Chapter 25
As agreed, Qi Yi walked to the alley behind the library in advance. It was a deserted place, with some crooked words carved on the mottled walls. He vaguely remembered that this wall was called the Wishing Wall because a boy once carved the name of his secret crush on it. Later, the crush accidentally saw it and they quickly fell in love and became a couple.
Some of the characters were no longer legible due to their age or the flamboyant calligraphy, but some were carved in the past two years and their meanings could still be discerned. Qi Yi waited and read them one by one when he had nothing to do.
He couldn't help but shake his head as he watched. They were all just lovesick, either wishing for their secret crush to come true or wishing for a lasting relationship. It was completely boring.
Suddenly, his gaze fixed on an inconspicuous spot in the corner of the wall.
He lowered his head and smiled, still shaking his head. But this time, his shaking of the head had a more indulgent meaning than before.
Su Zihan hurried over. Qi Yi glanced at the time and it was just in time. He restrained his expression and waved to Su Zihan. Her eyes lit up and her expression relaxed. The tense atmosphere between them eased a little.
"I spoke too much that day." Qi Yi apologized proactively.
"It's okay. I was a little impulsive at the time." Su Zihan tucked her messy hair behind her ears. "Let's make peace."
Qi Yi nodded: "Of course, I should say this. Did you ask me out to tell me this?"
“Not entirely.”
Su Zihan walked a few steps in the alley, then turned back and looked at him with sincere eyes: "There is something I don't know whether I should tell you." Her tone was full of worry for Qi Yi.
"you say."
"This pendant is yours, right?" She took it out of her pocket and handed it to him.
Qi Yi took it subconsciously and saw the familiar ring. He had seen this pendant on Shen Huaixin's schoolbag. Whenever he met her on the road, he could always hear the sound of the jade colliding with the fabric with her footsteps.
He knew that the girl had evil intentions and was hiding her feelings, deliberately showing off in front of the unsuspecting crowd. But he didn't mind.
"Why are you here?" Qi Yi frowned, realizing that things were not simple.
"I happened to pick it up and wanted to return it to you," Su Zihan paused and added, "She must have lost it accidentally."
Qi Yi was a little puzzled: "Just return it to her directly, you don't have to give it to me, or you can ask the teacher to pass it on..."
As he spoke, he carefully examined the information Su Zihan had given him. He felt something was wrong and gradually fell into thought: "Where did you pick it up?"
Su Zihan remained silent.
"Could it be... a trash can?" Qi Yi asked tentatively.
Under Qi Yi's close gaze, Su Zihan's expression shifted, and after a moment, he nodded slightly. His heart suddenly sank, as if being dragged by something, and he felt an indescribable discomfort.
But Qi Yi didn't believe it immediately. He knew Su Zihan's character and she wouldn't lie, but there might be some misunderstanding. He wanted to confirm it, but confronting her in front of Su Zihan seemed inappropriate.
On the other hand, Su Zihan looked concerned: "Why don't you check with Shen Huaixin, maybe the one I picked up is fake? It's possible that someone saw how good it looked when she was hanging it and bought a replica."
Her frank proposal made Qi Yi feel a little ashamed, especially after he had secretly suspected her. Qi Yi dialed the phone,
"Hello, Shen Huaixin? Um, I'm Qi Yi. You wrapped it...right."
"Accidentally lost it? When?"
"Yeah, it's okay."
He hung up the phone, not showing it on the surface, but deep down he was already convinced. Thinking back to the scene he saw after the art performance, he felt that Shen Huaixin might indeed have…fallen in love with someone else. Having been silently paying attention but not getting a response, and pursuing fruitlessly, he naturally shifted his attention elsewhere.
Not to mention the fact that he failed to call for help in time, which put her in danger. He always had a vague feeling that the potential impact of this incident on their relationship was greater than he had imagined.
Shen Huaixin threw away the pendant he gave her and consciously clarified the relationship with him. This was a good thing for him.
“…”
"Qi Yi?" Su Zihan called him back to his thoughts. She frowned and held Qi Yi's hands, with the pendant in between. "I know it's very devastating to have a gift you gave with all your heart thrown away."
She tilted her head and said gently, "No matter what, I will always be with you."
Hit?
Qi Yi disagreed. How could he be hurt by this?
Su Zihan looked at his face and said seriously: "Chen Huaixin has such a bad vision. How can that fool Shen Chumo compare to you? But it's okay. She won't like you in the future..."
"No," Qi Yi seemed to be stabbed. He pulled Su Zihan's wrist with his backhand and took her to the corner of the wishing wall, pointing it out to her. "Look at what she wrote. How could she change her mind?"
After saying that, both of them were stunned. Qi Yi quickly relaxed his grip, apologized, and left in a hurry.
Su Zihan stopped where he was and saw the words written on the wall: Xinxin Qiyi 99
Qi Yi was offended by the jealousy in his own words.
It was hard for him to imagine that this was something he would say, especially when the object of his jealousy was Shen Huaixin. He must have lost his mind to forget Shen Huaixin's various bad deeds, such as being persistent and trying to win his heart with a bank card, and forcing the girl who handed him a love letter to drop out of school.
But... he paused, looked in the direction he was heading, and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He had to admit that he cared about Shen Huaixin. Even when he learned that she had thrown away the pendant, his first reaction was not anger, but disappointment. Even now, when he went to the classroom where Shen Huaixin was, he did not do so to accuse her.
They were already very close to the classroom, and Qi Yi stopped and walked back and forth, feeling conflicted.
She must be incredibly proud that he'd lowered himself to find her, right? Or was she simply playing hard to get? She'd dropped the pendant on Su Zihan's path, waiting for her to find out and tell him, just to make her anxious and jealous.
Regardless, she succeeded.
Coincidentally, Baby Face passed by, and Qi Yi hurriedly called her and asked her to convey to Shen Huaixin that he was waiting outside and had something to say to her alone.
The baby-faced girl's face lit up with joy, her eyes intriguing. She then responded and skipped into the classroom. Soon, the classroom was filled with boos.
Soon, Shen Huaixin came out, and many black heads leaned out of the window, whispering to each other. Qi Yi frowned slightly, and the atmosphere made him feel that he would not be able to get out of this situation unless he confessed in public.
He gestured to Shen Huaixin, and as they walked out, he quietly observed her profile, her features delicate, like the strokes of a painting. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes innocent and a little bewildered. She didn't feel the shyness of being called out by her beloved alone, but rather she felt pure confusion.
She is indeed beautiful. This thought hit Qi Yi's mind, and he suddenly realized that if she was confessed to by someone, it would be reasonable. Even if that person was not him, there would be others.
He could see that her singing video had caused a huge stir on the forum, and the popularity had already surpassed the previous campus beauty competition. Many classmates who had never heard of her before were also trying to find out about her, but most people had not yet noticed the subtle shift in public opinion about her.
If before, people's evaluation of her was "bully" and "unlearned", after that video, keywords related to "beauty" and "talent" have gradually emerged.
Unconsciously, his thoughts began to converge with Su Zihan's. Although their motives were different, their expressions were consistent - the video of Shen Huaixin's performance should not be posted online.
Shen Huaixin walked slower and slower. She looked back and said, "We are far enough away from the classroom. What's the important matter? About Su Zihan?"
"No," Qi Yi paused and looked at her, "It's about you."
Shen Huaixin was startled, lowered his head and thought for a moment, muttering: "I don't think I did anything wrong?"
Qi Yi couldn't help laughing and shook his head. When his eyes fell on her, there was a hint of subtle tenderness.
"Do you still like me?"
"Ah? Yeah." Shen Huaixin nodded in affirmation.
Qi Yi was not surprised. From passionate pursuit to forbearance, even if Shen Huaixin really wanted to change her partner, it was impossible for her to withdraw from her feelings for him so quickly. She would always have some thoughts about him. There is a saying that "you can't meet someone too amazing when you are young", which is exactly the truth.
He felt relieved and said mercifully, "Okay, I can give you a chance."
“…”
“……?!”
Shen Huaixin was shocked. Considering the context, was this the "opportunity" she'd been thinking of? If not, how could the male lead have an affair with the vicious female supporting character? Did this make sense?
[Chen Huaixin: Thunder King, how should I respond to this? Are you still maintaining your character? Then I agree.]
【system:……】
[Chen Huaixin: I understand. Is he trying to make the heroine jealous? They are indeed in a cold war, but I'm afraid he might go too far.]
【system:……】
[Chen Huaixin: What should I say? System, you give the order.]
【System: You decide.】
If you agree, the relationship between the hero and heroine will collapse and they will be electrocuted; if you refuse, the character will collapse and they will be electrocuted. The legendary electrotherapy paradox appears.
Seeing the system acting as a hands-off shopkeeper, Shen Huaixin was deeply troubled. She hesitated, fearing that she would make a mistake and create an irreparable rift between the male and female protagonists.
To be honest, Qi Yi's risky move was a bit childish, and he didn't consider whether it would hurt other girls.
Where on earth had she offended Qi Yi to give her such a life-threatening question? The more Shen Huaixin looked at Qi Yi, the more disgusting he seemed to her, and she was so angry that her teeth itched.
Shen Huaixin's overly enthusiastic gaze made Qi Yi cough and turn away unnaturally. Do you like him so much?
She looked like she wanted to swallow him whole, and even swallowed her saliva. Her lust for his body was too obvious, and she didn't know how to restrain herself. He just said to give her a chance, but she had already imagined the whole process of giving birth?
Qi Yi frowned: "What's wrong? What's your answer?"
"Nothing." Shen Huaixin was shocked on both sides. He chose the lesser of two evils and spoke with determination, "Actually, I..."
“Sister Xin——!”
Not far away, Shen Chumo waved at Shen Huaixin and trotted over.
Shen Huaixin was overjoyed to see his savior coming. He apologized to Qi Yi and reunited with him.
Qi Yi didn't intend to push her too hard. She'd received a lot of information today, so it would be helpful for both parties to go home and calm down. He had already achieved his goal by confirming his unshakable position in her heart. He nodded at her and let her go.
He tilted his head slightly and looked at Shen Chumo. The man faced the light, his eyes dark and deep, completely different from his previous childishness. When he looked at him expressionlessly, there was a chill in his eyes.
Qi Yi's eyelids twitched, and he suddenly began to doubt whether he had underestimated him.
In the eyes of most people, although Chen Chumo is a good student, he is always a little stupid and ignorant of the ways of the world. When communicating, it is more difficult to use slightly complex meanings or popular memes.
But his eyes have begun to show territorial awareness towards the objects of personal marking.
For Shen Chumo, Shen Huaixin is also special. Qi Yi is sure.
Yeah, also.
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