CH 105

Miaomiao asked, “Did you truly believe that Deng Feng was going to confess to me?”

*The mountain was heavy and the water was doubtful, the willow was dark, and the flower was bright.

This was probably what Zhou Yuan believed within his heart.

At this exact moment, Miaomiao mouthed, “I still have to thank them both; otherwise, I wouldn’t have accepted your confession. The misunderstanding would’ve been too great.”

Miaomiao was already cognizant of Zhou Yuan’s misunderstanding. He now knew that his earlier conjectures and surmises were unproven and false, but she was the one who allowed him to go through such a turmoil. It was almost as if she had taken a dagger and stabbed him in the heart with it.

Zhou Yuan was fraught with anxiety, “I just…”

“I know. Talent shows are like this nowadays. The judges are currently engaged in a colloquy about the contestants. There’s a chance for all of them to advance to the next stage. However, I’m not going to be able to vote for you since I already had promised Deng Feng in advance.”

Actually, the best way to display my anger and ire to the other party was to turn around and leave, but she couldn’t just do that. That would be too heartless.

As she continued speaking, Zhou Yuan stared at her, the obduracy apparent in his eyes. He felt some tincture of discomfort within the recesses of his heart.

Zhou Yuan lowered his head and approached Miaomiao. He edged closer and closer, staring at her face.

He just scrutinized her closely and said and did nothing.

She felt uncomfortable under his obdurate gaze; she finally spoke up, “What are you doing?”

“I’m peering at my future girlfriend,” Zhou Yuan replied naturally.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You already have some childhood sweetheart you like, and you never told me your progress with her.”

“Silly. The sweetheart is you.” Zhou Yuan said, anger lacing his voice, “Weren’t you there. You did hear me sing the lines ‘It wasn’t until I met you that I realized that if my tears wouldn’t fall for you, then they would never flow for anyone else’, didn’t you?”

The corners of Miaomiao’s lips kept rising up, but her eyes were focused elsewhere. She muttered, “Sing it for me again.”

“I won’t sing it again. I already confessed in front of everyone in the audience, and yet the heroine herself didn’t even come watch me sing. It hurts me face** too much; therefore, I won’t sing anymore.”

Although he said that with the utmost obstinacy, his eyes shone with a certain brightness, which rivalled the stars shimmering in the firmament at night, and his tone was lighter than ever before, almost as if his voice could soar in the air.

It no longer surprised Miaomiao when Zhou Yuan strived to flaunt his big, boyish attitude in front of her. She said, “Sing, sing! I didn’t even listen to the song! I also had a hard time. I thought you liked some amazing girl at your job or something.”

“Wait. I hurled three hints at you, but you still didn’t get them?” Zhou Yuan asked.

“People do say that when you’re in love with someone, you often hallucinate and daydream and they’re in love with you also.” Miaomiao mused. “I thought it was merely a figment of my imagination…”

Naturally, Zhou Yuan understood the underlying meaning behind that phrase. As he walked next to Miaomiao, a tinge of rubescent scarlet dyed the tips of his ears, indicating his abashment. The two didn’t care about the competition anymore. They only cared about each other, and the air between them was sweet and cheesy. 

“So. Are we together now?” Zhou Yuan wondered.

Miaomiao remained silent, but she held his hand.

At this moment, they heard Jingjing’s voice coming from behind, “Miaomiao! Wait for me!”

Almost like a cat stepping on its own tail, Miaomiao let go of Zhou Yuan’s hand and stepped back, which left Zhou Yuan dumbfounded.

Jingjing pulled Deng Feng over and quickly edged towards them, “Why don’t you wait for me if you’re heading back home? By the way, I’m with Deng Feng now!”

Miaomiao: “…”

Next to her, Zhou Yuan spoke with an aggrieved tone of voice, “Congratulations.”

He pulled out his mobile phone and sent a message to Miaomiao. She stood by his side; her heart twinged with guilt, “Aren’t you devouring and spewing out nonsense too quickly?”

Urgently, Miaomiao replied, “Zhouzhou, big brother Zhou. When we were outside the venue, Jingjing asked me if you confessed to me. I’m too embarrassed to say yes, so I instantly replied no. I don’t want to change our relationship status too quickly.”

Zhou Yuan raised his head to look at Miaomiao. Then, he sneered. He lowered his head again to type and send a message.  

“So, you were actually coaxing me when you said that you were accepting my confession? That’s fake love, nothing more than a veneer of affection!”

“I can’t blame you for thinking that. At the time, you said that you had a sweetheart. If I were to announce anything to Jingjing, based on her overenthusiastic temper…well, I dare not think of the consequences. When we’re together, we need to slow down; we can’t be too conspicuous and eye-catching. Besides, I’m still the class president, so I can’t take the lead…I must remain out of the prying eyes of the public.”

Zhou Yuan: “…I understand. You don’t want to tell anyone that I’m your boyfriend…”

Miaomiao: “Be nice. Don’t cause any unreasonable trouble. This isn’t the time. I am the class president. I’m shackled by this position. Even if I fall in love with someone, I will deny it to the end and state that I don’t like anyone. We’ll soon graduate from high school anyway.”

Zhou Yuan: “But I already mentioned your name when I confessed today. I think everyone from our class should know about it.”

Miaomiao: “I forgot about that. At that moment, Jingjing pulled me outside.”

Jingjing suddenly asked, “Miaomiao, Zhou Yuan. Why are you two on your phones?”

Deng Feng pulled her to the side and whispered something into her ear.

Amazement swept over Jingjing as she stared at the two people in front of her, the odd atmosphere apparent between them. She thought that Zhou Yuan’s confession was a failure, so the air between them was so odd now.

“It’s nothing,” Miaomiao answered as she sheathed the phone back into her pocket.

“By the way, you two are too conspicuous this time. Don’t go around causing trouble. If somebody reports you at school, the school will definitely call your parents over for a meeting,” Miaomiao said.

Jingjing wasn’t afraid at all, “If they asked us to bring our parents, we’ll definitely bring them. My mother has a good relationship with Deng Feng’s mother.”

Miaomiao: “…” Is she trying to convey her affection?

She sneaked a glance at Zhou Yuan who wasn’t far away. She saw him peering at her.

An erubescent tinge of red suddenly appeared on Miaomiao’s face as she averted her gaze. 

The night enfolded them, and they had to travel home. Luckily, the metro was still operational, so the four of them decided to take the metro back home.

Along their trek, both Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan constantly looked at each other as they made their way to the metro station.

When the metro arrived, all of them entered the train. But Zhou Yuan suddenly said, “I forgot something. I have to head back. Class president, would you accompany me?”

Then, he pulled Miaomiao out of the train.

*”The mountain is heavy and the water is doubtful, the willow is dark and the flower is bright” appears in the composition of poet Lu You of the Song Dynasty, “Tour of Shanxi Village”. It is a metaphor that when you encounter a problem if one solution does not work, you can try an alternative and find the solution.

**Hurt my face – embarrassed