Cheng Yuli waited for Song Zhi downstairs for a full six hours. When he finally saw her, she refused to let go.
"Zhi Zhi, I have something to say to you." "Sorry, if I can't swear, then I have nothing to say to you." Cheng Yuli sighed, his nose and ears red from being outside in the wind for most of the day. "Zhi Zhi, I can explain what happened before."
Song Zhi closed her eyes and covered her ears. "Explain, then get out!" Seeing Song Zhi's refusal to communicate, Cheng Yuli's eyes reddened with anxiety.
These past few days, Song Zhi had been avoiding him. He finally managed to catch her at the cafeteria at noon today, but she wouldn't even look at him, treating him like a complete stranger.
Cheng Yuli couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't concentrate on class. He didn't know what to do with Song Zhi, so he resorted to the most foolish method: waiting downstairs. "Zhizhi, I never intended to play you. You've always been the one I've liked."
"That day you asked me to go to the movies, and I thought you liked me too. I was so happy, but when we got there, it was Su Mianmian. I knew then you'd misunderstood." Song Zhi scoffed. "If you knew I'd misunderstood so early, why didn't you explain?"
"I wanted to explain, but later at the library, you said you liked someone like Su Mianmian's brother-in-law. I was worried that if I confessed, we wouldn't even be friends anymore."
Song Zhi frowned, a scene flashing through her memory. She seemed to have said something like that. "But that can't be an excuse for repeatedly playing me for fools!"
"What 'I forced myself on you,' what 'I have to take responsibility for you,' and those three ridiculous conditions for my sister—Cheng Yuli, is it so hard to just say you like me? Do you need so many lame excuses?" Cheng Yuli looked at Song Zhi's eyes, slightly red with anger, and felt a pang of heartache.
He reached out and took her hands, cupping them in his palms. "Zhizhi, counting the time before, I've confessed to you three times in total. You just didn't realize it." Three times?
Song Zhi chuckled. "Do you want to listen to the nonsense you're spouting? I'm only twenty this year, not at the point of dementia!" Cheng Yuli's eyes were sharp. "I'm not lying to you."
"The first time, Su Mianmian treated us to dinner. While playing games, you asked me if there was a girl I liked at the table. I said yes, and then you asked if it was Su Mianmian. I said no."
"There were only two girls at the table, you and Su Mianmian. If it wasn't her, then of course it was you."
Song Zhi felt her mind was a bit confused. Of course she remembered what Cheng Yuli was talking about, but she hadn't thought about it that way at the time. She thought Cheng Yuli was just a coward who didn't dare to confess to Su Mianmian.
"The second time was when you went shopping with my mom. I told you I liked you in return, even though it wasn't very obvious, it was still a formal expression of my feelings." "The third time was at the library entrance."
"Zhizhi, it's not that I didn't give you hints, it's just that you wouldn't admit it." If the first confession was because Song Zhi herself didn't realize it, she could at least admit it. But the second time felt somewhat forced; could that really be considered a confession?
It sounded more like he was just teasing her. And the third time—it was clearly because she had Gao Ze pretend to be her boyfriend, pushing Cheng Yuli to the edge, that he finally admitted it. Otherwise, Song Zhi couldn't imagine how much longer he would have continued pretending! "Cheng Yuli, why did you study law? You should have become a chef! You're shifting the blame so easily. So, all this trouble is because of me?" "Am I stupid? Didn't you realize you liked me? You've been so wronged, secretly liking me, but too afraid to confess. Cheng Yuli, where's your shame?" Cheng Yuli hadn't expected Song Zhi to still be angry even after he explained so clearly, and he couldn't think of a solution.
"Zhi Zhi, what do you want from me to forgive me?" Song Zhi pulled her hand away from Cheng Yuli's. "Just explain it clearly. Forgiveness doesn't matter. We won't cross paths again anyway." "Why?"
Cheng Yuli's eyes instantly welled up with tears, as if they were about to spill over. Song Zhi couldn't stand seeing Cheng Yuli looking so pitiful; she had been captivated by his innocent appearance back then. She turned her face away, refusing to look at him.
"You know, I like mature men." As Song Zhi finished speaking, Cheng Yuli's eyes reddened even more. "Although I'm not mature enough now, you can slowly help me mature, Zhizhi. That would be more fulfilling."
Song Zhi considered herself quite eloquent, but she still couldn't out-argue Cheng Yuli, this top law student. He could make the dead seem alive. Song Zhi suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and took a deep breath. "Cheng Yuli, have you ever heard this saying?"
Cheng Yuli, "What?" "It's better to talk to a mature man about your feelings than to accompany a boy as he grows up." "What gives you the impression that I'm idle?"
Song Zhi finished speaking, gave Cheng Yuli a look that said, "You'll have to figure it out yourself," and walked around him to leave. In a moment of panic, Cheng Yuli grabbed her and hugged her tightly. "Zhizhi, you were the one who provoked me first. You clearly said you liked me back then."
Song Zhi frowned, unwilling to recall that dark history. "I was drunk then, I was talking nonsense!" Cheng Yuli's voice was a little broken. "They say people speak the truth when they're drunk." Song Zhi: ... "Cheng Yuli, please, just ignore me, okay?"
"No." Song Zhi's breath caught in her throat. Just as she was about to push him away, she suddenly felt a drop of scalding liquid fall onto her neck. Song Zhi's eyes widened in shock. That bastard Cheng Yuli, he's crying? ... Time flew by, and Monday arrived quickly.
On her first day at work, Su Mianmian specially put together a slightly professional outfit. A white shirt, a gray pencil skirt, and a matching Chanel-style jacket. She looked fresh yet formal.
Gu Yizhou glanced at her and silently swapped the black trousers he was holding for gray.
After he changed his clothes, he went downstairs with Su Mianmian. Walking beside Gu Yizhou, Su Mianmian suddenly exclaimed as if she'd discovered something incredible, "Oh! What a coincidence! Our clothes are the same color today, both white on top and gray on the bottom!"
Gu Yizhou smiled and tightened his grip on her hand. "It's not a coincidence, we deliberately chose matching outfits." Matching outfits? Su Mianmian blushed. "Why are we suddenly wearing matching outfits? Is today some special day?"
Gu Yizhou pulled Su Mianmian to the dining table. "Isn't today your first day of work? I'll pick you up from get off work tonight and we'll go out to celebrate." Su Mianmian's eyes lit up. "Where are we celebrating? Did you find another great restaurant?"
Gu Yizhou chuckled. "I went to a Japanese restaurant with some clients the other day. The sashimi there was pretty good. I'll take you to try it." Su Mianmian loved good food, and hearing this, her eyes crinkled with delight. "It's a deal then, you'll pick me up after get off work."
Gu's Group and Hua Rui were on the same route. After breakfast, Su Mianmian and Gu Yizhou took a car to the company together. On the way, Gu Yizhou was looking at documents, while Su Mianmian leaned against the window, watching the passing traffic.
The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful, and Su Mianmian liked this tranquil feeling. When they were about half a block away from Hua Rui's company, Su Mianmian stopped the driver. Gu Yizhou then looked up from his documents and glanced out the window. "Why are you getting off here? It's about a ten-minute walk from here." Su Mianmian smiled, "Your car is too flashy. I don't want people to say I'm being kept by a rich businessman on my first day of work." She then reached for the car door lock, but Gu Yizhou grabbed her and pulled her back.
Su Mianmian was pulled into Gu Yizhou's arms, her face flushing slightly. "What?" Gu Yizhou pinched Su Mianmian's rosy cheek. "Just leaving like that?" Su Mianmian then remembered she'd forgotten to say goodbye. "Oh, I'm leaving, bye-bye." She was about to leave when Gu Yizhou pulled her back. "Not this one." Not this one? Then which one? Su Mianmian looked at Gu Yizhou suspiciously, only to see his gaze fixed intently on her lips. Su Mianmian suddenly understood, her face instantly burning.
Her eyes quickly swept over the driver and the assistant in the passenger seat, noticing they were both staring straight out the window. Su Mianmian pursed her lips, then quickly leaned in and planted a kiss on Gu Yizhou's lips. "I'm leaving, bye-bye!"
This time, before Gu Yizhou could react, Su Mianmian swiftly turned, opened the door, got out, and closed it in one fluid motion. The girl's sweet fragrance still lingered on Gu Yizhou's lips as he looked at the girl outside the window, her cheeks flushed with shyness, and his heart melted. After Gu Yizhou's car drove away, Su Mianmian headed towards the company. On the way, the memory of that kiss brought another wave of shyness.
Because it was rush hour, the elevator was crowded. Su Mianmian had barely settled in when a woman in a pencil skirt, squeezing into the elevator with a delivery guy, accidentally spilled coffee on her clothes. Su Mianmian jolted from the burn and hurriedly pulled at her clothes.
Someone nearby saw this and quickly handed her tissues. "Are you alright?" Su Mianmian shook her head, thanked the woman, and took the tissues to wipe her shirt.
Thinking about how Gu Yizhou had specially chosen her outfit that morning, wanting to go out to dinner with her, and now her clothes had such a large stain, Su Mianmian felt a little upset. And to make matters worse, that woman was turning the tables.
"She saw someone coming in and didn't even move aside. She deserved to get splashed." Hearing this, Su Mianmian choked on her words. "You spilled coffee on me, and instead of apologizing, you think you're in the right?"