Chapter 26

Chapter 7: Left Eye for Friendship, Right Eye for Power

After school, still at the same restaurant as yesterday, Wen Liang met Ning Xiaoning again. Xu Yao pulled Wen Liang aside and whispered, "Finally got it sorted out. Xiaoning agreed to be your coach. You silly boy, you're truly blessed. With my help, hey."

Wen Liang remained unmoved and calmly said, "What conditions did you set for me? Speak up!"

Xu Yao chuckled awkwardly, showing a rare hint of embarrassment, "Actually, not that many..."

Wen Liang knew something was wrong, took a deep breath, and steadied himself on a chair, "Speak up, I can handle it!"

"Just be on call, bring breakfast in the morning, queue up for lunch, escort her home in the evening, buy drinks when it's hot, hold an umbrella when it rains, greet her three times a day, oh, and bark like a dog when she's in a good mood, and offer to take a beating when she's not..."

"Stop! Stop!" Wen Liang looked at Ning Xiaoning in the distance, who still looked cold and indifferent, nothing like someone who had a crush on him. How could she set such conditions? He thought for a moment and asked, "Who exactly am I serving?"

Xu Yao blushed and pointed to her nose, saying coyly, "Of course, it's me!"

Wen Liang swayed a bit, but his solid foundation kept him from falling, "So, you mean, I'm just looking for a basketball coach, but the cost is my entire life?"

"Not that much, at most 1/3..."

"Go to hell!"

Sitting at the table, Ning Xiaoning spoke succinctly, "I agreed to help, but whether it works or not depends on your talent. I have three conditions. First, although Mu Shanshan's group is stupid and clumsy, they are tall and well-coordinated. You should find two stronger teammates, or you'll end up looking very bad."

Wen Liang scratched his head and said shamelessly, "I can't meet this condition... Don't be angry, I absolutely obey, but really, from childhood to now, I have no friends, let alone strong ones..."

Xu Yao blinked her eyes and propped her chin on her hands, "Wow, so pitiful!"

Ning Xiaoning glanced at her expressionlessly, "Second, there are too many people at school. I need a quiet place for training, you solve it yourself."

Xu Yao was about to pat her chest in agreement, but Ning Xiaoning looked at her expressionlessly again. Xu Yao's hand moved to her forehead, "Oh, my head hurts!"

Wen Liang and Ning Xiaoning's lips twitched, both irritated by this troublemaker. Wen Liang thought for a moment and said, "This condition can be met. The small basketball court in my yard can be used, the environment is 100 points, absolutely okay."

Xu Yao leaned into Ning Xiaoning's ear and whispered something. The two beautiful faces came together, Xu Yao's pale lips gently moved near Ning Xiaoning's crystal-clear ear, exuding an irresistible charm. Wen Liang smiled at the two girls, but suddenly thought of Si Yajing's alluring figure, his mind wandering.

After hearing Xu Yao's confession, Ning Xiaoning snorted, "Pure sand ground, the frame is tilted at 45 degrees, the hoop has no net, and it's half missing. This is 100 points, and okay?"

Wen Liang didn't expect Xu Yao to reveal so much, "Actually, it can still be used..."

Ning Xiaoning suddenly stood up, her towering figure making Wen Liang look up.

"Alright, just a joke. I'll take care of the venue, it will be top-notch."

Wen Liang raised his hands in surrender, and Xu Yao, seeing the two about to argue, also raised her hands, looking incredibly cute. Ning Xiaoning chuckled and tapped Xu Yao's forehead, "You..."

This smile was like spring returning to the earth, new buds sprouting, and the frozen ground cracking. Her smile was charming and beautiful.

"The third condition," Ning Xiaoning sat down and said calmly, "I hope that after the game, regardless of the outcome, you will no longer associate with Yaoyao!"

Wen Liang was stunned, then laughed, but before he could speak, Xu Yao stood up and pointed at Ning Xiaoning, angry, "Ning Xiaoning, don't use your Ning family's ways on me. I decide who my friends are!"

Ning Xiaoning didn't look at her, only staring into Wen Liang's eyes, "Even for Yaoyao's sake, you shouldn't be so close to her."

Xu Yao slapped the table and shouted, "Who's close to him, Ning Xiaoning, I tell you..."

Before she could finish, Wen Liang pulled her down. Xu Yao looked at him, wanting to explain, but the boy's black, clear eyes seemed to have ripples, moving mysteriously. She suddenly realized that from their first meeting to their shared hardships, a trust and默契 had formed between them, no need for further explanation.

Xu Yao's heart trembled, her face flushed, and she lowered her head, silent.

Ning Xiaoning saw this and sighed lightly, knowing the girl was deeply involved. She said coldly to Wen Liang, "You offended Gu Wenyuan. If you offend me too, you won't last at Qingyi High School. If you agree to my request, I can ensure Gu Wenyuan won't bother you again!"

Wen Liang smiled and looked at Xu Yao with his eyes. Xu Yao was a bit flustered, reaching out to hold Ning Xiaoning's hand and shaking it, turning to Wen Liang, "She can... But don't worry, I won't let them bully you!"

Wen Liang pressed his hands down, signaling the girls to be quiet, "Alright, I'll speak now—I won't agree!"

Ning Xiaoning's eyes narrowed, a cold light flickering, a young girl with the aura of a powerful figure. Xu Yao jumped up, praising, "I knew you were the best." She smiled at Ning Xiaoning, but was interrupted.

"Wen Liang, I know you. Your father, Wen Huiming, is the deputy director of the Municipal Party Committee's Research Office. Your mother, Ding Mei, is the cashier at the agricultural machinery factory. You were unknown from elementary to junior high, with no presence in class, timid and weak. After three years of junior high, a classmate who just spent the summer with you doesn't even remember you... classmate, I don't think you can be friends with Xu Yao!" Ning Xiaoning paused, her delicate fingers pressing on the table, leaning forward, her beautiful face close, a faint fragrance wafting, "Or, are you close to her because her father is the Party Secretary?"

Xu Yao gasped, looking at Wen Liang, her face turning red before she could speak.

Wen Liang was surprised but showed no emotion. Having lived two lives, his heart was already tough. He wouldn't let the two see any weakness. But this confirmed Ning Xiaoning's guess—this guy definitely knew Xu Yao's father was Xu Fuyan. She looked at Xu Yao, her eyes saying, "What do you think?"

Xu Yao stared at Wen Liang, finally asking, "You knew all along, didn't you? You've been lying to me, haven't you?"

The usually carefree and mischievous Xu Yao's voice was trembling.

Wen Liang wasn't stupid. Xu Yao could freely enter and exit the Municipal Party Committee's family compound and move things in and out, clearly not an ordinary child. Especially when his father mentioned the change in the top ten candidates, it was clearly related to Xu Yao. The Hong Kong businessman's insistence on rewarding the "Righteous Citizen Fund" with a huge sum of 2,000 yuan was also related to Xu Yao's identity. But truly, Wen Liang never thought Xu Yao would be Xu Fuyan's daughter. In his memory, Xu Yao was always the smart, cute, and devoted girl from his past life.

He sighed and said softly, "My friend is Xu Yao, not her father. I like the carefree little girl, the mischievous little troublemaker, the one who can shout and scream with me without worrying about making me angry... My feelings may be cheap, but a Party Secretary isn't worth it!"

Xu Yao looked at Wen Liang, listening to his calm words, her heart racing, her body feeling weak and numb, her chest and cheeks burning. She was overjoyed, tears streaming down her face, "I believe you, really! I'm sorry!"

Wen Liang patted Xu Yao's hand, then turned to Ning Xiaoning, his face so calm it seemed she didn't exist. For a girl as proud as Ning Xiaoning, what could be more humiliating than such indifference?

"Ning classmate, you are very beautiful, perhaps from a higher class than ordinary people, but I think you are very pitiful. Your beauty is a gift from your parents, your background is the result of generations of your family. But at your young age, you only judge right and wrong by interests, wearing big tinted glasses, seeing money with one eye and power with the other. Do you use your nose to see friendship and love? Of course, for someone like you, friendship and love might just be bargaining chips in power. But remember, I, Xu Yao, and many others, see friendship with our left eye and love with our right eye. As for power, I see it with my ass!"

Xu Yao chuckled, seeing Ning Xiaoning's pale face, trying to hold back her laughter, her body still shaking: "You bad Wen Liang, you stinky Wen Liang, speaking so crudely, but... ha, it's really fun!"

In Ning Xiaoning's seventeen years, this was the first time she was so angry she wanted to spit blood. She was naturally aloof, from a wealthy family, and no one had ever dared to treat her like this. She rarely got angry, but trying to help Xu Yao test this person, she was truly enraged, especially after he said her nose could hang a soy sauce bottle.

This boy is really annoying!

"Hey! You're still laughing..." Ning Xiaoning, blushing with anger, slapped Xu Yao. Only in front of her only friend, Xu Yao, did she show this girlish side. As for Wen Liang, he was ignored.

Xu Yao hugged Ning Xiaoning's waist, kissed her cheek, and before she could get angry, bowed to Wen Liang, saying sincerely, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Wen Liang knew something was fishy, waiting for Xu Yao to explain.

"I mentioned you to Ning Ning, but she secretly investigated your past and told me your character and behavior were completely different from what I said. I was puzzled, could someone's character change so much in a few days? So when Ning Ning suggested testing you, I didn't strongly stop her. I'm sorry! But I really didn't know her test was to make you stop associating with me... If I had known, I would never have agreed. Wen Liang, believe me..."

Seeing Wen Liang's increasingly cold eyes, Xu Yao's voice weakened, like a child who had made a mistake, rubbing the hem of her skirt, the fierce and beautiful girl of yesterday.

"Alright, I'll explain the rest. My investigation showed you were completely different from what Xu Yao described. Wen Liang, if your good friend was in this situation, wouldn't you worry she might be deceived? Xu Yao is my only friend, and her identity is very sensitive, but she never realizes it. So I wanted to test you, to see how this once timid and fearful boy suddenly fought criminals, humiliated Gu Wenyuan, and challenged Mu Shanshan..."

Wen Liang interrupted, "Right, you must have thought I knew Xu Yao's identity, so I was fearless. When I fought the criminals, she was there, when I humiliated Gu Wenyuan, she was there, and even this time, she helped me find a coach... Right, you're correct. Since that's the case, goodbye, no more contact, to avoid your worries!"

Wen Liang said coldly, ignoring Xu Yao's shouts, and left.

Turning a corner, the angry Uncle Wen suddenly crouched, peeking back at the restaurant. His face showed no sign of being misunderstood or wronged. He grinned and whispered, "Two little girls, trying to outsmart me, I'll teach you a lesson, see if you dare to play tricks on me again, hahaha."

Wen Liang, being who he is, wouldn't really be angry with two little girls, especially since their concerns weren't unfounded. But after being scolded by Ning Xiaoning, he needed to vent. This way, who would apologize first tomorrow? Should I be aloof and refuse, or be aloof and accept?

Quite a dilemma!

But Xu Yao being Xu Fuyan's daughter is a real find. Actually, what I said earlier has a correction: I see friendship and love with my left eye, and power, big power, with my right eye!

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