Chapter 21

"Meina, it's time to go home." The school bell rang at Suncai Middle School, and all the students packed their bags, preparing to leave.

Xu Meina was jolted out of her reverie, looking at her bag that had been packed without her noticing. She shook her head and smiled lightly, responding to the call of a somewhat chubby girl, and walked out of the classroom with her.

Not having to go to practice and coming back to class made things more relaxed. Only then did she realize that the courses she usually found burdensome were not that many after all.

It turned out that the problem wasn't the courses, but herself. The chubby girl was named Zhou Shunzhen, who held Xu Meina's arm and slowly walked along the path leading to the school gate.

"Meina, are you really not going to be a trainee anymore? Wasn't yesterday April Fool's Day? Were you just fooling me?" Zhou Shunzhen munched on chips and offered one to Xu Meina.

Xu Meina waved her hand, indicating she didn't want any: "If you're afraid I fooled you on April Fool's Day, I'll admit it again. I really am not going to be a trainee anymore."

Zhou Shunzhen chewed on her chips, looking puzzled: "Why? Did something happen?"

Xu Meina shook her head: "Not really. The reason is quite ordinary. After becoming a trainee, I realized I don't have much talent. My singing and dancing are average, and I don't have much aptitude. Besides, my family isn't very supportive, and my initial enthusiasm has waned, so... I decided to quit."

Zhou Shunzhen shook her head: "No way! You've always been talented at school. Which school celebration didn't end with your performance?"

Xu Meina laughed: "Oh, is your world only as big as the school? There are fifty million people in South Korea, and I'm just one of the most ordinary. How many people are talented and good-looking..."

Zhou Shunzhen was listening, but suddenly noticed that Xu Meina had stopped talking. She turned her head and saw Xu Meina looking down, lost in thought again.

Zhou Shunzhen shook her head helplessly and poked her shoulder: "Meina, why have you been so absent-minded lately? Ever since you stopped being a trainee, you've been like this. Has something happened?"

Xu Meina paused, forced a smile: "Maybe I'm just not used to it yet. I'll be fine after some time."

Zhou Shunzhen frowned, puzzled: "Is that so?" She thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so she shrugged: "Well, you're back, so maybe you'll get better over time." She smiled and walked forward, then suddenly turned her head: "Is it the new guy from your old agency?"

Xu Meina was taken aback, looking at Zhou Shunzhen blankly: "What do you mean?"

Zhou Shunzhen smiled: "You know, the new cute guy who's a year younger than you. He always calls you 'Nuna' and pesters you to buy sweet and sour pork. You were talking about him, right?"

Xu Meina bit her lip and said nothing.

Zhou Shunzhen, munching on chips, pouted: "Jeez, mentioning sweet and sour pork, even the chips taste bland. You really, we've been friends since junior high, and you never once invited me to eat sweet and sour pork, but..."

Xu Meina was waiting for her to nag, but as she spoke, they stopped at the school gate.

Turning her head, she saw Zhou Shunzhen standing there, wrinkling her nose and looking puzzled: "Strange, mentioning sweet and sour pork, I can actually smell it."

Xu Meina couldn't help but laugh: "You really are something. You just want me to treat you to a meal, right? Do you have to be so dramatic?!"

A light laugh came from behind, and Xu Meina's body trembled as she turned to meet familiar smiling eyes.

Zhou Shunzhen looked over and saw the two large lunch boxes he was holding. They were so full that the lids couldn't close, and the smell coming from them was exactly what Zhou Shunzhen had just smelled.

"Sweet and sour pork?!" "Jung Woo... xi." Two calls, one to the person, one to the food. In an instant, Zhou Shunzhen's gaze returned to the person.

And this person was none other than Moon Jung Woo. His smile never left his face. Seeing Xu Meina's strange look, Moon Jung Woo stepped forward and blinked: "It's real, no need to doubt."

Xu Meina pursed her lips: "You... how did you come here?"

Moon Jung Woo didn't answer, just looked at Zhou Shunzhen: "Are you Meina's classmate? Nice to meet you, I'm Moon Jung Woo. I wonder if she has mentioned me."

Zhou Shunzhen was taken aback, then clapped her hands: "I know, you're the cute guy who always pesters her for sweet and sour pork."

Seeing Moon Jung Woo nod with a smile, Zhou Shunzhen suddenly said shyly: "You... you just said that someone who is pretty has a good nose. You... you weren't talking about me, were you?"

Moon Jung Woo laughed lightly: "Of course, how could Meina's friend not be pretty? Like you... and me."

"Ha ha," Xu Meina laughed, but seeing Moon Jung Woo look at her, she bit her lip to hold back.

Zhou Shunzhen smiled at him: "You little rascal, even though I know you're joking, seeing how pretty you are, I'll take it as the truth... Is this sweet and sour pork for Meina?"

Moon Jung Woo nodded: "There are four portions, bought from a Chinese restaurant. One box has two portions... Can I talk to her alone for a moment?"

Zhou Shunzhen looked at Xu Meina, who was silent for a moment, then handed the metal box to Zhou Shunzhen: "It's for you. I'll talk to him for a bit, you can eat while you wait."

Zhou Shunzhen laughed and nodded, then ran to the side. Xu Meina looked at Moon Jung Woo and walked forward: "Let's talk over here." She led the way to the side.

"Did you come to... get revenge?" Leaning against the wall, Xu Meina looked at Moon Jung Woo.

Moon Jung Woo was taken aback, then laughed and stepped forward: "Would I bring sweet and sour pork to get revenge?" Xu Meina shook her head, saying nothing.

Moon Jung Woo looked at her, slowly putting on a serious expression, and bowed deeply: "Nuna... thank you."

Xu Meina turned slightly, but didn't return the bow: "Thank me for what? You should hate me for saying those things to you, making you see the ugly truth."

Moon Jung Woo shook his head: "I know, Nuna was trying to help me. Even though it was hard to bear... I almost cried."

Xu Meina laughed, playfully hitting him: "Oh! I cried twice that day, and you just almost cried."

Moon Jung Woo squinted his eyes in a smile: "That's when I realized that human emotions are sometimes not what we think. They are the most complex."

Xu Meina fiddled with a leaf, then looked up at Moon Jung Woo: "Aren't you curious why I'm only a year older than you, yet I know so much? Why my thoughts are so complex?"

Moon Jung Woo nodded: "Not really. Leaving school means entering society. Especially in the cutthroat world of trainees, which is almost as harsh as the entertainment industry, being mature is inevitable... I was the one who was too naive, not a character flaw."

Xu Meina laughed lightly: "What more do you want? Being naive enough to make me cry... Are you not pretending now?"

Moon Jung Woo looked at Xu Meina, gently holding her shoulder: "Nuna, you really... don't want to go back?"

Xu Meina was taken aback, smiled, and shook her head, looking at the students passing by with their backpacks: "I belong to their kind. The only difference is that I once had a dream that was destined to fail."

Looking into Moon Jung Woo's eyes, Xu Meina said: "It has nothing to do with you. I didn't want to practice anymore long ago. But when I saw you come in and approach me, I thought I'd give it one last try. Through you, I hoped the CEO would notice me. It wasn't until I went to him to resign that I realized he always remembered everyone. Whether I could debut depended on my own abilities."

Seeing Moon Jung Woo lower his head, Xu Meina took a deep breath and patted his shoulder: "Let's not talk about this anymore. Even if you're still lying to me, it doesn't matter. As long as you can keep up the act, it's actually a good thing."

Moon Jung Woo looked up at Xu Meina, nodded, and said: "It's not a lie, because it's already a part of me. But to commemorate Nuna's help, I've named this new me the 'Xu Meina personality.'"

"Mo ya?!" Xu Meina giggled and hit him: "So sappy."

Moon Jung Woo looked at Zhou Shunzhen, who was waving at them, and followed Xu Meina forward. But halfway through, Xu Meina suddenly stopped, looked at Moon Jung Woo seriously, and asked the question she had already asked: "Jung Woo... were you lying when you said you wanted to be my boyfriend?"

Moon Jung Woo paused, saying nothing. In fact, he hadn't told Li Shungui everything. He was indeed shocked and hurt by Xu Meina's words.

But what made him realize and understand human nature was the sentence she said as she left after giving him a shock: "Do you remember... when you said you wanted to be my boyfriend?"

It was because of this confession that he understood everything, breaking free from his cocoon and truly becoming clear-minded.

His unintentional cuteness and dependence didn't create an illusion for him, but it made her think differently. After considering all the reactions and behaviors, Moon Jung Woo finally let go and faced it openly. This finally opened the door that had been closed in his mind.

"Nuna is so pretty, of course I like her. But I'm not ready to be a boyfriend... my body isn't fully grown yet."

Xu Meina was taken aback, her mouth wide open, and after a while, her cheeks turned red as she hit him: "You little rascal!! You'd better not change, now you talk like a thug."

Moon Jung Woo laughed and endured her hits, then suddenly pulled her into his arms, drawing the attention of the students leaving school.

"Ah! Jung Woo! Let me go!" Xu Meina struggled to get out.

Moon Jung Woo leaned close to her ear: "Nuna... watch me debut. Then, be my first fan."

Xu Meina paused, looked up at Moon Jung Woo's smile, bit her lip, and then laughed, pulling his ear: "Dream on, we'll see when you debut."

Unintentionally, she felt a gaze. A boy holding a basketball frowned and looked at them. Seeing Moon Jung Woo look back, he slightly turned his head but didn't leave.

Moon Jung Woo was taken aback, puzzled, and asked Xu Meina: "Nuna... are you dating two people?"

"Mo ya?!" Xu Meina gritted her teeth, pulled him, and hit his back hard: "Always saying nonsense! He's just a classmate, I practice a lot, but we're not that close."

Moon Jung Woo paused, but didn't mind: "Nuna, I'm leaving. You might forget me, but I won't forget you. Illusions are illusions. Whether you can understand it is just a matter of a moment. I hope that one day, when you see me on TV, you can think of me as Xu Meina and say in your heart, 'Cheer up, you liar who tricked me for food and sweet and sour pork.' I think I'll feel it."

Moon Jung Woo bowed again, waved to Zhou Shunzhen, and said with a smile: "One last thing, to punish myself, I've decided not to eat sweet and sour pork until I debut. If you still have any resentment towards me... this punishment should be enough to make you feel better." With that, Moon Jung Woo squinted his eyes in a smile, looked at Xu Meina, and walked away.

Xu Meina watched his back, muttering his name: "Jung Woo..."

Perhaps he really heard her, Moon Jung Woo stopped, turned back, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted: "Nuna! I'm reborn because of you, I'll always remember... I'm Moon Jung Woo!"

People around him pointed and whispered, and Xu Meina, feeling the gazes on her, blushed and glared at Moon Jung Woo, who had already turned away, until he left without looking back.

Xu Meina was silent for a while, slowly lowered her arm, and laughed. The rascal really had changed, becoming so carefree and casual, but also... really cute.

{Piaotian Literature}