so handsome."

She said it in a soft, adorable voice.

Ding Yebai froze for a moment, secretly delighted.

He turned his head aside and quietly smiled, then looked ahead and calmly said, "I'm just average."

"Ha ha..." Yang Zhi glanced at him without saying anything, merely giving an awkward laugh.

Some things were better left unsaid.

Tsk, boys this age... right?

Qiqi held Yang Zhi's hand and skipped along. Seeing that the two adults were not saying anything, she took the initiative to break the awkward silence.

"Sister Yang Zhi, today one of the kids said a phrase called 'valuing boys over girls.' Sister, what does 'valuing boys over girls' mean?"

Upon hearing that, Ding Yebai raised his eyes helplessly toward the sky.

She already knew that phrase at such a young age? Her thoughts were really unfathomable.

Then again, it did not seem right to let Qiqi understand its real meaning at this age. She was still at the carefree age when she believed princesses and princes lived in castles in fairy tales, and little pigs were blowers.

How would Sister Yang Zhi answer?

As Ding Yebai wondered, he looked at Yang Zhi and stared at her delicate, beautiful profile.

Yang Zhi smiled and gently said to Qiqi, "It means boys carry the heavy things, while girls carry the light things."

Ding Yebai raised an eyebrow, slightly stunned. "..."

??????

Was that how it was explained?

Boys carried the heavy things, and girls carried the light things?

Qiqi smiled. "Is that right, Sister Yang Zhi?"

Yang Zhi said, "That's right. Look, doesn't Older Brother Ding Yebai have the heavy things, while Sister Yang Zhi is only carrying this little bag?"

Qiqi looked in the direction she pointed.

"That really is true."

"Yes." Yang Zhi narrowed her eyes and smiled.

Qiqi immediately asked Ding Yebai, "So that's what it means. I get it! It must be because boys are stronger, right? But Older Brother Ding Yebai, are you tired from carrying such a big bag of vegetables?"

"Uh..." Ding Yebai calmly said, "Not tired."

Why would he be tired when it was hanging from the bicycle...

"Really?"

"Mm."

Yang Zhi turned to look at Ding Yebai.

Their eyes met by accident.

Ding Yebai naturally knew Yang Zhi's explanation was wrong. That was not what valuing boys over girls meant at all.

Still...

His tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

What a fairy-tale-like explanation, Sister Yang Zhi.

He thought to himself.

Sister Yang Zhi pursed her lips in a faint smile. Her eyes clearly said, [Let's tell her what that phrase really means after she gets a little older. Keep it a secret for me, okay? Don't expose me.]

Ding Yebai sighed and turned to look at the road ahead.

You're worrying too much. Of course I won't say anything.

The three of them continued walking and waited across the street for the red light to end.

After a long silence, Yang Zhi took the initiative to start a conversation. "Ding Yebai, you—"

"I studied them." Ding Yebai quickly answered, "I studied everything Sister Yang Zhi gave me."

"..." Yang Zhi slightly raised her brows, looking a little confused.

Why was he so nervous? Was I really that scary?

"Sister Yang Zhi, look over there." Qiqi suddenly tugged at Yang Zhi's hand and pointed ahead at someone in anime cosplay.

Naturally, Qiqi did not know it was anime cosplay. She only thought the person had strange blue hair and was dressed differently from everyone else.

"What is that, Sister Yang Zhi?"

"..."

Yang Zhi looked over and was just about to speak when a mother and daughter diagonally ahead of them had the exact same exchange.

The little girl asked her mom, "Mom, look at that person. What's going on with her? Her clothes are so strange."

Her mom replied in an extremely disgusted tone, "That's a monster. You must never imitate her."

Then—

Ding Yebai watched helplessly as the female cosplayer in front of them put on a mask, covering her face.

Ding Yebai frowned, unable to understand what that mother had said.

Come on, if you don't like it, at least don't hurt her.

"Sister Yang Zhi..."

Qiqi held Yang Zhi's hand. Although she had already heard an answer from that mother, she still wanted to hear what Sister Yang Zhi would say.

Yang Zhi looked at the blue-haired cosplayer ahead, then smiled gently and openly told Qiqi:

"That's a princess~"

Her voice was neither loud nor soft, as though she had deliberately said it for the cosplayer to hear.

Qiqi immediately broke into an adorable smile. "Right? I thought she looked like one too. A blue-haired Disney princess!"

Perhaps because the contrast was so obvious, Ding Yebai felt something stir in his heart.

Hearing that answer, he abruptly turned to look at Yang Zhi. Her hair was blocking his view, so he even tilted his head, trying to see her face.

For a moment, he felt as though Sister Yang Zhi was glowing all over.

If it had been him, he probably would have honestly explained to Qiqi that it was cosplay, or called it role-playing if she did not understand.

How could he have gently said, "That's a princess"?

Yang Zhi said, "Hm?"

He had been staring so intently that when Yang Zhi turned toward him, he still had not snapped out of it.

The two faced each other. Yang Zhi blinked in confusion.

Why was he staring straight at her?

"Ding Yebai... are you okay?" she calmly asked.

"Ah... cough, cough. No. I'm fine." Ding Yebai immediately straightened up, a flash of awkwardness passing through his eyes.

Damn it, what was I doing?!

Thanks to rainnosekai for the 100 Origin Point Coins donation.