We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

Should we explain this to Xie Shu?

As Li Mubai lay in bed, such an absurd idea popped into his head.

"Doubao, Doubao, I'm a male high school student. When I was taking the bus home from school with my female deskmate, we ran into my crush. The guy only greeted my deskmate, but when I called her, she didn't respond. Should I explain this to her afterwards?"

"There's no need to deliberately find an opportunity to explain. In this situation, it's most likely that the other person didn't notice you at the time, or their attention was on your deskmate and they didn't react."

Readers, is that so?

"If you run into them again in everyday situations like at school or in the hallway, you can naturally smile and say, 'I greeted you on the bus last time, didn't you hear me?'"

"What if I'm a timid person who doesn't dare to talk to her?" Li Mubai continued to ask.

"You can start with eye contact. Next time you see her at school, try nodding and smiling slightly. If she responds, then slowly try saying 'Good morning' or 'School's out'."

What kind of stupid AI is this? Open your big eyes and use your big brain to think carefully. Do these behaviors conform to the behavioral norms of cowards?

It seems that AI cannot replace humans yet.

Why should he explain? Explaining would mean he didn't want Xie Shu to misunderstand, as Xie Shu might then deduce his hidden intentions. But if he didn't explain, the scene of Xie Shu's final cold indifference would repeatedly replay in his mind.

Li Mubai paced back and forth in the room.

Let's ask the real person. Yan Shu is a girl, so she should be more perceptive than him.

Li Bubai: "Are you there?"

...No reply, probably busy, wait a bit.

An hour later.

Is something urgent? I should send her my question first.

Li Bubai: "I saw a question online that I found quite interesting. It's about a girl who was on the same bus home with her male classmate. Her crush saw them and seemed angry because she didn't respond when she greeted him. But it's actually just a misunderstanding; she and her classmate are just classmates. Do you think she should explain to her crush?"

Having learned his lesson, Li Mubai didn't start with the classic "I have a friend" move.

Unexpectedly, Yan Shu replied very quickly.

Yan Shu: "Okay, I understand."

Got it, so what?

Li Bubai: "What do you think?"

Yan Shu: "No need to explain. Perhaps the other person isn't angry, but just didn't hear us?"

Really? Li Mubai thought it was unlikely that Xie Shu hadn't heard it at the time.

Li Bubai: "Really, no explanation needed?"

Yan Shu: "You talk to her again on Monday..." (Yan Shu retracted a message because of a typo.)

Yan Shu withdrew the letter quickly; Li Mubai only saw the first few words.

Yan Shu: "I misspoke. If the girl greets that boy again on Monday, he will definitely respond."

Li Bubai: "Okay."

Forget about saying hello.

Yan Shu: "Do you think this girl and boy will end up together?"

It's unlikely; the difference between the two is like the difference between a luxury car and a public bus.

Li Bubai: "No way, and the main task of high school students is to find ways to improve their grades and prepare for the college entrance examination. Schools and families will not allow early dating."

Yan Shu: "Yes, study hard."

Indeed, instead of daydreaming about unrealistic things, it's better to study hard, get good grades, and go to a good university.

Yan Shu: "I wrote a poem, could you please take a look?"

Li Bubai: "Impressive!"

Yan Shu sent me a seven-character quatrain.

Li Bubai: "Not bad, not bad, you've improved since last time."

After praising the poem and then criticizing it, Li Mubai offered several suggestions for improvement, but overall it was still very good. This should be Yan Shu's second poem. Back then, his second poem was quite incongruous.

Yan Shu: "Thank you."

Li Bubai: "It's nothing, why be so polite."

Yan Shu: "You'd better work hard, or I might overtake you."

Li Bubai: "Brother Li has no choice; he has to study hard."

Yan Shu: "Then go study and try to get first place."

Li Mubai smiled. He had been ranked first? It was difficult for him to even make it into the top ten, let alone the first place being Xie Shu.

After saying goodbye to Yan Shu, Li Mubai picked up his own book and began to read. Only books could soothe his wounded heart.

"Study hard at school, do you hear me?"

"Okay, Dad."

Weekends fly by, and aside from homework time, there doesn't seem to be much time left for students. I've heard that high school seniors are even worse off, having to "voluntarily" attend extra classes at school on Saturdays, and their holidays are cut in half.

Students usually arrive at the front gate of Pingyang No. 6 Middle School by bus, while those arriving at the back gate are driven by their families. Sometimes, the large number of cars can cause traffic congestion.

There were already quite a few cars parked there. Li Mubai saw a black sedan parked on the side of the road, the same one from last Friday.

What a coincidence! There's no escaping it now.

"Class monitor," Li Mubai called out softly.

"Hmm—Li Mubai."

He was somewhat surprised, as this might be the first time Xie Shu had responded like this. In the past, Xie Shu would simply say "uh-huh" and that would be the end of it. However, it always felt strange to hear his own name from someone else's mouth.

Her hair wasn't tied up today; a few strands draped over her shoulders. Li Mubai couldn't help but think of Xie Shu, who wore a long dress last Saturday.

It's true that school uniforms can diminish a person's good looks, but some people's good looks aren't diminished too much, and the school uniform also adds to their youthful charm.

As he and Xie Shu walked on campus, many students turned to look at them.

Hopefully, there won't be any dramatic misunderstandings. But would real couples be so silent and reserved all the way? The public has discerning eyes.

"Class monitor, I'm going back to the dorm now," Li Mubai said as he walked into the dorm area.

"Hmm, are you ready to speak tomorrow?"

"Ready."

He's already memorized the script. Tomorrow, when he goes up, he won't pay attention to the students in the audience; he'll just be a heartless script-reading robot.

"Okay, here you go." Xie Shu took out a snack from his light blue backpack. The snack was written in foreign language, which Li Mubai couldn't understand.

"No need, thank you..." Li Mubai was always like this, subconsciously refusing kindness. Even if the other person was just giving him a potato chip from their bag, he would refuse, unwilling to trouble others or accept kindness for no reason.

"Here you go, this is payment for doing me a favor," Xie Shu interrupted him.

"Okay, thanks, class monitor." He paused. "By the way, class monitor, what do you need me to do for you?"

Don't be nervous tomorrow.

……

When Li Mubai returned to his dormitory, Zhao Feng and the others had already arrived. He put down his backpack, opened the snack, and the black part inside was revealed—it was chocolate.

Take a small bite; it's a bit bitter, but then the bitterness gives way to sweetness.