Don't Call Me Stupid!

The weather grew increasingly gloomy, and the weeping willow branches swayed gently in the breeze.

The two walked intimately along the lakeside path, occasionally red goldfish darting freely in the lake, sending out ripples that reached the shore like dancing musical notes.

"Are you cold?"

Shen Lang saw Su Lexuan shiver and proactively switched places with her, shielding her from the cool breeze coming off the lake.

This wasn't a trick; Shen Lang had been tormented by his two younger sisters since childhood, so he was quite skilled at taking care of women.

If he didn't have a girlfriend, the usually meticulous Shen Lang would have been a blend of a troll and a fiery Goblin.

"I'm alright."

Su Lexuan felt a warmth in her heart. After a moment of hesitation, she directly placed her slightly cool hand into Shen Lang's jacket pocket and said with a smile, "This way, I won't be cold."

"Really? Let me see."

Shen Lang raised his hand and slipped it into his jacket pocket, grasping Su Lexuan's warm, fair hand. He found the perfect angle to intertwine their fingers and nodded with satisfaction.

"It really is warm. I never knew a girl's hand could be so soft."

Before this, Shen Lang and Su Lexuan had only held hands palm to palm. This intimate, intertwined-finger hold was a first.

"You're awful…"

Su Lexuan's cheeks flushed, but her fingers in his pocket actively tightened around Shen Lang's large hand.

As they walked to the center of Nanting Lake, they noticed fewer and fewer passersby. The weather grew darker, and it seemed as though distant thunder rumbled within the clouds.

"Oh? Is it raining?"

Su Lexuan touched a raindrop on her forehead and looked up at the gloomy sky in surprise. "The weather forecast didn't say it would rain today."

"It feels like it's getting heavier."

Shen Lang touched the raindrops on his hair and pointed to a pavilion ahead. "It's getting late. Let's go hide there for a bit. I'll drive you back to school once the rain stops."

Nanting Lake was very large; it took over an hour to walk from one end to the other.

Shen Lang was in the center of the lake, quite far from the exit, so he took Su Lexuan's hand and ran to the pavilion to take shelter from the rain.

Just as they ran into the pavilion, the rain intensified.

First, a few scattered drops, then it became denser and heavier. Rain poured continuously from the sky, and the entire Nanting Lake was enveloped in a vast, white curtain of water.

The rain crashed violently onto the lake's surface, splashing up countless water droplets.

The surrounding paths were already deserted, and all that could be seen was a vast expanse of white.

"Good thing we ran fast, it's raining so hard."

Su Lexuan wiped down the stone bench at the edge, then lazily knelt on it, looking at Nanting Lake being washed by the heavy rain, her tone playfully relaxed.

She really liked the atmosphere of such a downpour; it brought her an inexplicable sense of peace, especially with a boy she liked beside her.

"Shen Lang, I guess we'll have to go back a bit later."

"Yeah."

Shen Lang looked down at Su Lexuan's soft curves from behind, and her slightly swaying, pert bottom, his face flushing and heart pounding as he touched his nose.

Shen Lang knew Su Lexuan wasn't intentionally trying to tempt him; she simply had a carefree and innocent personality.

"Ohh~ I walked so much today, my legs are so sore!"

Su Lexuan turned around and sat down, stretching out her long legs in jeans and letting out a comfortable yawn.

"Looks like you don't exercise much normally. How far did we even walk?"

Shen Lang smiled and sat next to Su Lexuan, holding her hand firmly. He thoughtfully pulled out the collar of her shirt to block the cold wind.

"I'm just lazy."

Outside the pavilion, the rain poured, its noisy rhythm drowning out all other sounds. And the boy she liked was right there beside her.

In this romantic atmosphere, Su Lexuan leaned on Shen Lang's shoulder and whined, "Besides, military training is starting soon, so I'll be lazy while I can."

Shen Lang didn't reply, but casually put his arm around Su Lexuan's slender waist. He subtly turned his body and gently smoothed the wind-blown strands of hair from Su Lexuan's forehead.

"Are you cold? Do you want my jacket?"

"No, I'm not that weak."

Feeling the warmth of Shen Lang's fingers, Su Lexuan wore a happy, languid smile on her face.

They leaned against each other like that, listening together to the pouring rain outside the pavilion.

"Shen Lang, are we dating?"

Just then, Su Lexuan straightened up and asked Shen Lang, a hint of shyness in her voice, "Do you, do you like me?"

Su Lexuan knew they were dating now.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be eating together, watching movies together, or holding hands while strolling around Nanting Lake.

However, Shen Lang hadn't confessed his feelings to her yet, and Su Lexuan felt like something was off.

Normally, wasn't it the guy who confessed first, and then the girl accepted, before they went to watch movies and shop? That was the normal logic for a relationship.

Yet, Shen Lang not only didn't confess to her, but instead, he did all the things couples do.

Su Lexuan had the typical little quirks of most girls.

Even though she knew Shen Lang liked her, she still wanted him to explicitly confess, feeling that only then would they be a normal couple.

[1: Silly girl, if I didn't like you, would I chat with you every day and go to such lengths to coax you out on a Saturday?]

[2: Su Lexuan, I like you, be my girlfriend, I'll always be good to you!]

[3: Don't answer, kiss her passionately!]

"Silly girl, if I didn't like you, would I chat with you every day and go to such lengths to coax you out on a Saturday?"

Shen Lang raised a hand to caress Su Lexuan's soft cheek, teasing her with a chuckle.

"It's my first time taking a girl out, too. I've been planning these places we went to today for a long time, and I still don't know if you're satisfied."

Shen Lang had originally intended to choose option two. He already liked this beautiful and cheerful Female Elf, and naturally wanted to be her boyfriend.

But Shen Lang felt that option one not only conveyed his affection for her but also, through the latter half of the sentence, subtly reflected his regard for Su Lexuan.

More importantly, this sentence didn't explicitly mean to confess.

Because 'I like you' does not equal 'I want you to be my girlfriend'.

This would also allow him to slightly rein in Su Lexuan's somewhat willful and mischievous personality in their future life together.

It's like buying something; a guy who actively confesses to a girl has already exposed his neediness to her.

Then, in future interactions, the guy who confessed first will inevitably be in a somewhat disadvantaged position.

"I'm very satisfied, and don't call me silly!"

Su Lexuan, as expected, explained with pleasant surprise, "These places are all really fun! And it's my first time spending so long out with a guy..."

"Hehe, I'm glad you're satisfied."

Shen Lang feigned a sigh of relief, putting on a relaxed smile as he wrapped an arm around Su Lexuan's slender waist, gradually leaning down.

He'd been busy all day, and it was all for this sacred moment!

Su Lexuan, however, felt that it should have been: "After 'I like you', he should add 'be my girlfriend?'" That would be a true confession.

But looking at Shen Lang's face getting closer, Su Lexuan seemed a little flustered.

She thought that since Shen Lang had said he liked her, this could also be considered a confession.

So Su Lexuan slightly closed her eyes, clenching her small fists on her thighs, waiting nervously and excitedly.

Just as the two were about to kiss, Shen Lang suddenly spoke up, interrupting, "Wait, wait a minute!"

"What is it?!"

Su Lexuan pouted, indignant and shy.

The atmosphere was so romantic, and she had mustered her courage, ready for another proper kiss.

She hadn't expected Shen Lang to suddenly speak up and break the romantic mood.

"No."

Shen Lang coughed, gripping Su Lexuan's shoulders, and asked seriously yet excitedly, "This time, can I, can I use my tongue?"