Тhеn shе stаred at him ехресtantly.
Thirtу sеconds рassed.
...Nо mоvеmеnt.
Su Zаi Zаi thought he might bе a bit slow.
She’d wait anothеr minutе.
Onе minute lаtеr.
Rеаlizing the truth, Su Zаi Zаi fеlt а miх of еmbarrassment аnd аnger. "Zhаng Lu Rang! You aсtually...!"
Нow outrаgеоus! Nоt rесоgnizing her aftеr shе remоvеd hеr makеup!
Shе hаd been lооking forwаrd to this all night!
Hеr agitated tоnе mаde Zhаng Lu Rang turn his head tо lооk at hеr.
Нis gаzе wаs fаint, revеаling no еmotiоn.
Yet it cаrried а subtlе, аlluring hint.
Su Zai Zаi instаntlу sоftened and quiсkly put on a smile.
"Yоu actuallу... look sо goоd. It’s оnly right thаt you don’t think I’m pretty—there’s a comparison, after all..."
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
Still, Su Zai Zai couldn’t quite let it go and shamelessly asked, "But when you look at me without a mirror, don’t you find it pleasing to the eyes?"
Hearing this, Zhang Lu Rang’s footsteps came to a halt.
He recalled the shouts he heard on stage yesterday.
—"Great beauty, I want to ravish you!"
His brows furrowed slightly.
"Su Zai Zai," he called.
Caught off guard by the great beauty’s summons, Su Zai Zai felt both flattered and surprised.
She quickly leaned her face closer and responded cheerfully, "Here, here, here!"
Ignoring her reply, he asked expressionlessly, "What is 'great beauty'?"
Hearing this, Su Zai Zai stiffened all over.
Her mind raced, and cold sweat began to bead on her forehead.
Then she started talking nonsense: "Well, 'great beauty,' as the name suggests, refers to someone who is very beautiful. Of course, it can also describe someone who is very handsome, or even praise someone’s virtuous character."
Silence.
A few seconds later, Su Zai Zai felt disheartened and decided to come clean: "Alright, it was me calling you that."
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
"Aren’t you happy? I was complimenting you, not insulting you," Su Zai Zai said, feeling a bit wronged.
"..." He really didn’t see what there was to be happy about.
"Besides, at the time, there was a girl shouting for you to 'ravish her'—I wasn’t even that extreme!" Su Zai Zai grew more convinced as she spoke, her voice rising. "I only said, 'Great beauty, I want to...'"
She stopped there.
Her previously aggrieved expression suddenly vanished, replaced by awkwardness.
Quickly, she put on a serious face.
Then, pointing to the restroom not far away, she said, "You should go quickly. Don’t hold it in. I have things to do, so I’ll head off first. Let’s talk another day."
Without waiting for Zhang Lu Rang’s response, she scurried away sheepishly.
Zhang Lu Rang stood in place for a while, watching her retreating figure.
Soon, he turned and headed toward the men’s restroom.
After a few steps.
He suddenly tugged at the corner of his mouth, lifting it upward.
Thanks to her antics, his suppressed mood dissipated quite a bit.
Normally, it would have taken him a long time to adjust.
That heavy, stifling feeling was effortlessly swept away by her in that short span of time.
The weight lifted, lighter than a feather.
Carried away by the wind, drifting far, far away.
Thinking of Su Zai Zai.
Zhang Lu Rang suddenly felt a twinge of envy.
Being a bit foolish had its advantages.
No worries.
After the school sports meet ended, each class began cleaning up the area.
Su Zai Zai carried her chair toward the teaching building.
Wang Nan called out from behind, "Hey! Su Zai Zai! Let me help you carry it!"
She pretended not to hear and continued walking forward.After leaving the sports field, Su Zai Zai suddenly noticed Zhang Lu Rang up ahead.
He was carrying a chair with one hand, looking particularly at ease.
She quickened her pace, walking up beside him, and said eagerly, "Lùràng, let me help you carry that?"
Zhang Lu Rang turned at the sound of her voice and frowned. "What did you call me?"
This time, Su Zai Zai didn’t back down. She replied calmly, "Lùràng! If you think it’s unfair, you can call me Zai Zai too!"
Since he’d already heard her call him "Great Beauty," she might as well go all the way.
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
"Lùràng, let me help you carry it."
"..."
"Lùràng, why aren’t you answering me?"
"..."
"Zhang Lu Rang, let me help you carry it."
"No need."
Just as expected.
Su Zai Zai blinked, suddenly finding this especially amusing.
...Let’s try something else.
"Great Beauty, let me help you carry your chair!"
"..."
"Great Beauty..."
Zhang Lu Rang couldn’t take it anymore. He snatched the chair from her hands and strode forward.
Su Zai Zai was stunned, chasing after him in a daze. "Why did you take my chair?"
"Su Zai Zai."
"It’s Zai Zai," Su Zai Zai corrected him.
"..." He fell silent for a moment, sighed, and said with a hint of defeat, "Let’s go back to the classroom. I’ll carry it for you."
Hearing this, Su Zai Zai glanced at him and mumbled, "I really did want to help you carry it."
"Hmm."
Su Zai Zai walked beside him, kicking a small stone on the ground with the tip of her shoe, and asked softly, "Zhang Lu Rang, are you unhappy?"
"..."
She pointed to her own forehead. "You were frowning here earlier."
Zhang Lu Rang didn’t answer.
After a while.
Su Zai Zai smiled, her eyes curving, and continued, "But now you look about the same as usual."
The two entered the teaching building and began climbing the stairs.
Zhang Lu Rang remained silent. When he saw her being jostled by the crowd and moving closer to him, he instinctively tilted the chair to the side.
Then he heard her say, "See, I really do bring you joy when I’m around."
"..."
Seeing that he still wasn’t speaking, Su Zai Zai scratched her head in frustration.
After a moment’s thought, she said, "Lùràng, I’ll treat you to some jelly. Don’t be unhappy."
Her tone was as if she were coaxing a child, her words seemingly sweetened with sugar.
But he remained quiet.
Su Zai Zai fell silent too.
She slowed her pace, following behind Zhang Lu Rang.
Like a shadow.
They reached the third floor.
Su Zai Zai watched as he placed her chair outside the door, then carried another one into the classroom.
Without a word, as if ignoring her existence.
Su Zai Zai stood where she was.
Suddenly feeling a little sad.
She was just about to walk over and retrieve her chair when the person inside came back out.
Zhang Lu Rang lifted her chair with one hand and glanced at her.
Su Zai Zai opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But Zhang Lu Rang just turned and headed upstairs.
Su Zai Zai hurried after him, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
"Lùràng," she called out brightly.
"..."
"Great Beauty."
"..."
"Zhang Lu Rang."
"Hmm."
I really like you, she said in her heart.
They reached the entrance of Class Nine.
Just as Su Zai Zai was about to take the chair from his hands, she heard him ask, "Where do you sit?"
Hearing this, Su Zai Zai instinctively pointed to the second-to-last row of the first group. "I moved there."
Zhang Lu Rang walked over.
Su Zai Zai immediately followed.
Jiang Jia, who had been chatting with her deskmate in front of her, immediately fell silent, watching the two of them with a gossipy gaze.Zhang Lu Rang placed Su Zai Zai's chair properly.
Su Zai Zai thought he would leave immediately after setting it down.
Yet he stood quietly in place, as if waiting for something.
She clenched her hands, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "What's wrong?"
Zhang Lu Rang glanced at her.
Then he said softly, "Nothing."
After speaking, he stepped out of the classroom.
Seeing him leave, Jiang Jia excitedly rushed over. "Holy crap! What's going on?! Did you get him?!"
Su Zai Zai shook her head and explained, "He thinks I'm annoying, that's why he helped me move it."
"No way! Then why would he personally bring it into the classroom?"
"Really."
Jiang Jia continued analyzing the situation beside her, but Su Zai Zai couldn't hear any of it.
Her expression was somewhat dazed, tinged with confusion.
Secretly pondering.
What was the great beauty waiting for just now?
Chapter 16
I hope I am different.
—From Su Zai Zai the Little Fairy's Diary
Su Zai Zai thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so she stopped dwelling on it.
She began packing her things, preparing to go home.
After finishing her analysis, Jiang Jia grew more and more excited, shaking Su Zai Zai's hand animatedly.
"Zai Zai, I'm so happy for you."
"Huh?"
"You were right—actions are more important than looks."
"...You can shut up now."
"In my lifetime, I actually got to see a toad eat swan meat."
"Get lost."
A moment later.
Su Zai Zai thought about it and still explained quietly, "It's really not like that."
Although she really wanted everyone to think Zhang Lu Rang was hers, she didn't want to inexplicably burden him with the label of early romance.
Jiang Jia dropped the topic.
While packing her things, she mentioned, "I heard a girl from Class One cried all afternoon in the classroom yesterday because of Zhang Lu Rang. It was ridiculously exaggerated."
"Huh?" Su Zai Zai was confused.
"Seems it was because of that silver medal he gave you."
"...What's the big deal? He was just trying to get rid of me."
"I'm not too sure either." Jiang Jia thought for a moment. "That girl sits in front of him, and all the girls in their class went to comfort her. A few even asked Zhang Lu Rang to say something, but he completely ignored them."
Su Zai Zai couldn't understand the situation at all. "So why was she crying?"
"You can't even guess that?! That girl likes Zhang Lu Rang!"
Su Zai Zai thoughtfully stroked her chin.
"I think it's good. After crying, she'll be reborn."
"..."
"And it's normal that the great beauty ignored that girl. He's always been heartless."
Jiang Jia: "..."
The two shouldered their backpacks and headed toward the door.
Jiang Jia looked down at her phone and suddenly said, "Don't you think Zhang Lu Rang treats you especially differently? Like giving you the silver medal and helping you move the chair just now."
Su Zai Zai paused in her steps and answered honestly, "No, I don't."
"Think about it. Zhang Lu Rang's deskmate was like that, and he didn't react at all. My friend said he was completely unaffected..."
"Yeah, he has the ability to automatically block out the outside world."—-
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