Xie Qian had always reaped the benefits of his good looks since childhood, so he never paid much attention to others’ appearances.
To borrow a famous quote from the son of a billionaire years later: “I don’t care if my friends have money, because they’ll never have as much as me!”
Swap “money” for “looks,” and that’s pretty much Xie Qian’s stance.
When he first met Wen Ying, she was a chubby, rustic little girl. If Xie Qian judged by appearances, he’d probably have barely tolerated studying with her.
Later, Wen Ying started a small crayfish business, setting up a stall every afternoon. The summer sun tanned her from a round-faced chubby girl into a round-faced dark chubby girl. Standing next to Xie Qian, the contrast in their looks was almost painful to see. At the start of their first year in high school, the girls at school were completely at ease with Wen Ying hanging around Xie Qian, as she posed no threat at all!
Unknowingly, Wen Ying gradually slimmed down.
Not the paper-thin kind of slim, but a healthy, vibrant, well-proportioned figure.
This body type might look chubby on camera but was just right in real life.
Since she was at school during the strongest UV hours, her skin slowly became fairer.
Xie Qian wasn’t oblivious to these changes, but Wen Ying rarely wore dresses or makeup. So, when she suddenly dressed up, it caught him off guard.
The hamster wasn’t just cute or lively—she could also be described as “pretty.”
Not the dazzling kind of pretty, nor just the girl-next-door charm, but somewhere in between—a beauty that shone with a bit of effort.
Wait, was he really being this shallow, judging a good friend by her looks?
Wen Ying, usually calm, felt a bit uneasy under Xie Qian’s gaze.
Was her makeup off?
Or was the outfit wrong?
The white dress Teacher Yuan had prepared had a touch of maturity, requiring Wen Ying to wear leather shoes.
The girlish low-heeled leather shoes matched the dress perfectly but clashed with her usual casual style.
Under Xie Qian’s stare, Wen Ying wanted to touch her face and adjust her dress.
She needed to say something, anything, to break this awkward atmosphere!
Xie Qian, after a moment of distraction, regained his composure.
Changing the subject was the best way to mask embarrassment. He turned his attention to the stammering Wang Xuezha, “Why’d you stop talking? Whose loss is it if you don’t date?”
Wang Shuang: “…!”
This was awkward. Was their brotherly bond really that fragile?
Xie Qian thought he’d covered it well, but Li Mengjiao had already seen through everything.
Just admit you’re stunned, why hide it?
Oh, young love is all sneaky like this, isn’t it thrilling!
Li Mengjiao understood but didn’t dare say it aloud, fearing that before she spoke, they’d split a box of study guides three ways, but after, she’d be stuck with the whole box alone.
“Tch, Wang Shuang’s not dating anymore, saving plenty of girls from trouble. It’s not like he really liked those girlfriends,” Li Mengjiao said.
Wang Shuang’s frequent change of partners showed his lack of sincerity.
How could you switch so easily if you truly liked someone?
Li Mengjiao happened to know who Wang Shuang really liked. She glared at him, thinking that in his formal attire, he looked quite decent!
“Who says I’m not serious—”
Wang Shuang started to retort but stopped mid-sentence.
Explaining or not, neither felt right.
If he went along with Li Mengjiao and admitted he didn’t like those girlfriends, wouldn’t that make him a total jerk?
But saying he liked every “girlfriend”… Wang Shuang couldn’t bring himself to say it.
The word “like” carried weight, something his past self didn’t understand!
Caught in a dilemma, Wang Shuang snapped, “I can’t be bothered arguing with you.”
He stormed out of the room. Li Mengjiao, also annoyed, lifted her skirt and chased after him, “What’s with that attitude? Stop right there!”
Their friends’ argument should’ve worried Xie Qian and Wen Ying, but for some reason, both sighed in relief at that moment.
Their eyes met, then quickly darted away in sync.
“They’re always like this,” Xie Qian said.
“Yeah, it’s not normal if they don’t fight. They’ll make up soon enough,” Wen Ying replied.
As long as they weren’t awkward, someone else would be!
So what if the conversation was awkward? It could save the day at critical moments.
Wen Ying decided she wouldn’t dress like this again—it didn’t match her usual style and made her feel uneasy in front of Xie Qian!
Xie Qian felt a similar unease. Though he’d changed the topic, that odd feeling hadn’t fully faded.
Why did he care if his friend was pretty or not?
Even if Wen Ying wasn’t pretty, she was still Wen Ying, not someone else.
No matter how beautiful another girl might be, she couldn’t replace Wen Ying as his friend!
…
Outside in the corridor, Yun Chen, who’d seen it all, couldn’t help but laugh.
Zhang Yangning chimed in, “Senior, what’s so funny?”
Yun Chen pointed at Wang Shuang and Li Mengjiao, one chasing the other at the staircase, then at Wen Ying and Xie Qian awkwardly chatting in the room.
“I’m jealous of their youthful energy… no wonder!”
No wonder Wen Ying could turn the script of *The Princess’s New Clothes* from a simple romantic idol drama into a coming-of-age inspirational story, or create an original script about striving in the entertainment industry, or write the novel *Teen Idol*. These works shared a trait: a lack of romantic content!
The creators were still naive, unable to write nuanced love stories. When Wen Ying finally got it, when she broke through that layer of window paper, she’d probably start writing romance.
The same went for Li Mengjiao.
She couldn’t act in romantic dramas or play love scenes with a male lead—not just because of her age, but her lack of experience!
Zhang Yangning, focused on her dream of becoming a singer-songwriter, completely missed Yun Chen’s subtext.
Though she didn’t understand, it sounded profound.
Pretending to get it, Zhang Yangning nodded vigorously, “I’m jealous too!”
You don’t get it at all, Yun Chen thought, silently roasting her in Rongcheng dialect, then offering sincere advice, “You should fall in love. It’d help your creativity!”
Love is an eternal theme in art.
Be it the sweetness of romance, the pain of heartbreak, or the uncertainty of a crush, all could spark creative inspiration.
Many musicians with rich emotional lives drew inspiration from their ups and downs, their lovers serving as their “muses.” When love faded, so did the muse!
Zhang Yangning, locked away creating every day without dating, where would her inspiration come from?
Zhang Yangning: “…?!”
Yun Chen was encouraging her to date?
If Teacher Yuan found out, she’d be in big trouble!
Tianjiao’s artists couldn’t date—wait, had Teacher Yuan ever actually forbidden it?
