Just as I finished talking with Chen Yongchao, the bell for morning self-study rang.
Zhang Zhaomu sat back in the back seat, Xiang Qing curiously turned slightly to ask, " Zhang Zhaomu, what did Teacher Chen say to you?"
"He talked to me about the stubbornness of middle-aged men," Zhang Zhaomu said casually.
"Huh?" Xiang Qing asked, puzzled.
"It's not important." Zhang Zhaomu turned to stare at her. "Speaking of which, you've been speaking very fluently lately. It seems you've overcome your psychological barrier to communicating with people?"
"No..." Xiang Qing said softly, "It's just with you."
"With me what?"
"I feel no pressure talking to you."
She explained, "Because you said we're friends now."
"Then you should make more friends," Zhang Zhaomu said with a smile.
"No way!" Xiang Qing immediately became serious. "Mom said that a person can only meet a few true friends in their lifetime, maybe even just one."
"Therefore, cherish your true friends instead of socializing every day and becoming someone who boasts about having many friends. Human emotions are finite."
Zhang Zhaomu raised an eyebrow.
This time, he actually agreed with Xiang Qing's mother said.
He wasn't the type of person who enjoyed socializing; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent all those years only hanging out with Chen Zhenzhen.
"But theory is theory, and reality is reality." Zhang Zhaomu asked curiously, "You don't have mind-reading abilities, so how can you tell who your true friends are?"
"That's you," Xiang Qing said matter-of-factly.
"Maybe I'm a conman? For example, maybe I'm only befriending you because of your looks, and then I'll start doing bad things to you once we're closer," Zhang Zhaomu threatened her maliciously.
Xiang Qing was not afraid, and did not even avoid eye contact. She simply said:
" Zhang Zhaomu, I'm not stupid."
I can distinguish between those who treat me sincerely and those who approach me with ulterior motives.
Then she paused, and blurted out:
"Besides, I don't mind if you're after my looks... my beauty, anyway, I'm not at a disadvantage, and you're good-looking too."
Zhang Zhaomu gasped.
Wait, would someone as clueless as Xiang Qing really say something like that?
How dare you!
How is this different from teasing in return?
"I admit we're evenly matched in looks." Zhang Zhaomu shamelessly accepted the compliment, then grinned maliciously and said:
"But you say you won't suffer a loss? You probably don't know, in this respect, boys and girls are still different."
Xiang Qing shrank back slightly, but then mustered her courage and said, "I know you're trying to scare me, but I'm not afraid!"
"Aren't you afraid?" Zhang Zhaomu leaned forward, getting closer to her.
"No... I'm not afraid!" Xiang Qing shrank back again, leaning against the wall, but her eyes still stubbornly met Zhang Zhaomu's gaze. "Even if you're talking about doing... doing bad things, it's mutual. Girls can do bad things to boys too!"
Zhang Zhaomu: "..."
This reaction is wrong.
The little idiot's understanding in this regard seems surprisingly bold?
Zhang Zhaomu was in a bit of a bind and questioned, "Then why are you hiding so far away?"
"Because... it's too close!" Xiang Qing protested, "I... I'm not used to it yet..."
"Heh." Zhang Zhaomu chuckled, then sat up straight again, taking the opportunity to say, "Good that you're scared now."
"I'm not afraid!" Xiang Qing said defiantly.
"It's alright, it's not shameful to be afraid of a real man like me." Zhang Zhaomu smirked and activated his Crooked Mouth War God form.
Xiang Qing remained silent for a moment.
Then suddenly, he braced himself on the stool with both hands and leaned forward towards Zhang Zhaomu.
The ethereal face in the painting rapidly approached in my field of vision, only stopping when it reached a dangerous distance.
Zhang Zhaomu shuddered involuntarily, his upturned smile vanished, and the "crooked-mouthed war god" instantly crumbled. He awkwardly asked, "What are you doing..."
"Prove I'm not afraid!" Xiang Qing's eyes and brows, like ink paintings, seemed shrouded in mist, clearly showing that she was so nervous that she was about to cry.
They were too close, so close that Zhang Zhaomu could smell the fragrance on the other person's hair.
You can see the fine downy hairs on the girl's face glowing in the morning light outside the window.
It was almost as if you could hear her heartbeat getting faster and faster.
No, that's my own heartbeat.
Zhang Zhaomu leaned back slightly, avoiding eye contact, and said, "Okay, I believe you're not afraid."
The mist in Xiang Qing Qing's eyes quickly dissipated, and in a very short time, it turned into a different color that Zhang Zhaomu found somewhat unfamiliar.
That was the cunning look of a little fox that had finally gotten its fill of meat.
"Now you're scared."
Her eyes curved into crescent moons. " Zhang Zhaomu, you're a paper tiger."
Zhang Zhaomu was immediately enraged.
That little wench is truly ignorant and arrogant, daring to provoke a tiger. It seems it's time to teach her a lesson about the power of a tiger!
Let's begin our studies.
He declared righteously, "The early bird catches the worm; we can't waste our morning study time!"
"Aww~" Xiang Qing drawled out, finally retreating.
Zhang Zhaomu gritted his teeth inwardly.
What's wrong with this girl? She usually seems so timid, how come she's suddenly so bold?
What new world has been opened this time?
He tried to comfort himself, telling himself that he wasn't being cowardly, but rather that as a person with sense of propriety, he couldn't use a fight of egos as an excuse to take advantage of others.
If I had stubbornly resisted in that situation, how would I have ended up in the mess?
Don't scare the little girl to tears.
Thinking about it this way, Zhang Zhaomu felt much better, and then couldn't help but glance at Xiang Qing.
She was resting her chin on her hand, her gaze sweeping over Zhang Zhaomu's face, her smile impossible to hide.
Zhang Zhaomu: "..."
Hold!
That little fool actually dared to go against the Heavenly Gang! I'm so angry!
If there's a next time, I'll make sure she truly understands what it means to play with fire and get burned!
He took out his English textbook, took a deep breath, and stopped reviewing.
Fortunately, his " Academic Ace " persona quickly dispelled Zhang Zhaomu's distracting thoughts, allowing him to immerse himself in his studies.
Xiang Qing, on the other hand, was unable to calm down so quickly.
She had never been so bold before; the thought of getting so close to a boy made her face flush.
This doesn't feel like something I would do at all. If my mom found out, she'd be so angry she'd come straight to the school and drag me back home, right?
But... it's really exciting!
Moreover, Zhang Zhaomu's expression was quite amusing. Someone who usually loves playing pranks on others, was he really scared by something like this?
"And you even said you were going to do something bad to me..."
She glanced at the book, then at Zhang Zhaomu, and couldn't help but chuckle softly to herself.
"Bullshit~"