Twist of Fate (GL) - Chapter 17

In the end, it was thanks to Zhou Yan’s wholehearted help that Xie Jing finally finished her notes.

These past few days, she hadn’t touched a single game—every day, the moment she opened her eyes, she was folding paper roses.

By Thursday, Xie Jing had already folded 88 roses—just eleven more, and she’d have the full 99.

Zhou Yan looked at her in awe and gave her a big thumbs-up. “Xie Jing, you’re amazing. Honestly, I’m not even jealous that you’re about to get out of singlehood.”

“Hehe.” Xie Jing lowered her head and gave a shy smile. “I hope you find someone soon too.”

Zhou Yan grinned. “I’ll take that as a blessing.”

Then she thought for a moment and said, “Do you want to rehearse your confession? Just in case something goes wrong tomorrow.”

Xie Jing blinked. “Huh? Rehearse what?”

“The confession, of course! You can find a quiet spot, pick a stand-in, and practice everything you plan to say tomorrow. That way, you won’t panic when the moment comes.”

“Oh, right!” Xie Jing nodded, finding Zhou Yan’s suggestion very reasonable. She folded the last rose and looked at Zhou Yan with hopeful eyes. “Yanzi, you’ll help me, right?”

“I wish I could, but it’s Thursday—I’ve got club activities today,” Zhou Yan said with a helpless shrug. “I really can’t help this time.”

Xie Jing turned her pleading gaze to Qin Ning, who was sitting nearby.

“Qin Ning, we’re besties, right?” She hugged the bouquet of roses and scooted closer. “You’ll help me, won’t you?”

Qin Ning replied simply, “Mm-hmm.”

Xie Jing hadn’t expected her to agree so quickly. She froze for a moment before breaking into a bright smile. “You’re the best, Qin Ning!”

“‘You’re the best, Qin Ning~’” Zhou Yan repeated teasingly in a singsong voice, pretending to shiver. Then she grabbed her things and left the dorm.

Jeez, all that just to ask for a favor? Was that really necessary?

Are southern girls always this… coquettish?

—

Xie Jing and Qin Ning searched for quite a while but couldn’t find a suitable spot to rehearse. With no other options, they headed to the cafeteria for dinner first, then continued scouting for a place.

“How about the sports field?” Xie Jing turned and started walking in that direction.

“It’s too crowded,” Qin Ning said after glancing at the groups of people moving along the track, her steps faltering slightly.

“Then what about that activity area next to it?” Xie Jing suggested. “Nobody usually goes there.”

The activity zone next to Jinghai University’s sports field had various fitness equipment, but it was off the beaten path, so people rarely went there. Several of the streetlights had burned out and hadn’t been reported, leaving the area dim and shadowy.

Qin Ning nodded. “That works.”

Once there, Xie Jing climbed onto a walker machine and rocked back and forth a few times, finding it unexpectedly fun. She started playing around, temporarily forgetting about the whole confession rehearsal.

Qin Ning didn’t rush her. She followed silently, keeping pace.

Only after they’d tried every piece of equipment did Xie Jing finally tug Qin Ning over to a large tree.

“Qin Ning, stand right here and don’t move,” she instructed. “I’ll pretend to walk over from there and confess to you.”

“Okay.” Qin Ning stood where she was told, watching Xie Jing skip away.

Xie Jing walked about twenty meters before stopping. She took a deep breath, turned sharply, and pulled a folded love letter from her pocket, gripping it tightly as she slowly approached.

Thump.

Thump-thump.

Her heartbeat quickened with every step.

A lone streetlamp lit up Qin Ning’s figure in a soft, white glow, surrounded by thick shadows.

Staring at Qin Ning’s gradually sharpening silhouette, Xie Jing suddenly felt like this was the real thing—like she truly was confessing to her.

“I… I like you,” Xie Jing said, holding the envelope out with both hands, her back straight. “Please accept my letter.”

“What do you like about me?” Qin Ning asked.

“Huh?” Xie Jing blinked, confused. What was this? Was Qin Ning improvising lines now? Wasn’t this just a confession rehearsal?

Seeing her stunned, Qin Ning repeated the question seriously, “Xie Jing, what do you like about me?”

“Well… you’re amazing. I’ve never been as happy as I am when I’m with you,” Xie Jing stammered. “I like how you play games with me, how you protect me, how you comfort me when I mess up…”

“That’s it?” Qin Ning asked.

That’s it? Wasn’t that enough?

“Yeah… That was the happiest time of my life,” Xie Jing said, her voice sincere.

She took a step forward, growing anxious, as if trying to prove her feelings. “I really do like you. Do you like me?”

Qin Ning looked into her eyes and answered seriously, “I like you too.”

“…What?” Xie Jing froze, stunned by the sincerity in Qin Ning’s voice—until she remembered this was just practice.

“I said, I like you too.” Qin Ning reached out and took the letter from her hands.

Snapping back to the moment, Xie Jing quickly slipped back into character. “Then… will you be my girlfriend?”

Qin Ning nodded. “I will.”

“I… I’ll be good to you,” Xie Jing said, then shyly stepped closer and raised her arms, hovering them around Qin Ning like she was about to give her a hug.

Qin Ning bent slightly and gently pressed a hand to her back. They shared a brief, gentle embrace—just a moment, then it was over.

“Ah… It was a little clumsy, but overall, I think that went pretty well,” Xie Jing said, scratching her head with embarrassment as she stepped back.

To make sure she’d perform naturally the next day, Xie Jing ran through the confession with Qin Ning several more times. But she couldn’t help noticing something odd: Qin Ning’s eyes looked different every time they practiced. Her words too—too earnest, like she wasn’t just acting. In fact, she seemed even more serious than Xie Jing herself.

They didn’t return to the dorm until 9:30. When they walked in, Zhou Yan looked up in surprise. “Were you two on a secret date? Your faces are so red!”

“No, we just went to the activity zone, played on the swings, and practiced the confession,” Xie Jing replied.

“Oh…” Zhou Yan clicked her tongue. “Didn’t expect you two to be this wholesome. Practicing a confession and blushing like you’re in a drama. Your faces are red as apples.”

But it was just practice, right? Why so shy?

Shaking her head in disbelief, Zhou Yan climbed into bed and turned on her idol drama.

Xie Jing got ready for bed too, but no matter how hard she tried to wind down, sleep wouldn’t come.

Qin Ning was also wide awake, staring at the ceiling through her bed curtain.

Xie Jing would be confessing to Shen Xinghe tomorrow. Should she stop her? What if she confessed her own feelings first—would Xie Jing give her a chance?

Probably not.

Xie Jing liked Shen Xinghe so much. She had gone an entire week without touching her computer just to fold that bouquet by hand.

Qin Ning had never seen her take anything so seriously. Even when she was sick, Xie Jing would insist on playing a few games—but this time, she held back for a whole week.

Clearly, this confession really mattered to her.

No, she couldn’t ruin it. No matter how much she liked Xie Jing, she couldn’t tell her—not now. She had to wait for the right moment.

Once Xie Jing and Shen Xinghe broke up, then maybe…

But what if they didn’t break up?

Just the thought made Qin Ning frown deeply.

Xie Jing had remembered Shen Xinghe for six years. That kind of devotion wasn’t something she’d throw away easily. She would never initiate a breakup.

Which meant… if anything were to change, it would have to come from Shen Xinghe.

Qin Ning even considered seducing Shen Xinghe to get her to reject Xie Jing’s confession—but she quickly dismissed the idea. That would only hurt Xie Jing.

Lost in thought all night, Qin Ning woke up the next morning with massive dark circles under her eyes.

Xie Jing was stunned. “Why do you look more nervous than I am? Don’t tell me you were too excited to sleep!”

“…Yeah, too excited,” Qin Ning said, handing her a neatly wrapped gift. “Happy 18th birthday.”

“Oh my god, how did you know I needed a new controller?” Xie Jing lit up as she opened the gift. It was exactly what she wanted—useful and thoughtful.

“My sweet little Jing, I’ve got a gift for you too!” Zhou Yan handed over a sleek fountain pen with Xie Jing’s initials engraved on the barrel—it was clearly expensive.

“Thank you so much, Miss Zhou! You really went all out.” Xie Jing clasped her hands and bowed with the pen between them. “Bless me with straight A’s!”

Chen Yuan shyly offered her gift—a beautifully decorated photo album filled with candid shots Xie Jing had taken. She’d downloaded them from the dorm group chat, printed them, and compiled the album herself.

As Xie Jing flipped through it, she saw photos from military training, the sports festival… and even a candid shot she’d taken of Qin Ning’s back.

“This is so meaningful. Thank you, Chen Yuan,” she said sincerely, just shy of giving her a big hug.

They had no classes that afternoon, so Xie Jing ordered a giant cake and invited everyone out for dinner.

Afterward, Zhou Yan suggested heading to a lounge bar to sing karaoke. Xie Jing agreed and even invited Shen Xinghe to join them.

When Shen Xinghe heard it was Xie Jing’s birthday, she agreed immediately. On her way, she bought a gift too.

By the time she arrived, everyone else was already there—the cake still untouched, clearly waiting for her.

“Sorry I’m late, Xie Jing,” she said apologetically.

“You’re not late at all. You came at the perfect time.” Xie Jing beamed, leading her to a seat on her left. Qin Ning was on her right, with Zhou Yan and Chen Yuan sitting across from them.

“Now that everyone’s here, we can cut the cake!” Xie Jing stood up to grab the knife, but Zhou Yan stopped her.

“It’s your birthday—how could we let the birthday girl do the work? I’ll handle it.”

Before Xie Jing could even thank her, Zhou Yan swiped a dollop of cream onto her nose.

“Hahahaha! Cream puff Xie Jing!”