Chapter 21 Because…you're ignoring me
Shang Chen's face darkened.
Yan Qingli knew she had guessed right. She sighed softly and patted his shoulder comfortingly, saying, "We're both heartbroken lovers."
"I'm not like you."
Shang Chen said with great certainty.
"What's different?"
It's nothing more than one getting back together with his ex-girlfriend and the other finding someone he likes; in the end, they both ended up heartbroken.
Shang Chen took out his phone, and sure enough, the screen displayed a message that Wen Ling had just sent. He smiled and said, "She cares about me."
"..."
Yan Qingli's lips twitched. Was it possible that Sister Wen Ling was simply being polite?
But she didn't want to shatter Shang Chen's fragile hope, so she refrained from saying, "Then hurry up and reply to the message, or Sister Wen Ling will forget to reply to you again."
No rush.
"Why aren't you in a hurry anymore?" Yan Qingli was too embarrassed to call him out. She didn't know how many minutes it had taken to walk here, or who had checked their phone at least a hundred times, and even doubted the school's signal. She was about to continue when she suddenly thought of something, squinted at him, and said, "You did that on purpose?"
Playing hard to get?
But that only works on people you like.
Is he a little too confident in himself?
Shang Chen put his phone away and hummed in agreement.
With her guess confirmed, Yan Qingli's expression became even more complicated: "You don't actually think that Sister Wen Ling will send you another message later, do you?"
Shang Chen: "Why is it impossible?"
Yan Qingli spoke bluntly: "She doesn't like you, so what do you care about your feelings? Shang Chen, are you out of your mind? Why are you making such a big deal out of pursuing someone? If you really can't do it, why don't you go online and learn how to pursue someone?"
She couldn't stand it anymore.
The words were harsh, and even made some sense.
Shang Chen remained calm and composed, as if he was certain that if he didn't reply, Wen Ling would definitely send another message: "Want to make a bet?"
"Okay, what should we bet on?" Anyway, Shang Chen is sure to lose.
"If Wen Ling comes back, you can join the badminton club."
His intentions were crystal clear, and Yan Qingli agreed without hesitation: "Fine, if you lose, quickly send my brother away and tell him... not to bother me for three months!"
The idea of blind dates was completely unacceptable to her brother.
They probably thought that a relationship between her and Shang Chen was impossible, and that at most they could only be friends, so they kept going out of their way to arrange dinners for her with the young masters.
If they couldn't get through on the phone, they would come to the school to arrest her. Yan Qingli couldn't avoid them, so she would go around to Shang Chen's side whenever she had free time. Her brother was a ruthless and cold-hearted businessman who had fought countless battles in the business world. No one dared to say a word when they saw him. But when he saw Shang Chen, he was like a greenhorn and couldn't say a word.
The bet was settled.
We're just waiting for Wen Ling's response; the deadline is two hours.
Wen Ling didn't send a message, so Shang Chen lost.
Yan Qingli didn't expect Wen Ling to send a message at all. After all, she had experience pursuing someone. When someone didn't want to reply to a message, even if they saw it, they would wait several hours before replying.
Such a cold attitude would be unbearable for anyone.
Gradually, the passion for pursuing someone fades away.
She glanced at Shang Chen, who seemed calm but was actually nearly tearing his phone apart, and shook her head helplessly. Sigh, that's what it's like to like someone—always feeling insecure and gradually losing yourself with each test.
Even Shang Chen, who lacks nothing, cannot escape the curse of love.
…
Compared to their anxious waiting.
Wen Ling, the person involved, was also going through a lot of trouble. The food had been served for a long time, but she was chewing on a few grains of rice without swallowing it for a long time.
"What's wrong?" Liu Chang noticed. "Don't you have an appetite?"
"ah…"
Wen Ling snapped out of her reverie and looked up at him: "No, I was just thinking about...some things."
She wondered if Shang Chen was angry because of her rudeness.
Did he see the message? Why didn't he reply?
But she had already heard his message ringtone, so there was no reason why Shang Chen couldn't see it. Therefore, he must be angry and didn't want to talk to her.
It was indeed her fault.
Even though she apologized, if Shang Chen still ignored her, Wen Ling really didn't know what to do.
Just thinking about how Shang Chen would treat her like a stranger in the future made Wen Ling feel a tightness in her chest and a shortness of breath.
"Senior..." Wen Ling's eyes were a little hot, "Do you know how to make someone stop being angry?"
Liu Chang paused for a moment before slowly asking, "Is this person very important to you?"
It should be...important.
After all, her stuttering improved significantly under his correction.
The whole family is very grateful to Shang Chen and wishes they could worship him.
Wen Ling nodded hesitantly.
"Is it...someone you like?" Liu Chang asked tentatively.
Wen Ling's gaze froze, she blinked, and her heart suddenly raced. What does it mean to like someone? She didn't quite understand, but it seemed that she and Shang Chen hadn't reached that level yet. She hesitated and shook her head: "He's... a good friend."
Liu Chang suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
Wiping away the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, he instantly felt his body relax, and even his voice became lighter as he said, "Then let's cater to his interests. Does your friend have any particular hobbies?"
Wen Ling really didn't know the answer to that.
Liu Chang then asked if it was a boy or a girl, and Wen Ling replied that it was a boy. Liu Chang thought for a moment and said, "You could give her a razor; it's generally a necessity and you can't go wrong with that. Or you could give her a belt, cufflinks, or other small accessories; they'll always come in handy..."
Liu Chang was genuinely trying to find a solution for her.
But Wen Ling understood that Shang Chen didn't need these things, and he wouldn't forgive her because of these gifts.
Wen Ling didn't know whether she understood him too well or not at all. She knew he didn't like these things, but she didn't know what he liked either. Wen Ling felt inexplicably frustrated.
It seems that Shang Chen has always been the one taking the initiative to befriend her and try to understand her habits, while she has never tried to understand his habits. Friendships should be mutual, not one-sided.
Shang Chen must be disappointed in her, which is why he doesn't want to talk to her anymore.
Wen Ling became increasingly upset as she thought about it.
It seems she's lost the friends she finally made.
"Thank you, senior." Wen Ling thanked him earnestly. "I will take your advice into consideration."
Liu Chang smiled and said, "I'm happy to be able to help you."
Wen Ling smiled politely in return, then lowered her head to eat her rice, and the atmosphere became inexplicably silent.
Liu Chang noticed a dry leaf stuck to her fluffy head and instinctively reached out to remove it. Wen Ling, however, reacted strongly by raising her head and looking at him warily.
Liu Chang was still holding the withered leaf in his hand, his hand stiff and motionless. His expression was slightly embarrassed: "I'm sorry, I just saw a withered leaf and started picking it up without thinking. I apologize."
Realizing what had happened, the aloofness in Wen Ling's eyes vanished, and she returned to her easygoing demeanor: "Thank you... but, senior, please don't do this again. I don't like it when other people touch me."
"Um...okay," Liu Chang said, his voice hoarse, unable to speak. "Sorry, I understand."
Liu Chang believed that he was somewhat special to Wen Ling.
He had seen too many people approach Wen Ling, but none of them followed up. Only he was able to stay with Wen Ling again and again.
But today's unexpected little incident made him realize that he had never truly entered Wen Ling's heart.
…
Only ten minutes remained in two hours.
Wen Ling still didn't send a message. Shang Chen's originally confident face gradually turned dejected, making Yan Qingli hesitant to say the words "you lost" in front of him.
Shang Chen suddenly stood up.
Yan Qingli looked up at him: "What are you doing?"
"Go back to the dorm." Shang Chen said calmly. "I lost. I'll take care of what you asked for."
"Eh..."
Yan Qingli had lost count of how many times she had sighed today. Shang Chen had lost, but she felt no joy at all. After knowing each other for so many years, this was the first time she realized that Shang Chen was just an ordinary person who could also be hurt by love.
It's rare for them to share such a similar plight.
Yan Qingli wanted to say something to comfort him, but then she remembered how she couldn't listen to anything when she was sad, so she gave up.
The two waited for two hours on the stone benches in the basketball court, but nothing came of it, and they even missed eating.
She lifted her foot and walked towards the cafeteria.
She hadn't taken two steps when a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of her. She was surprised and asked, "Sister Wenling? Why are you running so fast? Is something wrong?"
Wen Ling's face was all red.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. She gripped Yan Qingli's arm tightly and struggled for a long time, but she couldn't bring herself to say the name Shang Chen.
Yan Qingli was getting anxious. She couldn't understand what Wen Ling was trying to say. Suddenly, she remembered Shang Chen, who hadn't gone far. He should be able to understand, so she quickly called out, "Shang Chen! Wait, don't go yet."
Shang Chen frowned and turned around.
He was in a bad mood, so his expression was quite impatient, but he paused when he saw Wen Ling's anxious face.
My instinct was to lift my foot and walk towards her.
Remembering something, his gaze turned cold again, as if he hadn't seen her at all, and he asked, "What is it?"
Yan Qingli thought to herself, "This person is really good at holding back. Even at a time like this, she can still act so calm. If she hadn't just witnessed everything, she would almost have believed it: 'Sister Wen Ling seems to have something urgent to attend to. She can't speak right now. I don't understand. You—'"
He abruptly interrupted, "I don't understand it either. Have her send it to you on her phone."
As he spoke, he pinched his thigh with his hand hidden in his pocket before forcing himself to turn around, his chest tight and his breathing labored.
Yan Qingli almost cursed out the word "loading".
She rolled her eyes speechlessly, then turned around and saw Wen Ling watching Shang Chen's retreating figure with tears in her eyes, her hand trembling as she gripped hers.
At that moment, Yan Qingli's heart skipped a beat, as if she understood why Shang Chen had been so confident two hours earlier. So she spoke again without hesitation: "Shang Chen, Sister Wen Ling is crying!"
"..."
…
Yan Qingli is gone.
Wen Ling sat on the stone chair they had just sat on, her head bowed, sobbing slightly.
Shang Chen took out a clean piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her, his tone cold: "Why are you crying?"
He felt that the boy might have done something to upset her.
Shang Chen didn't sit; he stood.
Wen Ling looked up at him, feeling a strong sense of oppression. She also felt that the distance between them had suddenly become very far, completely different from how they used to be. She didn't like this feeling, and she was really sad: "Because you're ignoring me."
Shang Chen's expression went blank for a moment: "It's because you're ignoring me."
"Then I apologize to you." Wen Ling's eyes were red, like a rabbit's, and her words were quite pitiful. "Please don't be angry anymore, okay?"
Shang Chen stared at her without saying a word.
Wen Ling clutched the crumpled tissue, tentatively reached out, and hooked her little finger with his, tears welling up again: "You said I'm your only... special friend."
"Shang Chen, can't you forgive me this time?"
Actually, Wen Ling didn't do anything wrong.
Forgetting to reply to the message was really a small thing, and Shang Chen probably didn't expect it to cause her such emotional turmoil. He suddenly couldn't understand whether Wen Ling only cared about him or others.
Yan Qingli said he likes to play hard to get.
In fact, Wen Ling was the one playing hard to get, but she did it unintentionally, without realizing it herself. Yet, she made him feel uneasy and insecure, with no confidence in her whatsoever.
Unable to bear seeing her continue crying, I sat down.
I sat down next to her and asked her what she was trying to do in such a hurry.
Wen Ling still couldn't stop her shoulders from trembling: "I'm...looking for you."
"Looking for me?" A hint of confusion appeared in Shang Chen's eyes. "What do you want with me?"
Weren't you chatting happily with other people? Didn't you even refuse to reply to his messages?
Shang Chen is right.
He's really scary when he's angry, and he's so hard to coax. Wen Ling doesn't like Shang Chen at all; he's cold and emotionless.
"You're angry..." Wen Ling said weakly, "You saw the message... but you're not replying to me."
Shang Chen originally wanted to say that he wasn't angry, but just didn't know how to reply. However, the image of her chatting happily with another man flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but feel jealous: "I thought you would hate it when I texted you, and I was worried that texting you too much would annoy you."
“It won’t bother me…” Wen Ling didn’t know what to say.
She was overwhelmed with emotions but couldn't find the right words to express them. She berated herself for being useless and could only repeat, "I won't... find you annoying."
"I just... finally found someone willing to play badminton with me, I'm so happy that I don't care about anything else."
She hasn't replied to Wen He's messages much lately.
In the past, Wen He would probably have made a scene in front of her, but perhaps because he has a girlfriend, which takes up too much of his energy, he doesn't really care about her slow replies.
Shang Chen's focus was clearly off: "You had a lot of fun playing ball with him?"
Looking at his expression, Wen Ling hesitated for a moment, then realized that if she nodded, Shang Chen would be even angrier. So, she shook her head and said, "It was playing ball, and I had a lot of fun."
Shang Chen's expression finally improved a little.
She then asked herself the question that mattered most, and also the last one: "Why did you agree to have dinner with him? Was it because you felt he was very nice to you and could replace me?"
Shang Chen had already caught them having dinner together more than once.
He knew he had no right to ask and tried to pretend he didn't care, but seeing Wen Ling's increasingly indifferent replies, as well as her occasional disappearances and perfunctory responses, he became afraid. He was afraid that the concern Wen Ling had shown him before could be directed at anyone.
He just wanted to know.
Is he special to Wen Ling?
"No..." Wen Ling said somewhat anxiously, "We just had PE class together, and then we went to eat together. I didn't think much of it."
After thinking for a moment, Wen Ling asked him, "You don't like me eating with other people?"
Wen Ling asked very seriously, as if she didn't think that this was something she couldn't control. Shang Chen hesitated for maybe only a second before saying rather rudely, "Um, I hate it, I don't like it, what should I do?"
“Then I won’t go out to eat with him anymore.” After saying that, Wen Ling shook her head again, “No, I won’t go out to eat with anyone else either.”
She made her promise so earnestly that Shang Chen's heart softened, and he felt a little embarrassed to continue teasing her. He patted her head and finally showed a slight smile: "Don't you think I'm being domineering and unreasonable?"
Wen Ling said, "You must have your reasons for doing this."
If it weren't for the lack of official status, the timing would have been wrong.
Shang Chen really wanted to pull her into his arms and bully her mercilessly.
He suddenly hooked his arm around Wen Ling's neck, and with a little force, the two of them were close together, their noses almost touching. Shang Chen swallowed and said in a hoarse voice, "Wen Ling, has anyone ever told you that someone as well-behaved as you is easily tricked by bad people?"
Wen Ling curled her fingers, ignoring the uncontrollable pounding of her heart, and slowly blinked: "Then, will you protect me?"
Shang Chen stared intently at her, answering her question in his mind: No, because he is the bad guy.
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