Chapter 132 Indecisive

After the mandatory afternoon class, Li Hao originally had some personal matters to take care of and basically needed to catch up on sleep. Before he could even leave, Zuo Xiaotang grabbed him in a bear hug and dragged him off to buy flowers. "Ah, who are you buying them for?"

Suddenly, Li Hao felt like he was really letting A Youyou down. He had never given her flowers, nor any proper gifts. He carried the red heart-shaped gemstone with him, and although gifts didn't necessarily have to be expensive, valuable and unique gifts were often costly. Even if he didn't understand it, Li Hao knew that this gemstone should be worth a fortune. He really didn't know what kind of gift to give A Youyou, even though he knew she probably didn't care about it.

In this aspect, Zuo Xiaotang was more enlightened than him.

"Lu... Lu Ying," Zuo Xiaotang said a little embarrassed. "Shh, don't tell anyone else. I'm still working hard at it. I've asked Senior Sister out to dinner tonight, and she agreed. Wu-ge, I really like Senior Sister. She's gentle and generous. Being able to win her over is my dream in this lifetime!"

The little fatty's face was glowing with a red light, the joy and anticipation emanating from his heart.

Li Hao patted Zuo Xiaotang's shoulder. "Keep it up. Senior Sister is very charming, so it's a long and arduous road."

Zuo Xiaotang nodded. "I feel like Senior Sister is a little interested in me. She was very nice to me during training a while ago, and yesterday when I invited her to dinner, she agreed. Hao-ge, do you think she's a little interested in me? Otherwise, she wouldn't have accepted such a personal invitation, right?"

Li Hao rubbed his nose. "You'll have to ask Teacher Ma about that."

The two bought the flowers, and Zuo Xiaotang took a deep breath of their fragrance. They really smelled good.

"Alright, you keep trying. I'm out of here."

Just as he was about to leave, he was grabbed by Zuo Xiaotang again. "I'm a little nervous. Come with me!"

Li Hao rolled his eyes. "Is there even such a thing as having a companion for this?"

"I just asked Senior Sister Ziyuan, and she has an off-campus activity today, so she's not in the dorm. I'll buy the flowers and wait for her at the gate to give her a surprise. Isn't Teacher Ma always saying that you have to create romance?"

"You guys be romantic. What am I doing following along? Trying to stimulate me!"

"Are you even a brother? At such a crucial moment, you need to cheer me on and chat with me, otherwise I feel like I'll faint before she even gets here. You can leave once she arrives," Zuo Xiaotang said.

Li Hao was speechless. A tool, he was.

"Speaking of which, I just remembered something. Why the hell did you babble to the Dean about me? Now the Dean keeps wanting to see my girlfriend, who's on the moon. Where am I supposed to find her?" Li Hao had a headache. Recently, the Dean had been talking about this, wanting him to bring her to see him.

How could he? A Youyou was on her way to Kepler. Even if she wasn't on Kepler, the two of them were now...

"You can't blame me for that. The Dean asked me, and I couldn't very well lie to her. Either you tell her the situation, or you find a substitute to play the role."

"Get out of here, always coming up with bad ideas. There's a whole bunch of clever ghosts at home, and none of them are easy to deal with. If there's a first time, there'll be no end to it."

*Bi Di Ge*

"Or you could just say you were dumped. Never mind," Zuo Xiaotang said with a smile.

"Go, I'm still here, haven't given up yet. I have to prepare a gift for A Youyou." In this aspect, Li Hao was no better than Zuo Xiaotang. Recently, Li Hao had also been regretting that he should have just beaten up all those people and run away with A Youyou back then.

As for running where, who cared? Now, Kepler was really at the ends of the earth.

"You still have to consult Teacher Ma about this. Oh, right, Ma Long seemed to say that this kind of situation between you two is called '藕断丝连' (ǒu duàn sī lián, lotus root though broken, fibres still connected, meaning a lingering relationship). As a man, you must break the deadlock and take the initiative. If the feelings are still there, the other person will definitely respond. Of course, you must find a good reason and put your heart into it." Zuo Xiaotang imitated Ma Long's tone.

Li Hao scratched his head. That made sense. He had to put his heart into it.

The two chatted aimlessly, and time flew by. A luxurious hovercar stopped several meters from the school gate. Of course, this wasn't too rare at Tianjing Mech Academy. Lu Ying stepped out, wearing hot pants and a small vest, showing off her large chest and slender waist. She was truly hot.

Although they were far away, Zuo Xiaotang and Li Hao both had excellent eyesight and recognized her at a glance. Li Hao patted someone's shoulder and quietly slipped away.

Before long, the hovercar door opened, and a well-dressed man in a suit and glasses stepped out, opening his arms towards Lu Ying. Lu Ying smiled coyly, gave him a hug, and the bespectacled man closed the car door with satisfaction. With a swerve and a stretch, the hovercar sped away.

Zuo Xiaotang saw this scene clearly, his face a little pale, his hands also trembling.

Zuo Xiaotang instantly gasped for breath. No, it could be a friend or a relative. What was he thinking? There must be a misunderstanding.

Lu Ying's steps were light and brisk, and it was clear that she was in a good mood. For her, life was as rich and colorful as a stage. Possessing beauty and education as capital was enough to attract the attention of many people. She liked this fulfilling life.

Returning to school, Lu Ying also felt particularly comfortable. The school and outside were completely two different lives, with different flavors. The gazes within the school were equally ardent. She was the center of attention everywhere. Although it was a bit naive, it had a unique charm.

Zuo Xiaotang hid behind a tree, never mustering the courage to go up.

In the evening, Zuo Xiaotang and Lu Ying dined together. Senior Sister Lu Ying had changed her clothes, wearing a white t-shirt, a short skirt, and white sneakers. Clean, neat, and conservative, she completely struck Zuo Xiaotang's soul. Was this an indication of her importance to him?

Several times, Zuo Xiaotang wanted to ask, but the words reached his lips and were swallowed back down. It seemed that even asking would be a blasphemy against the goddess, and he was also worried that being so gossipy would make Lu Ying unhappy. After all, he was just a suitor.

All night, Zuo Xiaotang was cautiously searching for topics.

"I heard that Ma Long has awakened the Golden Zone?" Lu Ying asked, her voice a little sour. "Sheng Man is really lucky."

"Yes, Ma Long is very talented. He's usually just not serious. Once he gets serious, he's definitely very powerful," Zuo Xiaotang said proudly.

"What about you? When will you awaken?" Lu Ying said with a smile.

Zuo Xiaotang scratched his head embarrassedly. "I'm relatively slow. I might be the slowest one."

"That won't do. I'm most optimistic about you, Zuo Xiaotang. You have to work hard!"

Zuo Xiaotang raised his head, his eyes wide, looking at the beautiful and dazzling Lu Ying. He was very excited. She was actually most optimistic about him?

Suddenly, Lu Ying took a sip of juice and pursed her red lips. "Oh, your orange juice is quite sweet. Would you like to try my mixed juice?"

As she said this, she put the orange juice back on Zuo Xiaotang's side. At this moment, Zuo Xiaotang's heart felt like it had been struck by a bullet.

Li Hao, on the other hand, was riding his little electric bike, speeding through the city. After just finishing a delivery, he stopped by the side of the road and opened his Skylink.

"Kevin, did you find out?"

"Second Brother, where did you get this thing? This is a Flame Heart, a rare and expensive gemstone unique to Mars. Generally, one carat is already astonishing, but this feels like three or four carats. It's not a question of price. This kind of color and size must be auctioned at an interstellar auction house. Did you rob a bank?" Kevin said.

Li Hao was speechless. He knew it wouldn't be cheap, but he never expected it to be so expensive.

"Oh, right, it's not a question of being expensive. The Flame Heart symbolizes eternal and ardent love. Second Brother, are you dating a sugar mama?"

"Get lost. This was a gift from your sister-in-law. The problem now is that I made her angry and need to prepare a gift. Help me think of something!"

"Damn, you're going to become a kept man? You really are my idol in every way." Kevin teased.

"I'm asking you to help me think of something, not to mess around. It has to be unique, heartfelt, and preferably of high value, but of course I have no money," Li Hao said.

Kevin rolled his eyes. Anything with those characteristics that could match such a Flame Heart would be priceless, and sometimes you had to compete with a bunch of rich people. He was just a netizen, how would he know about this?

"I'm not good at this. Why don't you ask Ye Tong? Girls know more about this, and Ye Tong is also a bai fu mei (白富美, báifùměi, a 'white,' rich, and beautiful woman)."

"Oh, right. You may leave." Li Hao said with a smile.

Kevin was a renowned figure in ANWang, seemingly the leader of an organization, capable of getting tickets to an ARTHS concert. Li Hao's code name on ANWang was FSS, and this was not just a code name. Kevin's current position in the dark web relied not only on his skills, but also on Li Hao's execution.

Li Hao dialed Ye Tong's Skylink, but after a long time, no one answered...

Several hooligans came over and surrounded Li Hao, brandishing butterfly knives. This broken bike should still be worth a few thousand, and these delivery guys should have some tips on them. Seeing these three people, Li Hao turned off the Skylink and smiled brightly. By the time Ye Tong called back, Li Hao had already gained some loot, including the knives and some parts, as well as a nice riveted gauntlet, which could also be recycled at the second-hand store.

"Xiao Shui, haha, long time no see. How are you doing in North America?" Li Hao asked enthusiastically.

"Isn't this Captain Li? You still remember this little nobody? To your disappointment, I'm not doing well. I'm being bullied all day." Ye Tong was angry. Of course, she saw the Skylink call, but she just didn't answer it. She thought he would call again, but nothing happened. No patience at all. He hadn't even bothered to check on her since she came to North Carolina so long ago. Ha, haha, how could it be? It's nice that you aren't bullying others. Wasn't she afraid of disturbing his training? North Carolina was a star in the USE military academy world. Had he made it to the first team yet?

"Of course. Who do you think I am? Tell me, what's up?" Ye Tong's mood improved a little.

Ye Tong's teammates were all stunned. Did this cold, ruthless, and inhuman girl really have such a relatable side?