Chapter 204 - 172: Peculiarity

Chapter 204: Chapter 172: Peculiarity

Fang Meng walked out of the bedroom a moment later.

"You go ahead and change. Call me when you’re done." She closed the door for him.

Lin Zhengran glanced at her, then took off his jacket and changed his clothes.

Fang Meng’s usual outfits were actually very fashionable. Today, for instance, she wore a very thin yellow jacket over a pure white, form-fitting, long-sleeved shirt, paired with a pleated skirt.

The side ponytail was the finishing touch, giving Fang Meng the overall look of an "off-campus girlfriend."

At least, that was the first impression his mom, Lin Xiaoli, had when she first saw the girl.

After changing, Lin Zhengran called out, "Fang Meng, I’m done."

Fang Meng, who had been standing primly in the living room, re-entered Lin Zhengran’s bedroom and sat on his bed.

Lin Zhengran turned his head to look at her.

She also turned her head to look at Lin Zhengran.

A silent staring contest.

No one blushed.

Lin Zhengran asked, "So? Why are you at my house again?"

"I just came to take care of Auntie."

"Umm... While I appreciate you coming to see my mom, coming all this way just to take care of her... do you even believe that reason yourself? Because I don’t."

Fang Meng stared at Lin Zhengran and blinked.

"You’re right. I actually came here specifically to see you. I’ve been in a bad mood lately and wanted to talk to someone, but I don’t really have any friends, so I could only come to you."

Lin Zhengran: "..."

Fang Meng pulled several hundred-yuan bills from her pocket. "Take this as payment for your time. I hope you can chat with me for a while."

Beads of sweat formed on Lin Zhengran’s forehead. "There’s no need. You took care of my mom, after all. Taking your money would make me seem like a real jerk. Besides, I’m not short on cash."

As if she’d discovered something important, Fang Meng blinked again and suddenly started singing, "Didi didi dididaodao, di ba dili dao~"

Lin Zhengran was so stunned by the awkwardness that he froze. After a moment, he asked, "What are you singing...?"

Fang Meng felt she was being rather silly too, acting strange for no reason. She looked straight ahead again. "It’s nothing. Just a brain fart. But I think I’ve discovered your weakness, classmate Lin Zhengran. Not that it’s very useful now."

"My weakness?"

"Mhm. If someone is genuinely good to you or the people around you—like how I just took care of your mom—you’ll be good to them in return."

"That’s a weakness? Any normal person would do that. But like you said, the premise is that they have to be genuine. At least, they can’t have any evil intentions."

"Being genuine is the hard part. Most of the time, you can’t know what others are thinking. But a weakness is a weakness. At least, not everyone would react the way you do, classmate Lin Zhengran."

Lin Zhengran grunted in acknowledgment and remarked,

"It seems you really haven’t been normal lately. Usually, you’d have already whipped out a notebook and started taking notes. But not only did you not do that, you’re here getting all philosophical about life."

He watched as Fang Meng seemed to glow with a golden light, as if she had achieved enlightenment.

She pulled a book out of nowhere. The title was *How to Live a Life Without Worries*.

Fang Meng held up the book and declared sanctimoniously,

"I don’t need to do those things anymore. Is there anything in life you *have* to do? For example, this book says that if you can ignore all constraints, you’ll become free. Like, you can eat a spoon with chopsticks, eat rice with a straw, or pull up your pants after using the toilet without wiping, freeing yourself from the judgment of society."

"Are those things a person should even do? Don’t tell me you tried them all."

Fang Meng paused. "I did try the first two, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do the third one. I haven’t reached that level of enlightenment yet."

Lin Zhengran raised his hand and rapped Fang Meng on the head with his knuckles.

It shattered the golden light around her.

After the tap, Fang Meng returned to normal. Lin Zhengran said, "Sorry, force of habit. Your little freak-out just now seemed familiar, so I acted on instinct."

Fang Meng rubbed her head, which didn’t really hurt. "It’s okay. Getting hit actually felt pretty good. I like the feeling of pain."

Lin Zhengran frowned. "Why does that sound so weird? People could easily misunderstand that."

"There’s no misunderstanding. It’s exactly what you’re thinking. If I had a boyfriend, I’d definitely want him to be a little rough with me. Even spanking me once in a while would be fine—provided he could win in a fight against me, since I’d hit back without hesitation."

Lin Zhengran raised a hand, sighing in resignation.

"Enough! Why am I even talking about this with you? My rest time is precious. Just tell me what you actually want to talk about. I can at least listen, for my mom’s sake."

With that, Lin Zhengran lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. "Go ahead and talk. I’ll just rest for a bit."

Fang Meng turned back to see Lin Zhengran lying on the bed. Her expression suddenly grew pained, and she lowered her voice.

"Actually, I don’t have much to say, and the story is very long..."

Lin Zhengran interrupted, "Then get to the point!"

Startled by his sharp tone, Fang Meng froze for a second.

"You’re actually pretty fierce sometimes... It weirdly fits my standards for an ideal boyfriend. Though I don’t think I’ll be getting into a relationship anytime soon, especially since Qianqian’s feelings for you are still so complicated."

’That line sounds familiar,’ Lin Zhengran thought. ’I feel like someone’s said that to me before... Was it the vixen?’

Fang Meng sat up properly and began to recount all the old stories, chattering on like a storyteller.

Lin Zhengran listened while he rested, keeping his eyes closed and not interrupting.

When she reached the end, Fang Meng looked down at the floor. "And that’s what happened. After our fight in the car that night, we completely broke things off..."

Lin Zhengran still didn’t say anything.

Fang Meng turned to look at him and saw that he seemed to be asleep. Speechless, she nudged him with her hand.

"Hey? Did you actually fall asleep? This was me pouring my heart out, and you said you’d listen! That’s so rude."

But to her surprise, Lin Zhengran opened his eyes. He had indeed taken a nap, but his current way of sleeping couldn’t be considered normal.

Once his Energy Value reached a certain level, it was more like meditation. He could rest while parts of his brain continued to function.

Leaving a portion of it free for other tasks.

Lin Zhengran opened his eyes and stretched comfortably.

Fang Meng frowned. "You really were asleep?"

Lin Zhengran ignored her question and yawned.

"I heard every word you said. So you regret it, right? You want to make up with her? But you’re afraid she never really considered you a friend?"

Fang Meng was shocked, finding it unbelievable.

"No wonder you’re so far ahead of Qianqian. Can your brain really function while you’re asleep? I’ve read news about this before,

how some geniuses can think while resting... some can even solve problems in their dreams. I always thought it was nonsense, but I guess it’s actually true."

Lin Zhengran didn’t discuss his own situation, instead lying on his pillow and staring at the ceiling.

"If you want my opinion, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says about whether Jiang Qian considers you a friend. Only you know if she has treated you genuinely all these years.

But that incident back then is definitely a thorn in Jiang Qian’s side. You two will have to clear the air sooner or later. I’m actually surprised you’ve both held it in for so many years. Shouldn’t something so important have been talked out long ago?"

Fang Meng pursed her lips slightly, hesitating before she answered, "But I can’t tell what she’s thought of me all these years."

Suddenly, she flopped down next to Lin Zhengran, sharing his pillow.

Lin Zhengran was confused. "What are you doing? This is my bed."

Facing away from him, Fang Meng said dejectedly, "I’m so tired. Will you go out for karaoke and drinks with me? My treat."

"You really think I have nothing better to do?" He was speechless, not interested in the slightest. "Besides, I hate it when people are indecisive about emotional stuff. If there’s a problem, solve it. What’s the use of drinking and singing besides wasting time?"

Fang Meng fell silent.

But then, Lin Zhengran suddenly sat up, flipped her onto her back, and pinned her forcefully to the bed.

Fang Meng, her cheeks flushing slightly, looked up at Lin Zhengran before her. Her hair fanned out on the pillow, both of her arms held down firmly by him.

She was amazed at how strong he was; his grip on her wrists was starting to hurt.

Lin Zhengran said sternly,

"If you want to make up, then go talk to her properly instead of running away halfway through. Say everything you need to say. It doesn’t matter if you clear the air or if it all falls apart,

at least make things clear instead of wasting my time here. Besides, do you really not know if she considers you a friend? Did you really think she was buying water for me during gym class last week, and that you were buying water for me too?"

Fang Meng remembered what happened in gym class last week.

Her expression shifted.

’So that means... the second bottle of water Qianqian bought in gym class was for me? ...Just like me...’

Lin Zhengran let go and got off the bed. "I’m going to the bathroom. That’s all the advice I have. Why make something so simple so complicated?"

He left the room, leaving Fang Meng still in the position she had been pinned in on the bed.

Her arms were bent and spread out as she stared at the ceiling.

She muttered to herself, "My wrists really hurt. Why is he so strong...? With that much strength, I bet a spanking would really hurt."