The Wind Heard Her Confession - Chapter 7: A Blinding Crush part 2

In high school, she often had to sneak out of her house in the middle of the night. Whenever she did, she’d usually spend those nights at internet cafés with Chi Ye. Each time, she gave him ten yuan for staying overnight, and the next day, he’d buy a pack of lollipops and hand them out to her one by one.

Lin Yuran guessed that Chi Ye spent all the money she gave him on lollipops, but since he gave them to her separately, each lollipop didn’t cost much. She couldn’t really argue over such small amounts.

After graduating from high school, this was the only type of snack she ever bought. But for a while, she couldn’t find these lollipops anywhere. She later heard the factory went bankrupt, so she stopped looking for them.

To her surprise, here they were again after all these years. The packaging hadn’t changed a bit.

Lin Yuran took two lollipops from a box, planning to eat them while working on her designs in the afternoon.

That day, Chi Ye came and went several times.

As usual, they didn’t talk to each other at all.

It was the same for three days straight. They’d see each other going up or down, but their relationship remained just a nod. If they ran into each other in the elevator, she’d greet him like any other employee here, calling him “President Chi.”

Lin Yuran thought this hands-off approach was good. It kept work professional. She gradually got used to her situation with Chi Ye and felt more relaxed around him.

Time flew by, and it was Friday already.

Just before quitting time, Lin Yuran was hard at work when someone said something that caught her off guard:

“Sweet mother of—! Is that you? Am I seeing things right? Goddess Lin?”

Lin Yuran looked up and saw a face that seemed familiar yet strange. She hesitated before saying his name: “Gu Jiaze?”

“Mm-hmm.” Gu Jiaze laughed happily. “Goddess Lin still remembers me!”

Lin Yuran smiled. “Of course I remember. My memory’s sharp. I haven’t forgotten even after all these years.”

Gu Jiaze clicked his tongue and chuckled. “Now that’s the confidence I expect from our Goddess Lin.”

His eyes couldn’t help but wander over Lin Yuran as he added with another click of his tongue, “Goddess Lin, you’re getting prettier by the minute!”

Lin Yuran chuckled softly.

“Absolutely stunning!” Gu Jiaze exclaimed repeatedly. “Those silver locks make you look just like a fairy.”

Hearing the commotion, Chi Ye emerged from his office.

In his excitement, Gu Jiaze let loose, his youthful carefree spirit taking over. He playfully patted Chi Ye on the shoulder. “Hey, Chi Ye, you’ve really outdone yourself, bringing your white moonlight here to work.”

Chi Ye remained silent.

The smile froze on Lin Yuran’s face as she glanced up, meeting Chi Ye’s indifferent gaze head-on. In an instant, an inexplicable awkwardness began to subtly spread between them.

Still, Chi Ye said nothing, quietly observing her. The weariness in his eyes seemed to fade slightly.

When devoid of emotion, his eyes resembled peach blossom petals – delicate and beautiful, with their corners gently curved upwards. Yet they weren’t quite what one would call peach blossom eyes; his lids were extremely thin, the creases of his double eyelids shallow. Coupled with the deep chill emanating from the depths of his gaze, they appeared cold and sharp, lacking any trace of the warmth typically associated with peach blossom eyes.

Blinking, Lin Yuran shifted her gaze away.

Unaware of the subtle shift in atmosphere due to his overwhelming joy at seeing his old classmate, Gu Jiaze continued obliviously, “I always knew it! You two have been together all along, right?”

After he spoke, neither of his companions responded.

Silence fell over them for a moment.

Gu Jiaze belatedly sensed something was off about the atmosphere. Realizing what it must be, he let out a dry laugh and said no more.

When they met again, Lin Yuran was certain Chi Ye hadn’t recognized her. Over the past few days, despite minimal interaction between them, she knew both were aware that they’d met before.

How could he not recognize her?

The only explanation was that some youthful infatuation had gone unnoticed back then. And since so much time had passed, there was no need to bring it up now.

Lin Yuran assumed Chi Ye felt the same way.

Besides, with their collaboration ongoing, keeping quiet was best for everyone involved.

She never expected that the delicate balance she’d worked hard to maintain with Chi Ye would be disrupted by an unexpected encounter with an old classmate.

Lin Yuran felt a twinge of discomfort. Will I cringe every time I call him “President Chi” from now on?

Chi Ye remained silent.

Shouldn’t I say something? Otherwise, it might seem like I’m admitting to something.

“It’s nothing,” Lin Yuran said with an awkward smile. “You got the wrong idea; we’re just colleagues. Nothing more.”

As she finished speaking, her gaze inadvertently swept toward Chi Ye once again.

Their eyes met.

Chi Ye’s expression was dark, his cold black eyes like ink, deep and bottomless.

Lin Yuran felt a sudden increase in the sadness emanating from him.

The atmosphere froze.

Gu Jiaze smiled and broke the silence, “Lin Yuran, Chi Ye and I were planning to grab dinner together. Why don’t you join us? It’s been years since we’ve seen each other as classmates, and you’re never around for class reunions. We should catch up properly.”

He turned to check with Chi Ye, “No problem with that, right, Chi Ye?”