Chapter 39: A Blatant Crush

Listening to those words, Lin Yuran felt like guilt was going to burst her heart open. She didn’t know what to say. She nodded in response to his ‘Is that okay?’ then immediately felt that wasn’t right. She was the one who owed him an apology. So she shook her head again.

Chi Ye chuckled. “Lin Nuotao, are you agreeing or not? You keep nodding and shaking your head.”

Lin Yuran bit her lip. “I agree.”

Chi Ye curved his lips in satisfaction. “You’re sober this time, right, Lin Nuotao? Don’t go back on your word again.”

This time… again, those words instantly brought back memories of an earlier promise, and the guilt in Lin Yuran’s heart deepened even more. Unsure how to ease the weight between them, she just nodded furiously.

Chi Ye smiled, but then his smile dissolved into a sudden coughing fit. He’d been coughing since earlier, and his voice wasn’t quite right. Worried, Lin Yuran asked, “Chi Ye, are you sick?”

He stifled the cough and lifted his hand as if to ruffle her hair. Lin Yuran didn’t dodge. She lowered her head slightly, waiting for the gesture.

But Chi Ye withdrew his hand and gave a faint smile. “I’m fine.”

Lin Yuran glanced down at his slowly tightening fist.

Did he think even ruffling her hair wasn’t appropriate?

“Drink the hot tea I brought before it gets cold,” he said, then turned and walked into his office.

Lin Yuran sat stunned in her seat, holding the steaming cup of longan goji red date tea in her hands, unable to describe how she felt inside.

That afternoon, while Lin Yuran was at her desk immersed in her designs, Qin Lang came looking for Chi Ye. Spotting her, he greeted enthusiastically, “Yo, our star Designer Lin’s here today!”

Lin Yuran smiled back. “Yeah, no classes at school today, so I came to catch up on some drafts.”

Looking at her knowingly, Qin Lang said, “That explains it. I was wondering why Chi Ye came into the office still sick.”

“Sick?” Lin Yuran looked at him, confused.

The day Chi Ye had taken the drunk Lin Yuran home, of course his best buddy had followed up. But the next day, when Qin Lang called, he found out Chi Ye was so ill he could barely stay conscious. Though Chi Ye hadn’t explained much, from his condition, things clearly hadn’t gone well.

“You didn’t know?” Qin Lang hesitated, then said, “Chi Ye’s had a high fever these past two days, barely able to get out of bed. He’s been on IV drips nonstop.”

Lin Yuran froze.

Qin Lang was about to say more when a raspy voice interrupted him. “Qin Lang.”

Chi Ye was standing at his office door, motioning him inside. Qin Lang quickly said to Lin Yuran, “You keep working, I’ll go check on him,” and disappeared into the office.

Lin Yuran could only nod blankly.

Before the end of the workday, Xu Jianwei came to pick Qin Lang up. Upon hearing Lin Yuran was also at the office, she immediately came running over.

She dove right into gossip. “Weren’t you cursing Chi Ye out as a scumbag? What’re you doing at his company now? What’s going on?”

Lin Yuran had been out of it all day, her mind swirling with thoughts. She actually wanted to talk to someone. “Weiwei, I got my period.”

Xu Jianwei didn’t follow. “So? You thought Chi Ye got you pregnant or something?”

Lin Yuran’s face flushed red. She stammered, “No, I thought… that night, I thought something happened. But it turned out to be my period.”

“Ah!” Xu Jianwei looked like she’d just uncovered the biggest scoop of the year. Forget picking up Qin Lang, she grabbed Lin Yuran and dragged her out. “Let’s go, this isn’t the place to talk. We’re heading home to dissect this properly.”

At the elevator, she suddenly doubled back, knocked on Chi Ye’s office door, and poked her head in. “Chi Ye, I’m taking Yuran with me. Girls’ night. Hope you don’t mind.”

Chi Ye looked slightly surprised but gave a small laugh. “Go ahead.”

Xu Jianwei leaned on the doorframe, smiling cheekily. “Hey Chi Ye, we’re old classmates. Mind if I ask something?”

“Go on.”

“Could you tell me how many girlfriends Qin Lang has had? He won’t give me a straight answer, but since you two are tight and you know Yuran, help a sister out?”

“No comment,” Chi Ye replied without a trace of mercy.

“Pfft~” Xu Jianwei rolled her eyes, grumbling, “You two really are brothers. I stuck up for you all night, and this is how you repay me.”

Chi Ye only raised an eyebrow. She gave up and slammed the door shut with a huff.

Back at Warner Garden, Xu Jianwei even changed into the loungewear she kept there, ready for a full night’s heart-to-heart. She ordered fried chicken and soda, setting the mood for a good gossip session.

“Alright, spill. What happened?”

Lin Yuran sighed at her nosy friend’s enthusiasm but recounted everything from the top. “I woke up at his place, saw a patch of bl00d on the sheets, wasn’t wearing any clothes, and thought… well, you know. But it was just my period.”

Lin Yuran took a swig of soda, looking remorseful. “Chi Ye’s such a neat freak, and I stained his sheets, yelled at him, almost hit him.”

Xu Jianwei stared. “You hit him?”

“I didn’t, but I almost did,” Lin Yuran admitted in shame. “Good thing I didn’t. Otherwise I’d never be able to face him again.”

Xu Jianwei, holding a piece of fried chicken, frowned in disbelief. In her view, getting with Chi Ye or letting him get with you was basically a jackpot.

“So he let you misunderstand all this time and never explained?”

“No, he didn’t explain. Probably because he was sick,” Lin Yuran said sullenly. “Once he was better, he came straight to campus to find me.”

Her chest tightened. She paused, then added, “He came to apologize. Said he shouldn’t have let me misunderstand. Said it was his fault.”

“Oh my god,” Xu Jianwei gasped. “This is Chi Ye? My lord, why is he a totally different person in front of you? He must really like you to be this humble.”

Lin Yuran hesitated. “Actually, he also said… he’s not used to boundaries. That if he ever crosses the line, I should just hit or scold him, anything but ignore him.”

“D**n!” Xu Jianwei was stunned. “Girl, what even is this? That’s basically a confession already! Why won’t he just say it outright?”

Lin Yuran fell silent, remembering how she had distanced herself after his first, tentative confession. Her heart ached. He probably wouldn’t confess again now.

“Ranran, just tell me one thing.” Xu Jianwei picked up her phone and tapped the screen. “Do you like Chi Ye or not?”

Lin Yuran was quiet for two seconds, then nodded.

Xu Jianwei pretended not to see it. “Out loud. Do you like him?”

“I do.” Lin Yuran was clear and firm. After a slight pause, she added, “I really like him.”

Xu Jianwei tucked her phone away and said solemnly, “Ranran, men like Chi Ye don’t come around often, not even once in a galaxy. I don’t get why he won’t confess, but since you like him too, I think it’s time you make a move.”

Lin Yuran bit her lip, the image of his clenched fist playing over in her mind.

“Okay. Then I’ll go after him,” Lin Yuran declared.

Xu Jianwei clapped. “Now that’s the spirit!”

“But… I’ve never chased anyone. How do I even start?” Lin Yuran asked seriously.

With the gossip portion over, Xu Jianwei shifted her attention to food. While chewing on chicken, she said casually, “In your case, no need to chase. Just say the word, Chi Ye will say yes. Or don’t even speak. Just crook your finger, and he’ll come running.”

Lin Yuran fell silent, imagining what a confession would even look like.

Then, “Wouldn’t it freak him out if I suddenly said something? I mean, I just yelled at him and nearly hit him. What if he thinks I’m crazy and messing with him?”

Xu Jianwei burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

“I’m serious!” Lin Yuran frowned.

Xu Jianwei sobered up. “Then don’t confess yet. Take it slow. Start with some flirting, let him sense how you feel. When the time’s right, then you tell him.”

“How do I flirt gradually?” Lin Yuran asked, completely lost.

“I’m not great at subtle,” Xu Jianwei admitted. “I usually go straight for the kill.”

“Then tell me your way. I need ideas.”

Xu Jianwei lit up with mischief, proudly holding up a can of soda. “Easy. I just slip a hotel keycard into their pocket. Works like a charm. With you? Guaranteed success.”

“Pfft!”

Lin Yuran choked on her drink. Why did she even ask?

“I want a healthy relationship, not a three-day fling,” Lin Yuran said. Then quickly shifted topics. “Weiwei, you seem different this time. You and Qin Lang have been together for a while now.”

It hadn’t been that long, just a few months, but compared to her usual flings, it was practically a lifetime.

Xu Jianwei grinned. “Qin Lang’s decent. Checks all the boxes. No reason to change horses yet.” Then she complained, “I even helped Chi Ye tonight, but when I tried to ask about Qin Lang’s dating history, he clammed up!”

Lin Yuran blinked in surprise. “Since when do you care about that kind of thing? I thought you only lived for the moment.”

Xu Jianwei paused.

Seeing her reaction, Lin Yuran gently said, “Loving one person for a lifetime is actually kind of cool. If you think Qin Lang’s good, maybe give it a real shot.”

“One person for a lifetime?” Xu Jianwei took a swig. “Does that sound like me?”

She visibly dimmed, so Lin Yuran quickly added, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to bring up something painful. Let’s change the topic.”

Xu Jianwei smiled faintly. “It’s fine. Ancient history.” She lifted her can for a toast. “I’m crashing with you tonight.”

“No problem,” Lin Yuran said.

The two chatted and drank into the night. After two cans of soda, Lin Yuran was tipsy. She barely managed to shower before collapsing into bed. Xu Jianwei, a total night owl, was unfazed by the drinks. After showering, she stayed up chatting with Qin Lang over video.

When he reminded her to get to sleep, he sent her a sticker that said ‘Love you.’ Lying in bed, she stared at those words for a long time.

Then she opened Chi Ye’s chat and typed: 【Chi Ye, let me ask you once. Do you like Yuran? If you don’t answer honestly, don’t regret it later.】

About three minutes later, Chi Ye replied with two clean, simple words: 【I do.】

Xu Jianwei followed up:【Now answer my question from this afternoon honestly and I’ll give you something nice. If you don’t, you will regret it.】

Chi Ye’s chat showed ‘Typing…’ for a long while.

Finally, he replied:【Never seen him date anyone. You’re his first. But… when he was very young, he liked a girl.】

Satisfied, Xu Jianwei sent him a voice message as a reward.