Chapter 264 - 263: New Friend

Chapter 264: Chapter 263: New Friend

A thought flashed through her mind, and Gu Nuan Nuan began to take her conversation with Lin Qiao much more seriously. "My mom said something pretty similar to what your mom said—that it’s best for girls not to get a boyfriend too early. But don’t you think marrying someone from your own village just to be close to your family isn’t the best idea? What if there’s no one you like in your village? Are you really going to settle just for the sake of being close to home?"

"...That seems to make sense... Then, what should I do?" Lin Qiao furrowed her brow, looking distressed. The sight made Gu Nuan Nuan suddenly want to laugh, and she blurted out, "How about this? In the future, you could focus on making lots of money and try to buy a house near your parents."

"Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?" Lin Qiao’s eyes lit up, clearly thrilled with this answer. She gave Gu Nuan Nuan an appreciative look and praised her, "Nuannuan, I didn’t realize you had such good ideas."

"Heh, but of course. Gosh, how old are you right now? You’re a long way from getting married. Isn’t it a bit early to be thinking about all this?" Gu Nuan Nuan really did laugh this time, and after speaking, she even took a few deliberate steps back.

"Nuannuan, when did you get so mean? You were the one who was more into this topic, weren’t you?" Lin Qiao’s face instantly flushed red, but she was quick to react. She shot Gu Nuan Nuan an annoyed glare and shook her head. "Hmph, just admit it. Quick, tell me—have you been secretly thinking about this even more than I have?"

"As if!" Gu Nuan Nuan would never admit to that, shaking her head with a laugh. "Don’t you dare try to pin this on me. I only said anything because you looked so worried. I was reluctantly doing you a kindness by helping you solve your problem."

"I’d be crazy to believe you." Lin Qiao continued to glare, her almond-shaped eyes wide, and she huffed. But Gu Nuan Nuan wasn’t about to be intimidated by a girl who was truly just a teenager, so she made her gaze even more clear and innocent. Lin Qiao watched her suspiciously for a long moment before suddenly bursting into laughter with a "PFFT." "...Nuannuan, why are you so cute today? It’s like you’ve become a completely different person. Have you noticed how different you are today compared to before? Could this be your true personality?"

COUGH, COUGH, COUGH—

Gu Nuan Nuan’s expression froze. She coughed a couple of times.

Staring at her and blinking, Lin Qiao finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into giggles. Her laughter grew louder and louder until she almost dropped the apples she was carrying. She quickly secured her grip, trying to stifle her laughter while pretending to be serious, but couldn’t help nodding intermittently as she chuckled. "Well, I guess... I probably... maybe... perhaps... I was mistaken... But, heheh... Nuannuan, I really love you like this. It would be so great if you could always be this way..."

"This is the real me," Gu Nuan Nuan said, finally unable to stop herself from laughing as well. Inside, she felt a sense of sudden clarity.

"Nuannuan, look at you now, you’re so much better this way. You were really too shy at school before. You have no idea how anxious it made me to see you looking so scared all the time. What are you even afraid of? I don’t think you need to show that kind of timid side to everyone... Hmph, who’s afraid of who, anyway? A turtle’s afraid of a hammer..." Lin Qiao had clearly loosened up a lot and couldn’t stop herself from speaking her mind. She had been about to use the word "insecure," but the word changed on the tip of her tongue—not just to spare Gu Nuan Nuan’s feelings, but more importantly, because she suddenly had an epiphany of her own. After starting at City No. 1 Middle School, her own disposition had become insecure, just like Nuannuan’s.

Right!

’I need to do some self-reflection,’ she thought. ’From now on, I’m going to cast aside all this pointless insecurity. I’m here to study, not to compete with people over family background. Fortunes rise and fall.’ She clenched her fist and said with confidence, "One day, through my own hard work, I’ll make it so no one can ever look down on me again."

Gu Nuan Nuan still wore an astonished expression. Looking at Lin Qiao, she managed to hold back the words, ’When was I ever shy or timid?’ Instead, she took a breath and said, "I believe you can do it one day."

"Mhm, let’s work hard together. I believe you can do it too." Lin Qiao flashed her a brilliant smile in return, and in the end, neither of them could stop their grins from growing wider and wider—

After this exchange, both girls clearly felt the distance between them shrink considerably.

And thanks to this little detour in the conversation, Lin Qiao forgot to ask any more questions about Gu Nuan Nuan’s family situation, which made Gu Nuan Nuan secretly breathe another sigh of relief. ’It’s not easy to make a true friend,’ she thought. ’I don’t want a new friendship that’s just barely starting to get scared away by my family’s circumstances. So, for now, if there’s a misunderstanding, then so be it. She didn’t ask, and it’s not like I should go out of my way to tell someone my family’s situation, right? I’m making a friend, not looking for a boyfriend...’