I Understand
Wen Le pushed Zhou Kao away and walked ahead.
Zhou Kao took a couple of steps forward. “Wen Le.”
Wen Le responded with a simple “hm.”
Zhou Kao said, “I’m being sincere.”
Wen Le replied, “I understand.”
“I understand” – what kind of response was that?
TN: HAHA our male lead sure does have it tough~
Zhou Kao sighed, anxiety gripped his heart and he thought that this was probably a result of his own actions.
The list for the new round of scholarships was out. Wen Le filled out the forms and handed them to her counsellor.
The counsellor took Wen Le’s application form. “Alright then, I’ll be leaving first, Teacher.”
But suddenly, the counsellor added, “Wen Le, wait a moment. Close the door, please. I need to talk to you about something.”
Wen Le’s brows furrowed at the tone of the counsellor’s words. It was apparent this wasn’t something positive. She closed the door, wondering what the counsellor could want to discuss with her. There hadn’t been any major incidents recently that would require a conversation with the counsellor.
Wen Le walked over to the counsellor after closing the door. The counsellor said, “Recently, a fellow student approached me and reported about hearing some not-so-positive things.”
Wen Le frowned. “What do you mean, teacher?”
The counsellor continued, “Wen Le, you’ve always been a focus of our department’s attention. You excel in various aspects both academically and in extracurricular activities. The school hopes for your success, but you know, to cultivate individuals beneficial to society, morality comes first, followed by talent. Teacher isn’t saying this to belittle you or accuse you. We’re well aware of your family background, and most of your classmates know it too. You’re a child from an impoverished mountain area, but no one has ever looked down on you because of it. On the contrary, due to your outstanding personal abilities, everyone likes you very much. This shows that gaining recognition from others doesn’t require a prestigious background or wealth. Your personal charm is more than enough.”
The more Wen Le listened, the more uneasy she felt. “Teacher, what happened? You can just tell me directly.”
The counselor said, “Le Le, I know your family circumstances and I trust your character. Recently, someone informed me that you donated 5000 yuan for the mountainous area. Then they mentioned you bought a luxury bag recently, which involved a substantial amount of money. Donating money was initially an act of goodwill, and no one should compare or compete. We should do it according to our own abilities. Isn’t that right?”
“You’ve been hesitant to apply for financial aid for impoverished students, yet now you’re spending so extravagantly. Add to that the report from fellow students – It’s causing some concern. At your age, you shouldn’t rush with financial matters. With your abilities and educational background, this won’t be a problem in the future. Don’t let momentary confusion lead you astray. You’re an exceptionally talented child, and the teacher believes you can think this through.”
Wen Le’s heart sank. “Teacher, did someone tell you something bad? Do they think my spending is suspicious?”
The counselor remained silent, looking conflicted. But Wen Le could already read it from the counselor’s expression.
Wen Le’s heart sank further. “Teacher, I don’t apply for financial aid for impoverished students because my family isn’t actually poor. Moreover, I’ve been financially independent since the second semester of my freshman year. I have my own part-time job and various scholarships from the school. It’s enough to support my current life…”
……
Leaving the counsellor’s office, Wen Le’s face was clouded with gloom. She didn’t understand why someone would go to the counsellor and spread rumours. Wen Le wasn’t sure how that person had presented things to the counsellor, but she didn’t need to guess; it must have been unkind.
Honestly, Wen Le felt upset. The so-called luxury bag she had bought was on sale for less than a thousand yuan. Furthermore, she hadn’t even used it since she brought it home. Only her few roommates knew about the bag.
And Sun Youmei, since moving out to live with her boyfriend, hadn’t returned, so she wouldn’t know about the bag.
She didn’t want to suspect anyone, but she felt genuinely disappointed. She believed they had a close relationship, but instead, she felt betrayed by these people who stabbed her from the back.
Back in the dorm, Wen Le didn’t tell anyone about the conversation with the counsellor. However, her silence and unusual demeanour raised suspicions. Everyone could tell something was off about her, but when asked, she remained tight-lipped.
Wen Le stared at her computer for a while.
Suddenly, a notification message on her phone snapped her out of it.
It was a message from a courier.
Wen Le was puzzled. She hadn’t ordered anything recently, so there shouldn’t be any deliveries.
She checked several shopping apps again to confirm, and indeed, she hadn’t ordered anything.
Still perplexed, Wen Le decided to retrieve the package.
It was a very heavy box.
She couldn’t tell if it contained books or paper?
The box was heavy, and it took a lot of effort for Wen Le to get it back to her dorm. She was sweating by the time she managed it.
Her roommates came over to see what was going on. “What did you buy that’s so heavy?”
Wen Le wiped her sweat. “I don’t know.”
Wen Le found scissors, opened the box, and was astonished to find it filled with certificates and awards.
Wen Le was stunned.
She opened them all.
Every one of them was written with a single name – Zhou Kao.
Wen Le was so frustrated that her heart ached. She felt like Zhou Kao was sending her a message, and trying to make a point.
Zhou Kao must be retaliating against her.
Wen Le imagined Zhou Kao was probably laughing triumphantly at the moment, thinking he could crush her with all these certificates.
Wen Le felt that Zhou Kao was about to succeed. She felt like these certificates were going to exhaust her to death. Her back was practically breaking from carrying them all this way.
Originally already angry with him, Wen Le took out her phone, and messaged Zhou Kao, feeling the fury build further.
wl: Are you out of your mind?
wl: Are you trying to show off to me?
wl: You send me this pile of stuff just to try and suffocate me, right?
wl: Do you find this amusing?
wl: Who doesn’t have these kinds of things? I could bury you with my certificates too. Just you wait.
Wen Le sent five messages in rapid succession.
After a while, Zhou Kao only replied with one sentence.
z: Are you one of those legendary straight girls*?
wl: ?
z: Just take a further look.
*straight girl = is a chinese slang for saying girls who have a personality that’s difficult to get along with
Amid her roommates’ astonishment, Wen Le went through each and every one of Zhou Kao’s certificates.
In the end, she still couldn’t quite figure it out, but she summed it up with one sentence: this guy is seriously outstanding.
It wasn’t until Wen Le reached the bottom of the box and found a USB drive.
Wen Le was quite curious. She inserted the USB drive into her computer and upon opening it, she found only one thing inside the 8GB drive – an MP4 format music file.
Wen Le thought that this might be some sort of virus – probably Zhou Kao’s way of trying to mess with her.
However, her curiosity got the better of her and she couldn’t resist opening it.
Her roommates also gathered around, curious to see what it was.
It was a song.
“To Conquer” by Na Ying.
TN: LOL our male lead really has got nothing better to do haha
Wen Le burst into laughter.
It seemed like the gloomy atmosphere resulting from the visit to the counsellor’s office had just vanished.
Wen Le was nearly laughing herself crazy.
Lunatic, Zhou Kao must be a lunatic.
Wen Le messaged Zhou Kao.
wl: Have you lost your mind?
z: Miss Top Scholar, can you see my sincerity for you?
Wen Le was laughing uncontrollably.
wl: I roughly get the meaning behind “To Conquer,” but what’s the point of giving me a pile of certificates?
z: As long as you conquer me, these will be your trophies.
z: I’ve heard that Miss Top Scholar loves collecting certificates and awards.
Wen Le laughed with amusement.
wl: Excuse me, but what’s the use of certificates and awards with your name on them?
z: Mainly, I wanted to show you my excellence.
Wen Le took quite a while before responding.
Zhou Kao sent a question mark after a while.
z: ?
z: What are you up to?
wl: I’m trying to flirt with someone from the backup list to show you how he will try to pursue me. You can learn something from him.
z: !!!
z: Wen Le, are you crazy?
z: You try it!
z: You dare!
wl: Why wouldn’t I dare? I’m going to give it a try right now.
Zhou Kao was probably getting really frustrated.
No messages came for quite a while.
Oddly, Wen Le felt unexpectedly good about her mood.
After a while, Wen Le still hadn’t received a message from Zhou Kao, so she headed downstairs to buy some food as her stomach growled.
Wen Le was in her pajamas and slippers. As soon as she stepped out of the female dormitory, she saw Zhou Kao squatting not far from the entrance, looking at his phone absentmindedly.
Still in her slippers, Wen Le hurried back when she spotted Zhou Kao.
Zhou Kao also noticed Wen Le and quickly called out,
“Wen Le, come over here.”
Since she was already spotted, there wasn’t much point in retreating. Wen Le walked over and asked, “What are you doing squatting under the girls’ dormitory?”
Zhou Kao ruffled his hair, stood up, and sighed, “Well, wasn’t I just worried that you… would look for a backup?”
TN: hahaahaha lol our male lead is actually quite a dorky cutie isn’t he 😛
