Chapter 38: The Heart of a Young Girl

The landline that was originally placed by the door had been meticulously cleaned by Lin Qingya.

She was now putting it back onto the shelf, looking as if it had already been repaired.

Or maybe it was just too simple to fix, so she put it back casually.

Hearing Cheng Minghao’s question, Lin Qingya froze, her face stiffening.

“I… I was just looking around. Just looking. I’m leaving.”

She lowered her head, the blue tool bag slung over her right shoulder, her left hand tucking her hair behind her left ear.

She quickly brushed past Cheng Minghao.

She wanted to escape from here.

“Hey! Wait, where are you going? I’ll go with you. Bang!”

The door closed.

Cheng Minghao didn’t even get a chance to eat his late-night snack; he just followed Lin Qingya out.

On the road.

“Where are you going? I heard your water pipe broke? Did you fix it?”

Cheng Minghao kept firing questions, and at the same time, he tried to grab the heavy bag from Lin Qingya’s right hand.

But all he did was make Lin Qingya struggle, pulling and pressing the tool bag in stubborn silence.

Seeing he couldn’t win the tug-of-war, Cheng Minghao just grabbed the handle, so he and Lin Qingya ended up ‘carrying’ it together.

Cheng Minghao hadn’t even made it back to the living room yet, so he didn’t notice the damp stains soaking into the sofa cushions.

Earlier, Lin Qingya had been sitting on the left armrest of the sofa, repairing the landline.

The walls and floor of the house had already dried.

But now, Lin Qingya just lowered her head in silence, her face tense, still worried that Cheng Minghao would discover she had fixed the water pipe.

If she didn’t fix the water pipe, it would cause trouble for Cheng Minghao.

So she just naturally treated it as fixing something in her own home.

She kept worrying that Cheng Minghao would overthink things, even if he didn’t want to suspect or doubt her.

No matter how much he trusted and respected her.

But once confusion, doubts, and strange feelings started to flood in, it was no longer a matter of whether Cheng Minghao wanted to question or distrust her.

It was about truth and reality, about obvious facts laid bare before his eyes, about the problem of truth and privacy being exposed to Cheng Minghao.

People can avoid suspicion, and they can do their best to trust others.

They can choose not to pry into others’ secrets or privacy, and respect others’ thoughts.

But when the truth and privacy are right in front of you, and you still insist on calling a deer a horse, then…

It’s hard to say anything.

Faced with repeated questioning, Lin Qingya finally spoke up:

“Don’t worry about it. Just forget it. Okay? Please.”

Her voice was soft, her footsteps quiet and cautious, almost timid.

Her tone even trembled a little.

She secretly turned her head, glancing at Cheng Minghao.

These small actions made Cheng Minghao acutely aware of Lin Qingya’s fear and unease.

He knew she was having another ‘episode’.

Cheng Minghao remained silent for a moment, then reached over and wrapped his arm around Lin Qingya’s left shoulder.

“Be my girlfriend. That way, I can protect you openly. Although right now… it’s the same. I won’t stop protecting you just because we’re ‘ordinary friends’…”

“I won’t stop protecting you.”

Cheng Minghao finished, then fell silent, waiting once more for her answer.

Last time, in the lingerie shop.

He had heard Lin Qingya confess to him, but he had refused.

Afterward, he immediately confessed back, wanting to give Lin Qingya a little ceremony.

But Lin Qingya turned it around and rejected him, leaving him confused as to why she suddenly refused.

Even though he didn’t understand, Cheng Minghao saw Lin Qingya’s pain and chose not to press further.

Time passed, and once again, the day of confession arrived.

Tonight…

‘Will she agree?’

Cheng Minghao wondered, feeling anticipation build.

At his question, Lin Qingya stopped in her tracks, her shoulders trembling.

Her entire body tensed and trembled slightly.

Even the hand gripping the blue repair bag by her right hip clenched tighter.

Her fingers twisted with tension.

Lin Qingya suddenly lifted her hand.

She realized, without even noticing, that her grip on the tool bag had broken the skin.

Unknowingly, she had pressed her fingertip against something sharp, and a small bead of blood welled up.

“What happened?”

Cheng Minghao panicked, realizing there was nothing in his hand.

He quickly took Lin Qingya’s hand, bringing her fingertip to his mouth.

He gently sucked on it, wanting to stop the bleeding and the pain.

Seeing Cheng Minghao’s awkward and flustered concern, Lin Qingya suddenly smiled and called out:

“Haohao! I accept~ But if you ever want to break up, make sure you say it first~ I won’t leave you on my own.”

Lin Qingya smiled softly, the fear and panic in her eyes replaced by warmth as her fingertip was kissed by her beloved.

“Ac… accepted?!”

Cheng Minghao exclaimed in surprise, gripping Lin Qingya’s hand so tightly that it hurt.

She only frowned slightly, pulling her hand back, but said nothing more.

“Oh, oh, sorry!”

Cheng Minghao quickly let go, his face bright with joy.

He hugged Lin Qingya’s left waist and held her right shoulder.

Though his hand landed a bit too high—almost on her chest—the man’s excitement only made Lin Qingya blush, leaning into his arms.

“Ah Hao~”

Lin Qingya murmured.

“Yeah~ I’m here! And I won’t leave you, either. I swear!”

Cheng Minghao promised.

Hearing his words, Lin Qingya only smiled softly.

“I believe you.”

Even as she spoke sweetly, Lin Qingya’s smile held a hint of bitterness.

In her heart, she thought:‘Even if someone has to leave, it will be me leaving first. I won’t give you a chance to leave me. I don’t want to be abandoned.’‘Orphans hate being abandoned. They resent it!’

“Letting you leave me… that’s impossible.”

Lin Qingya whispered the latter half, leaning gently into Cheng Minghao’s embrace.

The bitter words in her heart were taken by Cheng Minghao as a sweet confession of love, making his heart burst with joy.

They held each other for a long time.

Until Lin Qingya sneezed softly, trembling in Cheng Minghao’s arms.

Only then did Cheng Minghao let her go.

He looked at Lin Qingya and asked:

“Where are you going? You just came out not long ago. Go back first. I’ll wander outside a bit and look for some late-night food. I can help you… return something, since you’ve already eaten.”

Hearing Cheng Minghao’s words, Lin Qingya stepped out of his embrace.

She knew exactly what he was thinking.

He just didn’t want her to catch a cold, wanting her to go back and rest early.

Lin Qingya didn’t say anything else.

She rolled her eyes at Cheng Minghao and spoke with a playful pout:

“Did you forget? We’re boyfriend and girlfriend now. Wherever you go, I go, got it?!”

“If you go to eat, then your girl…”

She paused, blushing a little.

She turned her eyes away to the left, pretending to casually tuck her hair behind her right ear.

She felt embarrassed inside, trying to sound natural.

“If you eat, of course I have to keep you company. If I’m not glued to you…”

Lin Qingya’s voice suddenly softened, her head lowering.

“If I’m not glued to you, am I even your girlfriend?”

She finally faced herself a bit, quietly admitting her own feelings.

She lowered her head, her right foot absently rubbing the ground.

Her ten fingers twisted together nervously, shy and anxious.

Her restless fingers were as tangled as her girl’s heart, overwhelmed by chaotic thoughts.

She was like a little boat in the sea, surrounded by crashing waves.

But even though she felt fear, panic, and anxiety, a trace of sweetness filled her heart.

The mixture of nervousness and comfort made her cherish the intimacy of their relationship even more.

And the warmth of her boyfriend’s embrace against the cold night.