Chapter 59: The 3 Proactive People

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The 3 Proactive People

By the flowerbed lined with heart-shaped candles, Liu Xinyue clung to Jiang Xueli, bawling her eyes out.

The cold wind slapped against her face.

Jiang Xueli tried her best to comfort her, but she couldn’t help recalling how that so-called ’older boy’ had just made out with the girl who confessed to him for a full five minutes. She didn’t even want to imagine the immense trauma Liu Xinyue had just suffered, especially since she had stood there and watched the whole thing unfold.

"Stop crying, Xinyue. You have to be strong..."

Liu Xinyue sobbed, tears streaming down her face. Her voice caught in her throat, coming out in broken stutters, "I... I liked him for so many years! I liked him back when we were abroad, and I only came back because he returned to the country for school. I never expected to lose in the end, and to lose so miserably!"

Having learned a harsh lesson, Liu Xinyue looked at her friend with utter regret. "If I had known... If I had known, I would have called earlier! I clearly noticed she was making moves recently and showing signs of confessing, but I still hesitated. I didn’t even notice at first! Lili, you must use me as a warning! Never underestimate your rivals in love!"

Jiang Xueli let out a confused "Ah," wondering why the topic had suddenly shifted to her. But a moment later, it dawned on her. Recently, He Qing and Han Wenwen also seemed to be busy with something... No, that couldn’t be it, right?

She comforted her best friend for a long time. That night, Jiang Xueli ended up having a similar dream.

In the dream, flower petals rained down from the sky over a beautiful park. Inside the park was a flowerbed with heart-shaped candles glowing in front of it, surrounded by a dense crowd. He Qing, dressed in a white sundress, stood right in the center of the heart-shaped candles alongside that handsome big dummy.

Han Wenwen stood off to the side, smiling and cheering on her best friend, while Jiang Xueli herself watched from a distance.

Holding a bouquet, He Qing spoke softly, "I... I like you! Lin Zhengran, will you go out with me?"

Lin Zhengran stared back with deep eyes. "Of course. Although I prefer tsunderes over you, since you confessed first, I’ll be with you."

He Qing exclaimed in excitement, "R-really? That’s wonderful!"

Han Wenwen clapped from the sidelines. "Congratulations on a successful confession, Qingqing!"

The crowd of onlookers began to chant, "KISS! KISS! KISS!"

In the dream, Lin Zhengran hooked his finger under He Qing’s chin. Xiao Heqing closed her eyes as their lips slowly drew closer and closer together...

At midnight, Jiang Xueli shot up in bed. Dressed in her pajamas, her face flushed red as she shrieked in horror, "AH?! What... what kind of dream was that?!"

That bizarre dream kept her awake for the rest of the night.

Early the next morning, Jiang Xueli arrived at school. Before classes began, she turned back to scrutinize Xiao Heqing, who was sitting obediently in her seat, massaging her own fingers.

As she massaged them, she suddenly popped a finger into her mouth while using her other hand to flip open the textbook for the next period. Her adorable cheeks puffed out slightly as she bit on her finger. Even though they were romantic rivals, there was no use denying her sweet and lovable appearance.

"So cute..." Jiang Xueli muttered. However, recalling her dream from last night sent a lingering chill of apprehension down her spine. She thought, "Is she really going to confess? If that happens..."

Just then, she overheard some girls nearby chatting. "Did you guys hear? A new zoo just opened downtown! I heard they have a lot of rare animals. Do you want to go see?"

"I heard about it too! I even asked someone for a bunch of flyers. I really want to go! I heard there’s a giant python!"

"That sounds so scary—which makes me want to go even more! Give me a flyer!"

The girls in the classroom passed around a zoo flyer, chattering away excitedly. Curious, Jiang Xueli leaned over to take a look. She noticed close-up photos of tigers, lions, and peacocks printed on the pamphlet. Her eyes sparkled, thoroughly tempted.

"A zoo? Our city actually opened a zoo! I’ve never been to one before." Her immediate instinct was to ask Lin Zhengran to go with her; it would be the perfect way to dispel the ridiculous dream she had last night.

She glanced at the ticket price. Eighty yuan per person. It wasn’t too expensive, and since she still had a little bit of her New Year’s red envelope money from last year, it was more than enough to buy two tickets. For the next two days, whenever Jiang Xueli was alone, she would face the wall and rehearse how to invite Lin Zhengran to the zoo.

Two days later.

Thursday afternoon’s second period was math class. As class neared its end, the teacher sat at the podium in Class One, letting the students do self-study and discuss among themselves. Lin Zhengran was scrutinizing the mock exam paper Han Wenwen had taken earlier that day. She had scored in the seventies. He circled the incorrect questions.

"The methods for solving these few problems are pretty much the same as what I explained last time. As long as you clarify your thought process, it’s very simple."

Han Wenwen didn’t reply. Instead, she lazily laid her head on the desk like a fox, admiring Lin Zhengran’s side profile.

Lin Zhengran shot her a speechless look. "Han Wenwen, did you even hear what I was saying?"

Han Wenwen hummed in acknowledgment. "I heard you, but I didn’t quite understand. Could you explain it one more time, Lin Zhengran?"

In truth, she just wanted to listen to his voice.

Lin Zhengran rolled the test paper into a tube and tapped her on the head. Playing along, Han Wenwen let out a soft "AWOO" and looked at him pitifully, complaining, "You’re so mean, Lin Zhengran~"

"I’ve already explained it to you three times. Are you deaf? Try doing it yourself. You’ll finish it in a minute."

He dropped the test paper onto her face. Just as Han Wenwen was about to sit up and tackle the problems, she heard the sound of other classes being dismissed.

At the back of the classroom, Jiang Xueli was secretly peeking inside Class One. Han Wenwen blinked her foxy eyes, slowly sitting up with a smile as she addressed Lin Zhengran. "I’ll do these math problems during evening self-study, Lin Zhengran. Otherwise, even if I finish them now, you won’t have time to check them."

She directed Lin Zhengran’s attention toward the back door. "Because it looks like Jiang Xueli has something to tell you."

Lin Zhengran turned his head, locking eyes with Jiang Xueli, who had been stealthily watching him from the doorway. Jiang Xueli’s face flushed red, and she quickly turned away, whistling silently and pretending to just be passing by, though in reality, she continued to hover around the back door.

Lin Zhengran wondered why this girl was looking for him during the break.

The teacher officially dismissed the class. Han Wenwen stepped out of the classroom ahead of him. Looking at Jiang Xueli, who was still feigning ignorance and whistling by the back door, she flashed a meaningful smile.

"The weather is certainly lovely today."

Embarrassed, Jiang Xueli shot her a sideways glance and watched her figure disappear toward the girls’ restroom.

Lin Zhengran walked out of the classroom, clearly curious. "Did you need me for something?"

Hearing his voice, Jiang Xueli instantly stood up straight. With her hands behind her back, she defensively blurted out, "Need you for what? No, nothing! I was just passing by. Only passing by."

Lin Zhengran had also been on his way to the restroom. But just as he turned to leave, Jiang Xueli suddenly called out to him. Her hands, hidden behind her back, clenched slightly. With a blushing face, she stammered, "Big dummy... um... don’t forget to practice singing with me this Saturday. Last week you trained with He Qing, so this week it’s my turn."

Lin Zhengran gave a nod. "I know. I’ll head straight to your house to find you on Saturday."

A bright smile broke across Jiang Xueli’s face. "Okay! You have to come on Saturday! I’ll be waiting at home for you. I have something to tell you then."

"Something to tell me?"

A beat late, she reacted, "Ah, you misheard me! I have nothing to tell you, nothing at all! Like I said, I was just passing by!" With that, she skipped away.

A bead of sweat formed on Lin Zhengran’s forehead. When he finished using the restroom and came out, Han Wenwen was already standing by the sinks outside, clearly waiting for him.

She handed him two paper towels. "Dry your hands."