Chapter 183: First Snow

Yin Huaiyu wanted all those eyesores around Ling Wu to disappear, and wanted Ling Wu's eyes to gaze only at him, but such a process would be very difficult to carry out.

After all, Ling Wu was different from others; he was not a soft persimmon that could be easily manipulated.

On the dance floor.

Ling Wu rested one hand on Ming Tan's shoulder; the two were of similar height, and accompanied by the pleasant symphony, they coordinated their dance steps quite perfectly.

From Ming Tan's direction, one could still see Yin Huaiyu's gaze outside the crowd, so sharp and aggressive, as if a blade could flay him alive at any moment; he did not flinch at all when looking into Yin Huaiyu's eyes, but instead placed his hand on the back of Ling Wu's neck and leaned his body slightly forward—this was a rather intimate gesture.

Subsequently, the dimples on both sides of Ming Tan's cheeks became even more pronounced, which, in Yin Huaiyu's eyes, was a blatant provocation.

The gazes of the two men clashed and fought, evenly matched.

Ling Wu did not sense the gunpowder, and he said very honestly, "Your hand is making me a bit itchy."

"Apologies," Ming Tan said with equal sincerity, "an unintentional slip."

He said this without blushing or skipping a beat.

Ling Wu did not think this was a big deal and chose to forgive him: "It's alright."

Not long after he finished saying this, Ming Tan leaned down to his ear, looked at Yin Huaiyu, and said straightforwardly, "Yin Huaiyu likes you."

A declarative sentence, a tone of certainty.

Ming Tan saw the expression change on the face of this arrogant young master Yin Huaiyu, and his mood seemed quite good: "Ling Wu, does this count as me discovering another one of your secrets?"

A secret.

Ling Wu could not remember how many times he had heard these two words, and they were heard from the mouths of different people; why did everyone seem so obsessed with wanting to have a secret with him?

The environment in which Ling Wu grew up left him no time for romantic entanglements, and there were very few peers by his side; what he lacked was not only a childhood but also the unbridled exuberance of adolescence, leaving him somewhat closed-off and solitary.

It was undeniable that he was a person with extremely strong learning ability.

But true knowledge comes from practice; due to various factors, he was slow-witted and oblivious when such emotions truly descended upon him, even though he understood them...

Ling Wu lacked keen insight regarding whether others liked him.

It often required the truth of facts to prove it, for instance, knowing Chu Yi's phone password—such a private thing, and the nine-key input spelled out his name—or perhaps Yin Huaiyu's teasing and the word "like" spoken aloud, as well as the pleasure felt when being abused by him.

These were all powerful proofs.

Things that he needed to verify, Ming Tan could see with just a few glances and was certain of.

Did this prove he really had a talent for being loved?

Ling Wu did not know if this description was correct.

He had a bit of a humble, inquiring air: "From what direction did you judge to reach that result?"

He had studied micro-expressions in psychology, but this was actually a different matter from mind-reading... If he could know more accurately, perhaps manipulating people's hearts would seem much easier.

Oh, right.

He also had the favorability cheat code, 001.

Ming Tan felt that Ling Wu's words really sounded like they were coming from the perspective of academic inquiry, completely devoid of genuine emotion; there was a thirst for knowledge in his eyes, a faint light in the depths of his pupils, and when he was serious, that tenacity radiated from the inside out, making it impossible for one to look away.

No wonder Yin Huaiyu liked him.

He muttered in his heart, surely there was no one who wouldn't like him, right?

Ming Tan said a famous quote: "Men understand men best."

Ling Wu was impervious: "I am also a man."

"Hmm..." Ming Tan pondered seriously for a few seconds; he knew he couldn't get away without explaining clearly, so he said solemnly: "Did you see Yin Huaiyu's eyes?"

"I saw them," Ling Wu gave an objective evaluation: "They are a pair of very beautiful eyes."

Ming Tan analyzed and evaluated: "That's not what I meant. What did you see in those eyes? The look Yin Huaiyu casts upon you carries aggressive possessiveness; it is the gaze of a beast looking at prey that must be obtained, just like... to put it bluntly, the kind that wants to take off your clothes and take you to bed; he has desire and affection for you."

He said this until his cheeks were even flushed.

So he looked away and coughed twice, pretending to be composed.

Only then did he look back at Ling Wu.

Ling Wu earnestly recalled the time he spent alone with Yin Huaiyu; no wonder he always felt uncomfortable being stared at by that kind of gaze, a very sticky feeling, and he suddenly realized: "So that's what it meant; I thought he was provoking me."

After all, Yin Huaiyu was truly a very, very wicked person.

He was bad without any pretense.

Glib and oily, unable to say two truthful words.

Thus, Ling Wu also cleverly returned the greatest hostility.

The liking between people changed from being defined by written language on paper to becoming vivid and lively, capable of being integrated into life.

But for a pragmatist like Ling Wu, he probably wouldn't have the chance to find someone to practice with, so he said in a businesslike manner: "Thank you, I understand."

Ming Tan let go of his shoulder, believing he did not understand: "Ling Wu, has anyone ever told you... that your train of thought is sometimes a bit abnormal?"

Ling Wu responded to every word: "I'll just take that as you praising me for being smart."

He pursed his lips and smiled with a very good temper.

Ming Tan shook his head faintly, and he said with certainty: "It was indeed praising you for being smart..."

Someone in the auditorium exclaimed: "It's snowing outside!"

"Really?"

"Stop dancing, let's go out and look."

"Hurry, hurry..."

Is it snowing?

Because of the Federation's geographical location, only places at high altitudes would snow; strictly speaking, he hadn't seen snow since leaving Beidu City.

In an instant, everyone surged out of the auditorium, and Ling Wu and Ming Tan were naturally squeezed out along with them.

The spire of the Gothic teaching building pierced the indigo sky, and the halo of the wall lamps spilling from the auditorium's stained-glass windows seemed to dye the ice crystals with warmth.

The snow fell with a rustle, landing on Ling Wu's hair tips, eyelashes, and shoulders; he blinked his eyes, felt the cool touch of the snowflakes landing on his skin, reached out to catch a snowflake, and sighed in a low voice: "The first snow of my hometown."