Receiving no response, Xiao Xue kindly asked, "Are you shy? Oh, I'm shy too." She flashed a smile. "My name is Xiao Xue, what about you?"
The 'girl' continued looking at them with his big eyes, not saying anything in return.
However, Xiao Xue's patience was exceptionally high—especially when it came to pretty people. She was about to speak again when Jian Yue beat her to it.
"He is a boy."
Lu Jianchen glanced at her.
"What?" Xiao Xue blinked, thinking she had misheard.
"I said, he is a boy."
"What, really?" Xiao Xue exclaimed, instantly turning to Lu Jianchen. He looked nothing like one! His hair was definitely longer than hers, and his beautiful features gave him what she thought was a feminine appearance. "Are you a boy?"
"Mmmm."
"Wow." She covered her mouth, her eyes glistening with wonder. "B-but you're so pretty!" She couldn't believe it.
"Well, boys can be pretty too," Jian Yue interjected.
Xiao Xue soon regained her composure. Whether he was a boy or a girl, it didn't change his beauty—so they could still be friends.
"You can be my friend!" Feeling energetic, she took hold of his hands, jumping excitedly.
However, what responded to her was a frown, which especially stood out on Lu Jianchen's face. He snatched his hands away. "Don't touch me."
The longest sentence he had probably said in days.
He looked repulsed, and Xiao Xue felt stung.
Her initial excitement seemed to be doused with cold water, and all she could wish for was the ground to open and swallow her up. The rejection, the cold voice...
The pretty newcomer didn't want to be friends with her.
Why?
She was pretty—and famous too...
Or… did he not find her beautiful?
That was the only reason she could think of: that he was looking down on her because she wasn't pretty enough.
The realization was difficult to accept for a young girl like Xiao Xue, who worshipped people with good looks.
She swallowed and sniffed, her eyes reddening. "I must be ugly," she murmured, glancing at her feet. Before anyone could react, her voice soared.
"Wahhh, I'm ugly! He hates me because I'm ugly!"
She cried like that for three seconds, leaving no one time to react.
What made it worse was that the young man didn't try to redeem himself. If it were another boy, he'd probably say she was pretty and tell her to stop crying—but the little boy didn't even look at her.
He definitely thought she was an ugly duckling.
Then she saw him take out a handkerchief from his pocket. With teary eyes, she reached out her hand to take it, thinking it was meant for her—when in fact, he used it to wipe the wrist she had held. His expression was inscrutable, and he didn't even spare her a glance as he tossed the handkerchief on the floor.
His expression the whole time was serious.
Xiao Xue cried harder and ran away.
"Xiao Xue! Wait!" Jian Yue called. The other girl was her friend, after all, so she had to console her. Moreover, her mother had told her that there must be no problem where she was—because she was born to be a leader. She had to be able to put everything under control. Like now.
"Xiao Xue!" she called out again when she realized the other girl wasn't stopping.
Finally, Xiao Xue paused, turning around to show her tear-streaked face. "Wahhhh, I must look so ugly, like a monkey. Wuhhhh." She broke into tears again.
Jian Yue wore a helpless expression. She didn't know what else to do. She had never had to console a crying person before—but Xiao Xue was her friend.
"You'll really become ugly if you keep crying," she blurted out.
"I–I'm ugly anyway," Xiao Xue hiccuped, though she had already begun wiping her tears.
"He didn't say you were ugly," Jian Yue pointed out.
"But he wiped his hand. Doesn't that mean he finds me dirty?"
"No, maybe he's a germaphobe," Jian Yue reasoned softly.
Xiao Xue paused, struggling to pronounce the word. "Ga-ger… germafo-be?"
"No, germaphobe."
"What does that mean?"
"It means he has a condition that makes him really sensitive to people's touch."
Xiao Xue instantly became curious, having never heard of such a condition before. "What happens if someone touches him?"
"It means he would become really uncomfortable. He might even develop rashes in some situations."
"Re-really?"
"Yes." Jian Yue nodded.
"But he didn't get rashes when I touched him!"
Jian Yue was stumped. What the helly. Just accept my words for it.
Thanks to her high IQ, she could weave things out of thin air without a problem. "That's because he quickly wiped his hand. Otherwise, his condition might have gotten worse. Do you understand now?"
"...Oh, I do."
Jian Yue was, after all, said to be very intelligent—so the little kids tended to follow her words.
"Let's go on the swings."
"Wait..." Xiao Xue stopped her.
Turning around, Jian Yue inquired, "What?"
"Mmm..." Xiao Xue tucked her hair behind her ears, showing off her pink earring. She batted her eyelashes. "Do I still look pretty?"
"Of course you do." Jian Yue nodded without hesitation.
Xiao Xue finally relaxed. She had been afraid she had become ugly from crying.
"Let's go swing! Pei Lu will push you and Su Li will push me!" She smiled and took hold of Jian Yue's hand.
Jian Yue was the prettiest among her friends, and she held her hand without a problem! It means she's pretty!
As if nothing had happened, she recovered her bubbly self.
However, upon reaching the swing, the scene before them made the smile in the girls' eyes vanish.
They saw the cold little boy sitting on the grass, surrounded by the others.
They heard Su Li's loud voice. "How dare you make Xue'er cry?! She's my woman."
"You are a bad person, we don't want you here! Go away!"
"We don't want to be friends with you!"
"You little hussy! You're not a man but a pussy! How can you make a girl cry?!" Their self-righteousness filled the air, each of them trying to get justice for their friend—while at the same time mimicking their mother' manner of speech.
"Apologize!"
"Yes, apologize or we'll beat you to death!" With that, Pei Lu grabbed Lu Jianchen's hair, twisting it so tightly that the latter's brow furrowed in pain.
"Stop it!"