Wen Ying’s voice was too loud.
The driver, who had been dutifully playing invisible, jumped in fright and nearly dropped his stealth mode on the spot.
The birds roosting in the large trees by the school gate, busily preening their feathers, were startled into flight, wings flapping as they shot up into the sky.
The sneaky onlookers gathered around all stood with mouths slightly agape.
First came shock, then admiration!
That was “Fish Swimming Against the Current”, one of the most dazzling new students at Zhendan, a top bestselling author in the country, a leading blogger!
For such an outstanding girl to confess with such force showed that getting out of singlehood was truly no easy feat.
The crowd was stunned, and the recipient of the confession, Xie Qian, was also taken by surprise.
His legs might be inconvenient, but his ears worked fine. Why was the hamster shouting so loudly?
Yet… this was indeed something Wen Ying would do, bearing her strong personal style.
Xie Qian’s palms were not the only parts heating up now. From his neck to his cheeks, everything felt hot. He was grateful for the dim streetlamp light; Wen Ying probably would not notice his abnormality.
“I heard it.”
Xie Qian’s voice carried a hint of huskiness. “Not only did I hear it, but others did too, including the flowers, plants, trees, birds, and insects around this gate.”
With so many people and non-people as witnesses, do not even think about denying it or going back on your word in the future!
The driver’s emotional intelligence peaked at this moment.
After pondering, he stepped out from the shadows, ending his invisibility.
He was a witness.
The birds fluttering in mid-air resettled on the branches, hopping lightly and chirping as if responding to Xie Qian’s words.
They were witnesses too—no, witness birds.
The sneaky onlookers all straightened their backs.
Yes, they were witnesses too.
They had all heard it!
Wen Ying’s ears burned hot. With the fearless spirit of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, she declared, “So what if they heard? Liking you is not a bad thing. I am not afraid of people hearing it.”
Though she said this, Wen Ying quickly pulled her hand free from Xie Qian’s grasp. Pretending to be calm, she called to the driver, “Brother Yang, it is getting late. Please take Xie Qian back.”
Driver Yang, with his exceptionally high EQ, considered it and decided to follow the future lady boss’s instructions. He silently opened the car door.
This time, Xie Qian did not try to keep Wen Ying longer.
Having known her for so long, Xie Qian understood her temperament well.
He could push a little, but not too hard, or it would backfire!
Moreover, though Xie Qian appeared calm on the surface, his heart surged with intense emotions. That heat nearly overwhelmed his willpower.
“Every word you said tonight, I have committed to memory. From now on, we have plenty of time.”
Xie Qian’s words carried deep meaning.
Wen Ying stubbornly refused to yield. “Future matters can be discussed in the future!”
She had lived two lives, after all. She absolutely could not be overwhelmed by Xie Qian’s momentum. She held out until Xie Qian got into the car, the vehicle started, and disappeared from view.
Now, finally, she could flee in relief!
Ahhhhh!
Why had she shouted so loudly just now?
Volume did not equal confidence. It might even indicate guilt.
Xie Qian, barely into adulthood, already possessed domineering CEO traits. Wen Ying was used to the Xie Qian who always yielded to her. When he suddenly showed his overbearing side, she truly lost her composure.
Wen Ying ran back to her dormitory at top speed.
Breathless from the sprint, she found her three roommates huddled together whispering. Upon her return, they all turned in unison, faces full of admiration.
“I heard you confessed to Xie Qian at the school gate?”
“Your voice was so loud it scared the birds out of the trees!”
“Sister, your courage is amazing!”
Wen Ying was shocked. “The news spread that fast?”
Sun Mingfei pointed at the computer screen on the desk. “Campus forum. There is a live thread.”
Wen Ying leaned in to look. Sure enough, it was a real-time broadcast.
Some praised Wen Ying for her bravery.
Others felt she lacked reserve.
The number of replies kept rising. Wen Ying looked up at her three roommates sincerely. “If I say Xie Qian confessed first, and I only formally responded now after dragging it out, would you believe me?”
The three roommates exchanged glances.
Sun Mingfei cleared her throat lightly and comforted her. “Sister, it is Xie Qian, after all. Confessing first is not exactly a loss for you.”
Though Xie Qian had not been enrolled long, his personal aura was impossible to ignore.
Even without Wen Ying constantly sticking to him, the girls at Zhendan would likely only dare admire Xie Qian from afar.
He was too aloof.
Approaching him proactively required immense mental preparation, let alone pursuing him.
Xie Qian confessing first?
No, no, no. That scene was unimaginable!
So they did not believe her?
Wen Ying felt weary. She waved her hand. “Fine, let it be that I confessed first. Anyway, he did not reject me—”
Wen Ying paused there.
Xie Qian had confessed, and she had not rejected him.
She had confessed, and Xie Qian had not rejected her.
With mutual confessions and no rejections, did that mean she and Xie Qian were now… boyfriend and girlfriend?
Wen Ying was deeply annoyed. She had dared to confess so loudly earlier. She should have seized the moment to confirm their relationship! Driver Yang was a witness, the birds in the trees, the passers-by—all witnesses. With perfect timing, location, and people, no one could back out!
Just as Wen Ying thought this, her phone vibrated with a new message from Xie Qian.
“I am not sure when I started liking you, but I am certain that from our very first meeting, I never disliked you. If only I had come to Rongcheng earlier. I could have met you sooner, could have had you write my name in your diary.”
Xie Qian still harboured resentment over appearing later than Song Shao.
This time, Xie Qian was not jealous.
He simply felt regret.
Regret that he had not met Wen Ying earlier.
When Wen Ying was not yet as endearing as she was now.
When she was introverted and insecure, isolated by classmates.
Xie Qian truly wished he could have done something for the Wen Ying of that time, even if just a kind encouragement or a warm smile.
To bring even a little comfort to those dark days would have been good!
Wen Ying was completely unprepared. Xie Qian’s message shattered her defences.
She picked up her phone to reply. Drafting a few short sentences, deleting and editing repeatedly, it finally became one simple line:
“Xie Qian, you arrived just in time.”
Whether in her previous life or this one, Xie Qian had arrived just in time.
Wen Ying had indeed never written “Xie Qian” in her diary, but she had engraved his name in her heart.
A gentle stream of affection, dreamed of for many years.
Wen Ying’s memories returned to that rooftop.
The dazed girl, one step from free fall, was forcefully pulled back by a hand.
Sunlight shone on Wen Ying’s face. She could not open her eyes, dizzy and disoriented. It took a long while to recognise who had saved her.
It was Xie Qian, who had transferred not long ago.
Xie Qian was not only outstanding in appearance but also aloof as ice. Let alone an ordinary, insecure girl like Wen Ying—even prominent figures like Li Mengjiao, who later pursued him extravagantly, initially dared not act boldly in his presence!
Xie Qian had pulled Wen Ying back from the rooftop edge and angrily scolded her for not cherishing life.
Thinking back now, the story felt redemptive. In her previous life, it had been anything but romantic.
Because when Xie Qian scolded her, he had truly been terrifying!
