Chapter 95 The decorations were so strange, so strange that Qiao Yanyu couldn't ignore them at all. First of all, it...

The decorations were so strange that Qiao Yanyu couldn't ignore them at all. First of all, their colors were eye-catching enough and didn't match the decor of Qiao Yanyu's home at all. Even though Qiao Yanyu initially ignored everything else because of He Zhao, her professional skills as an excellent investigator allowed her to quickly notice the other extra things.

She noticed him almost the very next second after he said, "You're here."

A look of astonishment flashed across Qiao Yanyu's face. She really couldn't understand why she would have these things in her house; they looked really strange. Remembering what Wang Yu had said before—that He Zhao had a surprise for her—she became even more confused… Was this… the surprise?

Qiao Yanyu is not the type of person who keeps her doubts to herself most of the time, so she asked directly, "He Zhao, what are these?"

"ah……"

He Zhao opened her mouth, somewhat at a loss for words. At that moment, her mind was completely blank; she didn't know how to react. She had forgotten not only the contents of the confession letter, but even what she was supposed to do. Only one thing remained in her mind: she truly liked the person in front of her, and now, she wanted to confess.

When facing someone she liked, some words that He Zhao thought she would never be able to say in her entire life, words that could only be hidden in her heart, came out naturally in moments of mental blankness. At first, she stumbled a little: "Qiao Yanyu, there's something I want to tell you..." Her voice was even a little weak, but Qiao Yanyu opposite her swayed the wheels of his wheelchair and moved a little closer to her.

Because of this, Qiao Yanyu stopped what she was doing and adopted a posture that said, "I'm listening to you. I'll come over after you're done."

At that moment, the distance between the two people was only two meters.

He Zhao swallowed hard, and those four words came out of her mouth. They were the same four words that Qiao Yanyu had never been able to say in front of Wang Yu and Hua Hua.

"I like you……"

After saying that, the rest of her words flowed more smoothly. He Zhao felt a mix of fear that Qiao Yanyu would refuse and a sense of resignation; in short, she felt that if she didn't speak now, she might never have the chance again. So, He Zhao's words became increasingly fluent.

"I know what I'm saying might sound very strange to you, or even disgusting. But I've had these words bottled up inside for a long time, and if I don't say them now, I don't know when I'll be able to." This was true. If Wang Yu hadn't inexplicably exposed his thoughts, and if she and the other guests hadn't inexplicably pushed him to carry out that inexplicable confession plan, He Zhao would probably still be playing the coward.

She knew there was no turning back once the arrow was released, but she had already come this far, so she would accept rejection.

"The liking I'm talking about isn't the kind between friends, but the kind of liking you have for your lover, the kind you want to spend your life with." As she spoke, she didn't even bother to be shy; she just stared intently at Qiao Yanyu, each word coming out incredibly fast.

"Yes, I am gay, and I like girls. The first time I saw you, I thought, how could there be someone in this world who looks so good to me? I fell in love with you at first sight, but undeniably, at first, I liked you because of your appearance. But before that, I had never been so sure that I liked this kind of person."

"But as we spent more time together, I gradually discovered that I liked you, I liked your personality, I liked being with you, and I also liked the things you did for me."

He Zhao wasn't stupid. He could figure things out once he got home and reviewed everything. Judging from the fact that the "stitched-up water ghost" turned himself in and was treated leniently, and that Qiao Yanyu was given a big task not long after their antics, it was clear that Qiao Yanyu was only taking the blame for their incident.

So who was Qiao Yanyu doing this for? Was it for the sutures and the water ghost? Was it for Wang Yu? That's impossible, it can only be for herself.

Upon learning of this, He Zhao's heart pounded. She didn't know how many more times she would be moved by Qiao Yanyu. But this truly was the first time since her parents' passing that she had been so sheltered and protected by another person. Not just this time, but before, whenever Qiao Yanyu was by her side, she felt safe and secure; this overwhelming sense of security was something no one else had ever given her.

How could He Zhao not like someone like that?

Qiao Yanyu is the kind of person who keeps quiet and does things without saying anything. If He Zhao hadn't discovered it himself, she would never have known how important he was to her.

In this short period of time, as she spent more time with Qiao Yanyu, her initial feelings of affection gradually intensified, until now, He Zhao felt that she couldn't live without Qiao Yanyu. She didn't even know what she would do if Qiao Yanyu rejected her.

Should he stubbornly stay by Qiao Yanyu's side, or should they part ways and forget each other? He Zhao couldn't even think about it.

"I really, really like you."

When He Zhao finished speaking, her gaze shifted away. She seemed somewhat insecure and even dared not look at Qiao Yanyu's expression. As she confessed, Qiao Yanyu's expression gradually became serious, and he listened attentively to what she had to say.

He Zhao liked Qiao Yanyu very much because, no matter what, Qiao Yanyu was genuinely listening to her confession.

After that long speech ended, the room suddenly fell silent.

He Zhao had no idea that the person who was now nervous was Qiao Yanyu.

In fact, when He Zhao said "I like you," Qiao Yanyu was so shocked that she was almost frozen in shock. She never expected that before she could even say those words herself, He Zhao would say them to her first.

She wasn't unresponsive; she just didn't know how to react for a moment. Even when she heard He Zhao say that she initially liked her because of her appearance and that it was love at first sight, Qiao Yanyu didn't feel that He Zhao was being presumptuous. She just thought... she actually likes my looks?

Qiao Yanyu never thought she was very pretty. She inherited it from her mother. At first glance, her appearance was not bad, but her expression was too serious. Coupled with her always slightly furrowed brows, cold expression, and unappealing style of dressing, Qiao Yanyu never expected that someone would fall in love with her at first sight.

Then, she heard He Zhao's analysis: she said she liked her because of her personality and the little things they did together. Hearing this, Qiao Yanyu's heart softened. Qiao Yanyu knew that her personality was rather dull; her colleagues would sometimes say that when they talked about her in private.

Qiao Yanyu had excellent hearing, and the investigators, being eccentric, didn't try to hide anything from her, so naturally, those words reached her ears. She knew she wasn't likable and was rather boring, but Qiao Yanyu never cared.

But at this moment, He Zhao actually said that he liked her personality, which surprised Qiao Yanyu.

Of course, there was no "disgust" as He Zhao described. She felt no disgust whatsoever; in fact, she was quite happy. At the same time, her budding feelings had finally sprouted and grown to a point that Qiao Yanyu couldn't ignore. Qiao Yanyu realized one thing: she also liked He Zhao.

Qiao Yanyu was a little nervous. The moment He Zhao turned his head to stare at the floor, a blush crept onto her face. She pursed her lips, hiding her shyness. She needed to be sure that He Zhao truly liked her.

She didn't want to say that after she agreed, He Zhao suddenly told her one day, "Actually, I misunderstood. My feelings for Sister Qiao aren't that kind of feelings, and I have no intention of spending my life with Sister Qiao." If that really happened, Qiao Yanyu didn't know what she would do.

Qiao Yanyu didn't actually think He Zhao was that kind of person, but out of caution and the nervousness of her first relationship, she still asked him with a serious expression:

“He Zhao, perhaps what you feel for me isn’t love, but rather a kind of nagging affection. After all, I was the first living person you met in this world, and I protected you. You might be confusing that nagging feeling with love.”

He Zhao's eyes widened.

She had always felt that Qiao Yanyu's words implied a rejection, but she hadn't expected them to be so outrageous. She instinctively retorted, "How could that be? If I had a baby bird complex, it would be towards Grandma, after all, she was the first ghost I encountered, and she bought me candy every day. She's also more suitable in terms of age; she's the real old bird!"

After refuting her, He Zhao angrily expressed his love once again: "I really like you, the kind of love where I want to spend my whole life with you!"

These words made Qiao Yanyu's throat feel a little dry. She looked at He Zhao, and after confirming that this was her true feeling, she nodded and said, "Okay, then let's date, but it has to be a date with the intention of spending our lives together."

He Zhao had originally intended to ramble on about her feelings for Qiao Yanyu, but upon hearing this, she was like a duck being choked, even letting out a ridiculous "Huh?" Qiao Yanyu, however, was much more decisive. Her gaze fell on the bouquet of flowers in He Zhao's arms: "Are these flowers for me?"

He Zhao nodded like a chick pecking at rice, and then saw Qiao Yanyu extend her hand to her: "Then give it to me."

As soon as Qiao Yanyu finished speaking, He Zhao started walking towards her almost simultaneously. She even forgot about the balloons on the ground and accidentally popped her two brothers' balloons. The sudden popping sound didn't affect He Zhao; she walked briskly to Qiao Yanyu and handed her the flowers she was holding.

Qiao Yanyu took the bouquet, placed it on her lap, lowered her eyes to examine it for a while, and then looked up at He Zhao: "Thank you, I like it very much."

One sentence almost left He Zhao speechless.

But what followed was even more shocking to He Zhao, leaving him feeling dizzy.

Qiao Yanyu parted her lips slightly, and a sentence that He Zhao had never expected to utter came from her mouth: "He Zhao, do you want a kiss?"