The Wind Heard Her Confession - Chapter 33: A Blatant Secret Crush
Chapter 33: A Blatant Secret Crush
In just a few minutes, they arrived at the Sub-Coordinate billiard club. They really had just passed by.
Lin Yuran followed beside Chi Ye, walking through a once-familiar neighborhood.
After that summer ended, Lin Yuran had returned home in high spirits, handing all the money she’d earned from her part-time job to Yao A-ping. She told her, “I’m not a burden. I can take care of myself just fine. If you’re unhappy, don’t force yourself. Get a divorce if you need to.”
But Yao A-ping, bound by traditional thinking, refused to listen.
Hao Qinghe kept asking Yao A-ping for money every few days, citing their financial struggles and the 100,000 yuan dowry her grandmother had demanded from him because he was marrying for the second time.
Afraid of losing the money her father had risked everything to leave behind, Yao A-ping decisively enrolled Lin Yuran in a winter training program, paying the full fee for future art studio courses in advance.
So Lin Yuran only ever worked at this billiard club during that single summer.
Though the time had been short, she still remembered the club’s layout and decor clearly. And it hadn’t changed one bit. If anything, it looked more polished now.
Seeing who had arrived, Zhang Kun exclaimed, “No way, look who’s here!”
Qiu He, Liang Size, and He Shenyu all stopped playing, their gazes fixed on the girl walking beside Chi Ye.
Liang Size clutched his cue and stared as if entranced. “Who is that?”
Ye Shaowen replied, “That’s Lin Yuran.”
Qiu He: “Wow!”
Liang Size: “Wow!”
He Shenyu: “Wow!”
“No wonder she’s Chi Ye’s dream girl! She’s drop-dead gorgeous!”
Chi Ye walked over and gave a light cough. “Keep staring and you’ll lose your eyes.”
The guys snapped out of it, chuckling awkwardly and quickly apologizing to Lin Yuran. “Sorry! That was rude!”
Lin Yuran smiled. “It’s okay.”
Zhang Kun stepped forward with a grin. “Goddess Lin! What brings you here?”
“Just came to unwind,” Lin Yuran replied.
Liang Size eagerly came up to her, “Do you know how to play? I can teach you.”
Chi Ye kicked him hard. “Back off. You think she needs you to teach her?”
Lin Yuran stifled a laugh and turned to Liang Size with a confident smile. “No need. I used to work here as an assistant coach.”
Liang Size’s eyes widened like he’d just uncovered a shocking secret. He exchanged glances with Zhang Kun and the others.
Zhang Kun, never one to keep quiet, blurted out, “That explains everything! I always wondered why Chi Ye suddenly got the idea to buy out this place that summer!”
Lin Yuran’s heart skipped a beat. “Which summer?”
Zhang Kun thought for a second. “The summer after the second semester of sophomore year.”
Her eyelashes trembled slightly. Lin Yuran turned to Chi Ye. “You bought this place?”
Chi Ye answered coolly, “Yeah. The environment sucked, and I couldn’t stand playing here. So I took it over and gave it a makeover.”
Typical behavior for a spoiled rich boy. But… the real reason seemed much more obvious now.
Lin Yuran pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Chi Ye handed her a cue. “Wanna play a round?”
Lin Yuran grinned. “Sure.”
After a few shots, Lin Yuran found her rhythm again. On her next turn, she pulled off a perfect jump shot, sinking the ball cleanly.
“Whoo… so cool!”
Liang Size, Zhang Kun, and the others cheered from the sidelines. Lin Yuran looked over at Chi Ye, pleased.
He gave her a half-smile. “Not bad!”
Qiu He clicked his tongue. “Is that still our cold, aloof Young Master Chi? Look at him, his eyes are practically glued to her!”
Liang Size said, “Can’t blame him. I can’t look away either.”
Zhang Kun slapped him. “Keep your voice down unless you want a beating. That girl’s been tucked away in Chi Ye’s heart for years. He’d never let anyone lay a finger on her.”
Liang Size replied quickly, “Wouldn’t dare. I’m just admiring… and a little jealous.”
He Shenyu chimed in, “Me too. Seriously, how is this guy winning everything in life?”
Ye Shaowen added, “Don’t say that. Chi Ye’s suffered too. Look how careful he’s being. That’s not like him at all.”
Liang Size sighed, “Honestly? After all these years, I think it’s worth it. She’s really something.”
They played all afternoon. In the evening, the others headed off to watch a match. Lin Yuran, feeling a little guilty after indulging herself all day, decided to go home and work on her illustrations. Chi Ye offered to drive her back. She didn’t say no.
Chi Ye’s attentiveness had long surpassed what a regular friend would offer. Even if he always had an excuse and his behavior seemed natural, Lin Yuran, slow as she could be, had still noticed how much extra care he gave her.
Back home, Lin Yuran buried herself in her work.
She had finished the orthographic character sheets for the ‘Lone Wolf’ team and was now deep into 3D rendering. Her studio partners, Xu Nuo and Ling Chenxi, were also burning the midnight oil with her.
Three hours flew by. She looked up into the night sky, now thick with darkness, and figured she wasn’t interrupting someone’s date.
Picking up her phone, she was about to message Lin Yiqun when his text popped up first: 【Yuran, are you still awake?】
【Yeah, what’s up?】
【Thanks for today’s thoughtful setup, Little Green Plum.】
【So? Did you confess?】
She sent the message and watched the ‘typing’ bubble dance for ages. Just when she was about to lose patience, he finally replied:【No.】
That was it? Just ‘no’? After all that?
She was about to complain when he sent another message: 【Even though I’d mentally prepared, even dressed up, I still couldn’t compare to her beauty in white, so pure, so radiant.】
Lin Yuran understood. Truly. In front of someone you really like, even the best version of yourself never feels good enough.
Lin Yuran sighed. She didn’t ask when he planned to confess, only offered a gentle nudge: 【Lin Yiqun, that final painting’s called 《Secret Crush》. Su Yirou’s still waiting for you there.】
A long pause.
Then he replied: 【I know.】
And said nothing more. She didn’t follow up either.
Love is like a glass of strong liquor. It’s up to the person holding it to know how much they can take, and when to drink it all.
After hesitating a moment, Lin Yuran took a screenshot of their conversation and sent it to Su Yirou.
Half a minute later, Su Yirou responded: 【It’s okay. One day, I’ll make sure he has nowhere left to run.】
Lin Yuran didn’t know what to say. They chatted lightly for a bit, and after saying good night, Su Yirou sent her a photo.
It was a painting Lin Yuran hadn’t seen before, the closing piece of Ye Hui’s exhibit.
—《Secret Crush》.
The artwork was made up entirely of Lin Yuran’s back.
Most were from her high school days such as studying, dozing off at her desk, playing sports, walking home, painting in the studio… And at the center was her from the first day of college, back straight, carrying a bag.
A tiny caption read: 「If you really can’t let go, then keep liking them in secret. 」
A storm of emotions churned in Lin Yuran’s chest.
If you really can’t let go,
Then keep liking them in secret.
And for some reason, the face that popped into her mind was Chi Ye’s. She wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen any of this. But staring at the words keep liking them, Lin Yuran thought long and hard, then finally messaged Ye Hui.
【I saw the final painting. It’s incredible. But… maybe you named it wrong? I think 《Back View》 would suit it better.】 she joked lightly.
A few seconds later, Ye Hui replied with a smile emoji and: 【That’s fair.】
Some words hurt when said aloud. But keeping them in might hurt even more.
Lin Yuran forced herself to type:【Ye Hui, I like someone else. It’s time to move on.】 And hit send.
The other side was silent for a long while. She kept the chat open, screen glowing, but continued working on her graphics.
Finally, a notification popped up: ‘Ye Hui is typing…’ Then came a single word: 【Okay.】
Lin Yuran let out a breath and turned off her screen, ready to focus again.
Su Yirou had only been back in the country for four days, and Lin Yiqun had stayed by her side all four. Maybe some love doesn’t need to be declared with grand words. Loving someone through your actions can be far more real than any sweet nothings.
During the last three days of break, Chi Ye kept showing up in a different luxury car to pick up Lin Yuran.
【What car is that?】
【And that one?】
【This one?】
After the celebrity exhibition match, Xu Jianwei went to Europe on vacation with her parents and would only return to watch Qin Lang in the final. So during this time, she never caught Chi Ye’s flashy chauffeur routine.
Eventually, she couldn’t hold back and messaged Lin Yuran: 【Those cars aren’t easy to come by. Where are you getting these pics?】
【And when did you start caring about material stuff like that?】
【It’s not that. I’ve been riding in those every day lately.】
Xu Jianwei sent a shocked emoji: 【WHAT?!】
【They’re all Chi Ye’s cars.】
Xu Jianwei immediately video-called her. As soon as the screen lit up, she leaned in, full of gossip: “What’s going on with you two?”
“Well…” Lin Yuran faltered. “It’s like… the other day when I rode in Mr. Sheng’s car, I casually said, ‘I don’t think I’ll ever get to ride in something like this again.’ And Chi Ye… well, he’s been switching out luxury cars every day since then.”
“AHH! Girl, wait for me! We need to talk in person. Where are you?”
“I’m at the base working on designs. Waiting for tonight’s match.”
“I’m coming! Stay there!”
Xu Jianwei rushed to the base. Even though Qin Lang was prepping for the match, she didn’t even stop to say hi but went straight to Chi Ye’s office.
Inside, Xu Jianwei looked around. “Where’s Chi Ye?”
“Busy with something else.”
Xu Jianwei locked the door behind her, marched up to Lin Yuran, and thrust her phone into her face. “I did a quick search on the way here. Turns out Chi Ye doesn’t just own this gaming company. He’s loaded.”
Lin Yuran took the phone. On the screen was Chi Ye’s Baidu profile.
Chi Ye – Crown Prince of the Shenyu Tiancheng Group, current CEO.
Graduated from Qingbei University with dual degrees in Computer Science and Finance.
Below that was a dense list of his major investment successes over the years. Every single venture had flourished. He was hailed as a business prodigy of the new generation.
Further down, it mentioned how, in his freshman year, Chi Ye had founded RanYe Interactive, which launched multiple hit games. One in particular, Infinite Showdown, introduced Chinese history and culture to global players.
Then she saw something familiar: Sub-Coordinate Billiard Club.
It noted how, after Chi Ye took over, he turned the club from a money-loser into a model green entertainment venue within a year.
Finally, one name stood out: Le Shengyuan Candy Factory.
That name… Lin Yuran gnawed on her thumbnail, trying to remember. Then the phrase ‘Fantasy Starlight’ suddenly lit up in her mind. Her heart skipped two beats. She remembered the rumor.
—Six years ago, the Le Shengyuan Candy Factory went bankrupt. It was said that a mysterious tycoon took over just to keep making their Fantasy Starlight lollipops… because it was the favorite candy of someone he loved.
From youth to reunion,
That image of Chi Ye holding out a handful of lollipops flashed across her mind in chaotic fragments.
She froze, thumb at her lip.
Xu Jianwei nudged her, bringing her back to reality.
“Weiwei…” Lin Yuran mumbled. “I think Chi Ye likes me.”
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