Chapter 64: Gone

After finishing their study session, Daxu was in a whirlwind of activity—carefully selecting stylish clothes, fixing his hair, and even spraying on a bit of cologne.

Minghan looked at Daxu with a disdainful expression, thinking to himself, “You flamboyant show-off! Weren’t you always saying you wanted to become a sunny, wholesome guy? Now you look more like a gigolo!”

Daxu glanced at Minghan with a hint of reproach. “Dude! You’re really going to the gathering in your school uniform? You’re not in the right mood for this!”

To be honest, Minghan was excited about meeting the girls too, but he had no intention of pursuing anything serious with them. His plan was to save his beautiful first love for university. Of course, he couldn’t guarantee he’d always remain so pure and steadfast.

Once they were ready, they agreed to meet at the school gate. With the high school entrance exams approaching, there were more and more boarding students, since those who lived on campus had to do evening self-study to ensure enough study time.

Minghan and his friends arrived first. After waiting five minutes, the two girls showed up. Now, Minghan knew their names—Ying Huanhuan and Li Yating—both were well-known beauties.

“Qingqing said she’ll come over directly later,” one of them said.

Everyone understood—Deng Qingqing was a day student, chauffeured to and from school each day in an expensive Mercedes.

They chose a nice spot, ordered food, and called for a few bottles of alcohol and soft drinks.

Ying Huanhuan declared boldly, “I want to drink too.”

Zheng Yuan gave her a thumbs-up. “A true heroine among women.”

Just then, Li Yating’s phone rang. After answering, she announced, “Qingqing said she’s bringing a friend along.”

Daxu’s eyes lit up. There’s an eighty percent chance that a beauty’s friend is also a beauty. The more beautiful girls he met, the better his odds of escaping singledom. At moments like this, Daxu’s probability skills were at their peak.

Five minutes later, a Mercedes stopped in front of the restaurant, drawing the attention of many onlookers. This was an ordinary restaurant; such luxury cars were a rare sight here.

Then, everyone saw the figures of two young women—one tall, the other alluringly beautiful. The eyes of many boys in the restaurant were glued to them. Girls of such caliber were a rarity at school.

When Minghan saw the two figures, he groaned inwardly. Besides Deng Qingqing, wasn’t the other one Lin Jingjing? That girl certainly had a wide social circle.

Daxu’s expression was priceless. He leaned over and whispered to Minghan, “Looks like your keeper has arrived! You’d better behave yourself tonight.”

Deng Qingqing greeted everyone and introduced the beauty by her side, “My best friend, Lin Jingjing!”

Zheng Yuan laughed, “Old friends! Long time no see.”

Deng Qingqing was surprised. “You all know each other already?”

Daxu jumped in, “Of course! This beauty has been after our Ming for ages!”

Lin Jingjing didn’t mind at all. She waved her hand and replied, “But your precious Ming never accepts my advances!”

Listening to them banter like a comic duo, Minghan could only give a sheepish smile and bury himself in his drink.

Lin Jingjing wasn’t bothered by Minghan’s attitude and naturally sat down beside him.

Deng Qingqing knew her best friend’s taste well. Although Lin Jingjing could be a bit brash, she had never accepted the advances of any boy. Yet she was secretly pursuing one behind Deng Qingqing’s back—this Minghan must have some charm indeed!

Minghan was well-known in their grade—good grades, good looks, a decent basketball player, and a pleasant singing voice. Deng Qingqing had seen him once at the school singing competition and thought he had the air of a pop idol. But, coming from a wealthy family, she’d seen plenty of handsome boys.

“Minghan, don’t you think our Jingjing is pretty? Don’t you feel anything?” Deng Qingqing asked curiously.

Faced with the school beauty’s probing look, Minghan felt a headache coming on. “Um… I’m still young, I haven’t thought about dating yet.”

Lin Jingjing blushed as the subject turned to her. She poured some wine into Deng Qingqing’s glass, “Tonight we have to get this nosy onlooker drunk.”

Lin Jingjing could hold her liquor, but Deng Qingqing had never touched alcohol and refused repeatedly.

Everyone was having a good time, though Minghan was noticeably quieter than usual. Clearly, Lin Jingjing’s presence was holding him back.

Lin Jingjing tried to chat with Minghan about recent funny events, only to be mercilessly teased by him.

“Minghan, I got 120 in math on this month’s exam.”

“Oh, I got a perfect score.”

Lin Jingjing was so exasperated. Sometimes, nothing is more lethal than showing off without even trying.

But she liked Minghan’s witty, humorous style. Sometimes a single joke from him could leave you puzzled for a moment, then laughing like a fool.

Deng Qingqing rarely attended gatherings like this. Since childhood, her mother had taught her to be elegant and poised. She was often brought to the lavish banquets and functions of the wealthy and powerful, where one mustn’t talk too much, eat too quickly, and greet everyone—whether familiar or not.

In truth, being rich could be exhausting.

But gatherings like this made her feel relaxed. Everyone chatted freely; the topics might seem meaningless, yet were incredibly interesting.

Living too rigidly can make life dull and tedious.

“I heard you’re all basketball stars?” Ying Huanhuan’s eyes sparkled. “Guys who play basketball are always super handsome.”

It seemed she didn’t watch much basketball.

Daxu replied modestly, “Just so-so! But under my leadership, our class made the finals again this term. Not too shabby, I’d say.”

Listening to Daxu’s shameless boasting, Minghan closed his eyes—he just couldn’t take it anymore.

Your leadership? The star forward with a per-game average of 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists?

The atmosphere was lively, but Huang Ying, who had been sitting quietly beside Yuhang, suddenly looked uncomfortable. She’d noticed that the girls all had a great impression of Minghan; he was surrounded by temptation. She had to give him a reminder.

“Minghan, do you want to know what Lili is doing in America?”

The sudden mention of that name made Minghan’s heart clench, but he didn’t respond.

Instead, Deng Qingqing replied, “Lili? Chen Li?”

Deng Qingqing had long heard of Chen Li—an ice-cold beauty who kept everyone at a distance. Though her figure wasn’t remarkable, her face was breathtakingly beautiful. Even Deng Qingqing, with all her pride and self-confidence, had to admit it.

Huang Ying nodded. “Lili brings up Minghan almost every time we chat.”

Knowing Chen Li still cared about him, Minghan felt a strange surge of happiness, but he remained silent.

Deng Qingqing now understood—the handsome guy was already spoken for! But since Chen Li had gone abroad, many boys had been heartbroken by the news.

“Minghan, so you’re not trying to stay pure and unattached—you’re already devoted to someone.”

Minghan finally spoke. “That’s all in the past now.”

His tone was cold as ice, but everyone could hear the tremor in his voice.

Lin Jingjing took his hand and said sweetly, “It’s all in the past! Our Minghan only wants to study now. You bunch of troublemakers are just a bad influence on him.”