Suchen and Lika smoothly became deskmates. During this time in class, Suchen often stole glances at her, until one day when Lika had a minor disagreement with some classmates and ended up crying by the stairwell. When Suchen handed her a tissue, the true beginning of their destiny finally unfolded...
After class, Lika leaned against her desk, gently tossing her long hair. Her beauty and nobility were striking. As she stood there quietly, an indescribable wave of loneliness surged through her heart. It felt as though she were the only person left in the entire world, with solitude clinging to her like a shadow, when a sudden thought flashed across her mind—her deskmate, Suchen.
She bit her lip lightly, then stepped forward with elegant strides, walking toward Suchen. Every step looked light and confident, as if declaring her existence to the entire world.
When she reached Suchen, she stopped, lifted her chin slightly, and said in a playful tone, "Hey, deskmate, class break is so boring. How about keeping this young lady company for a chat? Or..."
Suchen smiled. Realizing that Suchen seemed to have seen right through her thoughts, Lika's cheeks flushed slightly. Putting on a composed front, she arched an eyebrow and said to Suchen arrogantly, "You... don't misunderstand. This young lady is merely testing whether you're qualified to be my deskmate."
"Alright then, how would you like to test me?" Suchen asked.
Lika replied, "I want you to do something for me."
"What is it?" Suchen asked.
Lika reached out, gently poked Suchen's shoulder, and said, "Don't be so nervous. It's nothing difficult—I'd just like you to buy this young lady a bottle of water."
After buying the water, Suchen handed it to Lika. Lika took the water, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. "Hmm... this tastes pretty good." She turned and walked back to her seat, a faint, imperceptible smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"I'm glad you like it," Suchen said.
The corners of Lika's mouth curved upward, a flash of mischief dancing in her eyes. "What? Are you that eager to please this young lady? Do you have some kind of hidden agenda regarding me?"
"I do, truly," Suchen replied.
Lika gave a light toss of her brow, her tone carrying a hint of provocation. "Oh? Then go ahead and spell it out—what kind of agenda do you have with this young lady?"
"To dispel your loneliness."
Hearing this, Lika froze for a moment. Her gaze flickered with confusion, though she deliberately feigned cold indifference. "Hmph, this young lady isn't won over so easily. However, if you're willing to keep treating this young lady like this, perhaps I'll consider it."
Suchen smiled faintly. "Very well."
Lika looked at Suchen with a slight smile, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. "You said it yourself, no taking it back." She then reached out and tapped Suchen's shoulder.
"It's a deal," Suchen said.
Lika tilted her head up haughtily. "This young lady's word is as good as gold, unlike certain people who always love to boast."
Speechless, Suchen remarked, "Naturally."
Lika continued playing with her long hair. "Still, don't get too excited just yet. If you want to earn this young lady's approval, you still have to put in a lot more effort."
"I'll work hard," Suchen said.
Lika gave a soft huff, the corners of her mouth curling upward slightly. "That's better. Just don't let this young lady down."
Suddenly thinking of something, Lika frowned. "However, this young lady has one more question for you."
"What question?" Suchen asked.
Lika crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you trying to please this young lady? Is it really as you said just now—do you have some ulterior motive concerning me?"
"What do you think?" Suchen asked.
Lika narrowed her eyes, a hint of danger coloring her voice. "Hmph, since you won't talk, don't blame this young lady for being impolite."
Suchen looked slightly nervous. "What are you going to do?"
"Naturally, I'm going to properly teach a lesson to a guy who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth," Lika said.
"What do you want to do?" Suchen asked.
Lika reached out and grabbed the collar of Suchen's shirt. "What? Scared? If you regret it now, it's not too late."
"I'm not scared at all," Suchen replied.
A flash of admiration crossed Lika's eyes, and her tone softened a bit. "Fine. In that case, don't blame this young lady for being merciless."
"Okay," Suchen said.
Lika released her grip on Suchen's collar and gave a light cough. "Ahem. However, this young lady isn't unreasonable either. As long as you can prove your capability, this young lady will consider giving you a chance."
"How do I prove it?" Suchen asked.
Lika smiled faintly and pointed to the blackboard at the back of the classroom. "It's very simple. As long as you can solve the problem on this blackboard, this young lady will acknowledge that you're qualified to be my deskmate."
That problem was one the teacher had just gone over in class. Out of fifty students in the class, twenty had been called upon, and only two or three had answered correctly. Neither Suchen nor Lika had been called.
After looking at it, Suchen said, "Is it really that simple?"
Lika crossed her arms, a look of disdain flashing in her eyes. "Hmph, don't underestimate this problem. If you can't even solve this, don't blame this young lady for being harsh."
Unfazed, Suchen picked up a piece of chalk and scrawled the answer onto the blackboard with a few swift strokes. Lika stared at Suchen in astonishment. "Wow, you solved it so quickly! It turns out you're quite capable after all."
"It's nothing much," Suchen replied.
Staring at the blackboard in deep thought, Lika murmured, "Hmm... this problem really is somewhat difficult. It seems this young lady underestimated you after all."
Suchen looked at her with complete composure.
Suddenly turning around, Lika gazed intently at Suchen. "However, this isn't enough to prove your capability. Next, this young lady is going to pose an even harder problem. If you can solve it, then this young lady will agree to your request from earlier."
Suchen smiled with confidence. "Bring it on."
Lika wrote a complex math problem on a piece of scratch paper and handed it to Suchen. "Alright, let's see if you can crack this one."
Suchen took the scratch paper, scanned it, and immediately picked up a pen to start calculating.
Lika stood quietly to the side, watching Suchen solve the problem. "This problem is no walk in the park. It took me a long time to figure it out."
Two minutes later.
Lika took the scratch paper handed back by Suchen and stared at the answer, her mouth falling open in shock. "What... you actually solved it this fast?!"
Suchen gave a calm smile. "Not bad, right?"
Shaking her head in disbelief, Lika said, "How can this be? This problem is so complex, yet you solved it in just two minutes."
"Fine, you qualify," Lika said. "Actually, sometimes I unexpectedly find myself thinking of someone—someone who accompanies you through a certain stage in life. Today, I'm really glad to be with you. I don't feel quite so lonely anymore. Thank you, Suchen. I hope in the future we can spend even more wonderful times together just like today."