Chapter 90

Chapter 84: The Person Who Likes You

The four of them discussed where to go for tutoring. Wen Liang's original intention was to find a quiet bakery or a small restaurant with private rooms, which were conveniently located near the school, allowing them to both tutor and eat without delay. However, he suddenly realized that Ji Su might not have the money to go to such places. Given her character, she would definitely refuse if he offered to pay. After much consideration, to both respect her dignity and ensure a comfortable environment, Wen Liang decided to take the three of them to the Qinghe Soy Milk Shop.

As soon as they got out of the car, Ren Yi exclaimed, "So this place is yours? You kept it so secret. Are you afraid to give us a discount?"

Meng Ke added, "Yeah, I wondered why Su Su always brought you breakfast, and you never reacted. You must have felt guilty eating your own food."

Ji Su laughed and tried to cover Meng Ke's mouth, and the two of them playfully dodged each other. Seeing that they had stirred up a commotion, Wen Liang bowed and smiled, saying, "My family can't afford to run a shop. This is my uncle's. It's close to all our homes, and it's convenient to take the bus after tutoring."

The four of them laughed and entered the shop, where they saw Ning Xiaoning standing at the cash register, calculating something on a calculator. Wen Liang leaned over to take a look and asked, "Where's Xiao Yin? Why are you handling the cash?"

Ning Xiaoning, without lifting her head, said, "Xiao Yin has a cold and left early. I'll just finish the inventory for today."

"Ning Xiaoning?"

Ren Yi was extremely excited. Although he knew Ning Xiaoning and Wen Liang had a special relationship, seeing this ice-cold beauty up close still left him in awe. Seizing every opportunity, Ren Yi rubbed his hands and smiled, saying, "Hello, I'm..."

Ning Xiaoning looked up, and her furrowed brows immediately made Ren Yi swallow the rest of his words. She didn't even glance at him, focusing on Wen Liang's face and asking, "Who are these people?"

Ji Su stepped forward and smiled, "I'm Ji Su, a classmate of Wen Liang. Hello, Ning Xiaoning!"

Ning Xiaoning really didn't recognize Ji Su. She rarely paid attention to school matters, and her personality didn't incline her to pretend not to know someone to make them feel inferior. She nodded, acknowledging the name, and continued her calculations.

Ren Yi, feeling embarrassed, retreated with a forced smile. However, he was used to being rejected and didn't mind, still looking at Ning Xiaoning excitedly. Wen Liang even suspected he was considering asking for an autograph.

Meng Ke stuck out her tongue and whispered to Ji Su, "So cold, just like the rumors."

Ji Su lightly nudged her, signaling her to be quiet, but still smiled faintly. Wen Liang asked the three to sit down and then went into the kitchen. Li Shengli was busy inside. Seeing Wen Liang, he grabbed him, ignoring the flour on his hands, and said excitedly, "Wei Gang... really..."

Wen Liang smiled and nodded, flipping through a small notebook on the counter, which was filled with data. He asked, "What's this?"

Li Shengli immediately perked up, pointing to the data and explaining. After listening, Wen Liang understood. The standardized procedures he had discussed with Li Shengli were being experimented with, aiming to optimize the best operational processes and create a practical manual. This required countless efforts, mastering the timing, ingredients, and duration to ensure the taste while achieving mass production.

Wen Liang praised him. In just a few days, Li Shengli had explored several feasible methods. Now, they needed to choose the most scientific and economical one, refine it, and standardize it into an effective operational guideline.

After a few more words, Wen Liang mentioned that he would be coming to the soy milk shop for tutoring in the coming days. Li Shengli warmly welcomed him and asked about dinner, suggesting they order from a restaurant. Wen Liang knew Ji Su wouldn't agree, so he decided to use the shop's resources, offering each of them a cup of soy milk and a youtiao, a standard that might be acceptable to Ji Su.

Li Shengli greeted the three and then went back to work. The shop had few customers. Meng Ke and Ren Yi sat on one side, while Ji Su sat alone, leaving an empty seat next to her. The three sat in silence, only the sound of Ning Xiaoning typing on the keyboard breaking the awkward atmosphere. As Wen Liang passed the cash register, he whispered, "These are my friends..." and then sat down, taking out his textbook, "Teachers, where do we start? Should we have a pill first?"

Ning Xiaoning watched Wen Liang's back, a mix of amusement and annoyance in her eyes. She bit her lip, thought for a moment, threw the calculator aside, and brought four cups of soy milk over, her usually cold face showing a rare gentle smile, "Tutoring Wen Liang must be tiring. I'll treat you all to soy milk."

Wen Liang didn't mind her teasing, considering it a small price to pay for her coming over to greet them.

Ren Yi was overwhelmed with happiness, staring at Ning Xiaoning's beautiful face and saying foolishly, "Not tiring at all..."

Wen Liang was a bit annoyed. He hadn't realized Ren Yi's low resistance to beautiful women. Ning Xiaoning was not someone to provoke!

Surprisingly, Ning Xiaoning didn't get angry and smiled at Ren Yi, "Hello!"

Ren Yi realized his overreaction, scratched his head, and said a bit embarrassedly, "Hello, I'm Ren Yi, Wen Liang's desk partner. I'm not usually like this."

"Um, Wen Liang mentioned you. I often see you eating together in the cafeteria. Oh, and I heard the girls in Class 7 talk about you, saying you write poetry very well..."

Ning Xiaoning was one of the most socially adept girls Wen Liang knew. When she wanted to be friendly, her words were like a warm breeze, making anyone feel comfortable. Even Liu Zhihe might not be able to match her!

Ren Yi's pride was evident on his face, but he humbly said, "Not really, not really, just a bit better than Wen Liang."

Ning Xiaoning smiled, glancing at Wen Liang. Ji Su and Meng Ke exchanged a look and chuckled. Everyone knew Ren Yi was joking, but they deliberately looked at Wen Liang, expressing their disdain with their eyes.

Wen Liang felt defeated by Ren Yi's behavior, a typical case of stabbing a friend for a woman. He laughed bitterly, "Alright, the server, please return to your post. Everyone, start studying. If you keep chatting, I'll spank your hands."

Ning Xiaoning had no good expression for Wen Liang, huffed, and turned away, her proud head held high. Ji Su and the others had many questions about Ning Xiaoning working there but didn't ask, mindful of not causing any discomfort.

"Let's start. Meng Ke, help Ren Yi review math. I see he's good at humanities." Ji Su, seeing them nod, smiled at Wen Liang, "Alright, Wen Liang, write an English essay, about 100 words, any topic."

Wen Liang inwardly praised Ji Su, who was a competent study committee member and English class representative. High school English mainly focused on grammar and vocabulary, and a student's true level could be gauged from an essay. He thought for a moment and wrote it in less than five minutes. When he handed it to Ji Su, a hint of disappointment was visible in her eyes.

In high school, no one could write a good English essay in five minutes, not even Ma Song, the top student in the city.

Although Ji Su knew Wen Liang's grades were poor, deep down, she felt he could do anything and subconsciously hoped he would surprise her as he always did.

Reality was always cruel. In five minutes, he might have only written "My name is Wen Liang."

Ji Su shook her head and laughed at her own thoughts. His grades wouldn't affect her feelings, and expecting perfection from someone was an unrealistic fantasy.

Taking the essay, Ji Su was stunned. The writing was beautiful, the vocabulary rich, and the content substantial. Many words were unfamiliar, but from the simple sentences, she understood that Wen Liang was praising a girl: beautiful, strong, dignified, and self-respecting.

Ji Su knew this was written for her!

Meng Ke reached out to see Wen Liang's work. Ji Su glanced at Wen Liang, her heart racing, and quickly tore the page out, putting it in her pocket. "What did you write? Meng Ke, don't look, or Wen Liang will be embarrassed. Um, do a math problem for me..."

Two hours passed quickly. The four of them tutored each other, discussing difficult problems together, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant. After finishing the inventory, Ning Xiaoning helped Li Shengli clean and organize the kitchen, occasionally glancing at the four of them, her expression unchanged, her thoughts unknown.

In just two hours, Wen Liang truly amazed Ji Su. His English was excellent, with only minor grammatical errors and an impressive vocabulary. His Chinese foundation was solid, and he could solve many math and science problems with formulas. His elective subjects were a bit weaker, but he knew a lot. For example, in history, he couldn't remember specific events by year but could explain their causes, effects, and deeper political and social implications in a way that was both engaging and profound, making the two hours largely spent listening to him.

Wen Liang put down his textbook, stretched, and smiled, "How was it? Not bad, right?"

The three of them looked at him with disdain, making Wen Liang laugh. As they left, Ji Su greeted Ning Xiaoning. The two beautiful girls maintained a subtle distance, the atmosphere somewhat strange. After seeing them off, Wen Liang returned, and Ning Xiaoning stood on the steps, looking down at him. She suddenly asked, "Is this the girl Xu Yao and you helped recently?"

Wen Liang smiled, "Yes, what about it?"

Ning Xiaoning was silent for a moment, leaning against the white wall, one foot slightly bent against it, her eyelashes fluttering as she said softly, "Xu Yao likes you, you know?"