Chapter 32: A Blinding Secret Crush

The next morning, Lin Yiqun showed up bright and early with an armful of breakfast.

Lin Yuran had already been up for hours, buried in her work. She’d been squeezing in every spare moment lately to rush through her drafts, hoping to finish the 3D renderings of the Lone Wolf team before they won the championship. With the boost from the tournament, pre-orders would be sure to explode.

Seeing Lin Yiqun all sharply dressed in a suit, Lin Yuran chuckled. “Well, well. I gotta say, when you actually bother to clean up, you clean up pretty nicely.”

“Of course,” Lin Yiqun grinned as he opened a container of tofu pudding and placed it in front of her. “I’ve learned my lesson. Listening to my little green plum* never steers me wrong.”

(T/N: Little green plum (小青梅) means childhood sweetheart, while little bamboo shoot (小竹子) is poking fun of the term.)

Lin Yuran playfully smacked him. “What little green plum? More like a little bamboo shoot.”

Lin Yiqun chuckled, but then his expression turned serious as he brought up something from that day. “Yuran, I think Chi Ye still likes you.”

Lin Yuran froze, the piece of fried dough in her mouth forgotten. She swallowed it whole by accident and immediately broke into a fit of coughing. Lin Yiqun quickly handed her some soy milk.

After a few gulps to wash it down, Lin Yuran finally caught her breath and asked, “Why do you think that?”

“Chi Ye’s always cold to me. And it’s not like we have any beef,” Yiqun said, pausing. “That day, he clearly misunderstood something. Didn’t you notice how upset he looked?”

Lin Yuran didn’t say anything. But she remembered how Zhang Kun had told her the next day that Chi Ye had drunk himself into a stupor. Her chest tightened.

Lin Yiqun didn’t push further.

Feelings were tricky. No matter how close you were, some things could only be sorted out by the people involved.

After breakfast, Lin Yuran spent a bit of time getting ready before catching the subway. She arrived at the exhibit just in time. As she neared the venue, she messaged Ye Hui. He was already waiting for them outside.

Their flower arrangement had also just been delivered.

Ye Hui greeted her with a warm smile. “I’m already really happy that you could make it, Yuran. You didn’t need to bring flowers too.”

Lin Yuran smiled. “Coming here is one thing, but I had to show some support too.”

Ye Hui chuckled softly. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Lin Yiqun, he personally guided them through the exhibit, piece by piece.

The gallery was arranged in a circular layout, and the three of them strolled slowly through it. As they approached the central ring, Lin Yuran subtly lagged a step behind. The center section was relatively small and secluded, designed as a private viewing area for the exhibit’s grand finale.

Lin Yuran watched as Lin Yiqun stepped into the space and suddenly stopped short. Then she raised her finger, gesturing a small circle to Ye Hui, signaling for him to loop around.

Ye Hui looked like he wanted to show her the painting inside, but she firmly tugged him away.

Once they exited the main hall, Lin Yuran explained, “The girl Lin Yiqun secretly likes is in there. She said the painting inside expresses her feelings perfectly. Let’s not interrupt them.”

Ye Hui gave a helpless smile, lowering his gaze. His voice was slightly hoarse. “Yuran… did you know? The painting in there is called 《Secret Crush》…”

“Lin Nuotao…”

A deep voice suddenly cut through the moment, interrupting them.

Lin Yuran turned instinctively at the sound. Chi Ye was striding toward them, long legs closing the distance in seconds.

As he approached, he cast Ye Hui a neutral glance before settling his gaze on Lin Yuran and asking gently, “Finished looking around?”

“Yeah.” Lin Yuran nodded. “Just finished.”

“Got anything else planned? I’ll give you a ride.” Chi Ye’s tone was casual.

A ride?

Lin Yuran stared at him, momentarily stunned.

After a few seconds of blanking out, Lin Yuran realized she actually didn’t have anything else planned. “Nope, that’s it.”

“Then shall we go?” Chi Ye asked.

Lin Yuran nodded, then turned to say goodbye to Ye Hui. “I’ll head off first, Ye Hui.”

Ye Hui hadn’t spoken a word since Chi Ye appeared. He nodded silently, forcing a slight smile, then opened his arms.

Lin Yuran laughed and bumped her fist lightly against his chest. “Art never ends. Wishing you a perfect exhibition! I’m off now,” she said, waving goodbye and following Chi Ye’s lead.

The early autumn wind was brisk and cool.

Lin Yuran had on an off-shoulder long-sleeved top, a bit too thin for the weather. Chi Ye shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Her long hair was caught under the jacket, so he reached over and gently pulled her waist-length silver strands out one by one.

Lin Yuran stood stiffly, trying hard to keep her heart from spiraling out of rhythm.

Inside the exhibit hall, Ye Hui stood at the glass door, watching the tender scene outside. His eyes reddened slightly. The words he had meant to say, this was my last chance to confess, never made it past his throat.

Chi Ye’s car was parked right at the entrance, not the same one as yesterday. Another black supercar.

Chi Ye must really like black.

He pressed a button, and the wing-like doors of the car slowly lifted, like a hawk spreading its wings.

He gently guided Lin Yuran into the passenger seat, shielding her head. Then he walked around to the driver’s side. Before getting in, he paused, and shot a brief glance at the still-staring Ye Hui inside. Then he got in.

The doors slowly closed.

Once inside, Chi Ye reached over to straighten the jacket on her. “Sorry, I forgot to ask if you minded.”

Lin Yuran smiled. “No, I don’t mind. I mean… I used to wear your clothes all the time.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Lin Yuran realized how suggestive they sounded. She bit her lip and quickly changed the topic. “So, what kind of car is this?”

Chi Ye raised a brow and smirked. “Look it up yourself.”

Lin Yuran casually took out her phone, snapped a photo of the steering wheel, and sent it to Xu Jianwei on WeChat: 【What car is this?】

The reply came quickly: 【Nordic Phantom. Looks like the Koenigsegg Regera, insanely expensive. One of those ‘small-goal’ cars. Where are you?】

Lin Yuran: 【I’ll tell you later.】

Chi Ye glanced over. “Weren’t you with Lin Yiqun? Where’d he go?”

“Oh, he’s still inside.” Lin Yuran smiled faintly.

Chi Ye gave her a puzzled look but didn’t press.

“Actually, wait,” Chi Ye suddenly corrected himself. “I’m not giving you a ride home. The ‘Sub-coordinate’ is nearby. The morning match ended, and the next one’s tonight. I was planning to hang out with some friends there and figured since you’d be done here too, I’d ask if you wanted to come. Wanna go? It’s National Day break. You can’t spend the whole thing cooped up drawing.”

“Sub-Coordinate…”

Lin Yuran blinked. The name rang a bell. After a beat, she asked, “That Sub-Coordinate?”

Chi Ye nodded slightly. “So? You in?”

“Sure.” Lin Yuran agreed instantly.

That summer, even though Lin Yuran had worked there part-time, it had sparked a real love for billiards. If she hadn’t been too busy making money in recent years, she probably would’ve played all the time.

Chi Ye curved his lips in a faint smile and started the engine. The Koenigsegg Regera let out a roar and tore out of the parking spot like a wild beast.

As the wind howled past, Lin Yuran sat silently in the plush leather seat. Her mind drifted back to that time she’d joked, ‘I thought I’d never get to ride in a car like this in my life!,’ to the time when the girls at Sub-coordinate asked what kind of guy she liked, and to what Lin Yiqun had said this morning.

That absurd little thought in her mind… was beginning to take shape.

No matter what her relationship with Chi Ye was now, there was one thing Lin Yuran had to do. Ever since they reunited, she hadn’t found the right moment.

She needed to apologize. It was the starting point of everything. And now felt like the right time.

Lin Yuran wasn’t one to procrastinate. When she made up her mind, she acted.

Lin Yuran straightened up, turned to look at Chi Ye, lips pressed together as she gathered her words. Then she smiled and said, “Chi Ye, Xu Jianwei said this car is worth a small fortune. Yesterday’s was even more expensive.”

Chi Ye raised a brow and glanced at her.

Lin Yuran paused, bit her lip, and continued, “I didn’t expect gaming to be this profitable… I’m sorry. I was ignorant back then and said the wrong thing.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Chi Ye slammed the gas for a second, slowing the car down, then pulled over. Silence filled the car.

He rested an arm on the steering wheel, staring ahead. Lin Yuran held her breath.

After a long moment, Chi Ye turned toward her. His voice was slightly hoarse. “You didn’t mean it like that, did you? You don’t need to apologize.”

She looked at him, stunned.

He knew. He understood. He never took it to heart.

Lin Yuran nodded hard. “Mm.”

But then his expression dimmed. His throat moved slightly like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. They sat in silence.

Lin Yuran couldn’t tell what he was feeling now, but regardless of how well he understood, what she’d said back then, ‘Playing games is a waste of time,’ had clearly wounded him. Since that moment, she’d never seen him smile the same way again.

Watching him, Lin Yuran bit her lip and whispered, “I’m sorry. I hurt you.”

Chi Ye swallowed hard. He reached out and gently brushed her cheek, as if to wipe away all the guilt there.

“Lin Nuotao, don’t blame yourself. Otherwise, everything I’ve worked for all these years will be for nothing.”

Her eyelashes quivered. The meaning behind his words became crystal clear in that moment.

He didn’t give up on gaming because of her. He built up his gaming company stronger than ever because he didn’t want her to carry the burden of guilt.

Lin Yuran’s eyes suddenly stung. She blinked rapidly, pushing back the tears. But Chi Ye noticed everything.

Chi Ye gently placed a hand on her head, voice low and soft. “I’m a grown man. I’m not that fragile.” He paused for a few seconds, then gave her hair a rough tousle. “Lin Nuotao, can we not talk about this anymore? I told you before I was just teasing. It didn’t count. So your words don’t count either. No need to bring it up again.”

Lin Yuran sniffled and nodded hard. “Okay.”

Chi Ye looked at her, then gave her one last hair-ruffling as a seal of peace.

The Koenigsegg Regera surged back onto the road, slicing through traffic like a phantom.