The boy who had confessed seemed embarrassed, but unwilling to give up. He told Pei Zhengdu once again how desperately he wanted them to be together.
Pei Zhengdu remained calm throughout, his stance firm.
With his usual gentleness and composure, he told the boy, "I hope you meet someone who likes you back. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about what happened today."
For Xie Zhou, who was still a young teenager at the time, this scene was so mind-blowing that he stood outside openly eavesdropping for ages. Only when the two boys came out one after the other and saw him standing there did he snap out of it.
The three of them exchanged awkward looks.
Xie Zhou hurriedly said, "I-I was just passing by. I don't know anything."
Unable to bear the embarrassment, the boy who had confessed left in shame and anger.
Pei Zhengdu's expression was mild, his gentle features making him look far from intimidating. He asked Xie Zhou, "What are you doing here?"
"Collecting leaves," Xie Zhou answered honestly.
Then he took out his notebook to show him. Inside were all sorts of leaf bookmarks he had made from the leaves he collected.
Pei Zhengdu nodded, apparently accepting his explanation.
He stepped forward, picked up a pretty leaf from the ground, and placed it on Xie Zhou's notebook. With a gentle smile, he said, "It wouldn't be good if what you just heard got out. A junior as sweet as you will help keep it a secret, won't you?"
It was the first time a boy had called Xie Zhou sweet. A little embarrassed, he nodded shyly.
Little did he know that he had already fallen for someone's charms. Later, he would become so deeply ensnared that he couldn't escape. Only when he realized he