A Young Woman's Heart

"I understand, I understand." Lu Chengyuan's eyes held a hint of respect. "Xiaoyao, you know so much? So you do have dating experience too, right?"

"Uh, no..."

"Alright, alright, if you don't want to tell me, then don't. There's no need to lie. You're making it sound so convincing, have you been fooled before?"

"No, no..." Mo Xueyao shook her head again, awkwardly changing the subject. "There's another type, which is someone whose appearance might be a good match for yours who expresses their feelings for you. These are usually classmates. This seems normal, but actually... as far as I know, as far as I know, guys who are truly sentimental aren't very good at confessing. If they really like someone, they'll suddenly confess one day, and you might even feel it's abrupt, rather than the kind of feeling that develops gradually as you get to know them—because they hide their feelings in normal times and are also quite self-aware."

"So, in the end, the more clumsy it is, the better?"

"That's about it!" Mo Xueyao patted Lu Chengyuan's shoulder, revealing a 'you're teachable' expression. "And then there's Lu Bolun. He's not bad looking, and he's the kind of guy who's self-aware and not insecure."

Who are the students in our class who are self-aware yet insecure?

"Uh, there are plenty of ways... Don't worry about it, you don't like them anyway!" Mo Xueyao vaguely skipped over the topic. "There are several ways to let him know your feelings, uh, Cheng Yuan, are you shy?"

"It shouldn't be too thick..." Lu Chengyuan coughed twice, "Anyway, it's much thinner than Yinyin's."

"That's just the level of an average person, right? There are ways, there are ways. Do you prefer something more direct or something more subtle?"

"Does 'direct' mean to confess directly?"

"Of course not. The direct approach is that you can find an excuse, take advantage of a boring lunch break, and suddenly go over and have some intimate contact with him..."

"Wow! That's even more direct than confessing your feelings!"

"You haven't finished yet! You can find a reason to shake his hand. If he holds on tightly, that won't work. If it's something else, then it depends on your behavior."

"Oh—you know, you have to play it by ear. What about something more tactful?" Lu Chengyuan asked curiously.

Mo Xueyao's big blue eyes darted to the left and glanced at her sideways: "There are many subtle ways, how about trying one of those? The way a guy seeks validation from a girl?"

"Huh? Should we cause him trouble?"

"That's right! You can deliberately cause him trouble! But don't go too far. Something more ordinary would be something like secretly messing up his hair, borrowing a pen from him and not returning it, and then exchanging it with your own. Anyone who isn't stupid should be able to sense your intentions."

"Smart!"

"Am I amazing?"

"Amazing!" Lu Chengyuan gave a genuine thumbs up. "I didn't expect Xiaoyao to be so knowledgeable, having been with countless men?"

"Hey, what kind of words are those?!"

"To be honest, does Xiaoyao like Xiaoxue?"

"Don't talk nonsense, he and I are best buddies." Mo Xueyao muttered with droopy eyelids, showing no embarrassment whatsoever, but rather a bit of impatience. "There probably won't be any guys I like for the time being."

"Why? Is Xiaoyao's type of boy very special?"

"Ah...maybe?"

"What kind? Tell me quickly!"

"Let me think... gentle and generous, serious and meticulous in doing things, but also very romantic in private...?" Mo Xueyao couldn't come up with a specific image in her mind, but the overall vague outline was still female-oriented—she was ultimately thinking about her ideal partner in the way a girl would.

After all, he used to be a boy, so changing his sexual orientation so quickly is a bit too exaggerated.

Even many years later, at most she'll just not mind being a suitable man as her partner.

Upon hearing Mo Xueyao's description, Lu Chengyuan's expression grew increasingly strange. She glanced at Li Wanyan, and when the other noticed, she immediately turned back to her: "Um, Xiaoyao doesn't seem to like boys, does she?"

"How would I know?" Mo Xueyao's mouth reacted faster than her brain. After saying it, she quickly coughed and shifted the blame to Hua Yinyin. "Before you're sure who you like, it's better not to be too certain about your sexual orientation. Uh, Yinyin told me."

"Xiaoyao's been brainwashed! Oh, right, isn't our school principal the kind of man Xiaoyao was talking about? I get it, I get it! Xiaoyao likes older men!" Lu Chengyuan looked enlightened, and became even more convinced. "Beautiful women liking older men, doesn't that sound good? Hmm, very reasonable, very reasonable!"

"Reasonable my foot!"

Li Wanyan, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth, perhaps amused by their conversation.

The twilight deepened, until complete darkness enveloped the world.

Lu Chengyuan was called back for dinner, and Mo Xueyao's stir-fried pork with chili peppers had already been served on the small dining table.

Mo Xueyao secretly pinched a piece of meat with her hand and stuffed it into her mouth. Her mother's voice immediately came from behind her: "Yaoyao, don't steal food."

"I didn't eat!" Mo Xueyao wiped her greasy lips and shouted in a panic.

Li Wanyan, who was staring blankly at the pedestrians on the street, seemed to suddenly come back to her senses. Her brows relaxed and her gaze became calm.

"Wanyan! Are we reporting for duty tomorrow or the day after?" Mo Xueyao peeled an orange and stuffed half of it into her mouth at once, her cheeks completely filled. As she chewed, a few drops of juice would occasionally splash out.

On her own turf, she would always subconsciously act more casually.

Especially when there are no customers coming in.

"It will be all right."

"How about tomorrow? I reckon fewer people will be reporting tomorrow, so I can just hand in my winter break homework." Mo Xueyao chuckled mischievously. "Hehe, when those guys ask to borrow my homework to copy on Monday, I can just say 'I've already handed it in'! That way, I won't have to keep passing it around and end up losing my own homework."

Mo Xueyao didn't actually mind letting others copy her homework, but the problem was that too many people copied her homework, and it wasn't the first or second time her homework had been lost. Although the teacher believed that she hadn't failed to do her homework, she would definitely criticize her for letting others copy her homework, whether openly or secretly.

There's not much homework during the regular school year, so it's easy to keep track of things. But with so much homework during winter break, it's not surprising at all that someone might lose a test paper.

"Hmm." Li Wanyan pouted slightly, helplessly pulled out a napkin, and gently wiped her mouth. "You've spilled orange juice everywhere. Can't you eat it segment by segment?"

"That's too much trouble! This way, it's so convenient—just two bites each!" Mo Xueyao blinked and waved the other half of the orange in front of Li Wanyan. "Wanyan, do you want some?"

"Finish eating before you speak." Li Wanyan took the half orange and demonstrated to Mo Xueyao with her actions. Then, she gently wiped her own mouth with the napkin that had been used to wipe Mo Xueyao's mouth.

However, Mo Xueyao broke off another half of an orange and stuffed it directly into her mouth again. She was obviously doing it on purpose, and even gave a smug thumbs up: "Mmm, this is still the most satisfying way!"

……

Chapter 58 Gynophobia

Late at night, Hangzhou's Xiaoshan International Airport is brightly lit, serving as a lighthouse for the planes in the sky, guiding them in the direction of landing.

Huang Yuxi, who was sitting on the plane, was awakened by the jolt when the plane landed. He opened his eyes groggily and gently rubbed his big, round eyes.

The plane taxiing on the runway slowed down gradually and then came to a steady stop.

This is Huang Yuxi's first time flying alone.

He wasn't particularly afraid; on the contrary, he felt a thrill tinged with a sense of transgression.

Perhaps because she was usually so well protected by her older brother, she felt that her little wings could now spread freely when she occasionally acted on her own.

The plane was parked at a remote stand, and as soon as we got off, we had to take the airport shuttle bus.

The name sounds unusual, but it's just an ordinary minibus.

Airports are meant to park planes, and it's not an exaggeration to say they're a hundred times the size of a school playground.

It's quite tiring to walk on foot, especially since many people are carrying luggage.

The shuttle bus will take them to the airport terminal, and then they can choose how to get home.

They are either picked up by relatives or friends, or they take a bus or taxi.

In Hangzhou at that time, the construction of a subway system was not even on the agenda, let alone the idea of ​​taking the subway home.

Huang Yuxi was carrying a white backpack and a large suitcase that almost reached his chest—it wasn't there when he went there; it was bought for him by Sanhua Tongjue in Japan. As for the original one, it was left with her.

The light yellow suitcase was printed with a large dark Pikachu, and there were big photos of Huang Yuxi and Sanhua Tongjue together in the four corners on both sides, proving that this was his personal item.

Perhaps it was because Huang Yuxi was petite and looked too young, but the airport staff on patrol greeted him warmly—adult women always seem to have a special fondness for cute boys. She squatted down, patted his head, and gently asked, "Little boy, have you gotten separated from your parents?"

"..." Huang Yuxi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, and even made a sound, but in the end she chose to pick up the notepad she had prepared in advance, turned to the first page, "I am alone."

"Traveling alone on a plane? Are you over sixteen? Are you traveling with a guardian?"

He patted his pocket and handed over his passport, which clearly showed his date of birth and gender.

"He really is a little boy. It's rare to see such a cute little boy," her colleague said with a light laugh.

"I told you, it's a woman's intuition."

Huang Yuxi tilted his head, his gaze falling on the sign next to him, as he searched for the dedicated taxi lane.

— To ensure a more standardized operation of the airport, taxis are required to queue for passengers, which makes it easier for passengers to hail a taxi and avoids the hassle of hailing one on the street.

"You're almost seventeen now, that's a young man," a staff member wearing flesh-colored stockings asked with a mischievous smile. "Huang Yuxi, right? Can't you speak Mandarin?"

Huang Yuxi shook her head, then nodded, and turned the page of her notepad: "I need to get a taxi."

"Take a taxi? Take this way, be careful on the road. Should we call your guardian first?"

"Thank you." He turned another page, then shook his head. His small body dragging large luggage created a strong sense of contrast.

The staff followed him for a while, making sure he was taken to the taxi stand before leaving.

Even though he suffered many cruel twists of fate, the people around him always seemed so kind, which is why he remained cheerful and optimistic even though he couldn't speak.

Huang Yuxi is well protected by the bright side of life.

Many people get off the plane in the middle of the night, since night flights are cheaper, or they booked at the last minute and couldn't get an earlier flight, so they had to choose midnight tickets which are usually not booked up quickly.

Feeling a bit tired, Huang Yuxi leaned half her body on the tall suitcase and pushed it forward slowly.

People boarded taxis in an orderly fashion, one group at a time. If someone couldn't agree on a price, they would get off in the next taxi right next to them.

Furthermore, the inability to agree on a price doesn't necessarily mean the driver won't use the meter; it could also be that they think the metered price is too high and want a cheaper price...

The one who breaks the rules isn't necessarily the driver; it could also be a passenger.

Soon it was Huang Yuxi's turn. The driver was looking out the car window next to him, smoking, and hadn't even realized that it was already his turn.

When he knocked on the car window, the latter rolled it down without turning around.

"Where to?" the bearded man asked, his slightly tired eyes wide open, as he stubbed out his cigarette in the car ashtray.

But as soon as he turned his head, he saw Huang Yuxi, who was leaning against the car window with an innocent look on her face, curiously looking at him.

His face looked somewhat fierce, making the latter hesitate whether to take the taxi.

The car behind is driven by a middle-aged woman. Why don't you take that one?

Before he could even decide what to do, the fierce-looking driver started trembling as if he had a fever. His face was pale, and his lips were a little purple. He asked in a trembling voice, "Hiss...huff...you...alone?"

Huang Yuxi couldn't help but glance back, but there was no one standing behind her, and no snakes or anything crawling on the car window. Why was he so terrified, as if he had encountered a raging flood?

"Ah."

"One...excuse me...hiss..." The middle-aged driver pinched his thigh hard, his whole body trembling even more violently, and he seemed to be having some difficulty breathing. "I...uh...tonight...don't...don't...take...one, one person...woman...woman...huff...ha...huff...girl..."