"Good morning."
Han Lie nodded, politely responding to their greetings.
LV and Little Northeast immediately let out a huge sigh of relief.
Big Brother was in a good mood, and his mental state was perfectly normal!
But just as they relaxed, they saw Han Lie staring intently at Huang Wei and asking softly, "Are you coming back to sleep tonight?"
I'm fucking losing it!
Huang Wei's heart pounded, and his legs began to tremble.
Forcing a semblance of a smile onto his face, he replied, "Well, I still have to be with my girlfriend today… Sorry, Big Brother, only Little Northeast and Ding Ding can welcome you back…"
"Oh. No rush."
Han Lie nodded slightly, then turned his head away, no longer paying Huang Wei any mind.
Alright, Huang Wei completely understood now. This Big Brother was really fixated on him! The bitterness in his heart was beyond words.
Wasn't it just because I talked back to you a couple of times? Do you really have to be so preoccupied with whether I return to the dorm or not?! I'm just not fucking going back, what can you do about it?!
Huang Wei, all bluster, cursed inwardly while desperately clinging to LV and Little Northeast, refusing to let go.
In the end, the three of them collectively shrank back a bit.
The elevator finally arrived.
The three brothers were close to the door but remained rooted to the spot.
Little Northeast, ever so slick, hurriedly gestured to Han Lie, "Big Brother, you first!"
"Thank you."
Brother Lie nodded in acknowledgment, ever mindful of his manners and politeness.
"No problem, no problem!"
Little Northeast continued to brown-nose and voluntarily cleared the entrance. "There are too many of us; we'll wait for the other elevator."
If they didn't get on, the students from the finance class had to. So, one by one, they filed in, quickly filling up the elevator.
Xi Luting and Yu Yun walked arm in arm at the front, ending up right beside Han Lie.
The two girls exchanged a stealthy glance, then both peeked at Han Lie with a sidelong look. →_→
They were too embarrassed to ask, but their hearts itched with curiosity as if scratched by a cat.
Girls needed to maintain their composure; boys didn't need such restraint.
Zhang Tieshu was extremely excited, standing face-to-face with Han Lie, his expression jubilant and his spirits soaring.
"Han Bro, you're awesome! Huang Bro and Ding Bro both call you Big Brother... Did you guys know each other before?"
Han Lie frowned deeply, looking coldly at Zhang Tieshu.
"If you dare spray your spit on me again, I'll give you a new set of teeth that don't stink so much."
PFFT!
Yu Yun couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing on the spot.
Xi Luting, who had been trying to tilt her head away from Zhang Tieshu's flying spittle, also found her eyes crinkling in an irrepressible smile at his words.
"Uh, sorry about that…"
Zhang Tieshu was mortified, his face a mixture of red and pale. He gave a couple of sheepish laughs and sullenly turned away.
If this had been ten minutes earlier and Han Lie had dared to speak to him like that, he would have definitely retorted sharply. Worst case, we'd just have a fight!
But having witnessed the earlier scene, he no longer dared. Even those big shots from the School of International Studies didn't dare to pick a fight with Han Lie; who am I to try? Winning or losing the fight is one thing; the consequences are another entirely.
Nearby, Low Zhi, who usually loved being sarcastic and chiming in uninvited, also didn't dare to make a sound.
Chen Ping, who was usually quick to curse up a storm, simply kept his mouth shut.
For a moment, the elevator became very quiet.
Xi Luting and Yu Yun exchanged glances, still finding it hard to believe that with the entire 1918 cohort gathered, there could be such a tranquil moment.
The deterrent power of a male peer could actually be this strong...
Freaky!
After a short while, they reached the twelfth floor, and the group swarmed into the multimedia classroom.
Han Lie was about to find a seat on his own when Xi Luting suddenly spoke up, stopping him.
"Hey, Han Lie, that side over there is for the accounting class. Come with me."
The multimedia classroom could accommodate 120 people, with 12 seats per row and a total of 10 rows, divided into two large sections by an aisle. The finance class had 64 students and the accounting class had 55, so there was just enough space. Therefore, large lectures were generally attended by both classes together.
Initially, the two classes did sit separately, clearly demarcated. But since the finance class had more people, a few would inevitably sit with the accounting class. Later, as everyone became more familiar with each other, it didn't really matter where anyone sat. Anyway, with only 40 boys in total between the two classes, wherever they sat, they couldn't escape being surrounded by girls.
You're just picking on me because I'm new and don't know anything, right?
Brother Lie chuckled inwardly but didn't turn down Xi Luting's "kindness."
Why would he refuse? Wasn't it more interesting to see what tricks she wanted to play?
"Okay. Where shall we sit?"
"The middle."
Xi Luting looked around as she walked and quickly found three consecutive empty seats. She gently nudged Yu Yun, signaling her to take the innermost seat, then sat in the middle one herself, leaving the aisle seat for Han Lie.
"The fifth row. It's neither too close nor too far. You can see the blackboard clearly, right?"
When she spoke, she was utterly calm.
Brother Lie now had exceptionally sharp vision; even Miao Renfeng wouldn't need binoculars. What could he possibly not see clearly?
He plopped down without a second thought, indulging her little scheme.
"I'm good with anything."
"That's good then."
There was still some time before class started, and Xi Luting took the initiative to start small talk.
Her aloofness was reserved for outsiders. When she was in a good mood, or when otherwise necessary, she would also chat with boys in the class whom she deemed worthy of her attention. So, it wasn't that she was averse to interacting with boys; she was merely averse to interacting with boys she considered to have no value. Like Low Zhi, and the former Han Lie.
Of course, no matter how pleasantly she chatted with you, it didn't signify anything. When it came to managing social distance, she was mature beyond her 18 years.
Xi Luting's first question sounded both caring and accusatory.
"Didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to make friends with everyone? Why were you so rude to Zhang Tieshu just now? You scared everyone."
"Did I say I wanted to become friends with everyone?"
It was a rhetorical question, his tone neutral, which made Xi Luting feel quite uncomfortable. However, Han Lie had just demonstrated his extraordinary "influence," and this was precisely when Xi Luting was most curious about him and her tolerance for him was at its peak.
Thus, her attitude softened a bit.
"Well, that's true... Zhang Tieshu was indeed too inconsiderate, very ill-mannered."
After agreeing, she asked again, "Then what kind of friends are you looking to make?"
Han Lie suddenly looked up, staring into her beautiful, fox-like eyes, and smiled.
"Friends who don't ask so many questions."
Xi Luting was momentarily dazzled by his smile and his pearly white teeth, only to immediately hear such an answer, which made her chest tighten with frustration.
"PFFT!"
Yu Yun couldn't hold back her laughter again and chuckled. She quickly raised her hand in apology, "Sorry, sorry... Brother Lie, you're too amusing..."
Then she winked at Han Lie, smiling coquettishly, "Brother Lie, I rarely ask questions~~~ How about considering adding me on WeChat?"
"I'll send you mine tonight."
Han Lie agreed but put it off and set expectations in advance. "But I rarely chat. My WeChat and QQ are often on silent, so I might not reply to messages very promptly."
At the mention of this, Xi Luting felt a fresh wave of irritation.
She raised an eyebrow, looking at Han Lie with a hint of provocation. "So, your so-called 'not very promptly' means you still haven't replied to my message from yesterday?"
"Sorry about that."
Han Lie apologized very sincerely.
"There were simply too many messages yesterday, and not enough time, so I decided not to reply to any of them."
Xi Luting took a couple of deep breaths. But it was no use; her emotions were still in turmoil.
If you were to say he was infuriating, his attitude was, paradoxically, so sincere. If you were to say he wasn't at fault, well, that remark really made you want to punch him...
What does he mean, "too many messages, so I replied to none"?! Is my message the same as anyone else's?! Am I not pretty enough, or are his standards too high?!
Xi Luting wasn't a tactful person to begin with, and now she was completely at a loss as to how to continue the conversation. If she asked questions, he found it annoying. If she didn't, he showed no intention of speaking up.
Is he really planning to play hard to get with me to the very end?! Fine, we'll just see about that!
Xi Luting bit her lip, forced herself to calm down, opened her book, and said no more.