Yang Wei hesitated, phone in hand, for three seconds. Then she replied, "Yes."
"Then I'll pick you up at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay~"
His eyes on her reply, the corners of Fang Cheng Ran's mouth involuntarily spread apart into a wide smile. Suddenly in a great mood, he posted to Weibo. "I've decided to post a chapter tonight after all. Isn't life full of surprises? [doge]"
Readers: "..."
Why are women so fickle?!
His new story was named "The Whole World Belongs to My Royal Princess." Set in a Western fantasy world, it was written from a man's perspective. After consuming the first chapter, his starving readers rampaged through the comments section, displaying the amazement in their hearts. "The Great God must be in love! This chapter was downright normal and unscientific!"
However, Yang Wei didn't see the chapter until much later. At the moment, she was working hard in her online class, making corrections to everyone's homework. Copying each student's art from their homework to the drawing software, she corrected them piece by piece.
There were both complete beginners in the class as well as those with a fairly decent foundation. For example, one could see at a glance that Future Mr. Perfect had learned sketching from somewhere. Yang Wei made a few changes to better draw attention to his character's expressions, then turned to Classmate Li Gou Dan.
"Er..." For a moment Yang Wei was utterly at a loss. The simple, almost stick-figure style of art could be considered excellent... for a student in elementary school. However, though each figure had only a few sparse scribbles, their proportions were surprisingly good, and the positions of their features stunningly accurate.
"Classmate Li Gou Dan, it seems you have no issues with proportion. However, remember that you're drawing people, not maps. In your next drawing, try paying more attention to the details." As she spoke, she was modifying the original drawing. With only a few strokes, the simple sketches sprang to life.
Nine Nine Eight: Teacher, you've got such a magic touch orz
Cocoa: The Flower Buns Plastic Surgery Room √
Li Gou Dan: :)
"Last but not least...." Yang Wei breathed a silent sigh of relief, "Is the work of Classmate Cocoa. Were you drawing aliens?"
Cocoa: ...
Cocoa: Teacher, I'm begging you not to be so savage qaq
"Don't worry, it's very normal to draw badly when one first starts out. First of all, your eyes are too far apart, and your ears should be pulled down a little."
Cocoa: Teacher, why won't you correct my homework on April Fool's Day? At least that way you could lie to me and tell me I did a good job qaq
Yang Wei fell silent for a moment. Then she said heavily, "Some lies can't be told even on April Fool's Day."
Cocoa: .....
Future Mr. Perfect: Bahahahahahahaha
Nine Nine Eight: #TodaysTop
Li Gou Dan: :)
"In the next class we will begin to study the human body. Today's class ends here. Good night everyone." Though it was already half past ten when Yang Wei left the classroom, she had slept too long in the afternoon and was not sleepy at all.
She was about to turn on the TV when the phone lying on the table vibrated. Yang Wei picked it up. It was a text from her little brother, Yang Ming. She let out a huff - surely he wouldn't need her to pose as his girlfriend again so soon?
Idly holding onto her cell phone, she considered ignoring it for a moment, but in the end still checked the message.
"Sister! The girl who was following me around the last time turned out to be my elementary school classmate Wen Xue! Her mother remarried, and now she's named Shen Qing! I don't know why she changed her name! And she used to have such long hair!! I didn't recognize her at all!! Oh my God!"
Yang Wei: "..."
Through the swearing and exclamation marks, she garnered the gist of the cause for Yang Ming's collapse.
"Weren't you the one who told me that first love was a dream from which a man would never want to wake up? How the tables have turned :)"
Though she knew that she shouldn't be kicking him while he was down, for whatever reason... it felt great.
Not until she had finished an episode of her TV series with no reply from Yang Ming, did she begin to worry about how hard her brother had taken her words.
"Hey, won't you reflect on it? You've hurt a lot of young girls' hearts. Perhaps this is the retribution you deserve."
Oops, she had been supposed to comfort him, but that schadenfreude happiness slipped out again.
This time, however, Yang Ming replied quickly. "I've begun to feel now that men miss not so much their first love, but their former self."
Yang Wei was stunned. Where did this feckless younger brother of hers get such philosophical words from? She couldn't get used to it. "Go talk to her, maybe it can still be saved."
"It’s useless. I went to see her today. She's very determined. She said that I like the her from my memories, not the her in real life. So if that had to be the case, then she hoped instead that the memory would be fondly preserved in my heart forever. Isn't it ridiculous? The funniest thing is that I actually think she's right."
"Well, I don't know how to comfort you right now. I'll just sit here and smile quietly."
"Goddammit, are you actually my elder sister?????"
"Alright, alright. Be a good boy and I'll treat you to a barbecue tomorrow at noon to soothe your injured young heart."
"Starlight Plaza's Lilith Grill at 11am. Don't be late."
"... uhhuh."
She put down her phone and yawned her way into the bathroom to wash up.
The morning sun sprinkled through the sunflower curtains in the bedroom, seemingly carrying with it the peculiar fragrance of flowers. Fast asleep with her quilt bundled in her arms, Yang Wei was jolted awake by the sudden ringing of her phone. Her whole being shocked, she groped about for it and fumbled to pick up the call. "'Sup..."
"I knew you'd still be asleep. It's 10:10!" Yang Ming's voice sounded from the speaker, faintly mingled with background voices laughing and talking. Yang Wei turned over and sat up, reluctantly. "Yes, yes, you're starving to death as usual."
"I've just been jilted and my condition is super serious! If I'm not carefully watched, maybe I'll go a little crazy!"
Yang Wei's mouth twitched. "Mom won't let you crack. She'll introduce you to a dozen more ladies in just a few minutes."
As if suddenly recalling her heroic deeds of the last four afternoons, her little brother raised a brow. He pulled on his shoes. "I can chase the rising sun by myself, no need to bother her. I'll be heading out now, you hurry up."
"Yes, yes, yes." Yang Wei hung up the phone and got up to wash. Meanwhile, Yang Ming pulled on his coat and fixed his hair in front of a mirror. Seeing that, his roommate said jokingly, "I see you primping over there! Got a date with a beautiful girl?"
"Sure do." Yang Ming picked up the phone on the table and tapped it a few times before turning it toward the other boy. "Whatcha think?"
The other boys in the room crowded round. When they saw the photos, they were immediately suffused with envy. "You little fuck, she's gorgeous! Why do all the chicks like you and not me?!"
Another friend grinned and slapped the first on the shoulder. "Because you don't have a face like his, idiot."
"It's this evil, face-judging society we live in." He lifted his eyes to Yang Ming. "You wouldn't have swindled your brothers with a picture of some Internet celebrity, right?"
Yang Ming tucked his phone into his coat with a grin. "That's my sister."
The three people in the dormitory were silent for a collective minute, then broke out --
"Little Ming, you know how good your Third Brother usually is to you! What might your sister's number be?"
"Beat it, you! Little Ming, Big Brother lent you five yuan the other day for instant noodles. You know what to do, don't you?"
"I only have one question... does your sister have a boyfriend?"
With a chuckle, Yang Ming replied, "Are you sure you want to pursue my sister? She's got very, very high standards for beauty."
A variety of shoes, socks, and pillows came flying toward him. At this critical juncture, he quickly slipped out the door and used it to block the hidden weapons.
At 11 o'clock in the afternoon on the dot, the two siblings met in front of Lilith Grill. They seated themselves at the bar. Before them, a chef in her white uniform was skillfully brushing three fruit beef rolls.
Yang Ming put in an order for some good dishes, then grinned at Yang Wei. "So why the sudden change in hairstyle?"
Yang Wei brushed it off. "I just wanted to."
Her brother let out a sigh. "I saw an interview with Song Jin the other day. For some reason, I wonder why the first love she mentioned had such a resemblance to Qi Xiao Yan?"
Yang Wei: "..."
She blessed Yang Ming with a very thin smile. "Did you still want to eat or not?"
Yang Ming shrugged. "Actually, there's absolutely no need for you to care. The moment one meets one's first love again is the moment when one is disillusioned about one's first love - because you'll find them completely different from in your memories."
Yang Wei poked at her juice with a straw and muttered disconsolately, "It really is different."
"What? "
"Nothing." Yang Wei looked up and ordered ten more scallops.
Qi Xiao Yan had just finished teaching an elective and was heading for the nearest cafeteria. As it was a weekend, there were far fewer students there than usual. Just as he entered, a boy came running out after a girl.
The boy looked anxious; the girl scowled.
Such little dramas between sweethearts occurred every day in the school. Without turning a hair, Qi Xiao Yan strode quickly by.
"Wife, I was wrong! Don't leave so quickly!" The boy took the girl's hand, but was shaken off mercilessly. Not discouraged, he tried again. "Wife, don't be angry."
While the two were going back and forth before the school canteen, Qi Xiao Yan, who had already walked away, walked back.
"Do you know what responsibilities a man shoulders when he calls a woman his wife?"
It was a calmly asked question, but the boy somehow had the illusion of being in court. There, he was a prisoner awaiting trial, and Qi Xiao Yan was the judge who wielded the power of life and death.
"You shouldn't just call the word 'wife' out at random." Having dropped this sentence, Qi Xiao Yan walked away without looking back.
The boy didn't recover from his bewildered state until Qi Xiao Yan's back receded into the distance. Then he turned to the girl and asked, "Was that Professor Qi from the department of mathematics?" He had heard that the math department's Professor Qi was a cold and unsmiling man, yet that pot of chicken soup for the soul from just now had been even better cooked than that of his old aunt. 1
The girl, however, was holding her face in her hand. Hearts sparkled faintly in her eyes. "Professor Qi's so handsome! Now that's a real man!" She was considering transferring to the math department.
Boy: "..."
By the time Yang Wei and Yang Ming finished their barbecue, it was already half past one. Yang Wei settled the bill. Upon leaving the store, however, she received a call from Fang Cheng Ran. "Where are you at the moment?"
"Starlight Plaza."
Fang Cheng Ran seemed to chuckle. "How convenient."
"What?" Yang Wei’s words had just fallen from her lips when a conspicuous Maserati turned from the road opposite and stopped in front of them.
Fang Cheng Ran lowered the window and poked his head to smile at Yang Wei. "I was just going to pick you up."
Yang Wei hung up the phone mechanically. "Ah, well... my brother and I were out having lunch."
Meanwhile, her younger brother had been quite deeply shocked by this scene straight out of a movie. "Where's the camera?"
Yang Wei pursed her lips and said nothing. Yang Ming whistled in admiration at Fang Cheng Ran's car and asked her, "Sister, do you know this handsome Maserati guy?"
He hadn't spoken softly. Fang Cheng Ran could quite clearly hear him, and conveniently lifted his eyes to smile at Yang Ming. "Nice to meet you. I'm Fang Cheng Ran."
"He was my elementary school classmate." Quick as a thief, Yang Wei introduced them. "This is my younger brother, Yang Ming."
On the other side, Yang Ming too smiled from ear to ear. "Are you guys going on a date? Well then, I'll get out of your way." The expression of a matchmaker plastered all over his face, he waved at them and turned away.
The moment he turned a corner, he halted in his tracks to yank out his phone and send a message to Mama Yang. "Reporting to the empress! A handsome man in a Maserati is pursuing your daughter!"
Yang Wei hesitated, phone in hand, for three seconds. Then she replied, "Yes."
"Then I'll pick you up at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay~"
His eyes on her reply, the corners of Fang Cheng Ran's mouth involuntarily spread apart into a wide smile. Suddenly in a great mood, he posted to Weibo. "I've decided to post a chapter tonight after all. Isn't life full of surprises? [doge]"
Readers: "..."
Why are women so fickle?!
His new story was named "The Whole World Belongs to My Royal Princess." Set in a Western fantasy world, it was written from a man's perspective. After consuming the first chapter, his starving readers rampaged through the comments section, displaying the amazement in their hearts. "The Great God must be in love! This chapter was downright normal and unscientific!"
However, Yang Wei didn't see the chapter until much later. At the moment, she was working hard in her online class, making corrections to everyone's homework. Copying each student's art from their homework to the drawing software, she corrected them piece by piece.
There were both complete beginners in the class as well as those with a fairly decent foundation. For example, one could see at a glance that Future Mr. Perfect had learned sketching from somewhere. Yang Wei made a few changes to better draw attention to his character's expressions, then turned to Classmate Li Gou Dan.
"Er..." For a moment Yang Wei was utterly at a loss. The simple, almost stick-figure style of art could be considered excellent... for a student in elementary school. However, though each figure had only a few sparse scribbles, their proportions were surprisingly good, and the positions of their features stunningly accurate.
"Classmate Li Gou Dan, it seems you have no issues with proportion. However, remember that you're drawing people, not maps. In your next drawing, try paying more attention to the details." As she spoke, she was modifying the original drawing. With only a few strokes, the simple sketches sprang to life.
Nine Nine Eight: Teacher, you've got such a magic touch orz
Cocoa: The Flower Buns Plastic Surgery Room √
Li Gou Dan: :)
"Last but not least...." Yang Wei breathed a silent sigh of relief, "Is the work of Classmate Cocoa. Were you drawing aliens?"
Cocoa: ...
Cocoa: Teacher, I'm begging you not to be so savage qaq
"Don't worry, it's very normal to draw badly when one first starts out. First of all, your eyes are too far apart, and your ears should be pulled down a little."
Cocoa: Teacher, why won't you correct my homework on April Fool's Day? At least that way you could lie to me and tell me I did a good job qaq
Yang Wei fell silent for a moment. Then she said heavily, "Some lies can't be told even on April Fool's Day."
Cocoa: .....
Future Mr. Perfect: Bahahahahahahaha
Nine Nine Eight: #TodaysTop
Li Gou Dan: :)
"In the next class we will begin to study the human body. Today's class ends here. Good night everyone." Though it was already half past ten when Yang Wei left the classroom, she had slept too long in the afternoon and was not sleepy at all.
She was about to turn on the TV when the phone lying on the table vibrated. Yang Wei picked it up. It was a text from her little brother, Yang Ming. She let out a huff - surely he wouldn't need her to pose as his girlfriend again so soon?
Idly holding onto her cell phone, she considered ignoring it for a moment, but in the end still checked the message.
"Sister! The girl who was following me around the last time turned out to be my elementary school classmate Wen Xue! Her mother remarried, and now she's named Shen Qing! I don't know why she changed her name! And she used to have such long hair!! I didn't recognize her at all!! Oh my God!"
Yang Wei: "..."
Through the swearing and exclamation marks, she garnered the gist of the cause for Yang Ming's collapse.
"Weren't you the one who told me that first love was a dream from which a man would never want to wake up? How the tables have turned :)"
Though she knew that she shouldn't be kicking him while he was down, for whatever reason... it felt great.
Not until she had finished an episode of her TV series with no reply from Yang Ming, did she begin to worry about how hard her brother had taken her words.
"Hey, won't you reflect on it? You've hurt a lot of young girls' hearts. Perhaps this is the retribution you deserve."
Oops, she had been supposed to comfort him, but that schadenfreude happiness slipped out again.
This time, however, Yang Ming replied quickly. "I've begun to feel now that men miss not so much their first love, but their former self."
Yang Wei was stunned. Where did this feckless younger brother of hers get such philosophical words from? She couldn't get used to it. "Go talk to her, maybe it can still be saved."
"It’s useless. I went to see her today. She's very determined. She said that I like the her from my memories, not the her in real life. So if that had to be the case, then she hoped instead that the memory would be fondly preserved in my heart forever. Isn't it ridiculous? The funniest thing is that I actually think she's right."
"Well, I don't know how to comfort you right now. I'll just sit here and smile quietly."
"Goddammit, are you actually my elder sister?????"
"Alright, alright. Be a good boy and I'll treat you to a barbecue tomorrow at noon to soothe your injured young heart."
"Starlight Plaza's Lilith Grill at 11am. Don't be late."
"... uhhuh."
She put down her phone and yawned her way into the bathroom to wash up.
The morning sun sprinkled through the sunflower curtains in the bedroom, seemingly carrying with it the peculiar fragrance of flowers. Fast asleep with her quilt bundled in her arms, Yang Wei was jolted awake by the sudden ringing of her phone. Her whole being shocked, she groped about for it and fumbled to pick up the call. "'Sup..."
"I knew you'd still be asleep. It's 10:10!" Yang Ming's voice sounded from the speaker, faintly mingled with background voices laughing and talking. Yang Wei turned over and sat up, reluctantly. "Yes, yes, you're starving to death as usual."
"I've just been jilted and my condition is super serious! If I'm not carefully watched, maybe I'll go a little crazy!"
Yang Wei's mouth twitched. "Mom won't let you crack. She'll introduce you to a dozen more ladies in just a few minutes."
As if suddenly recalling her heroic deeds of the last four afternoons, her little brother raised a brow. He pulled on his shoes. "I can chase the rising sun by myself, no need to bother her. I'll be heading out now, you hurry up."
"Yes, yes, yes." Yang Wei hung up the phone and got up to wash. Meanwhile, Yang Ming pulled on his coat and fixed his hair in front of a mirror. Seeing that, his roommate said jokingly, "I see you primping over there! Got a date with a beautiful girl?"
"Sure do." Yang Ming picked up the phone on the table and tapped it a few times before turning it toward the other boy. "Whatcha think?"
The other boys in the room crowded round. When they saw the photos, they were immediately suffused with envy. "You little fuck, she's gorgeous! Why do all the chicks like you and not me?!"
Another friend grinned and slapped the first on the shoulder. "Because you don't have a face like his, idiot."
"It's this evil, face-judging society we live in." He lifted his eyes to Yang Ming. "You wouldn't have swindled your brothers with a picture of some Internet celebrity, right?"
Yang Ming tucked his phone into his coat with a grin. "That's my sister."
The three people in the dormitory were silent for a collective minute, then broke out --
"Little Ming, you know how good your Third Brother usually is to you! What might your sister's number be?"
"Beat it, you! Little Ming, Big Brother lent you five yuan the other day for instant noodles. You know what to do, don't you?"
"I only have one question... does your sister have a boyfriend?"
With a chuckle, Yang Ming replied, "Are you sure you want to pursue my sister? She's got very, very high standards for beauty."
A variety of shoes, socks, and pillows came flying toward him. At this critical juncture, he quickly slipped out the door and used it to block the hidden weapons.
At 11 o'clock in the afternoon on the dot, the two siblings met in front of Lilith Grill. They seated themselves at the bar. Before them, a chef in her white uniform was skillfully brushing three fruit beef rolls.
Yang Ming put in an order for some good dishes, then grinned at Yang Wei. "So why the sudden change in hairstyle?"
Yang Wei brushed it off. "I just wanted to."
Her brother let out a sigh. "I saw an interview with Song Jin the other day. For some reason, I wonder why the first love she mentioned had such a resemblance to Qi Xiao Yan?"
Yang Wei: "..."
She blessed Yang Ming with a very thin smile. "Did you still want to eat or not?"
Yang Ming shrugged. "Actually, there's absolutely no need for you to care. The moment one meets one's first love again is the moment when one is disillusioned about one's first love - because you'll find them completely different from in your memories."
Yang Wei poked at her juice with a straw and muttered disconsolately, "It really is different."
"What? "
"Nothing." Yang Wei looked up and ordered ten more scallops.
Qi Xiao Yan had just finished teaching an elective and was heading for the nearest cafeteria. As it was a weekend, there were far fewer students there than usual. Just as he entered, a boy came running out after a girl.
The boy looked anxious; the girl scowled.
Such little dramas between sweethearts occurred every day in the school. Without turning a hair, Qi Xiao Yan strode quickly by.
"Wife, I was wrong! Don't leave so quickly!" The boy took the girl's hand, but was shaken off mercilessly. Not discouraged, he tried again. "Wife, don't be angry."
While the two were going back and forth before the school canteen, Qi Xiao Yan, who had already walked away, walked back.
"Do you know what responsibilities a man shoulders when he calls a woman his wife?"
It was a calmly asked question, but the boy somehow had the illusion of being in court. There, he was a prisoner awaiting trial, and Qi Xiao Yan was the judge who wielded the power of life and death.
"You shouldn't just call the word 'wife' out at random." Having dropped this sentence, Qi Xiao Yan walked away without looking back.
The boy didn't recover from his bewildered state until Qi Xiao Yan's back receded into the distance. Then he turned to the girl and asked, "Was that Professor Qi from the department of mathematics?" He had heard that the math department's Professor Qi was a cold and unsmiling man, yet that pot of chicken soup for the soul from just now had been even better cooked than that of his old aunt. 1
The girl, however, was holding her face in her hand. Hearts sparkled faintly in her eyes. "Professor Qi's so handsome! Now that's a real man!" She was considering transferring to the math department.
Boy: "..."
By the time Yang Wei and Yang Ming finished their barbecue, it was already half past one. Yang Wei settled the bill. Upon leaving the store, however, she received a call from Fang Cheng Ran. "Where are you at the moment?"
"Starlight Plaza."
Fang Cheng Ran seemed to chuckle. "How convenient."
"What?" Yang Wei’s words had just fallen from her lips when a conspicuous Maserati turned from the road opposite and stopped in front of them.
Fang Cheng Ran lowered the window and poked his head to smile at Yang Wei. "I was just going to pick you up."
Yang Wei hung up the phone mechanically. "Ah, well... my brother and I were out having lunch."
Meanwhile, her younger brother had been quite deeply shocked by this scene straight out of a movie. "Where's the camera?"
Yang Wei pursed her lips and said nothing. Yang Ming whistled in admiration at Fang Cheng Ran's car and asked her, "Sister, do you know this handsome Maserati guy?"
He hadn't spoken softly. Fang Cheng Ran could quite clearly hear him, and conveniently lifted his eyes to smile at Yang Ming. "Nice to meet you. I'm Fang Cheng Ran."
"He was my elementary school classmate." Quick as a thief, Yang Wei introduced them. "This is my younger brother, Yang Ming."
On the other side, Yang Ming too smiled from ear to ear. "Are you guys going on a date? Well then, I'll get out of your way." The expression of a matchmaker plastered all over his face, he waved at them and turned away.
The moment he turned a corner, he halted in his tracks to yank out his phone and send a message to Mama Yang. "Reporting to the empress! A handsome man in a Maserati is pursuing your daughter!"
