“You—you are….”
Lin Xiaoyu didn’t recognize the girl in front of her, who even by her standards was exceptionally beautiful and rare.
She had only wanted to ask a few questions but didn’t expect the other girl to accurately describe what she had done.
“We’ve met before, don’t you remember?” Su Shanshan was still buzzing with excitement, not yet recovered from just waving at Pei Xingyan from a distance. She said, “Last time I came out looking for my baby, I saw you sitting in the pavilion. You made a serving of iced mung bean paste, right?”
“Uh, uh…” Lin Xiaoyu nodded.
She wanted to say it was actually frozen mung bean soup, but felt too embarrassed to repeat the mistake she had made. Besides, that was also a sweet memory between her and Pei Xingyan, not something to share with outsiders.
“Can you teach me?” Su Shanshan suddenly leaned forward despite the gap between them, sincerely asking, “I want to try making one for my precious baby. Can you teach me?”
No! Your baby doesn’t want to try!
Their conversation fell directly into Pei Xingyan’s ears; they were separated only by a glass window.
But Pei Xingyan couldn’t stick his head out to stop the two girls from talking. He could only curl up inside the room, trembling, hoping fate would show him mercy.
Outside the window, the two girls’ conversation continued.
“Baby… you mean your boyfriend?” Lin Xiaoyu asked curiously. “I don’t mean anything else, it’s just that the way you say that sounds kind of new…”
“New?” Su Shanshan was completely unfazed. “I actually feel it’s become pretty cliché. I’ve been thinking about coming up with a unique term lately.”
“It does sound new to me.” Lin Xiaoyu asked, “Can you tell me why you call him that?”
Lin Xiaoyu was an honest girl. In her world, it was common for men and women to call each other “Mr.” or “Mrs.” She was genuinely curious about the mentality behind calling a young man “baby” like an infant.
“Well, can you teach me to make that iced mung bean paste?” Su Shanshan smiled slyly and proposed an exchange.
“Actually…”
Suddenly, Lin Xiaoyu’s face flushed red. She hesitated and spoke haltingly, “Actually, that day I just wanted to make mung bean soup. What you called iced mung bean paste was actually a failed product…”
“Huh?”
“It’s true. It was a complete failure…” Lin Xiaoyu continued, “But he didn’t mind at all. He happily ate it… If you want, I can tell you how to make it, but I don’t know if your boyfriend will like it…”
“Sounds like you’re talking about a pretty good guy.” Su Shanshan responded thoughtfully, though the slight downturn at the corners of her mouth revealed something else entirely.
She hated hearing anyone praise their partner in front of her. That was just a subtle way of belittling her beloved baby.
But for now, she had a favor to ask, so she could only endure quietly. As soon as this woman told her the recipe, she would immediately flip and tell her who the best and most perfect man in the world really was.
“He is pretty great.” Lin Xiaoyu was completely unaware of the dark, muddy thoughts swirling in the other girl’s heart right before her. She thought of the person in her heart, a sweet smile appearing on her face as she spoke to herself, “To me, he’s like an angel. I think… I think we will definitely become a couple.”
“Hm?” Su Shanshan raised an eyebrow. “You mean, you’re not actually dating him yet?”
“Yeah.” Lin Xiaoyu nodded, but then encouraged herself, “There won’t be any mistake. I really like her, and I can feel… maybe she likes me too…”
Such words were difficult for her to say. Her face turned crimson and her voice grew softer.
On the other side of the wall, Pei Xingyan’s face flushed as well. Some teachers even thought he was feeling unwell and came to check on him.
He never expected Lin Xiaoyu’s feelings for him to be so strong, and that she had misunderstood his intentions.
He waved his hand and used tiredness as an excuse to send the teacher away, then sat by the wall quietly, continuing to listen.
“So, it’s a secret crush.” Su Shanshan’s smile was full of amusement, even a hint of mockery. She acted all experienced and patted Lin Xiaoyu’s shoulder magnanimously, lecturing, “Then you have to be proactive. Especially now, when it’s you who likes someone. Are you really going to wait for them to confess to you?”
“No, no…”
Lin Xiaoyu denied it, but her voice was weak and her eyes flickered nervously, essentially conceding the point.
“Listen carefully, if you just sit and wait, nothing will ever start.” Su Shanshan was heroic and radiant like a blazing sun.
That’s well said… but could you please not use lyrics from 《Hero》in a situation like this?!
Pei Xingyan roared in his heart. He had completely lost control and couldn’t predict where this conversation was heading.
He also couldn’t imagine how Su Shanshan would feel if she knew the strategy she was enthusiastically teaching might one day be used on him.
But Su Shanshan knew nothing for now. She looked at Lin Xiaoyu, head bowed, and at herself from long ago, suddenly feeling proud. She straightened her chest and continued, “I know what you’re thinking. You think girls should be reserved, that if you speak first you’ll lose face, and what if you get rejected, right?”
“Not really…”
“That’s all meaningless!” Su Shanshan ignored her protests and continued, “The most important thing in love is to obtain love. If you can’t get it, then all the worrying is pointless. Classmate, I advise you to be proactive—very proactive. Otherwise, when the chance slips away, all you’ll be left with is regret.”
Those words struck a chord deep within Lin Xiaoyu. She silently repeated them, suddenly lifting her head with the excitement of meeting a great teacher in her eyes.
But she also had a question. “Classmate, you know so much. Have you had some profound experiences?”
“Not really,” Su Shanshan said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. “Actually, the first time I ever had a crush was on my baby. Fortunately, he likes me too. But that’s thanks to my being proactive, of course, and also some fateful coincidence.”
“So romantic…”
“Then, classmate, what kind of person is your boyfriend? And your experience… can you teach me some of that too?”
Lin Xiaoyu earnestly asked, hoping to learn some life lessons from this temporary love mentor.
Su Shanshan beamed as if just thinking of that person made her happy.
She said, “My baby is a very perfect, very perfect person.”
“Uh—” Lin Xiaoyu exclaimed in shock, eagerly pricking up her ears, waiting quietly.
Inside the room, Pei Xingyan could no longer remain calm. He bit his lip in despair but couldn’t think of a suitable way to stop the two girls from continuing their deepening conversation.