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The next morning, Mai Ding suddenly sat up on his bed. His thoughts were finally clear. How could he be so dumb? For he didn"t know what he was upset about. Even if An Zi Yan was not bis.e.xual, they can still be friends. Although he"s a little disappointed, he can"t do anything about it.

Cla.s.ses were still somewhat difficult for Mai Ding, for he hasn’t been studying for two years, so he was unable to catch up with the others.

Even if he was focusing in cla.s.s, he would still not know what the teacher was talking about. While he was waiting for cla.s.s to end, Mai Ding would sometimes look at An Zi Yan pa.s.s by his cla.s.sroom, that made him smile. When he was lucky, he would smile even brighter when he and An Zi Yan made eye contact. After that, he would see An Zi Yan mouth ‘idiot’ to him.

Mai Ding liked the current situation and the relationship between them. He liked having this friend An Zi Yan.

During lessons, they had free seating. Today, the person sitting next to Mai Ding is a girl, and once she sat down, Mai Ding felt that the girl was not in a good mood. What he didn’t expect was that the girl would start crying halfway into the lesson. This made Mai Ding unable to sit still, for there was a girl crying next to him. He felt that he should comfort her, or it will be too heartless for him to not do that.

He took a piece of tissue and pa.s.sed it to the girl, “Hey, are you ok?”
What an ancient sentence.

The girl looked at Mai Ding with tears flowing before accepting the tissue saying, “Thanks”

After that, Mai Ding didn’t know what to say, and there was an awkward silence. The girl finally couldn’t resist telling Mai Ding. “I have been together with my boyfriend for a few years now, and recently I realised that he is being a little strange. I suspect he is cheating on me. If he has someone else, and now we are not in the same school, I…” After the girl said all these, she started crying again.

Mai Ding looked at the teacher in front, who was not focusing in his area. Haaaahh, one look at that girl’s cry, Mai Ding already guessed as much that it is related to relationship. He didn’t expect it to really be this issue, which made it really difficult for Mai Ding to say anything, for they are not close, even though they"re in the same cla.s.s.

"You should stop crying”

“I also don’t want to. But once I think about it, I feel so horrible, because our relationship has lasted for so long”

“That kind of guy is not good. He is not worth your tears, you will be able to find a better one.”

After hearing Mai Ding say such a bad thing about her boyfriend, the girl immediately went over the top. “How does it concern you?! I"ll know if he is good or not! No need for you to b.u.t.t in! This is between the two of us, so it"s not up to you to say anything. You really think too much of yourself!”

Mai Ding was at a loss at the sudden change in temperament of the girl. He can’t believe that girls change their mood at their will, because initially she was still badmouthing the guy, and now she didn"t allow others to badmouth him.

That girl was also starting to warm up, he guessed she was unable to find an way to relieve that stress, and there is one that deserves scolding here, “You"re a good guy? Don’t act as if you are one anymore because I also don’t know what are you thinking inside. Telling me to find a better one? If I"m not mistakened, you"re talking about yourself right? Have you ever looked at the mirror? I doubt that someone will have interest in you”

Mai Ding had a weakness, and that was low self-esteem.

His low self-esteem made him want to find friends like An Zi Yan to make him feel better.

But An Zi Yan is An Zi Yan, and Mai Ding is Mai Ding.

When the girl told him this, Mai Ding’s heart was totally down, for he was honestly just trying to be nice. He couldn"t concentrate during lessons, couldn"t eat anything, and just went back to his room. Li Ming was watching those nonsensical films again, so he left the room and leaned against the wall outside. After a long while, An Zi Yan also came back, but he didn’t look at Mai Ding, because he just wanted to go back to his room.

After more than an hour, when he came out, Mai Ding was still leaning there, not moving and turning to stone. An Zi Yan frowned as he walked to Mai Ding’s side saying. “Hey.”

An Zi Yan just said a ‘hey’ and Mai Ding turned around with a sad face. He didn’t ask if An Zi Yan wanted to listen, and just blurted out everything that has happened today to him. An Zi Yan just sat beside him, listening to him and gave a smirk after a short while. This a.s.shole is affected by such a small matter, is it worth it?

“An Zi Yan.”

“Mhm.”


“I"m sad.” There is no need for Mai Ding to say that, for the sadness was already written all over his face.

After a long while, An Zi Yan then opened his mouth, “There are a lot of people who need comforting. There are also a lot of people who are not worth comforting. Do you think that if you do good deeds, then you will reap good benefits? The world is not that nice. You just have to live your life to the fullest, and don’t bother to b.u.t.t into other people’s business.”

After being scolded by An Zi Yan, Mai Ding seemed to have awoken, as he raised his head to start at An Zi Yan, “Then why are you comforting me?”

“Who is comforting you? I am going to eat now.” An Zi Yan put both of his hands in his pockets, as he turned, and walked away.

Mai Ding was following behind An Zi Yan saying, “Where are you going to eat?”

“I didn’t say I am going to eat with you.”

“Don’t be petty, cla.s.smate.”

“Leave me alone.”

“If I leave you alone, how can I hear you talk?”

Both of them reached the canteen, and just when they were about eat, Mai Ding suddenly asked An Zi Yan with a serious look on his face, “Am I that ugly?”

An Zi Yan turned his face away and controlled his urge to laugh.

“I am so ugly, that even you don’t want to see me?” Mai Ding seemed to be hurt.

Just because of one crazy girl’s speech, how Mai Ding linked it to this question made An Zi Yan bewildered.

“Tell me the truth.”

“I don’t want to say anything, just eat.” An Zi Yan didn’t even want to entertain Mai Ding’s lame questions. Mai Ding’s eyes seemed to show some sadness, as the answer coming out from An Zi Yan"s mouth is very important. Mai Ding didn’t always have the confidence, but someone like An Zi Yan, who is up there, never had to diss or judge himself.

Mai Ding just bent his head in sadness and ate, “If I were as handsome as you, I would change a girlfriend everyday, and let them serve me by feeding me, helping me change clothes and put me to bed.”

“Are you not afraid of getting diseases?” 

“Hey, how can someone like you understand what us commoners are thinking? I"m like the male version of Cinderella. Everyday, I undergo the life of a maid, stuck in a life filled with dirt and dust, but I am never able to wait till the day that the fairies help me.”

An Zi Yan tried his best to ignore this guy’s crazy words.

Mai Ding was getting sadder, as he continued saying things which made him lose his appet.i.te. It seemed like the girl’s words had a huge impact on him. He remembered the girl"s look as she said, “Have you even looked in the mirror?”

After the meal was over, Mai Ding’s wish of going back together was also dashed.

“I still have something to do. I gotta go first.”

Mai Ding wanted to hold An Zi Yan back to make him accompany him longer, but he couldn"t say it out loud.

“Oh.” Mai Ding turned and walked.

An Zi Yan frowned and hesitated for awhile before he called Mai Ding, “Mai Ding.”

“Mhm?”

“Are you sure you really understand the fairytale?”
 
This absurd sentence made Mai Ding confused. Just when Mai Ding is about to ask, An Zi Yan was gone already. On the way back to dorm, Mai Ding kept pondering over An Zi Yan’s words, but he still couldn’t get it.

That night, An Zi Yan was in the back seat of a luxurious car after settling his family matter. He put his hand on the window, and when he pa.s.sed by the book store, he suddenly told his driver to stop, and he then entered the shop.

Meanwhile, Mai Ding was trying to push Li Ming away from the computer so he can check this week’s lottery numbers. But Li Ming was not budging, for he wanted to see biography of his dream G.o.ddess. He really has no cla.s.s. At the same time, outside came some knocking sound, and it was very soft and short. But Mai Ding still heard it and he ran to open the door. He saw An Zi Yan standing at the door with no expression on his face. An Zi Yan then hit the book on Mai Ding’s head and left.

Mai Ding accepted the book in pain as he rubbed his head that has been hit on.

He used the light to look at the book’s name, it was a Cinderella fairytale book.

Li Ming curiously came over, “What is it? Let me see.”

Mai Ding hid it from him, “Why should I show you? I"m going to sleep.” After saying that, Mai Ding jumped on the bed and covered himself properly with the covers before switching on a small light. He roughly skimmed through the book and realised that An Zi Yan encircled two lines in the book.

“When Cinderella took off her dusty clothes, she turned into a charming, beautifulperson.”

“At last, the prince managed to find Cinderella. Even though Cinderella’s past life was very tough, and despite that she was always bullied by others, her future life will always be a blissful one.”


Mai Ding started cracking a smile from the side of his mouth. Even though he understood that he can never be Cinderella, because he is not a girl, and he doesn’t like to wear pretty gowns, not to mention wearing gla.s.s shoes to ballrooms, there is nothing more blissful than being comforted by someone like An Zi Yan.

Although he forever may not meet any prince or princess, Mai Ding met An Zi Yan. No matter how many princes or princesses, they can’t be compared to one An Zi Yan.

Although Mai Ding is normal, who says normal is not good looking?


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To be continued...