Evening.
Shen Yujing was at home, quite satisfied as he admired the two dolls on his desk, both of which he had caught today.
By Monday, he would give these two dolls to Song Yi.
After taking a shower, Shen Yujing suddenly received a barrage of calls from Quan Le.
He picked up the phone, speaking slowly and deliberately, "What's the matter so late at night? You'd better have something urgent."
Quan Le's voice came through the phone, sounding particularly anxious, "Shen Yujing! Something big has happened, something big!"
"Spit it out."
Quan Le: "You know that little forward from our school's soccer team, right?"
Shen Yujing, feeling confused, retorted, "Who? Why would I know him?"
Quan Le: "It's that guy who wanted to invite Song Yi to join their group during the grade trip."
Shen Yujing: "......"
Shen Yujing: "Oh, I remember now. The one with the dimples, right?"
Quan Le: "Yes, yes, yes!"
Shen Yujing, with interest, asked, "What's he done?"
Quan Le excitedly exclaimed, "It's not that he's done anything, but our street dance club member is his friend, and he heard that he likes Song Yi!"
Shen Yujing's expression stiffened. He was silent for a moment before answering in a stiff, unnatural voice, "Isn't that normal?"
Shen Yujing picked up his water cup, ready to take a sip to calm himself down.
Someone likes Song Yi? That's normal. She's so good; if no one liked her, they'd all be blind.
Quan Le continued, "But he's already prepared! He's planning to confess to Song Yi on Monday!"
Shen Yujing's hand holding the water cup trembled slightly, but he still tried to remain calm, saying, "If he wants to confess, let him. Song Yi doesn't know him well; she won't agree."
"That's not necessarily true," Quan Le's voice took on a gossipy tone as he said, "This guy's name is Shang Yi, and he's quite popular at our school. Almost every month, there are girls confessing to him."
"And, Murong Huan and I have discussed this. Based on Song Yi's favorite characters in the dramas she watches, her ideal type is probably someone like Shang Yi, who's sunny and outgoing! Surprised? Impressed?"
Shen Yujing: "???"
Wasn't he sunny? Wasn't he outgoing? What was he lacking compared to that Shang Yi guy?
What the hell?!
Quan Le's voice continued to shout from the other end, "Shen Yujing? What's wrong, Shen Yujing? What was that sound? Did you faint?"
Looking at the shattered glass on the floor, Shen Yujing took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, forcing out two words, "I'm... fine."
*
That night, before washing her clothes, Song Yi habitually reached into her pocket.
But soon she realized that today Shen Yujing had already given her the hairclip in person, so there definitely wouldn't be anything...
Huh?
Why was there still something?
Song Yi curiously took out the small bag from her pocket, inside of which was the second necklace she had helped Shen Yujing pick out at the jewelry store today.
He had told her to choose based on her own taste, but in the end, it was for her?
Song Yi threw her clothes into the washing machine and took the necklace back to her room. Before she could pick up her phone to call Shen Yujing, his call notification popped up first.
Song Yi answered directly.
Shen Yujing's voice came through, "Hey Song Yi, I need to tell you..."
"Wait, let me speak first," Song Yi interrupted him.
"...Alright, go ahead."
Song Yi got straight to the point, "Why is the necklace I helped you pick out today in my possession?"
Shen Yujing's voice sounded a bit awkward, "It's... it's a thank-you gift."
Without thinking, Song Yi refused, "This is too expensive. I'll bring it to you on Monday at school. You should give it to your mother together."
"But!" Shen Yujing's voice sounded a bit anxious, then he explained in a small voice, "The necklace I gave you before was broken, so I wanted to give you a new one."
"I've been too busy lately; I'll get it repaired after the college entrance exam..."
Song Yi paused here, immediately sensing something was off, and suspiciously asked, "Wait, how do you know my necklace was broken?"
Shen Yujing's voice unconsciously lowered, "I saw you haven't been wearing it recently, so... I asked Murong Huan about it."
Song Yi said, "I've kept it well; I'll get it repaired after the exam."
Shen Yujing responded, "Okay."
Then Song Yi said, "If there's nothing else..."
Shen Yujing interrupted her, "If you're done, then listen to me."
The young man's voice was clear, yet mixed with an indescribable nervousness, "Song Yi, come out now. I'm waiting for you at your doorstep."
In fact, Shen Yujing had been standing at Song's Father's doorstep for almost an hour. He had originally wanted to pretend it was a coincidence, but neither Song Yi nor Song's Father had come out, so he couldn't hold back and called Song Yi.
He didn't know why he had come to Song's Father's house, but after talking to Quan Le, he felt completely unable to control his own actions.
Soon, the door opened.
Song Yi, wearing slippers and a sleeprobe, walked out, holding a small bag containing the necklace Shen Yujing had given her today. She asked him in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Song Yi was wearing a fluffy rabbit-themed sleeprobe, with two big ears on her head that swayed with her movements, looking incredibly cute.
Obviously, Song Yi herself didn't realize this, while Shen Yujing struggled to restrain the urge to reach out and pinch those two rabbit ears.
It was strange. All the anxious feelings in his heart seemed to be soothed the moment he saw her.
That little forward from the soccer team still wants to confess to Song Yi? Did he even know where Song Yi lived? Song Yi probably didn't even remember who he was.
Him? He had no comparison to himself at all; he wasn't even worth being called a rival!
Thinking of this, Shen Yujing felt much better. He asked, "It's already May. Why are you still wearing such thick clothes?"
"I'm cold," Song Yi gave Shen Yujing a small eye-roll and directly stuffed the small bag into the pocket of his coat, looking at him, "What's the matter, really?"
"Ta-da~"
Shen Yujing took out two plush dolls from behind him, trying his best to smile at her, "What do you think? Impressive, right?"
One was a white cat and the other a golden dog, looking quite a pair.
Song Yi widened her eyes, took the two dolls, and then her lips curved up. She looked at Shen Yujing in disbelief, "Did you catch these?"
"Of course," Shen Yujing nodded proudly, "Do you like them? These are my trophies."
"I like them," Song Yi directly nodded, her hands unable to let go of the two dolls.
Seeing her happy, Shen Yujing's lips also unconsciously lifted. Still, he spoke in a disdainful tone, "Your taste really isn't good."
Song Yi looked up: "?"
"They're so ugly. I guess my luck with claw machines isn't great," Shen Yujing looked at the two dolls, shaking his head, "Since you like them, I'll give them to you."
Song Yi looked at him with a smile, "Shen Yujing, what are you pretending for?"
Shen Yujing didn't expect Song Yi to react this way. He was a bit nervous but still pretended to be calm and retorted, "What do you mean?"
"You say your luck with claw machines isn't good, but I think your lying skills need work," Song Yi hugged the dolls and looked up at Shen Yujing, "I was trying to catch these dolls all day today. Obviously, you caught them specially for me, so why pretend it's a coincidence?"
"I didn't..."
Shen Yujing instinctively wanted to deny it, but when his eyes met Song Yi's, he fell silent.
Indeed, he had chosen these two dolls specially.
And he hadn't been able to catch them himself; it was those elementary school kids who had helped him. Of course, this detail could be omitted; it wasn't the main point.
Shen Yujing pursed his lips and said, "Yes, I caught them specially for you. Satisfied?"
Then he muttered, "What's the point of seeing through it and saying it out loud? Don't I need to save face?"
"What's there to hide?" Song Yi looked at him, asking, "You specially caught dolls for me; I would be very touched. What's there to be afraid of saying directly?"
This time, Shen Yujing chose to remain silent.
It was simple for him to be good to her because he liked her.
But why did he feel so awkward every time he wanted to be nice to her? Why did he need to find various excuses to cover up the true intention behind his actions? What was he afraid of?
Shen Yujing suddenly couldn't figure this out.
Song Yi's voice was now tinged with dissatisfaction as she said, "Shen Yujing, it's really cold outside. My hands are almost frozen. Don't pretend like you can't hear me."
As Song Yi spoke, she waved her hand in front of Shen Yujing. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the hand that was flailing in the air. The girl's hand was even slimmer than it looked, and it was colder than he had imagined.
As Song Yi had said, she was extremely afraid of the cold.
So, Shen Yujing took the two stuffed animals and placed them into the pocket of her robe. He then pulled her hands toward his lips, gently blew on them, and held them, trying to warm them up.
The distance between the two was very close, so close that if Shen Yujing slightly leaned down, he could easily place a kiss on Song Yi's cheek.
Yet, Shen Yujing seemed unaware of their current situation. He continued to earnestly repeat the action of warming her hands.
"Hey..."
Song Yi opened her mouth, but when the words reached her lips, she didn't know what to say.
The air tonight was chilly, but Song Yi felt that her hands, wrapped in Shen Yujing's palms, were unusually warm.
She didn't speak but instead looked up at Shen Yujing, her gaze fixed on his face, unwavering, as if waiting for him to say something.
Finally, Shen Yujing let go of Song Yi's hands and spoke with a self-deprecating tone, "Fine, I'll say it. What's there to be afraid of? If I don't say it now, some random guy might beat me to it."
There was confusion in Song Yi's eyes, and the next moment, she felt her hat being pulled down, the brim covering her eyes.
Her world suddenly plunged into darkness.
Shen Yujing held the two bunny ears of the hat and pulled it down, afraid that Song Yi would see his nervous expression.
He heard his own voice, trembling.
"Song Yi, listen carefully. What I'm about to say is very important. I didn't want to say it in such a casual setting."
"I knew this day would come eventually, but I didn't expect it to be so sudden. I wasn't prepared. I had imagined many scenarios. For example, I thought about finding a sunny afternoon, sitting on the grass in the park, and casually asking you if you were considering dating anyone, like me. Or maybe inviting you to a movie and swapping your ticket for a love letter at the end. Or... forget it, there are no more 'or's."
"You're right, I am scared. I'm scared that if I'm too direct with my kindness, you'll see right through my feelings for you. I'm afraid that if you get something too easily, you won't cherish it. I'm more afraid that my feelings for you might be something you don't need at all. I'm afraid you don't like me, and I'll feel embarrassed and ashamed."
"But now, I don't want to pretend anymore. Embarrassed or not, I've never really saved face in front of you anyway."
"Tell me your ideal type, and I'll do whatever it takes to match it. I can be sunny and outgoing, or mature and understanding. If you like guys with dimples, I can even get them. I'll definitely be better than him, so please don't accept his confession, okay?"
Shen Yujing lowered his head, driven by the desire to place a kiss on Song Yi's cheek. But after hesitating for a few seconds, he placed his hand between them instead.
"Song Yi, I... like you."
