A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Chapter 145 The Scent of Unrequited Love

"This... um."

Li Mu temporarily put down the knife he was using to devein the shrimp, his face showing a thoughtful expression.

To be honest, he has never been in a relationship.

I have absolutely no idea what it's like to be in love.

Therefore, Fan Bingbing's question is actually quite abstract.

It's like asking a new recruit who hasn't even left training camp: What's it like to fight a war?

It's a problem that... you clearly don't know, but you can't say you don't know, yet you still don't know.

He clearly possessed all the qualities needed for wartime, but he was still confused about what the real battlefield was like.

"I really can't say, since I've never been in a relationship."

Upon hearing this, Fan Bingbing thought for a moment and then rephrased her question:

"You must have been tempted at least once, right?"

"For girls?"

"...Could it be that you like men?"

"Uh... haha."

Li Muqian chuckled and quickly shook his head.

It's impossible for a man to like that.

I can't like it at all!

But to say whether I'm moved...

"I actually... liked a girl... for about six years."

"..."

Fan Bingbing's lips twitched suddenly.

"……several years?"

"Six years."

"what?"

Seeing her surprised expression, Li Mu shrugged:

"Really... let's make this clear first, this is just casual conversation, no jokes involved."

"...Okay, go ahead. What kind of girl is she? How did you two meet?"

"My junior high school classmate."

Li Mu started deveining the shrimp again, removing the veins from their backs.

Her technique was incredibly skillful.

"We were classmates in the first year of junior high school. Her family owned a hair salon in our town, and I even went there to get my hair cut."

"I mean, what kind of girl is she? Is she pretty? Compared to me? Compared to this Sisi?"

"She can't compare to either of you."

Li Mu smiled and shook his head.

"So you still liked her for six years?"

"...That's a strange question. If I don't like her, why would I like you?"

Although Li Mu's answer was even stranger, Fan Bingbing understood what he meant and smiled as she asked in return:

"That's hard to say. If I had been your classmate back then, you might have liked someone else."

"Well……"

Li Mu thought about it for a moment, following her train of thought, and nodded:

"You know what, it might actually be true."

"So what did you like about her back then?"

"I don't know either, maybe it's her hair? Her family owns a hair salon. Back when we were in school... you should know, everyone in the class had black hair, except for her..."

"She dared to dye her hair? Didn't your teacher say anything?"

"What a coincidence. Our junior high homeroom teacher was her aunt. And she didn't dye her hair; according to her, it was accidentally picked up by her mother when she was dyeing a customer's hair. But it's true, back then, in the whole class, and even the whole school, apart from those who hung out in the streets, she was the only one with colored hair. And it was very subtle; it usually looked black, but when the sun shone on it, her hair turned a bit purple..."

"Is that why you fell for her?"

"Maybe that's part of it, but looking back now, it was mostly curiosity and longing at first... How were your grades in school?"

"Uh, so-so."

"You might not understand what I'm saying, but I'm the kind of good kid teachers talk about, you know? I don't need the teachers to worry about my studies, I don't fool around during breaks, I go straight home after school, and I don't cause trouble..."

"I understand, you're the kind of child that elders always talk about."

"right."

When talking about his glorious deeds during his school days, Li Mu felt a strange sense of melancholy, but a smile was playing on his lips:

"I was a good student, but her grades were actually just average. Besides, her older sister was also involved in some scandals, and she was quite well-known. I vaguely remember her name being... Seventh Sister of the Fourth Building."

"..."

Fan Bingbing's lips twitched, thinking to herself, "What a terrible name."

But she also understood that those who had such "street nicknames" during their school days were ruthless people.

"She's the type who has an older sister protecting her, so no one dares to mess with her. She also has a great personality. Despite her sister's fame, she doesn't actually bully people and is quite warm-hearted. I actually started school very early. When I was in the first year of junior high, people my age were only in the fourth or fifth grade of elementary school. So I was the shortest in my class back then, and I was also a good student... Although I wasn't bullied, most people couldn't get along with me."

"You're very honest, aren't you?"

"Yes, the kind of person who is very honest, sits in the front row, listens attentively in class, and sits quietly on their chair while others are playing around after class."

"And then? How did you fall for her?"

"Her aunt wanted to boost her grades, so she made me her deskmate... She started wearing perfume around that time, and I could smell it every day. And... she also liked to talk to me. And... she was actually the prettiest girl in our class, and she dyed her hair, making her look so stylish... It wasn't just me who liked her; I knew of at least three or four guys in our class who were pursuing her. I was so skinny and small back then, like a bean sprout..."

At this point, Li Mu paused.

It seems to be reminiscing or reminiscing.

But in Fan Bingbing's eyes, that look was the most accurate expression of "If I went back to pursue her now, I would probably succeed".

She was speechless for a moment.

What a beautiful girl you must be to keep thinking about her like this?

"So...it's a crush?"

"It's definitely a crush. So many people like her, who am I? The only thing I can do is let her copy my homework... and sometimes I even let her slip me the answers during exams."

"And then what happened?"

"Later? After graduating from junior high school, I was admitted to the No. 1 high school in our county."

"She got in too?"

"No, she paid her way in. Then we ended up in the same class... but she started dating in her first year of high school."

"...And then you secretly liked her for three years?"

"Yes. Until after the college entrance exam... she didn't get into university, so she went to study hairdressing."

"You never said that?"

"No, we didn't really hang out much in high school. We were deskmates for two years. In the third year of junior high, our homeroom teacher was afraid that she would drag down my grades, so she switched us. Although we were in the same class in the first year of high school, our homeroom teacher had a pretty bad impression of her. Plus, she was in a relationship, so she stopped coming to class much starting in the second year of high school."

"But you still like her?"

"Ha~"

Li Mu was amused.

She smiled and shrugged at her.

"How can a teenage boy forget the feeling of having a crush so quickly?"

Hearing his words, Fan Bingbing gripped her beer, thought for a moment, and asked again:

"Well... let's say, hypothetically speaking, we're in the same class, and so are she, oh right, and this girl named Sisi. If we were all in the same class, who would you like?"

"What kind of absurd question is that?"

Li Mu rolled his eyes.

Putting everything else aside, Sisi is still a minor.

"That's why I said, hypothetically, didn't you say Sisi is also a middle school student? If we were both middle school students now, who would be the prettiest?"

"Well……"

Li Mu fell into deep thought again.

You know what... that's a pretty tricky question.

It's a bit difficult to compare.

"By the way... I've never seen what you looked like in junior high."

"I've looked like this since junior high school."

"Then you must be the prettiest."

Li Mu's words instantly brought a smile to Fan Bingbing's face.

Hehe, I knew it... This lady is invincible in beauty and teeth!

"But I might... still like her."

"..."

The next second, the smile turned into embarrassment.

Li Mu's eyes were filled with reminiscence and sighs:

"I still remember it clearly. She was wearing a perfume, her mother's, it smelled really good... I asked her if she was wearing perfume, and she stretched her arm out in front of me so I could smell it... I remember it very clearly, it was the first time I felt my heart racing, and I started sweating all over without even realizing it... my palms were sweaty. She urged me to smell it quickly... so I took a sniff... sigh."

He sighed:

"There's no going back."

"..."

"Huh? Where did everyone go?"

"Pour me a glass of water."

The big star, who had been throwing his beer can into the trash can with a look of disdain, held his water glass and watched the figure busy in the kitchen. A sense of resentment began to boil over him.

Are you blind?!

What kind of good perfumes could there be from that era?

How fragrant can it be?

I can't believe it!

"Xiaomi, go to my room and bring me my new sandalwood-scented perfume. I'll send you the address."

"Okay, sis, now?"

"Yes, now!"

……

"Brother Li, I'm going out to throw out the trash."

"Okay, hurry up, the food is ready."

"Um."

A moment later, six large plates of dishes with a rustic flair were placed on the table.

When Xiao Fan returned from throwing out the trash, his jeans pockets were bulging.

But Li Mu didn't care.

It's almost seven o'clock now.

It gets dark very early in November.

The atmosphere is there.

then……

"Fan Ye, please have a seat."

He pointed to a seat and asked Fan Bingbing to sit down, then turned off all the lights in the room.

Under the sky, which was neither completely black nor completely dark, a flash of firelight appeared.

The only candle on the cake was lit.

The dim candlelight illuminated the faces of the two people sitting opposite each other.

Li Mu smiled and clapped his hands:

Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~……

"……hey-hey."

Unconsciously, Fan Bingbing laughed out loud.

I don't know if it was because of the singing, or because of... the feast on the table, which was filled with all sorts of tempting aromas.

In any case, she was in a good mood.

Happy birthday! Quick, make a wish and blow out the candles!

As the song ended, Li Mu clapped, while she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.

After a moment, he opened his eyes. Facing the candle:

"Phew~"

"Um?"

Li Mu suddenly paused, then sniffed the air...

"What's that smell? Did you wear perfume?"

No.

In the darkness where the candlelight had died down, the superstar's eyes shone with delight as he finished speaking and raised his glass:

"Come on, Brother Li, cheers!"

"Wait, I'll turn on the light... By the way, what did you wish for?"

"Won't it lose its power if I say it out loud?"

"Too."

"Hehe, it's nothing really. I just wish to become a big star soon."

As the lights came on, Li Mu, who had heard her wish, said with a smile:

"Isn't it already already?"

Hehe~

The girl smiled radiantly, raising her wine glass high:

"Quickly, quickly, tonight, let's drink until we drop!"

Having already drunk four cans of beer in the afternoon, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she cheered:

Happy birthday to me! Cheers!