I Don't Want To Be Hated By Everyone. - Chapter 10

Seeing the cold indifference in his eyes and hearing his tone, Han Tian’s heart skipped a beat. He felt panicked and insecure. “I am not lying, Ningning.”

“You really have a misunderstanding about me. You… could it be that you like me and are jealous that I was talking to Cheng Meng?”

That must be it. It has to be. You were just jealous of Cheng Meng, and that explains everything. Why bother with all this complicated drama?

That slightly smug inner voice made Cheng Shuoning’s eyelids twitch. He looked at Han Tian and said coldly, “You are overthinking it. I would not be jealous even if you were with Cheng Meng. What does that have to do with me?”

Han Tian froze, his previous assumption shattered, replaced by a sense of utter confusion. Cheng Shuoning was indeed not a jealous person, nor was he the type to be cold without reason. There had to be a cause for this sudden change.

What could it be?

He claimed that he was lying and had previously asked about his relationship with Cheng Meng. Could it be that he had discovered how close he was to Cheng Meng?

“Ningning, there is truly nothing between Cheng Meng and me. What do I have to do to make you believe me?” Han Tian stepped forward, his tone filled with disappointment as he reached out to grab Cheng Shuoning. “We have known each other for so many years. Do you not know what kind of person I am? I am so heartbroken. I never thought you saw me as such a despicable person.”

He knew exactly what words would make Cheng Shuoning feel sorry for him and soften his heart, but this time, his words had no effect. The youth stood there quietly, staring at him as if watching a play that had nothing to do with him.

Han Tian suddenly felt disheartened.

“Ten minutes are up.” Cheng Shuoning stepped back two paces, avoiding Han Tian’s hand, and stared at him coldly. His tone was calm. “From today on, let us just be surface-level friends, Han Tian.”

Those dark eyes were filled with the distance one would show a stranger, lacking the familiar warmth, leaving Han Tian completely stunned. Cheng Shuoning was usually smiling and rarely showed such coldness, to the point that Han Tian had forgotten he had seen this side of him a few times over the years.

After he had upset him, Cheng Shuoning would coldly draw a line, and only after Han Tian had used every method to apologize would the cold war end and things return to normal. This was one of the reasons Han Tian disliked Cheng Shuoning. He would feel indignant—how dare he? Why does he get to decide when to draw a line? I dote on him so much; he should never have a bad attitude toward me. He should be like Cheng Meng, clinging to me and treating me well at all times.

“What… do you mean?” Han Tian felt as if his throat were stuffed with cotton. He felt it was ridiculous. Suppressing the rage about to erupt, he asked Cheng Shuoning, word by word, “What do you mean by surface-level friends? How dare you…”

How dare you say that? Who gave you the right? If anything, I should be the one to say it.

Han Tian did not voice those words; he still held onto hope, thinking Cheng Shuoning would not treat him like this. But the youth standing before him looked cold and resolute, shattering that final flicker of hope.

Cheng Shuoning said nothing more and turned to leave. Calling them “surface-level friends” was merely a gesture of courtesy.

Cheng Shuoning tried to accept everything and pretend he hadn’t heard the inner voices; after all, there were no perfect people in this world. But he could not.

Han Tian watched his receding figure and rubbed his temples, struggling to control the expression on his face. As the bell rang, the final string of his sanity snapped. He punched the wall with all his might, his face twisted with rage and impatience. Thinking of Cheng Shuoning’s expression when he left, he punched the wall several more times until his knuckles bled.

What does he think he is? Han Tian gritted his teeth.

He was a man with a difficult temper, yet he had been gentle and doting to him. Now, out of nowhere, he was throwing a tantrum and asking to be “surface-level friends”? Does he not like me? Is this what he calls “like”? Treating me like this now, he really has some nerve.

The teacher had not yet arrived, and the classroom was quiet. Cheng Shuoning tugged on Xu Wangzhi’s sleeve and leaned in, lowering his voice. “I am very sorry about the water earlier. I would like to treat you to a meal at noon; is that okay?”

Xu Wangzhi said nothing; he simply pulled his sleeve away, a silent refusal. Cheng Shuoning pressed his lips together and withdrew his hand.

The only sound left in the room was the hum of the air conditioner. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the youth with his head bowed, looking very unhappy. Xu Wangzhi put down his pen, his eyes darkening slightly.

The next second, his sleeve was tugged again. The youth’s soft voice carried a hint of stubbornness: “I am truly sorry.”

Xu Wangzhi did not speak, so he retracted his hand and came back a third time: “I apologize.”

Even the toughest heart could not withstand this. Xu Wangzhi pressed his thin lips together and, just as Cheng Shuoning was about to grab his sleeve for the fourth time, he dodged it and let out a soft “Mhm.”

That emotionless reply made Cheng Shuoning break into an instant smile. “The same noodle shop as last time, is that okay? Or is there something else you want to eat? We can go there!”

Xu Wangzhi replied: “That is fine.”

Zhang Xiuli, sitting behind them, heard the conversation and leaned forward, asking suspiciously, “What is fine?”

Before she could finish, her desk mate pulled her back into her chair, patted her shoulder, and said earnestly, “Focus on your book and stop prying into other people’s business.”

Zhang Xiuli pouted, feeling that leaning over like that was indeed inappropriate. She raised her book and whispered to her desk mate, “Did you notice? They never spoke when they sat together before, but in the last two days, they have been talking a lot more.”

Her desk mate touched his chin and nodded. “Indeed.”

Zhang Xiuli: “There must be something fishy going on! There is definitely something going on between them! I even saw Cheng Shuoning giving Xu Wangzhi yogurt before. Could it be that he…”

Cheng Shuoning heard this and turned his head slightly, catching Zhang Xiuli’s suspicious gaze. At the same time, he heard her muttering to herself: Could he like Xu Wangzhi?

Cheng Shuoning: “!”

His heart skipped a beat, and a subconscious “No” was on the tip of his tongue when Zhang Xiuli suddenly reached up and hit herself on the head.

Oh my, I have been reading too many novels; what kind of random things are filling my head?

She did not know her inner thoughts had been heard by Cheng Shuoning. She grinned at him, then returned her gaze to her book. The teacher walked into the classroom with a textbook; Cheng Shuoning turned to face the blackboard, his heart stirred by Zhang Xiuli’s passing thought.

Even though it was just a random guess, it echoed in his ears like a spell, refusing to leave. It was not until school let out at noon that it finally stopped.

Cheng Shuoning left the classroom before Xu Wangzhi. At the corner of the stairs, he ran into Li Shengfei and Han Tian, who were just coming down. Li Shengfei immediately called out, smiling, “Ningning, let us go eat together.”

Cheng Shuoning paused and apologized. “I have plans.”

“Huh? But you always eat with us. Let me see who managed to ask our Ningning out.” Li Shengfei jumped down the last two steps, stopped in front of Cheng Shuoning, and saw the cool-looking Xu Wangzhi.

He recognized Xu Wangzhi instantly, narrowed his eyes, and said with a radiant smile, “Oh, it is you. Sorry about throwing away the water you gave Ningning earlier; I did not mean to.”

He then patted Cheng Shuoning’s head, his eyes filled with clear warning and provocation. “I want Ningning to eat with us at noon, not go with you. Is that okay?”

“It is not.” Xu Wangzhi walked past Li Shengfei and headed downstairs, not even sparing him a glance.

Li Shengfei glared at him. A strange atmosphere hung between the two. Cheng Shuoning did not feel it; he removed Li Shengfei’s hand from his head. “I already have plans with him. See you later.”

He waved with a smile, caught up with Xu Wangzhi, and soon disappeared from view. Li Shengfei leaned his back against the stair railing, watching the gloomy and unsightly Han Tian, laughing until he could barely breathe.

“You have been ignored from start to finish. How pathetic. I am curious, how did you manage to upset him? He has such a good temper; how did you manage to get him to stop talking to you entirely?”

“Who knows.” Han Tian offered a self-deprecating smile. “He has been like this ever since he was discharged; he keeps saying weird things, and his attitude toward me has changed. Do not laugh; you might be next, and I will see how you handle it then.”

“That is impossible; Ningning would never treat me like that.” Li Shengfei said, looking upstairs. “Why has he not come down yet?”

“Coming.” Cheng Meng came down from upstairs quickly, stopping beside the two while fiddling with a Rubik’s cube. “What are we eating?”

“Let us eat in the cafeteria.” Seeing him playing with the cube, Li Shengfei took his hand and patiently taught him how to solve it step by step, his words filled with doting. “What is so fun about this? Your eyes are practically glued to it.”

“It is not fun for people like you with such great brains.” Cheng Meng shoved the cube into his hands and walked downstairs. “I heard you inviting Cheng Shuoning to eat with us? So? If he had agreed, were you planning to let me eat alone?”

“Of course I would not leave you alone. If he had actually agreed, I would have chosen you over him.” Li Shengfei smiled. Seeing Han Tian still in a daze, he kicked his leg. “Let us go, time to eat.”

“Zhou Xundu went to pick him up the day he was discharged. Is it possible Zhou Xundu said something to him, which is why he is treating me like this?” Han Tian said thoughtfully as they walked, his anger growing with every thought. “It must be him!”

It was strange. When he was with Cheng Shuoning, he felt bored and felt it was meaningless. Now that Cheng Shuoning was distancing himself, his mind was entirely filled with Cheng Shuoning; he could not forget him even if he tried. He was becoming obsessed. He even wanted to rush to Cheng Shuoning, roar and go mad, and demand to know what he was playing at.

Cheng Meng turned his head. “Big Brother Zhou would not say such useless things to him.”

Li Shengfei glanced at him with a smirk. “How do you know? You seem to know Zhou Xundu better than you know us. Are you not afraid we will be jealous?”

Cheng Meng scoffed. “Are you not all doing the same to me while coaxing Cheng Shuoning?”

“Look at you, are you jealous of Ningning?” Li Shengfei walked over and rubbed his face, his eyes full of joy. “You know, I only coax him for fun; it is you I truly like.”

“So, there is no need to be jealous at all.”

The scar on his forehead had shed, leaving only a faint trace. Cheng Shuoning let his bangs fall to cover it. The boss brought the noodles up and gave them coupons. “Use this coupon next time; you can get 50% off a bowl of noodles.”

Cheng Shuoning took it, thanked him, folded one coupon, put it in his pocket, and handed the other to Xu Wangzhi. This time, the two sat across from each other. Xu Wangzhi did not take it and only said, “For you.”

Cheng Shuoning put it in his pocket and smiled. “Then I will keep it for now; we can use it together next time.”

He thought of something and stole a glance at Xu Wangzhi several times while eating, until Xu Wangzhi caught him. Their eyes met in mid-air, and he lowered his head, feeling embarrassed. “I am holding a birthday party this weekend, and I will be inviting my classmates.”

With that, Cheng Shuoning paused, remembering that many classmates had invited Xu Wangzhi before, only to be rejected without exception.

“Xu Wangzhi… will you come?”