CH 96

It was just after dinner time when Ruan An’an lugged her laptop over to Yin Yuan’s dorm. It took another hour for the game to download and install. By then, the number of people on the streets had greatly diminished. It was quiet all around.

In the previous moment, Ruan An’an had been overwhelmed by bashfulness and indignation from being bitten on the ear by her boyfriend; the next moment, she was absolutely flabbergasted by his words.

Too… too unreasonable?

Gu Jue’s lips were right next to her ear, so it was impossible for her to mishear.

Plus… although Ruan An’an didn’t dare to claim that she knew him inside-out, she was still familiar with many of his habits. Like how he never seemed serious when he spoke. He loved to tease her and often dragged his syllables, overall showing an unscrupulous charm.

But—

Gu Jue, had never, spoken to her in this tone. Ever.

He was like a bullied child, crying to their parent.

Speaking with so much hurt, he made her sound like a deceitful woman who mistreated an innocent university student.

Ruan An’an suddenly questioned if she got amnesia.

When did she ever wrong him?

Or was he lying about handling his alcohol well… and this was him turning into a sad puppy after a few cups?

The oddity of “how did you get drunk when you went for tutoring” was long forgotten.

She returned a small hug and tugged at the hem of his sweater.

“How…” Ruan An’an asked softly, “How am I unreasonable?”

Gu Jue didn’t take long to reply.

“Hmph,” he snorted, “You should know.”

“?”

So, you ARE drunk.

“You were fine during the day. What happened…” Ruan An’an poked his back, “I didn’t even see you again until now, how would I know if you don’t tell me?”

Gu Jue didn’t answer immediately.

He was silent for a good moment, before reluctantly saying, “… I don’t want to say it.”

“…”

Ruan An’an decided that he, whose every sentence only added to her confusion, was most definitely drunk.

She wanted to pat his head. “Then—” Only one word made it out before he interrupted her.

His voice was no longer as ridden with emotions as earlier. “Say that you like me.”

“…Ha?”

“I’ll forgive you if you tell me, you like me.”

Ruan An’an: …???

What on Earth did I do that I need your forgiveness?

Gu Jue lifted his head from her shoulder, releasing her, and stared into her eyes.

His features were sliced in half by the dim streetlamps. His nose was tall, his eyebrows defined, his eyes long and slender, and his caramel pupils seemed murky in the night.

He was staring with great fixation and a hint of hurt, combined with his tone of voice… it seemed that he was pouting.

Ruan An’an was blushing hard under his gaze, only to realize that she had never spoken words of affection to him even after dating for this long.

Is he… feeling insecure?

Was that why he threw a tantrum in front of the dorms after getting uninhibited by alcohol, just to hear her say those words?

… This kid has it tough.

Frankly, Ruan An’an didn’t have any reservations about this. So, she bit her lip and confessed timidly, “I like you…”

The breeze drifted by.

Unlike how she talked before, the girl spoke slowly, mumbling her words a little from being self-conscious. The night breeze carried her words into his ears.

Her words caught Gu Jue off-guard.

He had expected Ruan An’an to get overly bashful and somehow shirt around this.

He didn’t expect her to say it outright.

“I’ve never told you before, but I thought we follow a plot of love at first sight… I don’t know about you, but, at least, it is for me.” Ruan An’an was hitting peak self-consciousness, but she wanted to voice it all, so she resorted to gazing up at the stars. “That is…”

She took a deep breath.

“Gu Jue, I fell for you the moment I saw you.”

“You might think I’m shallow, that love-at-first-sight is unrealistic, or that I’m only here for your looks…”

Ruan An’an couldn’t continue.

This is too embarrassing.

How did Gu Jue manage to keep a straight face when he confessed??!!

Feeling a bit guilty about stopping in the middle of a confession, she persevered. “… But really, I’m serious. Very, very serious.”

A member of the aesthetics associate always looked at the face first. In the beginning, she was certain it was his face that enthralled her at the rate of freefall, without a care for the consequences.

But upon retrospection, it was clear that something about him had attracted her on their first encounter.

As she had been put under a spell, making her mad for him.

Her cheeks were painted pink. Gu Jue was taking notice of every change in her expression. She suddenly drew a deep breath.

“I’m simply bad at sweet talking. I honestly like you so very much.” Her head was still tilted up, her lips sporting the usual hint of a smile, her eyes mirroring the starry sky. “And… I will continue to like you even more.”

“…”

You f̲u̲c̲k̲i̲n̲g̲ call this… bad at it?

It felt as if the alcohol he drank began boiling, wreaking havoc in his previously calm body.

Gu Jue swallowed.

5 seconds of locked in a stare with her and he lost control. He pulled her against him.

“Mm—”

Ruan An’an stumbled a step forward from the force. Her vision darkened, and her lips were sealed before she could make a sound.

This kiss was different from all the ones before.

Ever since their first kiss, Gu Jue had been considerate of her and only gave her light pecks. The kind where they touched lips and never a step further.

Even though Ruan An’an thought it was great, occasionally— only occasionally— she would wonder how it would feel if they went full wild with their tongues… just like in those novels…

After so long, she finally got a taste of that herself.

Though, unlike in those sappy passages, this kiss was accompanied by an intoxicating scent of alcohol. The mint in his breath had not been overpowered, but instead, the two scents mixed into a crystalline fragrance.

Totally different from the pecks they shared before, it was as if he finally found release after suppressing himself for so long. Finding no resistance when he pried apart her teeth, he continued with intensity.

… The kiss even… made sounds…

Ruan An’an had never felt a lack of breath when they shared lighthearted kisses… but now, she wouldn’t be able to keep her footing if Gu Jue hadn’t held onto her so tightly.

She didn’t know how long it had been when she finally emerged from his arms. She was lightheaded and huffed leaning against him. Catching her breath, she felt a pat on her head.

His voice sounded above her, without the raging emotions from earlier and ladled with delight.

“You should head up. See you tomorrow.”

…

Ruan An’an returned to the dorm room in a daze.

After she took off her shoes, she was greeted by a Yin Yuan leaning against the window tsking at her, “That was pretty intense, girl.”

The couple had made out heatedly in public. Yin Yuan had a clear view of the pair looking down from the window, unable to keep the sneer off her face as she spied.

So, that was the legendary Perky Butt. It was too far to see his face, but his figure was flawless. To have wholly captivated Ruan An’an, whose standards were higher than the clouds, his face would definitely be world-class too.

“Intense…”

Ruan An’an trailed off, subconsciously touching her lips. Then, as if remembering something else, she brought her hand to her ear as well.

Those two spots were still burning.

Yin Yan looked at her for a few minutes, smirking at her, “Oh, I get it, you’ve been kissed on the lips and ear. You can stop touching them now.”

Ruan An’an was brought out of her reverie and put her hand down. “…”

Hmph, be glad I don’t bother with single dogs.

The two girls had both already showered earlier. Yin Yuan had helped finish setting up her game too. Ruan An’an took a sip of water to calm her invigorated nerves. “I’ll make a male account. I had female accounts for the last few games, and it was boring. This time, I want to become a revered god in 6 Realms.”

Yin Yuan rolled her eyes, “As you’ve mentioned many times before. Now, come pick for yourself.”

Ruan An’an put down her cup and sat beside Yin Yuan on the couch.

She was taken aback when she saw the screen, “What…”

“Character creation.” Yin Yuan said, “Don’t even think about doing it from scratch, it’ll take way too long. There are plenty of good-looking prebuilds online…”

“F̲u̲c̲k̲ prebuilds! Of course, I’m making it from scratch!” Ruan An’an’s interest was piqued. “Darling, wait just a bit, please.”

What greater joy was there for the aesthetically obsessed than to build their own dream look?

And so, two hours passed.

Yin Yuan wanted to rush her at first but gave up after seeing her slow progress. Instead, she dragged Dawn&Dusk for some instance-grinding.

Ruan An’an eyes were sore from staring at the screen, but she was finally done. She excitedly tapped on the person sitting next to her, “Hey, hey, hey! Look! I’m done!”

Yin Yuan managed a glance at her screen, “S̲h̲i̲t̲, damn! As expected of someone deeply obsessed with good looks.”

Ruan An’an adjusted even the most meticulous details, constantly zooming in and out, and was only satisfied with the result then.

She admired her character left and right. But the more she looked at him, the more he seemed familiar.

Then, it dawned on her with a loud crack. She was thunderstruck.

Although there were differences between 3D models and people in real life, the customization system offered a large range of controls, allowing for many minor adjustments. She just followed her guts and chose what fit her aesthetic standards the most. She created someone who she thought was the most handsome.

But those brows, that jawline, that curve at the corner of the mouth…

It was obvious to those who knew him.

The “favorite face” for the aesthetically-obsessed Ruan An’an had never been defined before.

All these years, she had never obsessed over celebrities, nor had someone who made her say “I would like anyone with that face”. She had expressed disfavor so much that Jiang Yi and Yin Yuan thought she didn’t know what exactly she liked.

But now, that “someone” was defined.

… It was Gu Jue.

TL/N:

Is it just me or was that super hot? Someone get me a handsome man to kiss passionately!!!