Peng Zige and Su Zi were both waiting at the entrance of the broadcasting studio for almost half a period (class) before Rong Si and Li Erqin made their late arrival.  Noticing Li Erqin, Peng Zige began to loudly make “WAH WAH” crying sounds as he stood up. “I say, where’s your sense of comradery? Even if we were separated, you should know that at the first opportunity you should return here to rendezvous. Do you know how long Su Zi and I have been waiting here for you guys?… huh? Huh?”
Li Erqin pointed towards the setting sun. “We went sun tanning.”
“You know there isn’t any sun here!” Peng Zige glowered. “Yet you still left us here waiting for so long?”
“Just quit shouting so loudly, young master!” Li Erqin took out the keys to open the door. “This humble one will now open the door for you.”
After the past few days of hounding their backs, there was no need to turn aroundto know who it was that hollered — Chou Jiu.
“You guys go in first,” Rong Si said to them. “I’m going to clear this up with her.”
“It’s not like you haven’t told her before,” Peng Zige muttered under his breath. Still, he was a tad afraid of this girl who had indiscriminately used her fist.
“Go on in,” a no-nonsense voice issued, leaving no room for any refusal.
(Minodayz: oooooo……man voice! lol)
Chou Jiu drew closer under Rong Si’s careful observation. She actually was at a bit of a loss and had never really thought about what to say to him.
Instead, it was Rong Si who initiated the conversation, “Chou Jiu.”
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“Yup? Say what you want to say!”
“I have no intention of thanking you for your attention and love, nor for all the things you’ve done for me.” Rong Si paused awhile. “That’s because everything you’ve done has caused me a lot of trouble (and annoyance).”
Chou Jiu looked at him, a little taken aback. “I just want you to like me.”
“I don’t like you.”
Chou Jiu’s face paled.
“I’ve told you this countless times,” Rong Si continued. “Can you please stop doing all these things that do nothing but cause me grief and annoyance.”
“I was only……trying to do everything I could think of……” Chou Jiu tried to explain.
Rong Si blandly smiled at her, “I’m sorry, I don’t like it.”
Chou Jiu wanted to say more.
Rong Si had already collected himself (i.e. was ready to end the conversation). “Please don’t bother me anymore.”
Chou Jiu lowered her head and was silent for a long time. Then, once again, she lifted her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “I wasn’t playing around. I’ve never worked so hard to try to get someone. I really do like you.”
Rong Si calmly looked at her, “I’m sorry.”
“Why can’t you just give me a chance?”
Rong Si gave a helpless sigh. “Whether it was hanging big banners or hijacking the Principal’s microphone, these were all beyond the scope of my understanding. Putting this in another way, I spend my days with my books and revision assignments. Would you be able to stand it?”
Chou Jiu shook her head.
“Sooner or later we would realize our incompatibility and that this would be a mistake so why bother wasting time on it?”
Chou Jiu felt that something was not quite right with this reasoning, but she couldn’t find the counterpoint against the argument. All she could do was watch as Rong Si bade her goodbye and shut the door after he had entered the broadcasting studio.
This was Chou Jiu’s first experience at rejection.  She had followed what the female leads had done in all those teenage novels, with one exception – she wasn’t able to move the heart of a (real) boy in reality.
“Tough Bugger! Nerd!” Chou Jiu hurled invectives at the door of the broadcasting studio. Then she wiped the corners of her eyes and ran back along the hallway she had come from.
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As for Rong Si? He was just turning around from closing the door and didn’t even get to breathe a sigh of relief before he was hit with another confession.
“Rong Si, I like you.”
Rong Si morosely looked ahead.
There standing before him was the slim, sweet, beautiful and adorable — Su Zi;  the one who in the eyes of many boys was considered the ideal first love.
Peng Zige, who was only three steps away from Su Zi, stood by totally stupefied. His mouth hung open, and his hand was suspended in mid-air whilst still holding the plum lollipop that had yet to be inserted into his mouth. By his side, Li Erqin seemed to be inspecting an A4 sheet of paper in her hand, her expression hidden and ambiguous.
(Minodayz: yikes…awkward moment….what now!)
After a prolonged silence, Li Erqin couldn’t resist lifting her head to see Rong Si’s reaction.
Rong Si’s gaze landed on Li Erqin’s face.
Li Erqin awkwardly waved the paper in her hand. “The school has just announced the names of those selected to be at the Nationals…”
“Would it be alright for Su Zi and I to have a word in private?”
Li Erqin nodded and hurriedly dragged a still stunned Peng Zige out of the studio.
Closing the door on the other two, Peng Zige worriedly asked, “Should we……wait for Su Zi to come out?”
Li Erqin looked directly at him with her clear eyes.
“What I meant is,” Peng Zige rubbed his nose, “she’ll probably get rejected by Rong Si.”
Li Erqin lowered her eyes. “Then all the more reason we shouldn’t be here. Let’s go. We’ll go buy some snacks.”
Peng Zige followed quickly. “Hey, how come you don’t seem shocked at all?”
“Su Zi had mentioned it to me before.”
“I wasn’t talking about her crush on Rong Si. I already knew that she liked Rong Si. I was talking about her sudden confession?”
“Su Zi had mentioned that too.”
Peng Zige pressed on with his questions, “When was this? What did she say?”
Li Erqin stopped walking and gave him a disapproving look. “Don’t be such a busybody.”
(Minodayz: What a friend LEQ!!! Big hugs!)
Peng Zige jumped up and down a few times in frustration. “I’m just worried that when the time comes, Su Zi won’t want to hang out with us.”
By comparison, Li Erqin’s reaction was rather stoic. “Then that’s her decision to make.”
Peng Zige quieted down and carefully observed Li Erqin’s expression. “Erqin.”
“Yup.”
“I’m finding that you’re exceptionally cold and remote.”
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“If Su Zi decides not to hang out with us after this, won’t you feel sad?” Peng Zige paused a moment and looked elsewhere to conceal his pain. “It was the same the last time. You just left when you wanted, without rhyme nor reason and with no explanation whatsoever.  Then you just carried on with classes as if nothing had happened at all and left with hardly a shadow of you to be seen.”
“I was sad,” Li Erqin’s clear voice interrupted. “I realized that I didn’t want to be by myself anymore. I felt so lonely seeing you three together at the end of classes and having meals together. I wanted so much to be with you and join you guys, but I didn’t know how to go about it.”
Peng Zige did not expect Li Erqin to say all this, and what’s more, she still had that same flat expression, as if her face was frozen.
“I made a bad judgement regarding the importance of friends in my life.” There was sincerity written all over Li Erqin’s eyes. “All this time, I never found theopportunity to formally give my apologies and say I’m sorry. Now I’d like to apologise.”
Peng Zige had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to say to this.
(Minodayz: Ditto…c’mon PZG, you can do it! FIGHTING!!!)
Li Erqin carried on, “I’m sorry, Peng Zige. Thanks for accepting me and welcoming me back.”
Peng Zige suddenly felt helpless. “It’s alright; don’t worry about it! Really, we didn’t even blame you.”
Li Erqin finally smiled. “Thank you.”
Peng Zige dragged Li Erqin along. “Geez… why did you have to make it so emotional. I almost couldn’t stand it!”
(MInodayz: awwwww..PZG…you big baymax softie..!)
Li Erqin walked beside him quietly. “So that’s why if Su Zi should stop hanging out with us, I would definitely feel sad.”
“I know!” Peng Zige continued, “It’s just that, there are times when one needs to fight for one’s own wishes and desires.”
Peng Zige quietly added to himself: Just like back then when I hoped you would stay, and right now I don’t want Su Zi to leave.
(Minodayz : wow poor RS with the onslaught of confessions.  Dear PZG, your heart is just so full and warm – like the glue that holds the group! Will Su Zi be rejected, will she leave the group?? Not sure where LEQ stand with all these confessions while her heart beats and swoons – will she realise her own heart, likewise RS and PZG. Guess we have to wait til the next chapter! Wink wink!)