"Brother Yun! My bladder is staging an emergency, I'm off to drain the dragon! I won't ruin your little two-person world with Beauty Jiang, haha!"
Zhou Da tossed out a teasing remark, and before Ling Yun could react, he scurried out of the classroom like a puff of smoke. That rounded back of his was practically radiating the sentiment of I get it, I'm outta here.
The classroom seemed to instantly quiet down, leaving only Ling Yun and Jiang Yingqing standing quietly by his seat.
"Yingqing," Ling Yun put down the pen in his hand, turned his head to look at her, a trace of scrutiny in his gaze, "how come... today you feel especially clingy? Hanging around my desk the second class ends?"
His tone was gentle, but he truly felt the unusualness in Jiang Yingqing this afternoon.
In the past, she would come over to chat with him, but never like today—she seemed to have become a part of his shadow, existing quietly.
Jiang Yingqing's cheeks instantly flushed with a faint layer of peach-blossom red, like a newly blooming flower.
She lowered her head slightly, her fingers unconscionably twisting the hem of her school uniform. Her voice was as soft as a feather brushing against the tip of one's heart, carrying an unprecedented, almost courageous straightforwardness.
"N-nothing special..."
She paused, as if gathering all her courage, and raised her moisture-filled eyes to look straight into Ling Yun's gaze, which was brimming with unmasked, pure affection.
"It's just... I just want to stay by Brother Ling Yun's side and keep you company... That's all."
This nearly point-blank, direct confession caught even Ling Yun slightly off guard.
He clearly saw that fervent emotion in the young girl's eyes, like the midday sun of summer, impossible to ignore.
If he were his ordinary self from the past life, having a girl like Jiang Yingqing dote on him like this, he probably would have been ecstatic and responded without hesitation.
Yet in this lifetime...
Possessing extraordinary strength and the infinite possibilities bestowed by the system, his state of mind was long different.
He had seen a broader world, and his ambitions had expanded accordingly.
A promise of "one lifetime, one pair" suddenly felt like a shackle at this moment.
Deep down, he unexpectedly harbored a faint reluctance to be bound by a single emotion.
Could it be that I'm turning into that kind of person too?
A cold voice echoed in the depths of his heart, carrying a thick sense of self-loathing.
Not initiating, not refusing, not being responsible, not making promises... Using someone else's goodwill to enjoy the comfort of being chased?
This thought made even he himself feel somewhat disgusted, as if he caught a glimpse of the very type of person he had despised most in his past life.
However, another truer voice whispered in the depths of his heart: This feeling... really is quite comfortable. Being liked and watched by someone with all their heart...
Looking at the anticipatory, even slightly apprehensive gaze of the young girl before him, Ling Yun ultimately couldn't bear to say anything that might crush her.
That pure affection deserved to be treated gently, at least for now.
"Oh? Want to keep me company? Sure! I happen to be heading to the restroom to 'resolve an issue' right now, do you want to... come along?"
He suddenly pulled a slightly bantering smile, acting as if he hadn't caught the deeper affection in her words at all, and deliberately misinterpreted them.
"Ah?!"
Jiang Yingqing's face flushed beet-red all at once, like a ripe tomato. Her prior courage instantly vanished, leaving only panic and embarrassment.
"T-then forget it then! Brother Ling Yun, go by yourself!"
She waved her hands hurriedly, her voice going completely out of tune.
Watching Ling Yun's back as he turned and walked out of the classroom with that bantering smile, Jiang Yingqing clutched her burning cheeks and let out a long sigh of relief, a complex mix of emotions washing over her.
There was the shame of her bold confession just now, along with a trace of relief—thankfully Ling Yun didn't catch on, or was he pretending not to notice?
If she had been rejected outright... she couldn't even imagine how awkward things would become between them afterwards.
Too reckless!
She chided herself in frustration inwardly.
We've only known each other for a little over a week, how could I be so impulsive!
She secretly made up her mind, deciding she still needed to take it slow!
The boiling frog method! Use meticulous care and companionship to seep into his life bit by bit, make him used to her presence, and ultimately... fall in love with her! Yes, exactly like that!
The advantage is mine!
Jiang Yingqing cheered herself on. I'm the girl closest to him, the one with the most contact! The quick-footed get the moon first!
Thus, when Ling Yun finished handling his "personal business" and returned to the classroom, this was the exact scene that greeted him.
Jiang Yingqing was still guarding his seat, head lowered. One moment her brow would furrow slightly as if in vexation, and the next, thinking of something, the corners of her mouth would quietly curve into a sweet arc, giggling foolishly to herself.
"Yingqing," Ling Yun couldn't help but chuckle, walking over to gently pat her shoulder, "what are you thinking about? Smiling so happily? Did you win the lottery?"
"Ah—!" Jiang Yingqing, who had been immersed in her "grand conquest strategy," was so startled by the sudden touch and question she nearly jumped, like a frightened little rabbit.
Meeting Ling Yun's smiling gaze, her face turned beet-red all over again, and she stammered incoherently, "N-nothing! Class is about to start! Brother Ling Yun, I'm going back to my seat!"
With that, she didn't dare look at Ling Yun at all, lowered her head, and scurried swiftly back to her own spot, her retreating figure looking like a panicked escape no matter how one saw it.
Jiang Yingqing had just settled into her seat, trying to calm her pounding heart.
The class bell rang out punctually across the entire campus like the horn of a relief force.
The day's classes finally came to an end.
In the night, Ling Yun and Jiang Yingqing walked toward the school gate with tacit understanding, just like the past few days.
The streetlamps stretched their shadows long, only to occasionally overlap.
"Brother Ling Yun, see you tomorrow."
Jiang Yingqing stood by the sedan that had come to pick her up, her voice returning to its usual gentleness with a trace of hard-to-detect reluctance.
"Mm, see you tomorrow, Yingqing."
Ling Yun nodded, watching her get into the car.
The car merged into the traffic, drifting further and further away. Ling Yun also turned around and embarked on the walk home.
Back home, Ling Yun glanced at his phone; the screen showed it was already ten-thirty at night.
He didn't start a livestream, instead burying his head in playing the Peak Tournament.
Two hours later, his third smurf account successfully hit the 1700-point mark.
Looking at the score, Ling Yun calculated that when the critical moment of ranking lock-in arrived in two days, he would stream to break into the peak top three.
Closing the Peak Tournament, Ling Yun compiled the highlight clips from his recent matches and sent them to Jiang Yingxue.
Ever since Jiang Yingxue took over the editing work, the two of them had never played Honor of Kings together again; she was simply too busy.
His phone quickly lit up with Jiang Yingxue's reply: Received, sleep early Brother Ling Yun, good night.
Ling Yun similarly replied with a "good night" and put down his phone.
Afterward, he reined in his focus and, just like usual, sat cross-legged, beginning the cultivation of the Myriad Rivers Return to Origin Method.
When he opened his eyes once more, it was already time for school.
Before you continue