“I’m just kidding; it was Norma who found it. It’s nothing for her. You play pretty well in StarCraft.”
“Fine, I already lost to you.”
“I lost! Norma was playing with me; we controlled a single account together. In the end, I knew you were upgrading your main base to level three because Norma secretly opened the map and saw it.”
“Cheater! May your whole family perish!” Lu Mingfei typed that. It was just a casual comment; people often said things like that in the group chat without anyone taking it to heart.
“I’m the only one in my family,” Nono replied. Lu Mingfei was taken aback. “I’m sorry.”
“What’s there to apologize for?” Nono replied flatly. “Wanna play a game?”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“Did you get dumped?”
Lu Mingfei felt a shiver run down his spine. Nono seemed like a little witch, seeing right through him and making him feel completely exposed.
“Not yet… I don’t have a girlfriend, so of course I can’t be dumped. What do you want, sister?” he typed.
“Sister sounds pretty sweet,” Nono tossed out a grinning emoji. “Come on, tell me what’s going on; maybe I can help.”
“What help can you provide? You don’t even know her.”
“I don’t know Chen Wenwen.” The little witch, Nono, replied quickly.
“How much do you know?” Lu Mingfei suddenly felt scared.
“Too much.”
“Who exactly are you guys?” Lu Mingfei’s hands trembled slightly.
“Sounds suspicious, right? Your parents haven’t come home in six years and suddenly recommended you for an American college. Your grades are average… no, actually, quite poor, yet the college awarded you a generous scholarship. You clearly rambled during the interview, but the interviewer said you did excellently. Compared to all that, me knowing who you have a crush on is really nothing.”
“Yeah, only my uncle and aunt don’t suspect anything. They think my parents can do anything and are constantly asking how to get my cousin into a school too.”
“Beg me! If you beg me, I’ll tell you, like… what Chen Wenwen is thinking…” The little witch’s mischievous nature stirred again.
“You know?”
“Women’s intuition tells me…”
“What?”
“She doesn’t like you.”
“Get lost!”
Lu Mingfei didn’t believe it. He remembered that afternoon when only Chen Wenwen and he were in the classroom. He was erasing the blackboard, and she was sitting on the podium wearing a white cotton dress, sneakers, and white ankle socks, softly humming a tune while the sunset’s slanted light illuminated the newly changed desks. Outside, the creeping ivy hung down, and the spring-summer evening was particularly quiet. Suddenly, Chen Wenwen turned to him and asked, “Will you join our literature club?”
Lu Mingfei felt as if he had turned to stone, with only his heart racing. The flowers and grass outside were growing wildly, the sun setting, and the cicadas seemed to be buzzing a hundred times faster. Time slipped through his fingers, and the moment he and Chen Wenwen shared felt eternal.
“I’m just kidding; come on, let me help you strategize. Have you ever given her flowers?” Nono asked.
“Does dogtail grass count?” Lu Mingfei perked up and started talking nonsense again.
“Have you ever taken her to a movie?”
“During the school’s revolutionary film education screening, I sat next to her for ‘The Shining Red Star.’”
“When’s her birthday?”
“October 10th.”
“Have you given her a birthday gift?”
“She used my pen to write back to the boy who sent her a card. Then she didn’t return the pen to me and said the next day that counted as a gift…”
“Can you be any more useless?”
“I think I really can’t.”
“You’re really embarrassing Cassell College!” Nono was angry. “Come on, let me teach you something. First, all girls are meant to be pursued! If you don’t take the initiative, how can you expect her to confess her feelings to you? Secondly, for girls, the most important thing is a sense of happiness. Have you ever tried to give Chen Wenwen a sense of happiness?”
“Happiness?” Lu Mingfei was taken aback.
“For example, let’s say, just hypothetically, that Chen Wenwen really likes you, but you don’t feel anything for her. One day, you fail an exam and are incredibly dejected, suddenly seeing Chen Wenwen pull up in a Ferrari to pick you up. In front of everyone, she gently touches your hair and says, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll do well next time.’ Wouldn’t you feel like you’re about to burst with happiness? Even if you don’t have feelings for her, wouldn’t you immediately give in?”
“Immediately! Not a moment’s hesitation! I’d leash myself like a dog and just run after her!” Lu Mingfei replied decisively.
“That’s pathetic! Doing that makes you look too desperate; you should at least pretend to be a bit aloof!”
“Sister… what should I do?” Lu Mingfei asked earnestly, as if seeking guidance.