Weren't Girls Just Too Terrifying?

The first step was always the hardest. Once he got the opening words out, the rest wasn't so difficult.

Wen Ce nodded. "Right, so I went and bought a male-friendly interactive toy."

It took Luo Lianqing a moment to catch on. She gave a quiet, awkward cough,

and said softly, "Oh, I see."

Discussing this with a member of the opposite sex she didn't know very well was pretty awkward, especially since she had brought it up herself.

But Wen Ce hadn't shown any particular expression as he said it, which kept Luo Lianqing from feeling too embarrassed.

And with that, they turned the page on the subject.

Luo Lianqing felt a little relieved. At least he hadn't gone out for a hookup.

As for why she felt relieved, she couldn't explain it herself.

Still, once they had talked through that awkward issue, the awkward atmosphere between them disappeared.

Luo Lianqing wasn't someone who made people feel awkward. At least, Wen Ce felt quite comfortable around her.

She took the initiative in finding topics and could keep each one going, saving even a conversational dud like Wen Ce, who had little to talk about, from feeling too awkward.

As they chatted, the conversation turned to the basketball tournament.

Luo Lianqing glanced at Wen Ce. "Wasn't that Wang Meng your roommate before? Are you two at odds?"

Wen Ce took a sip of water and glanced at her. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that his tone when he tagged you in the group chat felt a little..." Luo Lianqing looked conflicted. "Unfriendly, I guess. And he'd actually messaged me privately before that happened in the group."

After all, Luo Lianqing was the one collecting all the basketball tournament forms.

Wang Meng had approached her first, mainly to ask whether he could still sign up for the tournament. Luo Lianqing had told him all the slots were filled, but he could be a substitute.

Wang Meng had asked who was playing. There was nothing secret about it, so Luo Lianqing had sent him the roster to look over.

After that, everything Wang Meng said, directly or otherwise, was about how Wen Ce never exercised and how he might not even know how to play basketball.

Luo Lianqing hadn't had much patience to read it. She had simply said that anyone who signed up could play, and it wasn't some major tournament anyway.

Wang Meng had shut up, only to turn around and pull that stunt in the group chat.

After finishing, Luo Lianqing glanced at Wen Ce again, her tone teasing. "Judging by the proportion of people in class who spoke up for you, you're pretty popular with the girls. But a few of the guys probably don't like you much, huh?"

Wen Ce looked at her in surprise. "But why would I want guys to like me? That's terrifying!"

Luo Lianqing hadn't expected him to joke. She didn't catch on at first, but once she did, she couldn't help laughing.

It also reminded her that she had previously mistaken him for someone who liked men. "That friend who came looking for you with groceries before-he was the one at school that time too, right? You didn't seem to want us to meet, so I thought..."

She stopped there.

With Zhao Li's personality, who knew what nonsense he'd spout? Of course I didn't want them meeting, Wen Ce thought.

But he still asked with a smile, "You thought what?"

Luo Lianqing fell silent. This wasn't easy to say.

One look at her expression told Wen Ce it probably wasn't anything good, but it was better than staying awkward forever. He pressed her. "Just tell me. Otherwise, we'll keep feeling awkward around each other, and honestly, that's pretty awkward."

Luo Lianqing glanced at him again, a trace of hesitation in her pretty almond-shaped eyes. Finally, she said quietly, "Sorry, this might be a misunderstanding, but I'm not sure either. I just thought you two were a couple."

Wen Ce: ...

The smile froze on Wen Ce's face. He looked at the rather sheepish Luo Lianqing in front of him. "A couple? Me and Zhao Li? A guy?"

His reaction told Luo Lianqing she must have misunderstood, and she felt even more sheepish. She unconsciously leaned back a little. "Ha, hahaha, I knew it was a misunderstanding..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter, and then she looked apprehensively at the silent Wen Ce.

Wen Ce suddenly smiled. He reached up to adjust his glasses, his tone very serious. "Senior, you've misunderstood. I like girls."

"Haha, I figured." Luo Lianqing touched her face, a little embarrassed. "It's just that I saw you turn Qin Yanran down before, and she's pretty, haha~"

"There are plenty of pretty people. I can't like all of them, can I?" Wen Ce sounded a little helpless, then glanced at her as if casually. "Besides, I wasn't lying to her. I like long legs."

He wasn't lying?

Luo Lianqing looked surprised and blurted out without thinking, "Then you like me?"

Wen Ce fell silent again. He stared at Luo Lianqing's pretty face, unsure how to answer for a moment.

Saying he didn't like her wouldn't be appropriate, but saying he did wouldn't be appropriate either.

Luo Lianqing frowned slightly. "I only dared come out to eat with you because I thought you didn't like me."

There was a little chagrin in her voice.

That made Wen Ce curious, and he couldn't help asking, "Why would you only dare come out to eat if I didn't like you?"

Luo Lianqing looked at him, hesitating, but since they had already gotten this far, she said, "Because if someone likes me, I'm afraid going out to eat alone with them will cause a misunderstanding..."

Actually, Luo Lianqing didn't feel that Wen Ce seemed to like her. She had plenty of suitors, after all, and had encountered an endless stream of ways of being pursued.

None of them were like Wen Ce. If she didn't approach him first, he really had no presence at all.

Luo Lianqing couldn't help checking. "Do you really like me?"

"Liking long legs doesn't mean I like everyone with long legs." Wen Ce sighed. "Qin Yanran came up with the idea that I liked you herself. I just didn't deny it. I explained this to you before. It was a misunderstanding."

No sooner had he finished than he saw the girl opposite him pat her chest in relief. "Thank goodness it was just a misunderstanding."

Wen Ce couldn't deny feeling a little annoyed. Was being liked by him that terrifying?

Luo Lianqing looked at him. "Good thing you don't like me. Maybe we can be friends this way."

She sounded very serious. "You've seen me socially die too many times. I feel like we need to be friends. After all, having a friend witness my social death wouldn't be quite so hard for me to accept."

Wen Ce realized that she seemed to think differently from other people. Wasn't social death witnessed by a friend still social death?

"If we're friends, you'll definitely keep my secrets for me, right?" As she spoke, she fluttered her big eyes and looked at him expectantly.

Could anyone say no to that face?

A mature beauty acting cute-who could withstand that?

At any rate, Wen Ce didn't think he could.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his throat felt a little dry.

Wen Ce was the first to break eye contact. "Of course. I'll keep your secrets."

Even if they weren't friends, he wasn't the sort to blab.

Luo Lianqing breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly asked, "Since we're friends, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Why don't you like me? Am I not pretty? Aren't my legs long? Am I not attractive? Or do you like the big-boobed loli type?"

Looking at Luo Lianqing, who was staring at him curiously, Wen Ce fell silent again. Why did girls' thoughts jump around so fast!???

Weren't girls just too terrifying?