Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
“Let me ask you a question. Do you already have a girlfriend?”
Looking at Baona’s WeChat message, Xiang Kun was a little stunned. Although it was just a text, he could almost make out a lamenting tone.
“What’s going on? Has she already developed some affection towards me?”
Xiang Kun was in disbelief. He was definitely in much better shape now. He seemed younger and more energetic. He had lost fat and gained muscle. However, he was by no means handsome. His facial features were nowhere near good-looking. And, of course, he was bald now!
Although they had a nice chat at the coffee shop, Xiang Kun didn’t think that she would fall for him just because of that.
“Could there be some other changes to my body that I haven’t realized? Like, being more attractive to the opposite sex?”
Xiang Kun replied to the message as he continued guessing what was on her mind.
Although he had no intention of getting into a relationship at the moment, it was still better to get rid of these misunderstandings. They could make Chang Bin and Wang Han seem unreliable.
So he replied, “Of course not. Why did you ask that?”
A few seconds later, Baona asked, “Or do you have a boyfriend?”
Xiang Kun thought it was a typo at first. But he soon understood what she meant, and couldn’t help feeling a bit speechless…
“I’m straight!”
“So my appearance doesn’t suit your taste?”
“You are very good-looking!”
“Was I rude or behaving weirdly when we met?”
“No at all.”
“Then why are you avoiding me?”
Xiang Kun wanted to deny it. He just hadn’t turned up for barbecue. It could hardly be called “avoiding”.
But it wasn’t really apt for him to simply reply as such. The two had met for a “date”. After meeting, Xiang Kun, as the gentleman, should have taken the initiative to get in touch with her. Under this context, what he had been doing definitely qualified as “avoiding”.
As he hesitated, Baonao sent another message.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hinting at anything. It’s just that I feel like you can be a good friend and I’m feeling a bit hurt that you’re trying to avoid me!”
Xiang Kun knew what she meant by “not hinting at anything”, and vaguely understood where she was coming from. He thought over his choice of words and replied, “You are very good, or rather too good. You are outstanding in every aspect, so I feel like we don’t have much of a chance of getting together. I’m probably not your type.”
“You know the type I like?” Her message popped out immediately.
Then she quickly explained with another. “I mean, it takes time to get to know each other better. Even if we turned out to not be suitable, we could still be good friends!”
What else could Xiang Kun say? He could only reply, “Sure. You have a point. Sorry, it’s my fault.”
Fortunately, Baona hadn’t asked “so what’s your problem”, or he really wouldn’t know what to say.
“If you are free tomorrow evening, let’s have dinner together. I will bring my roommate, you can also bring a friend along. I will confirm the location with you later. We can split the bill.”
As soon as she brought up having meals together, he couldn’t help feeling frustrated. He could only reply, “To be honest, I have my own quirks when it comes to eating. So I prefer eating alone.”
“Okay, then no meals. We’ll go hiking next weekend.”
“Sure.” It was impossible to refuse.
Scrolling through the chat history with Baona, Xiang Kun felt pretty regretful. If he had met Baona before his bodily transformations, he would definitely have tried to date her. But on second thought, if he were to have such a desperate mentality, he wouldn’t have even stood a chance. Just like all the dates he had gone on.
Suddenly, there was a scream in the street outside the window. Xiang Kun leaned towards the window and gazed down. He could see a menacing-looking young man chasing another man and a woman with a knife. The pair looked like the young couple living downstairs.
This took Xiang Kun by surprise. He subconsciously fished out his cell phone and dialed for the police. Just as the ringing sound emerged, he saw the man being chased fall, and the girl was stabbed twice by their pursuer while trying to shield her boyfriend.
Without a second thought, Xiang Kun rushed out of the room and ran downstairs. As he ran, he explained to the police operator what had happened and provided the location.
When Xiang Kun got downstairs, the aggressor was still wielding his knife, but the shop owner of the tuck shop nearby had already come with a mop and stopped the assault.
Xiang Kun didn’t stop. He charged even faster at the perpetrator, who was then sent rolling to the other side of the street with a kick. His knife dropped on the ground with a clank. Before the culprit could struggle up, Xiang Kun pounced over and gave him a punch in the face.
There was a poof when his fist landed, as if something had ruptured. Xiang Kun raised his arm for another blow, only to find his opponent bleeding profusely on his face and lying unconsciously on the floor with his head turned. This took Xiang Kun by surprise. He quickly halted and his fist hovered above the bandit’s head.
…
Just as Baona had finished her conversation with Xiang Kun over WeChat, Zhen Er had parked her car in the underground garage. She turned to the side to look at her bestie, who was the front passenger, and frowned. “Did you really invite ‘Saitama-sensei’ to hiking? Why?”
“Huh?”
“My goodness, have you fallen for him? Didn’t you say he’s not your type? He ignored you for most of the time! Why are you still asking him out?” Zhen Er was puzzled. “Nana, it’s not like you.”
Baona got out of the car and headed straight for the elevator as she said, “I just think he can be a friend! I’m not going hiking with him alone, there will be so many people coming along…”
In fact, she regretted when she sent the first WeChat message to Xiang Kun, but it was too late. So she might as well ask what she wanted to ask. Then, somehow, she felt like she had to ask him out to feel better.
Zhen Er locked the car and joined her in front of the elevator. She turned to her friend and whispered, “Don’t tell me you’re trying to make him fall in love with you with your charm, and then shove him away?”
“What are you talking about? You’re reading too many novels…” Baona rolled her eyes.
“Or is it because you’re doubting yourself just because of my speculations? Oh my goodness, what have I done! I was just kidding! Do you remember the clumsy dude you met when you came to my house two years ago? That’s my cousin. He has been talking about you nonstop ever since. There is no doubt about your charm! You don’t need to prove anything to that bald head… ”
“Oh, it’s not what you think! What are you doing… ”
“Oh, then lemme see what you just said to him!”