WG - 46

The empty room seemed to have been neglected for a long time, carrying a faint musty smell. The tightly drawn curtains deepened the darkness.

Faint light filtered in from outside, casting shadowy silhouettes.

The temperature in early June wasn’t particularly hot, but everyone had already switched to short-sleeved uniforms, their thin fabric doing little to shield against the heat.

Chi Zhiyu’s body leaned slightly into Xie Ye’s chest, her hands braced against his shoulders, leaving a small gap between them.

But safe distance was no longer an option.

The boy’s breath was warm, as if his entire body radiated heat.

His palm cradled the back of her head, while the other hand, after grazing her lips, rested lightly on her cheek.

Their skin touched, their breaths mingled.

Impossible to ignore.

Xie Ye’s words instantly snapped her back to reality. Chi Zhiyu straightened up and took a step back.

The girl, with her unique scent, retreated from his embrace.

Xie Ye lowered his gaze and withdrew his hand, gently rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. Then he closed his eyes briefly, slowly clenching his fist by his side.

As though restraining a wild beast within him.

Desire.

Chi Zhiyu stood in the darkness, feeling the skin at the corner of her lips where his fingertips had grazed burn intensely.

The sensation was vivid.

Unable to see him clearly, Chi Zhiyu felt inexplicably parched. She unconsciously licked her lips and explained, “I tripped and accidentally bumped into you.”

Xie Ye stood upright, noticing her licking her lips. He paused, his tone unreadable as he said, “Oh, your aim was quite precise.”

“…”

Chi Zhiyu hesitated, not wanting to dwell on the topic further. She quickly changed the subject. “Let’s go. If the door closes, we won’t be able to get out.”

Xie Ye, unusually, didn’t press further and simply hummed in agreement.

Hearing this, Chi Zhiyu hurriedly turned to leave, but before she could take a step, Xie Ye suddenly spoke. “Where are you going? Can you see?”

Reminded of this fact, Chi Zhiyu realized that she had forgotten they weren’t in the corridor anymore. She hesitated briefly, thinking it might not be appropriate to let him hold her hand at this moment.

Her mind raced to find a polite way to express this.

But Xie Ye didn’t give her much time to think. He directly took her hand and stepped forward, crossing the threshold while timely reminding her, “Lift your foot.”

“…”

Chi Zhiyu followed his instructions, allowing him to lead her down the corridor. After a few steps, noticing his unhurried pace, she asked lazily, “Can you see the path?”

Xie Ye’s face remained impassive as he drawled lazily, “Oh, I can see.”

“Hmm?” Chi Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you just say you couldn’t see?”

Xie Ye smirked. “When did I ever say I couldn’t see?”

“?”

Chi Zhiyu blinked, about to speak.

“I just said,” Xie Ye glanced sideways, his tone languid, “that I couldn’t see clearly.”

The last three words were deliberately emphasized.

“…”

Chi Zhiyu recalled that he indeed hadn’t claimed he couldn’t see—it was her who had asked if he could see.

And he had only answered with one word.

Tsk.

For some reason, she felt a bit annoyed. After a few more steps, she suddenly realized another issue. Glancing at him through the dim light, she asked, “If you could see earlier, why didn’t you warn me about the threshold? You almost made me fall.”

Xie Ye seemed to recall this and indifferently responded, “Forgot.”

“…” Chi Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. “Forgot? Are you saying you did it on purpose? Did you want me to—”

Regaining her composure, she decided the latter part of her sentence was too revealing and quickly rephrased it. “—accidentally bump into you.”

“Hmm?” Xie Ye, still holding her hand, approached the exit where the light gradually brightened. He seemed to completely ignore her second half of the statement and slightly raised his tone. “Throw myself into what? Go ahead, say it.”

“…”

Seeing him insist, Chi Zhiyu abandoned subtlety and calmly replied, “You wanted me to throw myself at you.”

Xie Ye raised an eyebrow.

Chi Zhiyu tried to mimic his usual tone to make her point clear. “Before, you accused me of taking advantage of you, which was indeed unintentional. But this time—”

She didn’t finish her sentence.

Chi Zhiyu stared at him, bluntly asking, “Are you trying to take advantage of me?”

“In such a short time, you’ve forgotten so quickly,” Xie Ye drawled nonchalantly. “But let me remind you—”

“?”

“The one who got kissed was me.”

“…”

“It was you,” Xie Ye enunciated each word, “who took advantage of me again.”

Chi Zhiyu was momentarily speechless. “….”

This person really had no intention of being decent.

“Oh, so you’re saying,” Xie Ye lazily glanced at her, “that you’ve taken advantage of me quite a bit.”

“How am I the one who has taken advantage?” Chi Zhiyu retorted. “Last time I only kissed your cheek, and this time I just touched your collarbone. How does that count as taking advantage?”

Her words hung in the air.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

“No, what I meant was,” Chi Zhiyu continued, “if you hadn’t told me about the threshold, I wouldn’t have bumped into you, and then….” She trailed off, unable to finish. She summarized instead, “Anyway, this time it’s your fault, and I suspect you did it on purpose.”

Xie Ye looked at her with interest. “Alright, let’s go with your version.”

Chi Zhiyu froze. So he admitted it?

Before she could process this, Xie Ye led her out of the performance venue and suddenly added, “But…”

Chi Zhiyu looked up.

“You,” Xie Ye met her eyes, bending down slightly, his tone teasing, “why do you think I did it on purpose?”

“…” Chi Zhiyu’s scalp tingled. “Ah?”

Xie Ye didn’t repeat himself. The dim light outside the venue cast shadows behind him, resembling a charcoal sketch. His appearance was illuminated just enough to make his ink-like eyes seem captivating, his voice soft and scattered.

“What do you think I wanted to do to you?”

Chi Zhiyu paused, instinctively wanting to speak her mind, but caught herself and stopped. She turned it around. “I think you wanted to take advantage of me.”

The subtext was clear:

You have feelings for me.

That’s why you wanted to take advantage.

“…”

Xie Ye’s eyes flickered momentarily.

Chi Zhiyu felt a strange tension, her fingertips twitching until they inadvertently brushed against the back of his hand, reminding her that she was still holding his hand.

Chi Zhiyu froze, neither releasing his hand nor bringing up the topic. She silently held onto him, blinking. “Why aren’t you speaking? Are you admitting it?”

Xie Ye raised an eyebrow. “Admitting what?”

“Admitting,” Chi Zhiyu paused, “that you wanted to take advantage of me.”

Saying these words aloud still felt somewhat embarrassing.

“Oh.” Xie Ye teased. “Isn’t it you who wants to take advantage of me?”

“…”

Chi Zhiyu was exasperated, muttering under her breath, “You even accused me of lusting after your body.”

Xie Ye raised an eyebrow. “What did you say?”

Chi Zhiyu blinked. “Nothing.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But,” Chi Zhiyu thoughtfully looked at him, moving her hand lazily, “why have you been holding my hand this whole time?”

“…”

Three seconds of silence.

Looking at his expression, Chi Zhiyu couldn’t help but tug at the corner of her lips. Then, she calmly responded, “I get it.”

Xie Ye glanced at her.

Chi Zhiyu blinked, enunciating each word. “You think my hand is warm, don’t you?”

“…”

Xie Ye suppressed something, then suddenly called her name. “Chi Zhiyu.”

“Hmm?” Chi Zhiyu nodded naturally. “What is it?”

Xie Ye watched her innocent expression, her wide, blinking eyes, paired with words that stoked his temper and carried a hint of provocation.

He stared at her for a few seconds, finally pressing his tongue against his molars. His voice was calm as he asked, “How old are you?”

The question came unexpectedly.

Chi Zhiyu’s response lagged slightly. “What?”

Xie Ye glanced at her. “How many days until your birthday?”

“Ah?” Chi Zhiyu realized, humming in acknowledgment, mentally calculating. Suddenly recalling, her tone betrayed a lack of expectation. “One week?”

Xie Ye hummed indifferently. “Do you understand now?”

“?” Chi Zhiyu didn’t get it. “Understand what?”

“Your birthday gift.” Xie Ye lowered his gaze to her, scrutinizing. “Do you understand now?”

At his reminder, Chi Zhiyu recalled the early birthday gift he had given her for her eighteenth birthday. Lazily, she responded, “You mean that? I haven’t looked at it. Is there anything special about it?”

Chi Zhiyu originally intended to check it later, but then she heard Xie Ye casually say, “You don’t need to look.”

Chi Zhiyu: “Hmm?”

Xie Ye glanced down at her, his palm tightening slightly. Then, with a casual motion, he raised his hand and ruffled her hair.

“I’ll tell you personally.”

...

Chi Zhiyu’s birthday was on the twenty-second day of the fourth lunar month, but this year, it coincided with the high school entrance exam.

June thirteenth.

Wu Xuan had once joked with her, saying that while others were frantically writing exams, she’d be blowing out candles and singing the birthday song.

Chi Zhiyu never paid much attention to her birthday because no one celebrated it for her.

Bai Li didn’t bother with such occasions, finding them unnecessary.

But Chi Yan thought otherwise.

When she was younger, Chi Zhiyu’s birthday parties were more like business gatherings. She only needed to make an appearance, go through the motions, and afterward, her presence as the guest of honor wasn’t even required.

After moving to Yangcheng, this tradition was canceled.

However, Chi Yan’s secretary likely reminded him, as he still sent luxury items or age-appropriate clothing and accessories on her birthday.

Each time Chi Zhiyu received them, she felt as though she were merely a business partner he needed to maintain ties with.

After all, these gifts were no different from ordinary social exchanges.

Chi Zhiyu never anticipated her birthday, but every year, Xie Ye would take her back to his house for a simple meal. At the end, he’d give her a small cake and a gift.

Though the gifts were always unconventional—when she was young, they included notebooks he personally wrote in or books with only his signature inside.

By the time she finished her third-year mid-term exams, he simply tore off the second button of his coat and gave it to her as a birthday present.

Then came the two books he gifted her this year.

...

On her birthday.

After practicing dance in the evening and returning to her room, Chi Zhiyu’s phone began receiving birthday wishes from acquaintances.

She replied to each one, then set her phone aside to take a shower. When she returned, she saw Wu Xuan had called.

Chi Zhiyu returned the call.

“Happy Birthday!” Wu Xuan exclaimed as soon as the call connected.

Chi Zhiyu, massaging her sore calves, lazily responded, “Thanks.”

Wu Xuan clicked her tongue. “You don’t accept birthday gifts, so I can only wish you a happy birthday.”

“Isn’t that enough?”

Chi Zhiyu disliked receiving gifts, finding the exchange cumbersome, so she declined them all.

“But you don’t accept ours,” Wu Xuan pointed out. “Why do you accept Xie Ye’s gifts?”

Chi Zhiyu blinked. “Because I want to.”

“…” Wu Xuan said, “You’re being so double-standard.”

Chi Zhiyu shrugged. “If you were Xie Ye, I’d accept them too.”

Wu Xuan snorted. “So what gift did Xie Ye give you this year?”

“He gave it early.”

“Oh.” Wu Xuan remembered. “Those two books about plants and grains?”

Chi Zhiyu nodded. “Yes.”

“Wait, just those two books?” Wu Xuan was puzzled. “Didn’t you notice anything else?”

Chi Zhiyu looked up at the bookshelf, pondering. “Maybe.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know. I’ll check later.”

“Alright, will Xie Ye celebrate your birthday later?”

Chi Zhiyu lazily hummed. “Maybe. I don’t know if he has time.”

Lately, his gaming club seemed busy, and he spent most of his time practicing in his room. But as usual, he still teased her daily without much difference.

She just rarely saw him in person.

After chatting with Wu Xuan for a bit longer, Chi Zhiyu ended the call.

She sat on the sofa, looking up at the bookshelf. Finally, she stood up and reached for the two books at the very top.

Cradling them, she returned to the sofa and flipped through the one about plant categories. After scanning for a while, she found nothing unusual.

To be honest, she didn’t really understand much, but remembering how Xie Ye had spoken about it, she knew there had to be something hidden.

Her fingers tapped the cover of the book as she recalled what Xie Ye had said when he first gave it to her.

Suddenly, something flashed in her mind. She walked over to the poetry section of her bookshelf.

She remembered Xie Ye asking her why she bought poetry collections. It must be related to poetry.

Chi Zhiyu didn’t own many poetry collections, but she had about seven or eight.

She scanned through them and noticed a bookmark in Yu Xiuhua’s Poetry Collection .

Chi Zhiyu froze. Did she own this book? Was it from Xie Ye?

Feeling curious, she pulled it out and opened it randomly, flipping to the page with the bookmark.

Chi Zhiyu looked down. On the printed page were a few lines of poetry.

“If I were to send you a book, it wouldn’t be poetry. I’d send you one about plants, about crops, telling you the difference between rice and weeds, telling you about a weed’s anxious spring.”

Chi Zhiyu’s gaze lingered on the words in the poem, pausing for a moment before continuing downward.

At the bottom of the poem, the title was printed in black letters.

—”I Love You”

It felt as though her heart had been struck hard.

Her breath hitched, and she stared at the title, momentarily lost in thought.

Suddenly, she understood.

He had already told her.

At a time when everything was still unknown, when all pressures loomed, and she dared not act—

He had already chosen her.

And she—

Hadn’t noticed.

Chi Zhiyu lowered her gaze, closing the book. She picked up her phone, opened the door, and rushed downstairs.

Aunt Wang in the living room saw her and, noticing her expression, froze. “Little Yu, what’s wrong?”

“I’m going out!”

Chi Zhiyu didn’t explain, clutching the book and ignoring the fact that she was still wearing slippers. She opened the door and left.

“Click.”

The lock engaged behind her, cutting off everything inside.

Before Chi Zhiyu could move, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

In her field of vision, Xie Ye’s figure appeared.

The scene unfolded frame by frame, slowed down.

The young man opened the door and stepped out, standing by the doorway. His eyelids lifted slightly, meeting her gaze directly.

The streetlights had already lit up, dimming the remnants of the evening glow on the horizon.

The gentle summer breeze brushed past, carrying a coolness that stirred suppressed emotions.

Chi Zhiyu faced the wind, raising her eyes to look at the brightly lit house across from her.

The familiar aroma of food wafted over.

And human warmth.

And the young man, standing in front of the house, bathed in the yellowish glow of the streetlight, his shadow stretching long like an old photograph—faintly dark and blurry.

He waited, as he always had, ready to lead her home from her wanderings.

Chi Zhiyu took a step forward, running quickly to stand before him.

This time, she was the one who chose to approach him.

Xie Ye watched her small figure stop in front of him, silent.

Chi Zhiyu looked up, handing him the poetry collection. “Did you put this in my room?”

Xie Ye accepted it, lowering his gaze to her. He smiled faintly. “Chi Zhiyu.”

Her voice trembled slightly. “Hmm.”

“I placed this book in your room three years ago.” Xie Ye’s fingertip traced the bookmark, his gaze dark, his voice slow. “What should I do if you hadn’t noticed?”

Chi Zhiyu bit her lip, staring into his obsidian eyes.

The secret buried in her heart, and the long-anticipated hope, seemed on the verge of bursting forth.

“So I couldn’t wait any longer,” Xie Ye casually opened the page, placing the book gently in her palm. His tone was lazy. “Here’s your birthday gift, delivered early.”

Chi Zhiyu lowered her eyes, seeing the three words printed there. Her eyelids fluttered as she raised her gaze.

“Remember this time, it’s not about taking advantage of you,” Xie Ye bent down slightly, raising his hand to lightly tap her nose with his fingertip. “It’s—”

His words drifted with the summer breeze, landing softly by her ear.

And then, they gently struck her heartstrings, shattering them.

“I like you.”