The brain seemed to go blank for a moment, unable to believe what it had just heard.
The intense pounding of the heart drowned out all other sounds.
But after calming down a bit, this situation wasn't entirely unexpected for Song Yi.
Ever since she arrived in this world, Shen Yujing had always been by her side, and they had experienced so much together.
When he said he liked her, she was shocked, but there was also a sense of "I knew it."
When did this realization start?
Song Yi tried to find the answer, and it probably began on New Year's Eve.
The young man had given her a not-so-pretty but warm scarf as a New Year's gift, along with a necklace that held special meaning for them—a gift that only she possessed.
Even though it was so cold that night, he shivered but still insisted on staying with her to watch the stars.
At that moment, Song Yi should have vaguely realized that Shen Yujing's feelings for her might be more than just friendship.
No, maybe it was even earlier.
Perhaps it was that afternoon during hide-and-seek.
For Shen Yujing, who was always competitive and eager to win, he usually wouldn't bother with meaningless contests. Yet, in this game with a competitive nature, when he closed the door, he chose to concede.
If it wasn't for care, if it wasn't for liking, she wouldn't have become his special one.
But at that time, their emotions were still too subtle, so no one took the initiative to break the silence, and they continued in this naive state.
So, when did she start to feel that Shen Yujing was different from others?
When it came to her own feelings, finding the answer was actually quite easy.
It was because of that morning, when a snowman was waiting for her in front of her house.
Song Yi had always been afraid of the cold, so when she was a child, watching her peers build snowmen and have snowball fights, she always felt envious.
She had tried it herself, sneaking out in the middle of the night to build a snowman alone, but the moment her hand touched the snow, the cold made her give up without hesitation.
But all these years, it was the first time someone had made a snowman just for her.
It was pretty ugly, but she really liked it.
And that day, to protect her, Shen Yujing got injured, trying to hide it from her.
Unfortunately, he was too clumsy, and his acting skills were laughable.
This made Song Yi think of the New Year's Eve fireworks, when Shen Yujing had stood in front of her, shielding her with reckless abandon.
He was still clumsy, no, downright foolish.
Shen Yujing always messed things up, and most of the "sorry" she had heard since coming to this world were from him.
But Shen Yujing didn't know that she had never truly been angry with him.
The moved, warmth, and happiness he brought her far outweighed those minor mishaps.
Being with Shen Yujing was always the most natural and relaxing time for Song Yi, and it was only in front of him that she felt like her true self.
So, Song Yi asked herself, could this level of specialness be considered liking?
Yes.
The decision came easier than expected.
Song Yi was absolutely not the type to take the initiative. As Shen Yujing had just said, she was afraid that her feelings, if expressed too easily, would become cheap.
But she also didn't like self-deception or hesitation. The sincerity of the young man's feelings was so naked and genuine that it gradually calmed her suspicious and restless heart.
She understood him, so she trusted him.
Song Yi took a deep breath, and even with her hat covering her eyes, she still closed them tightly.
"Then let's try it."
The air seemed to quiet down for a moment.
No, not seemed—it really was quiet, with only the sound of the wind passing by.
A bad feeling crept up.
Song Yi opened her eyes and lifted her hat to look ahead—
No one was there.
Song Yi: "……?"
Did he come here just to mess with her at night? Shen Yujing, you're not human!!
*
At the alley entrance.
Shen Yujing sprinted all the way here, bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
His face was flushed, and he was so nervous that breathing felt difficult.
Today, confessing to Song Yi had already drained all the courage Shen Yujing had. He was afraid of hearing a rejection, so his body acted faster than his mind—
Yes, he ran away.
But now, with the cold wind blowing, Shen Yujing quickly calmed down.
Wait, what was he doing?
Confessing and then running away? Was that something a normal person would do?
No, absolutely not.
Today, even if he died, he had to die knowing the truth. What was this all about?
Yes, he had to go back, go back...
So Shen Yujing took a deep breath and turned around, running back toward Song Yi's house.
When Shen Yujing reappeared, he was surprised to find that Song Yi was still waiting for him.
Song Yi stood at her doorstep, arms crossed, smiling faintly as she looked at him. "Oh, what was the young master doing? Looks like you were in quite a hurry."
Shen Yujing: "……"
He moved closer to Song Yi, reaching out again to tug at the bunny ears on her robe. "I still have something to say."
Song Yi directly stopped his hand. "Then say it. Don't pull my clothes."
"I..."
The young man's lips parted, but then he didn't know what to say, his courage vanishing the moment he looked into Song Yi's eyes.
So Shen Yujing could only lower his head and mumble, "Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
Song Yi asked, "Are you waiting for my answer?"
"Yes." Shen Yujing nodded, feeling his whole body tense up uncontrollably, as if awaiting a verdict.
Song Yi paused for a moment before saying, "I'll give you my answer after the college entrance exam. I don't want to start a relationship too early."
After saying that, Song Yi let go of his hand and turned to go inside. Before closing the door, she said to Shen Yujing, "Understand? Good night."
Shen Yujing lifted his head, staring at her back with puppy-dog eyes, feeling a bit disappointed but quickly replied, "Good night!"
Standing there, Shen Yujing began to think about what Song Yi had just said.
What did she mean by "understand"? Did she mean she'd give him an answer after the college entrance exam? So he had to wait for three months.
But the next second, Shen Yujing's lips curled up.
But Song Yi said she didn't want to start a relationship too early, which meant she definitely wouldn't accept Shang Yi's confession tomorrow!
That must be what she meant, right? He got it!
Even if he didn't succeed, his rival didn't either! No bad news was the best news!
*
Monday.
During the break after the second period, Shen Yujing received a text from Quan Le.
【Quan Le】: Crystal in danger! Hurry!
Shen Yujing: "!!!"
He immediately bolted out of Class B and sneaked into Class A.
Quan Le was sitting by the window, frantically waving at Shen Yujing to come over.
Shen Yujing quickly went over, and the two squeezed into one seat, both leaning out to look.
At the moment, no one in Class A noticed their odd behavior, as everyone else was also distracted by what was happening outside. A handsome guy and a beautiful girl together were always a sight to behold.
Even Jiang Yiheng put down his pen, and Hang Feng lifted his head from the desk where he had been resting.
The news that Shang Yi was going to confess to Song Yi today had spread like wildfire. By now, everyone in Class A except Song Yi knew about it, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say half the grade was aware.
Shang Yi and Song Yi were standing in the corridor, and it seemed they were talking about something, the atmosphere relatively calm.
Until Shang Yi took a small box out of his pocket and handed it to Song Yi with both hands. "This is my heart, I hope you can accept it. There's also a letter inside with my contact information."
Song Yi pushed the gift back and looked at him. "So, after all that, are you confessing to me?"
Shang Yi's face showed embarrassment. He first nodded and then shook his head, explaining, "Yes... but not exactly. If you feel it's too sudden, we can start by being friends."
After saying that, he tried to give Song Yi a smile, his two little tiger teeth indeed looking cute.
Meanwhile, in Class A.
Quan Le was desperately holding back Shen Yujing, whispering in his ear, "Calm down! Calm down! So many people are watching!"
“I’m very calm, I’m extremely calm.” Shen Yujing said with a cold smile, then glared at Shang Yi with gritted teeth, saying: “What are you laughing at? Are tiger teeth really that special? Fox—spirit!”
