bookbashuk 065 Chu Zihang
065 Chu Zihang
Chu Zihang has recently noticed something; to be precise, he has been paying attention to it.
The relationship between Lu Mingfei and Nuonuo is unusual. They are neither friends nor lovers; they are more like an ambiguous relationship, and it is Nuonuo's one-sided affection for Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei probably didn't even realize it himself.
Chu Zihang hadn't told anyone about this; he didn't know what the point of such observation was. Just like he didn't know why he ran at six every morning, went to bed at ten every night, and called his mother every weekend.
There are some things he's just doing.
He was sitting on the third floor of the library, against the wall.
Zero was helping Lu Mingfei translate alchemy materials. Lu Mingfei was restless, staring at the book with wide eyes, while Zero patiently explained it sentence by sentence.
In the coffee shop on the first floor, Nono and Finger sat in a booth.
Finger was gesturing wildly as he spoke, occasionally pointing at Lu Mingfei upstairs, while Nuonuo laughed so hard she almost fell over.
He read a sentence in a book: A person’s interest in the traits of others often reveals what he himself lacks.
When Lu Mingfei and Ling came out of the library, Nuonuo appeared and naturally joined their route.
"Stop spending all your time in the library," she patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder, "Get some sun, look at you, all pretty boy."
"Okay," Lu Mingfei said.
Zero glanced at Nono's departing figure, somewhat displeased.
She wasn't targeting Nono; she was targeting that sentence.
That was what Zero intended to say.
Chu Zihang recalled another sentence from the book: "Silent people are not those who have nothing to say, but those who are always a step too late."
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After the last joint meeting ended, Chu Zihang told Susie to leave first, leaving him and Caesar alone in the room.
"What's wrong?" Caesar asked.
The book says: When discussing sensitive topics, it is not advisable to get straight to the point. It is best to first create a relaxed atmosphere with unrelated topics, and then gradually transition to the main topic.
"The braised pork in the cafeteria was pretty good today," Chu Zihang said.
Caesar looked at him.
"It's better than last week's; last week's was too salty."
Caesar continued to look at him.
"They might have changed chefs."
"Chu Zihang," Caesar interrupted him.
"Um."
"Just say what you have to say."
The book also says: If a preparatory opening doesn't work, try starting with a specific detail that doesn't involve the core conflict, and gradually steer the conversation towards that topic.
"Nono recently changed her earrings," Chu Zihang said. "Before, she had a pair of small silver hoops, and now she has a pair of very small rubies, shaped like teardrops."
Why are you staring at my girlfriend's ears?
"The earring is positioned very close to the carotid artery," Chu Zihang said. "In the complex battlefield environment, there is a certain risk involved."
"Chu Zihang," Caesar interrupted him, "you might as well make yourself clearer."
Chu Zihang shut his mouth. The content of the book made a lot of sense, but unfortunately Caesar didn't read books.
"You don't mind the relationship between Lu Mingfei and Nuonuo?"
Caesar paused for a moment, then laughed. "What do you mind?"
"Nono has been getting very close to Lu Mingfei lately."
"Lu Mingfei is S-class, and even Zero actively goes to him. It's normal for girls to glance at him a few times," Caesar said. "Besides, she's always interested in new things."
"When you tried to outmaneuver Mingfei during the exercise," Chu Zihang felt something was off, "your attitude wasn't like that at that time."
Caesar's smile vanished. He looked away, picked up the water glass on the table, and took a sip.
"I welcome any competitor." Caesar put down his cup, his expression returning to composure. "Nono has her own judgment. She chose me because I'm worthy. If one day she decides I'm no longer worthy, I'll respect that decision."
Chu Zihang nodded and said, "You've thought it through very clearly."
Caesar treated Lu Mingfei as a superior competitor, but Chu Zihang vaguely felt that what Nuonuo saw in Lu Mingfei might not be those superior qualities.
"Nothing else?" Caesar looked at his serious expression, somewhat puzzled.
Chu Zihang nodded, and the two remained silent for a while before packing up their things and leaving the conference room.
Caesar thought Nono was worth it, and Nono thought Caesar was suitable.
In "The Art of Loving," Fromm said that such relationships, based on equal conditions, are essentially cooperative rather than attachment relationships.
In this kind of relationship, the real destabilizing factor is never the superior competitor, but rather the sudden emergence of unforeseen needs by one of the parties.
It's 6:30 pm now, time for dinner.
Speaking of eating, Chu Zihang recently encountered something that puzzled him.
After the last physical education class, Susie suggested going to the cafeteria together, and he agreed.
They had a normal dinner in the cafeteria and chatted briefly about training plans and schedules. Susie was very natural throughout, and even said goodbye and "see you tomorrow" before leaving.
Then she started avoiding him.
Susie used to arrive at the Lionheart Club's activity room on time every day, but now she's fifteen minutes late. She used to eat at six o'clock, but now she eats after six-thirty. Most noticeably, she no longer comes to the playground every morning.
Chu Zihang spent a week confirming that this was not a random adjustment to Susie's schedule.
He analyzed several possibilities.
First, what did he say that offended Susie during the meal? He went over the conversation from beginning to end several times but couldn't find anything suspicious.
Secondly, Susie wasn't feeling well and needed to adjust her schedule. However, she looked very healthy and ate three large bowls of rice at each meal.
Third, Susie is avoiding anything related to him.
The book states that avoidance behavior is usually directed at the object that triggers anxiety.
When did he become an object of anxiety?
At 6:40, this is Susie's recent mealtime.
Sure enough, she was sitting alone by the window, eating.
Chu Zihang carried the tray over and sat down opposite her.
Susie was startled and almost dropped her chopsticks into the bowl.
"You've been eating an hour later than usual lately, and you're also coming to the Lionheart Club later," Chu Zihang said while unpacking chopsticks. "If you're busy lately, you can just tell me; you don't have to force yourself."
Susie stared at him for several seconds, then lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Chu Zihang thought she was crying, so he immediately took out a tissue from his pocket and thought about how to apologize.
He was about to say, "I'm sorry, I made you uncomfortable," when he heard a burst of laughter.
Susie laughed for a while before raising her head. Her eyes were indeed a little wet, but the corners of her mouth were turned up high.
"I'm fine," she said, taking a tissue and wiping her eyes. "I'm really fine."
Chu Zihang didn't quite understand what she was laughing about, but since she said it was nothing, he accepted the answer.
He lowered his head and began to eat, and Susie also lowered her head and continued eating. The two sat facing each other in silence, just like countless mornings they had done on the playground in the past.
"Chu Zihang".
He raised his head.
"After you finish eating," Susie gently poked at her rice with her chopsticks, "would you like to go for a walk on the playground to help digest your food?"
"Okay," he said.
Taking a walk after meals does help with digestion. He usually reads in his dorm after dinner these days, and appropriate outdoor activities can relieve the pressure on his lumbar spine caused by prolonged sitting.
Chu Zihang then recalled a sentence from the book.
"When a person starts to change their daily habits, it often means that they have added another coordinate in their world."