Chapter 8 Common Route (08) "I want you, Yingxing-ge..."
"A couple's set meal for you, please enjoy." The fox-human waiter brought over the plates.
He Yuan took the cup with regular sugar, then picked up the tiramisu from the set meal, leaving the unsweetened latte and the slightly bitter matcha mille-feuille for Ying Xing.
As a qualified player, he will remember the preferences of all his friends.
Taking a sip of her latte, He Yuan recalled her plans and said to Ying Xing, "Brother Ying Xing, I bought tickets for the ice rink. Will you come with me later?"
"I won't... okay."
Yingxing wanted to say she didn't know how, but Heyuan had already bought it all, and prepared so much for this date that had been canceled...
He said, "But I've never played this before, so I might not be able to play with you."
He Yuan frankly said, "I don't know how either. I mainly saw on the forum that ice skating can increase opportunities for contact and enhance relationships."
Ying Xing: "..."
He rubbed his temples. "What are the plans next?"
He Yuan opened her memo and read it down one by one: "Candlelight dinner, I've booked a restaurant with a great view; stargazing cruise at night, we'll watch the stars together; to the aquarium tomorrow morning, and lunch at my house—"
"Go to your house?!"
Ying Xing raised his voice, attracting the attention of the guests.
He immediately lowered his voice, "What are you going to do at your house? You—how can you just bring someone home like that?!"
He Yuan replied matter-of-factly, "Of course, it's to let Brother Yingxing taste my cooking, and also to let him see the environment in which I grew up, so he can understand me better."
Ying Xing didn't know how to answer, so he asked the same question he had just asked, "If that person comes as agreed today, will you take him home?"
"Do you know how... this is a very—"
"I will be in no danger," He Yuan said confidently.
Yingxing felt like he was about to have a brain hemorrhage.
He gulped down a latte, suppressing the curse that almost escaped his lips.
Is this a question of whether there is any danger?
Sometimes, danger is impossible to prevent!
What if that person is planning to do something?
He Yuan made these moves without even knowing the other party's information.
They were so careless!
Yingxing gripped the cup handle tightly. "Heyuan, don't invite others home so easily."
He tried to dissuade He Yuan from his idea and correct the young man's thinking.
Even if you're lawless in your daily life... don't be lawless in this kind of thing!!!
"For most people, home and room are very private places, so don't bring people back just because it's a whim."
He Yuan nodded as if she understood, "Yes, I won't bring anyone else home."
“Brother Yingxing is no ordinary person, so I can take Brother Yingxing home.”
"..."
"Ahem, Xiao Yuan can come to my house anytime."
Yingxing lowered her head to hide her slightly flushed face.
He Yuan rested her chin on her hand, poking at her tiramisu with her fork, observing the man opposite her with great interest.
—How innocent.
This AI is really interesting; it has such vivid expressions and reactions.
Yingxing seemed to be struggling with his own thoughts, his expression as bitter as the matcha mille-feuille in front of him.
He Yuan reached out, forked a small piece, and put it in her mouth, her face contorting in pain from the bitterness.
"Didn't you try it last time? Why do you want to challenge yourself again?" Yingxing's gloom instantly dissipated when she saw his appearance.
Just be a slightly closer friend.
Given He Yuan's personality, it's unlikely that anyone could discern his thoughts.
Ying Xing thought that when he died, He Yuan would shed a tear for him...
No, it's better not to. He didn't want He Yuan to be sad, and he didn't want to put her in a difficult position, so he kept it all to himself.
But the more he acted this way, the more He Yuan longed to see Ying Xing confront his desires.
It's so awful it's almost excessive, but the result is incredibly delicious.
He Yuan stuck out her tongue. "I filled out a questionnaire last time, thinking they would make it sweeter."
Ying Xing chuckled, "This family's selling point is bitter matcha, and they won't change that."
“What about Yingxing? It seems like Yingxing has always liked the desserts at this place,” Heyuan said. “But I think it would be more appropriate to call them bitter desserts.”
Ying Xing was stunned.
He thought it was more of a "habit" than a liking.
Sweetness can lure one into a sticky honey trap, corrupting one's will; only bitterness can keep one awake and detached.
"I wouldn't say I like it, but it's more to my liking."
He Yuan opened the Jade Sign Record and asked, "Does Brother Yingxing like spicy food? Does he prefer sweet or sour flavors?"
Yingxing hesitated before saying "anything is fine."
Before he could even discern his preferences, his hometown was destroyed by the Bu Li people. After a long and arduous journey, he arrived at the Zhu Ming Immortal Ship, where he mostly ate bland and tasteless nutrient solutions. Occasionally, when supplies ran out, he would have to eat some canned insects from the desolate planet to survive.
For him, all the food he eats now falls into the category of delicious.
Even amidst the bitterness in his mouth, he could taste a hint of sweetness.
He Yuan pondered with a troubled expression, "Then I'll just make it according to my own taste tomorrow at noon, okay, Brother Yingxing?"
...Are you preparing for tomorrow's lunch?
Grocery shopping is also an expense.
Yingxing thought for a moment and said, "Since you're the one cooking, then I'll take care of the food costs and washing the dishes."
This time, He Yuan didn't refuse.
"Ying Xing's hands are for forging, how can they be used for washing dishes?" He looked at him with exasperation. "Of course, they should be left to the dishwasher!"
Yingxing: ...?
That's weird, let me listen to it again.
"Your hands are for killing enemies, how can you cook?" Ying Xing mimicked.
Crane Kite replied matter-of-factly, "Of course, it's to be more competitive in the mating market!"
Of course, it's because once you max out [Cooking], you can make food that boosts your stats every week!
After a brief moment of thought, Ying Xing said seriously, "Xiao Yuan, you are already very competitive. No one can compare to you."
He Yuan only needed to stand in front of him, and no one else could catch his eye.
If someone tells him that so-and-so is more attractive than He Yuan, Ying Xing will just snort and think that the other person is blind.
"Since that's the case... does Brother Yingxing like me?" He Yuan rested her chin on her hand, her eyes crinkling.
"..."
Ying Xing knew this was just a joking remark, and he should respond in the same joking manner.
But he couldn't do it.
If he didn't have those feelings for He Yuan, then he could indeed respond calmly and let it go with a laugh.
But he felt guilty.
He Yuan didn't get an answer and looked somewhat disappointed.
"Does Brother Yingxing not like me?" he asked.
"...Of course I like it," Ying Xing answered as frankly as possible.
But his eyes, his tender tone, the crumpled fabric in his hands... his whole being, his mind and body, told him that he was not at peace.
Amidst the banter, Yingxing finally spoke out what he had been holding back for two years.
He Yuan smiled knowingly.
"I really like Yingxing too~"
He smiled and said, "The kind I like the most, the very most, the most."
Yingxing covered her burning red face.
He said that He Yuan didn't understand matters of love and romance; he was just curious about them.
But isn't he himself... in some ways the same?
He had no ideas or plans in this regard, so he never bothered to learn about or experience it.
Then today, he was so flustered by He Yuan's few words that he blushed and his heart raced, unable to regain his senses.
Warm fingers encircled Yingxing's wrist, and a worried voice reached his ear.
"Brother Yingxing, what's wrong?"
"Your face is so red...so hot..." He Yuan's urgent voice pierced through her ears and into her heart, "Brother Yingxing? Are you...are you sick?"
The voice was not loud, only audible to the two people in the room.
As Yingxing listened to the sound, he felt the heat flowing through his entire body.
He became more and more like a turtle hiding in the air, burying himself in his palm.
But if he were to glance up even slightly, he would discover—
The young man who spoke to him with concern clearly had a look of... relief on his face?
He Yuan thought to herself: Ying Xing, you have such a face!
He thought he had reached the maximum favorability rating and was about to confess to someone, but Yingxing immediately sent him a complete package of blocking, deleting, and running away, catching him completely off guard!
He should have abandoned this route, adhering to the bottom line that players should never back down.
However, his competitive spirit soared after being rejected.
And Ying Xing... he's really super handsome!!!
It's that kind of unique charisma, the kind that makes you stand out in a crowd.
So, He Yuan, quite disappointingly, reloaded her save file and began learning "how to subtly win over someone who initially rejected you."
About three or four minutes later, Yingxing finally calmed down and her flushed face, trying to make amends for her behavior.
"I...I—"
"Is this the first time Yingxing has heard something like this?" Heyuan spoke first. "I just searched it up and it says that many people take a long time to process when they first hear 'I like you'."
The young man's eyes were filled with heartache. "Brother Yingxing...didn't anyone tell you they liked you before?"
"But Brother Yingxing is clearly a very, very, very good person!"
He spoke with a firm tone, as if he were making a vow at a wedding.
"I like Yingxing the most!"
"—I will always love you."
Yingxing covered her face again.
Finally, he was dragged away again, still feeling dizzy.
The cold air from the ice rink cleared his head a bit and got him thinking.
After pondering for a moment, Yingxing took out the jade tablet and sent a message to Jingyuan.
[Ying Xing: Does the grade skipping exam include courses like puberty education and stranger awareness?]
"Brother Yingxing! Come and change your shoes!" He Yuan called to him from the ice, holding onto the railing.
Yingxing looked over.
Among the people coming and going, his eyes could only hold one person.
Therefore... he would never allow the person he cherishes to go down a path of no return.
Yingxing put on his ice skates and stepped onto the ice.
A hand reached out to him.
"Brother Yingxing, I just tried it!"
Crane Kite nimbly twirled in front of him, the hem of her clothes fluttering like a drooping iris.
"Let me teach you!" he said confidently.
Yingxing smiled with her eyes closed and placed her hand in Heyuan's palm.
Let's see what this brat is up to.
...Or, to find a reason not to refuse.
Yingxing's balance was quite good; she was able to keep up with Heyuan's pace, gliding along the ice and passing through crowds of people.
The figures were all blurry and left no trace in my eyes.
...and we cannot criticize all his choices.
There was no chance.
Because Yingxing only has one choice.
There can only be one.
He gripped He Yuan's hand tightly, led the young man to turn around, and headed against the flow of people.
It was like a tug-of-war.
Sometimes it is the crane and the kite that lead everything, and sometimes it is the star that dominates.
Neither side backed down; both were fighting for what they believed in.
In an instant, He Yuan, following the force, rushed into Ying Xing's arms.
"What do you want?" Ying Xing asked.
Jingyuan's reply is no longer important.
Yingxing was not a slow-witted person.
His upbringing didn't allow him to be slow-witted; he was just clinging to a sliver of hope.
Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but what about three times?
People were still moving on the ice, but Yingxing and Heyuan remained where they were.
He Yuan grabbed Ying Xing's shoulder, and there was no longer any space between them.
He said, "I want you, Yingxing."
A note from the author:
----------------------
Come on, let Brother Yingxing teach you what liking someone really means (not really).
I made some minor changes to the copy.
After discussing it with my friends for ages, we still couldn't figure out how to get a happy ending, so we just gave up.
The core theme remains the same: a sticky, mushy romance and Momo's one-sided crush.
Yuan Yuan's heart is like a durian, loving everyone equally.
In his eyes, being willing to spend time accompanying and planning is already considered "love".
When the world merges in the future... hehe
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