Looking at his aggrieved expression, Yu Wanwan couldn't help feeling guilty for being too harsh. She put down the chalk, cleared her throat twice, calmed down, and continued: "Besides not calling a girl you have no relationship with too intimately right away, you also can't bring up topics that leave her with nothing to say. For example, 'What did you eat today?' 'I'm about to start work,' and daily sharing—those are topics that make girls unable to respond.
Remember, check-ins and daily sharing are very romantic in a couple's relationship, but right now you're just friends. So you don't need to engage in check-in style chatting or share everything with her, as that will add invisible pressure to her responses. If you really must share, share something she's interested in. For instance, if she likes wild yaks, when you travel and see a herd of yaks, you can take a photo and share it with her. As for what she's interested in, you can observe from her Moments. If she doesn't post much or at all, you can actually just ask her directly—after all, she agreed to be WeChat friends, which means she has some good feelings toward you."
Zhang Jingxu suddenly remembered a post from Yu Wanwan a month ago: "Next life, I want to live as freely, strongly, and unrestrainedly as a wild yak. If I see someone I don't like, I'll just headbutt them—headbutt them to death. [Death Smile]"
Indeed, the thought process of a funny girl was something he still couldn't understand.
Yu Wanwan paced back and forth in front of the blackboard, leisurely imparting knowledge: "Actually, just be natural when chatting with girls. Like I said, if she likes you, she'll also try hard to find topics, and you'll be moving toward each other. So appropriately create some interesting gags, or work hard to pick up on her gags, and throw in a few funny emojis during the chat, and that's about it.
"To summarize these two points: you need to have a rhythmic back-and-forth in the conversation. Be appropriately silly at times, interesting occasionally, and often serious. Just because the person you like is a silly funny girl doesn't mean you should keep chatting nonsensically with her. A man who's too silly will make a woman feel he's a never-growing boy, unreliable. So we need to mix it up like adjusting the temperature of bathwater—alternating hot and cold."
"Also, while showing her your interesting soul, don't talk too much. After all, there's still a long life ahead; you need to save some words to tell her slowly later. Like a tube of toothpaste, squeeze a little out every day, not all at once. You can find an excuse to end the conversation at the peak of enjoyment. You need to learn to play hard to get, so she'll be left wanting more and looking forward to chatting with you again."
She glanced at the blackboard: "Anyway, that's all for the second lesson. Do you remember it?"
Zhang Jingxu looked at the densely written blackboard and nodded seriously: "I remember."
Yu Wanwan took a sip of water, looked down at the time, and said: "It's still early today, and it seems you're getting into the groove of learning, so I won't drag this out over three days. Let's start the third lesson now—the final one."
Hearing this, a flicker of emotion surged in Zhang Jingxu's eyes, and he asked: "So after I finish this last lesson, I graduate?"
"Of course not." Yu Wanwan swallowed the water and put the cup back. "Learning these three lessons just means you'll have a girlfriend. I'll still teach you how to get along with her on a daily basis later."
"Oh." Hearing that there were more lessons to come, Zhang Jingxu felt relieved.
Seeing his anxious, eager-to-learn expression, Yu Wanwan directly reassured him, joking: "Don't worry, I have a wealth of knowledge in this area. Except for the wedding night, I'll teach you how to pursue a girl, how to confess, and how to get along after the confession. And if you two quarrel later, I can be your strategist too!"
She raised her eyebrows at him with a hint of pride: "How about that? My after-sales service is pretty good, right?"
"Mm." Zhang Jingxu nodded in agreement.
Yu Wanwan wiped the dense blackboard clean and wrote the topic of the last lesson: "The third lesson's topic: Relationship Upgrade—From 'Buddy' to 'Sweetheart.'"
She began to draw lines again as before: "As usual, three points."
"This is the most important and most skill-demanding step. If you don't handle it well, you'll easily become true brothers with your sweetheart."
Yu Wanwan circled the words 'true brothers' emphatically: "First point: establish a connection—from online friend to playmate. When you've chatted enough with the girl you like and start entering the flirting stage, you can try asking her out for a meal or a movie."
Hearing this, Zhang Jingxu frowned slightly and couldn't help questioning Yu Wanwan's steps: "But can you go on dates before confessing?"
"That's a good and rigorous question." Seeing that he no longer offered typical straight-man views, Yu Wanwan first affirmed his question, then said: "However, the order should indeed be: date first, then confess. And usually, there's more than one date."
She said: "To be precise, asking her out now is not equivalent to a 'couple's date.' It's more accurately called a 'friend gathering.'
After all, no matter how well you chat online, that's just your 'text personality.' If you don't meet often, how do you know if you'll be attracted in real life? So you need a few pleasant 'friend gatherings' as a foundation before your confession has confidence and a high chance of success. It's like looking for a job: you have to interview. Understand?"
Zhang Jingxu suddenly realized: "I understand."
"Let's continue. For the 'date,' the first time you can go to a restaurant for a meal. Afterward, you can take a walk while walking her home. The second time, you can go see a movie. The third time, you can go to a craft workshop—like DIY a cake together, do pottery together, and enjoy spending an entire afternoon together killing time.
When going to the cinema, choosing the movie is important. If she wants to watch a horror film, you should be ready to lend her your shoulder and chest. If she wants to watch a heartwarming film, you should have tissues ready."
Yu Wanwan thought back to when they were in school: whenever she cried her eyes out reading some youthful angst novels, Zhang Jingxu would always tease her. So she emphasized: "Before she complains about the plot, you absolutely must not complain or say something like 'the plot is too cheesy' or 'the audience has no brains.' Your job is to hand her tissues and comfort her, not to criticize the movie plot. Understand?"
Zhang Jingxu: "Understood."
After a moment, she continued: "Regarding the cinema, it's definitely a great place to create intimacy. So remember: only buy one bucket of popcorn. That way, when you share it, you'll accidentally touch each other, quickly bringing your relationship closer."
As soon as Yu Wanwan finished, Zhang Jingxu started questioning again: "But buying only one bucket might make me seem stingy?"
Thinking he had made progress, Yu Wanwan rolled her eyes: "If you buy two buckets, how are you going to create physical contact? Are you dumb? Besides, can you even finish two buckets?"
Why does this guy keep having straight-man brain in class!"
He replied obediently: "Oh."
Inner monologue: Makes sense.
Yu Wanwan went on: "Actually, when the two of you get to this stage, you're already 80-90% successful. So now we move to the second point: show her exclusive tenderness. You can be silly with everyone, but only unconsciously show tenderness to her alone. For example, when she's laughing so hard on a chair that she's rocking back and forth, you silently extend your hand behind her to prevent her from falling. Or when she casually jokes about an unpleasant experience, you can say seriously and earnestly, 'You must have been really sad at that time.'
You need to make her feel that you're special—like 'Everyone thinks I'm carefree, but only you can see my vulnerable side from my self-deprecation.'
By this step, if you're still not sure, you can also perform a 'language test,' which is the final test. For instance, in a very cheerful scene, or when you're playing Truth or Dare in a group, use a half-joking, half-serious tone and say, 'I think I kind of like you...' Because it's in a fun, game-like atmosphere, whether she shows fondness or bewilderment, you can advance or retreat. Of course, by this point, it's basically impossible for her not to like you back."
"So we need to quickly move to the third point." She held the chalk and continued writing on the blackboard: "Ultimate Confession.
The timing of this confession is crucial. It needs to be solemn, but not overly solemn. You shouldn't just ask her out for the sake of confessing, and definitely don't confess in a crowded place to put pressure on her."
He asked: "Then when should it be?"
Yu Wanwan said: "It could be after you both experience something extremely happy together, at the peak of the atmosphere. For example, after you've just finished a meal, as night falls, you're walking along the riverbank. You can tell a joke or an interesting story as a lead-in. When she's laughing heartily, you look very seriously into her eyes—must be serious and affectionate, just like this..."
Yu Wanwan walked up to the desk, placed her hands on the surface, and leaned in close to him.
The soft light of the study fell on her, and behind the rimless glasses, her almond eyes were focused and clear, reflecting a miniature version of her.
In a voice so gentle he had never heard before, she slowly spoke: "I like you. More than being your friend, I want to be your lover and the one to spend the rest of my life with."
Zhang Jingxu looked up, through those rimless glasses, meeting her beautiful almond eyes. At that moment, the look in Yu Wanwan's eyes was a tenderness he had never seen before. He stared at her for a long time and couldn't help asking: "Really?"