This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 112 I think they all like you

Fearing that the two girls would have to wait too long, Li Wanyin asked Chen Shi'an to go to the bus stop first, while she went to the bakery next door to buy some bread as provisions.

When she came out of the bakery carrying bread, Chen Shi'an had already seen her and waved to her from afar.

Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu, having put their phones away, looked in the direction Chen Shi'an was waving.

I saw my roommate, a woman who is transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, with a slender figure, beautiful face, and gentle temperament.

Wen Zhixia had already met Li Wanyin yesterday, and even had lunch with Chen Shi'an at noon, which was brought by Li Wanyin.

This was the first time Lin Mengqiu had met her.

Although her father had mentioned this tenant named 'Xiao Li' when chatting with Chen Shi'an before, Lin Mengqiu hadn't paid much attention to it. After all, her family rented out six houses with nearly twenty tenants, so why would she care who rented the houses?

If it weren't for Chen Shi'an, I probably wouldn't have had any interaction with this woman.

Upon first meeting Li Wanyin, Lin Mengqiu naturally set aside her boundaries.

After all, no matter how beautiful or kind this older sister was, the girl figured she wouldn't have any contact with her. It was just that this time, because of Chen Shi'an as the middleman, they happened to meet and go cycling together at Mangrove Lake.

She neither harbored hostility nor friendliness; she had always treated everyone she met with this way, including Chen Shi'an and Wen Zhixia.

And when faced with such a sense of boundaries—

Chen Shi'an just did what he was supposed to do, spoke his mind, and asked questions without any regard for her boundaries...

Wen Zhixia, on the other hand, challenged her, turning this boundary into a battleground of Chu and Han...

And Li Wanyin...

Upon seeing the girl standing before her, whose figure was as upright and aloof as a bamboo shoot, she was slightly taken aback at first, but this brief moment of surprise was quickly replaced by a gentle smile and the kindness she habitually showed.

"Hello, hello, are you Mengqiu?"

Lin Mengqiu looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded: "Mm."

"I've heard Shi'an and Uncle Lin mention you. Mengqiu, you're so beautiful!"

"……Thanks."

As the two were talking, Wen Zhixia interjected, sweetly calling out:
"Sister Wanyin~"

"Zhixia! How was yesterday's meal? Did you like it?"

"Mmm! It's really delicious! And I'm sorry to bother you today because it's a gathering with Sister Wanyin and her friends."

"No, no, we're all friends, it's more fun to play together."

As Li Wanyin spoke, she lifted the bread in her hand, looked at Lin Mengqiu and then at Wen Zhixia, and asked with a smile, "Mengqiu, Zhixia, have you both had breakfast? If not, I have some bread here."

"have eaten."

“Eat!”

"Then let me get you a bottle of water."

Li Wanyin turned her backpack around, put the bread in her hand inside, and then took out two bottles of mineral water, handing them to the two girls respectively.

"……Thanks."

"Thank you, Sister Wanyin~"

"Do you want Shi'an?"

"I'm not thirsty."

"Okay, just let me know if you want some water. Zhixia and Mengqiu, you too, I have several bottles of water in my bag."

"Ah."

"Okay! Thank you, Sister Wanyin."

When Chen Shi'an came out, the last bus to Hongshu Lake had just left, and the next one was still about ten minutes away.

While waiting for the bus, the group got to know each other better.

With Li Wanyin joining in, the conversation suddenly became lively.

The main topics were all initiated by Li Wanyin. After all, as the older sister, she felt that she should have the responsibility to liven up the atmosphere and enhance the harmony of the group when taking these younger brothers and sisters out to play.

When she made a good first impression on someone, Wen Zhixia turned on her talkative side and bombarded Li Wanyin with questions.

For example, Li Wanyin would talk to her about work and cooking, and she would also talk to her about her studies and her high school days.

Occasionally, Chen Shi'an would chime in.

Lin Mengqiu, on the other hand, remained quiet and didn't speak or play on her phone. She simply stood by, waiting for the car and listening to the three of them talk.

The observant Li Wanyin naturally noticed it.

Li Wanyin is not a people-pleasing person; she has her own bottom line.

However, her family education and living environment have always made her avoid conflict to the core and advocate harmony in her relationships with others. Coupled with her high empathy, she can always quickly capture changes in other people's emotions. When she goes out with friends, she is like this. If anyone is silent or unable to join the conversation, she will take the initiative and kindly lend a hand.

"Mengqiu, have you ever gone cycling at Mangrove Lake before?"

Lin Mengqiu was taken aback when Li Wanyin took the initiative to bring up the topic.

She simply didn't like talking to so many people at once; it wasn't that she had any lingering resentment or felt neglected. If she really did have any resentment or dissatisfaction, she would have simply turned around and left long ago.

Chen Shi'an knew her personality, so he let her do as she pleased and didn't bother her.

I never expected that my sister, whom I had just met, would so kindly bring up the topic as if she was afraid of being neglected...

This communication, clearly intended to be friendly, made Lin Mengqiu slightly uncomfortable. Her delicate fingers nervously twisted the cap of the mineral water bottle in her hand, tightening and loosening it repeatedly...

"Have."

Perhaps feeling that the single-word response was too cold, she added, "I went there a few years ago."

Seemingly feeling that wasn't enough, since the water she was holding to ease her awkwardness had been given to her by the older sister, she asked again, "And you?"

"I went there a few years ago, probably shortly after I started college, with my roommates."

Li Wanyin smiled and said, "The environment at Mangrove Lake is very beautiful. I heard from my friends that there's a self-service barbecue there now. I just talked to Shi'an about it, and I said, why don't we have a self-service barbecue there for lunch? Mengqiu, what do you think?"

"I can……"

Where is Zhixia?

"Great! Self-service BBQ, does that mean you grill the meat yourself?"

"Yes, the restaurant will provide the barbecue equipment, and we can choose the ingredients ourselves. It should be quite interesting."

After chatting with Wen Zhixia, Li Wanyin turned the conversation to Lin Mengqiu: "Did you go to the barbecue place when you went there before, Mengqiu?"

"No……"

"Then we can go for a barbecue together this time!"

After taking care of the two girls, the thoughtful older sister finally brought up Chen Shi'an: "Shi'an is an amazing cook, how about we ask him to come and grill for us sometime!"

Lin Mengqiu finally showed an expression of interest. She turned her head, nodded, and said, "Okay."

Wen Zhixia was also very excited and poked Chen Shi'an, asking, "Are you really able to do it?"

"Yes, I will. Hey, why don't you guys bake it for me? Why do I have to bake it for you guys?"

"Haha, someone who can't even ride a bicycle can only be in charge of barbecuing!" Li Wanyin revealed.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mengqiu and Wen Zhixia both looked shocked and turned to look at Chen Shi'an— "You can't ride a bike?"

"Really? Taoist priest! You can't even ride a bicycle?"

"You can learn it, right? You all know how, so why can't I?"

Wen Zhixia scoffed.

Lin Mengqiu rolled her eyes.

Li Wanyin smiled. This is the kind of atmosphere we should have! The way he was talking to himself just now, he didn't seem like a friend who was out having fun together at all.
The older sister is thoughtful and considerate. With her busy efforts to keep the atmosphere lively, the four of them actually started chatting together, which is quite rare.

Chen Shi'an was quite surprised. Perhaps because of him, Lin Mengqiu and Wen Zhixia had always regarded him as just a battlefield. He didn't expect that with Li Wanyin's arrival, the two girls would temporarily give up.
Sister Wanyin is amazing!

If Li Wanyin weren't around, Chen Shi'an felt that no matter who he spoke to, it would only add fuel to the fire, making the two girls even more hostile...

Of course, the overall group atmosphere became more lively, but Li Wanyin also keenly noticed that Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu seemed to be at odds with each other...

After all, they had talked about so many topics for so long, and she and Chen Shi'an had already spoken to both girls individually, but the two girls hadn't said a single word to each other...

My sister suddenly felt a headache coming on.

As a girl herself, Li Wanyin knew all too well how complicated relationships between girls were.

She had only just met Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu. How could she know whether the two girls didn't get along because of a conflict, a misunderstanding, unfamiliarity, or simply dislike for each other...

But what's amazing is that these two people, who clearly didn't get along at all, were actually willing to come to the event together?

Li Wanyin was certain that it wasn't because cycling was fun, and she was also certain that she didn't have the charm to date two girls who didn't get along with each other at the same time.

Therefore, there can only be one key factor...

Li Wanyin turned her gaze to Chen Shi'an.

Noticing the positioning of the two girls and Chen Shi'an, the older sister belatedly realized what was happening—

Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu weren't there to ride bicycles at all; they were clearly there for Chen Shi'an!

Upon realizing this, an inexplicable sense of panic welled up in Li Wanyin's heart.

I don't have time to think about what I'm panicking about.

Li Wanyin suddenly regretted trying to liven things up... Her emotions were telling her that it was best to watch from the sidelines! Or even fan the flames!
But reason, and the inherent kindness she had always possessed, prevented her from standing idly by...

Just as Li Wanyin was racking her brains trying to figure out what to do, the bus arrived at the stop.

"Is this the 326 bus route?"

Chen Shi'an turned around and saw Li Wanyin in a daze, so he called out, "Sister Wanyin, the car has arrived."

Li Wanyin snapped out of her daze and quickly caught up with the three of them.

"What is Wanyin thinking about?"

"……nothing."

The four of them boarded the bus together.

Around 8 a.m. on a weekend, the bus was still quite crowded. The four of them glanced around and saw that most of the seats were occupied.

There were exactly five seats left.

Two of the seats are adjacent, while the other three are for individual seating with other people.

Wen Zhixia was quick-witted and nimble. After swiping her card, she plopped down in one of the two adjacent seats.

The girl thought to herself with delight, "Lin Mengqiu definitely won't sit with me, and I'm not very familiar with Sister Wanyin, so she probably won't take the initiative to sit here either. This seat is naturally reserved for that stinky Taoist priest!"
Wen Zhixia never expected that Lin Mengqiu seemed to have guessed her thoughts and sat down in the empty seat next to her.

Wen Zhixia: "???"

Now things are really messed up. Not only can no one sit with Chen Shi'an anymore, but the two mortal enemies are sitting together.

Wen Zhixia remained silent, but glanced sideways at Lin Mengqiu.

Lin Mengqiu pretended not to see it, ruining the annoying cicada's plan, which pleased her greatly.

Let's sit together then! It's not like anyone minds!
The two girls turned their faces away simultaneously, one looking out the window and the other looking down into the corridor.

Chen Shi'an and Li Wanyin came on later. Of the three remaining single seats, one had already been taken by another passenger, and there were no other options for the remaining two. Chen Shi'an took the initiative to sit next to an old man, leaving the seat that had been occupied by the woman for Li Wanyin.

The siblings were separated by an aisle, while Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu, who were sitting together, were two rows away from them.

The four dispersed, and Li Wanyin finally had a chance to speak with Chen Shi'an alone.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Chen Shi'an, who was standing right next to her in the aisle.

Chen Shi'an, however, was chatting with the old man sitting next to him...

"Young man, how did you take this cat out? Doesn't it run around?"

"Don't run around."

"Wow, this is amazing! People say tabby cats are good at catching mice and black cats are good at warding off evil spirits. Where did you buy this black cat? Its fur and physique are really good!"

"It can catch mice and ward off evil spirits. I didn't buy it; my master found it a long time ago."

"Young man, is that a martial arts uniform you're wearing?"

"Yes, short jackets, that's what we wear a lot when practicing martial arts or going out."

"You're a Taoist priest!"

……

After chatting with the old man for a while, Chen Shi'an looked up at Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu in front of him. The two girls were sitting quietly, neither of them saying a word, each playing on their phones.

He then turned to look at Li Wanyin next door in the aisle. His sister winked at him, signaling him to look at his phone.

Chen Shi'an then took out his phone.

Why can't you say these things face-to-face... without looking at your phone?
I turned on the screen, and sure enough, there was a message that Li Wanyin had just sent.

Little Echo: [What happened to Zhixia and Mengqiu?]
Chen Shi'an: [Nothing's wrong, what happened to Sister Wanyin?]
Little Echo: [Nothing's happened yet! I don't believe you didn't notice, Mengqiu and Zhixia aren't getting along, are they?]
Chen Shi'an: [Hmm...it's complicated. I wouldn't say their relationship is that bad, it's just that they like to compete with each other. Actually, there's nothing between them, so Wanyin-jie, don't worry.]
Little Echo: [What's the big deal?]
Chen Shi'an: [Results, wins and losses, and so on]
Little Echo: [Aren't you going to do anything about it?]
Chen Shi'an: [What role do you think I should play as a peacemaker, Sister Wanyin?]
Chen Shi'an's reply stunned Li Wanyin.

Yes, even if he didn't want to see them at odds, what right did he have to persuade the two girls to make peace? They were just friends of friends, not in the same class or dormitory. They were all adults with their own opinions, so why should he selfishly ask them to put aside their prejudices and be friends with someone they didn't get along with?

Little Echo: [I just think this isn't quite right; it would be best if everyone could just be happy together...]
Chen Shi'an: [Don't worry, Sister Wanyin. Their relationship isn't as bad as you think. They just don't understand each other. I know their personalities. There's no need to force them to get along. When they have the chance and truly accept each other, their relationship will naturally improve. They both have their own pride, so it's not right for me to take sides.]
Li Wanyin understood Chen Shi'an somewhat. Anyone who had been caught in the middle knew that it was never a good thing to help either side. Once you were labeled a peacemaker, the other side would subconsciously assume, "You're just here to speak for her!" Not only would it not have the effect of reconciliation, but it would also alienate the relationship between you.

Unless both parties are willing to reconcile, and a peacemaker steps in as a way to smooth things over, everything will fall into place naturally.

When Chen Shi'an turned his head, Li Wanyin was typing a reply, and he couldn't see her screen; she seemed to be typing and deleting.

After waiting for a long time without receiving any messages from her, and wondering if she was chatting with a friend, Chen Shi'an put down his phone and started chatting with the old man next door again.

Li Wanyin typed for a long time, but only one short sentence appeared in the input box:

[I think they all like you, what do you think?]
The older sister lowered her head, pondering the wording and sentence structure repeatedly before hesitating and nervously pressing the send button to send the message.

She didn't even dare to look up at Chen Shi'an's reaction!
After waiting for a while without receiving a reply, I looked up and saw—

This brat didn't even check his phone; he was happily chatting with the old man next door about health and wellness...

have to.

Peace of mind.

When Chen Shi'an finally picked up his phone to check the message, there was only a system notification:
['Little Echo' retracted a message]

Chen Shi'an: [What did Sister Wanyin withdraw?]
Little Echo: [It's nothing]
Little Echo: [Study hard, don't fall in love too early [smile]]
(End of this chapter)