Chapter 179 - Redirect The Topic
[This chapter is dedicated to scary_queen for the nice comments that he/she has been leaving in my stories for the month of June and for being a silent reader who suddenly commented! Thank you so much for the support! I hope to continue reading your comments in the near future! :D]
***
Zhang Ren, Shu Xian, and Shi Lian were having lunch in the usual place in the cafeteria. With the two already showing the birthday girl marinated pork along with salad, they were now starting to eat, prioritizing Shu Xian to get her food first since it\'s her special day.
"I know it\'s your birthday," Shi Lian started, narrowing her eyes at her as she took a piece of pork in her mouth. "But you have to tell us what you meant by you moving out!"
With a small sigh coming from Shu Xian\'s mouth, she shook her head and explained.
"Wang Fang has volunteered into taking me in. She has a house in front of you-know-who\'s house and then she asked me to keep watch on it."
Zhang Ren and Shi Lian looked at each other with shocked faces. With a smile soon coming on both of their faces, they commented about it, sincerely happy for Shu Xian.
"The boss is actually pretty nice! Too bad we won\'t see her today—she\'ll come back tomorrow," Zhang Ren commented, Shu Xian, nodding in agreement.
"Don\'t worry—I have thanked her and will continue to thank her once it\'s time to move out," Shu Xian replied, Shi Lian, cocking her head to the side as she was wondering when she\'ll be away.
"And when are you going to move out?"
"In a week or two as Miss Wang Fang had said," Shu Xian answered, Zhang Ren teasing her as he asked her a question.
"So… are you going to miss the professor?"
"Y-you…"
With Shu Xian now blushing, both Zhang Ren and Shi Lian chuckled, obviously liking how the two of them are teasing their other friend.
"Guys, don\'t you dare comment about this out loud!" Shu Xian scolded, stuffing her mouth with rice and spoke with her mouth full. "What if others will hear you?"
With the two of them shaking their head as they changed the topic, Shi Lian then further asked Shu Xian what she is further feeling towards you-know-who, making their conversation interesting once more even though it made Shu Xian feel more shy.
"You know… I want to ask you… are you really starting to get attracted to him?"
Shu Xian didn\'t answer for a while. But with a small smile appearing on her face as she nodded once, people who\'d look at her would already tell how much she is starting to feel towards the professor.
"At first, you were so pissed with what\'s happening between you two. And now you\'re starting to like him?" Shi Lian commented, Shu Xian, playfully rolling her eyes at her best friend as she further explained how she was feeling.
"Well, people do indeed change. And I didn\'t expect this either. I guess he is indeed right. He told me before that if we keep faking it, there\'s a possibility that I will like him since I have never fallen in love with someone before…"
"Tsk, tsk…"
Zhang Ren clicked his tongue twice, narrowing her eyes at Shu Xian as he made a comment with what she said.
"Even though you realize that, don\'t fall too quickly because what if you suddenly show him that you\'re succumbing to him because of your feelings? He might, you know… think that you\'re too easy!"
The girls looked at each other, then blinked their eyes for a few times with bewilderment plastered on their faces. With Zhang Ren shrugging his shoulders, he further explained what he meant.
"Remember what we talked about before during our duty?" he pointed out, Shu Xian, nodding as she remembered. "Make him guess! Leave him wanting for more!"
Both of the girls cocked their head in curiosity. With Shi Lian commenting on what he said, she couldn\'t help but say her thoughts aloud, surprising Zhang Ren with how she described him.
"You speak as if you\'re experienced in love. Have you ever dated anyone before?"
"What?"
Zhang Ren widened his eyes, not sure if he heard right.
"What do you mean—have I dated anyone before?"
"Well…" Shi Lian arched a brow at him. "You were talking as if you are an expert in this! Tell me… did you have an experience in love before?"
"Oooh~!" Shu Xian exclaimed, taking a sip of her water from her bottle. "I\'m also curious—tell us!"
With the topic now suddenly diverted to him, Zhang Ren scratched the back of his head, not used to this attention. As a light chuckle came from him, he just answered Shu Xian\'s question as honestly as possible.
"Uuuh… I wouldn\'t say that I\'m experienced, but I had some girls chasing after me back in Country S. And when they give too much of themselves, I don\'t like it…"
"Oh!"
Shi Lian and Shu Xian both exclaimed, now curious of his experiences.
"So… you never had any romantic relationships?" Shu Xian asked, Zhang Ren answering in a heartbeat.
"Nope! No one has caught my attention. Until…"
"Until?"
With Shu Xian and Shi Lian talking in unison, Zhang Ren purposely looked at Shi Lian. With a sweet smile appearing on his face, he surprised her when he got her hand and kissed the back of her palm, answering the girls\' question.
"Until I met Shi Lian and then we promised to take things slow so we would be more sure of our developing feelings towards each other."
Shi Lian didn\'t know what to say. With her body stiffening as if she became a block of ice, Shu Xian laughed, tipping her head up as she never saw Shi Lian react this way before.
"Geez! Why are you suddenly like this when you were worrying about it the other day... if Zhang Ren has an experience or not?"
Zhang Ren arched a brow at them and asked, "She was worrying about this?"
With Shi Lian now snapping herself out of her dazed state, she stuffed a pork in Zhang Ren\'s mouth forcefully, shutting him up.
"Redirect the topic now, please! This is not the concern today!"