Unexpected (GL) - Chapter 17

Later on, with Zhou Yan’s enthusiastic help, Xie Jing finally finished writing her notes. She even stopped playing games for a few days—every day as soon as she opened her eyes, she started folding paper flowers. By Thursday, she had already folded 88 roses, just 11 short of the 99 she needed.

Zhou Yan gave her a thumbs-up with admiration on her face. “Xie Jing, you’re amazing. I’m not even a little jealous that you’re getting into a relationship.”

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

Zhou Yan replied, “Thanks, I’ll take that good luck.”

She thought for a moment and then said, “Do you want to practice first? Just in case something goes wrong tomorrow.”

Xie Jing asked, “Huh? Practice what?”

“Your confession. You can find a quiet place and a stand-in to practice on. That way you’ll be more relaxed tomorrow.”

“Oh, right.” Xie Jing nodded. That made a lot of sense. She finished folding her last flower, then looked at Zhou Yan with hopeful eyes. “Yanzi, you’ll help me, right?”

“I’m afraid I can’t. It’s Thursday, and I have a club meeting.” Zhou Yan shrugged regretfully. “I really can’t help.”

Xie Jing then looked longingly at Qin Ning beside her. “Qin Ning, we’re best friends, right?” She hugged her bouquet of roses and moved closer. “You’ll help me, won’t you?”

Qin Ning simply said, “Mm.”

Xie Jing didn’t expect her to agree so quickly. She was stunned for a moment, then smiled brightly. “Qin Ning, you’re the best.”

“Eww~ Qin Ning, you’re the best~” Zhou Yan imitated Xie Jing’s tone like a parrot, then shivered and left the dorm. It’s just asking for a little help—what’s with all the sweet talk? Are girls in
the South always like this?

Xie Jing and Qin Ning looked for a long time but couldn’t find a good spot. So they went to the cafeteria for dinner first, then continued searching for a good place to practice the confession.

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

“There are too many people.” Qin Ning glanced at the clusters of students on the track and paused.

“Then how about the activity area next to it?” Xie Jing said. “There probably won’t be anyone there.”

Outside the sports field at Jinghai University was a small activity zone with various exercise equipment. It was a remote spot, so hardly anyone went there. A few of the streetlights were broken and
no one had reported it, so it was quite dark.

Qin Ning replied, “That works.”

When they arrived, Xie Jing got on a stepper and rocked back and forth. She found the place interesting and soon forgot all about the confession practice. Qin Ning didn’t rush her and just quietly
followed.

After they had played on every piece of equipment, Xie Jing finally pulled Qin Ning under a big tree.

“Qin Ning, stand right here and don’t move. I’ll pretend to walk over from that side and confess to you.” Xie Jing pointed in a direction, then skipped off.

“Mm.” Qin Ning stood as instructed and watched Xie Jing bounce away.

Xie Jing walked about twenty meters away, then stopped and turned around decisively. She pulled a love letter from her pocket and held it tightly in her hand. Step by step, she slowly walked toward
Qin Ning.

Thump! Thump thump!

With each step, her heart beat faster.

There was a streetlight beside Qin Ning, casting a bright white light on her, while the surroundings were dark. As Xie Jing stared at Qin Ning’s face becoming clearer in the light, she suddenly felt
like she was really confessing to her.

“I… I like you.” Xie Jing held the envelope tightly, stretched out her hands, and stood straight. “Please accept my love letter.”

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

“Huh?” Xie Jing looked up slightly, confused. Why was Qin Ning adding lines? Wasn’t she just supposed to accept the confession?

Seeing her dazed, Qin Ning asked again, “Xie Jing, what do you like about me?”

“You… you’re amazing. When I’m with you, I’ve never been this happy before,” Xie Jing stammered. “I… I like how you play games with me, protect me, and comfort me when I mess up.”

“Is that all?” Qin Ning said quietly. Wasn’t that what I used to do too…

“Yes. That time was the happiest I’ve ever been.” Xie Jing said with deep feeling. She got a little anxious and stepped closer, as if trying to prove herself. “I really like you. Do you like me?”

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

“What?” Xie Jing was stunned by her sincere tone. After a moment, she realized Qin Ning was still acting.

“I said, I like you too.” Qin Ning then reached out and took the love letter from Xie Jing’s hand.

Xie Jing snapped back to character. “Then… will you be my girlfriend?”

Qin Ning nodded. “I will.”

“I… I’ll be good to you,” Xie Jing said shyly, then stepped closer and gently wrapped her arms around Qin Ning in a loose hug.

“Mm.” Qin Ning bent slightly and patted Xie Jing on the back. They hugged briefly, then let go.

“Ah… even though it was a bit awkward, it went pretty well overall.” Xie Jing scratched her head and stepped back, a little embarrassed.

To make herself more natural tomorrow, she had Qin Ning rehearse the confession with her several more times. But for some reason, she felt that the way Qin Ning looked at her kept getting stranger.

Her tone too—it was way too serious, even more sincere than Xie Jing, the one actually confessing.

They didn’t return to the dorm until 9:30 p.m. Zhou Yan was surprised to see them come back.

“You two went on a secret date? Your faces are so red!”

Xie Jing said, “No, we just played on the swings in the activity area and practiced the confession a few times.”

“Oh…” Zhou Yan clicked her tongue. Who would’ve thought they were so pure? Just a practice confession made them blush like that—like monkeys’ behinds.

But wasn’t it just practice? Why are they so shy about it? Zhou Yan looked puzzled as she climbed into bed and started watching her drama.

Xie Jing went to wash up and then lay in bed, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fall asleep. Qin Ning couldn’t sleep either. While Xie Jing tossed and turned, Qin Ning stared blankly at
the top of her bed curtain.

Tomorrow, Xie Jing was going to confess to Shen Xinghe. Should she stop her? What if she told Xie Jing before then that she liked her too—would she… give her a chance?

Probably not.

Xie Jing liked Shen Xinghe so much. She hadn’t touched her computer for a whole week just to fold a bouquet of roses for her. As far as Qin Ning knew, Xie Jing had never taken anything this
seriously. Even when she was sick before, she still forced herself to play a few games. But this time, she held out for a whole week.

Qin Ning could clearly feel that this confession was very important to her.

No, she couldn’t ruin Xie Jing’s confession. No matter how much she liked Xie Jing, she couldn’t tell her now. She had to wait for the right time.

She’d confess after Xie Jing and Shen Xinghe broke up.

But… what if they never break up?

The thought made Qin Ning furrow her delicate brows. Xie Jing had remembered Shen Xinghe for six years—that meant she really liked her. So in Qin Ning’s eyes, Xie Jing wouldn’t break up easily.

That meant the only solution was to work on Shen Xinghe.

Qin Ning even briefly thought about seducing Shen Xinghe so she wouldn’t accept the confession. But imagining how hurt Xie Jing would be, she gave up on that idea.

She spent the whole night lost in thought. The next morning, she woke up with huge dark circles under her eyes.

Xie Jing was surprised. “Why do you look more nervous than me? Did you stay up all night from excitement?”

“Mm, too excited.” Qin Ning handed her a gift. “Happy 18th birthday.”

“Wow, how did you know I needed a new controller?” Xie Jing accepted the gift with excitement. It was perfect—just what she needed.

“Xie Jing baby, I have a gift for you too,” Zhou Yan said.

She gave her a fountain pen with Xie Jing’s initials engraved on it. It looked expensive.

“Thank you so much, Miss Zhou! You really went all out.” Xie Jing clasped her hands together, bowed slightly with the pen in between. “Bless me to pass all my exams!”

Chen Yuan also handed over her gift. It was a beautifully made photo album filled with candid pictures of Xie Jing. She had uploaded the photos to their dorm group before, and Chen Yuan had
downloaded them, printed them out, and turned them into a birthday present.

Xie Jing flipped through the album and saw not only photos from their military training, but also a candid shot she took of Qin Ning’s back at the sports meet.

“This is so meaningful. Thank you, Chen Yuan.” Xie Jing was touched and almost wanted to kiss her in gratitude.

Chen Yuan blushed. “You’re welcome.”

They had no classes in the afternoon, so Xie Jing ordered a big cake and planned to treat everyone to dinner. Zhou Yan suggested going to a quiet bar to sing after dinner. After asking for
everyone’s opinion, Xie Jing also invited Shen Xinghe.

Shen Xinghe heard it was Xie Jing’s birthday and agreed right away. She even bought a gift for her on the way.

By the time she arrived at the bar, the other four were already there. The cake hadn’t been cut yet—it was in the center, as if they were waiting just for her.

Shen Xinghe looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry, Xie Jing, I’m late.”

“You’re not late. You came at the perfect time.” Xie Jing welcomed her in and had her sit on her left. Qin Ning was on her right, and Zhou Yan and Chen Yuan sat across from her.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s cut the cake.” Xie Jing stood up and was about to grab the knife, but Zhou Yan pressed her back down.

“It’s your birthday. The birthday girl shouldn’t have to do the work. I’ll cut it.”

Xie Jing smiled gratefully, but before she could say thank you, a blob of cream landed on her nose.

“Hahahahahaha! Cream puff Xie Jing!”