Si Lijue felt very uncomfortable when he saw Su Niannian deliberately creating distance between them and intentionally distancing herself from him.
He frowned almost imperceptibly, his expression darkening visibly, and he said in an unpleasant tone, "Why are you standing so far away from me? Come sit closer."
Su Niannian shook her head, her eyes resolute, and said in a firm tone, "No! I think this is fine. Just say what you have to say! I can hear you."
Before she learned about the relationship between Si Lijue and Shen Xinyi, she decided that she would not have any more intimate contact with him.
Even if it's a marriage of convenience, she only fulfills the promises in the agreement, pretending to be affectionate in front of outsiders, but keeping her distance in private.
Si Lijue looked at the stubborn woman in front of him, who seemed to be rejecting his contact, and seemed to guess what she was thinking.
He sighed helplessly and said softly, "You don't trust me at all, and you doubt me like this?"
"..."
Su Niannian's thoughts were exposed by him, and she lowered her head and refused to speak.
Si Lijue took the photo out of his pocket, placed it on the table, looked at Su Niannian with a serious expression, and said earnestly, "What I want to talk to you about is this photo, so that you won't misunderstand my sincerity."
He didn't care whether Su Niannian could listen or not, and said to himself, "Her name is Shen Xinyi, and she is the daughter of Uncle Shen who lives next door to us."
Because we're about the same age, we've played together since childhood, and later we even went to the same school. We have a very good relationship and are quite close friends.
At this point, he stared at Su Niannian's face, observing her expression, and emphasized, to highlight the innocence between himself and Shen Xinyi, that "we are only good friends."
He then continued, "This photo was taken at our senior year graduation ceremony. After the intense college entrance examination, everyone's tense nerves were finally released, and we were especially happy."
Jiang Che took advantage of our inattention and secretly snapped a picture of the two of us together, that's all.
"If it weren't for Jiang Che's prank, this photo wouldn't exist. Do you understand my explanation?"
He felt that he had completely explained the origin of the photo to Su Niannian, and thought that Su Niannian should be able to let it go.
At the same time, he was also blaming Jiang Che in his heart. If it weren't for his prank back then, none of this would have happened today.
As Su Niannian listened to Si Lijue's explanation, her hands, which had been tightly clasped together, turned slightly white from the excessive force.
But soon she seemed to realize something and slowly let go of her hand.
Her lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, but after a moment's hesitation, she closed her mouth again.
After repeating this several times, she finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Really...really we're just high school classmates?"
"Could it be... could it be that there is no other relationship?" As she spoke, she stared intently at Si Lijue's handsome face, as if trying to find some clue in his expression.
Only when she saw his calm expression did her heart, which had been in her throat, finally ease a little.
Although she doesn't have obsessive-compulsive disorder about cleanliness, she still craves exclusive love and doesn't want her lover to have thoughts about other women.
Si Lijue narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed at Su Niannian, his eyes deep and full of affection.
He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a smile that wasn't quite a smile, and slowly asked in return, "Otherwise what? Do you think there's some kind of special relationship between her and me?"
Or are you already convinced that I'm two-timing, having a passionate affair with you while still thinking about her?
Su Niannian listened to his seemingly nonchalant tone, as if there was no relationship between him and Shen Xinyi, at least no romantic feelings between them.
However, his unusual behavior after seeing Shen Xinyi's photo made people feel that their relationship was not ordinary.
Su Niannian frowned slightly, thinking to herself: This man's thoughts are too unpredictable, I can't figure out what he's thinking at all.
Instead of wasting time and effort guessing and speculating, I might as well stop beating around the bush and just ask him all my questions directly, letting him answer them for me.
After thinking it through, she took a deep breath and mustered up her courage to ask, "Isn't she your first love, the white moonlight that you've always missed?"
Furthermore, I heard that you two were even about to get engaged, but I don't know what happened, and you ultimately chose to break up?
Si Lijue didn't answer her question directly. Instead, he subtly moved closer to her, ruffled her hair, and said earnestly, "It seems you really don't trust me at all, and you have no confidence in yourself!"
Su Niannian pouted and said irritably, "Don't change the subject. Please answer my question directly. What exactly happened between you and her? Can you tell me?"
Si Lijue sat close to her, watching her determined look on her face as she wouldn't give up until she got to the bottom of things. He reached out and gently took Su Niannian's hand, offering her strength and support.
So, he spoke calmly and casually: "She and I don't have the romantic feelings you're imagining, nor is it a romantic relationship. We're just good friends."
As for the engagement that didn't exist, it was just a match made up haphazardly by our parents without our knowledge, and neither of us knew anything about it.
Xinyi has always had lofty ambitions, hoping to pursue further studies abroad, broaden her horizons and knowledge, and learn things she couldn't learn domestically. That's why she chose to study abroad.
Seeing that Si Lijue's reaction was calm and didn't seem like he was lying, Su Niannian wondered if he was just trying to appease her or if he was truly honest. She asked again, "Is what you said true? Should I believe you?"
Si Lijue tightened his grip on Su Niannian's hand, nodded solemnly, and replied with certainty, "Really, I won't lie to you. And you should believe me."
Then, he pulled her into his arms and said softly, "You seemed very unhappy just now. Tell me honestly, were you jealous?"
"I... I didn't." Su Niannian's cheeks flushed slightly, and she hurriedly avoided Si Lijue's gaze.
At the same time, she shook her head vigorously, as if trying to tell Si Lijue that she was not lying.
When she heard Si Lijue's patient explanation, the frustration that had been nagging at her inexplicably dissipated, replaced by an indescribable sweet feeling.
She felt the love from Si Lijue, and was completely immersed in this warm atmosphere.
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