Chapter Ten: Mango Comfort

  The results of the math competition were posted during the morning break, Zhang Li won the championship, while Li Han came in second, Xia Meng got third place and missed the final. Zhang Li and Li Han advanced to the final smoothly. The results were as expected by Xia Meng, math was becoming more and more difficult for her, with no advantage at all, being able to win an award already made her feel gratified.

  "Congratulations, congratulations!" Xia Meng looked at Zhang Li with admiration. Zhang Li was able to achieve such excellent results, which made her even happier than when she won an award herself.

  Zhang Li's face wore a faint smile: "This is just the preliminary round. How come you didn't perform well this time?"

  "It's not that I didn't perform well, it's just that math was never my strong suit to begin with. My original plan was to study big data, but now I need to replan and redesign." Xia Meng shrugged indifferently, in fact she wasn't a competitive type of person, her good or bad grades wouldn't affect her good mood. And the person she liked had won the championship, she was already overjoyed.

  Xia Meng's undisguised excitement and admiring gaze at Zhang Li deeply stimulated Li Han. On the competition field, Li Han was in the same examination room as Xia Meng and Zhang Li. While other contestants were focused on answering questions, he spent his time observing and appreciating Xia Meng and Zhang Li. If I, Li Han, were to take first place this time, would you, Xia Meng, still be so jubilant?

  Huang Yi Qi rushed into the classroom, panting, and went straight to Zhang Li's desk: "Zhang Li brother, my dad is going to A city for a meeting this afternoon, I don't know how to ride a bike, can you accompany me home and see my dad off?"

  "Hmm———" Zhang Li hesitated for a moment, turned his head to glance at Xia Meng, who was now lowering her head to read a book, unable to see any emotional changes on her face.

  "Zhang Li gege, I'm begging you, this afternoon my dad is leaving!"

  "I haven't seen Uncle Huang for a long time. Li Han, help me and Huang Yiqi ask the class teacher for leave, we will be back before this afternoon's class." Zhang Li said to his deskmate Li Han.

  "Li Han, the note is already written and placed on my desk, it's not locked, you can go get it." Huang Yiqi said as she turned her head to Li Han while pulling Zhang Li out.

  Zhang Li walked out of the classroom door and turned his head back to look at Xia Meng. She had turned her head towards the window, gazing at the scenery outside.

  Li Han came to Huang Yiqi's desk and opened Huang Yiqi's desk drawer. Xia Meng said in a low voice, "Admit defeat? White egg!"

  "Did I lose, and did you win?" Li Han found the fake note on the top layer of Huang Yiqi's desk, and under it were several photos. He picked them up to take a look, they were composite photos of Huang Yiqi and Zhang Han, from when they were newborn babies to their youth at sixteen or seventeen years old. On the back of each photo was written in Huang Yiqi's handwriting, the date and location where the photo was taken.

  "Want to take a look?" Li Han waved the photo in front of Xia Meng.

  "What are you doing translating other people's things?" Xia Meng hastily scolded Li Han.

  "You just heard it too, Huang Yiqi asked me, as the class monitor, to get a leave slip from her desk."

  "But did she say, have you seen anything else?"

  "The fake note is on the photo. You're afraid to look, right? This isn't a photo, it's a heavy past between Zhang Li and Huang Yiqi. Do you want to alter history? Must you be the third person between them?" Li Han whispered in Xia Meng's ear, during class break, the noisy classroom made Li Han's voice sound low and gloomy.

  "Huang Yi Qi, won't let go easily, girl, wake up."

  "Get out!" Xia Meng pushed Li Han away with a shove.

  After school in the afternoon, Zhang Li and Huang Yiqi have not returned to school yet. Xia Meng has been staring at her phone anxiously, looking for any text messages. In other aspects, Xia Meng is proactive and enthusiastic, but when it comes to emotions, she is cautious and passive. If Zhang Li doesn't contact her, she will absolutely not take the initiative to contact him.

  "Go back home and type out the layout, will Huang Yiqi come back so easily?" Li Han sent a text message to Xia Meng.

  －－－－－－

  Xia Meng sat in front of the computer, distractedly staring at her phone, wondering why Zhang Li hadn't sent a single text message. Xia Meng couldn't help but come up with all sorts of guesses.

  "Hurry up and type, this monthly publication is going out, the layout isn't even done yet!" Li Han came over and nudged Xia Meng's head.

  "What have you been doing in there with the door closed while I've been typing here?" Xia Meng was very angry.

  "Am I the boss or are you the boss? You need to obey the arrangement!"

  "I've had enough!"

  "I originally planned to make mango pudding and mango coconut sago tonight, I guess not." Li Han muttered to himself in the kitchen.

  "Ah, really? Making mango pudding!" Xia Meng's displeasure vanished instantly upon hearing her favorite mango.

  "When did you buy the mango?" Xia Meng asked with a smile, leaning close to Li Han. She hadn't had any of Li Han's desserts for a long time. She could guarantee that Li Han was absolutely the chef who understood her taste best in the world. Moreover, eating his food would be addictive, and she would gradually lose her appetite for outside food. Her taste buds also became more and more picky, often feeling that the things made outside didn't taste right or look good.

  Li Han knew that any threat to Xia Meng would eventually lose its threatening nature, and her battered taste buds and stomach would increasingly obey him if slightly appeased. Li Han turned around with a pleased smile on his face, his deep eyes filled with amusement. "Making desserts requires being in a sweet mood. At this moment, I'm feeling gloomy..."

  "Ah, typing layout? I'll go right away!" Xia Meng hastily sat down in front of the computer desk, and the sound of her fingers flying across the keyboard was music to Li Han's ears.

  "Hey, how can you be so useless and shameless!" Xia Meng patted her belly, which was already growling with hunger even though she hadn't eaten dinner yet. Just hearing the word "mango" made her salivary glands go into overdrive.

  Not knowing kung fu, Xia Meng's nose caught the fragrance coming from the kitchen. Mango pudding, mango coconut sago, and spicy chicken were placed on the dinner table by Li Han.

  Xiǎ Mèng's eyes widened as she gazed at the delicious food on the table. "At this moment, you're really amazing!" Xiǎ Mèng praised Lǐ Hào with a beaming smile.

  "I'm always great, you just haven't discovered it yet!" Li Han said as he took off his T-shirt, revealing a robust physique in front of Xia Meng.

  "What do you want to do?" Xia Meng shouted angrily.

  "What a stunning beauty! Haven't you noticed?" Li Han struck a pose and walked back and forth in front of Xia Meng.

  "Disgusting! A dried-up gecko!" Xia Meng picked up the mango coconut rice pudding and drank it in big gulps.

  Li Han looked at the abdominal muscles on his body, which were even and beautiful, but in her eyes, they became dried-up geckos. Li Han sadly discovered that all she saw was food.