The atmosphere inside the room was stagnant and deathly silent.

Lu Ke froze, not daring to speak, and didn't even know where to put his hands and feet. He stood there dumbfounded for a long time before finally managing to stammer, "Oh..."

Seeing this, Ruan Qing'an couldn't help but chuckle, turning his gaze back to the desk: "Actually, it's quite easy to guess."

“Girls are naturally more sensitive, Lu Ke.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Ke hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to say. He asked softly, "Then, Sister Ruan, what... what do you mean by bringing this up..."

I want to know why.

As Ruan Qing'an spoke, she looked up at him and asked earnestly.

Lu Ke thought that she was explaining this to decisively reject him, but he didn't expect that Ruan Qing'an would ask for the reason.

Why do I like it?

Lu Ke thought about it carefully. He subconsciously looked up at her and finally said after a long while, "Because you helped me before, Sister Ruan, I know that what you said is different from what they said."

"I'm afraid you don't remember, Sister Ruan. One night, after evening self-study, I was walking back through an alley. In my haste, I ran into some thugs. It was you, Sister Ruan, who helped me out of that situation, allowing me to leave safely..."

As he spoke, Lu Ke's voice grew softer and softer, as if he were somewhat embarrassed. Ruan Qing'an, upon hearing this, remained silent for a moment.

It's another classic plot from youth angst literature.

only……

After a deathly silence, Ruan Qing'an looked at Lu Ke and suddenly said, "I'm very grateful for your affection. At least... for me, you're the only one who shows me kindness. It's quite unexpected..."

Whether now or in the original story, for the original owner, the affection from Lu Ke was the only kindness she received.

Seeing Lu Ke's slightly confused and puzzled look, Ruan Qing'an didn't offer any explanation. She simply felt enveloped by the boy's warm affection, and her attitude softened a bit.

As Ruan Qing'an lowered her head, she chuckled softly, her tone gentle and tolerant: "Although I am very grateful for your affection, Lu Ke, I still cannot accept you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ke felt as if his breath had stopped. He had thought he was getting closer and closer to the girl he had a crush on, but he never expected to be rejected again.

Although Lu Ke wasn't surprised by Ruan Qing'an's answer, he still felt somewhat unwilling. He pursed his lips and couldn't help but ask, "Is it because you still prefer Zhou Zihang, Sister Ruan?"

"Zhou Zihang?"

Ruan Qing'an paused, then shook his head and said, "No, it's not because of him, Lu Ke."

Lu Ke suddenly raised his head. The usually aloof boy, who had kept his head down, mustered his courage to face the person he secretly loved.

Noticing his gaze, Ruan Qing'an became even more serious. She sighed softly, without a trace of nonchalant contempt.

Ruan Qing'an stared intently at Lu Ke with her leaden gray eyes and said, word by word, "You shouldn't be distracted by me. We... are not on the same path."

"This has nothing to do with money or family background. Lu Ke, you should focus on improving yourself during your senior year of high school to prepare for your college entrance exam and your future, instead of worrying about me."

"By disregarding your upcoming college entrance examination and your own grades, you decided to tell Teacher Wei that you agreed to tutor me, which has already affected your future because of me."

As she spoke, Ruan Qing'an propped her face up with one hand and picked up a textbook from the table with the other, sighing, "Lu Ke, even if teaching and learning go hand in hand, these basics are not something you need to continue learning."

"But I..."

"Your grades are already very good, Lu Ke."

As Ruan Qing'an was speaking, she suddenly seemed to remember something, looked up at Lu Ke, and suggested, "Speaking of which, would you like to go somewhere with me?"

It was only early evening, the time of late spring and early summer, and it was getting dark later and later. Faced with the request from the person he secretly loved, Lu Ke agreed without thinking.

After speaking with Lu's mother, Ruan Qing'an and Lu Ke left, and the place she was taking Lu Ke to was the original owner's home.

The original owner's family was indeed quite wealthy. They not only lived in a villa area, but behind this villa area was a small hillside planted with many trees, making for a very pleasant environment.

When Ruan Qing'an and his companion arrived, it was already dark. They went up the mountain from the back entrance and followed the path to the top.

To accommodate the wealthy residents of the villa area, this place was specially developed and transformed into a park. A row of benches was specially placed at the top of the hill, where Ruan Qingan and Lu Ke sat.

As dusk settled and all was quiet, beyond the layers of tree branches, the lights of the villas outside twinkled like scattered stars, while above them—

Black branches stretched out, and as they looked up, those branches seemed to outline a mysterious and beautiful painting in the night sky, until beyond the branches lay a star-studded night sky.

It's like—a bright future that can be seen after traversing rugged mountain roads and overgrown with thorns.

Lu Ke subconsciously looked up, amazed by the view before him. He never imagined that one day he would see such a view in the city.

Just then, a familiar melody, hummed, suddenly came from beside him.

Lu Ke froze. When he turned around, he saw the girl next to him, and her beautifully curved profile.

Her voice was clear and bright, as if it were lingering around Lu Ke in the quiet night.

The melody she was humming was written by Lu Ke himself...

"Sister Ruan, you—"

"terribly sorry."

Ruan Qing'an waved the draft paper in his hand, on which was the melody written by Lu Ke: "I saw you put it in the drawer, and I took it out before I left without telling you."

Unexpectedly, Lu Ke's face turned red immediately, and he quickly waved his hand: "No, no, it's not... I'm just, I'm very happy that Sister Ruan can sing it. I just wrote it for fun."

"But this also reflects your hard work, doesn't it?"

Ruan Qing'an chuckled, "I think it's great, Lu Ke."

Lu Ke paused, his hand still, and couldn't help but look at Ruan Qing'an: "Really?"

Hearing this, Ruan Qing'an nodded, placed the draft paper back in Lu Ke's hand, and continued, "Lu Ke, I feel that you are actually quite talented."

"If possible, you should face the college entrance examination in a better state, get into a better school, face a better future, and then... realize your ideals."

“Lu Ke, you shouldn’t be trapped by love. You don’t need to be so fixated on your so-called feelings for me over such a trivial matter. Perhaps what I want to see more is a better you in the future.”

In the quiet night, her gentle words, like silver ribbons, and her gentle, moonlight-like gaze fell upon Lu Ke, who in turn looked intently at Ruan Qing'an.

Meeting those leaden gray eyes, Lu Ke felt his heart beat even faster.

In the deathly silence, he heard his own voice say—

"I understand, Sister Ruan."

"I don't want to disappoint you..."

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