Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Strengths and Flaws

Huang Ruoran stared at Xiao Luo with eyes full of hate…Why is this guy always opposing me? Does he think I’m unworthy to be the class monitor? Or does he think he’s more qualified to take on that position?

The girls who were on good terms with her ran over and tried to get Xiao Luo to reconsider.

“Great Hero Xiao Luo. Just sing five more times. Please. It’s not a big deal, is it”

“Yeah, we’ll be out of here in twenty minutes at most!”

“Monitor Ruoran is doing this for the good of our major. Our performance will reflect on our collective honor. If we do poorly, we’ll look bad in front of the students from other majors. They might even poke fun at us.”

Xiao Luo’s intense debate with Huang Ruoran in oral English had won him the approval of nearly everyone in the class. Moreover, he was merely expressing the unspoken thoughts of some of the students. The good thing is that the girls were now more willing to listen to his ideas and suggestions without feeling threatened. Yeah…they had definitely lightened up.

“Our country encourages leading cadres to integrate with the masses and to listen to their voices. This also applies to a collective like a classroom or a major in a university. Huang Ruoran is the equivalent of a leading cadre, and we’re the masses. The voice of the masses is saying that we want to take a break. So can I say that her insistence on practicing means that she’s now divorced from the masses and no longer represents our interests?” said Xiao Luo with a deadpan expression.

F*ck me! He brought the level of the argument up to the national realm. Did Brother Luo have to be so freaking cool?

Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai looked at Xiao Luo admiringly. They loved the way he presented his ideas and arguments.

“Pretentious d*ck. Stop talking nonsense. Ruoran just wants us to practice singing a little more, but you’ve turned it into an argument about a leading cadre becoming divorced from the masses. Stop exaggerating,” Chu Yue berated him quietly. Although she wasn’t close to Huang Ruoran, she acknowledged her position as the class monitor.

“Exaggerate? Leading cadres should integrate with the masses and hear their voices. This is advocated by the state. Are you saying this is an exaggeration?” Xiao Luo feigned shock and surprise.

Chu Yue was so annoyed she took the lollipop out of her mouth and glowered, “Pretentious d*ck. Geez. I meant that you were distorting Huang Ruoran’s words to further your own agenda. When did I say that what the state advocated was exaggerated?”

“Are my words wrong? Leading cadres and the masses are the big society while we are a microcosm here. What’s the difference between the two? Huang Ruoran isn’t taking our opinions into consideration. She’s just imposing her will on us. Am I not allowed to object? This is a dictatorship, this is … ”

“Stop, stop, stop! I’ll give you money!”

Chu Yue gestured at him to stop. She couldn’t stand how he talked. She then took out thirty dollars from her pocket. “Thirty dollars to buy twenty minutes from you. Listen to Ruoran and sing five more times, okay?”

“Deal!”

Xiao Luo snatched the money out of Chu Yue’s hand and stuffed it into his pocket.

“Do you only care about money?”

Chu Yue asked indignantly as she pointed at him with her lollipop.

“It’s not the only thing I care about. But I won’t turn my back on money.”

Xiao Luo glanced at the lollipop that was within reach. It exuded a sweet, tempting smell. He said faintly, “I wouldn’t object if you gave me this lollipop to tide me over until lunch.”

“Dream on! This is a limited import from Germany. Why would I give it up so easily when even I can’t bear to eat it?” Chu Yue quickly put the lollipop back in her mouth, for fear of it being stolen by Xiao Luo.

******

Huaye cafeteria was bustling with students.

After the English Language majors finished the fifth rendition of “Yellow River,” they all rushed to the cafeteria. They had worked up quite an appetite.

Xiao Luo, Zhu Xiaofei, and Ding Kai sat together. An Huanhuan came over to join them after getting her meal.

“Hero Luo, this glass of strawberry juice is for you!” An Huanhuan sat down and put a glass of delicious strawberry juice in front of him.

“Thank you, but I’m not thirsty,” Xiao Luo politely refused.

An Huanhuan laughed and said, “You will be after you finish eating. This strawberry juice is delicious.”

“I don’t like strawberry juice,” Xiao Luo said a little more seriously.

“Hehe. Brother Luo doesn’t like it, but I’ll have it.”

Both his eyes and hands were swift: Zhu Xiaofei grabbed the strawberry juice and took a big gulp. He loved to do this kind of cheap, silly thing.

“Damn pig. I bought this for Hero Luo. Why the hell did you drink it!” An Huanhuan said with glowering eyes.

“Oh, don’t be so stingy. Since Brother Luo’s not drinking it, it’s only natural to drink it for him as his bro. If an older bro can’t do something, it falls to the younger bro to do it on his behalf. There’s nothing wrong with this, hehe.” Zhu Xiaofei was undaunted. “As the saying goes, a dead pig doesn’t fear scalding water.”

“F*ck your sister. Why the hell would I want you to drink this on his behalf? Besides, has Hero Luo acknowledged you as his younger bro? Stop trying to attach yourself to his name so shamelessly.” An Huanhuan gritted her teeth and huffed angrily.

Ding Kai laughed out loud. “The beautiful Huanhuan is right. Lao Zhu is just shameless; his skin is thicker than the city walls.”

“Get lost. Since even food can’t block that mouth of yours, I’ll pull out all your pubic hair, trust me.” Zhu Xiaofei glared at Ding Kai without forgetting to take a big sip of that strawberry juice.

An Huanhuan refused to lower herself to this guy’s standards. She smiled at Xiao Luo and said in a soft and sweet voice, “Hero Luo, what would you like to drink? I’ll buy it for you again.”

“Plain boiled water!”

Xiao Luo replied unhappily. He didn’t believe An Huanhuan would continue pestering him.

Sure enough, An Huanhuan frowned, “But I need to go back to the dorm to boil water in an electric kettle. You can’t get boiled water in the cafeteria” Her delicate brows relaxed and her eyes brightened, “But I can find a way to get you a glass of plain boiled water. Hero Luo, you just wait here.”

After she finished talking, she abandoned her meal, got up, and ran out of the cafeteria.

“Oh my God, the beautiful Huanhuan has set her heart on chasing Brother Luo. Wow,” Zhu Xiaofei was astounded.

“It’s none of our business. Let’s just eat,” Ding Kai lowered his head and continued stuffing his mouth.

Xiao Luo never imagined An Huanhuan would be so stubborn and delusional. Moreover, he made that offhand remark to help her back out of an awkward situation. He also wanted to discourage her from buying a drink for him. Why couldn’t she take the hint?

An Huanhuan returned after a short time carrying a glass of plain boiled water from the security room. She was running so quickly that she became breathless and sweaty. She put the glass in front of Xiao Luo and gave a satisfied smile, “Hero Luo, here’s the plain boiled water you just ordered.”

He felt extraordinarily embarrassed and guilty, “An Huanhuan, what are you doing?”

“What am I doing? I fetched a glass of plain boiled water for you.”

“I asked why you fetched it for me?”

“Because I like you.”

An Huanhuan sat down on the opposite side of him and smiled like the sweet, naive young woman she was.

Xiao Luo was bewildered. “You don’t even know me, so how can you say something like that,” he asked.

“Oh, but I do know you. You’re handsome, nice, eloquent, and especially good at fighting, hehe.” An Huanhuan held up a finger for each quality she enumerated.

“You’re talking about my strengths. You don’t know my flaws.”

“Flaws? Like?”

“For example, I’m a male chauvinist. I’m bad at accepting discipline, and I also feel inferior sometimes,” Xiao Luo said.

An Huanhuan shook her head, “It doesn’t matter. Those are not flaws in my eyes.”

“I’m not very even-tempered.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s normal for a man with real abilities to have a bit of a temper. It would be abnormal if you were totally incapable of getting angry.”

“I’m much older than you!”

“I like older guys. They’re mature and stable,” An Huan said grinning.

F*ck!

No matter how calm and unflustered Xiao Luo’s nature was, right now, he couldn’t help but curse. Even though it was a breach of etiquette, it was an emotional release.