I Helped My Best Friend with Her Romance—and Fell for the Enemy’s Strategist - Chapter 8

Carrying their respective AI companions to class, Lin Ruocheng was utterly exasperated.

She could already imagine how the two AIs would talk when left alone. At this rate, when would they ever get together? Lin Ruocheng felt her reputation might be ruined by their incompetence, with no chance of recovery.

She scribbled and doodled in her notebook, pondering how to make two AIs fall in love. It was a daunting task.

Half of the teacher’s lecture from the podium went in one ear and out the other. The other half didn’t register at all. Some university classes just weren’t worth paying attention to, the teacher’s words simply couldn’t penetrate her brain, especially with so many lectures every day. Even a top student couldn’t retain it all.

The class lasted two hours, but Lin Ruocheng spent a solid four hours in her seat, three and a half of which were dedicated to dreaming about fishing with the Duke of Zhou. She possessed a unique talent no one else had: the ability to absorb key points from the teacher’s lecture even while sleeping at her desk. Thanks to this skill, she had slept through most of her senior year of high school, a privilege granted by her teachers. Many envied and resented her for it, but there was nothing they could do. Not everyone was like her.

At exactly twelve o’clock, the class ended. One of the perks of C University was that teachers never dragged out lectures, they dismissed on time.

Song Wanqing nudged her arm. “Class is over. Wake up! Where should we eat lunch? If we go to the cafeteria now, we’ll probably get trampled by the freshmen. How about ordering takeout or eating out?”

Lin Ruocheng, still groggy from sleep, snapped her brain into gear. “If you put as much effort into chasing your goddess as you do talking to me, you wouldn’t need my help. Hurry up and ask her what she wants to eat or where she wants to go. The first step in pursuing someone is to create opportunities where none exist. The more you meet, the more she’ll sense your thoughtfulness and enthusiasm but don’t overdo it. Keep it balanced.”

“Also, leave room in every conversation. Make sure there’s something to talk about next time. Don’t dead-end the discussion and leave her with no way to respond. Got it? You’ve got a long way to go…”

Lin Ruocheng pulled her hat down and yawned. The teacher’s lectures were indeed sleep-inducing, highly effective as a sedative.

“She replied! She replied!” Song Wanqing excitedly patted her several times and showed her the chat screen on her phone.

[Yu Qiuli: Anything is fine, as long as I’m with you.]

“How should I respond to that?” Song Wanqing’s mind went blank before she could even think of a reply.

With just one glance, Lin Ruocheng knew it wasn’t her goddess. She had seen the two AIs’ clumsy exchanges before, this was clearly Fu Yanxi coaching from behind the scenes.

“Are you stupid? This is obviously from the other side’s strategist. Reply with: ‘So… does that mean I’m appetizing to look at, or do you just think I’m great?’ Then send a cute emoji. Put away all your silly memes and give your goddess a good impression.”

“Okay, okay.”

On the other side.

“Wow! She replied!” Yu Qiuli had been pestering Fu Yanxi, occasionally thumping her arm in excitement.

Fu Yanxi gritted her teeth against the pain and spoke expressionlessly.

“If you use any more force, do you believe this chunk of flesh will fall off on its own? Can’t you be a little gentler? If you end up scaring your crush away, don’t come crying to me. Could you ease up a bit? Are you planning to resort to domestic violence once you two get together?”

Yu Qiuli immediately softened and rubbed the spot tenderly.

“Sorry about that. What do you think we should reply, oh great strategist?”

Yu Qiuli even went so far as to massage Fu Yanxi’s legs like an eager lackey, her face filled with admiration.

Although Fu Yanxi had never been in a relationship herself, she excelled in her studies. In her view, being good at studying and being good at dating weren’t all that different.

Most importantly, she didn’t have many close friends, at the moment, Fu Yanxi was the only one.

“Instead of eating at the cafeteria, isn’t there a Braised Chicken with Rice place outside the school? It’s got decent reviews. Invite them there for a meal, you’re paying. I want the deluxe version.”

“Sure, no problem. I’d buy you the whole store if it helps me win her over.”

Yu Qiuli immediately arranged to meet at the Braised Chicken with Rice shop outside the school gate, and the other party agreed with a single word: “Okay.”

That one word alone was enough to make her grin foolishly for half the day.

Fu Yanxi looked at her with disdain. Was her friend really that easily pleased?

So, this was what it meant to be head over heels.

It just confirmed that staying single was the right choice, she much preferred keeping her wits about her.

The Braised Chicken with Rice shop was just as crowded, largely because it was located near the school entrance, offered affordable prices, and tasted pretty good, attracting hordes of college students.

Lin Ruocheng managed to find a seat and promptly directed Song Wanqing to go buy drinks from the nearby Mixue Ice City. After all, she was helping Song Wanqing pursue her crush, if Song Wanqing didn’t contribute in some way, Lin Ruocheng would feel shortchanged.

Heck, she was practically going above and beyond as a friend.

How could Song Wanqing possibly complain?

From serving as the student council vice president to enrolling in ballroom dance electives, it was all for Song Wanqing’s sake. Lin Ruocheng felt she was already the best friend anyone could ask for.

Was there anyone in the world more devoted than her?

Fu Yanxi walked in as well. It seemed Yu Qiuli had also been sent off to buy something else.

Lin Ruocheng didn’t even look up.

She had work to do today, coding. Some game code had gotten messed up and needed fixing.

On top of that, an unexpected issue yesterday had thrown off her schedule, leaving her with a heavier workload than usual.

Fu Yanxi didn’t disturb her and simply sat quietly by her side. She asked a server for a cup of warm water and handed it over.

“Have some water. Those two will probably be a while. What would you like to eat? I can order for you now.”

Lin Ruocheng knew it was her without looking up and chuckled softly.

“What’s Xiao Xixi having? Get me the same as her. For some reason today, I really want to eat whatever Xiao Xixi is eating. Maybe it’s because seeing her makes everything seem more appetizing, not just the food, but the view too…”

Fu Yanxi didn’t respond but ordered another deluxe portion for herself.

It seemed she had figured out that the earlier message came from Lin Ruocheng.

Dealing with clever people was always so effortless.

Before long, Song Wanqing and Yu Qiuli walked in and took their seats. The two “human machines” felt a bit awkward.

Song Wanqing was the first to break the silence.

She seemed to recall that the two strategists didn’t really know each other yet.

So, it would be better to let them introduce themselves.

“This is my good friend and childhood companion, Lin Ruocheng.”

Yu Qiuli began introducing the woman beside her, who seemed to suffer from a case of resting serious face.

“And this is the student council president, also my childhood friend, the academic prodigy Fu Yanxi, who has always taken first place in everything since we were kids.”

A faint smile curled at the corner of Lin Ruocheng’s lips.

She extended her hand.

“Hello, President Yanxi.”

Fu Yanxi also reached out, placing her hand in the other’s.

Like a proud, aloof cat.

“Hello, my… Xiao Chengzi.”