Observation Chapter 12
Previous Chapter|Index|Next Chapter
Observation Chapter 12: Ye Li
“Thank you.” The girl politely replied.
No one knew what was going on in her mind.
“You’re welcome.”
Lin Qian remained silent after that.
She sat down in silence.
Just then, the subtle scent of vanilla blended in with a light breeze from the window and wafted through the air.
Wan Cheng and Wu Dongqiang found their gazes drifting towards the girl without realizing it.
They could not help it; She was just too darn pretty!
Wan Cheng pulled out his phone and sent Lin Qian a message.
[Holy crap… Taoist Lin, I’ve long heard you’re a true gentleman. You definitely live up to your reputation today.]
Raising his eyebrows, Lin Qian replied: [Taoist Wan, did you eat something weird or hit your head in the wrong spot again? What are you on about?]
Wan Cheng: [Do you know who the girl beside you is?]
Lin Qian: [Nope.]
Lin Qian found Wan Cheng’s question to be completely unnecessary. Why could he not just say her name out loud?
Wan Cheng would ultimately have to reveal her name anyway. If he did not know who the girl was, inquiring about her wouldn’t help him figure it out. And if he did know, why bother with the question in the first place?
Wan Cheng: [She’s Ye Li, the most beautiful girl in the Faculty of Arts!]
“…Faculty of Arts…”
This foreign language class was a large lecture, with students from various majors attending.
Lin Qian glanced at the message on his phone, a hint of surprise crossing his face.
He moved his fingers slightly: [Ah, so that’s who she is. I get it now.]
With that, he went back to reading his novel.
He was absolutely certain that Wan Cheng had already fallen head over heels for the faculty belle, Ye Li.
‘Looks like Wu Dongqiang had fallen for her charms too.’
Lin Qian looked at Ye Li from the corner of his eye.
Honestly, he had to admit that she truly lived up to her reputation as the most beautiful girl in her faculty.
At Southern Sky University, a girl with such a title was a strong contender for the position of school belle.
This advantage stemmed from the faculty’s reputation for having beautiful women. After all, the competition demanded nothing less than the best of the best from its contestants.
But none of that had anything to do with him.
Lin Qian’s eyes moved slightly. After a moment’s contemplation, he scrolled down to the next page.
Suddenly, her crisp, bell-like voice rang out beside him once more.
But this time, her voice was barely audible, almost as if she was speaking in whispers: “Do you like… reading this type of novel?”
Lin Qian shot a glance at Ye Li. Realizing that the question was directed at him, he replied. “Hmm? What sort of novel are you referring to?”
“Sweet and sappy novels, those filled with nauseating displays of public affection.”
Ye Li’s brows flickered upwards for a second as she spoke.
‘Ah?’
Lin Qian’s eyes shifted slightly.
‘The way she framed that question… is quite interesting…’
He was reading a cultivation-romance novel, yet her question revolved around sappy love stories and over-the-top displays of affections—
—overlooking the cultivation aspect completely.
The problem lay in her choice of words when describing those genres. It seemed she was-…
“Sss…”
Lin Qian rubbed his throbbing head, as a sense of hunger rose from his stomach and washed over him.
He had unknowingly slipped into a different state of mind.
She had only asked a simple, innocuous question, but his mind was already racing with a hundred different scenarios.
‘Wait a minute, how did I get in the zone so easily?’
‘Is writing all these dark novels and experiencing that trauma last night making me paranoid?’
Lin Qian inwardly chided himself for his thoughts. Instead of answering her question, he turned back to his phone and asked: “As expected of a literature major. You certainly have a way with words. Do you read web novels too?”
“Of course. It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t read them these days, right? No matter who they are, I imagine they have read a novel or two.”
“Indeed. But it seems the students in your faculty aren’t into them much. I get the feeling they prefer something with a little more depth. I have a friend who’s the same way too — He loves reading foreign literature and sticks exclusively to that.”
“That’s not necessarily the case. I actually love reading web novels, especially ones that are well-written.”
Ye Li’s interest was piqued, and she responded to Lin Qian’s remarks in quick succession.
“Which novels would you say are well-written then?” Caught off-guard by her reply, Lin Qian’s finger hovered before the screen just as he was about to scroll onto the next page. He continued, “Where do you usually read them? Qidian? JJXWC? Hongxiu?”
“I mean, they must be really amazing if you really like them.”
Lin Qian did not even think of mentioning the site that he was writing on, [SFACG].
It was a niche platform that few people knew about, whose content was tailored to its user base made up of predominantly young readers. He could not imagine someone like Ye Li reading the web novels hosted there.
Therefore, he had naturally omitted that option out of the conversation.
“I’ve used those platforms before, and even explored some lesser-known apps, like…”
Ye Li paused mid-sentence and slowly turned her head to the side, glancing at the guy beside her. “Hold on. You still haven’t told me if you like sweet and sappy novels.”
She had almost forgotten her question; The person beside her had skillfully diverted the conversation away from her topic.
However, she had to admit, the way he steered the conversation was extremely impressive…
…It made her feel a strong sense of familiarity…
Ye Li had furrowed her brows without realizing it.
‘Oh? Guess the trick is up. I should’ve expected it from an art student. They’re always so sharp when it comes to words.’
Lin Qian curled his lips into a smile.
When someone wished to avoid a question, they could either deflect by building on what the other person was saying or steer the conversation towards a topic of their interest, thus avoiding further probing.
Lin Qian had employed this tactic when talking to Ye Li earlier.
It was a clever way to steer a conversation without the other person noticing or taking offense.
In novels, the male protagonists would often employ this tactic to gather information or outsmart adversaries that could not be overwhelmed by force.
Needless to say, Lin Qian would not underestimate her. After all, anyone admitted to the faculty of arts in Southern Sky University had to be intelligent.
That faculty was ranked among the top three in the academy, and one needed exceptionally high entry scores to get in.
“Do you think it’s odd for guys to read romance novels? There are actually way more of those on those websites geared towards women than men. Nine out of ten campus romance novels on those sites are so sweet, they’ll make your teeth fall out.”
“No, I don’t read novels on women’s platforms. I prefer reading on men-oriented sites; I think male authors write better…” Ye Li trailed off mid-sentence, as she suddenly turned to stare directly into Lin Qian’s eyes. “Wait a minute. Are you trying to change the topic again?”
‘This guy… almost tricked me again… Impressive…’
A flicker of curiosity suddenly began to grow in Ye Li’s heart.
“Hahaha… That’s not true at all.”
Lin Qian shook his head lightly and chuckled, a calm smile gracing his lips. “You might find this hard to believe, but I’m not into romance novels at all. Not even the slightest.”
“Oh? Is that so~?” A note of playful skepticism crept into her voice. It was clear that Lin Qian’s words had failed to fully convince her. “Then why are you still reading it? The paragraph I saw earlier was definitely pure romance. You’re not telling me you read books you don’t like, are you?”
“Trust me, it’s not what you think. I have absolutely no interest in sappy romance novels. I find them incredibly dull and pointless.” To sound more convincing, he deliberately used harsh language and allowed an unconcealed sense of disdain to color his words.
Web novels catered to all tastes, with no genre being inherently superior to another. While some might enjoy sappy love stories, he held no such interest in them.
“Is that honestly how you feel?”
“Mhm.”
Lin Qian calmly replied without elaborating further.
A strange look flashed across Ye Li’s face as she processed Lin Qian’s words. She then turned her attention to the textbook on her desk, seemingly prepared to focus on the teacher’s lecture.
Meanwhile, Lin Qian continued reading his web novel.
End-of-semester exams had never been a problem for him, especially when he could count on the extra points he would get for perfect attendance.
Suddenly, Lin Qian felt someone lightly nudging his elbow.
“I’m Ye Li, a first-year student from the Faculty of Arts. What’s your name, and which faculty are you in?”
“I’m Lin Qian, a first-year student from the Faculty of Public Administration.”