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But in the next second, the slap in the face came all too quickly.

A cheerful voice rang out from behind him; Shen Yi had come downstairs at some point.

"Hey—?! Wen Que! Are you here to pick me up? Then I’m going home with you!"

Song Yang: "..."

*

In the end, all the lights were turned on, and Wen Que sat on the Song family’s sofa.

Song Yang sneered, "It’s this late. If you go back and have another fight with Shen Yu, will you even get any sleep tonight?"

Thinking of Shen Yu, the corners of Shen Yi’s lips, which had lifted upon Wen Que’s arrival, slumped down, instantly turning into a miserable grimace.

Now that she thought about it... she really didn’t want to go home. How annoying.

Wen Que spoke calmly, "Shen Yu told me what happened. He said he wants to apologize to you."

Shen Yi’s eyes lit up again. If she could go back and take the moral high ground to lecture Shen Yu, that sounded like a dream.

Song Yang rolled his eyes and retorted, "It’s not like he hasn’t lied to you before."

Shen Yi: "!"

That was true.

Once, when the two of them were fighting, Shen Yi had actually run away from home, hiding in a place no one could find. Shen Yu sent her a message apologizing, saying he would let her punish him however she liked once she returned. Shen Yi had gone home happily, only to have her palms fiercely struck with a ruler by Shen Yu.

When Shen Yi cried and said, "You lied to me, you're dead," Shen Yu had replied righteously that he’d asked a servant to send the message for him and it had nothing to do with him, so it didn't count as lying.

Liar! Bastard!

Seeing Song Yang fanning the flames from the sidelines, Wen Que felt that his usual good temper, which had been fraying from the moment he saw Shen Yi in her pajamas at the Song residence, was on the verge of total collapse.

He didn't want to waste any more time. His expression remained as placid as ever, but the question he posed hit the mark: "Song Yang, is there some reason you absolutely need Shen Yi to stay?"

His tone was one of concern, as if he were worried Song Yang had some unspeakable secret.

Shen Yi looked over suspiciously as well, guessing, "Are you afraid of being home alone?"

"...Huh? Which eye of yours saw me wanting her to stay?" Song Yang grabbed his short blonde hair in frustration, walked toward his room, and tossed out Shen Yi’s schoolbag. "Get lost, the both of you! Is it polite to loiter at someone else’s house this late at night?"

*

On the way.

For some reason, Shen Yi felt a somewhat unnatural heaviness in the air. She sat up straight, stealing glances at Wen Que’s expression, only to be caught in the act.

Shen Yi squeezed out an awkward smile. "Sorry to trouble you so late; it’s all Shen Yu’s fault..."

Wen Que’s gaze didn't shy away; he looked directly into her eyes. "Shen Yu did nothing wrong. If he hadn't told me, were you planning to spend the night at the Song house?"

No. This was a major problem.

For once, Shen Yi was sharp enough to realize that Wen Que seemed... not very happy?

He was completely different from his usual self; his beautiful brows were slightly furrowed, as if there was something troubling enough to bother a person like him. If Shen Yu hadn't done anything wrong, then that meant... she was the one who had done something wrong?

Ha!? She would never be in the wrong!

If she weren't facing Wen Que, Shen Yi would definitely have shouted that out loud. But precisely because it was Wen Que, she could only ask tentatively, "Wen Que, are you angry with me?"

So it *was* all Shen Yu’s fault! If he wanted to apologize, why couldn't he just come himself? Why bother Wen Que! It was a long way from the Wen residence, and Wen Que cared deeply about next month’s competition, having poured so much time and energy into it. It was truly a capital offense to disturb him this late!

"No."

The denial was instantaneous. Seeing the worry and confusion in her eyes, Wen Que was silent for a moment before answering, "Sorry, I just feel a sense of crisis."

Shen Yi: "???"

Her eyes went round as a rabbit’s, stunned by his words. A sense of crisis? What on earth was that?

"Sometimes I don't know if you're truly oblivious or just pretending to be."

Wen Que closed his eyes, looking genuinely pained by a headache. He looked at the driver and said, "Stop here."

Shen Yi: "..."

She really didn't understand what he meant. Only one thought remained in her brain—was he going to kick her out of the car? That couldn't be right; she hadn't even said anything.

Shen Yu, death penalty! Death penalty! Death penalty!

Shen Yi repeated it frantically in her heart, already plotting to end Shen Yu’s miserable life if Wen Que was truly angry enough to kick her out.

Then, the next second.

A cold sensation touched the back of her hand; it was Wen Que covering her hand with his palm. He looked at her. "It’s about a ten-minute walk to your house from here. If you don't mind, let’s walk."

*

Holding hands.

They were actually holding hands!!!

Shen Yi walked along the roadside, her hand in Wen Que’s, feeling her heart thumping so hard it felt like it might jump out of her chest. They had been engaged for quite a while, and having known each other for so many years, physical contact wasn't new. But this—the clear, romantic act of "holding hands," walking alone together under a starry night—was a first.

After a long while, she finally regained her senses.

Shen Yi spoke in a small voice, "I’m sorry, Wen Que. I don't know what I did wrong, but I didn't mean to make you unhappy."

That was the truth. Of all the people in the world, the last person Shen Yi wanted to upset was Wen Que, because she loved him the most.

"...I’m not unhappy."

Wen Que sighed softly. "Shen Yi, I am your fiancé, right?"

Shen Yi looked up at him in terror, six large words clearly written on her face: *Are you calling off the engagement?*

Feeling her palms break into a cold sweat because she had misinterpreted him, the vague frustration in Wen Que’s heart was finally soothed. He gripped her hand tighter to reassure her, having no intention of breaking the engagement, and spoke more directly: "We are engaged, yet you stayed alone with Song Yang when no one else was at his house."

Shen Yi clearly understood, yet didn't quite understand at all.

Because she said, "Sorry, I won't do it again. After all, Song Yang might have a girlfriend soon..."

It was her lack of consideration. Although she truly didn't think of Song Yang as a "man," if she had known his mother wasn't home, she wouldn't have gone over to disturb him. After all, Song Yang was really bad at comforting people; she only went to the Song house whenever she was in a bad mood because of his mother’s delicious, soft-baked cookies.

A girlfriend?

Wen Que didn't believe it at all, but his attention was successfully diverted by her words. "He has a girlfriend?"

"Maybe, probably, soon."

Shen Yi answered earnestly, then omitted the name and told Wen Que about Jiang Yue, adding objectively, "She is a very beautiful and outstanding girl."

Wen Que summarized, "So, because Song Yang might have a girlfriend, you realized you should keep your distance from him."

Shen Yi nodded. That was exactly right!

But the next second, the smile she wore while gossiping about Song Yang’s "romance" froze on her face.

No. Wait. The problem seemed to be even bigger.

This time, Wen Que’s expression had darkened significantly. If Shen Yi had only suspected he was angry before, now she was certain...

He was absolutely furious!

But she really didn't understand. Why would Wen Que be angry that Song Yang might have a girlfriend? This was too inexplicable. Could it be... *pfft, pfft, pfft*, how could that possibly be the case? That’s crazy!

Shen Yi was still lost in her wild thoughts, but the moment Wen Que let go of her hand, her mind went completely blank.

She panicked. She was truly panicked.

"I’m sorry, Wen Que..."

She didn't know what she had done wrong, but in this situation, apologizing first was always the right move. Shen Yi’s brain was a mess. She hurt Shen Yu, bickered with Song Yang, and even fought with Meng Zihan despite their closeness, but she had never once fought with Wen Que.

Not even once.

Which was why she was so panicked now, having no idea what she had done wrong.

She heard Wen Que let out a sigh, as if he were composing himself in a short span of time. "You would pay attention to your distance from Song Yang because of a girlfriend who might not even exist, yet you never considered me, your fiancé?"

Wen Que conceded. It was clear that if he didn't lay it out plainly today, Shen Yi wouldn't understand.

He lowered his gaze to look at her, reached out to pinch the soft flesh of her cheek, and applied a bit more pressure to make her remember the feeling of this moment. He spoke with a sense of resignation, saying the mushy words he usually disliked: "Please, consider that I, too, will care, will be jealous, and will be envious."

Care.

Jealousy.

Envy.

These three weighty keywords were like a triple-threat bomb, making Shen Yi’s head spin. What did Wen Que mean by this?

Was he... was he declaring his possessiveness over her? Was this... was this the legendary confession?

Her mind was too blank, so she just said whatever came to her. She stammered, "S-sorry, I... I didn't think... s-sorry."

Because she couldn't think, her words became more chaotic.

At this moment, the rare, gloomy aura about Wen Que faded, replaced by a mix of guilt and bewilderment.

She didn't think.

What didn't she think about?

Shen Yi cared so much for Wen Que; it was impossible that she hadn't considered his feelings. Then there was only one other possibility.

She never thought that he might like her.

How poorly must he have acted for her to feel so insecure?

Wen Que leaned down and gently pulled the young girl into his arms.

He said, "...How could I possibly be engaged to someone I don't like?"