Not Yet Lovers

"Could you be a little more serious?!"

Ji Qinglan instinctively gave Xiao Bei's arm a solid slap, so hard that her own hand hurt from the impact.

Xiao Bei naturally took Ji Qinglan's hand again. This time, she did not pull away at all and simply let him hold it. Xiao Bei knew that their relationship had taken another step forward.

"Did it hurt? Just now?"

Xiao Bei pretended to look at his right hand. "Yeah, it hurt!"

Smack!

Ji Qinglan immediately hit him again. Xiao Bei was a little dumbfounded as she said, half-annoyed and half-shy, "I hit your left hand just now. Why are you telling your right hand that it hurts?"

Shamelessly changing the subject, Xiao Bei lifted Ji Qinglan's hand and said, "Your hand is so pretty, just like you!"

Ji Qinglan had already realized that Xiao Bei was completely thick-skinned and could not be bothered arguing with him, but she still put on a fierce face to scare him a little.

"Next time, if you dare put your hands on me without my permission again, I'll break those grubby hands of yours, got it?"

Xiao Bei merely smiled without saying anything.

She could be as fierce as she wanted; I'd keep being shameless. Let's see who could tame whom!

Ji Qinglan's hand remained in Xiao Bei's shameless grip as the two strolled through the park beneath the beautiful night sky.

Ji Qinglan looked at Xiao Bei, who was walking half a step ahead of her, and a faint smile touched her lips. It was a hazy, indescribable feeling—something impossible to put into words.

"By the way, Xiao Bei, why did you decide to start a business while you're still in college?" Ji Qinglan took the initiative to start a conversation, easing the silence between them.

After asking, Ji Qinglan widened her eyes and looked at Xiao Bei. She really wanted to know every thought in his mind right now. She simply wanted to know.

"Then why do you want to start a business?" Xiao Bei did not answer right away, instead smiling as he tossed the question back at her.

At that, Ji Qinglan smacked Xiao Bei on the back and glared at him in mock anger. "Wasn't I the one asking you? Can't you show a little gentlemanly manners and answer my question first?"

"Alright, alright, I'll answer." Xiao Bei looked at Ji Qinglan fondly.

"Mhm, mhm. Why?" Ji Qinglan did not avoid Xiao Bei's burning gaze in the slightest. On the contrary, she was happy about it, with a small, secret delight blooming in her heart.

Being admired by someone she admired meant she was charming. Why should she be angry about it?

She was attractive to Xiao Bei. She should be happy.

But Ji Qinglan did not know that if anyone else stared at her like this, she would definitely feel repulsed. It could not be helped—girls could be so fickle and say one thing while meaning another.

Because when someone entered your field of vision and became a sight that made your heart flutter, you would naturally pay them extra attention. Sometimes, though, that feeling developed so subtly that even you might not realize it.

And Ji Qinglan was exactly like that at this moment. Her unintentional charm made her all the more unforgettable.

As Xiao Bei held Ji Qinglan's hand and walked, he said, "There's no particular reason. I just want to start a business. And with Hangcheng's support for college students starting businesses, I think I can give it a try. Otherwise, how am I supposed to support you someday?"

"Huh?" Ji Qinglan froze. What did Xiao Bei mean by that? Support me? Was he confessing to her? Hmph, scoundrel. I'm not going to agree so easily!

How annoying. Who confessed without even making it feel special?

Seeing how adorable Ji Qinglan looked as she stood there stunned, Xiao Bei instinctively reached out and tapped the tip of her pert nose.

"You're so annoying! You're touching me again. Careful, or I'll hit you~!" Ji Qinglan glared at Xiao Bei fiercely, her face flushed with shy annoyance.

Then she said in a low voice, "Actually, I can support myself."

Xiao Bei laughed. "Can I take that to mean I can mooch off you, then? Senior Sister, I don't want to work hard anymore. Living off a woman sounds wonderful!"

After saying that, Xiao Bei stared intently into Ji Qinglan's eyes.

Faced with Xiao Bei's almost aggressive gaze, Ji Qinglan awkwardly shifted her eyes away and rolled her eyes at him. "You're so full of yourself! You can't live off a woman!"

"But you really are beautiful!" Xiao Bei replied teasingly with a smile.

"Hmph!" Ji Qinglan let out a soft huff, though the corners of her lips curled upward slightly.

After that, the two strolled through the park for a while longer and talked about many things. Many of Xiao Bei's ideas and insights left Ji Qinglan's eyes shining. The boy before her was truly different. At his age, Xiao Bei's thoughts were incredibly mature. He was obviously nothing like so many of the boys at school!

But was she worthy of someone as outstanding as Xiao Bei?

Once a woman fell in love, she became exceptionally foolish. Ji Qinglan was clearly among the best of her peers!

But if anyone was to blame, it could only be Xiao Bei for being too outstanding, too captivating!

Still, Ji Qinglan was rather happy too, because she should have been the first person to discover how different Xiao Bei was!

Youth was just that pure. Before you knew it, you would encounter a beam of light shining into your life—and that light would surely be more unforgettable than every light you encountered afterward!

That night, Xiao Bei did not confess.

Ji Qinglan did not confess either. Neither of them seemed to want to rush into a relationship, because if they did, it was destined to pass in a rush as well.

In a sense, Xiao Bei and Ji Qinglan were the same kind of people. Both liked to pursue perfection!

If one had to use a phrase to describe their relationship at that moment, it would be: more than friends, not yet lovers.

But as long as either of them took even the slightest step forward, it would naturally fall into place!

Xiao Bei and Ji Qinglan held hands all the way back to the entrance of Hangcheng Academy of Fine Arts.

A crowd of people was instantly stunned!

Goddess Ji was really dating that guy from this morning! They were even holding hands! Wuwuwu, what did Goddess Ji's hand feel like?!

At that moment, every boy wanted to be Xiao Bei, and every girl wanted to be Ji Qinglan.

Of course, neither of them cared about anyone else's stares.

Xiao Bei looked at Ji Qinglan and said with a smile, "Goddess Ji, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

Ji Qinglan smiled faintly, then looked at Xiao Bei. "What is it? Do you want to ask me out?"

Xiao Bei nodded with a grin. "Actually, you can ask me out too. After all, military training starts for me tomorrow!"

Xiao Bei wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. Nonsense—if you were shy when chasing a girl, nothing would ever come of it. Besides, they had already held hands. Was becoming boyfriend and girlfriend really that far away?

Ji Qinglan burst out laughing. Xiao Bei's answer was certainly unusual, but it was also quite straightforward.

"Xiao Bei, you're really thick-skinned. Focus on your military training first. We'll talk after you finish it!"

"Goddess Ji, that really stabbed me in the heart!"

"Hmph, smooth talker. I'm ignoring you!"

With that, Ji Qinglan turned and left. Xiao Bei simply watched her retreating figure. "Three, two, one."

When Xiao Bei counted to one, Ji Qinglan did indeed turn around, smiling at Xiao Bei, who was still standing where he was.

"If I have time tomorrow, I'll come find you!"

"Alright, Goddess!"

Xiao Bei smiled faintly. Ji Qinglan looked at him and smiled as well. It was a small promise between the two of them.