It wasn't until I felt the force pulling my hand outwards that I snapped out of it, and then I felt the pulling force even more clearly.
Without much reaction, he instinctively clenched his fist and grabbed Song Lili's hand, which was already halfway out.
"Lili"
"Okay, I... I was just joking. It was so dark, I... I was a little scared, so I wanted to start a conversation."
"You...you don't have to take it to heart, just...just take it as me joking."
Courage is only a fleeting moment; once that moment passes, one will retreat and try to find excuses to ease the pain.
After Song Lili asked the question, she didn't get a response from Zhang Qinghua, so she felt a little embarrassed and tried to ease the awkwardness with a joke.
Feeling very uncomfortable with Zhang Qinghua holding her hand, she shifted her shoulders and twisted her entire arm.
Zhang Qinghua gripped her even tighter, completely unaware of Song Lili's feelings at that moment.
But he knew this was a good opportunity, a good opportunity to let the other party understand his thoughts.
Zhang Qinghua has been thinking a lot lately about how to make Song Lili understand his feelings, since Song Lili will be sixteen after the New Year.
Girls can get engaged when they turn sixteen, and he had been thinking about how to tell Song Lili about it.
He was caught off guard when Song Lili suddenly asked the question on such an ordinary day.
That's why I didn't answer immediately.
He reacted quickly, grabbing Song Lili's fidgeting hand and taking another step closer, almost touching her.
"Yes, I've liked you for a long time." Zhang Qinghua's voice was low, but deep and magnetic.
In the quiet night, the sound reached Song Lili's ears very clearly and drifted into her heart.
Her struggling hands stopped, and she stared blankly at Zhang Qinghua. "Really? You really like me?"
"Yes," Zhang Qinghua nodded firmly. "I've liked you for years," he thought, but he didn't say it aloud.
"You really like me?" Song Lili still couldn't believe it and asked again.
"Yes," Zhang Qinghua nodded again, his expression firm.
Song Lili laughed, a laugh as bright as fireworks, dazzling everyone's eyes.
Although Zhang Qinghua couldn't see Song Lili's expression clearly, he could sense her emotions and smiled along with her.
Song Lili relaxed completely, her earlier tension gone. "When did it start? I only recently discovered it."
Zhang Qinghua held Song Lili's hand tightly, his hands sweating with nervousness, and Song Lili could feel the dampness in his palms.
“Lili, then…” Zhang Qinghua licked his lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing several times, “Then… what about you? Do you… like me?”
Zhang Qinghua's short sentence made both of their hearts pound like drums.
Zhang Qinghua's nervousness was contagious to Song Lili, who unconsciously licked her lips to ease her tension.
"I...I like you too," Song Lili said in a soft, almost inaudible voice.
"Really?" Zhang Qinghua shouted excitedly, grabbing Song Lili's arm with his other hand, and the hand that was grabbing hers also grabbed her other arm.
Song Lili nodded shyly, "Yes."
Song Lili has thought it through these past few days; she does like Zhang Qinghua.
Zhang Qinghua is handsome and has a tough-guy vibe, which is exactly the kind of man Song Lili liked best in modern times.
However, the men around her all looked weak and sluggish, and they were slow and indecisive, which Song Lili found very distasteful.
That's why she's been single for so many years.
Although Zhang Qinghua was young, he gave Song Lili a sense of security, making her feel that she could rely on him completely.
Secondly, Zhang Qinghua is not talkative, but he is very efficient in doing things, and he shares the same views and understanding as Song Lili on many things.
Just like with Luo Weijia's situation, if others knew that she wanted to bring Luo Weijia down, they would definitely say she was crazy first, and then they would stop her and persuade her to give up.
But Zhang Qinghua didn't. He only said he would help her, which meant he supported her.
Is this what they call shared values?
From any perspective, Zhang Qinghua and Song Lili are a perfect match. Most importantly, Song Lili is not averse to him, and the thought of him brings her a sense of sweetness.
So, Song Lili, who is usually oblivious and carefree, finally had a moment of clarity and realized that she liked Zhang Qinghua.
Now, she is very happy to hear that Zhang Qinghua also likes her.
Zhang Qinghua asked, and she answered.
"That's great, that's really great!" Zhang Qinghua excitedly rushed over and hugged Song Lili, almost jumping up and down.
Song Lili wore a sweet smile; she never expected Zhang Qinghua to have such a childlike side.
He was usually indifferent and composed, and this was the first time Song Lili had ever seen him so lively.
Zhang Qinghua jumped for a while before stopping, but he still felt a surge of anger in his chest, wanting to shout it out loud so that he could feel relieved.
The joy and happiness welling up inside me, combined with that energy, just wanted to burst out.
He took several deep breaths to barely suppress it, but he never let go of Song Lili's hand.
Song Lili leaned obediently against Zhang Qinghua, feeling the warmth of a man's embrace for the first time.
The two hugged quietly for a while before Song Lili pushed Zhang Qinghua away, saying, "Okay, I need to go home now, otherwise my dad will worry."
I wonder if Guo Guihua told Song Yongren that she would be going back a little later. If she didn't, Song Yongren must be worried right now.
Zhang Qinghua's hand slid down, and when it touched Song Lili's hand, he suddenly grabbed it and held it tightly.
"Okay, let's go, I'll take you home."
Two people who originally liked each other suddenly confessed their feelings and only wanted to do one thing: stick to each other.
Therefore, Zhang Qinghua couldn't help but move closer to Song Lili, and Song Lili couldn't help but move closer to Zhang Qinghua as well.
Only when the distance between the two became zero, or even negative, were they satisfied, and walked sweetly towards the Fifth Brigade.
However, the two walked slower and slower until, in the end, it was as if they were counting ants on the ground, walking at a snail's pace.
However, neither of them realized that there was anything wrong with it and thought it was fine.
So, by the time they finally made it to the Fifth Brigade, an hour had passed, and Song Yongren had already circled his own doorstep several times.
Upon seeing Song Yongren, Song Lili finally released Zhang Qinghua's hand, saying, "My boss can't see this, or he'll definitely beat you up."
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