Chapter 54: Do you want them to flatter you, or do you want their friendship?

After hanging up the phone, Tang Chong stood in his place, silent for a long time.

He felt a bit of joy, but more so a deep sorrow from within.

Some things, once broken, are hard to mend, like a mirror. Some things, once lost, are hard to recover, like feelings.

"Recover?" Tang Chong's smile was cold. "Maybe I'm overthinking it?"

Suddenly, his mood became a bit low.

In front of him was the Mingli Lake, and he really wanted to sit in the middle of the lake.

Surrounded by water, being alone in the center, perhaps the sense of isolation could give him a moment of rest and healing.

In Henshan Prison, whenever his mood was bad or he lost a fight, he would go to Henshan and lie there for a while. The quiet and solitary environment allowed him to think about many things and understand many truths.

Unexpectedly, there was someone in the Mingli Pavilion.

"Su Shan?" Tang Chong's thoughts stirred.

He had to admit, he had a strange fondness for this girl. Without even interacting, just one look made him feel she was very beautiful.

Tang Chong originally thought it was love at first sight, but after discovering that his roommates Hua Ming and Liang Tao had the same feeling, he realized it was just a common male weakness.

However, this didn't mean he didn't want to get closer.

Because it had just rained, the wooden bridge was wet and slippery. If not for the railings on both sides, it would be dangerous to fall off at any moment.

Although the sky was beginning to clear, the world was still enveloped in a layer of mist. The bamboo pavilion in the middle of the lake seemed even more ethereal, as if it had drifted here from a distant fairyland.

Before he even got close, he heard the sobbing of a girl.

Tang Chong knew it wasn't Su Shan.

Su Shan wouldn't cry.

He had no evidence to support his view, but subconsciously, he thought a girl like her wouldn't cry.

If she did cry, what would she look like?

Clearly, the crying person didn't expect someone to come and disturb her. She lifted her face, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Her long, slightly curly black hair, her fair and delicate face like a porcelain doll, her clear black and white eyes reminded him of black gems wrapped in white silk. Her hair was a bit wet, her face had a bit of mud, and her tearful eyes made her look pitiful.

She must not have been wearing makeup, because even in this state, her false eyelashes didn't fall off.

Her small mouth was slightly open, her eyes wide.

When she saw Tang Chong's face clearly, her pretty face suddenly turned red, and she said angrily, "Why is it you again? Why are you always following me?"

Tang Chong looked at her in surprise. This woman's self-esteem was too high, wasn't it?

Seeing her nervous and angry expression, Tang Chong found her quite cute.

Beautiful, and not good at hiding her emotions. Her face and eyes were like a weather forecast, showing her feelings clearly.

There are many types of beautiful women in the world, but each type has a few layers of protection. This isn't a bad thing, but it ruins their natural charm.

There are many beautiful women in the world, but each one thinks she isn't beautiful enough. They think they lack something and try to cover it up or make up for it. This isn't a bad thing, but it often gives a feeling of adding a dog's tail to a qilin.

The best kind of beauty is one who is beautiful and doesn't know how to hide it. The most perfect goddess is one who is so beautiful that she doesn't need to hide it.

"What are you laughing at?" The girl wiped her face with the back of her hand and said, "What's so funny?"

"Still laughing. I'll dig out your eyeballs if you keep laughing."

"You—you're not allowed to laugh—sniff, sniff."

The girl tried to be fierce, but seeing Tang Chong still smiling with his eyes closed, and looking more and more amused, she thought he was mocking her. Feeling wronged, she couldn't help but cry again.

"Alright, alright. I won't laugh." Tang Chong quickly surrendered. "See? I'm not laughing now."

"Who cares if you're laughing or not." The girl burst into tears. "You're all bad. You all bully me."

Girls who cry with their mouths open often reveal some of their flaws, like a big mouth, yellow or crooked teeth, or a dirty tongue. But she didn't. Even with her mouth open, it was still round and cute, her teeth were like porcelain, white, clean, and neatly aligned, shining with a healthy glow. Her tongue was pink and clean, as if washed with clear water every morning.

Tang Chong sat down opposite her and asked, "Tell me, who bullied you?"

"You. And them." The girl said without a care. Perhaps she also wanted to vent.

"Who are 'them'?"

"Sun Li, Hai Ping, and Li Chao." The girl said, tears streaming down her face.

"How did they bully you?"

"They didn't let me drink the hot water they brought. They secretly went to military training without waking me up, making me late and getting scolded by the instructor. They went shopping without me, even though they promised. When I changed my clothes, they ran away and disappeared—sniff, sniff, they all bully me."

Tang Chong was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

This was a typical case of a girl who didn't understand social interactions. Because most families now have only one child, parents overly indulge their children, leading to selfish and self-centered personalities. They only care about their own feelings and rarely consider others' perspectives.

Moreover, girls are more complex psychologically than boys. The dynamics within a group of girls are more intricate than those within a group of boys.

Perhaps, they subconsciously reject girls who are wealthier or prettier than them, thinking they are not on the same wavelength.

There was already a natural gap between them. If this wealthier and prettier girl didn't know how to be tactful and flattering, the gap would only widen.

Beautiful girls often find it harder to make close friends. This is the price they pay for their beauty.

Tang Chong reined in his smile to avoid making the girl feel rejected and said, "Do you know why they bully you?"

"Because—because I'm prettier than them?" The girl said.

"There is that possibility." Tang Chong nodded with a smile. Praising and agreeing with her would make her more receptive.

Sure enough, the girl's tears turned to a smile, and she said, "I knew it was for that reason."

Tang Chong shook his head and said, "That's part of it, but not all of it."

"What else?" The girl asked, puzzled. She didn't know that Tang Chong was already using the psychology he learned today to teach her a lesson.

"Let me ask you a few questions first." Tang Chong didn't answer immediately because the answer wouldn't be pleasant. Only by making her realize the problem herself would she understand her mistake and try to correct it. If he told her directly, she might reject it. "You said they didn't let you drink their hot water. Have you ever brought hot water yourself?"

The girl's face turned red, and she said embarrassedly, "Grandma—Grandma said the hot water might burn my hands, so she told me to buy water to drink."

Tang Chong groaned. Why didn't he have such a good grandmother?

"But you can't always drink mineral water." Tang Chong said with a smile. "What if you forget to buy it one day? Are you going to go without water that night?"

"Then—then I'll go get hot water myself?" The girl asked uncertainly.

"Yes." Tang Chong nodded. "Not only should you buy a kettle to get hot water, but if you have the time or energy, you should also get hot water for the other girls in your dorm."

"Really?" The girl said. "They don't let me drink their hot water, so why should I get it for them?"

"To improve the relationship." Tang Chong said. "Your relationship with them is in a bad phase. Even if you get hot water for yourself, it only ensures you have hot water to drink. It doesn't affect them. If you can take the initiative to get hot water for them, they will feel your kindness. They will reciprocate in the future."

"Okay." The girl nodded. "If I get hot water for them, will they be nice to me?"

"That's not enough." Tang Chong said. "You need to work on it from multiple angles. Do you rarely take the initiative to talk to them?"

"Yes. Grandma told me not to talk to strangers."

"Grandma again." Tang Chong was a bit helpless. "Think about it. If you don't take the initiative to talk to people, and you ignore them when they talk to you, why would they want to be friends with you? Why would they wake you up in the morning? Shopping is something friends do together. If you can't be their friend, why would they take you shopping?"

"So I should talk to them more?"

"Yes." Tang Chong nodded. "Take the initiative to talk. Buy them small gifts."

"Small gifts?" The girl looked troubled. She had never bought gifts for others, only received them. "Should I—should I buy them a few LV bags?"

Tang Chong felt an urge to dive into the Mingli Lake. Among students, who would give 'small gifts' as expensive as LV bags?

"Your grandmother once told you something, do you remember?" Tang Chong said seriously. He had to be serious because he knew this would greatly impact the girl's future. "Don't let others know your family is rich."

"Why?" The girl's face was puzzled. She lived in a world of strict protection, a world without storms, hardships, pain, or suffering, a world without anything bad. In that world, there was only laughter, love, praise from family and friends, and flattery from others, as well as exquisite meals and expensive luxuries, and beautiful dolls.

"Do you want them to flatter you, or do you want their friendship?" Tang Chong asked seriously.