(Posted first, revised later. Will be revised soon.)
Seeing Ye Lingling like this, Zhao Zilong was overjoyed. When he saw her trying to flee, he wrapped an arm around her slender waist and pulled her into his embrace. Ye Lingling's heart raced, but she no longer tried to dodge. Instead, she hugged Zhao Zilong and gently leaned against his chest.
Zhao Zilong teased, "Lingling, did you like me a long time ago?"
"Mm." Ye Lingling no longer hid her feelings. She looked at Zhao Zilong's handsome face, but after meeting his gaze for two seconds, she looked away again. Her fair face had flushed crimson with embarrassment as she confessed, "I liked you back when we were at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. But at the time, you were with Meng Yiran, so I thought you simply didn't think much of me."
"How could that be?" Zhao Zilong immediately grabbed Ye Lingling's delicate shoulders and said seriously, "Lingling, you're so cute and beautiful. How could I possibly not like you? It was just that whenever I tried to talk to you before, you ignored me. I thought you were the one who didn't like me!"
"I'm sorry..." Ye Lingling felt somewhat dejected upon hearing that, yet she defended herself, "It wasn't that I wanted to ignore you. It was... it was Meng Yiran who wouldn't let me talk to you."
"What?" Zhao Zilong was stunned.
Ye Lingling then told Zhao Zilong about the grievance she had suffered back then. "After your duel with Yu Tianheng, Meng Yiran threatened me. She said that if I dared have anything to do with you, she would strip off my clothes and throw me into that kind of place..."
"That kind of place?" Zhao Zilong froze for a moment before immediately understanding.
Ye Lingling did