Making Friends?

After an hour passed, the class finally ended. Feng Lou wanted to speak with Xiao Meiying, but as he approached her, he found that everyone in the class had already gathered around her table.

As Feng Lou was unable to approach Xiao Meiying directly, Feng Lou chose to eavesdrop on their conversation, hoping to learn more about Xiao Meiying.

One of Xiao Meiying's classmates inquired, "Which part of the capital city are you from?" He mentioned having a relative there, which sparked envy among the others who overheard. 

Xiao Meiying chuckled and answered, "I live near the science center; my uncle works there."

"Is your uncle a scientist there?" another classmate inquired.

"Yes," Xiao Meiying replied simply. In the capital city, being a scientist meant that whatever you were researching was deemed very important.

"What do your parents do?" another classmate with glasses asked, but soon added a barrage of mischievous questions, "Are you single?" and "Do you plan on dating anyone?"

After hearing these almost three different questions back to back, Xiao Meiying was momentarily speechless. However, she quickly regained her composure and replied, "My parents own a small company. As for your other question, yes, I am single, but I don't plan on dating anyone anytime soon."

Nobody, including Feng Lou, believed that Xiao Meiying's parents owned a small company. In the capital city, it was commonly understood that to reside there, one needed to have a net worth of at least one billion.

"Why did you leave the capital city to come study in this city? I heard that schools in the capital city are just as good as this one," a cute-looking girl asked.

"My father is a good friend of the principal, so he decided to send me here to experience high school life instead of studying at home," Xiao Meiying replied. Feng Lou, overhearing, suddenly noticed Xiao Meiying's heart rate skyrocketing as she answered the question, indicating she might be lying.

He also noticed, and was a little surprised, that even after Xiao Meiying finished speaking, her strange uneven breathing and heartbeat didn't seem to calm down for some reason. Thinking she might still be anxious, Feng Lou decided to move on.

Feng Lou was also surprised by the first part of her question because he knew the previous body owner's parents were also good friends with the principal. If he could somehow persuade the principal to "properly" introduce him to Xiao Meiying, befriending her would become much easier.

But the challenging part was figuring out how to convince the principal. Just as Feng Lou was pondering this, the next period's teacher arrived and instructed all the students to return to their seats.

....

Soon, the next class also came to an end. This time, nobody approached Xiao Meiying with questions because they were now aware of her background and felt she belonged there.

Seeing that nobody was approaching Xiao Meiying this time, Feng Lou finally spoke up. "Hey Xiao Meiying, I don't think we've had a proper introduction yet. I'm Feng Lou," he said, extending his hand as he spoke.

To his surprise, Xiao Meiying didn't handshake him back and just said, "Nice to meet you,"

Seeing Xiao Meiying's continued cold demeanor despite his friendly approach, Feng Lou felt confused and a little sad. He wondered why she was so distant toward him. He realized that now the only way for him to get closer to Xiao Meiying might be to seek help from the principal.

Feng Lou didn't say anything else to Xiao Meiying. Instead, he quickly left the classroom and made his way to the principal's office.

Principal Zhang Wei had been a close friend of Feng Lou's father. After Feng Lou's parents tragically passed away in a car accident, Principal Zhang Wei frequently visited their home to check on Feng Lou and offer support. As a result, Feng Lou developed a strong bond with the principal, and because of their close relationship, nobody dared to bully Feng Lou at school.

Finally, Feng Lou reached the principal's office. He lightly knocked on the door three times and called out, "It's me, Feng Lou, Principal."

Soon, the principal's voice emanated from the office, saying, "Come in."

Principal Zhang Wei was sitting behind his desk, He had a kind face, lined with years of experience, and his eyes conveyed warmth and understanding. He was dressed in formal attire. On his desk, stacks of papers are neatly arranged, along with a few personal items which include a picture of the principal and his parents.

Upon seeing Feng Lou enter, Principal Zhang Wei stood up from his chair with a warm smile and opened his arms for a hug. "Feng Lou, my boy, how are you? What brings you to my humble abode?" he asked cheerfully.

"Hello, Principal," Feng Lou greeted first, then continued, "Actually, I'm here because I have a strange request for you."

"Anything you want, just ask, and if it's within my power, I'll make it happen," Principal Zhang Wei replied without hesitation.

Hearing this familiar line, Feng Lou was momentarily speechless. After a brief pause, he continued, "Do you know the new transfer student in my class, Xiao Meiying?"

Hearing the name Xiao Meiying, Principal Zhang Wei's expression immediately became serious. "What about her?" he asked, his tone indicating concern

Feng Lou also noticed the change in the principal's expression and quickly added, "I wanted to ask if you could introduce her to me." He acted a bit shyly so that he could hint that he might be interested in Xiao Meiying.

Hearing Feng Lou's request, Principal Zhang Wei was momentarily speechless. After a brief pause, he asked, "Do you like her?"

Feng Lou replied slowly, "Yes," still maintaining a shy demeanor outwardly, though inwardly he was anything but shy.

"Boy, I can introduce you to her, but remember, it might only lead to heartache. Her background is very powerful, and even if I adopt you, it might not be enough to gain approval from her parents," Principal Zhang Wei cautioned solemnly.

"No, Principal, what are you talking about? I only want to be friends with her," Feng Lou clarified quickly.

Feng Lou said that because he had overheard some breathing outside the office door. Just by the pattern of the breathing and the weird heartbeat, he guessed it was Xiao Meiying. Not wanting to creep her out, he quickly changed the direction of the topic from liking her romantically to just wanting to be friends.

"You want to be her friend? You're not lying to me, are you?" Principal Zhang Wei questioned, his tone tinged with skepticism.

"No, Principal, it's not a lie. The thing is, you know I don't have any friends, and she just became my deskmate. I overheard some classmates talking about how her father is friends with you, so I decided to come here so you could introduce us and we could become friends. I don't want to be a loner anymore," Feng Lou explained earnestly.

"But you said you liked her," Principal Zhang Wei was confused, seeking clarification.

Feng Lou quickly clarified, "I meant I like her as a potential friend. For some reason, I just thought we could get along well. Please, Principal, I just want to have someone to talk to and hang out with." 

Feeling embarrassed by these cheesy lies, Feng Lou just wanted the principal to agree so he could leave. 

"Okay, I'll do something about it, don't worry. I made a promise to your father that I will take care of you. Now, get out and study. You need to join a good college to fulfill your parents' dream," Zhang Wei said

As Feng Lou stood up, whoever was breathing outside quickly ran away. Soon after, as Feng Lou was heading back to his class, he spotted Xiao Meiying acting calm and casual, heading towards the principal's office as if nothing had happened. However, he could hear her uneven breathing, indicating that she had just been running. 

Feng Lou smiled and nodded in Xiao Meiying's direction but didn't say anything, continuing on his way. Surprisingly, she also nodded back at him this time.