Chapter 81: Chapter 79: A Needle at the Bottom of the Sea? (First Update)_1
Chapter 81: Chapter 79: A Needle at the Bottom of the Sea? (First Update)_1
Liu Qianqian's heart suddenly panicked as she thought about this.
She immediately spoke up, "So, you want to marry her after you become stronger?"
Fang Ren looked at her, as if it were obvious, and said, "Otherwise?"
"..."
Seeing Fang Ren's assured expression, the joy that had risen in Liu Qianqian's heart suddenly vanished without a trace, leaving only a slow-growing heaviness.
"But, but even if you have great talent, it would take decades to catch up to her..." Liu Qianqian said with a frown.
"Why do I have to catch up to her?" Fang Ren said. "I just need to be the strongest man among the younger generation."
"But Song..."
Liu Qianqian wanted to continue, but then she abruptly stopped. She felt that she shouldn't point out that there was a huge gap between him and Song Mobei. Even with his talent, he had started too late, and it would take at least thirty years to catch up, but saying that would discourage him.
She didn't want to spoil his mood while they were out shopping together.
"It's nothing. I just mean that if you ever get tired on the road to becoming stronger, don't forget that I'm still by your side," Liu Qianqian said with a smile.
When Fang Ren heard this, he laughed, "You still manage to say things that can easily be misunderstood."
Her words sounded like she was saying, if you get tired of chasing her, don't forget that I'm here to be that person for you.
But Fang Ren wasn't going to overthink those words now. Liu Qianqian just meant what she said literally, as an ordinary friend, without any other implications.
Liu Qianqian was momentarily taken aback when she heard his response. She thought she had hinted clearly enough, but Fang Ren seemed to believe there wasn't any deeper meaning to her words.
He probably doesn't want to confront it, Liu Qianqian thought to herself.
"What misunderstanding? There's none," Liu Qianqian laughed.
She insisted that her words had no misunderstanding, hinting at him.
Fang Ren just laughed and shook his head. To him, her words seemed like she didn't understand the implications of what she herself had said.
Indeed, her words probably carried no deeper meaning since he was the one who had misunderstood before.
At a clothing store, Fang Ren casually picked out a black short-sleeve shirt and started walking towards the fitting room. Liu Qianqian, meanwhile, picked out another blue shirt and said, "I think this one would look better on you."
"The black one's better. It's the same color as the school uniform, so it won't be too awkward at school," Fang Ren still opted for the one in his hand and went straight into the fitting room.
Outside the fitting room, Liu Qianqian's smiling face gradually fell, looking at the blue short-sleeve shirt she had chosen for him, feeling a sourness in her heart.
She remembered how in the past, when they went shopping for clothes together, Fang Ren would always ask her, "How do I look in this?" and wouldn't buy it until she said it looked good.
Or if she picked something casually for him, he'd buy it right away, thinking the shirt was fine, even if it didn't fit well or looked a bit unattractive.
And now he's talking about matching the school uniform... He never cared about such things before.
Before long, Fang Ren came out of the fitting room, looked at himself in the mirror, and, finding no flaws, went directly to pay.
Liu Qianqian put back the blue short-sleeve shirt she had in her hands and caught up with him, "Wait a second."
"What is it?"
"Let me take off the tag for you."
As she said this, Liu Qianqian reached out towards the tag to unfasten it.
"I can do it myself," Fang Ren said, attempting to remove it himself.
"It's okay."
Liu Qianqian blocked his hand and quickly removed the tag. Holding it, she smiled and said, "For the past three years, every piece of clothing you've bought, seems like I'm the one who always takes off the tags for you."
"Hmm..."
Fang Ren nodded and then asked, "Don't you want to buy a hair cover?"
"You come with me," Liu Qianqian said as she pulled on his arm toward the accessories store above.
Fang Ren looked at the hand she had on his arm, a complex expression on his face as he said, "This doesn't seem appropriate. I can walk by myself."
Liu Qianqian didn't let go, instead turning back with a smile, "What, now that you have a girlfriend, I can't pull your arm anymore? There was no problem when I did it for three years."
"But it's indeed different now," Fang Ren gently freed his hand.
Watching Fang Ren pull away, Liu Qianqian's expression fell, and she turned to walk ahead, saying, "You favor your love over your friends!"
"I don't think that was my intention..."
...
Soon after, the two entered the accessories store, filled with various ornaments, earrings, and hairpins. Fang Ren stood at the entrance without moving further in.
"Come help me choose," Liu Qianqian said, pulling him by the arm toward the inside.
Fang Ren frowned, feeling that her habit was not good. He thought he should find an opportunity to make things clear, not to let her do this anymore.
"Does this look good?"
Liu Qianqian put on a hairpin with a pink blossom on her head and, turning to Fang Ren, smiled and started speaking.
"You look very handsome; anything would look beautiful on you," Fang Ren said, stating a very objective truth.
The smile on Liu Qianqian's face instantly turned into a sigh as she looked at him with a plaintive gaze and said, "Why are you being so casual? You didn't use to say it like this."
"I just told the truth..." Fang Ren replied.
"Then can't you put in some effort to help me choose?"
"Sure."
As Liu Qianqian spoke, she changed to another hairpin, still pink, and with a smile back on her face, she looked at Fang Ren and made a playful winking gesture before speaking, "How about this? Does it give off a cute vibe?"
Fang Ren nodded and responded, "I think you should pick a sky-blue one, it would really suit your temperament."
Liu Qianqian's temperament was that of a gentle and refined woman, someone who appeared calm and intelligent, and lately, her expressions had been somewhat cool. A sky-blue hair accessory would seem more fitting for her.
The reason he had previously liked to pick pink for her was because he had a fondness for the cute style in his heart, and so he wanted the Liu Qianqian he liked to develop in a cuter direction.
Liu Qianqian was taken aback and asked, "Don't you like cute girls a lot?"
Fang Ren smiled and said, "Before, I felt that for the person I liked, I wanted to change every detail about them into what I liked the most. But now, after being with Qing'er and experiencing our relationship, I've realized that I could grow fond of everything about her, including all her aspects."
However, after listening to him, what Liu Qianqian deciphered from his words was that because he didn't like her, he no longer wanted her to change into what he liked.
"I see."
Liu Qianqian forced a smile and didn't reach for the hairpin he had chosen; instead, she paid for the pink flower hairpin she had selected herself.
If asked why, since she couldn't become the person he liked, then she would at least become the appearance he liked the most.
Fang Ren blinked. He remembered that Liu Qianqian used to like blue, but every time he recommended pink, and for some reason—whether she thought he had a better eye or something—since then, she let him choose many things for her.
After leaving the hair accessory store, Fang Ren planned to return to the school. Liu Qianqian's mood had also suddenly turned a bit low for some reason, but he didn't ask; lately, her emotions seemed to fluctuate unpredictably.
He didn't know why, nor did he dare to ask more.
Liu Qianqian tried to calm her emotions and suddenly spoke, "Let's walk back to the school?"
"It's too far; let's take a taxi," Fang Ren suggested.
"No need, in case there's something I want to buy suddenly," Liu Qianqian said.
Fang Ren looked at the almost empty street ahead and said, "There's not much left to buy up ahead."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qianqian furrowed her brows slightly and said with a resentful tone, "Can't I just feel down and want to talk more with you?"
"We can talk in the car..."
"I get carsick."
"If I'm not mistaken, you seem to take the bus to school every day..."
"I get carsick in taxis!"
"There's a bus stop ahead."
"I don't have coins."
"I have some."
Suddenly feeling very angry, Liu Qianqian blurted out, "Are you that eager to avoid spending more time with me? Do I annoy you that much!"
Fang Ren looked at her sudden fury, completely dumbfounded, "I... what did I say wrong?"
"Nothing! You did nothing wrong!"
As she spoke, Liu Qianqian angrily walked toward the bus stop, clutching the hairpin, feeling very aggrieved. She'd made it so clear that she just wanted to spend more time alone with him, and yet he didn't seem willing!
Fang Ren stood there, blinking. The saying 'a woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets' couldn't be more accurate; how had she gotten angry all of a sudden...
Just as Liu Qianqian, with a face full of anger, was heading toward the bus stop, suddenly a silver light flashed across her field of vision. She promptly looked up toward the distance and saw a woman in black gathering True Qi, evidently targeting the area where Fang Ren was.
Instantly, Liu Qianqian turned and ran towards Fang Ren, looking back at the concealed woman in black with an angry expression.
As Liu Qianqian positioned herself in front of Fang Ren, the woman in black frowned, withdrew her True Qi, and disappeared from the spot.
"What's wrong?" Fang Ren asked, puzzled by her sudden return.
"Nothing, something just came up; you go ahead," she replied.
After saying that, Liu Qianqian began running ahead.
"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" Fang Ren called out.
"I'm fine! Be careful on your way back," Liu Qianqian shouted without looking back.
Fang Ren, watching her figure growing increasingly distant, shrugged and began waiting at the stop for a taxi or bus to come by.