I know that she's still a teenager but Lin Luxi is quite the jerk. Ghosting her friend before and now lying about a crush to get a reaction.
I know, right? I always dislike the idea of using "tactics" like that to get someone's attention anyway, but the fact that she was avoiding her for a month up until, like, three chapters ago... I get that she's insecure, but... Idk, you could also try confessing your own feelings to see their reaction. It's unfair to play with their emotions like that just so you can protect yourself.
Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh, but honestly, from the moment she started this, I wished that her plan would come hit her in the face like a boomerang. And I still do. (Though I don't want to see Tong Tong getting hurt again...)
(Edit: I checked it, it was four chapters ago)
If they were a het couple and this was just an underhanded tactic to spur interest in somebody they could just casually confess to, then yeah, I'd be with you.
But they're gay.
In China.
If Xiao Lu confesses, and Tongtong isn't interested, she might just turn her down and keep her mouth shut about it, but there is also a very real chance that she could go to her parents, or her teachers, either maliciously or just carelessly. Depending on the culture at her school and the opinions of the people in her life, she might get beaten and/or disowned by her parents. I don't think she can legally be expelled anymore, but rumors could spread, leading to bullying. Even if her parents mean well, she could still end up transferred to avoid discrimination and rumors following them. And it used to be way worse even than that. God knows what kinds of stories she's read or heard about people in her area from back before legal discrimination was repealed.
I will give a fair bit of leeway to any sexual minority who wants to use otherwise underhanded tactics to feel out somebody's interest indirectly before risking outing themselves. That shit is scary in a lot of places. The world may be growing up on the whole, but it isn't happening at the same speed everywhere. Some places are even backsliding.
(Edit: Just to be clear, I'm not saying there is an actual chance that Tongtong would do those things, she's obviously super into Xiao Lu and they are definitely on a romantic collision course. But Xiao Lu doesn't know that, so that stuff above is all reasonable to fear from her perspective.)
Yeah, I guess you do have a point here, I hadn't taken the China factor into consideration. And I think I'd kinda gotten triggered 'cause I'd been reading some other stuff at the time, where there was a lot of manipulation in play. Actual manipulation, I mean, not like this. I still don't like it of course, but I can understand why she would do that, I suppose.
Anyway, I really liked this chapter and I like the direction this is taking, so if it is handled well... I guess I'll be fine with it not hitting her in the face like a boomerang lol (gosh, I really was pissed off at the time, huh?)
...Not that I'd mind if it did tho.. XD
(edited a bit because there were way too many likes and stuffs in one sentence...)
last edited at Jun 28, 2021 9:43AM
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