After Qin Chu finished speaking, he lowered his head and continued eating.
He ate very efficiently; he didn't seem to wolf down his food, but in no time, most of the food on his plate was gone.
Seeing this, Zhao Yuan called out, "Hey deskmate, slow down, wait for me!"
Seeing that the two were about to devour their lunch, Wang Peng, unwilling to give up, asked again, "And then?"
Qin Chu glanced at him, puzzled, and said succinctly, "That's all."
That's all.
That's it!
Wang Peng had barely touched the food on his plate, but he felt full, his stomach so bloated it felt like he was about to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Wang Peng felt Zhao Yuan, who was sitting next to Qin Chu, look up and smile at him. Then he heard Zhao Yuan ask Qin Chu, as if he was asking him specifically, "Hey, what's the name of that girl who came to see you?"
Qin Chu put down his chopsticks, pondered for a moment, and then uttered three words: "I don't know."
Wang Peng's face went completely blank.
He felt he was sick.
Someone who can push a girl so hard she falls on her butt doesn't seem like someone who knows how to date.
He actually wants to learn from Qin Chu; he must be out of his mind.
Wang Peng, carrying the plate, left dejectedly.
Qin Chu turned to Zhao Yuan and asked, "What exactly is he here for?"
Looking at his deskmate, Zhao Yuan found him utterly adorable. He couldn't help but chuckle, "What's wrong? Probably desperate for a cure."
He confessed his feelings but was rejected by their class monitor, Zhou Sisi.
Zhao Yuan didn't expect that Wang Peng, like a headless fly, would wander around for a long time and then come to Qin Chu again that night.
Although the dormitory building at No. 1 Middle School is old, it is still fully equipped, with a large study room on the first and second floors.
But no matter how well prepared, it's impossible to control the students' minds. The study room is mostly empty, except around exam time. Since the male and female dormitories are not connected, there aren't even couples dating in the classroom.
Of course, only Qin Chu was an oddball. Afraid of disturbing his roommates in the dormitory, he went to the study room to learn English.
Zhao Yuan, on the other hand, was willing to risk his life to accompany the gentleman.
He wasn't usually that well-behaved. Sometimes, when his roommates were asleep, he would sneak out of the dorm and wander around. He even secretly made a copy of the dorm door key for this purpose.
Of course, he had long since become intimately familiar with the low wall on the east side of the school.
Although Zhao Yuan wasn't very interested in studying, when he stayed in the study room with Qin Chu, it was Qin Chu who read while he dozed off.
But that doesn't mean he likes people bothering them.
Looking at Wang Peng who had come looking for him, Zhao Yuan rested his chin on his hand, his eyes, hidden behind his stray hairs, were a little cold.
Qin Chu truly couldn't figure out what these kids were thinking. When he saw Wang Peng, he put down his book and went straight to the point: "What do you want from me?"
Wang Peng was stumped by the question.
After hesitating for a moment, he looked around furtively, making sure there was no one else around, especially no one he knew.
He finally mustered up his courage and said to Qin Chu, "Um... could you please teach me how to win a girl's heart?"
This guy has a really loud voice; when he yelled it out, the whole study room echoed.
Qin Chu: "..."
Zhao Yuan: "..."
The atmosphere became extremely awkward for a moment.
In the awkward silence, Wang Peng's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom.
Zhao Yuan saw Qin Chu next to him fidgeting with his fingers, which was a sign that his deskmate couldn't control himself from hitting someone, or at the very least, confronting someone.
Sure enough, when he looked up, Qin Chu replied coolly, "Do you think I would?"
Wang Peng also felt very embarrassed, but he still told Qin Chu the truth: "You don't know, do you? Many girls in our class like you."
Before Qin Chu could react, Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked first, "Which ones?"
Qin Chu's voice remained wooden: "How come I didn't know?"
Noah, who was watching, was speechless, thinking to himself, "It would be a miracle if you knew."
Not interested in listening to Wang Peng's explanation, Qin Chu picked up his book and refused, saying, "I'm not interested. The college entrance exam is coming up soon, you should focus on your studies."
He finished packing and was about to leave when Noah popped into his mind: "Sir! Such a good opportunity has been delivered to your door, how can you refuse!"
Qin Chu: "..." What the hell is this good news?
Noah earnestly advised, "Think about it, Wang Peng likes Zhou Sisi! He definitely understands Zhou Sisi better than you do! And he'll be keeping an eye on Zhou Sisi's every move!"
"I have eyes, I can observe Zhou Sisi myself." Qin Chu was not convinced and continued walking forward.
Noah remained silent for a long time before saying, "Sir, if I may be so bold, in some areas, your eyes are practically nonexistent."
Qin Chu: "..."
"Moreover, a person becomes very attentive when facing someone they like. On Zhou Sisi's storyline, Wang Peng is definitely a great helper!"
Noah then brought up the mission progress, "Sir, the mission progress hasn't increased at all lately, Zhao Yuan's progress bar is still at 0%..."
This gave Qin Chu a headache.
Zhao Yuan had been staying obediently by his side all this time, and Qin Chu really couldn't understand why Zhao Yuan's mission progress hadn't made any progress.
"And Zhou Sisi!" Noah opened the mission progress page, but when he opened it, both Noah and Qin Chu were stunned.
The progress bar, which had originally shown 50%, suddenly shrank back to 40% under their watchful eyes...
Zhao Yuan had already followed Qin Chu outside when his deskmate in front of him stopped, turned around, and looked at Wang Peng: "I agree."
Zhao Yuan: "???"
The group sat back down at the table.
Qin Chu's face was so frozen that ice crystals were falling off.
He had done so many tasks before, and the progress bars calculated by the system showed some progressing very quickly and others stuck at a standstill, but this was the first time he had ever seen a task's progress regress.
His imposing aura was so chilling that Wang Peng shivered as he sat opposite him, and couldn't help but whisper to Zhao Yuan, "What does he mean by this? Does he want me to change my approach and adopt his stern face?"
Zhao Yuan didn't answer, he just looked at Qin Chu, this time he was also a little confused about Qin Chu's intentions.
The mission's progress couldn't be delayed, so Qin Chu went straight to the point with Wang Peng: "You like Zhou Sisi."
These words were so straightforward, a very absolute statement, that they immediately made Wang Peng's face turn even redder.
Shy as he was, Wang Peng was quite bold. After a couple of seconds of embarrassment, as if confiding in a spiritual mentor, he said, "Yes, yes. But... she doesn't like me..."
"So you want me to help you pursue her?" Qin Chu asked.
The tone didn't sound like someone was helping their brother chase someone; it sounded more like someone was hunting down a fugitive.
Wang Peng thought for a moment and nodded: "It seems... that way of understanding it is also acceptable."
Qin Chu immediately frowned.
What the hell are you chasing after? You bunch of little brats, don't you want to study properly? Is it because you don't have enough homework?
Besides, Zhou Sisi would never like you because you don't fit her aesthetic standards.
But before he could say those words, Noah forcibly stopped him.
Qin Chu took a deep breath and, guided by the AI Noah, began to ask Wang Peng: "What are Zhou Sisi's hobbies? Where does she usually like to go? Has she been acting strangely lately?"
These two—one an emotionless artificial intelligence, the other an ice cube comparable to artificial intelligence—asked a few questions about emotions as if they were interrogating a criminal.
However, Noah felt that the blame did not lie with him. The content of the question was not the problem; the problem lay with Qin Chu's tone and expression.
Wang Peng had a lot to say about the first two questions, and he spoke about them with great familiarity: "Sisi loves looking at picture books, and sometimes she even sneaks a peek during class. She also likes to eat those little snacks like cat ear-shaped pastries..."
His eyes grew brighter as he spoke, and Noah took the opportunity to gather information.
But this guy seemed to go on and on, so Qin Chu eventually had to interrupt him and tell him to move on to the next question.
"Has anything unusual happened lately...?"
Wang Peng racked his brains for a while, then his expression suddenly turned gloomy:
"I think she might have someone she likes..."
Qin Chu: "..."
Noah: "...Fuck!"
Qin Chu was very puzzled. He had been paying attention to Zhou Sisi recently, but he couldn't find anything unusual about the girl.
Moreover, the impact of being late for the last exam has dissipated, and Zhou Sisi has been performing well in every subject. As the class monitor, she manages all matters in an orderly manner.
If Qin Chu were the homeroom teacher, he wouldn't be able to resist praising Zhou Sisi a few times.
Sensing Qin Chu's inner thoughts, Noah really wanted to yell, "I told you to observe whether that girl is dating or not, not to judge her for awards and honors!"
Although the mission's progress had slowed down, which basically proved that Wang Peng's words were not unfounded, Qin Chu still had some doubts.
He looked at Wang Peng and asked, "Are you sure? I didn't see it coming."
Wang Peng felt this was incredibly tactless and speechless. He couldn't help but retort, "She just likes you, can't you tell?"
Qin Chu: "..."
Author's Note:
Qin Chu: Are you being polite?
Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "It's alright, I can tell."
I suddenly realized I forgot to tell you something very important!
This story won't feature the couple in every world; it's not a tragic ending for the romance. Instead, each world is like a separate instance, with the romance developing gradually within each instance. It's not a linear storyline; the overall narrative is linear.
Those who don't like it, you can still run away now! [Kneeling down]
I haven't written anything in so long that I completely forgot to mention this warning. I kowtow and apologize.