Math professor returns to routine

Chapter 535: Repaying a favor

Intermittent sounds of laughter and playful banter drifted from the balcony into the living room.

Wang Linghua looked away from her phone and gazed out onto the balcony.

The commotion also caught Deng Rui's attention. He glanced at Tang Wan and Xu Nian outside, then looked at Wang Linghua.

"Aren't you going to join them?"

"Why would I join? They didn't invite me." Wang Linghua looked away, swiped her phone screen a couple of times, and said in a nonchalant tone, "But you, Lu You and Li Yu are playing games, why aren't you going to watch?"

"I won't."

"No, I just don't want to."

Deng Rui had no way to refute it; as Wang Linghua said, he truly did not want to.

He had hardly ever played online games before the college entrance examination, and although he had played quite a few after the exam, he still wasn't very interested.

The silence lasted for several seconds before Deng Rui suddenly took action, putting down his phone and moving a short distance towards Wang Linghua.

The two closed the distance between them, now only an arm's length apart.

"I have a question for you."

"Truth or Dare is over," Wang Linghua replied without looking up.

"It's not a game."

Do I have a reason to answer you?

What a rude tone!

Deng Rui raised an eyebrow, but didn't seem angry.

On the way to Lu You's house in Li Yu's car, he knew that Wang Linghua was in a bad mood, or rather, she didn't like him.

Could it be that the magical season has arrived?

The next second, Deng Rui denied this guess.

As evening fell, Wang Linghua ate heartily, accepting everything offered, a behavior unbecoming of someone in the magic stage.

After thinking it over and over without finding a solution, and feeling too embarrassed to ask Wang Linghua directly, Deng Rui simply gave up on the idea and put it out of his mind.

Regardless of whether it was the magic period or not, Wang Linghua was certain of her abilities and decided to deal with it first.

"What do you want in return for an answer?"

"You beg me."

"Please."

The question-and-answer session was almost seamless.

Such a quick response made Wang Linghua look up at Deng Rui.

"Is this how you beg people?"

"Otherwise what? You expect me to kneel down and call you 'Mom'?"

Wang Linghua frowned. It seemed that Deng Rui had her figured out, and this discomfort was very unpleasant.

Short-lived emotions come and go quickly.

Wang Linghua's brow quickly relaxed, and she resumed her previous indifferent attitude. "I can answer your questions, and in return, you have to answer mine."

"It's only right to reciprocate," Deng Rui replied politely.

Wang Linghua placed her phone face down on the table, turned to face Deng Rui, and said, "Go ahead and ask."

After a moment's consideration, Deng Rui asked, "Have I ever done anything to hurt you?"

"No."

"If you don't have one, then why do you treat me like an enemy?" Deng Rui had wanted to ask Wang Linghua this when they were eating yakitori, but he didn't get a chance.

"Your issue falls under the second category."

"Do we really have to take this so seriously?"

"No rules no standards."

Deng Rui gave a helpless wry smile and shook his head. "Okay, go ahead and ask."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Wang Linghua's lips, which vanished in an instant, as if it had never happened.

"When I share stories and videos with you on WeChat, why do you reply with 'laughing' and 'laughing to death' emojis instead of 'laughing to death'? Are you just trying to brush me off?"

"I swear to God!" Deng Rui raised his right hand, making a vow gesture. "My reply may be short, but it is 100% my true feelings, and I have absolutely no intention of being perfunctory!"

"That's far too few, and it's all the same! Every time it's just a combination of 'haha,' 'laughing to death,' and 'facepalm' emojis. Anyone who didn't know better would think I was talking to a machine! Are you going to deduct my pay if I reply with more messages or what?"

"You know what, I don't have enough data each month."

Wang Linghua laughed in exasperation, grabbed her phone, and the blue light from the screen shone on her face. "Send me your phone number! I'll sponsor you fifty yuan in phone credit every month, is that enough? If not, I'll add another fifty!"

"No, no, no! I was just kidding, just kidding!" Deng Rui quickly reached out to stop Wang Linghua.

It's true that we don't have enough data, but we're far from being so desperate that we need a girl to sponsor our phone bills.

Wang Linghua snorted coldly, put her phone back on the table, and crossed her arms. "In short, starting today, you must watch every story and video I send you and write a review of no less than fifty words."

Deng Rui smiled and calmly uttered three words, "I refuse."

"Why!?" Wang Linghua's face was full of astonishment and shock.

"Think about it yourself, is your request reasonable? It's not less than fifty words for a review. Do you think you're a language arts teacher assigning daily homework?" Deng Rui retorted without any politeness.

Wang Linghua was furious, but she also understood that Deng Rui was not her father and would unconditionally accept her willfulness.

"Okay, never mind." Wang Linghua took a deep breath, suppressing the restlessness in her heart. "The second question..."

"Wait!" Deng Rui interrupted, "Why are you asking the second question without my permission? Isn't it my turn?"

Wang Linghua glanced at Deng Rui and said, "My first question is the answer to your second question."

Just for this little thing?

Deng Rui was speechless.

"Go ahead, what's your second question?"

"Do you care a lot about my attitude towards you?" Wang Linghua stared intently at Deng Rui, her sharp eyes seeming to see right through him.

Deng Rui's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason, but he remained calm and nodded, saying, "A friend who was perfectly fine suddenly turns on you without warning. Anyone would be concerned."

"Who is Yin and Yang!"

Wang Linghua grabbed a cushion and threw it.

Deng Rui was on guard and dodged the attack.

The cushion landed on the sofa, but missed its target.

Deng Rui straightened up, a smile on his face, seemingly unaffected by Wang Linghua's violent behavior.

"The third question is, what are your thoughts on the expert now?"

"You're deliberately trying to start a fight, aren't you? You just wait!" Wang Linghua said fiercely, then replied, "I've already let it go, and I have no feelings for him now."

"Really?" Deng Rui asked with a doubtful look.

"If you don't believe me, then don't ask!"

A fierce gaze pierced his face, and Deng Rui had no choice but to change his words.

"I believe you."

It's like a firecracker, it explodes at the slightest touch!

I will never date someone like this in the future.

Wang Linghua was naturally unaware that Deng Rui was secretly mocking her; she only felt that she had won the argument and was in a good mood for a moment.

"Very well, it's my turn to ask again. Tell me, who was your first love?"

"Is this never going to end?!" Deng Rui had mentioned it once on New Year's Eve, but he didn't expect Wang Linghua to still be bringing it up.

"You started the war first, so don't blame me."

Deng Rui sighed, feeling quite pleased with himself for shooting himself in the foot.

"I don't know which sentence caused your misunderstanding, but I must clarify that I have never been in a relationship. We only made a verbal agreement to go to the same high school, and we didn't have any close interactions on a daily basis. At most, we were just on the verge of flirting, but it was far from being a relationship."

"A tough talk?"

Deng Rui was too lazy to say anything more.

Humans never believe in objective facts, but rather in their own perception of the truth.

"I can't answer this question. Please choose another one."

Wang Linghua curled her lip, her eyes filled with disdain, "I knew you couldn't forget her."

Are you going to ask or not?

"I'm not asking anymore!" Wang Linghua brushed her bangs aside and picked up her phone again. "What's the point if you can't ask what you want to ask?"

"You just want to hear that gossip?"

"Nonsense! What else should we listen to besides gossip? Your study tips?"

Throughout their three years of high school, Deng Rui gave the most speeches among the six of them, always taking the stage at every grade-level meeting.

"If you want to hear it, it's not impossible."

"Don't listen to me! Get out of here!"

……

"Phew~" Li Yu took off his headphones, hung them around his neck, and looked smug with the joy of victory. "Wasn't my last shot crucial? If I hadn't finished him off, we would have lost this promotion match."

Looking at Li Yu's glorious achievements, Lu You smiled but said nothing.

3-18-2

After playing the game, it's as if Li Yu never existed.

"I suggest you don't play PVP games anymore."

"Why?"

"To avoid causing harm to others."

"Mind your own business, I'm playing, I'm playing!"

Lu You disdained to argue with Li Yu, picked up the water glass beside her, and took a sip.

Li Yu stretched and looked up at the two computer cases on the desktop.

Nearby is the black Creator God statue, while in the distance are white ocean-view rooms; the machines are turning in the distance, radiating light.

"Hey bro, what's the configuration of that white ocean-view apartment?"

Lu You put the water glass aside and replied, "Both machines have the same configuration, only the motherboard and case are different."

"Was it you who played the role, or Tang Wan?"

Lu You chuckled and said, "She's a money-grubber. Asking her to spend tens of thousands of yuan on a computer is like asking her to die."

"So, you mean you bought her the computer?"

Lu You nodded. It wasn't something to hide, so she admitted it.

"Tang Wan didn't say anything to you?"

Lu You thought for a moment and said, "I did. She said thank you, honey, and then kissed me twice."

Li Yu's pupils trembled violently.

My brother's experience seems quite different from his!

What Lu You didn't reveal was that on the night he delivered the computer, Tang Wan wore a cool office lady uniform and treated him to a delicious meal.

"This is outrageous! It's absolutely outrageous! Everyone is giving gifts to their girlfriends, so why are you being rewarded by Tang Wan while I get scolded by Xu Nian!"

Paying money to give gifts and still getting scolded?

What kind of extraordinary person?

Lu You was about to complain when she suddenly remembered a sentence and swallowed it back down.

Without knowing the full picture, it is impossible to make any definitive statements.

How did she insult you?

"She called me a stinky straight man, saying that all I do is give her gifts to please her, and that I spend money extravagantly, always picking out expensive gifts for her."

Listening to Li Yu's fragmented words, and based on her long-term understanding of Li Yu, Lu You quickly pieced together a logically consistent cause and effect in her mind.

Given Li Yu's personality and spending habits, the gift he bought for Xu Nian was probably not cheap.

Xu Nian is shy and has a strong sense of self-respect, so he is embarrassed to accept the gift. The two of them have always had a playful and teasing relationship.

Thus, the situation arose where Li Yu was scolded by Xu Nian for giving gifts.

If Tang Wan were present and heard Lu You's thoughts, she would definitely say something.

Amazing, my husband!

"If you ask me, you should be happy that she's insulting you."

"what?"

Seeing Li Yu's confusion, Lu You patiently explained, "Xu Nian doesn't accept your expensive gifts, nor does she want you to give her gifts often. What does that mean? It means that she's with you because she cares about you as a person, not your wallet."

A simple sentence, like a strong gust of wind, dispelled the fog before Li Yu's eyes.

"It makes sense!"

Lu You pressed on, saying, "From what I've observed, Xu Nian is a very competitive person. She's unwilling to suffer losses or take advantage of others. If you insult her, she'll retort; if you treat her well, she'll reciprocate with the same kindness."

Li Yu's eyes sparkled.

Clearly, what Lu You said was very much in line with his understanding of Xu Nian.

"That's why Xu Nian won't accept the valuable gifts you give her; she can't repay them."

"I didn't ask you to return it! You know me, I never ask people to return things I give away. Back in the first year of junior high, I gave you a graphics card, did I ask you to return it?"

It was the first year of junior high school, back in the era of 20-series graphics cards. Nvidia had just released the 2080ti, and Li Yu got two the very next day, one for Lu You and one for himself.

"What kind of family do I come from, and what kind of family does Xu Nian come from? Besides, haven't I already paid you back? Your house is full of anime figures and Bandai Gundams, many of them were gifts from me, right? I also gave you a few Yu-Gi-Oh! collectible cards, have you forgotten?"

Li Yu twitched the corner of her mouth, but remained silent.

Over the years of knowing each other, the things Lu You has given him, all sorts of things, must amount to hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Conversely, he also gave Lu You a lot of things, including games from various gaming platforms and virtual items from numerous games. The combined value of these gifts was almost the same as what Lu You had given him.

Lu You gave Li Yu a few seconds to think before continuing, "Maintaining a relationship is like walking a tightrope over a cliff. Only with give and take can it be stable. Unequal giving or taking will lead to imbalance and a fall into the abyss."

It seems Xu Nian's rejection of your gift was partly due to this consideration. However, she doesn't have much experience interacting with boys, and her relationship with you is mostly playful and teasing, which led to her straightforward and blunt rejection.

Li Yu didn't know if Lu You's analysis was right or wrong, but he listened to it and believed most of it. The slight resentment he had towards Xu Nian almost completely disappeared.

Xu Nian refused the gift and even scolded him, not because she was rejecting his feelings or disliked him, but quite the opposite, because she cared about him and hoped that their relationship would last.

Seeing Li Yu's expression gradually relax, Lu You smiled as well.

It's good that you've come to terms with it!

Lu You raised his hand and patted Li Yu on the shoulder, saying, "We're brothers, let me give you a couple more pointers."

Li Yu's expression turned solemn, and he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lu You, saying, "Godfather, please accept my bow!"

"You're too kind, you're too kind!"

After exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries, Lu You resumed the conversation.

"Given your current relationship with Xu Nian, it's not advisable to give him overly expensive gifts or too frequently. Two or three times a week, such as milk tea, snacks, or fruit, would be sufficient. If you're determined to give him something expensive, choose a special occasion like his birthday, Qixi Festival, or an anniversary."

"Can't we celebrate the Lunar New Year?"

"What gift do you need for Chinese New Year? Just give a red envelope. It's a different story if you come to visit in person."

"understood."

Visiting someone's home during the Chinese New Year is essentially the same as visiting relatives, Li Yu understands.

"You should also be careful about the gifts you give. Try to choose gifts that come in pairs and have symbolic meaning for couples. For example, if you're giving a bracelet, you should buy one for yourself and one for her, so that they match. This can effectively reduce the psychological burden."

Lu You's mouth was a little dry from talking, so he picked up his water glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"One last piece of advice: when giving gifts, don't be afraid to make some outrageous requests, like a kiss, a hug, or a touch."

Li Yu's eyes widened; he had never had this idea before.

"Isn't it inappropriate to take advantage of someone's kindness?"

Lu You looked directly into Li Yu's eyes and said decisively, "What we want is to take advantage of someone's kindness! Once someone accepts a favor, they're obligated to do things for us!"

"But your request is a bit too outrageous."

"So what if you're a hooligan? Isn't dating about being a hooligan openly and honestly? Or are you saying you're so noble that you're pursuing Platonic love?"

Li Yu shook her head decisively.

Platonic love? Even a dog wouldn't do that!

"What if I get rejected?"

"Good things come to those who wait. If it doesn't work the first time, try again; if it doesn't work the second time, try a third time, keep trying until she agrees. Trust me, it's hard for a girl to refuse the advances of a guy she likes. If she shows resistance, either you chose the wrong time, or..."

Lu You grinned and sang a line from the song "You Hide It From Me".

"If, besides me, there is someone else in your heart..."

Li Yu's eyes flickered as she quickly absorbed the knowledge Lu You imparted, while a series of thoughts popped into her mind.

When it comes to creating pornography, Li Yu has always been serious and full of inspiration.

"Brother, I won't thank you enough. When 5090 comes out, I'll give you one, no, two!"

"I've got it covered, don't try to renege on your promise." (End of Chapter)