This is Jiang Yumo’s first confession.
Duan Ye always knew that she liked him. If she didn’t like him, why would she, a student whom all the teachers liked, entangle herself with someone like him? She had never distanced herself from him despite the gossip from others and advice from parents and teachers. Emotions were always mutual, and Duan Ye wasn’t a selfless saint who asked for nothing in return. He felt the special treatment he received from Jiang Yumo, which gave him more motivation.
Both understood each other without needing to say it explicitly. She knew how much he liked her, and he knew her feelings for him weren’t shallow either.
But even with this understanding, when he heard her say, ‘Duan Ye, I really like you,’ Duan Ye’s heartbeat slowed for a moment. He held his breath, his body tensed, his mind went blank, and all he remembered was that he wanted to hug her.
After Jiang Yumo finished speaking, she lowered her head and leaned against the crook of his shoulder—it seemed this sentence wasn’t as difficult after all.
As they grew up, they became more shy about expressing their true emotions.
Can’t say it to their parents, and seemingly, to the person they liked either.
Duan Ye tightened his grip on her hand, and she felt his touch, or maybe it was more than just a touch. Indeed, she liked it when he whispered in her ear that he liked her, didn’t she?
While hugging, Jiang Yumo seemingly complained, “It’s so hot.”
Duan Ye slowly released her, but he couldn’t meet her gaze. He just stared at the key pendant around her neck and said softly, “It’s late, Aunt will worry if you stay out for too long.”
“She won’t.” Jiang Yumo didn’t dare to look at him either. “I told her when I went out, and I said I would be back before twelve.”
“Alright…” Duan Ye glanced at his watch, hesitated, and then said, “Would you like to go upstairs for a while? It’s hot here, and there are mosquitoes.”
It seems like he was afraid she might misunderstand, so he quickly added, “I will send you home before twelve.”
Jiang Yumo also wanted to spend more time with him. She nodded, “Alright.”
Duan Ye reached out his hand and naturally held hers as they entered the residential building. At this time, besides Duan Ye’s home, the other windows were all dark. Once inside the corridor, he had her walk in front, fearing she might accidentally stepped on the wrong step, so he could catch her from behind.
Jiang Yumo held his hand as they went upstairs, both of them remained silent. When they reached the door of Duan Ye’s home, he took out his keys to open the door.
The motion-sensing light in the corridor was on, casting a dim light. As the door opened, the bright incandescent light from inside poured out. Jiang Yumo instinctively raised her hand, but Duan Ye had already reached out ahead of her and covered her eyes. Jiang Yumo was momentarily stunned. After a few seconds, Duan Ye slowly let go of her eyes and leaned down beside her ear, asking, “Is it okay now?”
Jiang Yumo stepped back, and coincidentally bumped into his chest, “It’s okay now.”
Duan Ye closed the door behind him with his hand.
He led her into the living room.
As they entered the living room, the first thing Jiang Yumo noticed was the stack of empty cans and beverage bottles on the coffee table…
Duan Ye suddenly felt regretful. He had hurried downstairs, only putting on some clothes without paying attention to anything else. He hadn’t even glanced into the living room. This was the first time he had been so embarrassed in front of her. He hurriedly started tidying up the coffee table, tossing things into the trash bin, and awkwardly explaining, “Zhou Ji and the others have been coming over these days.”
Implying that these beer cans weren’t his, he didn’t drink them.
Then he looked at the cigarette butts in the ashtray. Duan Ye’s vision seemed to darken for a moment. He looked at Jiang Yumo in a flustered manner, “No, really, these aren’t mine.”
Jiang Yumo snorted lightly and walked over. Like a proud peacock surveying its territory, she looked around and asked, “Then whose are they?”
“It’s Zhao Zheng and Guo Shichao,” Duan Ye looked at her, “Zhou Ji and I don’t smoke, it’s them.”
Jiang Yumo leaned over and tiptoed, grabbing the collar of his shirt. She pretended and said, “Bend over, I want to inspect.”
Seeing her like this, Duan Ye knew she believed him. He relaxed his expression, followed her instructions, slightly bent over, and they got closer until their noses almost touched.
Since they had confirmed their relationship, they had become more intimate.
Jiang Yumo leaned closer and sniffed, then sniffed again. “I can’t smell any smoke for now.”
Duan Ye chuckled, reached his arm around her waist, and said, “Sniff again carefully. I don’t want to raise suspicion.”
Jiang Yumo pressed against his neck and sniffed again. “No smoke smell.”
“Mhm.”
“People who don’t smoke are very sensitive to the smell of cigarettes,” Jiang Yumo said. “I’ll go and find out how to differentiate. Don’t think that you can do whatever you want just because we’re in a long-distance relationship.”
Duan Ye laughed again. “No worries, I’ll be frugal. I won’t spend a penny that shouldn’t be spent.”
“It’s best to keep your word.”
“Mhm.”
After holding each other for a while, Jiang Yumo felt hot. She pulled away from his embrace, sat on the couch, and took out her phone to photograph the ashtray.
Duan Ye was also hesitant to bring her into his room, but since this was an old house and only the master bedroom and the guest bedroom had air conditioning, he was concerned about her comfort. He turned on the air conditioning in both rooms and left the doors open. Soon, the temperature in the living room dropped as well.
“Shall I make you a glass of watermelon juice?” Duan Ye asked her.
Jiang Yumo wasn’t thirsty, but seeing him look so flustered, she thought for a moment and nodded, “Sure.”
Duan Ye went into the kitchen and took out half a watermelon from the fridge.
This watermelon was brought by Guo Shichao. They ate half of it during the day, and half is still left. There are many unused appliances in Duan Ye’s home, including a juicer. He found it, cleaned it, and started figuring out how to use it.
Being too focused, he didn’t notice that Jiang Yumo had already arrived at the kitchen door. She leaned against the door, watching him attentively.
He was wearing loose beach pants with a gray short-sleeved shirt on top, and you could still see the folded creases, probably hurriedly put on when he came downstairs to see her.
Being an adult is really nice.
Jiang Yumo thought this way. She could hug the person she liked at any time without worrying.
She followed the voice of her heart, walked over, and hugged him from behind, her cheek against his back shoulder, feeling very grounded.
Duan Ye was startled, and he had already pressed the start button of the juicer.
The buzzing sound was particularly abrupt on this night.
He wanted to turn around.
Jiang Yumo said softly, “Don’t turn around. I have something to say. If I see your face, I might not be able to say it.”
Duan Ye hesitated. He didn’t turn around as per her words.
“Duan Ye, do you think I’m particularly immature, particularly willful and playful?” Jiang Yumo seemed to be asking him, but it was more like talking to herself.
“Yes,” Jiang Yumo self-deprecatingly smiled, “I used to say that Zhou Ji was childish, but it seems I’m not much better than him.”
She thought, in the original plot, she wouldn’t regret her decisions. She was also working and living diligently. She just felt a little uncomfortable. If she were a bit more mature, would there be fewer obstacles between her and Duan Ye?
When she was the one involved, many things are hard to understand. But when she became an observer and listened to what Ning Zhiyu said, it was like a sudden enlightenment.
So that’s how it is.
“I will study diligently in Yanjing, live a good life, well, and I will miss you too,” Jiang Yumo smiled and said. “You too, eat well, sleep well, and then think of me. Let’s strive together… Also, I want to say, we will always, always be together. Even if you’re not by my side, I won’t develop feelings for anyone else, so don’t worry about me.”
As she spoke, her smile gradually faded, reflecting how reluctant she was, how reluctant he was.
“Drink plenty of water, have regular meals, don’t smoke, don’t tire yourself out too much, try not to get sick, and if you do get sick, let me know.”
“Okay,” Duan Ye lowered his gaze, looking at her hands by his waist.
After a moment of silence, Duan Ye softly asked, “Can I turn around now?”
“Yes, you can.”
Duan Ye turned around, and she still held onto his waist. He leaned against the kitchen counter, gently cradling her face in his hands. Bending down, he kissed her. Many of their first times were with each other, the first time they held hands, the first hug, the first kiss. Jiang Yumo closed her eyes, and this time was more intense than any previous one. He no longer concealed his reluctance, and she no longer held back. Lips met, breathing in each other’s presence.
She stood on tiptoe, clinging to his shoulders, and his hands embraced her waist, drawing her closer.
In the quiet of the late night, beneath the kitchen’s light, their figures intertwined, like two trees leaning against each other, entwined until the end.
They wanted to embrace until dawn, but unfortunately, there was a curfew.
Duan Ye checked the time and texted a friend who lived in this area. He went to the neighboring building and brought out a bicycle. He was going to ride her home. The bicycle was new, with a seat at the back and space to sit in the front. Jiang Yumo didn’t hesitate; she sat on the front seat’s rod.
He pedaled the bicycle, and she felt like she was being embraced by him.
Jiang Yumo was content.
She had seen this in some movies before. The female protagonist was like this.
It was past eleven, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the street, not to mention taxis. The silence was remarkable, with only stars, the moonlit night sky, and them—almost as if the entire world had narrowed down to just the two of them.
Duan Ye rode the bicycle steadily. The night breeze lifted Jiang Yumo’s hair, and her fragrance filled the air around his nose.
From his home to Jiang Yumo’s house, there were both small paths and main roads.
Duan Ye took the main road. Various shops lined both sides of the road. Suddenly, he stopped the bike, planted one foot on the ground, and turned his head to look at the bridal shop he had passed countless times. By this time, it was already closed. Mannequins dressed in wedding gowns were displayed in the shop window. Over the past year, every time he passed by, he would stop to take a glance.
This was the first time he had stopped with Jiang Yumo.
He didn’t say anything, nor did he need to. She also understood his thoughts.
Jiang Yumo followed his gaze and looked at the wedding dresses in the window. She shifted her gaze back to him, and they locked eyes, both breaking into smiles.
Duan Ye’s heart was tender, and he placed a kiss on her forehead.
I’m not crying 😡