Lin Zhenmo didn’t really know what Qu Tantan was thinking. He just saw that she seemed to prefer the picture book in her hands, and couldn’t help putting down his own and leaning over to take a look.
It wasn’t the kind of English book a child her age was supposed to understand, as it even had complicated phonetic annotations.
He was a little surprised.
In the past, when Lin Zhenmo didn’t feel like going home right after school, he would stop by the bookstore or library and read for a while before heading back. Over time, he discovered that the knowledge in books was actually quite simple; he could remember everything after just one read, even if the material was more advanced. He could understand it quickly.
Back in kindergarten, his peers had always seemed like idiots to him. The teachers’ lessons were too simple. He thought the others must just be too dumb, which was why the teacher had to explain things over and over again.
He couldn’t understand why they still couldn’t grasp something so simple, always making noise, while the teacher still patiently repeated herself.
He grew impatient listening, and didn’t want to hang around a bunch of idiots. But then the teacher labeled him as ‘not sociable,’ and constantly worriedly spoke to his Mom.
When Lin Wan asked him why he wouldn’t play with the other kids, he only thought it was boring. But when he tried to explain his thoughts, Lin Wan became even more worried, thinking he was too withdrawn, and hoped he could make some friends.
Faced with the good intentions of adults, Lin Zhenmo just felt frustrated. He didn’t understand why, even after explaining himself clearly, they still couldn’t understand. Worse yet, his teacher even suspected him of lying.
So it turned out that not only were his classmates idiots, but the adults—the teacher, even his own Mom—were idiots too.
No one could understand him. And no one ever would.
Panic stirred in Lin Zhenmo’s heart. He suddenly felt he was terrifying.
But because of that, he also became painfully aware of how out of place he was. Just like the little monster in the storybook he’d once read. The monster wanted to blend in with the humans and make friends. That monster longed so much to be human, but different was different. Eventually, the humans would discover his abnormality and drive him away.
But Lin Zhenmo thought the monster in the story was just too stupid that it didn’t know how to hide its unusual side.
So he told himself he needed to learn from that. He must never let anyone discover how strange he really was.
So once he reached primary school, even though he still thought everyone else was dumb, and knowledge he could learn just by flipping through a book still needed to be tediously explained by teachers, he would rather sleep on his desk and be mistaken as a lazy troublemaker than show his intelligence.
And later, when he started learning more complex things beyond his current age group and found he could still learn them quickly through self-study, he became even more certain that he was an anomaly.
He was a little monster walking among humans, who couldn’t fit in and could never be understood.
But that was fine. He would hide himself well and pretend to be a normal human.
He wouldn’t let anyone find out.
But Qu Tantan was different. Even though in Lin Zhenmo’s eyes, the little sunflower was also a little fool. She still needed her parents to carry her around, still struggled to get out of bed in the morning and didn’t want to go to school. Yet, she was somehow oddly different from other kids her age.
He couldn’t quite say how yet. But every time she looked at him, or spoke to him, he would get that feeling again.
He even had a faint hunch: even if he accidentally revealed his abnormality, she would understand him.
Maybe—just maybe—she was the same kind as him. The one he had been searching for all along.
Just as Lin Zhenmo’s thoughts were drifting, Qu Tantan suddenly tugged on his arm and shook it. “Lin Zhenmo, Lin Zhenmo, do you know how to read this word?”
He glanced over—it was an easy word. His expression shifted slightly. He read it out loud, then silently took back his earlier thought.
—Qu Tantan really was a little fool after all.
But fortunately, she was eager to learn and loved studying. Even if she wasn’t smart, that was fine. He could help teach her.
Unaware she’d just been silently insulted, Qu Tantan blinked her round eyes in surprise. Although she had deliberately chosen a relatively simple word to ask about, elementary school hadn’t introduced English yet, so she hadn’t expected Lin Zhenmo to really read it out loud—and with surprisingly good pronunciation too.
…So he actually knew it! He hadn’t been lying to her!
Which meant—when he said the French picture books were simple—that was true too?!
—Liar! Wasn’t he the one who always slept in class, didn’t like to listen, and barely scraped by on exams? He was supposed to be the most notorious underachiever in their class!
Qu Tantan comforted herself : maybe her little neighbor just had a natural talent for languages, but not much aptitude in other areas, which was why people misunderstood him. After all, in a small city like this, foreign language education wasn’t emphasized. It was normal for his talent to go unnoticed.
But she didn’t think much more about it. Cheerfully tugging his hand, she whispered excitedly, “Lin Zhenmo, you’re really amazing! You can make money, you can fight, and now it turns out you even know English and French! How are you so smart?!”
Lin Zhenmo, who could make money and fight: “……” Seriously, who includes “can fight” in a compliment?
Qu Tantan would.
Her eyes were bright and dazzling, like stars twinkling. “Lin Zhenmo, I’m telling you, you mustn’t give up on studying! With how smart you are, and your talent for languages, if you study well, you can totally become an outstanding diplomat in the future!”
Qu Tantan vaguely remembered that at this age, a lot of kids thought studying was useless, and it was better to jump into society early to make money. But later on, most of them would regret it, regret giving up on studying when they had the chance.
Even though Qu Tantan had been reborn, and didn’t feel much regret in her previous life, she still believed that now she had another chance, she should study well.
But not everyone gets the opportunity to start over.
Qu Tantan thought that with Lin Zhenmo’s exceptional talent in languages, it would be such a shame if it were wasted.
He might only be disinterested in studying because of neglect from his family and the influence of his surroundings and the people around him. He probably hadn’t yet realized his own brilliance because no one had discovered it.
So first, the priority was to find a way to spark his interest in learning.
Meeting Qu Tantan’s bright and sparkling eyes, Lin Zhenmo could tell she was completely sincere. He was first made flustered by her blunt praise, his ears turning red, and then as he slowly digested it, his emotions became complicated.
…See? He always said that Qu Tantan sometimes said things that made him feel different.
Maybe it was because of her mental maturity, but in any case, she was totally different from other kids her age. Even though she wasn’t that smart and could still be childish—clinging to and whining at her parents like any child—she would sometimes say things that were unexpectedly profound.
Qu Tantan was truly unique, and she displayed her uniqueness so openly and confidently, as if she wasn’t worried at all about not fitting in with others.
That often made Lin Zhenmo curious about what she was thinking, but he always kept those questions to himself.
Because of what she said, Lin Zhenmo came to realize that Qu Tantan truly recognized and appreciated his strengths.
The little sunflower believed what he said.
Just that one thought made the corners of Lin Zhenmo’s lips lift uncontrollably, and his mood instantly soared.
She thought his language talent was exceptional just after seeing him read two picture books; she believed he could make money just because he delivered milk and flyers for a few days… oh, and she genuinely thought being good at fighting was impressive too.
No one had ever praised Lin Zhenmo in such an exaggerated way. It felt awkward, but he was secretly a little happy too.
He hadn’t even shown any real abilities yet, but Qu Tantan still believed he was smart, that he shouldn’t give up on studying, and that he should become an outstanding diplomat in the future.
How was she so naive?
But surprisingly, it felt nice.
Lin Zhenmo tried to hold it in, but the smile still spread across his face. He took the picture book from her hands and softly cleared his throat. “If there’s anything else you don’t understand, I can teach you.”
Qu Tantan nodded vigorously and praised him without hesitation, eyes closed in full exaggeration, “Lin Zhenmo, you’re amazing! You’re just too awesome! This is perfect. I was just struggling with things I didn’t understand and couldn’t find anyone to help me, and now you’ve shown up at the perfect time!”
The corners of Lin Zhenmo’s lips couldn’t help rising again, and this time, even the small dimples on both sides of his cheeks were visible.
By the time it was almost noon, the two kids had unknowingly finished flipping through the entire picture book.
Every time Lin Zhenmo taught Qu Tantan a word, he’d get her admiring gaze and genuine praise. His ears were red and his lips curled up high. Because of that, he never felt annoyed or bored. He didn’t even realize that he was now like those teachers he once didn’t understand—patiently repeating simple words over and over.
In fact, once the picture book was done, he still felt a bit reluctant to stop. He thought that if all classmates were as obedient and eager to learn as this, he wouldn’t have thought they were all hopeless idiots.
Unfortunately, not everyone could be like this little sunflower. And she was really good at giving compliments, every sentence was fresh and not repeated.
What he didn’t know was that now that the study session was finally over, Qu Tantan also let out a breath of relief inwardly. Compared to learning, coming up with so many compliments was actually even more exhausting for her brain.
If it went on any longer, she might have run out of things to say.
So when she saw that Lin Zhenmo seemed excited and about to pull out that French picture book from earlier, she quickly stopped him and tugged on his sleeve to drag him outside. “Ahh, I didn’t even notice the time. Let’s go find Brother Lou now, or it’ll be time for lunch soon!”
Lin Zhenmo was a little disappointed, but after thinking it over, he realized there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. Qu Tantan was still young, forcing her to study too much might make her lose interest.
So he let her drag him back to the neighboring store. But before they even stepped inside, they heard voices coming from within.
“Lou Xiangwen, what are you always hiding from? I didn’t come the past two days, and you didn’t even ask why. Now that you see me, you’re avoiding me like I’m going to eat you!”
Hearing the angry and frustrated voice of a woman, Qu Tantan’s eyes lit up. She knew the person she’d been waiting for had finally arrived. She quickly grabbed Lin Zhenmo, who was about to step inside, and peeked secretly into the store.
The store was now empty of customers. Just like Mother Qu’s colleague had said, it was a beautiful woman inside.
She was dressed in stylish, high-end clothes and wore a pair of fashionable coffee-colored boots. She looked noble, like some rich heiress from somewhere. Her personality seemed a bit spoiled, but her stunning looks made up for it.
The woman was standing angrily with her hands on her hips, cornering Lou Xiangwen and loudly questioning him, “Say something! Aren’t you worried that something might have happened to me?”
Lou Xiangwen’s face turned bright red as he desperately shrank back, pressing himself against the wall to avoid any contact with her. He had already curled up pitifully into a ball and was completely unable to fend off her barrage of questions, not knowing how to respond.
Just as he was stammering helplessly, his sharp eyes suddenly caught sight of two children outside the door watching the scene unfold. His gaze unintentionally took on a pleading look.
Who would have thought that this usually cowardly, seemingly useless young man would actually be such a magnet for romance? Even his ex-girlfriend—questionable character aside—was undeniably beautiful, just based on looks alone.
Meeting Lou Xiangwen’s aggrieved and pitiful gaze, Qu Tantan, who had been thoroughly enjoying the scene of him being cornered by a beautiful woman, couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
She realized her neighbors were all uniquely quirky in their own ways, and pretty entertaining too.