Chapter 144: Poke Poke Up!
Sitting alone at the corner desk, Wen Yang held a textbook but couldn’t focus on a single word.
He wore a frown, quietly sitting there with a jumble of thoughts in his head.
Without Ning Chu beside him, he felt a bit off-kilter.
Instinctively, he looked up at the library window, where a little head was poking in and out.
Soon, Ning Chu spotted him too. After a brief eye contact, she excitedly waved from outside the library.
Seeing her lively expression eased Wen Yang’s worries a bit.
His biggest fear was that confessing his feelings would create a rift between them, but it seemed Ning Chu didn’t mind at all.
He placed the book back on a nearby shelf and headed straight for the corridor outside the library.
“Why did you run here?”
“I’m afraid some bad woman will seduce you!”
Ning Chu handed a cup of milk tea to Wen Yang, smiling brightly at him. “What’s up? You look like you haven’t woken up all day!”
“……”
“Let’s go! Let’s eat something good on the second floor of the cafeteria!”
“It’s only three o’clock.”
“I’m hungry, okay?!”
She liked to eat when she was feeling down; it seemed her worries would fade away as her stomach filled.
But when she was really low, she preferred to space out on an empty stomach.
“Let’s go! There’s a place on the second floor that serves Taiwanese snacks! I heard their fried squid is super delicious!”
Ning Chu impatiently grabbed Wen Yang’s arm and dragged him downstairs. “Stop dawdling here!”
Wen Yang followed her with a resigned sigh.
As they descended the teaching building stairs, Wen Yang couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you think… it’s a bit awkward?”
“Awkward? Because you confessed to me yesterday?”
“……”
“If we can’t be a couple, we can at least be friends~ It’s just our freshman year; why rush into dating?” Ning Chu thought it was a bit dangerous to say that to Wen Yang, but she encouraged him, “And don’t think about whether or not you’re good enough; dating in college is all about being irrational! It’s not like we’re planning marriage and need to think about social status. That’s just like a deal.”
“Uh… did Shao Qing tell you?”
Ning Chu nodded playfully. “Yeah~ I didn’t expect you to be so self-conscious.”
Wen Yang awkwardly looked up, chuckling, “Well, my family’s not doing great… so maybe that’s why.”
He felt Ning Chu was a bit off. He wanted to marry her someday.
“You’re still studying! Work hard, and after you graduate, you’ll find a good job!”
Ning Chu let go of Wen Yang’s arm, trying to encourage him. “You study hard and do well, so finding a job won’t be a problem.”
“Well… it’s hard to say?”
“What do you mean it’s hard to say?! I say you’ll at least start with a six-figure salary after you graduate!”
As the male lead! With the protagonist’s halo, not to mention saving the world or becoming the richest in the world, just reaching elite salary levels isn’t unreasonable, right?
She had a lot of faith in Wen Yang, patting his shoulder with a grown-up look. “Really! I have high hopes for you, young man~”
Wen Yang looked lost again. “That seems unlikely?”
He suddenly remembered when Yan Xinya was harassed by a counselor, and back then, Ning Chu believed that if he reported it, the situation could be resolved quickly.
To Ning Chu, he seemed capable of anything.
“People can be poor, but their ambitions can’t be!”
“Alright…”
Wen Yang lowered his head, still looking unsure of himself.
Ning Chu frowned, thinking she needed to give Wen Yang a little shove.
She couldn’t stand his current state!
“I prefer confident guys,” she casually remarked. “Those who tackle challenges head-on are the coolest!”
In fact, she didn’t even know if she could like boys, let alone what type of guy she’d prefer.
“!!!”
Wen Yang’s eyes lit up.
Noticing Wen Yang’s expression, Ning Chu made a face of disgust.
Why is this little royal text male lead acting so innocent?!
Sure enough, Wen Yang was completely different from the book’s male lead. Even if he was handed a girl on a silver platter now, he wouldn’t become a harem jerk.
Chances are he’d be a devoted, responsible good man just for that one girl.
Does this mean that even if she relaxed her control over Wen Yang and let him find a girlfriend, her storyline would become even less likely to happen?
Not willing to gamble on that…
Arriving at the second floor of the cafeteria, Ning Chu ordered salt and crispy chicken and fried squid, sitting down at a table not far from the Taiwanese snack window.
She looked at Wen Yang’s straightening back and the returning spark in his spirit, sighing softly.
Two months ago, she would never have imagined she’d position herself as “bait” to motivate Wen Yang.
Clearly, Wen Yang was the male lead she should be cautious of.
“Want some?”
“Maybe not?” Wen Yang shook his head.
Ning Chu pursed her lips, playfully tapping his hand with a food skewer. “Look at you, acknowledging your flaws and readily accepting help from others is also a form of confidence!”
“Uh? I just really don’t like fried food.”
“Oh…” Ning Chu lowered her head awkwardly, brushing hair away from her eyes. “You should’ve said so; I ordered too much.”
Her hair was getting longer, which was fine most of the time, but would always obstruct her view when she looked down to eat.
If it gets even longer, she might accidentally eat her hair.
“Should I cut my hair?”
“Girls look good with long hair.”
“I know…” Ning Chu muttered. “It’s just not convenient.”
Washing and drying her hair had become a cumbersome task when before, with short hair, she could dry it halfway in just a few minutes.
Wen Yang suggested, “How about a headband? You could tie it in a little ponytail.”
“That’s too girly; it’s not good living in the boys’ dormitory.”
“Look at those celebrities; don’t they have ponytails? No one says they’re girly.”
Ning Chu nodded thoughtfully. “That’s true.”
Not to mention celebrities, that samurai-style ponytail could also be very cool! If there’s a bit of stubble and a hint of melancholy in the eyes, that’s the standard for a handsome uncle!
Imagining herself with a samurai hairstyle.
Yep, a cool girl.
Then the image in her mind shifted to a bald middle part… that’s too terrifying.
“Help me eat a bit.” Ning Chu pushed the chicken steak towards him, her appetite was usually small. “I probably can’t finish it…”
“Fine.” Wen Yang usually had his gaze lingering on Ning Chu while eating.
Looking at the girl with oil on her lips, crumbs at the corners of her mouth, she looked so young and cute. He took a deep breath.
He cannot disappoint Ning Chu’s confidence in him!
Poke Poke Up!
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