Chapter 3: The Two Faces of the Bully (2/5)

When mealtime arrived, the school cafeteria and snack street bustled with life. Tang Haoyang and Ren Jie had lunch together, sitting face to face in a small restaurant they often frequented on the snack street. Ren Jie noticed that Tang Haoyang seemed in low spirits, having barely spoken at all, so he asked, "What's wrong? Still thinking about that female ghost?"

"I'd say you're the one who's not afraid of ghosts—no wonder, being a science student, a staunch materialist."

"I just don't think there's anything to be afraid of. The ghost you're scared of might be someone else's constant longing."

"Maybe." Tang Haoyang gave only a casual reply and kept staring blankly into space. After a while, he suddenly said, "Can I ask you something?"

Without hesitation, Ren Jie said, "Ask away."

"You're tall and handsome, your grades are excellent, and you're the head of the Club Management Department. Why is it that even now, as a junior, you still don't have a girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend? I've never thought about that."

"How come?"

"I don't want to do things that lead nowhere."

"If it's mutual, how could it lead nowhere?"

"I haven't met anyone yet who's willing to be mutual with me."

"A lot of girls have crushes on you, you know."

"That's one-sided. I can't afford to hold them back."

Tang Haoyang smiled faintly before starting to speak. "I'll be honest with you—I've fallen for a girl in our club. I've liked her for a long time. On the day of the freshman gathering, I finally worked up the courage to ask her to lunch, and she flatly turned me down. Tell me, what am I supposed to do about that?"

Ren Jie couldn't help but laugh. As a typical science student, he said quite bluntly, "Oh, so that's why I'm the one keeping you company for lunch now? Never mind, most first attempts end in failure anyway—how could you possibly win her over that easily? Don't lose heart. As long as you're shameless enough about it, sooner or later you'll win her over."

Tang Haoyang could only try to console himself: "I hope so."

"Who's the girl? If you don't mind, tell me—maybe I can help you take a roundabout approach."

"You know her. Zheng Huiwen."

"Her? So you like her... that seems—" Ren Jie thought it over carefully, then gave a slightly awkward, teasing smile, "That seems a bit tough."

"Yeah. She's so pretty and smart, and I'm so ugly—how could she ever like me?"

"Stay optimistic, Haoyang. I've seen plenty of cases where a beautiful woman ends up with an ugly guy. You just don't have the advantage in looks—it's not like you have no redeeming qualities. As long as you're sincere with her, sincerity moves mountains. As long as you do your best, however she feels about you in the end, you won't regret it." Having said that, Ren Jie casually recited a couple of lines of poetry: "If the moon remains ever bright and pure, I'll brave ice and snow to warm you still. Right?"

"Wrong poem," Tang Haoyang shot him a look. "That's Nalan Xingde's 'Butterflies in Love with Flowers'—he wrote it for his dead wife. Huiwen is very much alive."

"Oh, then let me change it: I gave my heart to the bright moon, but alas, the moon shines instead upon the ditch. Better?"

"Better," Tang Haoyang nodded, then pulled a list out of his pocket and handed it to Ren Jie, saying, "This is the list of new club members. Take a look—there aren't quite twenty, but it's more than last year."

"Oh, okay." Ren Jie took the list and glanced over it. Suddenly, he read a name aloud: "Ren Jingting?" His eyes locked onto the list, his face full of astonishment.

"What's wrong with you?" Tang Haoyang asked, puzzled.

Ren Jie asked, incredulous, "This girl named Ren Jingting—is she a freshman?"

"Yeah, class of 2020. Why, do you know her?"

"Hmm... it's nothing." Ren Jie set the list down again, but his eyes remained fixed on the name. Then he suddenly asked, "Is she... no—could I meet her... no, that's not it either. I mean, do you have a way to contact her?"

Tang Haoyang was completely baffled, but answered anyway, "Of course I do. You want it?"

"Yes, give it to me quick."

Tang Haoyang gave Ren Jie Ren Jingting's contact information, then asked, "Do you have anything else on her?"

"I have her major, class, student ID, and phone number."

"Do you have a photo of her?"

"No, she never gave me one, and I never asked for it."

"Alright, got it."

By then, lunch was ready, and just as the server was bringing it over, Ren Jie suddenly stood up and dashed out, running extremely fast. Tang Haoyang only managed to shout "Hey—" before losing the chance to say anything more.

At that moment, Ren Jingting hadn't gone to eat yet, nor had she returned to her dorm. She was in the library, holding a book, sitting in some out-of-the-way spot, reading with such absorption that, in order not to disturb anyone, she had put her phone on silent—so much so that several calls had come in without her noticing.

After calling several times with no answer, Ren Jie ran to the teaching building where art students had classes, and to the poetry club's activity room, searching everywhere and finding nothing. Only then, using the phone number, did he send a friend request, and afterward, he could only try hard to calm himself down, steady his heart, and reassure himself that things would turn out well.