Chapter 30 He had no romantic feelings for her...

Ning Yiwen's expression was extremely strange, and the way he looked at her was also very strange.

Ning Yao resisted the urge to take a step back, her voice gradually softening, "What's wrong, Brother Ning?"

This question was like a cold wind blowing, instantly bringing Ning Yiwen to his senses.

He looked away, raised his hand to rub his forehead, and sighed inwardly that he was truly obsessed.

When Ning Yao was speaking just now, her eyes were clear and her expression was normal. At most, she could only be reciting love poems. How could he possibly associate it with a confession?

Lenovo is one thing, but they even...

Ning Yiwen suppressed the jumble of thoughts surfacing in his mind and asked, "Why did you suddenly start reciting poetry?"

Ning Yao swallowed, looked at Ning Yiwen who had returned to normal, and shook her head, saying, "It's nothing, it's just... I suddenly wanted to do some recitation."

She made a deal with Huo Li behind Ning Ge's back, and he absolutely mustn't know about it.

"Well, how did it go when you went to see your friend?" Ning Yiwen didn't press further, but instead asked another question.

Ning Yao: "Oh, she's not here. I'll go tomorrow."

Ning Yiwen nodded indifferently.

He turned around, squatted down, and continued dealing with the weeds in the corner; he was almost done.

Seeing this, Ning Yao said, "Um, Brother Ning, I'll go to the study to write something first."

Ning Yiwen didn't turn around, but waved his hand to indicate that he had heard her.

Ning Yao then went straight into the study.

It was nearing evening, and although it was still quite bright outside, the study was a bit dark as the windows were closed.

Ning Yao opened the window, and there was Ning Yiwen weeding right in front of her.

She leaned on the windowsill, watching Ning Yiwen's crouching figure from behind.

His strange, complex expression flashed through her mind.

That's really strange.

Ning Yao murmured to herself.

Why does her expression change so strange when she recites poetry?

I keep having these thoughts popping up, but I just can't seem to find a way to break through them.

After a while, Ning Yao turned around, deciding to put aside her confusion for now and focus on the important matters at hand.

He took out the love letter he had written earlier from his bag, and finding the light insufficient, he lit a kerosene lamp before starting to revise it.

This sentence won't work, this sentence... won't work either.

Ning Yao made revisions as she read.

As darkness fell outside the window, wisps of smoke rose from the kitchen.

Ning Yao was completely immersed in her creation inside the room, unaware of the passage of time.

After discarding page after page of manuscripts, she finally produced a love letter that combined a woman's shyness with her open-mindedness.

Ning Yao looked at her work with satisfaction; this was the first love letter she had ever written in her life.

but……

Ning Yao recalled Huo Li's words and expression during the day, bit her lower lip, and thought with distress, should she also keep a secret?

"Ning Yao, dinner's ready." Ning Yiwen's voice came from outside the study.

Ning Yao craned her neck and replied, "Okay, Brother Ning."

He casually placed the love letter face down on the table, blew out the kerosene lamp, and left the study.

She didn't see that the moment she lifted the curtain of the study, a strange gust of wind blew in through the open window, scattering the light papers to the ground, where they joined the scattered crumpled pieces of paper.

Today's meal is very simple: one vegetable dish, one meat dish, and rice.

The bowls and chopsticks are already set on the table.

Ning Yao touched her stomach; she was indeed a little hungry.

As soon as I sat down, I ate a few mouthfuls of rice.

Nowadays, when Ning Yao eats with Ning Yiwen, she's lost her former liveliness and rarely speaks.

Moreover, Ning Yao was still thinking about Huo Li and the love letter.

Seeing Ning Yao so absent-minded, Ning Yiwen looked up at her many times, but Ning Yao did not come back to her senses.

He then picked up a piece of meat and put it into Ning Yao's bowl. "What are you thinking about? Eat more meat."

Ning Yao ate the slice of meat that had fallen into her bowl in one bite before replying perfunctorily, "It's just that there are some things I haven't figured out. It's nothing."

Ning Yiwen hummed in agreement and then changed the subject: "So, how's your preparation for the debate competition going?"

"A debate?" Ning Yao asked, biting her chopsticks, her gaze returning to Ning Yiwen's face.

My subconscious thought was, "Why is Brother Ning talking so much during dinner today?"

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Shuli said we'll have an internal debate, and everyone has already been assigned tasks for the data. If nothing unexpected happens, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Ning Yiwen nodded, "That's good. However, this time, I might be the referee."

"Huh?" Ning Yao was stunned. "Referee?"

"That's amazing!" Ning Yao exclaimed. "Aren't the referees usually teachers?"

Ning Yiwen nodded, "Under normal circumstances, it is indeed a teacher who takes on this role. But this time is a bit special. The principal hopes that I will consider not going to a university or a specialized school for further studies, but staying at the school directly as a teacher."

Ning Yao's eyes widened, and she even forgot to eat her meal. "So, Brother Ning, do you agree?"

If she agrees, should she call him "Brother Ning" or "Teacher" when they meet at school?

Ning Yiwen said calmly, "I'm still considering it."

Ning Yao thought about it carefully and nodded, saying, "It is indeed something we should consider."

Her brother Ning has been earning enough from his published articles over the years to live comfortably; he has long since gained the ability to do whatever he wants.

She didn't know how much the teacher earned, but the teaching profession was very stable.

Brother Ning... shouldn't be tied down to a fixed profession.

Ning Yiwen glanced at her and deliberately asked, "What do you mean?"

Ning Yao hesitated for a moment before speaking her mind.

Then he asked, "So, Ning-ge, do you like being a teacher?"

Hearing Ning Yao's words, Ning Yiwen laughed.

A smile as warm as winter snow meeting spring.

Then he slowly said, "I'm actually not as amazing as you think."

In his eyes, being a teacher is just a job that doesn't require much effort and can even be a perfect cover for another identity.

"Nonsense!" Ning Yao retorted, "Brother Ning is the best."

As she said this, Ning Yao raised her eyebrows, her eyes filled with unwavering conviction.

In Ning Yiwen's eyes, they became captivating starlight.

It warmed his heart, and a warm current flowed out.

The love poem she had just recited echoed in my ears once again.

This blind certainty is more moving than any love poem.

Ning Yiwen lowered his eyes, concealing the turbulent emotions within them.

He already knew something was wrong with him.

Love poems, written in books, read by others, this wasn't the first time he'd heard them.

But this was the first time I had ever felt so... flustered and confused.

The poem itself is fine; the problem lies with the person.

The problem isn't with her, it's with him.

Thinking of this, he looked up at Ning Yao eating earnestly, her eyes fixed on the food, her pink lips opening and closing, and somehow, she attracted his attention.

Ning Yao...

He was with Ning Yao...

Ning Yiwen was not at peace. Moreover, this was not part of his plan.

He is a man who has died once.

He was not afraid of death, but he did not know when the person in front of him had become a burden in his heart.

He once thought it was guilt, or the affection of family that had been with him for so long.

But what happened today...

If he continues to say that he has no romantic feelings for her, he is only deceiving himself.

However, Ning Yiwen recalled that earlier, he had said he didn't need her help...

Ning Yiwen's heart sank deeper and deeper.

It wasn't until I was in the study that I picked up that light, flimsy piece of paper.

My heart sank to the bottom.

This is a heartfelt love letter. To whom does she intend to write it?

It was definitely not written for myself.

When she recited love poems to him today, there wasn't a trace of shyness on her face.

So...she already has someone she likes? Ning Yiwen frowned.

At this moment, Ning Yao was completely unaware that Ning Yiwen had seen her love letter. She was in her room, fiddling with her camera.

She hasn't had a chance to take out her camera to take pictures in the past few days, so it's hardly gotten dusty.

But Ning Yao still wiped the camera very carefully.

She really liked the camera's photo-taking function.

If she hadn't taken any photos, she would have thought that last year's spring, summer, autumn, and winter were no different from this year's. It was just the cycle of flowers blooming and withering.

But when she saw those photos of the scenery from last year's four seasons, she knew that things were different.

The flowers are different, the grass is different, even the people looking at the scenery are different.

The feeling of time passing reached its peak at this moment.

She was glad she had written it down.

From that time on, she would often feel an urge to take out her camera and record everything in front of her.

She still prefers to take photos of flowers and plants.

She occasionally photographs the diverse people on the street, but she always feels that the purpose of recording them is not very meaningful.

It would be better to film Ning Ge instead.

Ning Yao had a sudden inspiration, and her eyes lit up.

Yeah, she hasn't really filmed Ning Ge properly yet!

Do it as soon as you think of it.

Ning Yao immediately picked up her bulky camera and went to the study, intending to secretly take a few photos of Ning Yiwen reading.

I tiptoed into the study, lifted the curtain, and gently slipped the camera lens inside.

Crack, crack, crack...

Three in a row.

The flashbulbs went off, illuminating the study as if it were daytime.

After the photoshoot, Ning Yao lifted the curtain.

When she finally saw the scene in the study, her hands began to tremble.

At this moment, Ning Yiwen stood amidst a pile of crumpled paper, holding a thin sheet of paper in his hand.

The words on white paper looked familiar, like the love letter she had just written.

His gaze fell on me, the gloom on my face not yet fully concealed, my eyes sharp, and my whole being was like a sword already drawn from its sheath, its edge fully revealed.

We're doomed!

Ning Ge's eyes were a bit fierce; she was about to get scolded.

Ning Yao thought dejectedly.

"You took a picture of me?" Ning Yiwen raised an eyebrow.

Ning Yao hugged the camera tightly and replied softly, "I just wanted to take a picture."

She had no idea what she had photographed until the photos were developed.

But at this moment, all she wanted was to find a hole and bury herself in.

Sure enough, Ning Yiwen waved the paper in his hand at her, and his second question was: "Who did you write this love letter to?"

Ning Yao: "..."

It's too late to feign grievance at this point. How about trying a different approach?

Ning Yao swallowed hard, trying to bolster her courage.

He countered, saying, "No, Brother Ning, how could you just touch the things on my desk like that?"

Ning Yiwen laughed in exasperation, lifted his foot, and slowly walked to her, one step, two steps, three steps, looking down at her.

His voice was clear and bright, like a gentle breeze and a bright moon, but his words were full of teasing. "Come on, look up, look me in the eyes, and say it again."

Ning Yao looked up.

Instantly, I was met with a pair of eyes as deep as a still pool.

Beneath her long lashes, her starry eyes sparkled, and the corners of her eyes held a smile.

That look in his eyes...

He doesn't seem... angry?