Chapter 13: The Collision of Hearts

  On the empty lawn, everyone stopped in their tracks. Wan Chao Hui took out an old newspaper from his bag and spread it on the ground. Zeng Tao brought out two decks of cards, and several boys sat down together to play a game of poker. They invited Wan Chao Hui and Ye Cai Yun to join them. Ye Cai Yun, wearing a long skirt, sat down shyly to participate. Wan Chao Hui smiled and shook his head, seeing that they were having fun and completely ignoring the little girl's existence next to Ye Cai Yun. The little girl pouted her mouth, looking unhappy. So Wan Chao Hui smiled and went over to the little girl, took her small hand, made a "shh" gesture with his finger, and then led her away.

  Wan Chao Hui took the little girl to a small shop in the park, bought her an ice cream and a bag of snacks, and estimated that she would buy two large bottles of Coke and Sprite. The two walked along the lake in the park, saw everyone immersed in playing cards, Wan Chao Hui put down the Coke and Sprite, and walked towards the nearby lake on foot. The little girl was very well-behaved, a bit sticky to Wan Chao Hui, automatically holding onto Wan Chao Hui's sleeve as she moved, with a sweet smile on her face eating ice cream. Looking at the cute appearance of the little girl, Wan Chao Hui showed a rare warm and gentle smile on her face, gently stroking the scattered hair in front of the little girl's forehead, looking very soft and peaceful. Completely unaware of Han Bin's tight following figure behind him, he quietly paid attention to Wan Chao Hui's movements, watching her meticulous care for the little girl, Han Bin felt that Wan Chao Hui was like a kind and considerate older sister next door, he was completely confused by Wan Chao Hui's changes, which one was really her?

  Gazing at the natural scenery of the lake and mountains, Wan Chao Hui couldn't help but think of the ancient poet Tao Yuanming. If she could also build a small villa here, cultivate and plant by herself every day, and spend her days in leisurely bliss amidst this beautiful landscape, what a wonderful life it would be! As she thought about it, an extremely happy smile appeared on her face.

  "Brother!" The little girl exclaimed, Wan Zhaohui came back to his senses and looked at Han Bin who had walked over and was standing quietly beside him. He forced a smile on his face, wondering in his heart: wasn't he playing poker? Why did he come over here? What's the point of coming over and not saying anything? It's better if he didn't come, don't ruin my peaceful atmosphere! To break the awkward silence, Wan Zhaohui pointed at the speedboat racing across the lake with a feigned smile, "Look at that speedboat, it's so fast!"

  "Want to play? Go by yourself!" Han Bin instinctively blurted out a sentence, thinking that Wan Chao Hui was trying to swindle him into taking her on a yacht ride. Han Bin wasn't stingy, and he had plenty of money in his pocket, but he couldn't stand girls who were trying to trick him into spending money on them, and he never gave any attention to those who only liked his wallet!

  Facing Han Bin's sudden and inexplicable remark, Wan Chao Hui was extremely surprised and simultaneously embarrassed, his face flushing red as he thought to himself: What does he take me, Wan Chao Hui, for? This person is really sensitive and suspicious, it's exhausting interacting with him. Wan Chao Hui didn't bother explaining himself, looking good doing so. To avoid another misunderstanding, Wan Chao Hui chose to remain silent.

  Han Bin thought he might have said too much, but didn't Wan Zhao Hui's words just now mean she wanted him to ask her out? Wasn't he just speaking the truth? What was his fault? Han Bin had originally wanted to walk away, but his feet couldn't move. What did Wan Zhao Hui's silence mean? Had he misunderstood her? Then what did she mean?

  It's time for lunch, and Zhang Yuheng leads everyone to the only restaurant in the park. The restaurant is bustling with business, and the boys manage to grab a table that a large group just left. They call over a server to clean the table, put on new disposable tablecloths, and Zeng Tao tells Wan Chao Hui, Ye Caiyun, and her cousin to guard the table while they go order food. Through the window, Han Bin silently hands a pair of chopsticks to Wan Chao Hui, who gives him a cold look before taking them. She then divides two pairs of chopsticks between Ye Caiyun and her cousin, keeping one pair for herself. In her haste to take the dishes from the window, she carelessly puts the remaining chopsticks on the table.

  "How can you only think of yourself, throwing the chopsticks we're going to use on the table like that? Don't you know how dirty that is?" Just as everyone was sitting down together with all the dishes served, Wan Chao Hui suddenly received a scolding from Han Bin. She stared at the neatly placed pairs of sanitary chopsticks on the table, realizing her momentary carelessness. Her face flushed rapidly, and everyone's eyes turned to her. Having always been pursued by boys, Wan Chao Hui had never been scolded like this in public before, feeling her self-esteem hurt and her pride wounded. Luckily, Zhang Yu Heng came to the rescue: "Don't worry, Han Bin, don't make a big deal out of it! There's a layer of disposable plastic tablecloth on the table, isn't there? The chopsticks aren't dirty! If you want, I can go get another pair!"

  Others also said: Don't worry, the chopsticks are not dirty! Meng Jie even joked: "Oh my, in a place like this, don't be particular, as they say 'not clean but won't get sick', let's just eat!" and everyone burst out laughing.

  Wan Chao Hui had lost her appetite, and to conceal the emotional turmoil that had not yet subsided, she slowly chewed on her food, her eyes occasionally darting towards Han Bin, filled with hostility. She resented Han Bin for embarrassing her in public. However, soon after, she rationalized: No man has ever scolded me like this before; they're always afraid of offending me and try to please me as much as possible. Only Han Bin... But what he said was true; I did overlook something important. This rare straightforwardness and honesty made Wan Chao Hui feel a sense of authenticity, striking at her unspoken desire to be understood without being noticed. A faint smile spread across her face, unseen by others, when she looked at Han Bin again, her eyes no longer filled with hostility.

  On the other hand, Han Bin's heart was burning with anger, his mind in disarray due to Wan Chao Hui's nonchalance and lack of concern. He had lost all interest in eating and simply opened the large bottle of Coca-Cola that Wan Chao Hui had bought earlier, not caring about appearances or etiquette. Without even asking for a plastic cup from the server, he poured the drink directly into his open mouth, gulping down several mouthfuls with abandon. Surprisingly, his T-shirt didn't get wet.

  Wan Chao Hui watched him with great interest, finding his actions quite bold and manly. Meanwhile, Han Bin also gazed at Wan Chao Hui with an unyielding attitude, his eyes fixed intently on her.

  After lunch, everyone strolled along the shaded avenue when they saw a long-haired girl's bumper car overturned by the side of the road, struggling to move it. Han Bin hurried forward and helped the girl lift the bumper car with all his might. The girl said softly: "Thank you!" Her eyes were full of joy, which girl could resist the kindness of a handsome guy?

  "Romantic seed!" Meng Jie jokingly shouted loudly, and the other boys also followed suit. Han Bin smiled faintly, revealing a row of clean and neat white teeth, but when he inadvertently turned his head to meet Wan Zhaohui's inexplicable strange gaze, he instinctively restrained his smile and returned it with an equally expressionless face.

  In an instant, Wan Chao Hui shifted her gaze elsewhere, deliberately ignoring Han Bin's existence. Her emotions were contradictory, she both admired Han Bin's enthusiasm and suspected him of being a sentimental romantic who was always leaving emotional debts everywhere.

  This small gathering was originally intended by Wan Chao Hui to create an opportunity for Ye Cai Yun to interact emotionally, but after a day, whether facing Zeng Tao or Meng Jie, Ye Cai Yun was always lukewarm and passively waiting for the two boys to take the initiative to care for her, and no abnormal movements could be seen for the time being. However, she herself felt an unprecedented gain - Han Bin: She seemed to feel that in the vast sea of people, she had met a kindred spirit like herself, did God really give herself a miracle? Could it really be him?

  At night, Han Bin tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. His mind kept flashing back to Wan Chao Hui's complex and changing eyes, like a series of question marks that entwined his heart.

  Three days later, in the afternoon, Wan Chao Hui made up an excuse to avoid Liu Hui and her friends' invitation to go clubbing. She lied that she had something to do at San Ye Ye's house near the school. To make them believe her, she deliberately took a detour and parted ways with them. Liu Hui often said that Wan Chao Hui was not like a modern person because she didn't like clubbing. In fact, Wan Chao Hui wasn't opposed to it either. The key was that the stimulation she needed couldn't be satisfied by the fast-paced music and dazzling neon lights of the club scene. She wanted to succeed, earn a lot of money, and see the happy eyes of her grandparents!

  Wan Chao Hui walked alone for a station and then transferred to take the bus home. She waited for a long time, but didn't see the bus coming. In her heart, she began to resent Liu Hui's meddling ways. Liu Hui always liked to force Wan Chao Hui to do things she didn't like, wasting her time in vain. Moreover, she hated herself for lying and blamed Liu Hui as the culprit who made her lie!

  Wan Chao Hui was sulking when a familiar figure appeared in her line of sight, and she couldn't help but smile and shake her head, thinking to herself: "What a small world," not expecting to run into him - Han Bin. He was wearing a red and green plaid shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of white sneakers, which gave Wan Chao Hui a pretty good impression, looking quite youthful and energetic. However, when she saw the long umbrella in Han Bin's hand, Wan Chao Hui's eyebrows furrowed slightly - couldn't this big man pay attention to his image? Holding a long umbrella was just like some country bumpkin coming into the city, so silly. Why couldn't he carry a compact umbrella in his backpack, always prepared and looking neat at the same time?

  Han Bin also discovered the dazzling Wan Chao Hui among the crowd waiting for the bus. She was wearing a navy blue men's-style silk shirt, gray high-waisted trousers, and a pearl necklace with medium-sized beads peeking out from between the tightly buttoned collar. Her long hair was parted in the middle and casually styled into a classic bun, giving her an elegant and refined demeanor that was quite different from her usual pure and lovely appearance. Han Bin couldn't help but feel drawn to her. However, Wan Chao Hui stood with her arms crossed, exuding an icy cold aura, like a delicate red plum blossom on a branch. Han Bin suddenly felt a little intimidated by her aloof gaze, which seemed to pierce through his male pride. He instinctively raised his chin, putting on a tough exterior. As he slowly approached Wan Chao Hui, he thought it was necessary to maintain his masculine demeanor and initiated a conversation: "You're also transferring buses here?" His voice was flat and stiff, but the words seemed like a familiar greeting between old friends. Wan Chao Hui smiled lightly, sensing the innate pride in Han Bin's eyes. Normally, when encountering someone as proud as herself, she would try to outdo them with her own haughtiness. But curiosity got the better of her, and she wanted to know if there was a genuine and passionate heart behind Han Bin's cold and aloof mask.

  "En!" Wan Chao Hui simply responded. Not seeing any joyful expression from Wan Chao Hui, Han Bin felt disappointed. She always had a cold face when facing him, was he really that unlikable?

  At this time, the bus finally arrived. Han Bin politely let Wan Zhaohui walk in front of him, using his strong 1.76-meter-tall body to shield her from the crowded masses.

  The bus was already full, and Bin found a relatively empty spot to stand, holding onto the pole with his left hand. Wan Chao Hui stood close behind him, trying to hold onto the pole as well, but soon felt her arm ache from the effort, so she ended up gripping the back of the seat next to her instead. The bus started moving, and a few young men were still laughing and joking around, not holding onto the pole in time, and their bodies swayed due to inertia, leaning against Wan Chao Hui. She instinctively dodged, tilting her body towards Bin, and in her panic, she grabbed onto his dangling right arm. This was the first time she had been so close to a boy's body, and for some reason, her face flushed bright red. Bin had actually been keeping an eye on Wan Chao Hui out of the corner of his eye, constantly concerned about her safety, but his pride made him pretend to be cold and indifferent, so she wouldn't notice his concern and affection for her.

  At this moment, Wan Chao Hui was tightly holding onto Han Bin's arm, giving him the upper hand psychologically. He could naturally look at Wan Chao Hui beside him, only to see her cheeks flushing red, looking especially adorable, and he couldn't help but feel delighted. It seemed she was shy. In an instant, Wan Chao Hui quickly let go of Han Bin's hand, with a speed that seemed like she had grabbed onto something terrifying, leaving her frightened. This deeply hurt Han Bin - am I that scary? To the point where you're eager to avoid me?

  Wan Chao Hui didn't want to be misunderstood by Han Bin as a casual girl, so in the moment he gazed at her, she quickly withdrew her arm.

  The car finally stabilized. Han Bin and Wan Zhaohui stood together, quietly gazing out the window at the rapidly passing scenery, unable to guess each other's thoughts, so they didn't take the initiative to speak to each other, remaining silent all along the way!

  Han Bin got off two stops ahead of schedule. Before getting off, he said coldly, "Goodbye!" Wan Zhaohui also responded briefly with a "Goodbye!"