Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Confession
Is it raining?
She suddenly heard You Jingzhou talking to himself.
Then, as if in response, the sound of calling friends back to shelter from the rain came from afar. A light drizzle was falling, not heavy, and people were already gathering at the restaurant. Yu Shuling was about to head there when You Jingzhou grabbed her wrist.
Don't go.
He didn't use much force, but he pulled Yu Shuling back. Through the thin fabric of her clothes, he could feel the unique warmth of a young man's body. This time, You Jingzhou didn't immediately let go, but instead explained to her:
There are too many people over there.
Neither of them were unknown celebrities, and Yu Shuling's choice of such a less-known location was partly due to her desire to avoid being disturbed. Yu Shuling understood almost instantly and stood still. Then, she saw You Jingzhou take off his hoodie and discreetly drape it over her head, shielding her from the falling raindrops.
Yu Shuling subconsciously looked up.
She wasn't petite, but compared to You Jingzhou, even with heels to make up for the height difference, she was still about half a head shorter. This difference made it easy for her to see the boy's high nose and handsome features when she looked up.
You Jingzhou has double eyelids, and his eyes are not very big. His delicate eye shape is not very deep, but when he doesn't smile, his features have a cold and aggressive look. When he smiles, however, he is as gentle and warm as a golden retriever, which reduces his aloofness.
At this moment, he was looking down, not at Yu Shuling's face, but at her carefully shielding her from the wind and rain. His hands firmly held up his coat, remaining perfectly in place even in the slightly chilly sea breeze of late spring. Beneath his elegant demeanor lay a burning passion.
Without pressing or taking the initiative, he played a clever trick of retreating to advance, using this distanced posture to confine her to a small space, yet an ambiguous feeling arose, enveloping the two of them.
The moment the distance closed, Yu Shuling once again felt her heartbeat become disordered, something she hadn't experienced in a long time.
Moreover, she rarely showed such a girlish side of herself, revealing it completely and without any concealment to the other person.
The wind grew stronger, and the coat that had been blocking the rain from above could no longer shield them from the rain pouring in from all directions; it even felt a bit chilly against their skin. The two stood under the eaves of a veranda near the cherry blossom tree, with no one else around. You Jingzhou, who had initially been restrained, had now closed the distance between them, placing his large coat over their heads. Yu Shuling had her head down, and she could even feel the boy's warm breath brushing against the top of her head.
The atmosphere gradually became increasingly dangerous as it spiraled out of control.
Yu Shuling instinctively grabbed the hem of her dress.
"Yu Shuling," she suddenly heard You Jingzhou call her name in the long silence. Since they met, they had basically addressed each other as "teacher." From the initial politeness to the later teasing, Yu Shuling's eyelashes trembled as she listened to his warm and deep voice coming from above, "I want to ask you a question."
Before Yu Shuling could answer, You Jingzhou had already grabbed the hem of her clothes, letting the coat above his head slip limply down. He seemed to have mustered all his courage, making no further move, allowing the distance between them to remain at a point where they could easily separate. His voice wasn't loud, but it was incredibly clear:
Do you know that I like you?
The tension that had been building in Yu Shuling's mind as he approached suddenly snapped without her noticing.
The howling wind, the crashing waves, and the sound of rain pattering on fallen petals all miraculously fell silent at this moment. Yu Shuling involuntarily raised her head and looked into the young man's eyes, which were filled with tenderness. The exaggerated embellishments that she had previously thought were exaggerated in the text suddenly became clear to her.
There were no stars on the rainy night, but she felt as if the stars had been blended into her eyes, making them appear genuinely lovely.
To meet her gaze, he bent down slightly. This gesture didn't look awkward at all; instead, it was filled with a unique warmth that gradually filled his heart.
In the relatively short span of her past and present lives, she engaged in numerous schemes and deliberate displays. A clever and shrewd person can always figure out how to maximize their own benefits and how to win people's hearts.
But it was also the first time she had ever felt that unadulterated, burning heat in some people.
You Jingzhou's lips were very beautiful. She only realized when she got closer that the boy had done skin care and groomed himself before the date. He must have applied a very thin layer of lip gloss, which made his lips look even more perfect.
...I want to kiss you.
This was Yu Shuling's first reaction.
Yu Shuling wasn't one to hide her feelings, nor did she like to play dumb. She wasn't particularly lustful, but given the circumstances, she couldn't say she had no impure thoughts about You Jingzhou.
But she still slowly pushed the person in front of her away.
You Jingzhou felt as if he had been doused with cold water, and a hurt and bewildered look flashed in his eyes.
Yu Shuling took a deep breath, a rare occurrence, to calm her disordered breathing. She took a step back, preferring to let the wind and rain soak her back rather than do anything irresponsible or regrettable at a time like this.
She stopped staring at You Jingzhou's lips and instead looked him straight in the eye, answering her initial question:
"I know."
You Jingzhou was like a puppy tethered by its owner with a beloved object, unable to resist staring intently at her. Even though he had guessed the answer, he still wanted to wait for her fate to decide.
Yu Shuling turned around, pondered her words, pursed her lips, and then turned back to him:
“Right now, it’s not a good match for me. Lyra is still on the rise, and I’m not a solo artist. I don’t have enough capital to establish myself. A quick relationship would damage my career and be unfair to me, you, my teammates, and our fans.” Once she said that, the logic flowed much more smoothly. Yu Shuling raised her fingertip to her lips, stopping You Jingzhou’s eagerness. “Let me finish.”
"I like you too, so I don't want a fleeting, superficial romance that ends in a quick breakup. If you can give me two years, I want to work hard to solidify our relationship. If our feelings haven't changed by then, we can be together openly and legitimately. If you fall for another girl, that won't stop you from dating, okay?"
As You Jingzhou listened to her, his expression gradually changed. When he uttered the last sentence, he couldn't help but twitch his lips and reveal a somewhat strange smile.
"You talk like you're so old..."
Yu Shuling always gave him a mature feeling, but he didn't dislike her. She had a perfect combination of youthful vigor and mature sophistication. From the beginning, she was so mysterious that he couldn't take his eyes off her.
She must be hiding many secrets, but now is not the time to ask.
Adult love doesn't need a lot of stubbornness. Yu Shuling isn't the type to use hints or anything like that. She first clearly acknowledged her feelings and then gave an answer that was irresistible and didn't feel like moral blackmail.
She didn't keep him hanging, nor did she guarantee that her feelings would never change. She said "we," not "I," and considered their future plans together, as well as every other aspect.
Two years is indeed not a short period of bloom for idols in the Chinese entertainment industry, but it is also not a long time for them. It is enough for You Jingzhou to see hope and calm down.
He wasn't too disappointed; on the contrary, Yu Shuling's confident words gave You Jingzhou a real sense of being favored.
He believed that if Xiao Lin were standing in front of her now, let alone two years, Yu Shuling could beat him away with sticks in two seconds.
Thinking of that scene, You Jingzhou, whose confession had temporarily failed, couldn't help but laugh.
Yu Shuling didn't know what he was laughing at, and looked up in confusion.
The rain ruffled the girl's hair, revealing a rare hint of naivety in her bright eyes. You Jingzhou's fingers itched slightly, and he almost impulsively reached out to pinch the girl's cheek to feel its texture, but he quickly withdrew his hand without making a sound.
The rain intensified, and Yu Shuling decisively stuffed her wet coat into her arms. After sending a message on her phone, she grabbed You Jingzhou and ran towards the roadside. The two ran all the way to a nearby bus stop, where the sudden downpour isolated them.
A while later, Yu Shuling's company car arrived. The driver glanced at the two of them, said nothing, and focused on driving. She asked the driver to navigate and take You Jingzhou to the hotel first, since she couldn't very well bring him into her dormitory.
After returning home, Yu Shuling quickly took a shower and changed her clothes. Only then did she see the message You Jingzhou had sent her. Unlike his previous restraint, there was a more natural intimacy after confirming his feelings.
Yu Shuling smiled and replied normally, just like always.
In her view, young people's feelings come and go quickly. Although it was said to be two years, she didn't really believe in promises.
Idol groups are bound by unwritten rules, relying on fans to vote for their works. Dating is considered a violation of professional ethics, and they risk losing fans to pursue relationships, so many can't hide it. She has criticized Jiang Wenxi and Qi Xiuxiu, stating that she is not only completely stable in her career but can also ensure that Lyra is not affected; otherwise, it would be a collapse of trust for fans.
Naturally, as a woman, the proportion of "dream female fans" is definitely smaller compared to male idols. The main reason she doesn't want to be in a relationship is that she feels it's unnecessary. A relationship would inevitably affect her career development, and besides love and desire, friendship and the glory and love given by countless fans can fill her heart completely.
As for You Jingzhou, he was a flawless man—handsome, young, and a singer-songwriter who achieved fame at a young age—so it was impossible for him to lack female admirers. She frankly admitted her attraction, but ultimately, having weathered many storms, she didn't place love on such a high level.
Life goes on, slowly but surely, and we continue to move forward.
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Author's note: I've finally gotten to this point, hehe!
It will probably be finished within 300,000 words. Although it has been bumpy, I have roughly expressed the story I wanted to tell. I will update it whenever I have time, and I will definitely finish writing it.
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