Liu Zihan was aware that to get off to a good start in an independent life, it would be best to get into the most prestigious university possible.
Of course, she was under no illusions that this was a guaranteed path to success and, truth be told, she didn't even desire to reach any great heights of glory. However, graduating from a reputable university could make her future smoother, as it represents a significant advantage in the labor market. This was all the more important for someone like her, who leaned toward the liberal arts, since competition in those fields is fierce—there are both more graduates and fewer available positions than in the STEM sectors.
Furthermore, Liu Zihan needed this achievement to prove her own worth to herself. No matter how hard she tried to appear indifferent, the fact that her parents had never appreciated her academic results—viewing her merely as "merchandise" whose value was determined by her potential to become the daughter-in-law of a powerful family—had still managed to affect her. Thus, she wanted to become someone recognized as a capable person, someone who could manage on her own in life; in other words, a real person, not someone's accessory.
For this reason, she had to focus entirely on studying over the coming weeks, so she couldn't help but worry that her suitor would deny her any peace of mind. If things had been as they were before, she probably wouldn't have even paid attention to the matter; but now, with her mother determined to facilitate a relationship between her and the boy in question, the situation was bound to become much more complicated.
Knowing her mother, Liu Zihan didn't think it would be a surprise if she staged an "accidental" encounter between her and Han Yu. And that was the optimistic scenario; if her mother didn't care about her opinion at all, she might find him at her house, invited to dinner on any given evening.
'Probably the next time he crosses my path, I'll have to reject him more firmly, so he realizes there's no chance for anything between the two of us...', Liu Zihan told herself. Since it would likely be impossible to convince her mother to give up on her plans, the only viable solution was to eliminate the problem directly at the source.
However, one could say that Liu Zihan worried for nothing that evening, as the following day she would discover that the issue with her suitor had already resolved itself. Nevertheless, it couldn't be said that the coming weeks would be peaceful for her, as the way the problem was settled was about to give her a great deal to think about.
..................…..
The day after Liu Fengying's return to school, a sense of calm finally settled among the students. At least, more than half of the student body was no longer roaming the halls just to catch a glimpse of her; the day before, the situation had been comparable to what would have happened if an escaped panda had wandered into the school. Nevertheless, wherever she went, she continued to draw everyone's gaze even when she did nothing at all—this ability of hers being even more potent than that of the centerpiece of a famous museum.
However, there was one difference from the previous day: some students, having recovered from the shock of Liu Fengying's transformation, had finally found their courage. Consequently, by the lunch break, Liu Fengying had already been asked out on dates by three different boys.
"Maybe you should have 'I don't want to go on any dates' printed on a hoodie. Without something like that, I doubt you'll be able to eat in peace..." Hua Shu teased as she and Liu Fengying left the classroom, heading toward the cafeteria.
Seeing Hua Shu amusing herself at her expense, Liu Fengying could hardly resist the urge to pinch her cheeks.
"Well, if you're so worried about me, you can help me out this time by turning down the invitations on my behalf. After all, you finish eating much faster than I do..." Liu Fengying suggested. She figured if Hua Shu enjoyed the "brushing off the boys" spectacle so much, she should let her be part of the act.
Hua Shu flinched when she realized what Liu Fengying's idea implied.
"No, no! In what capacity could I even do that?" she hurried to refuse, waving her hands energetically. She really had no desire to interact with those boys and their cheesy pickup lines.
Besides, if someone filmed her, wouldn't she end up in those video compilations of girls keeping suitors away from their more aesthetically gifted friends? Even though she considered herself a "rare flower" among such girls—being quite confident in her own cuteness—she didn't want to be lumped in with a crowd labeled as jealous of others' success.
With that question, Hua Shu had practically served the perfect opening to Liu Fengying, who almost teased her back by saying: "I didn't know you were so eager for me to give you an official position."
However, Liu Fengying remembered her resolve not to take the teasing too far. It might be fine to say something ambiguous every now and then, but she didn't want to say anything that would push her relationship with a girl to the level of an "official couple."
Was this behavior similar to that of a "scumbag"? Liu Fengying had to admit there was a slight resemblance—or rather, a tiny one. If a scumbag is like a bee flying from flower to flower to collect pollen, she was merely a bee hovering around the flowers, basking in their beauty and fragrance. In other words, she wasn't promising anything to anyone or trying to take advantage of them; she just wanted to have a good time with the girls she liked.
But if the first idea that came to her mind wasn't suitable, it didn't mean the second one wouldn't be.
"Can't you invoke the harvesting rights of the one who guarded the cabbage as it grew? After all, you were the closest to me when times were tough, so it's only natural that you have the right to be the first one to court me..." Liu Fengying offered as a "solution" to Hua Shu's problem.
Initially, Hua Shu rolled her eyes, telling herself that her friend was, once again, up to her usual antics. Where on earth had Fengying pulled this scenario from—the one where she suddenly started courting her?
However, giving her a sharp comeback—like, "Maybe in your dreams I'll start courting you..."—well, Hua Shu would have felt dishonest doing that. After all, she couldn't deny that she found Fengying extremely attractive. To be more precise, she found her so seductive that she—who had never seriously thought about relationships or what her ideal partner would look like—had begun to wonder if her sexual orientation leaned toward women. Because of these thoughts, she had stayed awake for a full hour after going to bed the previous night.
Still, it was a long way from there to actually courting Liu Fengying. On one hand, she didn't feel ready to enter a relationship; love was a completely new territory for her, so she needed time to process it. In a way, her situation was similar to someone who woke up overnight with a Lamborghini in their garage but didn't have a driver's license.
On the other hand, her intuition told her that Liu Fengying wasn't interested in anything serious; rather, she seemed only interested in flirting. Besides, she wasn't even a hundred percent sure that Liu Fengying was attracted to girls; after all, she had never confirmed it. Furthermore, from what she knew, straight girls were usually the ones who flirted with the fewest inhibitions because they viewed everything as a harmless joke.
And even if those things weren't factored in, how could she possibly court someone as rebellious and with such an intense aura of superiority as Liu Fengying? Hua Shu told herself she would probably need to take lion and tiger taming lessons before attempting that.
'But isn't there still some truth in her words?' Hua Shu thought after calming the emotions stirred by Liu Fengying's teasing. 'Yes, it's downright hypocritical of these boys to suddenly be overcome with affection for Liu Fengying after paying her no attention for nearly two years. Who do they think they're fooling? It's clear they're only after her body!'
Having reached this conclusion, Hua Shu didn't think she could keep her cool if she had to witness one more confession directed at Liu Fengying. And why should she? After all, she was in the right. As for those who might judge her, they could only be dismissed as thick-headed; why should she care about their opinion?
'As her best friend, it's my duty to protect her from such scoundrels!', Hua Shu declared to the heavens, determined from then on to do everything in her power to drive away those who had set their sights on Liu Fengying.
However, it seemed the heavens didn't take her words seriously and decided to put her to the test. Before she could even open her mouth to make her position known to Liu Fengying, dozens of pink heart-shaped balloons and dozens of flower bouquets drifted into her field of vision.