Liu Fengying could hardly contain her laughter upon seeing how Hua Shu received her proposal.
Of course, her reaction came as no surprise to Liu Fengying, who was well aware of Hua Shu's aversion to the idea of spending her free time studying. If Hua Shu hadn't been smart enough to grasp most of the theory and problem-solving methods during class, she would probably be in a classroom more suited to her youthful appearance by now (meaning she would have been held back a grade or two).
Yet, even though Hua Shu had behaved predictably, it didn't make her any less comical. Liu Fengying regretted not being able to capture that look of utter bewilderment in a photo; it surpassed any meme she had ever seen.
As for the reasons Hua Shu used to refuse her math tutoring, Liu Fengying didn't find them very difficult to counter. Hua Shu claimed she wasn't actually that bad at math? Well, that didn't mean she couldn't be even better.
And when it came to finding a better time than right after school, there were solutions for that too. For instance, she could propose holding the sessions over the weekend. Or, better yet, the tutoring could take place online; that way, Hua Shu could benefit from her services whenever she was at her peak—such as at midnight, while breaking records in online games.
However, Liu Fengying hadn't forgotten that she wanted to reward Hua Shu, not put her in a stressful situation. Teasing her a little by offering a reward she knew would not thrill her had been a mere spur-of-the-moment impulse. More precisely, she simply couldn't help herself when she saw Hua Shu getting excited like a child; it was quite similar to sneaking garlic into the sweets placed on top during the Bamboo Shoot Festival feasts, giving the most impatient children a "not-so-delicious" surprise.
"Maybe you're right..." Liu Fengying said with a thoughtful expression, as if Hua Shu's arguments had given her a lot to ponder. She didn't want Hua Shu to realize she had tricked her; it was something better left to be revealed years later as a high school prank.
"Anyway, it was just a suggestion; it's not like your reward couldn't be something else..." Liu Fengying finally said, appearing to have been won over by Hua Shu.
Hua Shu was relieved to see that Liu Fengying wasn't as strongly attached to the tutoring idea as she had feared; she had fully expected her to try and talk her into agreeing.
But after the initial joy, she became a bit suspicious. Specifically, Hua Shu wondered why Liu Fengying had come up with a proposal she would dislike so much. If Liu Fengying had been determined to help her get a higher grade on her graduation exams, it would have made sense. Since this wasn't the case, though, her choice seemed a bit strange; after all, it wasn't hard for anyone who knew her well enough to guess that more math studying could never excite her
If she had only had a few more seconds, Hua Shu might have discovered the truth. However, Liu Fengying's timing was perfect, giving Hua Shu something more important to analyze.
"Come to think of it, I believe you are in a better position than I am to choose a suitable reward for yourself. After all, since no one can read another person's mind, everyone knows best what they truly want. So, why don't we do this: you think of a reward, and once you decide, you'll tell me so I can give it to you. I promise to accept whatever you choose, so you won't have to make any compromises. To make it easier for you, you can imagine you've found a magic lamp, home to a genie capable of granting your every wish."
Hua Shu was literally left slack-jawed upon hearing the new proposal; she didn't think it was possible for someone to make such a promise to another person, offering to grant any wish. Seeing that Liu Fengying trusted her so much that she wasn't afraid she would abuse the offer, Hua Shu told herself that her image in her friend's mind was much better than in reality; her very first thought was that, since Liu Fengying was giving her a blank check, all the thrilling scenarios she had imagined were now possible.
Yet, even though she felt a bit guilty, it didn't take long for Hua Shu to become even more excited than before the tutoring proposal had cooled her down a bit. The reason wasn't hard to understand: there is a significant difference between imagining something purely hypothetical and analyzing a real option. It was similar to standing in front of a display case full of delicious food with no money in your pocket, versus the same situation but with your pockets full; in the second case, nothing stops you from savoring, if only in your imagination, the taste of the food.
However, it didn't take long for Hua Shu to realize a problem: Liu Fengying's proposal didn't actually increase the chances of her fantasies coming true; quite the contrary, it decreased them. What was the reason? Well, she was far too embarrassed to ask Liu Fengying for even a simple hug as a reward, so proposing something more exciting than that was entirely out of the question.
In other words, the only way for one of her imagined scenarios to happen was for Liu Fengying to take the initiative; but since she had entrusted the entire task of thinking up a reward to her, that possibility had completely vanished.
"....", Hua Shu was left with an expression as if she had suddenly realized she had been tricked.
Honestly, she was starting to suspect Liu Fengying had let her choose her own reward just to tease her. It was as if someone had placed in front of a person forced to stick to a strict medical diet a platter full of the most appetizing foods; theoretically, no one was stopping them from eating, but would they actually dare to do it?
'Maybe I'm overthinking this. After all, Fengying has no way of knowing the kind of rewards I've been imagining, right?' Hua Shu told herself in the end.
It wasn't that she feared doing Liu Fengying an injustice by considering her guilty, but rather for her own peace of mind; if she knew that Liu Fengying suspected what "wicked" thoughts she harbored toward her, she would probably sink into the ground out of shame.
"Well, nothing comes to mind right now. So is it okay if I tell you later?" Hua Shu asked, wanting to buy more time to properly analyze all the options available to her. She had to be very careful not to come up with an overly exaggerated proposal, but she also didn't want to waste this opportunity to grow closer to Liu Fengying.
"That's fine, there's no rush. It's not like it's an offer with an expiration date..." Liu Fengying reassured Hua Shu; even though she wasn't aware of how intensely Hua Shu had been tempted by her offer, she had reasoned that for a girl not yet 18, with little life experience, having the chance to ask for anything she wanted from someone she had shared numerous ambiguous interactions with could be quite confusing.
One could say that, besides the desire to reward Hua Shu, her proposal also served as a hidden test; Liu Fengying wanted to see just how far Hua Shu would go, once given the chance to strike back.
Hua Shu breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Liu Fengying had turned out to be so easy to negotiate with this time; after all, it would have been the perfect opportunity to tease her.
Thanks to this, Hua Shu also began to eat without a care in the world. Well, at least on the surface, because at that moment, food was the last thing on her mind. Even though Liu Fengying wasn't rushing her, Hua Shu still wanted to decide as quickly as possible what reward to ask her for; after all, as the person closest to Liu Fengying, it was her right to be the most pampered by her.
However, the more she pondered the matter, the more she realized there were several factors to consider. For instance, one of the things starting to cause her a headache was that she didn't know how willing Liu Fengying was to get close to another girl; even if she liked girls, that didn't necessarily mean she was ready to enter a relationship with one just yet.
It wasn't as if she had made up her mind to try and start a relationship with Liu Fengying. Truth be told, she had no idea what she wanted; although Hua Shu was becoming increasingly aware of her strong attraction to her, she still found it hard to picture herself in a relationship.
Yet, it could be said she had made some progress: she no longer hesitated out of a fear of responsibility or intense emotions, but rather due to her own perspective on romantic bonds. From what she had observed, relationships were very much like a theatrical play, forcing both people involved to act in ways completely uncharacteristic of themselves, and more often than not, downright foolishly. In other words, she wanted to remain her own person, rather than trying to tick all the boxes required to be a good girlfriend.
In any case, she needed to find this out so she could anticipate how Liu Fengying would perceive her request if it turned out to be too bold. Furthermore, this might also help her decide how she wanted her relationship with Liu Fengying to evolve.
The problem was that she had absolutely no idea how to go about it; she couldn't just up and ask Liu Fengying point-blank—especially not in the current situation, where it would look like she was testing the waters to see if she could use the promise made to her as a tool for blackmail, forcing her into a relationship.
Well, in the end, this mystery solved itself even before Hua Shu could come up with a strategy to pry information out of Liu Fengying. After all, she wasn't the only one interested in Liu Fengying's romantic plans, so someone else stepped up to ask the very question Hua Shu wanted answered.
The person in question, though a male student, was quite different from the others who had tried to strike up a conversation with Liu Fengying throughout the day, as he was two years younger. Since he was the top student of his year—a true little prodigy—he was easily recognized by everyone when he appeared beside Liu Fengying and Hua Shu's table, including by the two girls themselves.
"Umm, is something the matter?" Liu Fengying addressed the boy, who began to fidget after greeting her and Hua Shu.
Liu Fengying was kinder than usual to the boy who had interrupted their meal because she had a fairly high opinion of him; she appreciated people who worked hard, especially if they had the luxury to take a more relaxed approach to life due to the backing of a powerful family. This was the case for this boy, named Ye Wen, whose father was the director of a major technology firm.
As for the fact that he was a very handsome, shy type of boy , it couldn't be said to have had any impact on Liu Fengying; the only beauty she appreciated was feminine. However, looking at his delicate features in combination with his temperament, Liu Fengying couldn't help but think that if Ye Wen had been a girl, he would have had every potential to become a true beauty.
Yet, while Liu Fengying was completely unaffected by Ye Wen's looks, the same could not be said for the opposite. Well, exceptionally beautiful girls are truly deceptive; it took nothing more than a single smile from Liu Fengying for Ye Wen to become instantly convinced that she was an extremely kind person.
Encouraged by this, Ye Wen finally managed to ask Liu Fengying about the uncertainty that was eating away at him:
"Classmate Liu, is it true that you declared you aren't interested in entering a relationship with anyone unless they are a girl?"
Liu Fengying wasn't at all surprised by the modifications made to her statement; after all, people always tend to exaggerate facts when retelling them to others, as if the more spectacular the event they witnessed, the prouder they could be. Besides, this rumor circulating about her was essentially true; though she hadn't said it in so many words, that was how things stood in the end.
As for the reason why Ye Wen wanted to find out if the rumor that had reached his ears was true, it wasn't hard for Liu Fengying to deduce. Seeing how stressed he was while waiting for her answer, she thought that he almost certainly had a crush on her, and now, hearing that she liked girls, he had panicked at the possibility of having no chance with her whatsoever.
Even though she had a good opinion of Ye Wen, and even though he was very young, he was still a male suitor after all, so Liu Fengying had no intention of coddling him. Furthermore, it was for his own good to make him understand that he stood no chance with her; that way, he wouldn't waste his energy chasing a dream that could never be realized.
"It's true. Why do you ask? Do you want to introduce me to a girl, perhaps an older sister of yours?"
It wasn't necessarily that Liu Fengying wanted to tease Ye Wen—well, maybe just a little. However, since Ye Wen was a very beautiful boy, she figured that if he had an older sister, there was a high chance she would be a striking beauty; after all, they had similar DNA. So, she couldn't help herself when faced with the prospect of meeting someone who might be to her liking.
No, she didn't intend to try and get close to another girl; she merely wanted to satisfy her curiosity. She already had enough headaches with her two current romantic interests—or at least, that was how she tried to justify her own reaction.
"No, no. I do have an older sister, but she doesn't like girls..." Ye Wen replied robotically, the light in his eyes dimming almost completely.
Until now, he had tried to convince himself that the rumors weren't real; after all, it was too cruel a twist of fate that the first girl he had ever liked was utterly out of his reach. Yet, now that he had received confirmation directly from Liu Fengying that she liked girls, what else could he do but accept that he stood no chance with her? Still, it was painful to watch all his dreams crumble away.
But Liu Fengying didn't seem to notice the sadness that had washed over the boy in front of her; what's more, upon hearing that an older sister actually existed, her enthusiasm visibly grew.
"Well, who knows? Maybe she'll like me..." she said, casting a playful glance at Ye Wen.
The young man froze for a moment. In that instant, Liu Fengying was downright mesmerizing, like a succubus ready to devour someone's soul. However, when hit by the sudden realization that the soul being hunted by the "succubus" in front of him belonged to his very own sister, the blood in Ye Wen's veins began to run cold.
"That's impossible. She..., she has a fiancé...," he rushed to say, wanting to make Liu Fengying abandon any hidden designs on his sister.
Why had he panicked so badly? Was he afraid that Liu Fengying would bother his sister? Well, that wasn't the main reason; rather, it was because he wasn't entirely convinced that Liu Fengying wouldn't succeed in "bending" his sister. Quite simply, he could not imagine how anyone could ever find the girl in front of him unattractive.
Since his parents were highly pleased with his sister's future life partner, he figured a massive drama would unfold if his sister broke off the engagement—and even more so if she did it to be with a girl. Furthermore, he might be considered the main culprit for that situation, since it was because of him that Liu Fengying had targeted his sister in the first place.
Not wanting to give Liu Fengying the chance to insist on being introduced to his sister, Ye Wen excused himself on the pretext of remembering he had to deliver some list or other to a teacher, and then left in a flash. One could say that his exit from the scene was just as flustered as his entry, the only difference being the reasons behind his emotions; if in the first case it was about the attraction he felt for Liu Fengying, now it was fear of her.
Liu Fengying watched Ye Wen go with amusement, as she didn't understand what he thought he was achieving by running away from her; if she really intended to meet his older sister at all costs, couldn't she do it through other means, without his help? With the help of social media, anyone could be found nowadays. What's more, if you weren't short on money, you could simply hire a private detective. Therefore, it was naive of Ye Wen to think he could hide his sister from her.
"It seems he really doesn't want to be my brother-in-law...," Liu Fengying addressed Hua Shu in a joking tone.
She had suddenly realized that she had discovered a method of sending her suitors packing that was much more entertaining than simply rejecting them with a cold expression: trying to convince them to introduce her to their sisters, if they had one; if not, a female cousin would do just fine. This way, she felt she was no longer wasting her time, always having a chance to gain a completely unexpected benefit.
"........", Hua Shu was left not knowing how to react to what had happened; even though she couldn't deny that the way Liu Fengying had put the school's famous "shota" to flight was very amusing, she found it quite irritating to see her showing an interest in meeting other girls, whether simulated or not.
However, she had to admit that this incident was one from which she had gained. Thanks to it, she was able to reach a highly important conclusion: the idea of entering a relationship was not as much of a taboo subject for Liu Fengying as she had initially imagined.