“Well? Care to tell me?”

With Zhang Ren’s statement ringing in Shu Xian’s mind, she let out a sigh and then shook her head, letting out a small smile as she was obviously lost in the conversation.

“T-tell you what?” she stammered, Zhong Li arching a brow at her as he noticed that she was out of her focus.

“You know…” he trailed off, slightly embarrassed that he would have to repeat himself. “Your type.”

“Oh!”

Shu Xian blinked her eyes a few times, already furrowing her brows as she now thought of her answers seriously so she could answer Zhong Li.

“Oh… uh…”

With her being quiet for a few seconds, she then let out a sigh and then answered his question after contemplating about her answers for a while.

“I like a guy who’s sweet and then kind. A man who’s gentle and also smart. Someone who also has a sense of humor… and uh…”

As the image of Professor Pan An lingered in her thoughts, a blush crept her face, now revealing a small smile that made Zhong Li’s heart race in his chest.

“Someone who’s older than me—someone who’s also quite handsome is a bonus point.”

As Zhong Li listened to the aforementioned qualities of being sweet and kind, he thought that he could be the man to be that for her. With also being said a gentle man who is also smart, he was quite confident that he could be the one.

With humor said, he was quite hesitant at first but now that Shu Xian said a man who’s older than her and someone who’s quite handsome as a bonus point…

It made him feel insecure about himself because:

1.      He is not older than Shu Xian.

2.      He’s not sure if his looks are passable as “quite handsome”.

As Zhong Li thought of this, he couldn’t help but clear his throat, further getting the attention of Shu Xian.

“So… this is your ideal type?”

“I think so,” Shu Xian answered, twirling the ends of her hair with her index finger as she continued thinking about Pan An.

As she didn’t want to sound too airheaded or sound like a woman who’s so in love, she then looked at Zhong Li, asking him a question instead.

“Well, how about you?” she asked, Zhong Li straightening up his posture. “What’s your type, Zhong Li?”

Like Shu Xian who was taken aback by the question, he didn’t answer immediately. Rather, he cleared his throat as he blinked his eyes a few times, now conscious about how he looked in front of the girl he likes because he started to feel nervous.

‘Come on, Zhong Li…’ he spoke to himself, while looking directly at her eyes. ‘If you seem too nervous in front of her, even to Shu Xian, she could notice how nervous you are!’

With him letting out three coughs, Shu Xian cocked her head to the side, wondering why he wasn’t answering her question yet.

“Well, Zhong Li? Are you alright? I never thought that the question has stumped you.”

As the man heard her comment, he gave her a small smile, now shaking his head as he tried his best to answer her question.

“Well… the woman I like,” Zhong Li started, Shu Xian’s undivided attention now on him. “I like a woman who’s kind and gentle… somewhat similar to your type,” he added, Shu Xian nodding as she was now interested about his answer.

“Other than that, I like that she’s kind and that she’s friendly with other people. I also like how hard-working she is and that she has a sense of responsibility,” he continued on, the guy continuing to look straight into her eyes.

The moment they locked gazes, Zhong Li never realized how beautiful Shu Xian was. She was not the typical kind of girl who would always put make up on—who would always style her hair and wear those popular and expensive brands of clothes…

Rather, she is a very simple and humble woman. The longer you’d look at her, you’ll notice how beautiful she is compared to other women and that her beauty is indeed beyond compare.

Zhong Li, being interested in literature as well, could compare Shu Xian to a goddess in Philippine mythology.

Mayari is the Philippine goddess of the moon, as well as combat, beauty, revolution, equality and strength. 

She fought her brother, Apolaki, for equal run of the skies, and although she won and now rules half the sky, she lost her eye in combat. Depite that, she is still regarded as one of the most beautiful and charming of Philippine deities. 

One of the things that we admire her for is that she embodies the truth that you don’t have to have physical perfection to be beautiful, and that strength and revolution walk hand in hand with divinity.

Unlike Mayari who lost her eye in combat, it was not the physical beauty that made Zhong Li compare her to the goddess. In fact, it is because of her wisdom and then also her enigma that made him compare her to Mayari.

As Shu Xian cocked her head to the side as she noticed that Zhong Li was now quiet, she snapped her fingers in front of him a few times, Zhong Li now looking at her as he focused on her.

“Uh… yeah,” Zhong Li started, clearing his throat. “That’s… my type.”

“I see!”

With Shu Xian smiling at him as she was oblivious that he was describing her, Zhong Li felt somewhat grateful that she wasn’t able to discern since it would be too early for her to know his growing affection towards her.

Besides… he would have to improve himself to become Shu Xian’s type so that sooner or later, especially in the near future, she would be able to notice him. And once she notices him…

It would then be easier to get her attention.

Will he really get her attention, though?