Conquering Hearts, Not by Force

"Ding ling ling—"

As the bell signaling the end of the break rang, Su Cheng and Li Guanqi exchanged a glance before quickly returning to the classroom to prepare for the next lesson.

"Desserts and books?" Su Cheng mulled over these two keywords, feeling deeply conflicted.

Desserts were clearly off the table.

He remembered senior sister Liu once warning him that these young masters and misses from wealthy families would never accept his homemade "unverified" treats. Even if he dared to give them, they might not dare to eat them.

That left only books as an option.

But the problem was, Su Cheng knew nothing about Li Guanqi's reading preferences, leaving him at a loss for what book to choose.

He racked his brain, trying to come up with the perfect solution.

Just then, his gaze drifted absentmindedly to the basketball court outside the window, where a lone basketball sat on the pavement, a few sparrows pecking at the ground nearby.

"This is..."

The scene suddenly sparked an idea in his mind.

He recalled the ingenious concept of combining basketball and chickens, proposed by the ancients back in 1981. Why couldn’t he try merging books and desserts instead?

The idea took root in Su Cheng’s mind, spreading like wildfire until he could no longer contain his excitement. He quickly pulled out his phone and opened the library’s catalog app to search for titles.

He decided to find a book on dessert-making to borrow, along with a few on flower cultivation, to brush up on his knowledge of gardening and floral arrangements.

After all, constantly relying on others wasn’t ideal.

Soon, Su Cheng made his choices.

The Flower Cultivation Bible—this was the book he wanted for himself.

The Universe Eats Desserts—this was the one he planned to give Li Guanqi.

He believed that combining desserts and books wasn’t just a simple case of 1+1=2, but a magical synergy. What wondrous effect would these two passions create when merged?

Su Cheng could already picture it: Li Guanqi sitting in a cozy corner, flipping through the book, satisfying both her intellectual curiosity and her sweet tooth. It would undoubtedly bring her a unique kind of joy.

The key was, as a wealthy young lady, Li Guanqi had probably never made desserts herself. If she got inspired and actually followed the book’s tutorials to bake something, how meaningful would that be?

"I’m an absolute genius!" Su Cheng couldn’t help but boast to himself, swelling with pride.

………………………………

During class.

Li Guanqi had been observing Su Cheng, watching his expression shift from frustration and hesitation to eager anticipation—even impatience.

She could sense that Su Cheng had likely made a decision, which eased her mind somewhat.

Originally, she had planned to eat the rice dumplings senior sister Liu gave her yesterday in front of Su Cheng. But during the break, she’d overheard that Su Cheng wanted to learn about her preferences through Xu Tianyi. So, she abandoned her initial plan.

After all, whether those dumplings were truly made by Su Cheng was still uncertain. And they hadn’t been given to her directly by him—they came from senior sister Liu.

She didn’t trust senior sister Liu much and wasn’t sure if the girl had ulterior motives or schemes. So, she decided it was better to be cautious.

With these thoughts in mind, Li Guanqi resolved to subtly guide Su Cheng into giving her desserts himself. That way, she could achieve her goal while avoiding potential risks.

She had already steered their earlier conversation skillfully. If all went well...

Su Cheng would act exactly as she expected.

……………………

At noon, as soon as morning classes ended, Su Cheng rushed to the school library.

Following the catalog numbers on his phone, he began searching the shelves for the dessert book he had in mind.

After a few minutes, he finally found it and eagerly grabbed the book, heading straight for the checkout counter.

"Oh, right—the other book I wanted." Su Cheng suddenly remembered that the second book he needed was part of the special collection. So, he turned toward the rare books section and began searching there.

However, even after a thorough ten-minute hunt, he still couldn’t find it.

Disappointed, he approached the self-service catalog terminal and entered the book’s details, only to discover it had already been checked out.

This was a letdown—the book was a rare resource in the school library, unavailable online or elsewhere.

In the end, he could only take the dessert book to the checkout counter.

The librarian was a silver-haired, scholarly-looking elder sitting in a chair, legs crossed, intently reading a book with a magnifying glass. Su Cheng guessed the man was likely a professor-level faculty member.

Approaching politely, Su Cheng greeted softly, "Hello, sir." Then, he handed over the book and his student ID. "I’d like to borrow this, please."

The elderly man heard this and slowly raised his head, revealing a kindly smile before proceeding to handle Su Cheng's borrowing procedure.

While waiting, Su Cheng overheard a conversation from the adjacent staff break room.

"Has Little Liu resigned?"

"Yes, just today."

"Ah, seems like we’ll have a new colleague soon."

"By the way, Elder Sun outside is about to retire, right?"

"Right."

"So we’ll have two new colleagues joining soon?"

Hearing this, Su Cheng glanced at the elderly man’s name tag and realized he was the soon-to-retire Elder Sun.

About ten minutes later, the procedure was completed, and Su Cheng couldn’t wait to find Li Guanqi.

"She’s probably still on the lawn from earlier," Su Cheng thought. He quickened his pace toward the grassy area and soon found the familiar stretch of green.

Li Guanqi was sitting on the lawn, the gentle breeze rustling her ink-black hair. She sat there quietly, as if part of a serene painting.

Su Cheng paused, hesitant to disturb the tranquility. But Li Guanqi seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her head. Spotting Su Cheng, she gracefully stood up.

"This book is for you," Su Cheng stepped forward and handed her a book on dessert-making.

Li Guanqi looked at the book in surprise, her earlier doubts dissipating. She reached out to take it, then lifted her gaze, her expression unreadable yet tinged with subtle tension.

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice calm but carrying a faint trace of nervousness.

"You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it." Su Cheng smiled as she accepted the book, but then added, "I won’t disturb your break any longer."

With that, he turned to leave.

"Wait—just a moment."

Li Guanqi couldn’t help but call out to him.

"Is there something else?" Su Cheng turned back, puzzled.

"Thank you for the recommendation. I’ll read this carefully," Li Guanqi held up the book, her tone sincere. "But I read quite fast—I might finish it by tomorrow. I hope you won’t mind."

Su Cheng blinked, then chuckled. "No need to rush. Take your time. In a few days, my own copy will arrive, and I can swap it out for you to read at your own pace."

"You’re buying another one?" Li Guanqi frowned slightly, insisting, "That’s not right."

She stepped closer, her expression firm. "I can’t accept something you’ve spent money on without reason."

Su Cheng felt a pang of frustration at her resolve but knew he couldn’t force her.

Just as he was wondering how to persuade her, Li Guanqi spoke again, considerately offering a solution: "How about we form a study group? We can lend each other books, share our favorites, and learn together."

Seeing Su Cheng hesitate, she added, "If you’re not interested, forget I mentioned it."

Her suggestion made sense.

It would benefit them both. More importantly, since she refused to accept a gift, and he still owed her a favor, this seemed like a fair compromise.

After a brief silence, Su Cheng nodded. "Alright. I’ll bring books daily, but I’m a slow reader—it might take me a week to finish one."

"Understood." Li Guanqi clasped the book earnestly, then added, "Wait here—I have something for you too."

She turned and walked back to where she had been sitting, retrieving a bag before returning to Su Cheng.

He stood waiting, unnerved by her neutral tone and expressionless face, which made her thoughts impossible to decipher.

A moment later, Li Guanqi returned with a book in hand.

"This is for you."

She handed it over, explaining, "I’ve been reading this lately. Not sure if it’ll interest you."

"Thank you." Su Cheng accepted it with a smile, but when he glanced at the title, his eyes widened. "Wait—'The Complete Guide to Flower Cultivation'?"

"Is there a problem?" Li Guanqi tilted her head slightly.

"I was just looking for this book in the library!" Su Cheng exclaimed.

"It seems fate agrees with us." Though her face remained impassive, a flicker of delight shone in her eyes.

"Yeah, I think so too." Su Cheng grinned. "I really need this right now—would it be alright if I return it later?"

"Of course. Take your time." Her reply was as calm as ever.

"Great. I’ll head off then."

Su Cheng made to leave.

"You haven’t eaten lunch, have you?"

Li Guanqi spoke again. Only then did Su Cheng realize he’d been so focused on the book that he’d skipped lunch—his stomach growled in agreement.

"Here." Li Guanqi pulled a sandwich and milk from her bag and handed them to him. "Please take this. Otherwise, I’ll feel guilty. You missed lunch because of me, after all."

“How can I accept this?” Su Cheng quickly refused, his tone firm. “If I eat this, what will you have? I can’t take it.”

“I have two lunches.”

Li Guanqi shook her head lightly and explained, “A friend happened to give me a dessert, and I was just wondering how to handle two meals. So, you’d actually be doing me a favor.”

Hearing this, Su Cheng was momentarily at a loss.

“Then hold this for me first.” Li Guanqi pressed the sandwich and milk into Su Cheng’s hands before retrieving a bento box from her bag and showing it to him. “See?”

Su Cheng stared at the bento box, finding it oddly familiar. After a moment of recollection, he realized it was identical to the one he had once given to senior sister Liu to hold rice dumplings.

“Could it be the same design?” he wondered.

As if sensing his hesitation, Li Guanqi opened the box. When its contents came into view, Su Cheng was utterly stunned.

“Th-this… how is this possible?!”

His eyes widened in shock and disbelief, his breath turning uneven.

“A friend gave it to me,” Li Guanqi said, glancing at him, then at the dumplings inside the box, before meeting his gaze again. “She mentioned you made them yourself.”

“Ah…”

Su Cheng’s lips parted slightly. “Senior sister Liu?”

“Yes.” Li Guanqi nodded. “In that case, I suppose we’ve exchanged food now, haven’t we?”

“Did you… eat the dumplings?” Su Cheng, unsure how else to respond, asked about the dumplings instead, curious to hear her thoughts.

“They were delicious.” Li Guanqi’s voice carried a hint of conflict as she frowned slightly. “But they were also too adorable—I almost couldn’t bring myself to eat them.”

“Really? If you liked them…”

Su Cheng hesitated before speaking.

“I loved them.”

Li Guanqi’s reply was firm.

Hearing her answer, Su Cheng made up his mind. “In that case, I’ll accept your lunch. As thanks, I’ll bring you some dumplings tomorrow. How does that sound?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Li Guanqi didn’t decline, simply nodding in agreement before gesturing toward a picnic spread on the grass. “If you’re free, we could have lunch together here.”

“No, thank you. I have things to attend to.” Su Cheng rejected the offer outright. Sharing a meal like that felt far too awkward—he didn’t want to risk any misunderstandings about their relationship.

“I see… Alright, I won’t insist.” Noticing his reluctance to linger, Li Guanqi didn’t press further and turned to walk away.

Su Cheng watched her graceful figure retreat, lost in thought. As she settled elegantly onto a blanket, the breeze brushing against her delicate features, she seemed like a solitary flower in tranquil bloom—serene, refined, and effortlessly beautiful.

Just as he turned to leave, Li Guanqi’s calm voice called out again: “Su Cheng!”

“Huh?” He jolted slightly and looked back.

Li Guanqi was holding a book, her gaze fixed on him.

“Was there… something else?”

Su Cheng asked.

“Even though you’re wearing glasses today, I couldn’t help but notice the dark circles under your eyes.” Li Guanqi gave a faint shake of her head, her expression softening with concern. “Make sure to get some rest at noon, alright?”