Chapter 23: The Art of Saying No
“My name is Xing Zhaoyan, I'm Xiang Yang's good friend.”
Xing Zhaoyan's words ended long ago, but a faint smile of courtesy remained on his face.
Fu Guanxian slightly tilted his head, his gaze fixed on him, arrogance swirling in his eyes. He chuckled, dismissively, “From what I know, you've only known each other for two weeks. To become good friends in two weeks, the definition of “good friend” is truly loose.”
Xing Zhaoyan still maintained his smile, calmly stating, “I once read a book, and there was a phrase I remember, the general meaning was: some people, even after a lifetime together, remain distant. But some people, with just a glance, you know, the unspoken connection between you and them.”
Fu Guanxian slightly twitched his lips, the smile on his face mocking, “This classmate, you're definitely going to be an arts student in the future.”
But Xing Zhaoyan seemed oblivious to his sarcasm, and instead said, “If Xiang Yang studies arts, I'll study arts too. If she chooses science, I'll follow her.”
Fu Guanxian's gaze suddenly turned cold, and he looked at Xing Zhaoyan with a slightly annoyed expression. He thought: Who are you? How dare you decide to study whatever she studies!
Fu Guanxian turned his gaze towards Xiang Yang.
Xiang Yang, listening to their back-and-forth conversation, also sensed the tension and didn't know what to do. She was about to say something when she heard, “Fu Guanxian!”
The sound made Xiang Yang feel happy. Finally, someone to help!
Lian Rui searched for Fu Guanxian for a long time before finding him. They had made plans to play basketball with their junior high classmates. Lian Rui had come to the library to return a book, so he stopped by. Fu Guanxian, however, didn't want to wait in the long queue, so he said, “You return your book, I'll go see if there are any new books.” He ended up browsing for a long time.
Seeing Fu Guanxian, Lian Rui urged him, “Let's hurry up, they've been waiting for us on the basketball court for a long time, they've called us several times already!”
Fu Guanxian didn't even look at him and replied, “Not going!”
“Hey, why are you not going again!” Lian Rui said, passing by him, and then noticed Xiang Yang standing between Fu Guanxian and the other guy. Xiang Yang was so small that she was almost completely hidden by Fu Guanxian.
Seeing Xiang Yang, Lian Rui was also a little excited. This wasn't junior high anymore, and he didn't have to keep a distance from Xiang Yang to hide their relationship from outsiders.
Of course, this keeping distance was something Fu Guanxian had requested.
Lian Rui, when he had heard this, had been confused: “You don't want people to know about your relationship with Xiang Yang...”
“You said it wrong. She doesn't want people to know she's related to me.”
Lian Rui shook his head repeatedly, “It's the same! It's the same! Why are you two so difficult!”
“It's her.”
“Guanxian, but it's your business, why are you asking me and Xiang Yang to keep a distance?” He didn't understand.
Fu Guanxian's explanation at the time was: “You're my good brother, we hang out all the time. If you become close to her, wouldn't other people also turn their attention to me? So to avoid suspicion, you need to stay away from her.”
Lian Rui really wasn't happy with this. “Can't we even be friends?”
“No.”
Lian Rui complained, “I've never seen any childhood sweethearts like you two!”
Fu Guanxian glanced at him and didn't bother to answer.
Now, even though he hadn't seen Xiang Yang for a long time, Lian Rui still didn't seem to be estranged. He was still very enthusiastic. “Xiang Yang! I didn't expect to see you here! By the way, we're going to play basketball, do you want to come watch? Guanxian is really good at basketball! I don't think you've ever seen him play.”
Xiang Yang didn't want to go, so she said, “Sorry, maybe next time, I'm here with a friend, I'll pass.”
Lian Rui was slightly regretful, “Then maybe we can come together another time.” He then put his hand on Fu Guanxian's shoulder, “Let's go!”
“Not going.” Fu Guanxian waved his hand away, turned around and walked towards the opposite direction from Lian Rui.
Lian Rui hurriedly said goodbye to Xiang Yang, then chased after Fu Guanxian, “Hey! What's wrong with you! Why are you saying no again? You're so grumpy today, did you eat gunpowder this morning?”
“Shut up!”
Xiang Yang watched the two walk away, a little worried. Fu Guanxian's temper was only bearable by Lian Rui.
“What are you thinking about?” Xing Zhaoyan saw her staring in the direction Fu Guanxian left, so he softly asked.
“Oh, nothing.” Xiang Yang replied.
Xing Zhaoyan glanced at her, while looking for a book, he said casually, “Xiang Yang, actually, when I ask you what you're thinking, it means I want to know your true thoughts. But I've realized that every time, you're just evading me. Whether it's family, relatives, friends, I think communication is necessary. If you don't bravely tell others what you think, others will guess wrong, they won't know what you like and what you dislike. They won't know your boundaries and sometimes they'll step on them. Xiang Yang, bravely expressing your own thoughts is everyone's right.”
Xiang Yang was stunned by his words.
Xing Zhaoyan smiled slightly and continued, “Actually, I was looking for a book on the shelf next door and accidentally overheard your conversation with Fu Guanxian.”
Xiang Yang caught a key point, “How did you know his name is Fu Guanxian?” She remembered that Fu Guanxian didn't seem to recognize him, and after he introduced himself, Fu Guanxian didn't say his name.
Xing Zhaoyan replied, “Who at Qinglin High School doesn't know Fu Guanxian?”
Xiang Yang didn't know if it was her lack of awareness, but since starting school, she hadn't heard much about him.
Xing Zhaoyan explained, “There are probably very few people in the school who don't know the name Fu Guanxian. By the way, Fu Guanxian is very popular with girls in the school. There are a lot of girls who like him. There are even a lot of girls in our class who admire him, and they say he is the school's most popular handsome guy.”
Xiang Yang was at a loss for words. She still knew Fu Guanxian. She remembered when she was in kindergarten, just a few days after school started, there was a very pretty girl who cried every day wanting to sit with Fu Guanxian. That girl was like a doll, cute, she always wore a puffy skirt and had two long pigtails. But Fu Guanxian would reject her.
The teacher persuaded him to agree, but he was very arrogant and said: “Teacher, I don't want to sit with her. If you make me sit with her, I'll go home.”
The teacher couldn't let him drop out of school, so she could only appease him. In the end, she let Fu Guanxian sit at a single desk. No one could sit with him. Fu Guanxian was even very happy about it.
But that girl, every day, would bring different kinds of pastries to school, and each time she would always give Fu Guanxian a share. Sometimes, when Fu Guanxian saw her put it in his drawer, he would directly take it out and throw it all to Xiang Yang, and he would insist that she finish it, not allowing her to throw it away.
So many times, when Xiang Yang went home, Jiang Manxin would be surprised: Why are there so many snacks in your schoolbag?
“Xiang Yang!” Xing Zhaoyan saw her spacing out again and said helplessly: “Look, you're spacing out again.”
“Sorry.” Xiang Yang was surprised, why did she suddenly think about her childhood?
Xing Zhaoyan said “It's okay,” then said, “I also heard Fu Guanxian ask you to do his homework.”
“You...”
“Xiang Yang, what I want to say is, if you really don't want to help him with his homework, then bravely refuse. You're not his anyone, you don't need to help him with his homework. Moreover, helping others with their homework isn't kindness, on the contrary, you will harm him. Xiang Yang, if Fu Guanxian asks you to do something, if you don't want to do it, you should learn to say no. You have this right. Even if you refuse, he wouldn't dare to do anything to you! If he really dares to do anything to you, you tell me, and I'll find a way to help you.”
Xiang Yang was speechless after hearing him say these words so seriously.
It seemed that it had always been just her and Fu Guanxian, and suddenly someone else intervened, telling her how to deal with things correctly. Xiang Yang felt something was off.
After thinking for a while, she still said, “Thank you, I'll try to say no in the future.”
Xing Zhaoyan smiled contentedly and asked, “Are you here alone today?”
“No, I'm with my classmate.”
“Oh, where will you two be sitting later?”
Xiang Yang roughly pointed in a direction and said, “By the window.”
“Okay, I'll find you when I find the book I'm looking for.”
“...Okay.” Xiang Yang didn't understand, why did he want to find her? What's the matter?
After Xiang Yang retrieved her book, Hou Xingrou asked curiously, “Why did it take you so long?”
“I ran into someone I knew.”
Hou Xingrou's eyes immediately lit up and asked, “Fu Guanxian and Lian Rui?”
Xiang Yang was surprised, “How did you know?”
“I went to the bathroom just now, and I saw them from a distance on the way back.”
“Oh.”
Hou Xingrou nudged Xiang Yang's arm with her elbow and asked, “Xiang Yang, do you think Fu Guanxian has a girlfriend?”
“What?”
Hou Xingrou became anxious, “Girlfriend! You're in the same school as him, haven't you heard anything?”
Xiang Yang shook her head.
What could she hear?
Her information was so limited, even Xing Zhaoyan knew more than her.
Hou Xingrou tilted her head slightly, playing with her pen, and smiled, “You think he might have secretly gotten a girlfriend? After all, he's already in the second year of high school, and he's not the kind of good student who just obediently studies!”
Fu Guanxian's grades were good, but he was also very good at causing trouble.
But Xiang Yang always felt that he shouldn't have a girlfriend. She said so, thinking so.
Hou Xingrou instigated, “Why don't you investigate?”
“What do I do after I investigate?” Xiang Yang asked, “Why are you suddenly interested in this?”
“I'm curious!” Hou Xingrou said with a smile.
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