"..."
Xie Yue was speechless.
"Yun Mi is the daughter of Wen Liangyu's old friend. Not a sister. Wen Liangyu is afraid Chen Jici will treat her badly."
"What did you say... what?"
The family was too chaotic.
Chen Yiyang smirked. "Why can't I pursue her?"
Chen Yiyang reached out and grabbed the stunned Xie Yue, raising his voice in command: "Let's go."
-
Class 2 and Class 1, where Yun Mi was, shared the same instructor. In the morning, some classmates were still discussing Zhou Shihui's confession to her yesterday.
One was the top student in Class 2, the other was the math prodigy guaranteed a recommendation. They seemed like a perfect match.
The instructor had been barking "At ease" and "Attention" for a long time. Some girls were too weak to stand and were temporarily dismissed to rest on the spot.
Last night, the female instructor had required the girls to assemble for drill on room organization, so Ding Yuan hadn't had a chance to ask. She leaned over and said, "Yun Mi, what do you say about Zhou Shihui's confession?"
Ding Yuan asked, "Are you considering saying yes?"
Yun Mi found an open spot to sit. She had been avoiding Zhou Shihui for so long. She said, "That would be irresponsible to both of us, wouldn't it?"
Ding Yuan pondered a bit and said, "But Huang Yuping from Class 3 has been dating all along. Last time I heard her, she made a good point: only by dating a lot can you know what really suits you..." Ding Yuan still felt Chen Yiyang was not good enough for Yun Mi. She chuckled, "But then, Zhou Shihui is a bit of a waste when it comes to teaching. Not much use."
Yun Mi retorted, "I never said that."
"I think you just don't like him at all," Ding Yuan leaned in and whispered in Yun Mi's ear, "What about Chen Yiyang? If Chen Yiyang confessed to you, would you say yes?"
Hearing that description, Yun Mi's heart felt like it had received an electric shock.
She remembered Chen Yiyang's words in the small clinic, his youthful face, and his deep, low voice that connected to her heart when he lowered his eyes.
Yun Mi wanted to know what he would have said if Aunt Qin hadn't come in.
She lowered her eyes to the plastic grass beneath her and said, "With his personality, if he liked me, he should have confessed by now."
Not far away, someone called out "Zhou Shihui."
Yun Mi was fanning herself when she suddenly looked up to see a bottle of water being handed to her.
Zhou Shihui was actually clean-cut and handsome, with a youthful smile when he laughed. He crouched down and said, "I brought this specially for you."
If it had been anyone else, repeatedly receiving such subtle rejections would have bruised their pride, but Zhou Shihui didn't lose heart. He said, "About yesterday..." he asked gently, "How is A Yang?"
Yun Mi didn't take the water. She gave a faint smile and said, "He's fine. Just heatstroke."
Zhou Shihui smiled. "Heatstroke at night?"
Yun Mi said, "Summer is so hot. You can get heatstroke at night too."
The hot, noisy cicadas buzzed along with the dry wind on the playground. Yun Mi's knees were covered in a thin layer of sweat.
The scorching sun was fierce. Zhou Shihui pressed his lips together and didn't call her out on it.
He said, "It's good that your brother is fine. It would be terrible if it delayed your dad and Aunt Wen's wedding."
The dazzling sun stung her eyelids slightly.
A male classmate nearby shouted, "Brother Hui!" Zhou Shihui asked, "What's up?"
"A friend from Class 23 was inspired by you. He's going to sing a confession too."
Zhou Shihui smiled.
Yun Mi had stopped fanning herself. She stood up abruptly.
On her delicate face, her almond eyes dimmed. Zhou Shihui was about to ask who was dating whom, but Yun Mi interrupted him, asking, "Zhou Shihui, what did you say? What wedding?"
Her voice carried hesitation and uncertainty.
Her heart stopped. When she came to her senses, half her body was numb.
Zhou Shihui emphasized, "Aren't your parents getting married?"
His tone was certain. Yun Mi asked, "Who told you that?"
The noisy summer crowd was split by the instructor's whistle. The sharp whistle exploded in her ears, making them ache. She turned abruptly to look at Class 23's formation. Chen Yiyang was in his military training uniform, tall and lean. His jet-black hair was tucked under the brim of his cap. They were also on break.
The boy was leaning against a tree, chatting casually with others, still dazzling even in the crowd.
Yun Mi squinted, suddenly recalling the question she had asked Ding Yuan before.
Why was Chen Yiyang so good to her.
Yun Mi corrected him, "You've got it wrong. My father is a doctor in Africa, not in Beijing. He will never remarry in this lifetime."
Zhou Shihui subconsciously denied it, "Then why didn't A Yang..." He remembered Aunt Wen's earlier instructions, froze, and muttered, "A Yue knew too... Otherwise, why would we be so good to you?"
Yun Mi saw the genuine shock on Zhou Shihui's face and felt the truth was like a knife flaying her. She knew he wasn't lying.
But these people... they had only been good to her because of a misunderstanding?
The male classmate who had come to tip Zhou Shihui earlier yelled, "Brother Hui, Sister Yan has confessed!"
Time and again, Jiang Miyan had never backed down.
Yun Mi didn't have that kind of unwavering confidence.
The five-star red flag fluttered in the wind at the highest point of the playground. Under the huge white canopy, Yun Mi saw Jiang Miyan, laughing freely and boldly, and the silhouette of the boy amid the noisy crowd.
Yun Mi unconsciously clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. The old scar on her arm was still ugly and conspicuous.
She looked from afar, her tone calm but her voice firm, telling the person beside her, "Zhou Shihui, I don't like you. Please don't do things like this anymore. I'm a very stubborn person. I won't like someone just because they're nice to me. If I don't like them, I don't. I won't suddenly change my mind. The person I like..."
She paused, then changed her words, "If I like someone, maybe I just want to surpass them."
Yun Mi forced a smile, but her heart felt tight and stifled, as if she was being baked directly by the midsummer sun, even her heartbeat felt soft, hot, and panicked.
The girl's soft twin-tails were flattened by her military cap, lying limp against her slender shoulders. She lowered her eyes, revealing a very light, gentle smile, and said, "As for the misunderstanding, there's no need to tell Chen Yiyang or anyone else."