Chapter 45: This is how we become dependent.

Chapter 45: This is how we become dependent.

The lunch rush had already passed, and there weren't many people in the restaurant. People were sitting in twos and threes, and although it wasn't big, it was quite quiet.

Fang Yuenian followed Meng Xiaoyang's example in selecting ingredients. He rarely ate spicy hot pot in town, so choosing was quite difficult. He hastily picked some and took them to be weighed. Meng Xiaoyang already had two cans of cola in his hand, waved his arm and asked, "Want some?"

"drink!"

To be honest, Fang Yuenian had already gotten along quite well with the other roommates, but she was still relatively unfamiliar with Meng Xiaoyang. This was mainly because he was quiet and polite to everyone. Now that the two of them were going out to eat alone, it was a great opportunity to get closer to each other. Besides, Li Peixiang had talked so much about him, and Fang Yuenian had actually become curious about him.

Fang Yuenian then extended an olive branch, asking, "Did you used to eat here often?"

Meng Xiaoyang smiled and said, "I used to come here often, but it's been quite a while since I last came."

Fang Yuenian broke open a can of Coke and pushed it in front of him. "It must be because you guys are too stressed with your studies. I've heard about your stories before, like getting up at five in the morning to study, or having the lights on until midnight. Anyway, it's too much pressure for our rural school."

Meng Xiaoyang was stunned by his action, but couldn't help but laugh at what he said. "The affiliated high school of No. 1 Middle School does not allow evening self-study. We can only stay until 6:30 at most before we have to leave."

"Huh?" Fang Yuenian was stunned. "So you all go home and study by yourselves? That's amazing."

Meng Xiaoyang said, "We've heard how hard your schools work, and it makes us really nervous."

“That’s no lie, we’re in a terrible situation.” Fang Yuenian opened a Coke and took a big gulp. “That’s why I’m not used to just having to attend evening self-study sessions now.”

"Why? Is there anything else besides evening self-study?"

"Yes, there is evening tutoring. It's like having classes at night, either doing practice tests or going over them. It's no different from the daytime."

Even Meng Xiaoyang was struggling to keep up, and exclaimed in a low voice, "Is it really that scary?"

The food delivery window called their number. Fang Yuenian was sitting outside, so one of them went over and brought over both bowls. Meng Xiaoyang was a little embarrassed and said thank you twice.

“Don’t be shy,” Fang Yuenian said. “Li Peixiang originally said he wanted to come with us, but he was sweating a lot and went home to take a shower. Oh, and he also said you were classmates in the third year of junior high. I don’t even know how many of you are in our class.”

Meng Xiaoyang paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, our class is alright, only three or four, but your classmate's class has more."

"Huh? You mean... Cheng Bing's class?"

Meng Xiaoyang noticed his stutter, smiled and said, "Yes, Class 17 and Class 18 probably each have more than a dozen students from the affiliated high school."

Fang Yuenian paused in her stirring of the chopsticks, and Meng Xiaoyang asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

“Oh, it’s nothing,” he said. “It’s nothing.”

Oh no, the students from the High School Affiliated to No. 1 Middle School can study so well even without evening self-study. Cheng Bing is surrounded by this group of people. What should she do?

He was worried and wanted to find out more about the daily lives of the top students at the affiliated high school when he suddenly noticed that Meng Xiaoyang, who was sitting opposite him, had a very strange expression on his face. His eyes were wide open as he stared ahead, and he was completely stunned.

"What's wrong?" Fang Yuenian asked in confusion, turning around instinctively.

A tall boy in their school uniform walked in through the door. He was handsome, but there was an impatient look in his eyes. The zipper of his school uniform was slicked open in a cool manner.

"...Know each other?" Fang Yuenian knew something was wrong from Meng Xiaoyang's reaction and quickly asked.

Meng Xiaoyang's face was blank. "I..."

Before he could say anything, the man had already walked past their table. Clearly, he had seen them and stopped in front of the table.

Meng Xiaoyang didn't look at him, almost stubbornly avoiding the question.

"You... you're here to eat too?" the man said.

Fang Yuenian looked at him, then at Meng Xiaoyang, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Ah."

The man stared at Fang Yue Nian for several moments, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. "Oh, you've made a new friend?"

Fang Yue Nian's expression hardened slightly; the way this person emphasized his words made him a little uncomfortable.

"you……"

“It’s none of your business.” Meng Xiaoyang suddenly raised his face and stared directly at the person, as if in silent defiance.

Fang Yue Nian had never seen Meng, who was as innocent as a little rabbit, look at someone with such an intense expression.

The man scoffed, muttered "incorrigible," and then turned and left.

Meng Xiaoyang's face was stiff, turning pale and then red, her lips tightly pursed.

Fang Yuenian was puzzled by the current situation. After a long while, she couldn't help but ask, "Who is that?"

Meng Xiaoyang forced a smile. "Oh, he is He Linjie."

Fang Yuenian: "..."

“Damn it,” he slammed his hand on the table. “I just remembered, Li Peixiang pointed him out to me last time, and I didn’t even recognize him just now. What’s so handsome about him? Li Peixiang keeps comparing him to Cheng Bing. Damn it, Cheng Bing is miles ahead of him.”

Meng Xiaoyang was clearly bewildered by his outburst.

"Uh..." He was still a little flustered. "You, you don't need to be angry."

“What do I have to be angry about? I can’t even be bothered to look at him,” Fang Yuenian rolled her eyes. “What grudge do you have against him? The way he acted just now, so arrogant, made it seem like you owed him a debt.”

If Meng Xiaoyang's expression was angry just now, it has completely changed. Strictly speaking, he was amused by Fang Yuenian.

He laughed several times before saying, "No, I don't owe him any money."

"Then why is he so arrogant?"

Fang Yuenian completely eliminated the potential threat this person posed to Cheng Bing, feeling relieved. She started stirring the instant noodles in her bowl. The vegetables and noodles in this hot pot were cooked quite well, and the taste was also good. She could definitely invite Cheng Bing next time.

Meng Xiaoyang looked at him with a slight smile and said softly, "He and I used to be good friends."

Fang Yuenian casually asked, "And then?"

"It's not like that anymore, we..."

"You've broken off relations?" Fang Yuenian said casually. "If it's a breakup like that, then it's a breakup."

Meng Xiaoyang smiled again, "Yeah, we're breaking up."

He paused for a moment, then continued in a low voice, "We used to be really good together."

Fang Yuenian noticed that he sounded a little sad, so she paused her meal and looked at him, asking, "Really?"

“Yes,” Meng Xiaoyang nodded, “We were classmates when we were little and always played together. I often went to his house, and his mother was very kind to me. Sometimes when I was in a bad mood or did not do well on a test, he would comfort me.”

Fang Yuenian silently put down her chopsticks. "And then?"

Meng Xiaoyang smiled and said, "Maybe I'm just too dependent on him, which annoys him."

"Is this what you call dependence?" Fang Yuenian asked, puzzled. "What's bothering him?"

“We’re not relatives. He’s not my brother or my dad. There’s no reason for him to be so nice to me all this time. Besides, I’m really a pretty annoying person.”

Fang Yuenian couldn't stand it anymore: "You two are good friends. Shouldn't good friends help and take care of each other? My deskmate used to cry to me every time he got the lowest score on a test. He would sleep in class and I would cover for him. Even though he was so annoying, I didn't break up with him."

Meng Xiaoyang was taken aback by what he said, and couldn't help but chuckle, "That's different."

“What’s the difference? Besides, Cheng Bing, he insisted on dragging me into getting into No. 1 High School. Once, I did poorly on a test and nagged him all the way home, but he didn’t find me annoying.”

Meng Xiaoyang couldn't hold back any longer. He lowered his head and laughed so hard his shoulders shook. "...Okay."

Fang Yuenian was even more puzzled. "What did I say that made you laugh like that? Your sense of humor is too low. Anyway, he's the one with the problem. Don't talk to him anymore. What's the use of being good-looking? He's not someone you can be brothers with."

Meng Xiaoyang pursed her lips and stopped smiling, looking at him and whispering, "Well, but he's not as good-looking as you."

"...Really?" Fang Yuenian snorted. "I'm not going to compare myself to him. Okay, enough about him. Let's eat. I'm starving."