(75)
When the boat reached the center of the river, the surface was like a mirror, sparkling in the sunlight. All around was quiet, with only the sound of the oars cutting through the water and the gentle breeze listening to it.
Lin Tingfeng looked at Ye Wenyu and suddenly said cautiously, "Didn't I tell you before that I had something to say to you? I'm going to say it now." He stared at her as he said this, with the feeling of a hunter staring at its prey.
Ye Wenyu was stunned, then her mind went blank and her heart pounded wildly. She sat up straight, suppressing her romantic thoughts, her face flushed. She mustered her courage and looked up at Lin Tingfeng, the world around her becoming a blank.
The moment of truth has finally arrived!
He was so clever to choose this moment to start the conversation! She didn't know why she thought that way, but she immediately felt that she was in a disadvantageous position, a very passive situation.
She thought bitterly, "He always has the upper hand!"
When will she have the upper hand? Maybe in her next life.
Ye Wenyu was unsure how to face the situation, so she remained silent and waited for the right moment to act. However, due to her nervousness, she clenched her hands tightly behind her back, her fingernails digging into her flesh, turning her fingertips dark red. This was because she had exerted too much force, causing all the blood to pool at her fingertips.
It was quiet all around. The boat moved silently on the River Cam, the water rippling gently. In the distance, the pointed roof of a church could be seen, and the slow chimes of bells rang out one after another.
Ye Wenyu was so nervous that all her muscles were stiff, her chin was square, and her pupils were reduced to small black dots. But she tried her best to appear relaxed, even though she knew that her feigned ease might only make Lin Tingfeng laugh. But she didn't care. At least this way, her self-esteem was preserved despite her arrogance.
She seemed to see a shining string, and her shoulders trembled.
Lin Tingfeng smiled, as if mocking himself, or perhaps laughing at her, and slowly said, "The boatman doesn't speak Chinese."
Ye Wenyu was taken aback. What did he mean? Did he imply that no one else would know about their conversation today? Only heaven, earth, you, and I knew? Was that what he meant?
Was he telling her to relax? Was he afraid of hurting her pride?
If it's love, then he probably wouldn't mind the whole world knowing, and would happily accept the blessings. Lin Tingfeng's tone suggested that he wasn't about to confess his feelings to her, but rather to secretly tell her about a long-planned conspiracy. Was he slowly peeling back the sugar coating of a poison? A grand deception that had been meticulously orchestrated long ago?
Thinking of this, Ye Wenyu felt a surge of fear, a chill rising from her back. Her mind was filled with confusion, and she clenched her fists tightly behind her back, hoping for a happy ending. She had suffered for too long and didn't want to go back to her old life. She didn't expect to live a life of luxury under Lin Tingfeng's protection, but she hoped that he would have some sincerity towards her.
Love means hoping he can love her as she does, wanting a response, not building a castle in one's heart alone.
She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and silently prayed in the swaying heart of the boat.
Lin Tingfeng, seeing Ye Wenyu's slightly trembling shoulders, her suddenly drooping head, and her beautiful face filled with sincere prayer, suddenly fell silent.
Guilt overflowed like water.
He thought to himself that she was praying, entrusting her fate to the gods, and that she was not entrusting the rest of her life to him, so it could be inferred that she did not trust him, even though she liked him.
Lin Tingfeng thought to himself, "Girl, while you are praying silently, I am also praying to heaven, praying that you also have a little bit of sincerity towards me, even if it's just a little bit, as long as it's sincere."
He gave so much, all for a little bit of sincerity—in this society obsessed with fame and fortune, for someone who could be truly sincere to him.
Time passed slowly, and the two remained silent for an unknown amount of time, as still as the sea. The April sun shone on them, and the air gradually became hot. Ye Wenyu didn't know how many times she had prayed fervently, and beads of sweat appeared on her fair forehead.
Lin Tingfeng finally spoke. He gazed at Ye Wenyu and slowly said, "I like you."
What?! Ye Wenyu froze abruptly. His voice was very soft, but to her ears it sounded like thunder.
He finally confessed his love to her! Did she hear that right? Her body stiffened and remained motionless, frozen in place. Inside, she was overwhelmed with a complex mix of emotions: ecstasy, shock, surprise, suspicion, and sweetness. She wished she could hear him say it again, to prove that the confession she had heard before was not an illusion.
Memories, like colorful butterflies, fluttered up and down in her heart. All the past events, like images in a mirror, spun rapidly in her mind like a kaleidoscope. She could almost hear soft music in her ears. His face, as cold as a playing card, his hands that refused to touch her as if they were ascetic, his sudden disappearance for months—all of it. If he liked her, then it could only be said that he had hidden his feelings too well.
This is a man whose cunning is as deep and complex as a secluded courtyard.
Ye Wenyu still didn't look up at Lin Tingfeng. Because she didn't believe him, she didn't show any excitement or ecstasy. Although her heart was filled with sweetness, she was afraid that when she looked up and their eyes met, the light in her eyes would betray her inner joy.
Her body seemed to be running a high fever, alternating between hot and cold, her shoulders trembling. Her face was burning hot, but her hands were as cold as ice.
Lin Tingfeng was somewhat disappointed when he saw that Ye Wenyu did not respond to his confession. He seemed to have never taken the initiative to tell anyone that he liked them before. This was the first and the last time.
He has already given too much in one relationship.
The shrewd man was determined to succeed this time. If things didn't go as planned and he failed, he would never try again.
Love seems to be the most unprofitable investment; the most unwise thing for a person to do is to give away their whole heart.
His face remained calm as he quietly and gently asked, "You like me, don't you?"
Ye Wenyu stiffened again, and in a daze she understood. A warm current swept through her heart. At the beginning of their conversation, he confessed to her and frankly admitted that he liked her. This was probably out of a gentlemanly manner, as well as to protect her as a poor girl in a disadvantaged position, so as to put her at ease.
He was still meticulous and considerate, like a gentleman. He could have been more discreet, but he wasn't, which shows that he cared for her.
Ye Wenyu looked up, her bright, sparkling eyes fixed on Lin Tingfeng. Lin Tingfeng's face flushed slightly, but he still gazed at her with a smile. She understood the meaning behind his earlier words, and her eyes held both smile and gratitude. He admired her intelligence; he had known it from their first meeting, and she had not disappointed him.
The smile in his eyes deepened again.
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