CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 40 LIE’S CONFESSION

Little Northeast could tell that Han Lie was in a good mood, so he mustered his courage and began to introduce himself.

"Big Brother, my name is Fang Xiangbei, from the Northeast! You can call me Little Bei or Little Northeast, either is fine!"

LV hastily added, "My name is Ding Yu, but my nickname is Ding Ding."

"Han Lie."

Brother Lie nodded and planted himself on the table with great aplomb.

Under the pressure of Level 3 acting skills, Ding Ding and Little Northeast felt as if they were facing a gang elder, utterly overpowered and breathless.

But today, Brother Lie wasn’t oozing a gloomy vibe; his temperament was less somber and forbidding, not as scary as before.

Therefore, the atmosphere remained fairly relaxed.

Fang Xiangbei was like a torrent of words, "My home is in the mountains, a tiny county town! My parents used to work at the forestry station, but now they deal specifically with timber, earning hard-earned money. Brother Lie, whenever you’re renovating and want solid wood flooring or furniture, just give this little brother a shout, and I’ll sort you out!"

He seemed extroverted enough, just not the brightest bulb. Plus, with his square head, large face, and boisterous demeanor, he was the epitome of a simpleton.

As for his usual hot temper... Was that something he could exhibit in front of Brother Lie?!

Ding Ding nervously broke the silence, "Uh, I’m from Jiangzhe, and my family runs a factory... Brother, do you smoke?"

Ding Yu quickly produced a box of ’Heaven and Earth,’ an exorbitantly expensive brand, opened it, and was about to light a cigarette for his big brother.

Brother Lie waved his hand. "I don’t smoke. You guys go ahead."

Both of them put the cigarette box down in unison.

Go ahead? Go ahead my ass!

"It’s good not to smoke. Actually, we don’t smoke much either..."

"Right, right! We just smoke for fun!"

Brother Lie almost couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Look at how scared the kids are. What a sin... If this continued, it wouldn’t foster unity in the dormitory, so he decided it was time to clear the air.

"I suppose I have a few minor issues with my personality..." Han Lie began, his voice earnest and his expression sincere. "I’m sensitive, insecure, and introverted. If something troubles me, I always bottle it up and don’t know how to console myself. Sometimes I’m blindly confident, other times pessimistic and negative. My moods change quickly, and I tend to overthink things. I know this isn’t good, so you see, now when I have the chance, I read Buddhist scriptures to soothe my inner demons. In the future, please, I ask for your understanding and tolerance. Actually, I’m a person who values relationships deeply; it’s just that I’m not very good at expressing it. Living together is a rare stroke of fate, and I hope we can get along well and become true friends..."

Listening to Han Lie’s self-analysis left the two of them numb.

How can you be called Han Lie? You should be called Han Intense!

Insecure, sensitive, introverted, overthinker, inner demons—each word sent shivers down their spines. And when they thought about the fate of Da Ma’s few good friends...

Mom, I want to go home!

Putting on a brave face, the pair chatted with Han Lie for a while longer, then, using dinner as an excuse, hastily made their departure.

Once outside the school gates, Little Northeast scratched the back of his head, looking puzzled. "Ding Ding, why do I get the feeling that Brother Lie was just messing with us?"

"It does seem a bit like that..." Ding Ding hesitated. "But it’s hard to say for sure. That big brother is too unpredictable; he really gives me the creeps."

"Exactly, exactly!" Little Northeast nodded frantically. "He’s different from regular folks in every way!"

In fact, among their peers, the two of them were considered quite worldly, but they had never encountered anyone like Han Lie. Unfathomable, inscrutable, incomprehensible, indescribable.

In the end, they had no choice but to summarize him with one word—wicked!

Ding Yu rubbed his temples in exasperation. "Forget it, forget it, I don’t want to think about it anymore. If it wasn’t so hard to find a place to rent nearby, I’d move out right this instant..."

"Where’s your ambition! Don’t you have any grand aspirations anymore?" Little Northeast waved his fist, suddenly getting a bit worked up. "You’ve got to think about the benefits! With a brother like that backing us up, we’ll be strutting around the department from now on!"

"Strutting around? How?"

Spittle flying, Little Northeast elaborated, "You and I will be swaggering at the front, with Brother Lie strolling leisurely behind us, hands clasped behind his back, hammer in hand, providing backup. Wherever our trio goes, chaos will ensue—chickens flying, dogs jumping, oxen and horses turning sterile!"

Ding Yu imagined the scene for a moment and involuntarily shuddered.

That’s just bloody ridiculous!

But Little Northeast’s eyebrows were dancing with excitement; he was completely carried away.

"What do you think?! The Humanities College’s Street-Clearing Tiger and his two formidable generals, Snort and Groan—intimidating, right?!"

Ding Yu hastily waved his hands. "No, no, no! I don’t have such lofty ambitions. You and Huang Wei can have the positions of the Snort and Groan Generals..."

Little Northeast grew anxious. "Hey, come on, Ding Ding, you can’t back out now! Without you, I can’t handle Boss Han all by myself!"

Ding Yu was baffled. "What can I do? I really can’t hang with Brother Lie..."

Little Northeast suddenly winked, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "You might not be up to it, but you’ve got a great sister! With Ding Xiang stepping in, what kind of hero couldn’t she conquer?"

"FUCK!" Ding Yu, livid, flipped the bird and cursed vehemently, "Get the hell away from me, as far as you can! Even if every last man on earth dropped dead, I would never let my sister marry an An Jiahe!"

Ugh... From Han Jiale to An Jiahe, did Brother Lie just level up?

After Ding Ding and Little Northeast left, Han Lie began to study methodically.

He spent 30 minutes completely mastering Advanced Algebra I, and then he moved on to Mathematical Analysis I. About every half an hour, he took a 5-minute break, quickly replying to someone with a few words.

Speaking of which, Fang Feifei had gotten Han Lie’s WeChat ID and, unsurprisingly, had marveled over it for quite a while. Han Lie didn’t elaborate on the matter. He couldn’t even be bothered to feign interest.

Posturing is a nuanced art that requires skill. For instance, Duan Xiaoyi’s blunt and vulgar display of wealth could only impress women who were both extremely materialistic and possessed low intelligence. Yu Yun was one such materialistic woman. But why did she only start dating Duan Xiaoyi after graduation? Because she was smart enough. In her heart, she never took Duan Xiaoyi seriously, always fully aware of his true level of personal quality. It was only because her own social standing was too low, leaving her unable to access better prospects, that she eventually settled for Duan, her backup plan.

So, when Han Lie suddenly appeared on the scene, she decisively changed her target.

Why? Wasn’t it just because Brother Lie was so good at posturing?

Although the Han Lie of his past life had no credentials to boast about, he had consumed an enormous amount of web novels and short video skits. Coupled with his Level 3 knowledge of psychology, he had an integrated understanding of the subject. He deeply understood the essence of effective posturing: it had to be casual and seem effortless.

It might not work on the sly old foxes of society, but against a few peers, wasn’t it as easy as taking candy from a baby?

Take background, for example; the less Han Lie mentioned it, the more their imaginations would run wild. What’s the difference between being proactive and reactive? Proactive is indoctrination; reactive is self-persuasion. Proactively, Han Lie would have to find their weaknesses. Letting them engage in fantasy, however, was like them bombarding their own vulnerabilities.

The effects were vastly different.

Believe me, most men really aren’t as effective as when you take matters into your own hands. Not thoughtful at all~~~

Cough, cough. Let’s drop this digression here.

Anyway, by bedtime, both Fang Feifei and Yu Yun had sent Han Lie at least fifty messages each, but Brother Lie had replied to less than a fifth of them.

The quiet night passed quickly.

Some tossed and turned, while others slept soundly.