Chapter 14: What a Pity. It Wasn’t Her That Day.

There were never that many prodigal sons in this world whose return was worth more than gold.

That was also how most people saw Fang Qingchen.

After the students from the martial arts elite class finished awakening their talents, they gradually stepped down from the Awakening Platform.

Next, it was the turn of the regular-class students.

With the elite-class students having gone first, the fire in the hearts of the remaining students had been fully stirred up.

Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers born different?

So what if they were from the elite class? So what if they had a temporary lead?

If they had no martial talent, they would still be cast out all the same.

And if these regular-class students happened to awaken C-rank or B-rank martial talents, they could still rise up and turn things around!

Looking at those martial arts elite-class students who had failed to awaken any talent and were now hanging their heads in dejection, quite a few students on the field felt secret satisfaction.

When former geniuses fell from grace and people watched others make fools of themselves, human nature was simply like that.

It was satisfying to watch. They loved to see it.

Although the ten Talent Awakening Platforms were operating nonstop and the awakening process was highly efficient, when faced with the sight of more than ten thousand students lined up, they still seemed stretched to the limit.

Those students who stepped onto the Awakening Platform looked as tragic and solemn as though they were walking to an execution ground.

The students waiting below did not feel any better either. They were like warriors waiting for the moment of execution.

Quite a few students were breathing heavily with nerves, drenched in sweat, and trembling in the legs.

Even Lin Wanxing’s small hands had grown damp with sweat at this moment.

The sun had also begun to climb higher, and waves of heat rose into the air.

On top of that, she had not eaten breakfast that morning, and her stomach was growling with hunger.

She was thirsty, hungry, and quite miserable.

Subconsciously, she lifted her eyes and glanced at Fang Qingchen.

Only to discover that he looked perfectly at ease, his hands tucked into his pockets, his face utterly unconcerned.

He was even holding a cup of milk tea that no one knew where he had managed to get from.

And he was drinking it with great relish.

The fire in her heart could no longer be suppressed.

“Men are all pigs!”

“If this were before, he definitely would have come trotting over and handed that milk tea to me!”

At this point, she could no longer maintain the aloof bearing of the cold school belle.

She bit her soft pink lip and took the initiative to walk over to Fang Qingchen.

Her hands were clasped behind her back as if she were feeling awkward, and her tall figure leaned forward slightly.

Her beautiful eyes fixed themselves on Fang Qingchen’s.

“Fang Qingchen, you look quite confident. You don’t seem nervous at all.”

“You look a lot more confident than you did when you confessed to me yesterday.”

“Oh, right. If my attitude yesterday hurt you, then I’ll apologize to you here.”

“I’m sorry. You’re not really angry, are you?”

“If you’ve calmed down, can I have a sip of your milk tea?”

Her voice was very pleasant, filled with self-reproach.

Within her usual coldness was a faint sweetness.

It was like a fairy apologizing to you.

No man could possibly withstand it.

As she spoke, she tilted her delicate face to one side.

The head tilt—an absolute killing blow!

This whole combination attack of a beauty asking for forgiveness made Li Jiangnan, who was standing in the distance and was about to go onstage for his own awakening, grind his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.

“That little green-tea actress is at it again.”

“If it were the me from my previous life, I’d probably have folded on the spot.”

Looking at Lin Wanxing, who had taken the initiative to soften her stance before him, he had to admit it.

Against boys of this age, the destructive power of this move really could not be understated.

It was practically an instant kill.

But it was useless against Fang Qingchen.

Inside, he felt not the slightest ripple. If anything, he just wanted to laugh.

And Fang Qingchen really did laugh!

He grinned, baring a mouthful of white teeth that gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

“It’s just awakening a talent. You put your hand up there, touch it, and the result comes out. What’s there to be nervous about?”

“And Lin Wanxing, are you delirious from hunger or something?”

“Why would I bring two cups of milk tea?”

As he spoke, Fang Qingchen reached into his schoolbag.

And somehow, he really did pull out another cup of milk tea...

“Hm...”

“So I really did bring two cups.”

As he spoke, he extended the milk tea toward her.

Tsk...

Seeing this scene, the surrounding students all revealed expressions of utter unsurprise.

They immediately began whispering among themselves.

“I still overestimated Bootlicker Fang.”

“This time he didn’t even hold out for half a day. In the end, he still came crawling back to lick her boots.”

“But I get it. School Belle Lin really is just too good at this.”

“Most people don’t even have the chance to be a simp for her.”

When Lin Wanxing saw Fang Qingchen pull out another cup of milk tea as if by magic, a trace of satisfaction flashed through her beautiful eyes.

So, I’ve still got you in the palm of my hand.

Given how badly you behaved today, after I drink this milk tea, I’ll leave you hanging for a few more days.

That’ll be your punishment.

That was what she thought.

She really was thirsty.

And with the rich fragrance of the milk tea drifting into her nose, she no longer cared about the rule of politely refusing three times before reluctantly accepting, just to make it look as though she truly did not want it.

Lin Wanxing reached out with her slender little hand, so fair it almost reflected light, and moved to take the milk tea.

The scene was exactly like it had been many times before.

As if it had simply been copied and pasted.

At the same time, she had already prepared herself to hear him take the initiative to apologize.

Who could have guessed that Fang Qingchen did not even glance at the hand she had stretched out?

His hand holding the milk tea had only moved halfway toward her before his tall body shifted, his arm turning with it, and the cup changed direction entirely toward the rear.

He looked at Lu Qingqian, who was as inconspicuous as a little transparent shadow.

“Lu Qingqian, this cup of milk tea is for you.”

“As your deskmate, buying you a cup of milk tea is perfectly reasonable, right?”

Lu Qingqian lifted the head she had been keeping lowered, her face filled with astonishment.

But her own naturally cool and withdrawn temperament made her instinctively want to refuse.

“I’m not thirsty...”

The quiet, light words slipped out of her mouth.

If Lin Wanxing’s coldness was only an act, then Lu Qingqian’s was the real thing.

But before Lu Qingqian could even finish speaking, Fang Qingchen had already stuffed the milk tea into her left hand.

His palm gave it a slight upward push.

The motion lifted the cup, and the straw brushed against her soft, full pink lips.

“There. Your mouth already touched the straw, so now no one but you is going to drink it.”

Fang Qingchen shrugged, hugged his own cup of milk tea, and leisurely took a sip.

“You...”

Lu Qingqian puffed out her cheeks. This person was far too unreasonable.

With her personality, if it had been anyone else trying to force a cup of milk tea into her hands, she probably would already have splashed it onto the ground.

“I heard that if your body is short on water, it can also affect the accuracy of talent awakening.”

Fang Qingchen added another sentence.

Looking at Fang Qingchen’s eyes—filled with smiling warmth, yet clear as water—the hand with which she held the milk tea slowly tightened.

Liar. You always know how to make things up.

Idiot. What kind of person gives a girl milk tea in such a rough way?

She did not dare look too long into Fang Qingchen’s eyes.

Lowering her head, she said softly, “Thank you... Next time, I’ll treat you instead.”

Sip...

A mouthful of milk tea entered her mouth. The milk fragrance was rich, and the sweetness filled her whole mouth.

With just that single sip, it awakened in a girl who had never tasted milk tea before a craving for sweetness she had never known.

Lu Qingqian’s eyes lit up.

So this was the milk tea the other students were always drinking?

It was so delicious!

Thinking that, she raised her right hand as well.

Holding the milk tea cup with both hands, she sipped it in small mouthfuls, slowly savoring every bit of it.

She was afraid that if she drank too fast, this happiness would disappear too quickly.

She was so focused that she did not notice that Fang Qingchen’s gaze was fixed directly on her raised right palm.

Her hand was very beautiful, and her palm was white and tender.

But after seeing it clearly, a trace of disappointment flashed through Fang Qingchen’s eyes.

“What a pity. That day... it wasn’t her...”