Chapter 46: Yes!

In the end, Minghan decided not to call Chen Li after all; it would be embarrassing to be rebuffed later. Seeing that Minghan made no move, the others began to mock him, "Minghan, your luck with girls is really lacking! You’re so handsome, but you can’t even get a single girl to join us."

Minghan smiled awkwardly.

Soon enough, everyone’s friends arrived, greeting the group warmly—it was all people from the same grade, after all.

Brother Qiang asked Haiming, "Has your goddess not arrived yet?"

Haiming anxiously glanced out the window several times. "She should be here soon!"

About two minutes later, Haiming received a phone call. He excitedly announced to everyone, "She’s here! Remember, guys, say nice things about me!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

Just then, Minghan’s phone chimed—it was a message from Lin Jingjing: "I have a big surprise for you."

The message left Minghan puzzled.

But within five minutes, Minghan understood what Lin Jingjing meant. He saw that the girl next to Haiming was none other than Lin Jingjing herself.

Strangely enough, Minghan had never considered inviting Lin Jingjing.

Lin Jingjing greeted everyone and took a seat beside Haiming.

Yuhang, seeing the situation, stifled a laugh, thinking to himself, This is getting interesting!

Haiming introduced Lin Jingjing to everyone one by one. When he got to Minghan, he asked Lin Jingjing in confusion, "From the phone earlier, it sounded like you two already knew each other."

Lin Jingjing smiled gracefully, "Before the second monthly exam, Minghan actually tutored me!"

Haiming felt a weight lift from his heart. So it was just a matter of classmates helping each other—nothing more. If Minghan was interested in Lin Jingjing, things would get complicated. After all, Minghan was undeniably better looking. Ah, society really does judge by appearances.

Lin Jingjing, noticing Minghan had no girl next to him, teased, "I hear Teacher Minghan is quite popular with the girls—how come he’s all alone today?"

Minghan knew Lin Jingjing was just having fun, so he didn’t mind. "You know, academic achievers rarely bother with romance."

Soon, the food and drinks were served.

Everyone enjoyed themselves, chatting about all sorts of interesting things.

Minghan noticed the look of admiration in Haiming’s eyes when he glanced at Lin Jingjing, and sighed internally—what a precocious society. Then he remembered how Emperor Taizong had Empress Zhangsun at thirteen, and felt much less troubled. China has always been a precocious society.

At that moment, Minghan’s phone rang—it was Chen Li. Looks like she was checking up on him.

He answered, and Chen Li’s first words were, "Minghan, where are you? It’s so noisy!"

Minghan didn’t lie, "I’m at a gathering with the school team."

From the other end of the table, Huang Ying’s bold voice rang out.

"I just heard Huang Ying’s voice," Chen Li said.

Minghan laughed, "Uh, Yuhang invited her. Their relationship isn’t exactly proper, and I caught them out, haha..."

"But it sounds like there’s more than just her."

Minghan thought to himself that Chen Li’s intuition was remarkable. "Some of them invited their classmates. But I know you don’t like these sorts of events, so I didn’t call you."

"But I think I heard Lin Jingjing’s voice," Chen Li’s tone turned cold. "So because I didn’t come, you invited her?"

Minghan couldn’t bring himself to argue loudly. "You’ve misunderstood, Chen Li. How about this—I’ll pick you up, and you’ll see for yourself."

Chen Li gave a small snort but didn’t refuse.

Minghan said goodbye to everyone and went downstairs to drive over and pick up Chen Li. Su Yan had just equipped him with a brand-new ride yesterday—an Emma electric scooter.

Chen Li was waiting in their usual spot.

When they arrived at the hotel, the group had already drunk quite a bit. Seeing Chen Li, their eyes lit up.

Chen Li was famous for her aloofness, always seeming to keep others at arm’s length.

There were people in their class who pursued her, but she never even opened their love letters, nor accepted gifts.

"Minghan, you’re full of surprises!"

Minghan smiled awkwardly, "We’re classmates—just chatting together."

Lin Jingjing’s eyes were full of disappointment, but she could see that these two were not together.

Chen Li quietly took the seat next to Minghan.

Minghan, attentive as ever, poured her a glass of coconut milk.

"She doesn’t drink," he laughed.

Brother Qiang teased, "If Chen Li won’t drink, you should drink for her!"

Minghan didn’t refuse, downing two bottles in quick succession.

Suddenly, he felt quite full…

Brother Qiang then began telling everyone about his relationship with the girl beside him.

Wow! So young, and Brother Qiang was already dating. Over six feet tall, he’d found himself a girl of about five foot three. Perhaps tall guys really do prefer petite girls.

Someone nudged Haiming, hinting he should seize the opportunity.

Haiming was a bit shy—Lin Jingjing had long known his feelings, but hadn’t accepted him.

Her excuse: "I don’t want to date in middle school."

At this point, Brother Qiang asked Minghan, "With such a pretty girl here, haven’t you thought about pursuing her?"

The question was so blunt that Chen Li blushed.

Minghan was embarrassed, "Uh, I’m still young…"

A rather perfunctory excuse.

But to everyone’s surprise, Chen Li—usually so cold—didn’t seem angry at Brother Qiang’s teasing.

"If Minghan pursued you, would you accept?" Lin Jingjing asked, quite seriously.

Everyone wondered what Lin Jingjing was up to. How was Chen Li supposed to answer that? Was she trying to disrupt their friendship?

Most embarrassed was Minghan, who had never considered the question.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Minghan wanted to smooth things over, but didn’t know what to say.

Yuhang tried to lighten the mood, "Haha, Minghan is an academic star—he’d never think about chasing girls!"

Everyone wanted to move on…

"I would!" The voice was loud, but pleasant.

Minghan froze. He recognized the voice instantly.

Chen Li’s expression remained unchanged—she wasn’t joking.

Minghan had wondered how Chen Li might answer—perhaps brush it off or reply vaguely.

In his heart, Minghan wanted to know more than anyone.

Huang Ying took the lead in applauding…

Minghan drank a mouthful of wine.

Chen Li suddenly tugged lightly at Minghan’s sleeve, "I want to go back."

Minghan had never felt so uneasy around Chen Li. He stood up, "I’ll take her home first."

Brother Qiang teased, "Minghan, make sure you take Chen Li all the way home! Don’t just find some random place to settle for the night."

As the two walked out, Chen Li kept holding onto Minghan’s sleeve, while Minghan moved ahead in a daze.

Once outside the hotel, Chen Li said, "Minghan, let’s take a walk."