Chapter 67: The Sixty-Seventh Day of Conquest - I Want Him [Bonus Chapter]...

Fortunately, it didn't affect his college entrance exam, otherwise she would have been a sinner.

Sniffing, Xiang Di gradually calmed down and tried to get out of his arms.

She tried to push him away, but he held her even tighter.

Enveloped by his cool yet forceful breath, she would have longed to be held by him forever if it were before.

Xiang Di sighed softly.

I wonder if Bai Jiangxin can hear her thoughts now.

If he could hear her, would he understand the inner turmoil and unease she was feeling?

This was also her own fault for being so sleazy in the past, making it impossible for her to face him now. The embarrassment overwhelmed her again, and Xiang Di tried to fight back, but pushed him away once more.

“I really can’t hear you,” Bai Jiangxin whispered to her. “The situation is a bit complicated, but I can explain it to you.”

“Even if you can’t hear me now, you could before, couldn’t you?” Xiang Di lowered her head, refusing to look at him. “You’ve always known what I’m thinking, but you just watched me dart around like a clown in front of you…”

He denied it: "I've never felt that way."

“But I think I am!” she suddenly shouted at him.

Bai Jiangxin's face turned slightly pale from her yelling, and his brows furrowed.

He looked at the person in front of him, then suddenly smiled bitterly and said, "What if I tell you?"

He asked, "And then you're going to treat me like a monster and hide from me?"

Xiang Di raised her head: "No..."

He wasn't a monster; it was just that her own thoughts were too filthy, so she was afraid of him finding out.

If it were just in novels and movies, she would only think that characters with mind-reading abilities were cool and awesome.

However, when faced with reality, she found herself the one whose mind was read, with all her thoughts revealed to the other party. The shame she felt from head to toe almost overwhelmed her reason.

She would rather be anyone else than Bai Jiangxin, so when she saw him take a few more steps closer to her, she subconsciously stepped back again.

“…Look.” Bai Jiangxin scoffed lightly, his jaw trembling slightly, “You clearly are.”

“I’m not avoiding you…” Xiang Di said with difficulty, “I just feel… I need time to think things through alone.”

She needed some time to think, at least until she could stand in front of him without feeling awkward. Right now, with him standing in front of her, her brain was completely unable to process anything, to the point that she had no idea what expression to use to face him.

She said she needed to think about it carefully, but Bai Jiangxin knew that this was just a euphemism.

She couldn't accept it; she never wanted to see him again.

Bai Jiangxin felt a sharp pain in his eyes, and a tearing sensation arose in his heart.

He could actually understand Xiang Di's concerns.

If it were him who had been having his thoughts read by her all this time, he might not have been able to be as rational and composed as she is right now.

She didn't berate him as a monster who pries into people's privacy, nor did she blame him for his concealment and self-righteousness, which had caused her so much embarrassment. Just minutes before, she was still thinking of him and even apologized to him for bothering him during this time.

She had already shown him the utmost understanding and consideration; he really shouldn't have made things difficult for her.

Jiang Ruya's words to him were very harsh, so harsh that every word he heard made him more and more irritable, but he couldn't deny that they were all true.

Even if Jiang Ruya had ulterior motives towards him, she was right. He should return Xiang Di's privacy to her, and even if she really didn't want to be with him anymore, he couldn't blame her.

Not only her, but if Ye Minjia ultimately cannot accept his situation, he will not make things difficult for him. He will let go and wish him all the best in the future.

Because this is the wise choice a normal person should make, both for Ye Minjia and even more so for Xiang Di.

If they really get together in the future, he is destined to be unable to tolerate keeping his distance from her, and in the end he will have to sacrifice her.

Bai Jiangxin understood these principles.

Reason told him that he should give her the right to leave him. No law says that the person who loves first must love more deeply, or it is a crime.

She was not wrong; he was wrong. He knew he could not have a normal relationship, yet he still couldn't control himself and let his heart flutter.

But he was still upset.

After seeing her avoid him and hearing her say she needed to think it over, he was terrified. He wondered if she would regret falling for him once she had made up her mind.

"What are you thinking about?" His pale face was crisscrossed with several mottled shadows under the streetlights. Bai Jiangxin asked her softly, "Are you thinking about whether you want to break up with me?"

Huh? Before Xiang Di could deny it, he was hit where it hurt by the words "break up" that he had uttered. His handsome features were slightly distorted under the streetlights. He would no longer let her back down. He forcefully restrained her shoulders with both hands, forcing her to face him.

So he should have stayed away from her from the beginning, instead of letting her invade and soften his heart.

He understood all too well the hypocrisy of people's hearts, so he had no expectations of anyone. He stayed quietly in an inner world he had built only for himself, with thick walls blocking out all external emotions. It was this person in front of him who first said he loved him, loved him unconditionally, and even said he wanted many people to love him. Only then did he try to accept this bustling world.

“Xiang Di, you were the one who liked me first.” He lowered his eyes, looking at her with resentment and suppressed emotions. “...I didn’t provoke you. You were the one who messed up my life first.”

His eyes involuntarily reddened, contrasting sharply with his pale and distorted face, which resembled crumpled paper.

He couldn't let go; his heart wasn't a place where she could come and go as she pleased.

Xiang Di's shoulder was a little sore from his grip. She seemed to be frightened by his excited tone and didn't dare to speak, just staring blankly at him.

Through her wide almond-shaped eyes, Bai Jiangxin could also see how sickly and gloomy his own expression looked.

"Do you know what your damn inner thoughts have made of me?" He frowned and said forcefully, "Even if I was the one who kept it from you at first, even if I was wrong, you can't just dump me like this."

Xiang Di stared at him in astonishment. What was wrong with him?! She opened her mouth, about to say something, when a flicker of panic suddenly flashed in Bai Jiangxin's eyes, as if she were afraid that her next words would be that she was really going to dump him.

He started to feel afraid again, afraid of hearing that she didn't want him anymore. He lost control, lowered his head, and covered her mouth with his.

Cool lips pressed against hers. After a moment of surprise, Xiang Di reacted, tightly closing her lips and pushing his body away.

She couldn't push him away, and he held the back of her head, not allowing her to move. His body was too heavy, pressing her closer and closer, as if he was afraid that if she pushed him away this time, he would never be able to kiss her again.

Bai Jiangxin tried to soothe his fear of being abandoned by her with this forced kiss. He dared not stick out his tongue, but only dared to rub his lips together.

He only snapped out of his daze when she bit him, letting her push him away forcefully.

"You...you...you..." Xiang Di stared at him with wide eyes, covering her mouth with her hand, her face burning hot. "Why did you force a kiss on me!"

The pain from her bite still lingered on his lips. Bai Jiangxin realized what a foolish thing he had just done. He lowered his eyes, remained silent for a long time, and then softly said sorry to her.

"...I will not appear before you during this time."

His voice was so low and hoarse that it was almost inaudible.

"You can think about it carefully."

Seeing him like this, Xiang Di felt a pang of sympathy for him, and her heart ached slightly.

She's just too embarrassed right now. Give her some time to mentally prepare herself, and then they can have a proper talk. Why is he acting like she's about to abandon him?

...like a broken little dog.

If he could hear her true feelings from the beginning, then he was right; she was the one who provoked him first.

-

The period after the college entrance examination is the peak season for graduation trips. Tourist attractions and hotels in various cities are starting to consider raising prices, and most graduates are planning to travel.

After that day, Bai Jiangxin really didn't go to see Xiang Di again.

He didn't speak in the class group, didn't attend gatherings, and seemed to have cut off contact with everyone after the exams. He stayed at home alone and played games day and night for several days. Bai Guang was busy with work, but no matter what time he left or returned home, Bai Jiangxin was always playing games.

He thought his son had been under too much pressure during his three years of high school, so now that he had finally finished his exams, he was playing games as revenge. He didn't interfere for the first few days, but after hearing from his aunt that his son was playing games so much that he wasn't even sleeping, he talked to his son.

Seeing his son's haggard face, Bai Guang couldn't help but frown, wondering if his son's sudden change was related to his mother's return to China.

Bai Jiangxin wouldn't tell him, and Jiang Ruya wouldn't tell him either. Bai Guang didn't know what had happened, but he couldn't force him to ask. He wasn't a father who was good at communicating with his child, so he suggested to his son that he go see his grandfather.

Bai Jiangxin looked up from the projection screen, glanced at his father who looked worried, and nodded gently.

It only takes about an hour to fly from here to the coastal city where the elderly settle down for retirement. Bai Jiangxin departed that afternoon and landed in the evening.

As the sun sets, it casts a golden glow across the sea, draping the coastal city in a light orange veil.

Bai Jiangxin had no interest in appreciating the seaside scenery. He had arrived in such a hurry that he hadn't had time to inform the two elderly people. So when he arrived downstairs at his grandfather's house, only the maid was home. She told him that the two elderly people had just finished dinner and had gone for a walk in the nearby park.

The servant asked him if he had eaten and told him to come in first. Bai Jiangxin shook his head and did not go inside. Instead, he sat in the small garden that the old man had carefully maintained, quietly watching the huge sunset sink below the horizon.

The maid called to inform the elderly couple that the young master had arrived. Bai Jiangxin didn't have to wait long before he saw the two elderly people leisurely walking back from their stroll on the green walkway outside the detached villa.

An elderly couple chatted and laughed in the twilight, a scene both simple and heartwarming. Bai Jiangxin watched, and for the first time, he felt that his grandparents' affection was somewhat jarring.

When the two elderly people returned home, they saw their grandson sitting on a stone bench in the small garden. They quickly went up to him and asked him how he had been doing, how his exams had gone, and if he had gone anywhere to play recently.

When Bai Jiangxin said he hadn't had dinner yet, his grandmother, who dotes on her grandson, said she would cook two more dishes for him herself.

After Grandma came into the house, Grandpa asked with a smile, "What's wrong, my Xin'er? You finally finished your exams, and instead of going on a trip with your classmates, why did you come here?"

Bai Jiangxin looked calmly at the old man: "You are right."

The old man didn't understand: "What?"

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but suddenly felt a little dizzy. After several nights of staying up all night, he had hardly slept. He had been playing games, trying to numb his fear of being abandoned with the killing in the game.

He had no one to confide in, so when his father asked him if he wanted to visit his grandfather, he bought a plane ticket and came over almost without hesitation.

The fatigue and depression of the past few days finally overwhelmed him with the old man's kind greetings. Despite the urge to feel dizzy, he suddenly squatted down in front of the old man.

The old man quickly bent down to help him up: "What happened?"

Bai Jiangxin's voice trembled as he said, "Grandpa."

The old man replied, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Bai Jiangxin did not answer.

The old man could only manage to squat down, but he saw his grandson with his eyes closed, his knuckles pressed against his forehead, his eyelids blinking spasmodically, and he was controlling the twitching of his nose, as if his whole body was fighting against some kind of emotion on the verge of collapse.

But something still dripped from the tip of his nose onto the grass in the garden.

The old man opened his eyes wide in surprise.

...Xin'er cried?

His most composed and precocious grandson was like a fragile piece of porcelain, as if he would shatter into pieces at any moment.

When his parents divorced, Xin'er didn't shed a single tear. Due to a special genetic disease, he grew up almost alone. His grandfather sometimes felt guilty, because none of his other children had inherited the disease, so why was Xin'er the one who suffered so much?

He saw through the hypocrisy of people's hearts too early, which forced him to mature prematurely. He spent his childhood alone, without any friends to confide in, so he learned to be indifferent and detached from worldly emotions.

A person needs a lifetime to heal from the unfortunate years of their youth. Fortunately, the old man met his wife. The suffering he experienced in the complexities of human nature during his youth was finally healed by his wife in the second half of his life. But who will heal his Xin'er?

Not knowing what had happened to Xin'er, the old man had no choice but to reach out and gently pat Xin'er's back to offer him silent comfort.

At that moment, the words that Bai Jiangxin couldn't say were transmitted into the old man's mind through his choked voice.

Grandpa, she knows.

I'm afraid she won't want me anymore.

-

A week has passed since the college entrance examination ended.

Class 97 had already held two rounds of gatherings, but Bai Jiangxin did not participate. His classmates asked him several times, but fortunately, Ye Minjia helped to cover it up, saying that he had gone on a trip to relax after finishing his exams.

After everyone finished eating that day, they went to a karaoke bar to sing. Xiang Di was sitting alone in the corner of the sofa playing on her phone when someone suddenly sat down next to her.

Thinking it was Qianqian, she tried her best to sound relaxed and asked without looking up, "Aren't you going to sing?"

"I have no heart to sing."

It wasn't Qianqian's voice. Xiang Di looked up from her phone; it was Ye Minjia.

Xiang Di took a deep breath: "Squad leader, let's go outside and talk."

Ye Minjia nodded: "That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."

The two found a relatively quiet place, and Ye Minjia asked, "Has he contacted you these past few days?"

Xiang Di shook his head silently.

Ye Minjia suddenly said, "He wouldn't have already gone abroad with his mother for medical treatment, would he?"

Xiang Di didn't speak.

"Even if they're leaving, they should at least have told us in advance so we could see them off at the airport," Ye Minjia sighed. "They're so heartless."

Xiang Di remained silent. Ye Minjia noticed something was wrong with her and bent down to look at her: "Hmm? Why aren't you saying anything?"

“I think I went too far,” Xiang Di said. “After hearing what his mother said that day, he just ran away.”

Actually, if she had been calmer that day, they could have cleared things up. It was just that she was too ashamed, and Bai Jiangxin didn't even attend the class dinner to avoid her.

“I understand. After all, it’s much harder for you to accept this than for me to,” Ye Minjia said. “I’ve already done a lot of mental preparation, let alone you.”

"So, what are you thinking, class monitor?" Her expression was slightly tense. "...You're not going to break off your friendship with him, are you?"

“How could I possibly break off our friendship? If it were a stranger, I would stay far away from him. What kind of person is he to listen to my thoughts? That’s my privacy, okay? But he’s not.” Ye Minjia shrugged. “We’ve been brothers for three years. I can’t bring myself to break off our friendship.”

Xiang Di breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, the class monitor thought the same way.

"If his illness can be cured, that would be great. If it can't be cured, then so be it. At worst, I'll adjust my mindset and try to be a positive young man."

Ye Minjia speculated, "He usually acts like he's a germaphobe, not wanting to touch anyone because he thinks it's dirty, but actually he's not a germaphobe at all. He's just trying his best to avoid hearing our thoughts."

Bai Jiangxin must know many people's secrets, but he has never told anyone, never used anyone's secrets as fodder for gossip, and never used his mind-reading ability to hurt anyone.

Bai Jiangxin always knew what Ye Minjia wanted. He understood him very well. He would selectively ignore the unpleasant side of Ye Minjia's heart, understand his feelings, and comprehend his troubles. Even though he had seen through Ye Minjia's heart, he still tolerated the dark side of his heart and continued to choose to be friends with him.

Ye Minjia finally understood why Bai Jiangxin could always pick exactly what he wanted as a birthday gift every year.

“His mother was actually a little wrong that day. It’s not that we’re being tolerant of Bai Jiangxin,” Ye Minjia said softly. “It’s that Bai Jiangxin has been tolerating us. After all, we’ve been arguing so much every day, it must have annoyed him to death, haha.”

Xiang Di smiled somewhat guiltily. Compared to the class monitor, Bai Jiangxin had to listen to her innermost thoughts every day, which was the real torment.

Ye Minjia sighed: "How can I break off a friendship with such a good friend?"

Hearing Ye Minjia's seemingly helpless yet gentle and understanding tone, Xiang Di's expression was touched, and her nose tingled slightly.

“Class monitor,” she said, “thank you for thinking that way.”

“Sigh, that’s what great friendship is all about.” Ye Minjia then asked her, “What about your love life? What are your thoughts? Do you still want to be with him? After all, our situations are different. Even though we’re very close, we don’t have much physical contact. But if you’re with him, you’ll have to make a bigger sacrifice…”

Ye Minjia may be able to accept it himself, but that doesn't mean he has the right to persuade Xiang Di to accept it.

"It's okay, don't feel guilty." He patted Xiang Di's shoulder and comforted her. "After all, everyone has their own privacy. Even if you dumped him, I can understand you."

"Class monitor."

"Um?"

"Don't laugh at me, I might be a hopeless romantic."

"What do you mean?"

“It’s just…” she said softly, “You might not think it’s a big deal, but when I found out he could read minds, I really felt like the sky was falling, and I even wanted to find a tree and hang myself right there.”

Ye Minjia's lips twitched: "Is it that exaggerated? What are you thinking about all the time?"

Xiang Di muttered, "...Don't ask me that. Anyway, I've thought about it a lot these past few days and done a lot of mental preparation for myself."

"So, what have you built?"

He nodded to the flute.

Everyone assumed that Bai Jiangxin was the one who liked her first, but only she knew that she was the one who disrupted his peaceful life first.

His true nature has never been indifference, but rather a unique softness that belongs to him.

So why should she be afraid of him? She should be thanking him.

He kept her secret crush and those shameful desires a secret. If she were in his shoes, she would definitely find him disgusting, but Bai Jiangxin never used this to humiliate or mock her.

He kept it a secret for her, pretending he knew nothing, silently fulfilling her dream of unrequited love coming true, and protecting her girlish feelings.

Keeping her mind full of dirty thoughts a secret must be hard work for him.

If it weren't for his mother's sudden appearance, Bai Jiangxin might have kept this secret for her until she herself was willing to tell him.

He was so good, so good that even if it meant having him listen to her innermost thoughts for a lifetime, she would still want to be with him.

Xiang Di had been thinking about this for the past few days. If he was destined to keep his distance from others for the rest of his life, then there had to be at least one person who, when he needed a hug, would not care if he could read his mind and would give him a big hug.

Let her be that person.

Xiang Di looked at him gently, her eyes bright, and said earnestly, "I like him. Whether he can read minds or fly or disappear into the sky, he is from outer space, and I like him anyway."

Ye Minjia stared in disbelief, her mouth agape: "Wow... wow!"

Some people are so moved they could die.