Why did she like Ye Yuhuan?
It was a complex question. So complex that Song Zhiqing, after half-carrying Ye Yuhuan to bed and coaxing her to sleep, sat by the bedside for a long, long time without figuring it out. She remained there until the twilight of dusk had steeped the entire room in its colors, long after the cleaning lady Shen Wei and the others had called had finished tidying the living room.
She turned back to study the sleeping figure. The drunken blush was gradually fading, revealing a face as fair as snow. Against that complexion, her crimson, well-defined lips were especially striking.
Song Zhiqing felt her heart starting to race uncontrollably again.
Song Zhiqing patted her own face, telling herself to calm down.
How she had come to like Ye Yuhuan was a question with no answer for now, but whether Ye Yuhuan liked her back already had one.
Before coaxing Ye Yuhuan to sleep, Song Zhiqing had recovered from the shock and shyness of realizing her affections had shifted. She then thought of a more pressing question, and one that, given Ye Yuhuan’s current state, would be very easy to get an answer to.
Song Zhiqing took a deep breath for a few seconds, then asked softly, “Ye Yuhuan, do you like me?”
Ye Yuhuan lifted her head dazedly, a sweet smile on her face that she would never normally wear, and answered, “Of course I like Qingqing!”
Song Zhiqing froze on the spot, her beautiful almond eyes as dazed as a guinea pig that had accidentally found a pot of cherry tomatoes.
Wow, she likes me.
So getting into a relationship can be this easy.
Mom, I think I’m about to start dating early!
After coming to her senses, Song Zhiqing couldn’t be bothered that Ye Yuhuan was completely incoherent right now; she just wanted to get a taste of the joys of young love ahead of time.
“Then how about we start dating!”
It was a bit sudden, but a formal confession ceremony could be made up for later.
To be honest, aren’t ninety-nine roses a bit tacky?
In a matter of seconds, Student Song was already designing matching couple’s rings for them in her mind, but Ye Yuhuan’s confused voice shattered her beautiful dream: “Dating? Why would I date Qingqing? Qingqing and I are good friends.”
It was like falling from heaven to hell.
Seriously, had Yue Lao cast some kind of single-forever curse on her, Song Zhiqing?
First it was Shangguan Xianxian, and now Ye Yuhuan.
Did she not have a single romantic thought in her head?
Song Zhiqing felt so wronged she was about to cry. Her heart felt like it had been deflated, all her high spirits leaking out completely. But she still wasn’t ready to give up. Her eyes red-rimmed, she threw herself in front of Ye Yuhuan to confirm, “The ‘like’ you’re talking about is the ‘like’ for a friend?”
Ye Yuhuan nodded, her expression seeming to ask if there was any other kind of ‘like’ besides the one for a friend.
Ah, right. Ye Yuhuan was someone with the face of a fairy and the heart of a nun.
She had no desire to be in a relationship at all.
For some reason, Song Zhiqing felt that her fate was a bitter one.
After forcing herself to coax Ye Yuhuan to sleep, she sat dazedly by the bed. The sky was growing darker, and Ye Yuhuan would probably wake up soon.
She wondered if she would remember any of this.
It would be better if she didn’t. She really didn’t want Ye Yuhuan to distance herself because of this.
Song Zhiqing pressed her lips together bitterly, wrote a note and stuck it to the headboard, then sat in the living room for a while longer.
Losing something after having it was indeed more painful than never having had it at all, even if you only thought you had it. After the intense joy and sorrow settled, Song Zhiqing glanced back at Ye Yuhuan lying on the bed. Thinking back on their time together over the past year, she had to admit that not falling for someone like Ye Yuhuan was a difficult thing to do.
Just as people naturally find gemstones beautiful, she naturally came to like Ye Yuhuan. In comparison, her previous affection for Shangguan Xianxian seemed more like an act of spite.
After getting into the car, Song Zhiqing watched the scenery flash by outside the window. Uncle Yu looked with considerable worry at the girl in the rearview mirror, who was lost in thought.
However, thinking of the person he had seen before leaving, he thought that perhaps the young miss would cheer up after getting home.
Half an hour later, Song Zhiqing looked at the villa bustling with people coming and going. She glanced at Uncle Yu in confusion and asked, “What’s going on at our house?”
Uncle Yu had a mysterious expression. “You’ll know once you go inside, Miss.”
Song Zhiqing noncommittally stepped into the house. The moment she entered, she was enveloped in a soft, fragrant embrace. Song Zhiqing stared blankly as she looked up at the face that appeared more often on screen than before her own eyes, smiling down at her.
“Mom?”
“What are you doing back?” Song Zhiqing wondered if this was a dream.
It wasn’t that Gao Yiren never came home; she would occasionally return to see Song Zhiqing. But those times usually only lasted a day or two, or just one night. It was often during a break in her schedule, and the mother and daughter would arrange a time and spend their reunion as if they were rushing to meet another deadline.
A surprise visit like this had never happened before.
Gao Yiren smiled and pinched her daughter’s cheek, revealing the surprise she had been preparing for a long time. “I’ll be staying with you for a while this time.”
Wow, that’s great!
Song Zhiqing’s eyes widened. Even the dejection she’d felt over Ye Yuhuan was temporarily suppressed. “For a whole month?”
Gao Yiren looked down at the girl who was nearly a young woman, her heart softening. She said gently, “I’ll be with you until next year.”
Song Zhiqing let out a cheer and hugged Gao Yiren tightly, her face flushed with excitement. “Really, Mom?!”
Gao Yiren feigned a chiding tone. “I even brought all my luggage back.”
“This time, I’m going to spend some quality time with Qingqing. Is there anything you want to do with Mom during this time? Mom can do anything, you know.”
As soon as Gao Yiren said this, many options instantly popped into Song Zhiqing’s mind: watching movies with her mom, making desserts, going shopping, going out to have fun.
And also, talking for a long time, pouring her heart out to her mom like other girls her age.
Ah, speaking of troubles, right now her own troubles were about to make her heart burst.
Song Zhiqing pulled Gao Yiren to sit on the sofa. She was a little hesitant, but she felt that if it was her mom, she would surely know what to do.
So, she began hesitantly, “Mom, I’ve started liking someone recently.”
Gao Yiren wasn’t surprised. Her daughter’s crush on Shangguan Xianxian was something she had proclaimed so loudly that even the family gardener knew about it.
But, recently?
Alright, Gao Yiren thought with a secret smile, it seemed the first thing she had to do upon returning to her role as a mother was to counsel her lovesick daughter.
Gao Yiren composed her expression and asked, “You don’t like Shangguan Xianxian anymore?”
Er… Mom is this sharp?
Song Zhiqing averted her gaze in embarrassment. Speaking of which, why did she have to be so public about it before? It made shifting her affections so inconvenient now.
“I haven’t liked her for a while now,” Song Zhiqing explained quietly.
She added quietly, “Maybe I didn’t even like her that much before. The one I like now, she’s the one I like the most.”
Gao Yiren put a hand to her forehead. Well, at this age, this is normal.
Seeing her mom’s reaction, Song Zhiqing knew she wasn’t taking this very seriously. She quickly stressed, “I really, really like her. I really, really want to date her right now.”
Gao Yiren couldn’t help but laugh. She replied, “Alright, Mom knows you must like this person a lot. But you’re surely not telling me this just to report that you’ve started liking someone, are you?”
Song Zhiqing pursed her lips. Thinking of Ye Yuhuan’s sometimes dazed, sometimes distant expressions, a rare look of melancholy appeared on her face. “The person I like doesn’t want to be in a relationship. And I don’t want to force her, because she’s a really important friend to me. But I really want to date her, and I don’t know if I can stop myself from trying to date her.”
“Ah!” Song Zhiqing covered her face. “What am I even saying!”
It was complete nonsense. If Ye Yuhuan heard this, she would definitely say she was being illogical again.
Gao Yiren leisurely enjoyed the sight of her daughter’s foolish, lovesick state. After a good while, she finally said, “How do you know she doesn’t want to be in a relationship?”
Song Zhiqing recalled the nonchalant expression Ye Yuhuan had when she said she didn’t like romance. It hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time, but now it felt like a knife to the heart.
Song Zhiqing pouted, feeling inexplicably wronged. “She said so herself.”
Gao Yiren was perfectly composed. Having played many different roles, she already understood the better part of human nature. She continued to ask, “There must be a reason, right? At your age, you should be curious about romance.”
After speaking, Gao Yiren added as if she had just remembered, “By the way, the friend you’re talking about… it’s your classmate Ye Yuhuan, isn’t it?”
Song Zhiqing was completely shocked. How did her mom guess!
Sure, she was close to Ye Yuhuan, but they’d been close for a year already, and her mom had never hinted at anything like this before. She had only ever encouraged her to pursue Shangguan Xianxian!
Could Mom have secretly planted a tracking device on me? Song Zhiqing thought in horror.
Gao Yiren poked Song Zhiqing’s forehead and said teasingly, “Taking someone to the seaside to dance in the middle of the night… that’s pretty romantic.”
Oh, right. So she’d been acting brazenly even before she started pursuing her.
Song Zhiqing’s face turned crimson. She felt inexplicably awkward, as if she’d been caught dating early by her parents. But she and Ye Yuhuan weren’t even dating! How infuriating!
“Uncle Yu told you, didn’t he.”
“Mhm,” Gao Yiren nodded. “After all, you did leave your father at someone else’s house.”
Song Zhiqing didn’t want to continue this topic and whined, “Hey, weren’t we supposed to be discussing my love life!”
Seeing the signs that her daughter was about to become angry from embarrassment, Gao Yiren masked her expression and said, “Ahem, alright. Then tell me, why is this classmate Ye unwilling to date?”
Speaking of that, Song Zhiqing was also troubled. She knew it was more or less related to Ye Yuhuan’s upbringing—perhaps the twisted marital relationship between her parents, or perhaps the relentless fanaticism of her pursuers.
But it was also possible that Ye Yuhuan was too precocious and therefore found love boring.
Finally, Song Zhiqing said dejectedly, “I don’t know. There are too many reasons. I think they’re all possible, but I just don’t know.”
Gao Yiren reminded her in a gentle voice, “Alright, let’s not talk about that then. From what you’re saying, classmate Ye has probably never been in a relationship before, right?” As she spoke, she reached out and ruffled Song Zhiqing’s fluffy hair, her smile holding the clarity of someone who had seen the world. “Qingqing, let Mom tell you something. A person has to pick something up before they can put it down. Any judgment made before trying is unreliable.”
Song Zhiqing was instantly enlightened, the dejection and self-doubt in her eyes swept away. “So what you mean, Mom, is that no matter what she says, I should just try pursuing her first, right!”
Gao Yiren nodded in agreement. “That’s right. But, Qingqing, do you know how to pursue someone?”
Hearing this, Song Zhiqing smiled confidently, about to pull out her guide to pursuing people (author: Ye Yuhuan).
Suddenly, her expression froze.
Alright, let’s review the rules of pursuit.
Rule one: Let the other person know you can be bent.
【She knew long ago that I’m not straight.】
Rule two: Get to know the other person.
【I’ve known Ye Yuhuan for over a year.】
Rule three: Build a good relationship with the other person’s friends.
【Ye Yuhuan is my strategist. The members of the Cosmic Beauty Garden admire her even more than me, calling her a modern-day female Zhuge Liang.】
Rule four: Show your charm to the other person.
【Ye Yuhuan cooks for me, draws for me, and does all sorts of things I want to do with me. Plus, she’s super smart and knowledgeable.】
Rule five: Show your minor flaws to the other person to close the distance.
【Ye Yuhuan has revealed her childhood trauma to me, and even though she’s not good at singing, she diligently learned and sang along with me.】
Rule six: Increase physical contact and verbal hints.
【After we became friends, we were always touching and hugging. Tang Xue even complained we were too mushy.】
Rule seven: Confess after confirming the other person also has feelings for you.
【I confessed.】
Song Zhiqing discovered that she and Ye Yuhuan had already completed all the steps.
At least, she had unilaterally completed all the steps.
Okay, now she completely understood why she liked Ye Yuhuan.
Ye Yuhuan’s guide to pursuing people really worked. She hoped it would be just as useful when pursuing Ye Yuhuan herself.
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