Chapter 17: What Girlfriends Do
“Jingyi, Class Monitor, you…” Lu Li was still a bit flattered and flustered. “Are you serious?” This was a rather uninspired question. One of the most boring things a man could do was to question a girl’s feelings, making him seem both unintelligent and petty.
Silly Goose nodded slightly and mumbled, “…This way, you won’t date anyone else, right?… I’m… I’m offering myself to the tiger.” She could hear her own heartbeat, like summer thunder, churning the waters of her heart.
She stole a glance at Lu Li’s reaction. “So… so I’m your girlfriend now… right?”
“Then what about me?” An Baili asked, puffing out her cheeks.
Silly Goose, now calmer, had sorted out the cause and effect, the advantages and disadvantages, in her mind. She said gently to An Baili, “You too, Baili. Actually, actually, I’ve been thinking a lot these days, and I feel, I feel that it’s good for the three of us to be together like this, happy and carefree. I’m Lu Li’s girlfriend, and so are you, Baili. This way… no one will be unhappy… right?”
Clang.
Wen Hupo, who had been eavesdropping from the back row, dropped her paintbrush. A look of astonishment appeared on her usually impassive face. She even wondered if she was dreaming. Chu Jingyi had actually said something so outrageous. She used to think the world was just boring. After hanging out with Lu Li and the other two, she realized that the world wasn’t boring, but absurd and surreal, so surreal that an outstanding girl like Chu Jingyi was willing to share her love with someone else.
Actually, thinking about it carefully, this was something Chu Jingyi would say. As a girl who lived at the center of the world, she possessed excessive empathy and kindness. Generosity and gentleness were ingrained in her very being. She might have her little tantrums, her little moments of awkwardness, but she was never confused about the important things. She had heard the story of how Siddhartha Gautama offered his own body to a starving tigress. How did Chu Jingyi compare to the prince?
Wen Hupo picked up her paintbrush and glared at Lu Li, mentally adding another layer to his “scumbag” label. It was only because Chu Jingyi was a saint that she was willing to put up with this. Any other girl would have slapped Lu Li and walked away. At least, she would have.
After saying this, Silly Goose saw everyone staring at her in disbelief. She nervously tugged at the hem of her clothes and asked pitifully, “Is… is that not okay? Then…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Lu Li nodded repeatedly. Yi Bao, you are truly my angel.
An Baili also recovered from her shock. She snorted at Lu Li and muttered, “You’re getting a good deal. Let’s start the meeting.”
Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t bother contacting Chen Jianing anymore. After Chu Jingyi and An Baili took their seats, he started the first club meeting.
“The first item on the agenda is to introduce ourselves and our roles in the club.” Lu Li was still feeling a bit giddy with joy, like riding a flower boat during a spring outing, surrounded by beautiful scenery and the soft voices of women. “Baili and Jingyi, you are the chief musicians of the club, equal in status.”
The title of “chief musician” made Silly Goose a little excited. She looked at Lu Li standing on the podium, her eyes sparkling. It didn’t matter what he said now, even if he started talking nonsense, this girl would cheer him on.
“Then there’s Wen Hupo, who has also joined our club as the chief artist!”
Silly Goose clapped enthusiastically. She didn’t overthink it, simply happy that Wen Hupo had joined the club. An Baili, on the other hand, pouted. “Hmph… She’s in too now…”
“Besides the three of you, I was going to introduce Chen Jianing, the girl you saw on the video call earlier. She’s a freshman at Mulan University and the planner for our club. Don’t let her messy appearance fool you, she’s actually a top student in digital game design, a very reliable person. Probably.”
An Baili raised her hand. “Mr. President, I have a question~”
“Miss An Baili, please speak.”
“Why are all the members of our club, besides you, pretty girls? Do you have some ulterior motive?”
Lu Li frowned slightly. An Baili, have you been getting too comfortable lately, daring to call me out in public?
“It’s like this. My criteria for recruiting members are based solely on their professional skills, not their gender or appearance. It just so happens that talented people are often also good-looking. This should be a good thing, not something to be questioned.” Lu Li said seriously, making Silly Goose nod along.
“That’s right, Baili.” Silly Goose immediately jumped to Lu Li’s defense. “The talented people I know are all beautiful, not just in terms of appearance, but also their confident aura.”
An Baili said angrily, “Jingyi, are you being silly? You would even help Lu Li count his money after he sells you!”
“I would never sell Jingyi. Right?” Lu Li quickly interjected.
“…Yes…” Silly Goose nodded obediently.
An Baili was about to be driven mad by Silly Goose.
Wen Hupo, hearing their conversation, couldn’t help but chuckle. She found them childish, but she was strangely amused. She still couldn’t quite understand this kind of emotion.
Lu Li cleared his throat. “Next, the second item on the agenda is to decide on the official name of our team and the release date and price of the game. I have an idea, how about ‘Perfect Games’?”
“No, that’s too cliché.” An Baili stuck out her tongue. “It sounds like the name of those cheap browser games that coal bosses love to play. How about ‘Fleeting Song Studio’? It sounds nice, right?”
“Isn’t that the name of a dating sim studio? It doesn’t fit our style.” Lu Li immediately rejected it. “Jingyi, do you have any ideas?”
“I, I don’t know.” How would she know these things? Her mind was full of Lu Li, there was no room for anything else.
“Miss Wen Hupo, do you have any suggestions?”
Wen Hupo put down her paintbrush and thought for a moment. “How about ‘Eternal Joy’? ‘Eternal joy, everlasting bliss, never forgotten.’” She was starting to like this interesting and ordinary life, hoping that this happiness would never end.
Hearing this name, An Baili’s eyes flickered, and she quickly looked at Lu Li, making him wonder, “Baili, what’s wrong?”
“No… nothing.” An Baili whispered. Actually, “Eternal Joy” was the name of Wen Hupo’s pet cat in their past life. It was a black-faced Siamese cat. Lu Li had adopted the cat, and Wen Hupo had named it – this name was buried deep in her memory, in the most painful part of her memory.
She glanced at Wen Hupo from the corner of her eye. Was she really not doing this on purpose?… Why… why would she choose this name…?
“Okay, then let’s call it ‘Eternal Joy’.” Lu Li wasn’t one to dwell on things. After deciding on the team’s name, he started discussing the details of the game’s release. But it wasn’t really a discussion, it was more like Lu Li giving instructions.
The meeting ended quickly, and the three of them prepared to return to the classroom. Just then, Silly Goose grabbed Lu Li’s shirt.
“What’s wrong?”
Even An Baili looked over.
“Um… girlfriend… what does a girlfriend do?” Silly Goose asked innocently. She was always someone who strived to be the best in her role, whether as a daughter, a class monitor, or a girlfriend. She wanted to be responsible and make everyone happy.
Seeing Chu Jingyi’s serious expression, Lu Li couldn’t help but smile. What did this girl think being in a relationship was? Following a textbook or completing a task? There was no such thing as a set of rules…
“A girlfriend gives her boyfriend kisses.” Lu Li said teasingly.
“Oh?… Okay…”
Lu Li thought Silly Goose would back down and was about to leave when he realized that she was still holding onto his shirt. His heart skipped a beat. “Jingyi, what’s wrong? Aren’t you coming?”
Chu Jingyi didn’t speak. Her clear eyes were filled with a depth of emotion and purity that made Lu Li’s heart ache.
Now, Lu Li understood what Silly Goose wanted. He took a deep breath and gently kissed her lips. He could feel Chu Jingyi tense up, then let out a cute little moan. An Baili stamped her foot. “I want a kiss too!” She squeezed herself between them, and three pairs of lips pressed together in a messy and ambiguous tangle.
Wen Hupo couldn’t focus on her painting anymore. She turned to look at the sky, thinking that this world was truly getting more and more bizarre.
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