Chapter 75 The Person You Truly Like...
Peng Chengyi was startled; her heart felt as if it had been suddenly pushed, and it began to pound uncontrollably.
Ke Xingjian's eyes darkened, and he slowly straightened up, his back taut, as if he were on guard silently.
The atmosphere in the air instantly shifted from awkwardness to tension.
Peng Chengyi forced herself to appear calm, but her voice trembled slightly: "What...what do you want from me?"
"I have something to tell you." Chen Yubai stopped in front of the two of them, his expression cold and stern, his gaze sweeping over Ke Xingjian with an undisguised air of dismissal.
Ke Xingjian lowered his gaze slightly, showing no intention of backing down, and said in a low voice, "I'm her boyfriend now, is there anything I can't listen to?"
"Of course I am." Chen Yubai sneered, a mocking smile curving his lips. "Our family matters are not convenient to discuss with outsiders. Or have you even met her parents?"
"..." Ke Xingjian choked, his thin lips pressed tightly together, the words stuck in his throat, and he remained silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Peng Cheng quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, gently tugged at Ke Xingjian's sleeve, and whispered, "Senior, you should go back first... I'm sorry, thank you for bringing me back today."
Ke Xingjian glanced at her, his gaze deep, as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat. But in the end, he just sighed helplessly, said nothing, and turned to leave.
His figure was gradually swallowed by the night.
Peng Chengyi let out a soft breath, then looked at Chen Yubai with some anxiety, "Has something happened at home?"
"Nothing happened." Chen Yubai looked away, his tone indifferent. "My mother just came to Beicheng for further studies and asked if you were free these next few days to have a meal together."
“Oh…yes, dinner is fine too.” Peng Chengyi’s heartbeat slowed down a bit, then she said somewhat speechlessly, “That’s all? Why were you so serious just now, and why did you have to send him away? You scared me, I thought something serious had happened.”
Chen Yubai was silent for two seconds. The night wind ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead, casting swaying shadows in his eyes. He suddenly took a half-step forward, his voice low, like the night wind carrying sand: "Do you want him to stay? I saw you just now, you were clearly avoiding him kissing you, weren't you?"
Unexpectedly, he witnessed what had just happened. Peng Chengyi froze, as if he had been nailed to the spot.
A stubborn streak, unwilling to be mocked by him, welled up inside her. She bit her lip and retorted defiantly, "...Who, who's hiding! Stop talking nonsense!"
"Am I talking nonsense?" Chen Yubai let out a very soft sneer.
"Yes!" Peng Chengyi forced a hum, but her voice unconsciously sounded weak.
Chen Yubai didn't say anything more, but his gaze was fixed on her face, dark and unfathomable, as if he wanted to lock her in completely.
Peng Chengyi's throat tightened, and her heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
The night breeze brushed past her ears, bringing a slight coolness, but it did nothing to cool the inexplicable heat rising within her. Instead, it made her ears burn and even her neck flushed.
Suddenly, without warning, Chen Yubai slowly bent down.
The distance suddenly closed, and the boy's cool scent mixed with a faint fragrance of soapberry wafted over her, almost enveloping her entirely.
His hot breath, which was close by, landed on her eyelashes.
Peng Chengyi felt all the blood rush to his head, and he almost instinctively closed his eyes, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.
The brief moment in the darkness felt endless.
She heard her own heartbeat, pounding against her eardrums like a drum, and her hands, hanging at her sides, unconsciously curled up.
The next second, I felt a very slight tugging sensation on the top of my head.
Peng Chengyi was startled. Suppressing her panicked heartbeat, she slowly opened her eyes.
Chen Yubai had already straightened up, a small leaf between his slender fingers.
His expression was indifferent, and his voice was as steady as ever, as if everything that had just happened was merely her illusion: "A leaf fell from your head."
He paused, then lifted his eyelids, asking in a half-smile, half-joking voice, "Why did you suddenly close your eyes?"
"..."
Peng Chengyi stared blankly at the leaf between his fingers, a strong sense of embarrassment belatedly washing over her.
Her ears burned so badly that her breathing became unsteady. She hurriedly lowered her head and stammered incoherently, "It's none of your business. You've said everything... I... I'm going back to my dorm!"
She hastily threw down those words and practically fled, turning around and rushing into the dormitory building.
Back in her dorm room, Peng Chengyi slumped into a chair, clutching her chest.
Thump, thump—
My heart was pounding in my chest, rapid and burning.
Aaaaaah!
Why did she close her eyes when Chen Yubai leaned closer to her?!
Was she subconsciously anticipating something at that moment?
Did he expect her to kiss him, just like Ke Xingjian had tried to do before?
The moment the thought crossed Peng Chengyi's mind, she froze, then shook her head frantically as if trying to shake off something terrifying.
Are you kidding me!
How could she possibly have such expectations of Chen Yubai!
It must have been Ke Xingjian's previous actions that created a psychological suggestion and misconception in her...
Yes, that must be it!
She desperately tried to find reasons for herself, attempting to suppress that absurd thought.
However, a clearer and more irrefutable fact surfaced in my mind—
Even with the preconceived notion of being kissed, when Chen Yubai approached, her first physical reaction was not the same as when she panicked and retreated as she had with Ke Xingjian.
Instead, she instinctively closed her eyes.
At this moment, no matter how much she tried to deny it or how many excuses she used to cover it up, her pounding heart clearly pointed the obvious answer in only one direction.
The person she truly loved was Chen Yubai.
The moment her consciousness returned, Peng Chengyi's breath hitched, and she buried her burning cheeks deep into her cool palms.
We're doomed.
She cried out silently in her heart, a mixture of panic and absurdity gripping her instantly.
How could she possibly fall for him?!
He's Chen Yubai!
Chen Yubai is the one who fought with her over snacks and bickered with her since childhood, knows all her embarrassing stories, and has seen her at her most disheveled!
Chen Yubai is the one she can tease and joke with without any reservations, and who she believes will be her best friend and closest buddy for life!
Once this relationship crosses the line, it's like walking on a tightrope; ahead lies an unknown abyss, and backwards might even cause your footing to collapse.
Will they still be able to get along as naturally as they do now?
Could it be that even the seemingly unbreakable friendship built up over the past ten years will crumble because of this, and never be the same again?
Her chaotic thoughts, like tangled yarn, knotted and twisted in her chest. She took a deep breath, desperately trying to suppress the overwhelming palpitations.
Right now, she'd better not make any rash moves.
It would be troublesome if Chen Yubai discovered her inappropriate thoughts.
As for Ke Xingjian, now that she has realized she doesn't like him, she can no longer continue to be with him.
That's unfair to him, and it's an irresponsible deception.
Thinking of this, she hurriedly raised her face, took out her phone from her pocket, and opened the chat window with Ke Xingjian.
However, after typing and deleting on the screen for a long time, I still couldn't type out a single word that satisfied me.
Forget it, ending things so hastily through a screen, no matter how mild the wording, always seems careless and disrespectful.
After all, his initial confession was so sincere and earnest.
Let's find an opportunity tomorrow to talk to him face to face and make things clear.
She sighed softly and was about to put down her phone when the screen suddenly lit up with a new message.
Upon seeing Chen Yubai, Peng Chengyi's heart skipped a beat, as if a string had been pulled taut, and she even held her breath for half a second.
She clicked on it cautiously, afraid that he would continue to ask her why she had closed her eyes earlier.
Fortunately, he simply said, "Then let's have dinner with my mom tomorrow night. I'll wait for you downstairs at the dorm at 6 o'clock so we can go together."
She breathed a slight sigh of relief and quickly replied, "Okay."
But the moment the screen went dark, her nerves tensed up again.
I'm going out with him tomorrow night, to see his mother...
Although this was commonplace for her in the past, everything seemed to change after she realized her feelings for him.
Just imagining that scene caused a mix of tension and guilt to fester in her chest, keeping her awake all night.
The next morning, when Peng Chengyi got up to wash, she indeed saw two faint bluish-black spots under her eyes.
Fearing that Chen Yubai would notice something was amiss that night, she had no choice but to leave the bathroom and ask Fang Hao for help: "Um, could I borrow your concealer for a moment?"
"Oh?" Fang Hao, who was applying lipstick, turned around when she heard this, her eyes sparkling with gossip. She smiled and handed her the entire makeup bag. "You have a date after class today?"
"Hmm..." Peng Chengyi responded vaguely, thinking that she was indeed going to see Ke Xingjian today, so saying this wasn't exactly lying.
She looked in the mirror and carefully blended the concealer little by little with her fingertips, covering up the signs of fatigue. Seeing that her complexion seemed a bit better in the mirror, she felt a little relieved and went out.
She had originally planned to talk things out with Ke Xingjian during lunch. However, he had something come up at the student council and had to rush to his morning and afternoon classes after finishing. There was no time to eat together, so she had to keep her thoughts to herself and return to the dormitory with her roommate.
Just as I sat down, Ke Xingjian sent me a message: "We can have dinner together tonight."
Peng Chengyi looked at the screen, hesitated for a moment, and then told the truth: "Sorry, I have something to do tonight..."
Ke Xingjian: "Is it about what Chen Yubai talked to you about yesterday?"
Peng Chengyi thought for a moment and felt there was nothing to hide, so he replied, "Yes, his mother came to Beicheng, and we're going to have dinner together."
Ke Xingjian was silent for a moment, then sent a message: "Oh, where are you eating? I'll pick you up when we're done, I'm free tonight anyway."
Peng Chengyi stared at the line of text, his heart skipping a beat.
Rather than dragging out the breakup, it's better to just resolve it now. Besides, with Ke Xingjian coming to pick her up, she doesn't need to think about how to face Chen Yubai alone for the time being.
Thinking of this, she typed on the screen and replied: "The hot pot restaurant near the school. I'll message you on WeChat after we're done, and we can go for a walk on the playground."
Ke Xingjian: "Okay."
-
There were no classes in the afternoon, so Peng Chengyi sat alone at her desk, opening her calculus workbook. She drew a few symbols on the paper, then paused for a long time in the blank space, her thoughts already wandering elsewhere.
One moment she was thinking about having dinner with Chen Yubai that night, and the next she was thinking about breaking up with Ke Xingjian. Her mind was in complete turmoil.
As darkness fell outside, the edges of the curtains were tinged with a pale pink by the sunset.
Just as she was lost in thought again, her phone suddenly buzzed and a message from Chen Yubai popped up: "Get ready to go downstairs."
Peng Chengyi's heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips rapidly tapped the screen: "It's not even 6 o'clock yet, why are you rushing me?"
Chen Yubai: "?"
Chen Yubai: "Who's rushing you? I'm just reminding you."
Peng Chengyi paused for a moment, then carefully reread his message. It was indeed just a plain statement, without any hint of urging.
Only then did she belatedly realize that she had been too nervous and projected her unfounded guilt onto his words, so she could only offer a weak excuse: "I didn't forget, you sent it, it's just that you're urging me."
She put down her phone and cursed under her breath.
She hasn't even seen the person yet, how can she panic!
Peng Chengyi took two deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down, but her movements still showed a bit of urgency.
She closed her book, stuffed her things into her bag, and the strap almost slipped off. After finally managing to straighten it out, she picked up her bag and forced a steady step out of the dormitory.
The hallway was dimly lit, and the soft crunching of her shoes on the steps amplified her emotions.
With each step she took down, her heart pounded as if struck by invisible drumsticks, the rhythm erratic, making it hard for her to breathe.
As I stepped out of the dormitory building, the sky was already dark, and the shadows of the trees outside swayed in the wind, casting dappled light and shadows among the branches and leaves.
Chen Yubai stood under the tree, his figure tall and slender against the afterglow of the setting sun. The wind ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead, making his eyebrows and eyes stand out clearly in the light, and his pale skin looked exceptionally clean in the afterglow.
He had his head down, seemingly looking at his phone. Only when he heard footsteps did he lift his eyelids and slowly raise his gaze to her.
Their eyes met across the twilight. Peng Chengyi hurriedly turned her face away, gripped her backpack strap tightly, and walked up to him, trying her best to adopt her usual joking tone: "Let's go, dog."
Chen Yubai: "?"
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Author's Note: Peng Chengyi: Ah, I think I went a little too far [melted]
In fact, from the moment Cyb realized that he liked Chengcheng, he had been struggling with the panic she was facing today. That's why he was cautiously testing the waters while also using sharp words to cover it up. However, because he was always watching Chengcheng, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, he could keenly sense her changes and would soon take the initiative!
Thank you to Liang, 66475663, Wang Xiaoxiaoxiaxie, Leventseleve, Sunshine, Tears Wetting Pig Trotter Rice, Rain Again, and soleil for providing the nutrient solution!
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