Chapter 41 I'll treat you next time

"Zhou Xiaoming asked for leave?"

Li Fei paused for a moment, then twisted the bottle cap open forcefully. The soda sprayed out, splashing all over him. Li Fei quickly covered the bottle with his mouth and downed half of it in one go.

He immediately let out a burp and said nonchalantly, "So what if I take leave? It's normal to take leave when you have a cold, isn't it? Students are people too, not machines. Even the donkeys in the production team need to rest when they're sick."

Holding a bottle of soda, Yu Qing walked with Li Fei across the playground, saying worriedly, "I'm a little worried."

"What are you worried about?" Li Fei asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

“I felt that Zhou Xiaoming was acting strange this morning. Although he doesn’t talk much, he would never be like this. He just sat in his seat in a daze all morning. It didn’t seem like he was sick.”

Li Fei glanced at him, downed the rest of his soda in one gulp, and casually tossed the empty bottle into a roadside trash can: "I don't agree with your feelings. Everyone has bad days. An adult's breakdown often happens in an instant."

"They're minors!"

Yu Qing rolled her eyes.

Li Fei shrugged and said dismissively, "It's also possible that he was bullied. I've seen him being bullied in the restroom several times. Taking leave could also be because he's trying to avoid the people who are bullying him."

"Really?" Yu Qing frowned deeply.

"Why would I lie to you?" Li Fei curled his lip in disdain. "That kid's a coward. He took more than a dozen slaps without uttering a sound, just like a wooden doll."

Yu Qing sighed as she recalled the scene of Zhou Xiaoming sitting by the fountain and crying her heart out yesterday.

Li Fei looked at Yu Qing speechlessly: "Alright, alright, I see you just have nothing better to do than meddle in other people's business. I know you want to help him, but have you ever thought that some things are destined to happen? In fact, among all living beings, everyone has their own karma. Although you help him overcome his current difficulties, the setbacks and growth he should have learned will actually come back to him in another form, over and over again, until he learns it one day."

"So this is why sometimes when you help someone, they not only don't appreciate your kindness, but also blame you for all the mistakes."

There's a saying that goes something like this: Bodhisattvas fear the cause, while ordinary people fear the effect. Only by going with the flow can one see the world, see all beings, and see oneself.

Yu Qing looked at Li Fei as if he were a stranger: "Where did you hear these things?"

"It might be related to my tragic experiences," Li Fei said, looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle.

"You're only 17 years old, where did you get such a tragic experience from?" Yu Qing was speechless.

"Last night I played Yasuo with a 0/11 score, isn't that tragic enough?" Li Fei said indignantly, "I got completely ganked by the enemy Kha'Zix, and my jungler didn't even come to help me."

"And then he said that to you?"

"Yes."

Yu Qing remained silent for a while, then reached out and patted Li Fei's shoulder, saying in a fatherly tone, "I think he's right. If it were me, I wouldn't help you either. You should learn to grow from setbacks."

"Do you still want your water? If not, give it to me."

"Get out!"

...

Yu Qing returned to the classroom and was stunned for a moment when she suddenly noticed that the Pulse in her hand was pineapple flavored.

I couldn't help but mutter under my breath: "Idiot Li Fei."

He rarely drinks beverages, but when he does, it's usually soda. He doesn't like other drinks, especially this pineapple-flavored Gatorade. After trying it once, he had no idea what to say.

Li Fei knew Yu Qing's tastes.

It's obvious that this guy did it on purpose.

Yu Qing returned to her seat, stared at the drinks on the table for a full ten minutes, and then sighed.

It's tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw it away.

Suddenly, he noticed Lu Chi, who was engrossed in his homework, and his eyes lit up. He immediately had an idea.

"Hey, Lu Chi." He tapped the table with his hand and handed over the drink: "Here, have a drink."

Lu Chi looked up at the drink Yu Qing offered, but didn't immediately reach out to take it. Instead, a hint of confusion crossed his eyes: "Aren't you going to drink it?"

"Someone else bought it; I don't like drinking this."

Yu Qing adopted a cool and aloof demeanor.

Lu Chi hesitated for a moment: "Then... how about... we give it to Li Fei?"

Yu Qing looked slightly annoyed and didn't bother arguing with him. She simply shoved the drink into his arms and said, "Stop dawdling. Take it if you want, or throw it in the trash if you don't want to drink it."

Lu Chi subconsciously took the drink, looked down at it, then looked up at Yu Qing, moved his lips, and whispered, "Then I'll treat you next time."

"Whatever you want."

Yu Qing waved his hand impatiently.

He had just turned around and opened the book when he heard a soft "click" behind him—the sound of a bottle cap being unscrewed.

Lu Chi gently unscrewed the bottle cap, raised the bottle to his lips, tilted his head back slightly, and took a sip.

Mmm, it's very sweet.

Wang Meili was observing from a seat not far away. When she saw Yu Qing hand the drink to Lu Chi, she anxiously nudged Lin Yueyue's arm: "Yueyue, look, Yu Qing actually offered Lu Chi a drink, and Lu Chi actually drank it. That's so strange."

Lin Yueyue glanced over there, her expression indifferent, as if she didn't care about anything: "What's so strange about it? It's normal for boys to buy each other drinks. Maybe someone brought them for them!"

Wang Meili pouted unhappily: "But Yu Qing clearly knows you like pineapple flavor, yet he gave it to Lu Chi! Isn't he just deliberately trying to annoy you?"

Lin Yueyue said calmly, "Yu Qing and I are just classmates. It's his freedom to give himself to whomever he wants, and I'm not angry."

Wang Meili couldn't help but glance at Lin Yueyue's expression.

He muttered to himself.

"Tch, you say you're not angry, but it's practically written all over your face."