“Yichen, do you still like me?”
In a deserted pavilion, Luo Yueli came to a stop and turned to speak to Su Yichen.
He still had his head lowered.
Seeing Su Yichen like this, a faint trace of pity arose in Luo Yueli’s heart.
She did not know if it was because of her that Su Yichen had become so insecure.
For as long as she could remember, Luo Yueli had never seen Su Yichen interact with any girl besides herself.
“Yes,” Su Yichen nodded softly.
“But you know, I don’t like you.”
“Three years ago, I rejected your confession. I gave myself three years of time, and yet I still…”
“I haven’t fallen for you.”
“If anything, I have become even more avoidant.”
Luo Yueli sighed and said, “Things are different for us now than they were before.”
“Just like when we went to the provincial capital for junior high school, we are now in university facing a brand-new environment.”
“Maybe one day in the future, we will both have someone we like. If things remain like this between us, I’m afraid we won’t know how to face each other when that time comes.”
“If you always keep your heart on me, it will be hard for you to notice the girls around you. You won’t be able to discover their beauty.”
“Sooner or later, we will have our own lives. Do you understand, Yichen?”
Luo Yueli’s tone was very gentle. In Su Yichen’s memory, this was the first time she had ever spoken with such tenderness.
“I know…”
The result had already been decided. Su Yichen’s voice carried a hoarseness he could not hide. “It’s my fault.”
“I understand what you mean, Yueli.”
“We can still be friends in the future, right?”
“Yes, still friends. No matter who you like or who I like later on.”
The young woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stretched out her jade-white hand toward the boy.
The smile at the corners of her lips was shallow and moving. “Su Yichen will always be Luo Yueli’s best friend. We are childhood friends.”
“Forever.”
*Sigh.*
Luo Yueli let out a faint sigh. From Su Yichen’s last few words, she had faintly heard the sound of a heart breaking.
Did she feel good?
Luo Yueli’s current state of mind wasn’t particularly pleasant either. She felt a sense of suffocation in her chest that she couldn’t exhale.
She felt somewhat uncomfortable, but she had no idea what kind of mindset caused this discomfort.
But at least the goal had been achieved.
Mutual understanding and a peaceful breakup?
Could it be called a breakup? Probably not.
After all, the two were not lovers.
The process was difficult, but the result was good.
This relationship, twisted to the point of being abnormal, had finally come to an end.
Luo Yueli looked at her phone. Seeing that Su Yichen had accepted her transfer, a smile finally appeared on her face.
She knew Su Yichen would be upset, but as time passed, everything would eventually be let go.
Perhaps… she should think of a way to help introduce him to a few girls.
“Lizi~”
Just then, a soft body hugged Luo Yueli from behind.
“Xiaoya, what… what are you doing?”
Luo Yueli’s pretty face flushed as she squirmed.
“I’m caring about you, of course! I wanted to ask how things went~” Tong Ya pressed her nose against the back of Luo Yueli’s neck and took a deep breath.
“You smell so good. So you actually planned to confess to Su Yichen today? No wonder you took a shower before leaving the house.”
“Who’s confessing to him? If you keep talking nonsense, I’m going to get angry.”
“Fine, fine, fine. I’ll stop teasing.” Tong Ya circled around to the front of Luo Yueli and stood still. “How are things between you two?”
“We talked it through.” Luo Yueli recovered from her previous fluster, pursed her lips, and smiled. “We are good friends.”
That short sentence contained many meanings.
Tong Ya understood, but her eyes flickered slightly. “And what about Su Yichen?”
“Why didn’t he come back with you?”
Luo Yueli hesitated. She didn’t particularly want to tell Tong Ya where Su Yichen was.
Even though she didn’t know herself, Luo Yueli could probably guess what Su Yichen was doing.
He was likely in some deserted place venting his emotions, perhaps crying.
This was the most vulnerable moment for a man, and no man wanted to be seen when they were fragile.
“He went back to the dorm. I think he’s probably not in a very good mood.”
“Is that so…”
Tong Ya suddenly looked in a certain direction behind Luo Yueli, her gaze narrowing.
“Lizi, I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be back in a bit.”
‘What do you mean he went back to the dorm…’
‘Luo Yueli looks so innocent, but she actually knows how to lie.’ Tong Ya saw it clearly; that silhouette was Su Yichen.
As for why Luo Yueli was helping Su Yichen cover it up…
It was likely because she didn’t want Tong Ya to see how he looked right now.
Thinking about it, it made sense. He had liked his childhood friend since they were kids, probably thinking they would go from school uniforms to a wedding dress.
In the end, they were nothing more than strangers.
‘Aren’t you still protecting Su Yichen even now… Lizi, oh Lizi…’ Tong Ya let out a soft chuckle. ‘Are you afraid I’ll see your childhood friend looking all dejected and lost?’
As she thought, Tong Ya remembered Su Yichen’s profile that she had seen on the stairs — the one she couldn’t forget.
This teaching building was usually used for the Counselor’s office. There weren’t many students, and at this time, there wasn’t a soul around. It was exceptionally quiet.
As she got closer to the restroom, Tong Ya lightened her footsteps. Faintly, she heard the sound of someone sobbing.
‘Such a devoted person. Perhaps it’s because of this personality that he’s so loyal to Luo Yueli.’
Tong Ya leaned against the corner of the wall and peeked her head out quietly.
She saw Su Yichen standing by the sink, constantly scooping up water with his hands to wash his face over and over again.
‘To be this heartbroken, sigh.’
‘What a great licking dog. If only…’
As she thought this, Tong Ya’s gaze fell upon Su Yichen’s cheeks.
Perhaps because he was crying too hard, she noticed Su Yichen place his hands by his ears.
Then, he slowly took off his glasses.
At that moment, the young girl’s heart seemed to skip a beat.
The Su Yichen without glasses had bright eyes and white teeth. His lips were thin and rosy, and his skin was three parts whiter than early snow.
Beneath his smooth forehead, a pair of blue eyes were as bright as a newborn deer’s — clean and pure, yet so deep they seemed capable of holding the entire Milky Way.
The eye sockets, reddened from being soaked in tears, added a touch of enchantment to him, and the sliver of seductive red at the corners of his eyes became even more elongated.
Was he… laughing?
The girl’s breath suddenly hitched. In her shimmering eyes, there was no room for anyone else but Su Yichen.
**[She only caught a single glimpse of him, yet her eyes were filled with nothing but wonder.]**
Tong Ya didn’t know what words to use to describe Su Yichen without his glasses, but the fingernails already digging deep into her palms and her erratic heartbeat told her everything.
This boy was the treasure she had always dreamed of.
The girl wanted to step out from the corner and hug him tightly.
And then…
There was no then.
Soon, Su Yichen put his glasses back on.
The throbbing in Tong Ya’s chest also began to settle quickly. She bit her lip hard and retreated into the empty classroom nearest to the restroom.
“Mr. Su, Mr. Su!”
“Something terrible has happened!”
Sinful Spark’s voice echoed in Su Yichen’s mind.
“What’s there to be so surprised about?”
Su Yichen wiped his glasses dry and put them back on.
“Tong Ya saw your true face!”
“Huohua thinks that woman wants to sit on you like a stool!”