Chapter 294 : Tonight, I’ll Keep You Company~
"So… that’s how it is, huh~"
Hearing Xu Qing’s response, Wang Pengfei forced a smile. Although he’d anticipated this outcome, hearing her reject him directly still left him feeling a twinge of regret.
Why hadn’t he acted sooner? That smile of hers should have been for him alone.
Wang Pengfei had known for a while that Xu Qing had once had a crush on him. He had even felt the same way, but the pressures of senior year and looming exams had kept him from acting on his feelings. He’d planned to confess after graduation, once everything settled down.
But over time, he noticed that Xu Qing’s attention shifted from him to her seatmate, Ling Ning. Although he sensed something was different, he hadn’t thought much of it—they were both girls, after all.
"The person you like… it’s Ling Ning, isn’t it?"
"Huh!?"
Xu Qing’s eyes widened in surprise at Wang Pengfei’s words, her expression practically asking, How did you know?
"Your smile gave you away~" Wang Pengfei said, then turned and walked off. Since Xu Qing had already rejected him, staying any longer would only deepen the disappointment. He never imagined he’d lose to another girl.
"Crushes don’t matter anymore. No one is worth having a crush on if they don’t care about me back. And love that goes unspoken? It’s just not needed—there’s no one left worth loving."
For some reason, Wang Pengfei thought of his gaming buddy, Mo Fashi. Tonight… maybe I’ll head over to his place. We still haven’t finished Fairy♂Legend from last night.
Sigh.
Watching Wang Pengfei’s departing figure, Xu Qing let out a soft sigh.
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Shen Shi sat quietly in a corner, not joining his classmates for karaoke or board games. From the moment he entered the private room, his gaze had been fixed on Ling Ning.
She was the first—and perhaps the only—real-world girl who had ever captured his heart.
He’d been watching, waiting for a chance to confess, but no matter how long he waited, there always seemed to be a crowd around her. It’s just a confession—why has it become so difficult? In hindsight, he regretted not confessing to her back at school.
While Shen Shi was observing Ling Ning, Bai Xuejia was watching Shen Shi from across the room, waiting patiently. He had decided he would only approach after Shen Shi’s confession failed, confident that his own success rate would be higher afterward.
He was certain that Ling Ning wasn’t interested in boys. He had observed her closely—after all, know your enemy and you will win half the battle.
From watching her, Bai Xuejia had noticed that Ling Ning looked at girls the same way most boys did—admiring faces, bodies, and legs. And whenever a boy approached her to confess, though she was always polite in her rejection, a hint of revulsion flashed in her eyes, subtle but unmistakable.
With this in mind, he was confident that Shen Shi’s confession would fail.
At that moment, Shen Shi finally made his move. The other girls who had been around Ling Ning had been called over to play a game, leaving her with only Xia You at her side.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Shi wasted no time walking over to Ling Ning.
"Um… L-Ling Ning…"
Seeing her beautiful face up close, Shen Shi could feel his tongue twisting in nervousness. He’d practiced this confession in his head a thousand times, but his face was now bright red, making him look like he’d had one too many drinks.
Hearing her name, Ling Ning turned from her conversation with Xia You, curious. She vaguely remembered him as a boy who had frequently come to her for help with test prep before finals—Shen Shi, if she recalled correctly. Such a “gentlemanly” name.
"Can I help you?" Ling Ning tilted her head, giving him a polite smile.
Watching from a distance, Bai Xuejia shook his head in exasperation. A confession needs to be bold, not timid. Even if Ling Ning weren’t interested in girls, there was no way she’d say yes to such a hesitant approach. Maybe if he went up on stage and confessed over the microphone, it might have more of an impact.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Shi prepared to say the confession he’d practiced so carefully, only to be interrupted by a boy on stage who suddenly shouted, "Ling Ning, I like you!"
Ling Ning didn’t even look surprised; she simply smiled and replied, "Sorry, you’re a good person~"
With that, the boy on stage resumed his karaoke, though now with a bittersweet tone to his singing.
Watching this public rejection unfold, Shen Shi suddenly hesitated, questioning whether he should give up altogether. It seemed impossible for him to succeed, no matter how he approached it.
No! He shook his head, refusing to back down. Even if he knew he’d be rejected, he had to go through with it!
Taking another deep breath to calm his nerves, Shen Shi looked earnestly at Ling Ning and said, "Ling Ning, I’ve liked you for a long time!"
"Sorry, you’re a good person."
Hearing her reply, Shen Shi suddenly felt at ease, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.
"So, how’d it go? Did you succeed?" Bai Xuejia asked knowingly as Shen Shi returned to his seat.
"Oh, if I’d succeeded, do you think I’d be sitting here right now? Come on, let’s go out for a few drinks tonight—just the guys. We’ll even invite Mo Fashi, that idiot."
"Mo Fashi’s already got plans tonight to play games with someone. But don’t worry, I’ll keep you company~" Bai Xuejia replied with a smile.
"Wait, is it a girl?"
Shen Shi’s face suddenly turned serious. If it was a girl, he’d be tempted to pay Mo Fashi a visit—with a gas can and a lighter.
"Of course it’s a guy. Do you really think Mo Fashi could find a girl to game with him?"
"Good point!"
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Author’s Note:
Three updates today! Since I’ll be out later, this was scheduled in advance. Not sure if I’ll owe any chapters, but if I do, I’ll make it up tomorrow~ (????)
Surely no one’s sending more “knives,” right? Why do I suddenly feel nervous?