Chapter 44 (Part 1)

When Shen Liyao came back, his face looked cold and silent like never before.

Yue Teng, his roommate, was eating barbecue with Ye Bai and two other people in the hotel room. When they heard the door opening, they all raised their heads. They saw Shen Liyao close the door silently, take off his coat and change out of his shoes. A shadow fell on him, making him seem dead.

Without saying a word, he went into the bathroom.

The other people in the room were stunned and the conversation came to an abrupt stop.

The faucet was unscrewed and the sound of cold water came from the bathroom.

Yue Teng was the first to notice the birthday cake box at Shen Liyao's feet— Yesterday, Shen Liyao inquired about choosing a cake. After asking a group of people's opinions, Shen Liyao did a data analysis and finally picked this shape.

However, it was lying there stiffly now, without being opened.

In addition, in the transparent crystal box next to him, Shen Liyao's red and blue pile of gold medals, which was like a stamp collection since childhood, was also not sent out.

The atmosphere was silent for five minutes.

After they gradually realized what happened.

The people in the room were so shocked that their jaws almost fell to the ground.

Yue Teng covered his mouth and whispered, “God Yao was rejected? How could this be? Or did he have something to do on the way and didn't go to Zhao Mingxi at all?”

Ye Bai hurriedly pushed him with his elbow. “Lower down your voice!”

Shen Liyao was obviously in a bad mood. His expression could even be considered gloomy.

Looking at this reaction, he really looked like he was rejected by Zhao Mingxi.

They all looked at each other and couldn't believe it. They just thought it could be included as one of the most surprising things this year.

Ye Bai didn't expect that his prediction would be wrong. In fact, no one would have thought of it! Forget the fact that Shen Liyao was suddenly given up by Zhao Mingxi. When he was determined to approach her, he was rejected repeatedly?!

Ye Bai swallowed nervously. He wiped his hands hurriedly, stood up and walked to the bathroom.

"Did something happen? Did you not see Zhao Mingxi or…”

"I saw her." Shen Liyao's voice was deep and hoarse. He held the sink with both hands and raised his head to look at himself in the mirror, water droplets still hanging on his chin.

There was nothing to deny.

His self-esteem was shattered long ago when Zhao Mingxi pulled Fu Yangxi away.

Shen Liyao's eyes were even a little dazed.

…

Ye Bai was stunned. He had never seen such a gaze on Shen Liyao, as if he seemed to have lost control completely.

Ye Bai was suddenly anxious. “Then why did it turn out like this? Was there any misunderstanding? You are so proactive, yet Zhao Mingxi is still angry? This doesn’t make sense!”

Ye Bai glanced at the things that had been returned on the ground and analyzed, “Kong Jiaze and her colleagues are training in the hotel next door. Did Kong Jiaze come to us yesterday? Although you didn't go out to see Kong Jiaze, you were still caught by Zhao Mingxi, so she must have misunderstood— Is she jealous?!”

Yue Teng and the other two from the School Representative Team also walked over and couldn't help but said, “Yes, that must be the reason, right?”

Several people rushed to give Shen Liyao ideas.

“God Yao, what did Zhao Mingxi say when she refused you? Did she just say that she didn't want your gift?”

"A girl's mind is so hard to guess! Why did they circle around us every day last month, and now they ran away without a word?”

“Maybe I can call my elder sister to ask what is going on? What is Zhao Mingxi thinking?”

Shen Liyao's brain was buzzing at first, but now he was getting more and more agitated with the noise. He could hardly restrain his calm expression.

“Everyone shut up!”

He was totally unable to say that when Zhao Mingxi refused him, the guy with the surname Fu was also there.

Rather than rejecting him, it was better to consider it a repetition. She was deliberately emphasizing it to Fu Yangxi.

So—

Did she fall in love with the guy surnamed Fu?

Shen Liyao could not accept this fact.

But his mind kept flashing over and over again the image of when Zhao Mingxi raised her eyes to look at Fu Yangxi tonight. It was glistening a little under the moonlight, which was exactly the same as when she looked at him before. No, it was not exactly the same. When she looked at Fu Yangxi, there was something more in her eyes. On the contrary, the look in her eyes when she looked at me before was just as plain as a fan watching an idol.

Why is this happening?

…

The big boys of the School Representative Team watched as Shen Liyao turned around and sat down on the bed with his jaw tight. Although Shen Liyao didn't say anything, after having known each other for so long, training and competing together, they could clearly feel that Shen Liyao was trapped in an unprecedented annoyance.

There was a shadow under his eyelids, and he was not calm at all.

This was not like him.

Seeing him like this, they didn’t dare to speak any further. Ye Bai took the lead in comforting him, “Sometimes when a girl says she doesn’t like it, it doesn’t necessarily mean she doesn’t. God Yao, I bet Zhao Mingxi absolutely still likes you! Maybe now her crush is not so strong, but human emotions are like silk. It is impossible to take it all back in an instant! Do you know what movies would usually call this current predicament of yours?”

Shen Liyao never watched these boring things.

If this was in the past, he would reply to Ye Bai coldly and say that this was boring.

However, at this moment he couldn't help but raise his head. “What is it called?”

“It's called the great pain of coaxing your wife after having displeased her!" Ye Bai gave a group of boys popular science knowledge. “It means that she used to chase you before, but now you have to chase her back. This is a test for you, God Yao. And in this kind of drama, there is 100% that the male lead is successful. All it takes is a little energy and effort. Don't worry!”

Yue Teng and the other two boys said, “...Really? Ye Bai, you haven't even been in a relationship before.”

Ye Bai said, “I guarantee!”

“...”

Shen Liyao's mind felt a little settled now. He didn't believe that Zhao Mingxi really didn't like him at all.

In the past, Zhao Mingxi pursued him for two years. It was not an easy feat to just erase those two years overnight.

Therefore, after such a deduction, the conclusion drawn now was very simple.

He should not give up.

If he backed down, Zhao Mingxi might really end up liking Fu Yangxi.

While Shen Liyao was thinking about the countermeasures, Yue Teng also called his elder sister at the same time. Several people here talked about the current difficulties Shen Liyao was facing.

Shen Liyao was a proud man, so it was difficult to confess such a thing. But since several people on the School Representative Team knew that Zhao Mingxi said, "I don't like him anymore", they couldn't pretend to be ignorant. It was better to help him discuss it generously.

There was another thought for the members of the School Representative Team— Oh my God, this is God Yao! I can’t believe he would actually stumble for love!

Yue Teng’s elder sister who was in university quickly replied to them, “The difficulty that your friend is facing now is that the girl already has an equally excellent guy beside her. He is much richer than your friend, taller than your friend and looks even better than your friend, right?”

"No, no, no!" Yue Teng hurriedly said, “But my friend receives more love letters. The prince has a very bad temper and he barely makes an effort to come to school. Almost no one has ever given him a love letter.”

"That doesn't mean that your friend is more handsome. He has fewer love letters because of the problem with his character." His elder sister said, “I saw the photos you sent over. He is handsomer than your friend. If the girl is more of a visual sort of person, it's normal for her to fall in love with him.”

“...”

There was a sudden silence in the hotel room.

Shen Liyao's face turned pale.

Yue Teng was absolutely embarrassed. He hurriedly clutched his mobile phone and whispered, “Sis, can you please help me quickly? My friends are all listening."

"Fine, this is just my own aesthetic." Over the phone came the voice of Yue Teng’s elder sister, “The current method is to use your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. Don't compare your money and looks with the other party. Just use your studies, temper and sensitivity to compete with him. Let your friend be better than everything he is better at.”

After hanging up the phone.

Ye Bai came to a realization. “Get into a robot transformation competition with the Fu prince?"

…

No matter what, Shen Liyao, who had obtained a few methods and clues, no longer looked so cold.

He heaved a sigh of relief and told himself to be patient. Then, he went and put the birthday cake at the door of Zhao Mingxi's hotel room and left a note. She should be able to see it when she comes back.

*

Over here, the atmosphere of Zhao Mingxi's birthday was full of joy.

The hotel room was lit with warm yellow lights, the off-white sofa was soft and the long table was filled with various snacks and food. In the middle was a three-tiered cake with cherries put together to form the words ‘Happy 18th Birthday, Zhao Mingxi'.

Everyone gathered together, luxurious and warm.

Everyone gave gifts, among which Fu Yangxi's box was the largest. It could fit the entire table.

Mingxi looked curious and immediately wanted to open it, but Fu Yangxi raised his hand and pressed it on the box. “Open it once you get back.”

Mingxi couldn't help asking, “What's in it and why is it so big?”

"Just some miscellaneous gadgets. Don't worry, it's not worth a lot. Is it possible for me to run around the street and prepare a gift so carefully?" Fu Yangxi stood aside, put his hands in his pockets and tried his best to keep the coldness on his face. However, the tips of the ears were slightly red.

Mingxi's heart thumped loudly and she couldn't help but feel happy. She lowered her head, licked her lips and took a sip of her drink. “Then I will take it home and open it later.”

Dong Shen glanced at Zhao Mingxi and then at Fu Yangxi. He felt very upset.

He forced himself in and sat down between the two of them. He excitedly took Zhao Mingxi's arm. “Mingxi jie, look at mine, look at mine! Mine doesn't have as many rules as a certain Young Master, so you can tear it open now!”

A big living person squeezed in in the middle, so Mingxi had to move one position to the left.

Fu Yangxi immediately pulled a long face. He glared at Dong Shen.

However, Dong Shen didn't notice it. He moved his hips left and right, trying to push Fu Yangxi out of the sofa.

Fu Yangxi wanted to find fault in him, but he resisted it. Since this was Mingxi's friend, he endured it for three seconds with a long face. However, he glared at Dong Shen’s hand which was holding Mingxi's arm. In the end, he still exploded in an instant, “Little friend, is your butt a little too big?”

When Dong Shen was picked up by Fu Yangxi and Ke Chengwen, Fu Yangxi made a foul face and set three rules for him.

1. No physical contact with Zhao Mingxi is allowed.

2. Physical contact with Zhao Mingxi is still not allowed.

3. He will beat him if he has too much physical contact with Zhao Mingxi.

Oh, he dares to threaten me.

I’m not afraid of you.

Dong Shen was a newborn calf that was not afraid of tigers.

Dong Shen turned his head and glanced at Fu Yangxi. “Bro, if you think the sofa is too small, you can sit there. There are so many places on the opposite sofa and it's just a few steps away. Are you too old to even move your legs?”