LRTH - 19

Everyone’s eyes shifted from Song Chuxuan to Fang Nanzhi, as if they hadn’t expected Fang Nanzhi to also have feelings for Xu Yuanhe.

Fang Nanzhi was completely bewildered and immediately denied it. “I don’t!”

She quickly glanced at Li Yizhou and, in a rare moment, spoke loudly. “I don’t!”

However, the already drunk Song Chuxuan thought she was just afraid of this “competition,” since they were all friends, and liking the same person would be a bit awkward.

But she considered herself open and wanted the other person to be the same. Liking someone was liking someone. She wasn’t afraid of competing fairly.

She walked over to Fang Nanzhi and said dazedly, “I know you like him. That day at the villa in Xiyun, I heard you confess to him. Not only did I hear you, but the class president did, too, so it’s not really a secret. Nanzhi, since we both confessed to him, let’s be open about it and be fair.”

The class president, Chen Kai, rubbed his nose and didn’t object, which meant he did hear it.

A wave of coldness washed over Fang Nanzhi. So that day... she wasn’t dreaming. She really did confess?

But the person wasn’t Li Yizhou but Xu Yuanhe?

Why was Xu Yuanhe in her room at that time?

“Song Chuxuan, calm down!” Xu Yuanhe looked flustered and snatched the microphone from her, not letting her speak anymore.

He thought he was the only one who had heard what Fang Nanzhi said that day. He didn’t expect someone else to be at the door.

“What’s wrong with saying it? There’s nothing wrong with it. There’s nothing wrong with liking someone.”

“But what about what other people want to say?”

When Song Chuxuan knew that Fang Nanzhi liked Xu Yuanhe, she didn’t feel any sense of crisis because she thought she had a definite advantage over Fang Nanzhi.

However, after seeing Fang Nanzhi today, she felt nervous.

She was so beautiful, with that cool and pure beauty that made even her, as a girl, unable to look away.

So she wanted to get a head start. She wanted to say it openly. Otherwise... it might be too late.

So now... was it already too late even after saying it?

Song Chuxuan looked at Xu Yuanhe’s annoyed expression and said tearfully, “Why are you so mean to me, Xu Yuanhe? Are you saying there’s no need for fair competition? Do you like her?”

Xu Yuanhe was stunned for a moment and immediately said, “What are you talking about? I, how could I like her?”

Song Chuxuan: “Then you—”

“You’ve misunderstood, senior. Everyone has misunderstood!” Fang Nanzhi was mortified, her face turning red. “I, I really don’t like him. That day, I was just drunk. I couldn’t see people clearly. I don’t know what I said!”

Song Chuxuan: “Is that right?”

Fang Nanzhi nodded emphatically. “Yes! I’m sure!”

Song Chuxuan pursed her lips. “But I saw you holding his hand. You were clearly looking at him when you said it.”

Fang Nanzhi shook her head. “I don’t remember... what I said when I was drunk wasn’t what I really meant.”

She looked at Xu Yuanhe. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I, I didn’t mean it.”

Xu Yuanhe glanced at her, feeling very strange. After a long time, he said, “Oh, that’s good.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Fang Nanzhi felt like she was sitting on pins and needles because of the misunderstanding. She didn’t dare to look at Li Yizhou’s expression and hurriedly stood up. “I’m full. I want to go home now... You guys continue.”

Xu Tingyou snapped out of the dramatic scene and chased after her. “Hey, hey, wait for me.”

“It’s so late. Maybe we should drive them,” Zhao Ke said quietly in the silence.

At this point, everyone had pretty much been drinking. The only person who hadn’t been drinking and had a driver’s license was Li Yizhou. He got up. “Okay, I’ll drive them back. Yuanhao, you should go back, too.”

Xu Yuanhao hadn’t even had a chance to get the full scoop on the drama and wanted to stay. But one look from Li Yizhou made him get up reluctantly and follow him out.

When the private room door was closed, the people inside looked at each other and started to stir.

“Holy cow, holy cow, holy cow!” Zhao Ke smacked Chen Kai on the shoulder. “Class president! Why didn’t you tell us you had heard such big gossip that day?! We had no idea about this!”

Chen Kai cleared his throat. “I just happened to pass by with Chuxuan that day. I saw that Yuanhe didn’t say anything later, so I didn’t tell you guys. I figured... Nanzhi would say it herself eventually.”

Zhao Ke said, “Xu Yuanhe, you’re not a good friend! Why didn’t you tell us the junior confessed to you?!”

Xu Yuanhe threw a piece of fruit at him. “Are you crazy? Didn’t you hear what she just said? It was a misunderstanding. Can you believe what a drunk person says?!”

Zhao Ke: “But in vino veritas.”

Xu Yuanhe paused. “...Get lost.”

Zhao Ke turned to look at Song Chuxuan, who was almost passed out. She was already lying on the sofa, unconscious.

“You really drank a lot to build up the courage to confess to him... I never knew she liked you. She hid it pretty well,” Zhao Ke sighed. “Sigh, you’re a lucky guy. Two beautiful girls like you.”

Xu Yuanhe gave him a cold look.

Zhao Ke wasn’t afraid. He chuckled and leaned in, whispering, “Honestly, which one do you like better? The sweet one or the cool one? Don’t get me wrong. Before, Nanzhi didn’t have much of a chance, but now... when she walked out of the school gate today, she was incredible!”

Xu Yuanhe couldn’t listen anymore and got up. “I’m leaving. You guys remember to take her back.”

He was referring to Song Chuxuan. Zhao Ke said, “Of course, you’re the one who’s supposed to take her back!”

However, Xu Yuanhe ignored him and just walked out.

________________________________________

On the way back to the Maple and Cloud residence, Xu Yuanhao was in the passenger seat, his head constantly turning to look behind him.

Fang Nanzhi and Xu Tingyou were sitting in the back. There wasn’t much conversation along the way until Li Yizhou drove up to the Xu family’s front door. Only then did Xu Tingyou ask a question.

“Liaoliao, there’s no one else here. About my brother...”

“I really don’t like him,” Fang Nanzhi said softly.

Xu Tingyou looked a little disappointed. “Okay... then we’re going home now.”

“Mhm.”

After the two left, Li Yizhou drove a little further and parked in front of Fang Nanzhi’s house.

“We’re here,” he turned around and said to her.

When Fang Nanzhi looked up, she met his gaze, and the unease and absurdity that had been building up since they left the private room suddenly reached their peak.

He hadn’t asked if it was true or false like the others, but he was the one person she wanted to tell the most.

She wanted to tell him that she didn’t like Xu Yuanhe. She wanted to tell him that she thought he was in her dream that night, which was why she said those words.

She didn’t like anyone else; she only liked him.

However, how could she have the courage to say all of this now?

“...I don’t know why Xu Yuanhe was in my room.” The words rolled around in her throat, but she still managed to tell him a little bit.

Li Yizhou: “I’m sorry, it was also my fault.”

Fang Nanzhi was a little confused.

Li Yizhou explained, “After I took you back to your room that night, I went out to buy medicine. You kept trying to run out, so I was afraid you’d get up again. I sent a message to Yuanhe on the way and asked him to go check on you.”

Fang Nanzhi suddenly understood why it was him who had taken her back to her room, but Xu Yuanhe ended up sitting by her bed.

“So that’s what happened...” Fang Nanzhi said. “But you don’t need to apologize to me. After all, I was the one who said those words. But they really weren’t what I meant. I didn’t intend to confess to him. You, you guys shouldn’t misunderstand...”

Li Yizhou smiled reassuringly. “I understand. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you. Also, about Song Chuxuan, I hope you can help me explain it to her.”

Li Yizhou nodded.

Fang Nanzhi was relieved. She turned to open the car door, but then she remembered something and pulled her hand back.

“What’s wrong?” Li Yizhou asked.

Fang Nanzhi turned to look at him. “I was surprised when the senior confessed today. I thought she liked you.”

A hint of surprise appeared in Li Yizhou’s eyes. “Why would you say that?”

Fang Nanzhi’s ears felt a little hot. “That day... I accidentally saw you guys in the corner of the garden, and she handed you a gift, so I thought—”

“You’re talking about the time in Xiyun.”

“Mhm.”

Li Yizhou was a little helpless. “That was for Yuanhe. There were a lot of people that night, and Yuanhe and I were in the same room, so she asked me to pass it to him.”

“Oh...”

“Song Chuxuan was in the same class as Yuanhe since elementary school. She’s liked him for a long time. I found out by chance. After she knew I had found out, she admitted it and asked me not to tell Yuanhe yet and to wait until graduation to confess.”

“I see.”

Fang Nanzhi felt a huge sense of relief. At the same time, her initial excitement and delight came rushing back.

He had known that Song Chuxuan liked Xu Yuanhe all along. The gift was just for him to pass along. So she could be sure that he really didn’t like Song Chuxuan at all!

“Well, thank you for driving me back today.”

“No problem. It was on the way.”

“I’ll go now?”

Li Yizhou nodded. “Okay.”

After getting out of the car, Fang Nanzhi’s steps were light.

After getting home and taking a shower, she flopped onto her bed. By her pillow was a book about architecture that she had bought from a bookstore. She had already read most of it.

She rolled around on the bed with the book in her arms, a smile uncontrollably spreading across her face.

Tonight had been absurd, awkward, and helpless, but in the end, she was happy.

________________________________________

The next morning at breakfast, Fang Nanzhi received a message from Song Chuxuan.

She said she was sorry for drinking too much last night and being so reckless, revealing her secret.

Fang Nanzhi thought about it for a while and replied that it was okay. She also emphasized that she didn’t like Xu Yuanhe and wished her and the person she liked would get together soon.

Song Chuxuan replied with a thank you and a hug emoji.

Fang Nanzhi smiled and continued to flip through the book on the table.

“Liaoliao, eat your breakfast properly. Don’t study during this time,” Zhao Liyun said as she brought her a glass of milk.

Fang Nanzhi was absorbed in her reading and said vaguely, “I’m not studying. This isn’t a textbook.”

“What book is it? Let me see.”

Fang Nanzhi: “It’s a book about architecture.”

She had initially bought the book to better understand Li Yizhou’s world and have more to talk about with him. But as she read it, she actually found it quite interesting.

Perhaps because she already loved to draw, seeing many unique architectural design sketches made her feel a little inspired.

During those two months of summer, she had been engrossed in copying some complex designs.

“Architecture? What’s wrong? Are you interested in this?”

“It’s okay. It’s quite special.”

“It’s good that you’re interested. I heard from your Aunt Huang that Yizhou is in the architecture department at Minghai University. Oh, if you could get into that school and that major, your mom would be so happy.”

Fang Nanzhi was suddenly stunned. She slowly turned a page and said, “Mom, do you think I could try to get in?”

Zhao Liyun said casually, “Of course. Whether you get in or not is another story. It’s good to have a goal.”

Since she was a child, she had been a good student, and her goal was to get into a good school and then find a good job.

But if you asked her what kind of school she wanted to go to or what major she wanted to study, she wouldn’t have an answer because she had never thought about it.

Zhao Liyun’s casual remark now made her feel a little antsy. Maybe... she could also try to get into Minghai University.

She liked drawing and designing, and she had developed a great interest in architecture recently... She knew Minghai University was very difficult to get into, and the architecture department was even harder, but how would she know if she didn’t try?

What’s more, Li Yizhou was there.

If she wanted to become outstanding and be on par with him, wouldn’t she have to put in more effort?