"Are you full?"

Yan Shi nodded.

"Let's talk about love letters then."

Yan Shi choked on the food in his mouth, and tears welled up in his eyes from the discomfort.

Zhuang Zhao handed over paper with her left hand and water with her right. Seeing Yan Shi's teary eyes, she felt a little soft-hearted.

"I'm not in a hurry for an answer. If it's a rejection, I'd rather drag it out indefinitely."

"I just don't want you to pretend nothing happened, and I don't want you to be so careful to avoid me."

"Just say something, so I can have a better idea of ​​what to expect."

Zhuang Zhao smiled, but it was a pale and weak smile.

"You know I've always been self-centered, and I've never truly liked anyone over the years. Love, to me, is a vague and ethereal legend. I believe in its existence, but that's all."

"I feel safe and happy with you by my side, but I can't tell if this feeling is budding love or just dependence."

"The only answer I can give is: if you feel that your feelings for me are not just simple affection, but long-term liking, a desire to walk together and be a companion, if you can accept my bad temper, tolerate my little quirks, come to me without reason when I need you, and not trample on my bottom line, then I can."

"I can, I promise I'll do better than I am now," Zhuang Zhao quickly expressed his willingness.

"I like to reap what I sow, but I also like to give back. If you treat me well, I won't treat you badly. If you are unkind, I will be unjust. Don't expect me to throw all my heart at you like other young girls, but I won't be as ungrateful as some young girls."

"I've finished speaking. What do you think?"

"Of course, girlfriend. Please give me your guidance." Zhuang Zhao extended his hand.

"My boyfriend, please forgive me." Yan Shi took his hand.

"My birthday wish came true."

"That promise you made yesterday?"

"Well, although I was somewhat confident, I was also afraid that we wouldn't even be able to remain friends. Fortunately..."

"It is said that at least 70% of girls do not accept relationships with younger men, not even for a day less."

"But I happen to be a fan of relationships between older women and younger men. As I said before, I'm like a stagnant pool, and I hope that a vibrant and energetic person will appear."

“He is sensible and will not force me to leave my own little world and integrate into the world of other people who are out of place, but he will tell me about the fun and interesting things in the outside world.”

“He favors me and makes an unhesitating choice. I can share everything with him without fear of being caught off guard, the good and the bad. He even appreciates my quirks.”

"Your appearance is a gift from God to me. Sometimes I feel quite despicable, taking advantage of your gratitude to do whatever I want, but I don't want to let you go. Even if we're not together, we should stay in touch as friends."

"But I'm also afraid that we'll never see each other again. Even lovers can end up in a mess, let alone me. I don't know how to love anyone, I'm not pretty, I don't have any skills, and I'm socially awkward. I don't dare to move forward, and I don't want to retreat, so I can only shamelessly maintain a distant relationship, waiting for time to give me a result, waiting for you to get impatient."

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused." Yan Shi's nose tingled, and she felt like crying.

"Don't panic, don't panic. Although I didn't remember everything, I received what you wanted to express. Actually, I don't agree with many of your self-evaluations. You are clearly very outstanding, independent, and principled. You have always been the one protecting me. I am the one who should feel inferior. I originally wanted to wait until I could protect you before confessing my feelings to you, but I got anxious. I was afraid that you would not want me anymore."

"You say you don't understand love, but how many people in the world do? I only know that I want to be close to you. The first time I saw you, I thought you were dazzling. When we first met, I wanted to be your boyfriend and naturally stand by your side. Every day after that, I thought about it carefully. I was afraid that I was just acting on impulse. Almost half a year has passed, and I am sure of my feelings before I confessed them to you."

"Everyone says that dating and marriage are a gamble, and I will definitely not let you lose."

Yan Shi was amused by Zhuang Zhao's analogy.

"Don't speak of things in such absolute terms, it just sounds unreliable."

"That's 100% certain."

"Life is unpredictable. As long as you have a clear conscience and no regrets, that's enough. I don't want to use moral blackmail. If you don't like someone as much anymore, all the vows you made back then will be shackles. That kind of relationship is no different from torture."

"I don't want to be unhappy, and I don't want to see you unhappy, sweetie."

Although Yan Shi likes Zhuang Zhao, she doesn't trust people or feelings. Things have changed, and she doesn't care about right or wrong.

"How can you say you don't like someone after just the first day you've been together? I'm not going to argue with you, and you're not allowed to say it again."

"It's my fault, I won't say anymore. So when are you planning to let go of my hand?"

"I want to hold it forever; I never dared to before."

"I don't mind, but the table hasn't been cleared yet."

"Just leave it there, I'll tidy it up later. Sis, are you sleepy? If you are, can I hold your hand and lie down next to you? If you're not sleepy, can you tell me about what happened before you met me? I have so many things I want to know."

"I'm saying, you look quite different now compared to before, don't you?"

"Now that I'm officially married, what's wrong with me sticking to my girlfriend?"

"Okay, actually I'm also curious to know something. You should tidy up the table first, then we can talk about our business."

"Yes, ma'am, wait for me for three minutes." Zhuang Zhao reluctantly let go of her hand, then quickly got up to clear the dishes, practically running as if she were walking.

Yan Shi also got up, tidied up the room a bit, and opened the windows to let in some fresh air.

The cold wind was still damp on his face. Yan Shi stretched out his hand, his mind blank.

Now that the relationship is official, is a kiss far behind? She's not mentally ready yet.

"Knock knock." It was the sound of knocking on the door.

Yan Shi went to open the door.

"I washed some fruit."

"Sit down, what do you want to know?" Yan Shi patted the side of the bed, pulled out a small table and put it on the bed, then found some snacks and piled them on the table.

"I want to know anything you don't mind telling me."

"What a coincidence, me too."

"Have you ever had someone you liked?" Zhuang Zhao asked cautiously.

"She won't be unhappy even if I'm around, since I'm the only one by her side right now."

"I had a crush on a boy, but coincidentally, he also liked boys. I got a boyfriend in my senior year of high school, and we lost contact after the college entrance exam."

"He sat in front of me. When I felt sleepy in class, I would poke him to block the teacher's view. Only he could understand my notes. There were some words that I couldn't even guess, but he could recognize them. He would always save some snacks for me. However, I can't even be considered his best friend."

"Looking back, it was just liking him. After all, I wasn't upset at all when people around me guessed he had a boyfriend."

"It's also possible that I'm just naturally aloof."

"But you are different from him. You are my boyfriend, whom I have personally acknowledged. You are mine, and you are not allowed to have anything to do with anyone else."

"I will definitely protect myself."

"Wow, you're so cute."