Chapter 10 : He Likes Her

Hearing this,Fan Yanxing glanced at Liang Qingqing in surprise. Didn’t the village chief introduce this when they first arrived in the village?

But given Liang Qingqing’s forgetfulness, it was quite normal.

Realizing this,Fan Yanxing slowly said, “Beijing City.”

“The capital city, huh.” Liang Qingqing’s eyes flashed, and she looked at Fan Yanxing with rare attention. This guy is actually from the capital, which makes him a fellow townsman from her past life. Once she returns to the city, she’ll have a Beijing City household registration. That will be valuable in a few decades.

However, in this era, being able to go to the countryside to work might mean that the family conditions are just average.

“Yeah.”Fan Yanxing, with his keen eyes, didn’t miss Liang Qingqing’s surprised look. He also thought about her reputation for being fond of wealth and eager to climb the social ladder. He was momentarily unsure of how to react.

Recently, she hasn’t been following Su Zhiqing around, so she might be trying to change her target…

Before he could figure it out, the driver in front began urging people to get off, “Be quick about it. I’ll be back here at four in the afternoon to pick people up. If you miss it, you’ll have to find your own way back.”

Fan Yanxing got off the bus with the crowd. They had been on the ground for a while, and Liang Qingqing was still dawdling on the bus, seemingly taking her time. He turned his attention to the surroundings, trying to locate the supply and marketing cooperative so he could buy her some soda.

But as soon as he turned his body, he felt a tug on the corner of his clothes.

That familiar gesture made it clear who it was without guessing.

“Hey, why are you running so fast? Don’t forget that you still owe me two bottles of soda.”

“I haven’t forgotten.” Is he the one running fast? She’s the one who’s too slow. Besides, does he seem like someone who breaks promises?

Clearly, in her eyes, he does.

“Then go buy it now. I won’t feel at ease until I have it in hand.”

The young girl in front of him was wearing a dark blue, buttoned-up top. Her skin was glowing white, and her red lips moved as she expressed her thoughts. Her long black hair was styled in a braided ponytail falling over her chest. Her enchanting fox-like eyes were filled with distrust as she stared at him, as if afraid he might run away.

Such a pretty beauty just saw him as a villain. Fan Yanxing really didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go buy it now.”Fan Yanxing took his clothes back from her, smoothed out the wrinkles, and walked ahead.

“That’s more like it.” Liang Qingqing smiled happily and cheerfully followed behind him.

The county town wasn’t too big or too small. There was a bit of distance from the parking area to the supply and marketing cooperative. The two walked along the main road, one in front of the other. Even though they didn’t touch and spoke very little, people couldn’t help but associate them with each other.

“Why are they staring at us and covering their mouths while laughing?” After receiving attention from what seemed like the umpteenth person, Liang Qingqing couldn’t help but ask the man in front of her.

“……”Is she pretending not to know, or does she really not understand?

Fan Yanxing’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice, and he suddenly felt like teasing her. He turned his head with a smirk and said, “They’re just watching the fun.”

“Watching what fun? Is there something dirty on my face?” Liang Qingqing reached up to touch her smooth face, looking puzzled.

The umbrella blocked most of the glaring sunlight, making her face appear particularly soft. Two strands of hair on her cheeks fluttered in the wind. Her mischievous, lively eyes seemed to focus solely on him, and when she spoke, the tip of her pink tongue peeked out slightly, adding a hint of allure to her charm.

“Speak up, then,” he said.

The repeated call brought Fan Yanxing’s thoughts back. His gaze followed the trajectory of her fingertip, moving up and down, and suddenly fixated on her lips—red and full, like the blooming peach blossoms of spring.

His thumb rubbed against his palm twice, and he quickly averted his eyes, feeling his earlobes start to heat up and itch. It took him a moment to regain his voice, and he stammered, “N-No, it’s not.”

“So what is it then?”

Liang Qingqing, growing impatient, felt that Fan Yanxing was being difficult and deliberately teasing her.

“They’re watching the fun because they think we are…”

The rest of his words caught in his throat. Fan Yanxing cleared his throat, scratched his forehead, and took a deep breath, though he had originally intended to keep this to himself.

He was the one who felt awkward, which was just ridiculous.

“Say it or not, hmph.” Seeing Fan Yanxing’s hesitation, Liang Qingqing lost her desire to hear more and walked past him.

Seeing her annoyance, Fan Yanxing hurried to catch up, and after a moment’s hesitation, gritted his teeth and said, “They think we’re a couple of young people who have just started dating, wanting to be together but having to keep a distance. They’ve all been through it, so it’s funny to them…”

As soon as he finished, Liang Qingqing, who had been storming ahead, slowed down, turned sharply, and pointed at herself, exclaiming incredulously, “What kind of eyes do they have? How could we possibly look like a couple?”

Upon hearing this, Fan Yanxing, who had been feeling anxious, was suddenly amused and laughed. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at Liang Qingqing, unable to believe her reaction.

In today’s world, relationships between men and women are a sensitive topic. Most people, especially girls, tend to be conservative and reserved about such matters. Normally, when a girl hears others misunderstanding her relationship with a boy, she would either feel shy or angry. So why was she so different?

Not only was she so open and calm, but her first reaction was also a sharp rebuttal.

How could he, Fan Yanxing, not be good enough for her? How could it provoke such a strong reaction from her? What did she mean by “How could we possibly be a couple?” Why was it so impossible?

Thinking this, he ended up asking her.

Upon hearing this, Liang Qingqing nearly started listing all his flaws—his annoying habits, his bad taste, his tendency to oppose her, his complete lack of manners…

But she was still clear-headed enough to realize that he was the one buying her two bottles of soda, and she couldn’t afford to offend him. What if he got angry and decided not to buy them after all? So she thought for a moment, crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and threw the question back at him, “What, do you want to date me?”

“Why not…”

As soon as the words left his mouth, both of them froze in place.

Liang Qingqing’s lips slightly parted, and her gaze at Fan Yanxing shifted. She instinctively raised her hands, which had been crossed over her chest, to adjust the loose strands of hair by her ears. Meanwhile, her thoughts were racing, and she reached a conclusion—he actually liked her!

“Are you really that immature? I know I’m pretty and outstanding, and that I attract men’s attention, but your way of pursuing a girl…”

Using methods that annoy the other person to gain attention, like a little boy pulling a girl’s braid and then comforting her after making her cry—this kind of approach is so outdated. Even elementary school kids nowadays wouldn’t use such tactics.

So Liang Qingqing hadn’t considered this possibility at first because Fan Yanxing, no matter what, was an adult male and a handsome man who looked quite smart.

Yet, it was precisely such a person who was so straightforward and used such an old-fashioned method to attract her attention.

But, to be fair, it worked. Now, when asked about the men in the village, she immediately thinks of him! But that only makes her more annoyed with him! After all, she’s a normal person, not a masochist!

As for his feelings for her, Liang Qingqing wasn’t sure how to evaluate them. However, after realizing this fact, she finally understood the one thing that had puzzled her: how could a man be so unchivalrous in his approach toward her? So that’s how it was!

Having figured it out, Liang Qingqing sighed, took a step forward, and tried to pat his shoulder. But since he was too tall, she found it difficult and ended up patting his arm instead. Then, following her usual practice for rejecting suitors, she began to issue a “good person” card.

“Having feelings for me, I don’t blame you. It’s quite normal.”

“In fact, I think you’re quite a nice person overall, but I’m not looking to date anyone at the moment. Continuing to like me would just be a waste of time, so it’s better if you stop liking me. We can be friends and get along well, don’t you think?”

After saying this, seeing Fan Yanxing’s expression twist and wondering what he was thinking, Liang Qingqing initially decided to ignore him. But after a moment’s consideration, especially given the two bottles of soda, she decided to take the time to offer some comfort.

“Don’t think too much about it. It’s normal to feel upset now, like the world’s coming to an end. But it will get better in a few days. The world will keep turning without anyone. Life will go on, and we should just continue with it.”

Having very little experience in comforting others, Liang Qingqing’s effort was already quite generous. Seeing Fan Yanxing’s face become even more troubled, she didn’t think it was her fault.

As time passed and the temperature continued to rise, making it hard for people to stay on their feet, Liang Qingqing switched the umbrella to her other hand and, frowning, suggested, “The weather is so hot; it’s not ideal for us to just stand here.”

“How about we go buy the soda first, then each of us go our own way for a while? You can have some time to process things on your own.”

Seeing that Liang Qingqing had gone on and on, finally falling silent, Fan Yanxing said, “Is that it? Are you done now?”

“Hmm? Hmm.” Liang Qingqing blinked in confusion.

Fan Yanxing opened his mouth, noticed the fine beads of sweat that had appeared on her forehead, and decided to swallow his lengthy speech. He then took a step towards the supply and marketing cooperative.

“I don’t like you, so don’t think too much about it.”

“Oh, that’s good. As long as you don’t like me.”

Although she echoed his words, her tone clearly showed disbelief.

Fan Yanxing felt that jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t clear up this misunderstanding. Why did he blurt out that sentence? It was such a self-inflicted mess.

But why was Liang Qingqing so certain that he liked her? He couldn’t decide if she was confident or narcissistic.

Fan Yanxing’s gaze uncontrollably fell on her profile again—beautiful, delicate, fair-skinned…

Seeing this, he had to admit she had the right to be so confident.

And Liang Qingqing said that she attracted a lot of men? From her reaction, it seemed she was used to it. Did many people pursue her? Fan Yanxing wasn’t interested in village gossip before, but now he felt he should pay more attention to it.

With this thought, Fan Yanxing paused for two seconds, frowning slightly. Why did he need to pay attention?