So, so why did things end up like this ?????
Su Ling was lying on the soft, large bed, watching as Ruan Zhixian gradually pressed down toward her. Her mind, overheated, was overloading, leaving her thoughts completely blank.
Let’s rewind the clock back to two hours ago.
“What are you talking about, Lingling~”
“Haven’t we been together for a long time already?”
Ruan Zhixian smiled as she took the cake from Su Ling’s hands, her gaze gentle.
“But I’m still really grateful for your confession today, Lingling. I think, even after decades pass, I’ll never forget this day.”
“Mm!”
The black-haired girl nodded vigorously.
“Then, Zhixian, let’s hurry and sing the birthday song, make a wish, and blow out the candles!”
“Alright.” Ruan Zhixian nodded.
“Then, I’ll start singing now.
‘Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you~…….’”
As Su Ling’s ethereal singing echoed, Ruan Zhixian gently closed her eyes. Her thick golden lashes shimmered in the candlelight like wings dusted with stardust.
The girl’s hands were clasped together before the flickering flames, her fingertips pressed lightly beneath her chin as she made her wish:
“I hope my feelings with Lingling will only grow deeper, and that Lingling will always trust in my love.”
“Ah, wait, didn’t that wish already come true just now?”
The blonde girl quietly peeked open one eye, glancing at Su Ling by her side, and hurriedly closed it again.
“Then, I’ll make a new wish…..”
“I hope I can always, always be together with Lingling like this.”
“For my next birthday, and for every birthday after, I hope I can spend them with Lingling.”
“Hoo—”
At last, Ruan Zhixian took a deep breath, puffed up her adorable cheeks, and leaned forward to blow out the candle flames. Amid the curling wisps of blue smoke, her smile at Su Ling grew even sweeter.
“Zhixian…”
Su Ling stood there, frozen in place, her hands still in mid-clap as she sang the birthday song.
“Mm, what is it, Lingling? Don’t tell me you don’t want to keep celebrating birthdays with me?”
“N-no! Of course I want to!”
Su Ling hurriedly replied, not noticing the teasing tone in the blonde girl’s voice.
“Alright, alright, I was just teasing you, Lingling. Of course I know you’d want to~”
After all, you like me so much.
Ruan Zhixian smiled, her mood bright.
“Let’s eat cake!”
With the blonde girl’s happy cheer, the not-so-big strawberry cake was sliced into two pieces and placed onto two small plates.
“So, Lingling, when did you start planning to tell me the truth about your identity?”
Ruan Zhixian held her own slice of cake, taking a bite as she curiously asked the black-haired girl.
“It was probably when you sang me that song at the plaza, Zhixian.”
Su Ling picked up her fork, a little embarrassed, poking at the cake.
“Actually, I started to understand your feelings even earlier than that, Zhixian. You wanted me to trust your love, wanted to give me a sense of security…you did all of that. Thank you, Zhixian.”
“Hehehe, it wasn’t a big deal.”
The blonde girl scratched her head, a little embarrassed.
“After that, when our date ended that day, I thought, I definitely needed to find a chance to tell you I’m A Qing. I got inspired by Secretary Zhang and Secretary Lin, so I planned to confess to you all over again, and reveal my identity.”
“Sorry, Zhixian, I kept it from you for so long…”
“Honestly, I was always scared. Scared you wouldn’t remember me anymore, scared you wouldn’t like the me I’ve become after so many years…”
“That’s why I kept trying to approach you little by little. For the first two months, that’s all I did, until later on…”
“…I heard you were going to get married…”
“Sorry, Zhixian, I was just too afraid. Afraid you’d fall for someone else as you grew up, afraid you’d really get married to someone else, so I…”
“Alright, that’s enough.”
Ruan Zhixian reached out with a piece of cake, plugging up the black-haired girl’s mouth that kept apologizing.
“Didn’t we already agree to let this go? I stopped blaming you long ago, Lingling.”
“Mm!”
The black-haired girl nodded earnestly, then squinted her eyes in happiness as she tasted the cake.
Actually, Lingling’s thinking wasn’t entirely wrong, watching Su Ling, cheeks puffed and cream smeared on her face, Ruan Zhixian lowered her eyelids, silently musing.
Even though I never forgot A Qing, and I’ve been looking for her all these years, that doesn’t mean I really planned to be with her once I found her.
Only a love fool like Lingling would remember a childhood promise for so many years.
After becoming the Miss of the Great Family, she actually came to find me herself. Really, what a fool…
The blonde girl picked up a napkin and wiped the black-haired girl’s mouth.
If you had confessed and told me your identity right from the start, I probably would have rejected you on the spot.
But it’s good that you chose to approach me little by little.
It’s good that you’re the Su Ling I love, and that you’re also An Qing.
The blonde girl put down the napkin and looked at the cake on her own plate, her gaze gentle.
It’s enough for me alone to hide the fact that I never really took that childhood promise seriously deep in my heart.
For a fool like you, Lingling, who lives driven by love, there’s no need for you to know.
Anyway, I’ll keep loving you from now on.
Anyway, now that I know everything, I could never bear to let you be alone again.
“Thank you, Lingling, thank you for coming to find me.”
“I never forgot you either, Lingling. I’m really glad you came to find me.”
Ruan Zhixian quietly gazed at her, memorizing every detail of the black-haired girl she hadn’t seen for years. Her emerald eyes were filled with melted honey, doting and tender.
“Mm!”
The black-haired girl nodded vigorously again, her sweet smile full of the pure joy of a dream come true, with a trace of shyness at being acknowledged by her beloved.
“Then, goodnight, Zhixian.”
Watching Ruan Zhixian put away the hair dryer, Su Ling took the initiative to slip under the covers, her voice crisp as she wished goodnight.
“Mm? Goodnight?”
The blonde girl slowly turned around, a radiant smile on her face.
“No, I’m not planning to say goodnight to Lingling tonight~”
“?”
Not saying goodnight—then what is she planning?
Su Ling’s mind spun at lightning speed, and she immediately thought of a mysterious possibility.
Could it be that Zhixian wants to—
No, no, knowing how Zhixian thinks, she wouldn’t have that kind of idea. I’m probably just overthinking again.
Su Ling shook her head, tossing out the useless thoughts from her mind.
“So, Zhixian, what are you planning to do?”
Nestled in the little blanket, the black-haired girl poked out her curious little head and asked in an adorably cute voice.
“Of course, I want to do things that Lingling wants to do~”
“After all, you took the initiative today, so I can’t let Lingling be disappointed!”
Ruan Zhixian reached out and pressed the switch. The main light in the bedroom went out, leaving only the bedside lamp casting an ambiguous orange-yellow glow.
The girl slowly leaned closer, bracing one hand on the pillow beside Su Ling’s ear, her golden hair cascading like a waterfall and brushing against her cheek.
“Lingling, let’s do something grown-ups should do today! Take it as a witness to how much we’ve grown over the years, how about it?”
The blonde girl leaned in close to the black-haired girl’s ear, her voice dropping low, her warm breath feather-light against the sensitive earlobe.
I’ve made up my mind, Lingling. From now on, I’ll love you well, and make up for all your lonely years~
Mm, starting from tonight~