Chapter 72: I’m Your Boyfriend After All

If there were a button that could instantly give a child a perfect life, would you press it?

From the opposition’s perspective, it was about first defining a perfect life template, then identifying the loopholes and shortcomings in this template and ruthlessly attacking them.

Jiang Miao looked at the three arguments of the opposition side. They basically focused on attacking from the perspective of psychological needs.

After all, a perfect life was supposed to be flawless.

It was imagined as someone with perfect appearance, physique, talent, business acumen, skills, learning ability, athletic prowess, and so on. This person was the best in the world in every aspect.

Such a perfect person would naturally lead a perfect life.

But if such a person really existed, then they would surely be lonely and feel the chill of being alone at the top.

From the perspective of parents, would they really want their child to experience such a life?

Jiang Miao looked at the opposition arguments written on the blackboard, then looked at the affirmative arguments from his team.

His team’s stance was basically the opposite of the opposition team’s. They highlight the various real-world challenges and difficulties of raising children. After contrasting it with the perfect life template, parents would naturally prefer the perfect option.

The four female teammates sat in front, waiting for Jiang Miao’s opinions.

Although he hadn’t participated in the first two matches, he had provided various counterarguments against the opponent’s points. He could always find unusual angles to refute them.

Moreover, reality proved that the opponent’s arguments were basically within the range provided by Jiang Miao.

So the four girls on the team still thought he was quite impressive.

“Got any ideas?” Su Huaizhou gave him a few minutes to think before asking with a smile.

Jiang Miao looked at Senior Sister standing on the podium, the new piece of chalk in her hand, and her small hand dusted with chalk powder. He briefly lost focus.

It felt like being caught by a teacher in class and being asked a question.

But he quickly regained his composure.

“Senior Sister, I have a question,” Jiang Miao said after some deliberation.

“Hmm? Go ahead.”

He pointed at the definition of ‘perfect life’ and asked, “Are we sure our definition of a perfect life is the same as the opposition team’s?”

“What’s the issue?” asked Jia Tongxue, the team’s assertive second speaker, while adjusting her glasses.

“I just find it strange,” Jiang Miao said sincerely. “The opposition team claims that this is a perfect life while also pointing out all kinds of flaws in such a life. Doesn’t that mean it’s imperfect?”

Jia Tongxue was puzzled and didn’t quite follow.

Beside her, Yi Luren and Pei Jue somewhat understood, but they weren’t entirely clear.

Ding Ning, usually the quieter one, looked enlightened. “That’s right. If it’s supposed to be a perfect life, why would it still be lonely?”

“So, how should we define it?” Jia Tongxue understood, but she still frowned. “If this doesn’t count as a perfect life, then what does?”

Yi Luren also saw the difficulty. “If we’re going to compete for the definition, we need to come up with a clear and specific one. We can’t be too vague. We won’t win the debate just by opposing the opposition’s definition.”

Su Huaizhou’s eyes brightened. She didn’t expect Jiang Miao to offer a new angle and urged him, “If you have an idea, tell us quickly. Don’t leave us hanging.”

“Ahem.” Jiang Miao sorted out his thoughts and said, “The opposition’s definition isn’t actually explaining what a perfect life is like but rather describing what a perfect person in traditional concepts is like.

“The first is about life, the sum of all a person’s experiences before their death.

“The second is the person themselves, the state in which an individual is in at any part of their life.

“The opposition basically assumes that there’s a person who is absolutely perfect at every moment and then concludes that this perfect person must also have a perfect life.

“But they’ve pointed out a bunch of flaws in this so-called perfect life, making it imperfect again.

“Isn’t that a contradiction?”

The four girls nodded repeatedly.

In particular, Jia Tongxue, who had been asking questions just now, fantasized about how she could have raised this question during the mock debate earlier…

Just thinking about it felt so satisfying!

It would have completely undermined the foundation of the opposition team’s argument.

However, Jiang Miao still hadn’t revealed the key point.

“So, what’s your definition?” Su Huaizhou looked at the fangirl energy radiating from the four girls and frowned. She asked somewhat jealously, “Don’t just attack the opposition. We need to have our own definition of a perfect life too.”

“I haven’t fully thought out the details yet. I can only give you a general idea, and I’ll need everyone’s help to refine it,” Jiang Miao said modestly.

After gathering his thoughts for a moment, he continued, “My understanding of a truly perfect life is that, like ordinary people, they should encounter setbacks, face choices, and experience loss.

“But what sets someone with a perfect life apart from ordinary people is…

“When they encounter setbacks, they always have the ability to overcome them and grow positively from the experience.

“When they face choices, they always have the right conditions and mindset to choose the most suitable path for them from the many options.

“And when they experience loss, they can always find the right positive emotions to face it and learn to take better control of their own life.

“Of course, I’m just throwing out ideas.”

Jiang Miao shrugged. “But that’s how I roughly envision a perfect life.”

…

Because Jiang Miao had dropped such a major concept, Ding Ning and the others had to revise everything from the first to fourth speaker scripts.

The problem was that Jiang Miao was the provider of the core argument, so he was forced to stay and continue the discussion until ten o’clock at night.

Exhausted, he walked out of the classroom alongside Senior Sister to the lobby on the first floor of the department building.

He let out a long sigh. “We clearly agreed that I wouldn’t need to be involved in the debate this week…”

“Well, someone’s basketball game got postponed.” Su Huaizhou covered her mouth and giggled. When they reached the entrance, she tilted her head and looked outside. “It’s still raining. Junior Brother, I’ll have to trouble you again.”

For some reason, when Jiang Miao heard it was still raining, he actually felt a little happy.

Bah!

He stepped forward and opened the umbrella, naturally including Senior Sister under it.

Without hesitation, Su Huaizhou slipped her arm around his, as if it had already become second nature. “I suddenly feel that it’s not bad to have a boyfriend.”

Jiang Miao heard Senior Sister’s murmur, and his heart burned.

“… Although it’s only pretend,” Su Huaizhou added with a playful smile.

Just as the flame ignited in his chest, it was immediately doused.

Jiang Miao tightened his grip on the umbrella ever so slightly, and Senior Sister moved closer.

The two of them leaned against each other again.

Su Huaizhou held Jiang Miao’s arm a little tighter and asked teasingly, “If Peach Jam’s novel becomes a high-quality work, won’t I be the greatest contributor?”

When she mentioned the greatest contributor, he immediately thought of Congee Boss.

But the beauty, ah, no, his dear female reader, had been helping him gather material. Jiang Miao silently apologized to Congee Boss in his mind.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “If it really becomes a high-quality work, I’ll treat you to a feast.”

“That sounds good.” Su Huaizhou’s eyes sparkled as she praised his suggestion. “I won’t be polite when the time comes.”

Of course, it wasn’t that Su Huaizhou was particularly excited about the meal. But the more time she spent alone with Junior Brother, the more confident she felt about teaching him to become her boyfriend.

When he confessed his feelings and the two of them officially started dating, the Congee Boss identity would complete its mission and be able to retire.

It was 10 p.m., and there were very few people outside.

In particular, it was still raining, and passersby had no interest in observing others. Under the care of the Goddess of Luck, no familiar faces saw the two of them walking arm-in-arm on the campus paths.

But just as they walked out of the school gate, the light drizzle suddenly turned into a heavy downpour.

The raindrops hammered against the ground like bullets, splashing up tiny water droplets.

Jiang Miao’s umbrella wasn’t very large. With the two of them huddled under it, rainwater still drifted in from the sides.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Huaizhou extended her other hand and looped both of her arms around Jiang Miao’s arm. Her entire upper body leaned in, sticking close to him.

“This should be better, right?” she asked softly, her head almost buried in his chest.

“Yeah…” Jiang Miao was at a loss for words, feeling the warmth of Senior Sister’s chest pressed tightly against his arm. In the brief time it took to cross the street, he had already gulped several times.

The rain poured down, and the pitter-patter of the raindrops hitting leaves, bushes, and tiles surrounding them on all sides.

Jiang Miao simply switched the umbrella to his other hand and wrapped Senior Sister’s shoulders with his right arm, pulling her closer.

Su Huaizhou certainly wouldn’t refuse. She lowered her head slightly and pursed her lips, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly as she cooperatively nestled in Jiang Miao’s embrace.

With his arm around her shoulders, he could smell the fragrance in her hair and couldn’t decide whether to walk faster or slower.

But before he could dwell on it, the heavy rain came and went just as quickly, and it gradually turned into a drizzle.

The soft pattering of rain on the umbrella made it seem as if the earlier downpour had been nothing but an illusion.

Yet Jiang Miao and Su Huaizhou acted as if they didn’t notice at all. He continued to hold her shoulders while she remained leaning against his chest.

Neither of them spoke, nor did they pull away. They simply leaned into each other under the rain.

Jiang Miao’s heart was pounding. With his right arm wrapped around Senior Sister’s shoulders, it felt as though he was embracing the entire world.

Her head was resting against his chest, and the faint pressure easily filled his chest.

He even had the urge to gently press the back of her head, wrap his other arm around her slender waist, and pull her entire soft body into his embrace.

Should I give it a try?

After all… as long as I say it’s for material, I can probably get away with it, right?

At this moment, Jiang Miao was like a predator drawn to irresistible bait. Smelling the scent of Senior Sister was clouding his mind.

But the next second, Su Huaizhou suddenly stopped.

Jiang Miao stopped as well and returned to his senses. He found that there was no way forward.

It wasn’t that they had reached a dead end.

But a large puddle blocked their path.

He looked around and saw they were already at the entrance of Xiuye Commons.

At about 10:30 p.m., the left half of the gate had been closed, leaving only the right side open.

However, after just a few minutes of the earlier downpour, the low-lying entrance had been submerged by the large puddle of water.

A few students returning late had no choice but to brace themselves and wade through the puddle, sacrificing their shoes in the process.

Jiang Miao looked at the large puddle at the entrance but didn’t see any security guards around to lay down straw mats or wooden boards.

Probably because of the sudden rain and late hour, the security guards had given up on dealing with it.

“It seems like we can soak our feet,” Su Huaizhou joked with a smile.

Standing in front of the puddle, Jiang Miao glanced at Senior Sister. After thinking about it, he handed the umbrella to her and asked hesitantly, “Senior Sister, do you mind if I carry you?”

Su Huaizhou was taken aback. Although it was already 10:30 at night, they were still at the entrance of Xiuye Commons. When did Junior Brother become so bold?

With him suddenly coming to his senses, she became a little shy, lowered her head, and whispered, “Uh, sure…”

“Then I’ll carry you.”

Before Su Huaizhou could reply, she felt Jiang Miao by her side with his arms stretched out.

Her heart raced, and she instinctively closed her eyes as several thoughts flashed through her mind.

After he picks me up, should I hug him?

Or should I place my hands on his chest and push away slightly?

If… if he starts touching me inappropriately, should I stop him?

And if… if we kiss… Hmm… I can’t imagine it anymore!

These thoughts crossed her mind in the blink of an eye.

The next moment, Su Huaizhou felt herself being lifted off the ground, suddenly experiencing a sensation of weightlessness, scaring her so much that she let out a surprised “Ah!”

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself cradled in Junior Brother’s arm in a princess carry.

?!

So, is this what he meant when he asked if I minded being carried? Su Huaizhou blushed and lowered her head, wishing she could let her ponytail down to hide her flushed cheeks.

Fortunately, Jiang Miao didn’t notice her blushing.

“Senior Sister, please hold the umbrella properly,” he said helplessly.

Startled, Su Huaizhou realized that she had subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck, causing the umbrella in her hand to be crooked.

She quickly adjusted the umbrella to cover them from the falling rain.

By the time she finished repositioning the umbrella, Jiang Miao had already stepped into the puddle.

The water level at the edge wasn’t very deep, barely covering the soles of his shoes.

But as he walked towards the center, his shoes were completely soaked.

After taking seven or eight steps, Jiang Miao carried Senior Sister past the entrance of Xiuye Commons and set her down outside the puddle.

“Thank you,” Su Huaizhou said, rarely not teasing Jiang Miao like usual. Instead, she became quiet.

The umbrella returned to Jiang Miao’s hand, and Su Huaizhou linked her arms with his again.

Everything returned to how it was at the start.

Yet some things had subtly and imperceptibly changed.

This time, Su Huaizhou hadn’t used ‘gathering material’ as an excuse, and Jiang Miao hadn’t brought it up either.

The two of them walked in harmony to Building 30, where Jiang Miao watched Senior Sister walk to the door.

“Thanks for today.” Su Huaizhou turned around, her high ponytail drawing a beautiful arc in the air.

“It’s nothing.” Jiang Miao smiled, holding the umbrella. “I’m your boyfriend after all.”

Su Huaizhou rolled her charming eyes at him, neither confirming nor denying his words. “You should go back too. It must be uncomfortable wearing wet shoes.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Good night, Junior Brother.”

“Good night, Senior Sister.”

As Jiang Miao watched Su Huaizhou’s figure disappear around the corner of the first-floor staircase, he stood quietly in the rain for a moment longer.

Only when his trembling hands and weak legs recovered did he let out a shaky sigh, allowing his pounding heart to calm down.

When he returned to the entrance of Building 31 and closed his umbrella, he suddenly realized that his back and thighs were drenched with sweat.

But the next moment, he broke into a happy smile.

At least, when he said he was Senior Sister’s boyfriend, she didn’t deny it.

Even though she was only cooperating with him to ‘gather material’, this was still a very significant step forward.

…

[Congee Boss]: (Picture)

[Congee Boss]: Look at the illustration of the female lead I posted in your fan club. It’s gotten over 500 likes!

[Congee Boss]: If you take off, won’t I be the number one contributor?

[Peach Jam]: For sure!

[Peach Jam]: Long live Boss!

Building 31, Room 611.

Su Huaizhou lay on her bed with her legs crossed and harrumphed unhappily. Ha, men.

She curled her lips.

Her eyes were full of smiles.