Chapter 23: I Care About This Prank!

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Many things happened over the course of that day. For instance, Wen Liang deleted her social media post once again—the only photograph of her and He Tianran together. As a result, before the rumors about her and He Tianran could reach the boy’s ears, the matter came to an abrupt end.

When He Tianran returned to the classroom, he still did not understand why Wen Liang’s attitude had suddenly changed. He took out his phone and was startled by the more than fifty unread messages that immediately popped up.

He had spent the entire previous night practicing the piano. Then he had overslept that morning, glanced at his alarm, and hurried out the door, so all the messages had piled up untouched.

Many of them were from Wen Liang, asking what he was doing that evening, whether he was awake, why he had not arrived at school yet, and so on. Xue Yong had also sent a great many messages, most of them asking what Wen Liang’s social media post was supposed to mean.

Ye Jiaqi had sent two messages as well. They were brief and to the point—

“Wow, I never realized you and Wen Liang were this close. She deleted the selfie with Zhang Zhifan, and the only photo left on her page is one of the two of you together. You two… hehehe…”

That message had been sent at 7:25 in the morning.

The next one had arrived only moments ago, at 9:05.

“Fine, looks like I misunderstood you two again. Wen Liang has deleted the photo now, probably because she doesn’t want us gossipmongers getting the wrong idea. Just when the gossip was getting good, it disappears halfway through. Damn it!”

He Tianran paid no attention to the others’ comments. During the break, he secretly sent Wen Liang several messages.

“What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly get angry?”

“I was practicing the piano last night and didn’t see your messages. Then I overslept this morning, so…”

“What do you want to eat for lunch? It’s on me…”

Every one of those messages sank without a trace. Several times during class, He Tianran secretly glanced back at her, only to find nothing unusual on Wen Liang’s face. At times, she even chatted and laughed with her deskmate, Zhang Zhifan, just as she always had.

Maybe she was in a better mood now?

He Tianran was still guessing when, after the lunch break, Wen Liang brushed past him. He called out her name, but the only response he received was a cold glance.

He Tianran was very familiar with that look.

What she called “just as usual” meant returning to the kind of “usual” that had existed before Wen Liang confessed that she had been reborn.

For the entire day, Wen Liang did not speak to He Tianran.

Just like her name suggested, she had two sides—one warm, one cold. Until now, He Tianran had seen only her warmth. But at that moment, she was cold enough to pierce him to the bone.

It turned out Wen Liang could make people feel just as unreachable as Cao Aiqing. In essence, they were both the same kind of person to He Tianran.

Without Wen Liang taking the initiative, He Tianran seemed to fall instantly back into his former withdrawn state.

Even the excitement he had felt after obtaining Cao Aiqing’s contact information the previous night receded like the tide.

He had been avoiding a question all along—or perhaps simply refusing to acknowledge an uncertainty. Namely—

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Did Wen Liang like him?

The boy was not an idiot. He had watched enough animated films to recognize the hints revealed in their conversations, even if he had never been in love himself.

But he had clearly told Wen Liang that they would not become a couple in the future, and the girl had given him an affirmative answer.

Then let’s just remain friends!

That was what He Tianran had decided. He truly believed Wen Liang when she said they would never be together. Even though her occasional actions sometimes made his heart race, the more strongly he felt that way, the harder he tried to suppress his emotions, deliberately playing dumb and pretending not to understand.

It was only a joke. Taking it seriously meant losing.

Afterward, he often comforted himself with that thought.

Because he did not know whether, once he crossed that line, they could still remain the hard-won friends they were.

That was why He Tianran could speak without restraint to Wen Liang about his feelings for Cao Aiqing. It was not merely the kind of honesty shared between friends…

There was also a cautious element of probing.

He wanted to see how Wen Liang would react. Would she be jealous? Would she remain silent? Or would she simply say, with her usual carefree manner, “Sure, Tianran”?

If she chose the last response, He Tianran would not need even a second to decide. From then on, he would sever his feelings for Wen Liang completely.

But now…

Everything had returned to the question at the beginning.

Did Wen Liang really like him?

…

…

As the sun sank in the west, Wen Liang walked along the road home. She felt exhausted. She did not want to go to her training class or attend evening study. She only wanted to return home and sleep properly.

Ahead of her, a black human silhouette blocked her path.

Zhang Zhifan.

“Let’s talk. You don’t speak to me at school, either,” Zhang Zhifan said gently.

Wen Liang nodded, and the two walked side by side.

“You haven’t been in a very good mood these past two days. Is it because you’re angry that I didn’t agree to what you asked that day?”

“Only partly,” Wen Liang replied indifferently.

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“So compared with me, you still hope to sit with He Tianran?”

“Of course.”

Hearing the girl’s blunt reply, Zhang Zhifan fell silent for a moment before smiling.

“It’s been three days now.”

Wen Liang stopped and looked at him in confusion.

“How long are you planning to keep playing this deceptive little ‘rebirth’ game?”

Wen Liang said nothing. She merely stared coldly at Zhang Zhifan.

“You said before that it would only take three days to make He Tianran fall for you. You even had Ye Jiaqi send screenshots of all his social media posts to the group so you could analyze them, helping you understand the role of a ‘reborn person’ and hand in a perfect assignment for your acting class…”

“I know you’re eccentric and take things like this rather seriously, so it’s perfectly normal for you to feel frustrated now. To be honest, I’m rather impressed by that shut-in He Tianran. Who would have thought he could actually resist a beautiful girl descending from the heavens and offering herself to him?”

“Are you finished?” Wen Liang interrupted impatiently.

Zhang Zhifan shook his head and continued, “It was only a prank. You didn’t have to make yourself miserable over it. We all know He Tianran likes Cao Aiqing. The competitive streak between you girls is truly baffling. Still, in my heart, you’re the best.”

“A prank?”

The short-haired girl rolled the word around in her mouth before asking:

“Isn’t it?”

Wen Liang’s gaze dimmed, but her voice turned fierce.

“Do you know what consequences this prank could bring upon He Tianran?”

Zhang Zhifan shrugged.

“Maybe he’ll become the laughingstock of the entire school? So what? Who cares?”

“I care!”

“…”

Wen Liang’s voice lowered. Once again, she enunciated every word.

“I’ve cared for nearly fourteen years.”

Zhang Zhifan, who had always been confident in himself, froze at her words. He had heard that Wen Liang was famous in her acting class for being completely consumed by her performances. Whenever she became immersed in a scene during rehearsals, it was difficult for her to pull herself back out of the emotions of the role. Seeing it firsthand today still surprised him greatly.

“A-Liang, you’re not serious, are you?” Zhang Zhifan said, somewhat dumbfounded.

The girl continued forward on her own, leaving him with only her back as she spoke slowly over her shoulder:

“At the orientation gala a month from now, I’ll make him fall for me. And this time, our futures will be together.”

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