After being attacked by the rich young ladies with hatchets, I chose to enter "sage mode".

"If you don't like my taste, then I won't like yours either. I won't drink it, hmph!"

Keep pretending, keep pretending. Bai Yu was just watching this girl act. Maybe before his rebirth he might have had a chance to get himself involved, but after his rebirth, this was a joke.

"If you don't want to drink it, I'll drink it myself. By the way, have you eaten?"

Bai Yu now wants to bring the topic back to food, not for any other reason than to get Ju Qing to treat her to a meal so she can go back to school for roll call.

"How could Ju Qing have eaten before 5:30?" Ju Qing replied with a smile and a shake of his head.

"No, I'm just buying a cup of milk tea now, and then I'll go eat dinner later since a friend is treating me."

Upon hearing Ju Qing's words, Bai Yu's eyes lit up. If someone was treating, it was probably Ju Qing's fish.

Thinking of this, Bai Yu stopped being mysterious and acted like a typical straight man.

"I still remember when my senior said she'd treat me to dinner last time?"

As she said this, a faint smile appeared on Bai Yu's face, so subtle that it was hard to notice unless you looked closely.

As long as the expression is appropriate, it's fine. At least it shouldn't deviate from your aloof persona, otherwise it will seem very artificial.

As for being straightforward, when has Bai Yu ever flirted with Ju Qing in a way that wasn't direct? So it doesn't feel abrupt.

"Wow, you naughty junior, you're still thinking about getting paid by your senior? How can you be so mean?"

"I'm not bad, I just happened to run into my senior and thought of such bad things."

Bai Yu's words were both self-deprecating and a veiled criticism of Ju Qing, giving her the illusion that Ju Qing was only ever so mean to her.

Ju Qing did indeed feel this way, and even had the misunderstanding that Bai Yu wouldn't really like him.

He glanced up and lightly scanned Bai Yu's face. In terms of handsomeness, Bai Yu was definitely not bad, and he also had a great temperament. His eyes seemed to be able to see his most real side at a glance, yet they also seemed to be an illusion, giving people the illusion that they could see through him but could not.

From the moment she first met Bai Yu, she felt that he was domineering and straightforward, but when he got to the point, he could also be very charming.

You could say Bai Yu is a scumbag, Ju Qing thought about that question, but it seems that she never saw Bai Yu have any relationship with any girl.

He wouldn't even contact me first, and I wouldn't contact him first either. If a jerk is going to treat me badly, why wouldn't he contact me for so long without saying a word?

Speaking of Si Yu... although it seems like there's something going on between her and Bai Yu, no clues have been found.

Moreover, Ju Qing had witnessed Bai Yu's attitude towards girls before; he always seemed aloof and indifferent. So, no matter how she judged him, Ju Qing couldn't figure out that Bai Yu was a scumbag.

"Fine, you junior just like to take advantage of your seniors. Fine, you treat me to a meal, but next time you'd better treat me to something even better, understand?"

Hearing Ju Qing's slightly dissatisfied words, Bai Yu didn't care; as long as she had the meal ticket, that was enough.

As for whether Ju Qing is treating us to this meal, we'll have to ask her about that meal ticket.

"Okay, I'll definitely treat you to something better next time."

Whether there's a next time or not, just agreeing is fine, as long as we get the food first.

"Fine, next time I'm definitely going to screw you over badly. You've already screwed me over three times, I'm going to make sure you get a good rip-off this time, right?"

She said this angrily, "Bai Yu really did rip off Ju Qing three times for free. Once she treated him to barbecue, once she took him clubbing without paying a penny and even covered his round-trip tickets, and this time she got another free meal. Isn't that three times?"

She had little experience with reciprocal gift-giving, but the only person she hadn't reciprocated with was Bai Yu. It would be a lie to say she wasn't a little frustrated. Chapter 275: Knows How to Have Fun (Bonus Chapter 31 for Monthly Tickets)

"Take it easy next time, I only have about a thousand yuan for living expenses a month, I'm a poor student, so even if you take it easy, you have to go easy on me."

Bai Yu's expression remained calm as she spoke, and she didn't seem to be in as much pain as she claimed.

Actually, this was all Bai Yu's trick. She first suppressed Ju Qing's anger and then praised her, telling her that she didn't have much money, so that Ju Qing would not only control the scope of her exploitation, but also go easy on her, and even not let her treat her to a meal.

As for not treating others, Bai Yu felt it was unrealistic. After all, he had taken advantage of Ju Qing three times for free. If he didn't give something in return, the Queen of the Sea would become more wary, and his meal ticket wouldn't last long.

"Hmph, so what if it's over a thousand? We'll still rip them off, rip them off badly."

"Then I'll ask you out next time."

You can charge her, but Bai Yu reacted quickly, saying she'd arrange it herself next time. That effectively locked down the timing, meaning she could invite her whenever she wanted – perfect.

"Sure, next time just send me a WeChat message. Even if I have class, I'll skip it to come and give you, you brat, a good beating!"

That's really harsh, but Bai Yu isn't afraid of anything. If you make the appointment yourself, who knows when you'll get to meet up?

"There's no need to go that far. I'll definitely find a senior student who has free time."

That sounds so gentlemanly, it's just a shame it's all just a pretense.

"Alright, let's go. My friend should be here soon. He's treating us to dinner, we're having grilled fish up ahead. It's pretty good. I had it last time. I wonder if you like it, junior?"

Ju Qing's words completely shocked Bai Yu. If it was her meal ticket that invited her, she would just take her there without any precautions or preparations.

As expected of the Queen of the Sea, she dared to bring me along directly. Isn't she afraid of being misunderstood?

Bai Yu is judging based on his own reputation as a scumbag, and his thinking is not wrong.

But Ju Qing also had his own methods. He took Bai Yu directly there. Not only did they have no relationship, but it also put some pressure on the boy and made her nervous.

The second reason is to give Bai Yu a sense of threat. After all, if a boy is openly treating her to dinner, how can Bai Yu not be more proactive?

This is a plan that kills two birds with one stone: you eat and you catch fish. How wonderful!

When Ju Qing brought Bai Yu to the agreed-upon grilled fish restaurant, the person who had invited Ju Qing to dinner had already arrived.

He was a tall, thin boy. He wasn't exactly handsome, but he was of average appearance. He was wearing brand new clothes and shoes, which were obviously new. His hair was styled with hair gel.

The boy's clothes, demeanor, and overall presence gave Bai Yu the impression that he took this dinner invitation very seriously.

Bai Yu was absolutely certain that this was a boy pursuing Ju Qing, without exception.

"Tongming, I'm really sorry, but I just ran into a freshman who often plays tennis at the tennis courts. I was thinking of treating him to dinner separately next time, but this jerk insisted on treating everyone to dinner today. Is it okay to bring him along?"

If the boy with the nickname "Tongming" has no objection to this, then it must be a lie.

She was hoping to spend some time alone with Ju Qing, but then some handsome junior showed up. It would be a miracle if she didn't care.

Although Ju Qing called him a junior, the fact that Ju Qing was the one treating him to a meal must have left Ju Qing feeling a little jealous.

"Oh...oh, I don't mind. It's just an extra pair of chopsticks and bowls. What's there to mind? Your junior is my junior, isn't he? We're the same."

As he said this, Tong Ming gave Bai Yu a kind and friendly smile.

Little did Bai Yu know that she was starting to feel sorry for this guy; being a backup option or a fish on the cob was neither fun.

Moreover, Ju Qing would definitely not commit to a relationship with any boy; committing to a relationship would only make her appear passive.

"I'll pay for the junior's share later, or... I'll just treat him to a meal. I feel a bit embarrassed today."

Bai Yu felt that Ju Qing's words were truly invincible, like Guan Yu playing against Red Hare, with Ju Qing exclaiming that he was an expert.

It was this boy named Tong Ming who took the initiative to treat Ju Qing. Now that Ju Qing has brought Bai Yu and says she'll treat everyone herself, shouldn't the boy feel embarrassed?

Ninety-nine percent of guys will try to save face in these situations, especially in front of a girl they like.

"No need, it's just a meal. Why should I treat you? You're a junior, so I'll pay. Don't be shy, that's all."

As he said this, Tong Ming stood up and went to call the waiter to add more bowls and chopsticks. Bai Yu admired Ju Qing quite a bit; this girl really knew how to have fun.

Because of Bai Yu's arrival, Tong Ming felt embarrassed to say many things he wanted to say to Ju Qing, so he could only talk about interesting things at school.

Bai Yu was there to get a free meal and then go for a yo-yo; she wouldn't waste any more words.

With a delicious grilled fish and two bowls of rice, Bai Yu was full and ready to run away without hesitation.

"Senior, I'm full. Thank you so much for treating, Senior Tong Ming. I'll treat you next time we meet. You guys can continue eating. I have to go back to school for roll call."

With that, Bai Yu bowed slightly with an apologetic smile, then turned and left.

The way they left so decisively was somewhat unexpected for Ju Qing.

Does she think Bai Yu isn't staying to observe what's going on between her and Tong Ming? Doesn't she care? No... what does caring about her relationship with Tong Ming have to do with anything?

Ju Qing was stunned. He was genuinely stunned for a moment. Judging from Bai Yu's previous behavior, she should have been interested in him. How could she leave so calmly after eating?

However, this idea was quickly overshadowed by another possibility.

That means Bai Yu likes her, but she was unhappy because another boy treated her to dinner, so she left in a hurry to avoid seeing him and getting upset. That should be it.

The analysis is spot on, but unfortunately, while Ju Qing's approach might work for most boys, it's completely wrong for Bai Yu.

After all, Bai Yu is a freeloader who takes advantage of others and then tries to run away. It would be a miracle if Ju Qing could analyze it correctly.

With Bai Yu gone, Tong Ming had the opportunity to express his feelings to Ju Qing.

"Ju Qing, actually... I don't know if there are some things I should say or not. I asked you to come here because... I just wanted to say... I like you. Can we go out together?"

When Tong Ming uttered the first half of his fragmented words, Ju Qing already knew what he was going to say next.

She lightly covered her mouth with both hands, feigning surprise, and said in a slightly flustered tone.

"Huh? I... how... so suddenly? Really?"

Chapter 276 Sudden Grievance (Bonus Chapter 32 for Monthly Tickets)

This wasn't the first time Ju Qing had been confessed to; she had plenty of ways to handle it, after all, she had plenty of experience.

"It's quite sudden, but it's true. I don't know... what you think..."

Tong Ming was clearly a little embarrassed; even a grown man blushed.

But Ju Qing would definitely not agree, and that was inevitable.

"I appreciate your affection, but... I'm sorry, I don't think we've reached that stage yet. After all, we've only known each other for a few months, and I haven't even thought about having a boyfriend yet. It's really surprising to me. You're a really nice person, but I really haven't thought about this kind of thing."

This was a tactic Ju Qing often used, and it was indeed true. She hadn't really thought about having a boyfriend, because it was very difficult for her to truly develop feelings for someone.

However, the fish still needs to be kept dangling; you can't kill it all at once. Just give it a glimmer of hope.

"So...do you have someone you like?"

Tong Ming wasn't stupid; he knew he'd been rejected, but he wasn't going to give up right away. He needed to at least find out if Ju Qing had a crush on someone.

If so, then my chances are really slim; if not, then I still have a chance, since it doesn't mean it's impossible just because it wasn't said so.

When asked this question, Ju Qing's answer was obvious.

"I don't have a boyfriend. If I did, why wouldn't I be considering having one?"

The phrase "opportunity" presents both an opportunity and a strategy.