Chapter Seventeen: The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend

He Tianran spent the entire morning feeling light on his feet, all because of Cao Aiqing.

As lunch break approached, the moment the bell rang, Wen Liang strode out of the classroom, her expression seemingly displeased. Zhang Zhifan followed closely behind her.

This scene naturally stirred up a commotion among the students.

Were they fighting? Or were they just shy?

This master of mine really isn't up to par, He Tianran thought. I was able to remain as steady as an old dog all morning. Wen Liang really should learn some of this composure from me; if all else fails, she could even borrow my sword manual to study!

He Tianran was quite satisfied with his performance in front of Cao Aiqing today—neither humble nor arrogant. Surely, he hadn't left any strange impressions, had he?

The young girl had already gone to the cafeteria with her friends. Just as he thought he could finally catch his breath, an unexpected person sought him out.

"Come out. I have something to say to you."

Xue Yong wore a sullen face, tapping on the desk with a hostile tone.

He Tianran was puzzled. He thought to himself, I'm not Zhang Zhifan; why the hell are you coming to me just because you like Wen Liang?

However, he could only mutter this to himself. Out loud, he tried to reason: "Wen's father said... we're practically fellow disciples now, so we shouldn't..."

"I'm not going to beat you up!"

Xue Yong couldn't help but roar, causing the remaining students in the classroom to look their way.

He sighed, sounding impatient as he lowered his voice: "Follow me."

With that, he strode away. He Tianran thought that since it wasn't about violence, there was nothing to fear, so he followed.

The two arrived at the school playground. Xue Yong sat down on the grass. At this hour, there were many students gathered there to eat and chat, but his eyes seemed to have lost their focus; he looked extraordinarily dejected.

Xue Yong was lovesick. This was heartbreak—the heavy kind.

He Tianran only needed one glance at his lonely back to have the answer.

"Look, if it's over, it's over. The next one will be even better," He Tianran said as he sat down beside him, offering advice with the air of an expert.

Although he hadn't dated anyone himself, his theoretical knowledge was incredibly rich. In this day and age, who hasn't "conquered" a few paper-thin waifu characters?

"What the hell do you know! You shut-in, you don't understand a thing!"

Xue Yong cursed as if venting, but this time, He Tianran showed no fear.

"Then go win her back. What's the point of yelling at me?"

"I..."

Xue Yong was so frustrated he laughed. He belittled him: "If my rival in love was you, I wouldn't just win her back—I'd beat you until you couldn't take care of yourself. But this is different..."

"So you're just taking your anger out on me because you don't think you can compete with Zhang Zhifan? What did I ever do to you? That Zhang Zhifan is just an ordinary guy. How is he any different from me?"

"He..."

Xue Yong hadn't expected this shut-in to be so sharp-tongued. He fumed for a long while before spitting out four words:

"He's handsome! Damn it!"

"...Damn, that's true."

The two reached a surprising consensus on this point. A moment later, He Tianran broke the silence:

"In my opinion, it's not like you have no chance..."

"How so?"

Xue Yong's eyes flickered with a glimmer of hope.

He Tianran analyzed: "Wen Liang doesn't seem like the type to judge solely by appearance. She has plenty of suitors. If she only liked handsome guys, she would have moved on from one to the next long ago. So, she shouldn't have been captured by Zhang Zhifan that easily yet..."

As he said this, he added to himself: This future superstar is still single at thirty-one. Now that she's returned to seventeen, shouldn't she live a little?

"But what if Wen Liang liked Zhang Zhifan from the very beginning? After all, Zhang Zhifan appears in all those photos on her social media."

Xue Yong still lacked confidence.

Well, great. It turns out everyone knew except for me, who was treating it like breaking news.

He Tianran felt embarrassed, but then he realized: just like in all those online rebirth novels, every person reborn has a regretful yet beautiful "white moonlight" from their school days. Wen Liang was likely no exception.

If that was the case, Xue Yong really didn't stand much of a chance...

Seeing He Tianran fall silent, Xue Yong became anxious: "Actually, I came to you because I wanted to ask for your help."

"Me?" He Tianran pointed at his own nose.

Xue Yong nodded vigorously: "Yes, I want you to help me find out how far they've progressed."

"This..."

The inexperienced shut-in was bewildered. He said awkwardly, "How can I go around asking about other people's private business?"

Xue Yong seemed quite certain: "You'll definitely find out, because she told me that you are her best friend. If I ever give you any more trouble, she'll cut ties with me completely!"

Recalling the scene of Xue Yong and Wen Liang interacting at the boxing gym, He Tianran felt a bit dazed.

"You mean that day at the gym on Saturday?"

"Yeah."

He Tianran pursed his lips and asked, "Do you believe in pure friendship between a man and a woman?"

Even Xue Yong might not have expected He Tianran to ask that directly. He paused, then leaned back and lay on the grass, sighing helplessly:

"I didn't believe it before, but since you were able to comfort me so calmly and remain indifferent about Zhang Zhifan, I have no choice but to believe it... Unless you..."

"I'm not..."

"Oh, that's good then..."

The question returned to He Tianran. He wasn't as carefree as Xue Yong, and he had never had a friend of the opposite sex, so he didn't have an answer either.

After a long time, he nodded slowly.

"I can help you."

"Really?!" Xue Yong sat up from the grass, confirming again.

"Really. But if I truly can't find anything out, don't blame me."

He Tianran smiled lightly, and suddenly a hand appeared before him.

Watching Xue Yong, who had completely recovered his vitality and was now trying to shake hands and form an alliance, he thought—how should one put it...

I didn't expect this school bully to have such a 'chuunibyou' side to him...

Whatever, it's not bad.

The two shook hands firmly. Xue Yong grinned:

"I've realized you're actually pretty easy to get along with. We can be friends! No, you're also my father-in-law's apprentice, so you're my junior! Junior, from now on at school, whenever you see someone you don't like, or if you've been wronged and need help..."

Xue Yong patted his chest with a flourish, shouting grandly: "Just say the word! As long as I, Xue Yong, am walking tall, I won't let your feet touch the ground!"

He Tianran laughed until his mouth couldn't close. It seemed this Xue Yong wasn't just 'chuunibyou', he was quite the chivalrous character.

Once they finished their agreement and exchanged contact information, Xue Yong said:

"Let's go. Forget the cafeteria. There's a tea restaurant on the next street. We'll order a table full of good food. And at this time, their pineapple buns should have just come out of the oven."

Making a friend and getting a free meal—not bad at all.

Just as He Tianran was about to agree, his phone rang.

He took it out and saw the name displayed: "Old Classmate."

"Who is it?"

"Wen Liang."

He Tianran answered casually. Xue Yong signaled him to pick it up quickly, thinking to himself:

"Old classmate? No wonder Ah Liang said the junior is her best friend; they knew each other long ago. Sigh, I wronged him before; I'll have to make it up to him later."

Meanwhile, He Tianran had already picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"Where are you? I didn't see you in the classroom."

"At the playground."

"Eating?"

"Not yet."

"I haven't eaten either. Want to go to the cafeteria together?"

He Tianran looked at the gestures Xue Yong was making. He scratched his head and said:

"Uh... there's a tea restaurant on the next street. At this hour, their pineapple buns should have just come out of the oven. Want to go try them?"

"How did you know I like those? I'll see you at the school gate!"

Wen Liang's surprised voice came through the phone, followed by a dial tone.

Well, what a coincidence...