For You, A Thousand Times Over

After finally escaping Sister Lin, Yang Zhi hurried to Ding Yebai's home. After a simple greeting, they began their lesson.

Ding Yebai got all his spelling words correct today, and he actually managed a small smile.

Yang Zhi happened to catch sight of this boyish smile and was momentarily stunned.

She stared at him with interest for three seconds. Just as she was about to look away, Ding Yebai looked up and met her gaze.

Yang Zhi smiled naturally, not saying much. Given her status, how could she possibly say something like, "You look quite handsome when you smile, you should do it more often"?

Mistake!

Saying something like that now would be a huge mistake.

So, it was better to just remain silent.

Ding Yebai: "..."

Yang Zhi continued to grade Ding Yebai's papers.

Ding Yebai's accuracy in his work was slowly, slowly improving. Although he always felt he wasn't making much progress, Yang Zhi kept encouraging him.

Yang Zhi began explaining the incorrect problems. Ding Yebai listened intently, so absorbed that he didn't even realize it was time for their five-minute break.

It was Yang Zhi who finally reminded him.

"Let's take a break."

"Okay."

As usual, Yang Zhi opened her thermos and took a drink.

Ding Yebai looked over his mistakes. After finishing, he looked up at Yang Zhi and asked, "Sister Yang Zhi, what is your favorite quote?"

Yang Zhi: "Hmm?"

She paused, screwed the lid back on her thermos, placed it on the table, and looked at him, completely puzzled.

Ding Yebai: "Among all the books you've read, is there a sentence you particularly like?"

"Oh, you mean this," Yang Zhi nodded slightly and said without hesitation, "Yes. There's a line in The Kite Runner that I really like."

Ding Yebai straightened up and looked at her with utmost seriousness.

Yang Zhi looked up, smiled calmly, and said, "For you, a thousand times over."

A gentle smile flickered at the corners of her lips, like a green lotus blooming in early summer, serene yet poetic, pure as water, and subtly fragrant.

Ding Yebai stared blankly for a few seconds before unhurriedly translating the sentence: "For you, a thousand, a thousand times over."

Yang Zhi nodded, appearing quite pleased. "That's the one. You know it too?"

Ding Yebai: "Yeah. It's what Hassan said to Amir."

Yang Zhi: "I've always wondered what kind of emotion could make someone say that to another person from the bottom of their heart."

Hearing this, Ding Yebai seized the opportunity to ask, "Sister Yang Zhi, do you have someone you particularly, especially cherish?"

Yang Zhi shivered slightly. She frowned slightly, looking at Ding Yebai with the same confusion. "Yes, Grandma and Mom."

"Then if you put yourself in their shoes, you'd understand, right?"

"..."

Yang Zhi nodded and smiled habitually. "That's true." She then rolled up her sleeves to check her wristwatch. "Alright, it's time for class. Let's continue."

"Okay."

Ding Yebai picked up his pen and lowered his head, but he couldn't resist glancing at her one more time.

Seeing her still composed and gentle, as beautiful as a painting.

He thought, What about the opposite sex? Do you not have anyone of the opposite sex you particularly like?

After class that evening, Ding Yebai sat on the living room sofa, pondering the phrase "For you, a thousand times over."

He repeated it in Chinese, then in English.

A moment later, he heard footsteps on the stairs.

Without turning his head, he said, "Sister, you're back."

Ding Yuerong rubbed her sore shoulders as she tossed her bag onto the sofa. "Yeah. Starting a business isn't easy. Ah, why aren't you in bed yet, kid?"

Ding Yebai: "Soon."

He took a sip of water unhurriedly.

Ding Yuerong sat down next to him and took a stack of papers from her bag, staring at them intently.

Ding Yebai secretly glanced over and asked casually, "What are you reading?"

"Love letters."

"What? Cough cough, someone actually wrote you a love letter? Looks like that person needs to see an eye doctor. Should go get their vision checked."

"Scram. Are you sick? It was written for Yang Zhi."

"..."

Huh????

"Yang Zhi visited my company before, and one of my key employees fell in love with her at first sight. He thought about it for a long time, and finally decided to write a confession letter."

After speaking, she handed it to Ding Yebai to look at: "Look, my employee wrote this, filling it up completely. 20 A4 pages, front and back. Full of deep affection."

"20 pages?? That's too exaggerated. Also, it's not really okay for you to be reading someone else's love letter like this."

"Tsk. Of course I got permission. And besides, my employee is a love guru. I heard he even read this letter aloud in the company to ask if anyone had any opinions."

"Oh."

Ding Yebai's mouth twitched a few times. On the surface, he remained calm and composed, completely unfazed. But if one observed closely, they would notice the veins bulging on the back of his hand gripping the cup.

Ding Yebai: "So, what was her… reaction?"

Ding Yuerong: "What reaction could she have? She flat-out rejected him. But I was afraid my key employee's fragile little heart would be hurt, and he'd leave the company in a huff… so I had Yang Zhi write something."

"Oh." Ding Yebai said nonchalantly.

Three seconds later, he turned his head back and said in a low voice, "What did she write? Can I… see it?"

"You're interested in that?"

Ding Yebai froze for a moment, blinked a little flusteredly, and turned his head away, saying, "I just want to see her handwriting. Her handwriting is beautiful, I want to learn from it."

"What a far-fetched excuse. Here." Ding Yuerong didn't ask further and handed him the paper directly.

Ding Yebai leaned closer and saw the familiar, delicate handwriting.

[I'm very sorry. I cannot accept your confession. Thank you for your affection, and I hope you will meet someone you both like very much in the future and have a more perfect love.]

"Tsk tsk tsk." Ding Yuerong shook her head and sighed: "Her handwriting is indeed quite beautiful."

Ding Yebai's eyes were fixed on the paper, and he couldn't hear what his sister was saying at all.

Ding Yuerong: "Sometimes I feel that liking her is itself a fortunate thing. Even her rejections are so gentle."

"Why did she write…" Ding Yebai asked.

"Hmm?" Ding Yuerong replied.

Ding Yebai's eyes were firm, like a childish child, with a hint of stubbornness: "Just saying 'I don't like you' would have been enough. Why did she write so much to him?"

He didn't even know what he was angry about right now, or why his emotions had turned this way.

He was supposed to be the cool, detached type. What was going on?

Ding Yuerong's eyes widened, completely bewildered.

"Where is it too much… And why are you meddling? That's just her personality. Besides, she rejected him, okay?"

"Personality? What personality?"

Ding Yebai's gaze seemed to be screaming "nice person."

"Hey, you brat!" Ding Yuerong's eyelids instantly drooped. She patted Ding Yebai's back and retorted, "She didn't do anything to you, why are you so worked up? Yang Zhi isn't what you think."

She just happened to be born with a pair of gentle, almond-shaped eyes, and her personality was naturally mild.

"When it comes to matters of the heart, she's never ambiguous! If she doesn't like someone, she rejects them, and then maintains distance. If she were some saint, a green tea player, or a player, do you think your sister and I, with our personalities, could be good friends?"

Ding Yebai felt her words made sense. His sister had a direct, straightforward personality, and naturally preferred sincere friends.

His mind was a mess, the threads of his thoughts becoming thicker and thicker, tangling together, impossible to unravel.

Was he crazy? Why would he doubt her?

After spending so much time together, didn't he understand what kind of person she was?

Gentleness could be faked, but character and inherent kindness couldn't.

What was he… angry about?

No, was this anger? The emotion felt wrong, this wasn't anger.

This was…

"Jealousy?"

Ding Yebai looked up blankly, gazing forward.

It felt as if clumps of gloomy clouds of sorrow were in his heart, and in that instant, they parted, revealing the clear sky.

Ding Yuerong glanced at him sideways and didn't say anything else. She said, "I'm going to sleep," carefully put Yang Zhi's paper back into her bag, and went to the bedroom.

After she left, Ding Yebai scratched his face with his finger, then pinched his cheek, making his flesh bulge.

Get a grip, Ding Yebai!!!

Bang!

He skillfully smacked his forehead with his hand again, muttering "get a grip" countless times. Wise men don't fall in love. Third Uncle, Third Uncle, Third Uncle, Third Uncle.

Please follow, please vote, please collect.

Thanks to Ren Jian Shen Shi Xuan Xiao 104 for the 100 Qidian Coins.