"An'an, you were so cool just now. If you were a man, I definitely wouldn't be able to help but fall for you."
At the mall entrance, Jiang Jingya held her best friend's arm, her face full of adoration.
"So you don't like me now?"
"Hehe, I like you even more now."
Jiang Jingya affectionately rubbed her face against An'an's arm.
Yao An contentedly enjoyed Little Cake's snuggles.
In truth, she was a little scared.
Just now, it was only because Zhou Xiaoyu chickened out; if she had been a bit more impulsive, Yao An's body, which could be blown away by a strong wind, would surely have been pressed to the ground and rubbed.
Improving her physical fitness was a matter of urgency.
Before that, it was best to avoid conflicts with people as much as possible.
She used to have Lu Guan and Fan Chou, but now she was all alone. She couldn't possibly expect the soft and fluffy Little Cake to charge into battle, could she?
Although her combat power was a tiny bit stronger than her own.
"Speaking of which, what's your relationship with that Lu... the guy surnamed Lu?"
A shy girl like Jiang Jingya ultimately didn't want to utter those two words.
"We're... just ordinary classmates."
"With your aloof personality, you'd publicly stand up for an ordinary classmate?"
Disbelief was written all over Jiang Jingya's face.
She didn't suspect any special relationship between her best friend and that guy; after all, they were mismatched in every aspect, making it impossible to even find an entry point for a twisted thought.
"He... he helped me before. This time, it's just returning a favor."
Lu Guan had taken quite a few beatings for her in the past, so saying he had helped her was not a problem.
"Actually, our An'an is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. You should smile more. You have no idea how beautiful you look when you smile."
Jiang Jingya used both index fingers to push up Yao An's lips, and then... she was amused by An'an's rather comical expression.
Yao An was helpless; she couldn't do anything about her.
Not long after, Lu Guan, who had gone to the restroom to wash his face, also came out.
"Uh, Yao An, thank you for sticking up for me just now."
If it were before, Yao An would have definitely teased him a bit, perhaps with things like "the pillar of Joker, the mascot of McDonald's, the big boss of Gotham City, Batman's big client."
But now... she just nodded faintly, indicating that they were all bros and there was no need to be polite.
Lu Guan secretly observed this foxy beauty who looked perfect from every angle.
This campus belle was truly cold; her expressionless face screamed "strangers keep out."
But she was also genuinely beautiful; at least so far, he hadn't seen any woman whose looks could surpass hers.
The familiar-looking girl beside her was an exception.
"An'an, I'm leaving. I'll come find you to play in a couple of days. Remember to miss me."
Jiang Jingya's ride-sharing car arrived first, and after a sweet farewell, she left gracefully.
She was going to her grandmother's house, and their routes didn't align, otherwise, they would definitely have gone home together.
After Jiang Jingya left, only Yao An and Lu Guan remained standing by the roadside.
The former was waiting for her car, while Lu Guan just stood there foolishly. Although they had spent several years together, Yao An truly had no idea what he wanted to do.
This led to a bit of awkwardness between the two, who should have had endless topics of conversation.
After standing in silence for a while, Yao An looked at the navigation app, seeing her directionally challenged driver getting further and further away, feeling a bit speechless.
"Can you stop staring at my legs?"
Lu Guan quickly turned his head and rubbed his eyes, pretending that sand had gotten into them.
After another awkward silence, Yao An was the first to break the ice.
"Would you mind telling me what happened just now?"
Actually, what she wanted to ask was why he was being a simp for a gold digger; it didn't fit his persona.
"No, let's not. We're not that close, and it's pretty embarrassing to talk about my blunders in front of a beauty like you."
Lu Guan squatted on the curb, looking as if he found it hard to speak.
"Oh."
Yao An said no more, looking up at the distant road, as if watching when her ride-sharing car would arrive.
It was as if her previous question was just a casual inquiry, with no intention of probing, and she didn't care whether he spoke or not.
Seeing Yao An's demeanor, Lu Guan scratched his head in great hesitation. A few seconds later, he finally couldn't hold back and revealed the truth.
"Damn it, this whole thing is mainly Fan Chou's fault..."
Yao An's lips curved slightly.
No matter how much interpersonal relationships changed, his personality was ultimately the same as she remembered; Lu Guan was still Lu Guan.
He couldn't keep a secret; as long as you started a conversation, he would spill everything inside.
"Fan Chou got a girlfriend a while ago and kept showing her off in front of me. I got annoyed, so I made a bet with him that I'd definitely find a girlfriend during the summer vacation and even get to... finish what needed to be done before him. The bet was a month's worth of breakfast."
Based on Yao An's understanding of him, he definitely wanted to say "get to first base" just now.
"So you picked Zhou Xiaoyu?"
"Not really. I originally picked Wang Lanxin. She always smiled at me when we were in school, and I felt like she must like me... But after only a couple of messages, she blocked me."
Her lips were naturally upturned; how did that mean she liked him?
Sure enough, every guy falls for the three big illusions: no one in the bush, I can turn this around, and she likes me.
"I figured it was too late to find another girlfriend, so I just decided to find Zhou Xiaoyu, this mercenary."
"Anyway, she's willing to... her views are more open."
"At first, we actually chatted pretty well. Today, I finally managed to ask her out; we had dinner and bought clothes, spending quite a bit of money."
"With only half a month left in the summer vacation, I was anxious. While shopping, I asked when she could make our relationship official. I didn't expect her to lose it."
"She probably got dumped by some sugar daddy, or she forgot to take her medication before going out."
Lu Guan picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it into the distance, his expression full of indignation.
"I need to find a way to get back the money I spent on her, it was over a hundred yuan."
This was his self-talk, but Yao An still heard it.
"You... you're truly a piece of work."
Yao An didn't know how to describe her speechlessness.
He wanted to buy things but didn't want to spend money. No wonder others called him a scumbag. Of course, Zhou Xiaoyu's actions were also very excessive.
These two were like a clash of true damage and magic damage.
"I feel like my approach is wrong. It would be great if someone could give me some advice."
Hearing Lu Guan's self-talk, Yao An's lips curved once more.
You used to always criticize me for being a weakling, but now you know the role of a strategist, don't you?
An arm without a brain not only can't hit anyone but also becomes uncontrollable.
Should I help him?
Yao An pondered for a moment and decided not to help.
After all, Lu Guan and Fan Chou were both her best friends, and it wouldn't be right to favor one over the other.
Anyway, their bet was just a month's breakfast; it didn't matter who won or lost.
"Uh... Yao An."
"Hmm?"
Yao An turned to look at him.
"I... I think you really fit my aesthetic. Could you be my girlfriend?"
"[Task 3 completed. Reward skill: Master of Fashion Matching]"
???
Yao An's face was full of question marks.
First, she was surprised by the completion of the task.
She had thought it was the most difficult task, but it turned out to be the first one completed.
She was also surprised by the outrageousness of her best friend.
One could only say it was still the familiar recipe, still the original flavor, completely unchanged.
She used to joke about letting her brothers have some fun after she turned into a girl, but it was a different matter now that it had actually happened.
Life's first lesson: forgetting one's roots.
I treated you as a brother, publicly helped you out, and even thought about helping you find a partner, and this is how you repay me?
Damn it, I wouldn't even give it to a dog, let alone you!
She forced an awkward yet polite smile and slowly uttered one word:
"Scram."
Lu Guan quickly explained.
"I mean pretend, pretend to be my girlfriend."
"Scram!"