Chapter 1771: Confession, Like Me, Only Me
Chapter 1771: Confession, Like Me, Only Me
Leaving the arcade in the mall, Jiang Ruan pulled her mask down half an inch, instantly feeling much easier to breathe.
"Are we eating out or going home?" Yan Chi asked.
"Let’s go home." Beijing isn’t that big of a place; it’s too close to her home, and her father is someone who likes to roam around outside aimlessly. She was still a bit timid.
The two went to the supermarket to buy some ingredients and returned to Yi Garden. Yan Chi had been cooking these past few days. Jiang Ruan, who had mostly recovered from her illness, also cooked a dish herself.
Qi Lie was too curious about their situation and would occasionally message her, asking when they could meet up.
[We’re cooking, I’ll contact you later.]
Qi Lie was bewildered, how did they end up cooking together too?
[Jiang Xiaoruan, you two are progressing so fast, you’re already living together?]
[...]
Jiang Ruan couldn’t be bothered to reply to him, but the way she and Yan Chi were acting, they really did seem like they were living together.
From cooking to dining, Yan Chi didn’t talk much the entire time. Jiang Ruan thought it was about time to ask him to leave. They really couldn’t keep going on like this; it was too easy for something to happen.
The two sat on the sofa, a romantic drama playing on some channel. Jiang Ruan had been following it, but at this moment, she wasn’t in the mood to watch.
From the corner of his eye, Yan Chi kept glancing at the person beside him, knowing she was internally conflicted and worried.
Being in love should be something that brings happiness to both people involved; he didn’t want Jiang Ruan to feel down because of him.
They needed to resolve their issues properly and talk things through completely.
He didn’t want their time together to feel oppressive.
**
The two originally sat on a double sofa, but there was at least a seat’s distance between them. Yan Chi silently sighed and leaned slightly toward her.
The sofa beside her sank softly; Jiang Ruan instinctively wanted to move to the other side but was already at the end of the sofa with nowhere to retreat.
Not knowing what Yan Chi intended, her instinct was to clutch her sweater sleeves tightly.
Yan Chi adjusted his posture, turning to face Jiang Ruan. One hand rested casually on his knee, while the other stretched back, seemingly casually resting on the back of the sofa behind her.
In such a position, it was as if she was loosely encircled by him.
"Ruanruan."
"Hmm?" Jiang Ruan’s voice was faint and soft in her throat.
"Today in the clothing store, I could hear everything you said to the sales assistant." Dressing rooms in clothing stores certainly wouldn’t have soundproofing, so conversations inside and outside were almost always audible.
"What?" Jiang Ruan had said many things to the sales assistant today, but she couldn’t quite remember specific details.
"She said you were my girlfriend, and you denied it. So what do you think..." Yan Chi felt a bit nervous, "If we are not boyfriend and girlfriend now, then what is our relationship?"
Jiang Ruan slightly lifted her eyes and glanced at him.
Yan Chi just watched her quietly.
It was midday, the autumn sunlight spilling through the window, warm and soft, lying between them like an indescribable emotion.
He liked her...
She liked him too.
However, after Yan Chi had confessed once, their relationship developed quickly, yet there was a barrier that had never been broken down.
Jiang Ruan clutched the sleeve of her sweater, her fingers exerting force, almost picking a hole in the cuff.
To like someone, to love someone, were things young people often spoke about, yet when faced with someone they truly liked, it somehow became difficult to utter.
Seeing her speechless, Yan Chi smiled, "Perhaps it’s due to my upbringing; I always want to see results quickly in whatever I do. I like being direct and efficient, but..."
"Don’t feel pressured."
"I can wait slowly, until you feel I’m qualified to be your boyfriend, willing to recognize our relationship."
Jiang Ruan was so nervous that her palms began to sweat, and even though they both understood each other’s feelings, she still felt anxious and restless.
"I know you have feelings for me in your heart, right?" Yan Chi lowered his voice.
Jiang Ruan bit her lip.
"Later, I’ll take you home. I won’t go inside. I’ll see you to your doorstep; I really should be going back."
Yan Chi had intended to officially define their relationship, but seeing the little girl’s apparent difficulty, he softened. Understanding each other’s feelings meant everything could gradually develop. Knowing she was racking her brains to get him to leave, Yan Chi couldn’t bear to make things difficult for her.
Jiang Ruan was not oblivious. She could sense his thoughtfulness and warmth.
Just as Yan Chi was about to rise from the sofa, she suddenly reached out and grasped his forearm.
"What’s wrong? Is there something else?" Yan Chi asked with a smile, looking at her.
He could feel her fingers gripping his forearm tightly, as if she were tensed with some unspoken concern. He wasn’t in a hurry; he just sat and waited for her to speak, observing her tensed expression, which caused her face to flush bright red.
The pretty little face, in the soft and dim autumn light, was covered in red.
Yan Chi watched her face redden inch by inch, her tightly pressed lips appearing as if they had been stained with autumn maple red...
His throat moved lightly.
He felt a stirring in his heart.
He... wanted to kiss her.
But given the circumstances, he couldn’t, so he restrained himself, pressing his lips into a line, making his features appear even more defined and cold.
"Actually..." Jiang Ruan didn’t know what he was thinking. Having gathered her courage, meeting his gaze directly, she said, frank and straightforward, "It’s not that I don’t like you. I just don’t know how to handle our relationship. I don’t know what being in a relationship really means. Suddenly, someone says your boyfriend this and that, and I don’t know how to respond..."
Jiang Ruan seemed to be trying to explain all the inexplicable emotions in her heart to him...
Yan Chi was too straightforward; everything developed too quickly out of track for her, and she didn’t know how to handle it.
Yet for Yan Chi, hearing her words made him very happy.
The emotions inside him, however, were hard to put into words.
Then...
As she continued to speak, she got more disordered and rushed; the more rushed she was, the redder her face turned, the more erratic her breathing became.
"Ruanruan." Yan Chi tried to get her to stop and speak slowly.
But Jiang Ruan suddenly leveraged the grip on his forearm, leaned in, and kissed his lips.
Surprised, Yan Chi froze for a moment when their eyes met.
A fiery heat spread through his heart.
Originally, Jiang Ruan thought Yan Chi interrupted her because he was impatient and couldn’t listen any longer. Anxious to prove her feelings for him, she kissed him, yet after she kissed him and he froze, she too was stunned.
"Senior, I..." Jiang Ruan released her grip on his forearm slightly.
The next second
She found her grip reversed; Yan Chi approached, leaning her back onto the soft sofa as his domineering kiss descended, almost giving her no space to react.
Instinctively, she resisted, but Yan Chi raised his hand, firmly holding her restless hand in place.
His previous kisses had always been tender, akin to that moonlit night on the fifteenth, as gentle as water. Yet today...
It was as intense as a raging wildfire.
Jiang Ruan felt dizzy, her body weakening, her consciousness seemingly slipping away.
Until the lack of air caused a suffocating feeling so strong, she felt as if she might die of asphyxiation the next second; only then did she push Yan Chi away slightly.
Yan Chi withdrew a little, and though he had been so domineering and aggressive, he now used the gentlest voice to softly ask her:
"You said you don’t not like me, so that means you like me, right?"
Jiang Ruan finally caught her breath, but his question made her breath catch once more, heavy and constricted.
"Why aren’t you saying anything? Tell me..."
"Do you like me?"
"Do you only like me?"
He leaned in close, lowering his voice, as if enchanting her. The answer was evident, yet he seemed to insist on hearing her say it.
Jiang Ruan felt as if her life was being held in his hands. All she hoped was that he could quickly get off her, allowing her to breathe more freely, so she hoarsely responded:
"Yes, I like you..."
Jiang Ruan thought that after answering his question, he might let go, but instead...
His kiss came again.
**
Later, Jiang Ruan only remembered:
The sunlight that day was exceptionally warm and bright.
That day, he seemed especially different, often stern and unsmiling, yet unusually passionate.
And that day, the soft whisper in her ear:
"Ruanruan, I want you to like me..."
"Only like me."
...
Jiang Ruan had originally planned to send him off, but as they leaned against the sofa, time flew by absurdly fast. What began as staying for dinner turned into...
That night
Yan Chi didn’t leave again.