Chapter 20 Chapter 20
Ren Li didn't know at that time that many young and ignorant loves started with others constantly repeating and hinting at the sentence "That boy seems to like you".
Before this, she seemed to have never seriously considered the possibility of this happening.
Ren Li was still a little confused. Wen Shuo happened to look over here, and she immediately started stuttering: "Come on, didn't you say before that Wen Shuo had a girlfriend?"
Zhang Xintong thought for a moment and said, "As far as I know, Zhao Manyue shouldn't count. How about I ask her indirectly this afternoon?"
Ren Li: "No need! We are definitely a serious classmate friendship."
Zhang Xintong patted her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
"What are you talking about?" As he spoke, Wen Shuo had already walked up to the two of them.
Zhang Xintong winked at Ren Li. "Let's talk about what to eat for lunch, that eternal topic. By the way, Lili, I'm going to go check out Zhou Qi's place. You guys take your time choosing."
Ren Li: ...
She definitely did it on purpose.
Coming back to her senses, Ren Li pointed ahead and said, "Um, why don't I go take a look ahead too."
"Do you like noodles?" Wen Shuo suddenly asked. Ren Li failed to escape and looked down, realizing that there were indeed some noodles on her plate that she had picked out at some point.
She shook her head: "No, I just want to eat today."
Wen Shuo: "So what do you like to eat?"
Ren Li thought for a moment. "I'm not picky about food. Anything is fine. For example, rice, steamed buns, bread... and all kinds of vegetables, all kinds of meat. Oh, and except for seafood."
Wen Shuo paused while pan-frying the silver cod, then calmly switched to beef. He murmured, "That's pretty easy to raise."
Ren Li didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that Wen Shuo made such a subconscious move after she said that he didn't like eating seafood.
After getting the food, Ren Li quickly returned to her seat with the food. Zhang Xintong was already eating, and when she saw her come back, she hurriedly asked, "How was it?"
Ren Li: "What's going on?"
"You and Wen Shuo. You know, when you were standing together just now, you looked so good together. I couldn't help but want to support you two as a couple. To be honest, you two looked like a couple in your outfits today."
Ren Li lowered her head. Her white skirt matched Wen Shuo's white shirt, and they seemed a little similar. But she knew that Zhang Xintong was just having fun pairing them up. No matter what others thought, she felt she had to clarify her point of view:
"Xintong, stop it. How could I possibly be in a relationship in my third year of high school? Besides, I don't like Wen Shuo either."
Seeing her serious tone, Zhang Xintong immediately calmed down a bit: "Are you serious?"
Ren Li nodded.
"Okay." Zhang Xintong finally decided to surrender. "That's true. Wen Shuo is surrounded by all kinds of girls every day. If you were with him, you would feel quite insecure."
Ren Li stopped talking and ate the food on her plate silently.
After a while, Wen Shuo and Zhou Qi also returned. The topic of conversation finally changed, and then returned to the perpetually boring yet lively atmosphere. With Zhou Qi and Zhang Xintong around, Ren Li never worried about a dull moment, even though she was quite silent most of the time.
She had a small appetite and was full after a while. After finishing her meal, she reached out and tried to reach the tissue box on the other side of the table, but before her fingers touched it, Wen Shuo had already subconsciously handed the tissue to her.
Zhang Xintong, who was sitting opposite, happened to witness the entire scene, her mouth forming an O. She had never seen Wen Shuo so attentive to anyone before, and turned to look at Ren Li, her expression as if to say: Look, what did I just say?
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Ren Li finally said thank you and took the tissue from his hand.
The boys had big appetites, so after eating for a while, they went to get their food. When Wen Shuo stood up, Zhang Xintong suddenly had an idea and asked with a smile, "Brother Shuo, Lili just said she wanted to eat a strawberry ice cream ball. Can you help me get one?"
Ren Li's face darkened when she heard this, and she quickly explained, "No need, I'll get it myself later."
"By the way," Zhang Xintong added, "I want one too, chocolate flavored."
"Let Zhou Qi help you get it." Wen Shuo said.
The double standard was too obvious, and Zhang Xintong couldn't help but tilt his head towards Ren Li again.
After they left, only the girls were left at the table. Ren Li sighed silently. She knew that Zhang Xintong hadn't heard a word of her heartfelt thoughts.
Sure enough, Zhang Xintong started again: "Lili, I can guarantee with my eighteen years of life experience that Wen Shuo definitely likes you. Believe me, my radar is always accurate. It's been ringing in my head for a long time today."
Ren Li: ...
She decided it was better not to believe it. She reiterated her point and only gave up after Zhang Xintong promised her that she would stop gossiping and stirring up trouble.
In the end, Ren Li didn't eat the strawberry ice cream that Wen Shuo brought back. It was forgotten in the corner and melted at the bottom of the bowl.
-
Self-study class in the afternoon.
Wen Shuo sat opposite Ren Li almost the entire afternoon. Although he would sometimes explain questions to Zhang Xintong, he spent most of his time reading books to pass the time.
But no matter what he was doing, Ren Li would always unconsciously focus some attention on him.
Perhaps because of Zhang Xintong's remarks at noon, Ren Li felt herself becoming increasingly nervous. Once, Wen Shuo came around to explain a mistake Zhang Xintong had made. He stood beside her, bent over, his arms resting on the table, his sleeves rolled up, revealing a small section of his arm with distinct veins. His presence was so close, Ren Li tensed, not daring to move for a long time.
Fortunately, she started doing her homework later and her attention was slowly diverted.
The sun was setting, and it was already five in the afternoon. Ren Li had finally finished most of her homework. She stretched and looked at the pile of papers on the table, feeling a sudden sense of accomplishment.
While packing up, she seemed to feel the burning gaze in the air again. She looked up and met Wen Shuo's eyes.
Wen Shuo spoke first and asked, "Do you need me to check your homework?"
This move of his was simply a trap for Ren Li. Ren Li immediately forgot what she was about to say and nodded quickly: "Yes."
She handed over the homework, and Zhang Xintong, who was standing beside her, smacked his lips: "Brother Shuo, you are too partial."
Wen Shuo was checking Ren Li's homework. Hearing this, he said without even looking up, "You can watch her later."
Zhou Qi had sharp ears, and when he heard about copying homework, he hurried over to join in the fun and asked Ren Li: "How about you lend me your homework later?"
Zhang Xintong rolled her eyes at him and said, "You wish! You can do your homework yourself."
Zhou Qi didn't care at all: "Remember to leave your homework for me later. I promise to bring it to the classroom intact on Monday."
As soon as he finished speaking, he successfully received another glare from Zhang Xintong.
Wen Shuo ignored them and quickly finished reading the test paper. After learning about Ren Li's weak points, he took a piece of draft paper, wrote down his ideas for solving the problem, and handed it back to Ren Li.
"I didn't write it in too much detail this time. You can read it yourself when you get back."
While Ren Li was surprised at Wen Shuo's speed, she was also pleased with herself. At least this time, there weren't many mistakes on the draft paper, and her accuracy rate was quite high.
She put the paper away, her homework was done, and a successful learning activity was about to end.
Zhou Qi packed his things slowly. It was a rare weekend for him to meet Wen Shuo, so he obviously didn't want to go home at this time. So he asked Wen Shuo, "Boss, is anyone home today?"
Wen Shuo easily saw through his thoughts: "Come over, my mother is on a business trip."
"Okay." Zhou Qi moved quickly, stuffing the crumpled pile of study materials on the table into his schoolbag. He then slung the bag over his shoulder. As if remembering something, he said, "Why don't we invite more people over? It'll be more lively with more people."
Wen Shuo didn't answer, and asked Ren Li: "Do you want to come and play?"
Zhang Xintong was the first to respond: "I'd better forget it. My mom doesn't allow me to spend the night outside, especially as a boy. If she finds out, she might as well kill me."
Zhou Qi: "I didn't say I wanted you to stay overnight. Just play for a while and then leave. We're not alone, what are you afraid of? Besides, you're not a woman either. Ouch...it hurts, stop it."
Zhang Xintong let go. Zhou Qi rubbed his ears and mumbled something. Zhang Xintong thought for a moment and said, "How about I go play for a while before leaving? Come to think of it, I haven't been to Brother Shuo's house yet. It should be quite fun. Lili, let's go play together."
Ren Li hadn't really wanted to join in the fun in the first place, but now she had a legitimate reason. To clarify that she wasn't making an excuse, she even took out her phone and gestured to the others:
"I'm not going. My mother said she's taking me to dinner with an aunt tonight. She's on her way to pick me up now. Here, look—"
Zhang Xintong saw the message from Lin Yuan and felt a little regretful: "Well, that's a bit of a pity."
Zhou Qi: "Yeah, it's a pity that I can't eat instant noodles cooked by Brother Shuo himself, hahaha."
Ren Li smiled: "Then have fun."
After they packed up their things, they saw Lin Yuan as they walked out of the bookstore. Ren Li walked over and sweetly called her "Mom." Lin Yuan took off her sunglasses and saw the boys and girls coming towards her. They were all full of youth, and she couldn't help but sigh that she was really getting old.
"Lili, these are all your classmates, right?" Lin Yuan asked.
"Yes." Ren Li introduced them one by one. "This is Wen Shuo, this is Zhou Qi, and she's the one I often mentioned to you, Zhang Xintong."
"Hello, Auntie." Several people said in unison.
"Hello." Lin Yuan smiled. After hearing Wen Shuo's name, she was obviously stunned for a moment and couldn't help but look him over.
Perhaps it was because her gaze stayed on Wen Shuo for too long, and for some reason, Ren Li suddenly became extremely nervous.
Lin Yuan thought for a moment and then asked Wen Shuo, "The surname Wen isn't very common in this city. Perhaps you know Wen Yusheng?"
Ren Li felt a little embarrassed that her mother asked all kinds of questions to her classmates as if she was checking her household registration when she met them for the first time.
Unexpectedly, Wen Shuo replied seriously: "Yes, Auntie, he is my grandfather."
The name "Wen Yusheng" appeared repeatedly in a short period of time. Ren Li felt that it sounded familiar at first, but only now did she remember why.
He was a very respected elder in the Municipal Party Committee. She had met him several times in her father's office when she was a child. She had the impression that he was quite serious, and her father was promoted by him.
But Ren Li didn't expect that he was actually Wen Shuo's grandfather.
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