Chapter 924
IF119
Li Zhuangsheng held a cup of milk tea and followed closely behind Hu Mengdie.
He didn't know where he was going. Was he really going to take Hu Mengdie home? But where did Hu Mengdie live? Perhaps that was just something Hu Mengdie made up in front of his parents.
He touched the huge sum of money in his pocket. He suspected that his mother had misunderstood something, but getting two hundred yuan was really a great deal. It was like a windfall!
"Um, is there anything you'd like to eat?" Li Zhuangsheng asked, blinking his eyes.
Li Zhuangsheng felt too embarrassed to keep such a large sum of money all to himself, since he was able to get it all because of Hu Mengdie.
“I’m on a diet, one cup of milk tea is enough for me!” Hu Mengdie narrowed her eyes. “If you really want to thank me, you can think of another way.”
Is there anything you want?
"Hmph, guess for yourself."
How could I possibly guess that? Li Zhuangsheng muttered to himself, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
A gentle evening breeze caressed the pedestrians on the street, and the streetlights flickered on and off. Hu Mengdie walked with light and cheerful steps, her canvas shoes seemingly spotless.
"Where are we going..."
“Hey, Li Zhuangsheng, are you very interested in history?” Hu Mengdie asked.
"It's alright... How did you know?" Li Zhuangsheng asked in surprise.
"I guessed it. The name Li Zhuangsheng sounds very cultured!" Hu Mengdie grinned. "I've been reading 'Five Thousand Years of Chinese History' lately, and I feel like time is flying by."
"What do you mean?"
"In the morning, I saw the Zhou Dynasty established, and in the afternoon, the Qin Dynasty perished. Haha, truly, so many events of rise and fall throughout the ages, time flows on and on, but the mighty Yangtze River never seems to flow."
Li Zhuangsheng was slightly taken aback, and a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart.
“You like history too?” Li Zhuangsheng said.
Hu Mengdie turned her head and smiled, "Yes, I read about the Three Kingdoms. Do you know anything about the Three Kingdoms? Are the stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms very different from history? Did the Oath of the Peach Garden really happen in history?"
"Well, actually the difference is quite significant. Let me think about how to put it..."
Li Zhuangsheng thought for a moment, then began to recount the history of the Three Kingdoms to Hu Mengdie. Hu Mengdie listened with great interest, her eyes sparkling with joy.
He's still the same as always, no, he's never changed.
"...So, the Five Tiger Generals are all fake?"
"It can't be said to be fake. These five people are mentioned together in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, but the title of Five Tiger Generals is not explicitly mentioned."
"But you just said that many of their stories are fabricated."
"Yes, in history books, the five of them are only mentioned in a few thousand words."
"So few! These are such remarkable people, yet their lives are reduced to just a few strokes in the pen."
Li Zhuangsheng listened in silence for a moment, scratched his head, and felt that he still had something to say.
“Actually, it’s quite good. Most people in history don’t even have these few lines,” Li Zhuangsheng sighed. “Just like after I die, no one will remember me.”
"It's so cold," Hu Mengdie suddenly said.
"You're dressed too lightly," Li Zhuangsheng said, glancing at Hu Mengdie's white cotton dress.
"Shouldn't you take off your coat and give it to me now?" Hu Mengdie said irritably when she saw that Li Zhuangsheng was unmoved.
"Oh, oh..." Upon hearing this, Li Zhuangsheng took off his coat.
Li Zhuangsheng had considered this possibility before, but such ambiguous scenes usually appeared in love stories, and he felt that taking the initiative would seem suspicious. However, since Hu Mengdie had made the request, he naturally had no reservations. After all, if you want something, just say so. There's no need for all this hinting; we're not exactly in a close relationship yet!
"You're such an idiot, no wonder you can't find a girlfriend!"
Hu Mengdie took the coat and put it on, but instead of appreciating it, she launched a personal attack on Li Zhuangsheng.
Li Zhuangsheng's lips twitched slightly, and he remained silent, looking sullen.
"Your clothes smell quite nice," Hu Mengdie said with a smile, sniffing Li Zhuangsheng's clothes.
"Huh? Oh, oh, my family uses Blue Moon..."
"Oh, I wasn't talking about the laundry detergent!" Hu Mengdie chuckled. "I was saying that it smells like you."
Li Zhuangsheng was taken aback.
“You like Li Bai the most, right?” Hu Mengdie said again. “I have a complete collection of Li Bai’s works at home. I’ll bring it to you next time.”
"No need, no need..."
Hu Mengdie's eyes curved into a smile, and she said with a charming smile, "The complete works of Li Bai, you haven't bought them yet, have you?"
Li Zhuangsheng nodded awkwardly: "Why, why did you offer to give me a ride..."
"You gave me a peach, I'll repay you with a precious jade. Thank you for taking me home!"
Hu Mengdie's smile became increasingly enigmatic, even carrying a hint of indescribable charm and playfulness.
"what?"
Li Zhuangsheng then realized that he had unknowingly walked so far with Hu Mengdie. The unfamiliar residential area in front of him was one he had only vaguely heard of before.
So this is the neighborhood where Hu Mengdie lives. It's quite ordinary... But that's normal. Does that mean Hu Mengdie should live in a palace in the sky?
I heard before that someone chased Hu Mengdie all the way to her apartment building, and Hu Mengdie's father called the police. It seems her own father is more lenient; he just picked up the wooden golden cudgel that Li Zhuangsheng bought when he was a child and chased after boys to beat them up.
As he thought about it, Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What are you laughing at?" Hu Mengdie tilted her head.
“I was thinking, someone chased Li Xiuyu all the way to my house before, and then my dad chased and beat him with a stick... There must be even more people chasing you, did your dad get involved too?”
Hu Mengdie shook her head and chuckled, "Actually, not many people are pursuing me."
Li Zhuangsheng didn't believe it, thinking Hu Mengdie was just being modest. He felt they were quite familiar with each other, so he half-jokingly said, "How could that be? You're the school beauty! I've heard you have a lot of suitors. Haha, but they all say you're hard to win over; no one has ever succeeded."
"Am I that hard to pursue?" Hu Mengdie's lips curled into a half-smile, her eyes flickering. "How do you know I'm hard to pursue if you haven't even tried?"
Li Zhuangsheng's heart was pounding. "Huh? What does this mean? Is it another hint that I should pursue her?"
He recalled that Hu Mengdie had hinted at something similar to him that day on the playground.
You don't actually think I like you, do you?
But then, the joking remark from the platform suddenly resurfaced.
"Yes, yes, Li Zhuangsheng, don't flatter yourself! He was just joking with you!" Li Zhuangsheng scolded himself inwardly.
"Ha ha……"
So Li Zhuangsheng just chuckled dryly and didn't reply.
Hu Mengdie frowned slightly, wondering what this fool was thinking, since she had already hinted at it to this extent.
"Li Zhuangsheng? What are you... doing here?"
Just then, a familiar voice, tinged with surprise, rang out behind them. (End of Chapter)