Tea-flavored Romance

【Brother Yuan, I despise you!】

[+1, I despise you!]

The last two sentences were voice recordings from Lao Wu and Monkey, respectively, indicating that the three of them hadn't finished eating. Ning Yuan thought for a moment and explained:

【You've all misunderstood me. It wasn't actually me who specifically asked Gu Guanxue to bring it.】

[Okay, I know it was Gu Xihua who took the initiative. Yuan-ge, can you gracefully hang yourself from a tree in the southeast?]

【No… Okay, let’s get down to business. I just went to the anime club with Gu Guanxue.】

[The one with Lin Xiaoya in the music department?]

Xiao Hei looked somewhat shocked and replied with two emojis.

[Yeah...mainly because Gu Guanxue wants to go to that game expo in June...does that even have a group invitation list?]

[Game expos are opportunities for individual cosplayers or groups to make a living, so of course there's competition.] When talking about his niche in the anime and manga world, Xiao Hei immediately perked up: [Generally speaking, they won't let unknown cosplayers go alone. If your cosplay is bad or doesn't fit the game's style, that's considered reverse advertising, and they won't give their competitors that opportunity.]

No wonder Gu Xihua specifically dragged me to the anime club to act as a go-between; it turns out there was this hidden secret.

[So our school's anime club is actually quite famous?] Ning Yuan typed with a strange expression: [I heard from Lin Xiaoya that they received an invitation...]

[Ahem... As for fame... I guess I have a tiny bit...]

[You previously said our school's anime club was a trash organization.]

On the other end of the screen, Xiao Hei coughed awkwardly twice, his noodles suddenly losing their flavor: "[What I said before was somewhat subjective... Our school's anime club is indeed composed of Lin Xiaoya and her 'simps'... But to be fair, Lin Xiaoya herself is quite skilled in cosplay.]"

[Only Lin Xiaoya?]

"I'm not too sure, I've been gone for a while... I guess the others are just average 'supporting' types." Xiao Hei added, typing after speaking, "Almost everyone in the anime club is obsessed with one girl, so they must at least have some skill..."

But I saw female members inside.

Who says only men can be "simps"?

Master Ning: ? ? ?

Male... oh no, female ketone is right next to me!

It seems that Master Lin has quite a strong personal charm, managing to unite so many anime and manga fans to act as his tools, and without any chaotic situations of jealousy or rivalry—at least on the surface, things appear quite harmonious.

Is this the legendary otaku princess?

Xiao Hei quickly sent another message, asking curiously: "Yuan-ge, are you planning to go cosplay with Gu Xihua?"

It's all for the sake of making a living...

Wow! The game expo in June... I got it, I'll definitely be there to support your booth!

I think you're all here to make fun of me!

No, no, I promise I'll cheer you on when I get there!

Ning Yuan was annoyed when he saw this. He thought to himself, "Gu Guanxue's calculations were so perfect. Didn't she consider that he had never done cosplay before?"

You can't expect me to dress up in women's clothing with her, can you? I'm a straight man! I can't be bent!

Although he always felt that Gu Xihua's motives for chasing after Lin Xiaoya, the princess of the otaku circle, were not entirely pure, Master Ning decided to observe quietly for a while, considering that the more chaotic the situation, the more advantageous it would be for him.

If the enemy doesn't move, I don't move; if the enemy moves, I move first. High-level junglers often need this kind of top-notch awareness and instinct.

For the next three days, Ning Yuan enjoyed a peaceful and uneventful period. Jiang Manyue did absolutely nothing during those three days, only offering a perfunctory greeting when they met. She was practically the champion of the breath-holding contest. This turn of events left Miss Gu Guanxue dumbfounded, exclaiming that her opponent was far too steady.

This is simply illogical! Given Jiang Manyue's personality, she should have been unable to resist investigating soon enough! This sudden change in behavior, could it be that she has discovered some inside information?

No one could answer Gu Xihua's profound question. For the next three days, everything remained the same. Since Jiang Xihua didn't take any action, Miss Gu Guanxue couldn't make any further arrangements and could only stay there with her, holding her breath.

Amidst this turbulent situation, Master Ning's prize money for the micro-film competition, after a period of delay in processing, was finally quietly deposited into his account.

Everyone was overjoyed with the large bonus they received, and Lao Wu, Xiao Hei Houzi, and their friends each took their share. Feeling that neither posting on social media nor sharing the good news with their parents and relatives could fully express their happiness, the four decided to have a long-awaited get-together and drink until they were completely drunk.

Ning Yuan decided to wait until he returned home to casually reveal this exciting news to his parents; pretending to be nonchalant over the phone just wouldn't do! It wouldn't showcase his champion director persona!

What about Little Zero? Of course, we should call her out to put on an act in person!

Oh right, I almost forgot the most important thing... The first thing to do when the bonus arrives should be to pay back that silly Lu Jiujiu.

Without this girl's investment to get started, no matter how many ingenious ideas he had, whether he could pull them off was still unknown.

Chapter 105: Love and Liking

After many days apart, the soft and cute little rich girl Lu Jiujiu was still holding the Ceylon black tea she had ordered with both hands, sitting opposite Master Ning with a blank expression as she listened to his nonsense.

The scene was familiar, the two people were familiar, but the familiar feelings from before were nowhere to be found. Lu Jiujiu stared blankly at the face opposite her, sipping her red tea slowly.

She had a vague feeling that Ning Yuan had changed, but at the same time, she felt that he hadn't. He was still as casual and natural as before, and even when he was talking nonsense with a straight face, people couldn't help but believe everything he said...

Has he changed, or has the person watching him changed?

I can't figure it out...

Lu Jiujiu felt that things wouldn't change; her relationship with Ning Yuan had always been like this, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would continue to be so.

In the last confession misunderstanding, she may have felt conflicted, hopeful, and hesitant. But ever since Ning Yuan jokingly asked her on the eve of their final parting whether she could distinguish between liking and loving, Lu Jiujiu suddenly felt a little flustered.

She thought about it all night, tossing and turning, and went to class the next day with dark circles under her eyes. She couldn't help but keep thinking about it during class.

Was my initial desire to accept his confession because I loved him? Or was it simply because I wanted to maintain our relationship and hope it would never change?

Is it habit and fear of change, or is it because of... love?

She herself didn't know. The feeling was like walking in a fog, everything within reach was a vast expanse of nothingness, without direction or destination. Even if she ran desperately, it felt like she was standing still, which was despairing.

In the past, when she encountered problems she couldn't handle, she would ask her grandmother for her opinion or Ningyuan for his advice. But when it came to this matter, she felt that asking either of them was not quite right.

I must be crazy to even think of asking Ningyuan whether I like you or love you! How am I supposed to answer that kind of question?!

Last time, he caused me to misunderstand him by accident. Am I going to cause him to misunderstand me again this time?

Ask Grandma... You can't ask Grandma about this! She'll definitely know I'm talking about Ningyuan! Having a friend or something won't help at all!

Lu Jiujiu, wake up!

The girl couldn't help but slap her cheeks with both hands to stop her random thoughts from wandering. Master Ning, sitting opposite her, was stunned when he saw this.

Has my public speaking skill deteriorated? Even someone as easily fooled as Lu Han couldn't stand it and had to slap himself to perk himself up?!

"Are you...are you alright?"

"Ah...? I, I'm fine! Please continue! Where were we?"

"Speaking of how I should repay you..." Ning Yuan said cautiously, "You..."

The girl quickly shook her head, lowered her eyes, sipped her Ceylon tea, and replied nervously, "I..."

Tongue twitching, Lu Hanhan gently bit the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to calm down. Ning Yuan didn't let her continue her embarrassment, casually saying, "Alright, let's continue. As the big investor, you made a profit on this film!"

"Here, this is the card you gave me before. I transferred the bonus to it, and there's even some extra in it. Consider it your investment dividend."

"What about my salary?" Lu Hanhan was stunned for a moment, still thinking about the fruits of his labor.

"Your daily fee of twenty yuan is not as good as you think I would cheat you! It's all in there, you can check it yourself later."

"Can't we send red envelopes?" Lu Jiujiu blinked and muttered softly. "That would make us feel more like temporary workers."

Master Ning: "..."

The salary isn't high, but the expectations are.

To fulfill Lu Jiujiu's humble wish as a working-class girl, Master Ning sighed helplessly and swiped his phone to send her a red envelope.

"Is it alright now?"

The girl nodded gently. She suddenly felt that Ning Yuan was quite happy that he was willing to accommodate her like this.

He used to be quite accommodating to me... Is this a form of pampering?

Lu Hanhan felt that the question about liking and loving shouldn't have been asked only to her... Ning Yuan should also be asked it.

He's so good to me, and he's willing to stay by my side all the time. Is it because he likes me or because he loves me?

He doesn't just see me as a friend or a younger sister, does he?

The girl sitting opposite him had shifting expressions; one moment a sweet smile appeared on her lips, the next she looked confused, as if she had remembered something. Who knew what kind of nonsense was going on in her head? Master Ning stared at her for a while, seemingly realizing that even with all his wisdom, he couldn't help Lu Hanhan break through the wall, and then shook his head helplessly.

"Alright, put the card away, so you don't forget to take it again later."

Lu Jiujiu immediately came to her senses, casually picked up the bank card on the table, and looked as if she still had some regrets.

"Oh……"

"You're making money but still not happy... I'm increasingly unable to understand you old capitalists." Master Ning shook his head and sighed, "Unlike me, I worked hard to get a bonus, but not only do I have to pay back my creditors, I also have to support that useless little sister... Speaking of which, why isn't that girl coming over yet? Has she grown wings?"

"These days, people who borrow money really act like they're in charge..."

"She probably doesn't need much money anymore."

"..."

"What do you mean by that?" Lu Hanhan's casual remark alerted Ning Yuan: "Did she tell you anything?"

Lu Jiujiu was stunned for a moment, then immediately lowered her head and innocently ate her milk tea.

"Speak quickly, or you'll be considered to be covering it up! And you'll be punished as a family member!"

"I didn't cover it up..." the girl said weakly, "I was just guessing."

"Even an idiot like you can guess that, so she must have hinted at something to you!"

"I...I don't know..." Lu Hanhan shrank her head. After all, Ning Yiling had been her sister-in-law for a few days. She felt it was a bit disloyal to betray her like this.

"Could it be that her stocks have gone up again!?" Ning Yuan was shocked. He thought to himself, "I finally got to experience riding on top of Ning Yiling when she was down on her luck. Why did such a simple source of pleasure disappear so quickly!"

How can a naive leek spirit rise to power? Is there no justice left? Is there no law left?

Wall Street! You have no heart!

Seeing this, Lu Hanhan quickly comforted her, "Actually...it might not be that Xiao Ling'er's stocks went up...maybe she just doesn't want to bother you anymore so you won't worry?"

"How could that be? That girl is so heartless to me. If she really had no money, would she understand my feelings? I think she'd rather cling to me every day and drain me dry."

"Huh...?"

Lu Jiujiu was taken aback upon hearing this, and tilted her head as if she understood but not quite.