Chapter 373: Wuxi’s confession.
Wuxi laughed, a little bitterly. "Mei Mei, I used to take breaks from school to come and support you at your races. I used to write you letters all the time. I took a break from school for a whole month to stay with you after you were traumatized in the fire.
You were the most beautiful, smartest, funniest and most hilariously vengeful person I knew. But the competition for your heart was great.
All the boys in the empire and beyond liked you, nobles and commoners. Heck, you received more love letters than your brother! You had a crown prince at your beck and call and he was not the only boy in the royal family showing interest in you. How could I ever compare to royalty?
And then Mo Liang came along after the fire and you did not even realize that I had come to you...I just....never thought I had a chance with you. So I never said anything."
She felt a strange flutter in her chest--part flattery, part regret. Even though she never took the possible betrothal between them seriously, maybe if it was real, she would have thought twice before running off with Mo Liang. "Maybe you should have said something."
Wuxi sighed. "And risk losing our friendship? You cut off everyone that so much as looked at Mo Liang the wrong way. What would you have done if I said choose me, not him?"
She sat down on the bench, a sad smile on her lips. "I would have probably cut you off like I did everyone else."
He sat down as well and said, "I almost confessed but then I saw it on your moments that you were suddenly married and I figured...well, that was that."
She looked at the dogs, mind wondering as she imagined what life might have been like if he confessed and she dared to say yes. Would they have been happy?
Would she have come to love him? He was not her type, physically. She never loved him romantically but they had friendship and he had many good qualities.
Their families had friendship and history. A marriage could actually be built on most of those factors. It was no different from picking a partner from the Meilin list.
"Am I allowed to say it now?" he asked. "If it is not too late, I would like to say it. I still think about you. I still wonder."