Chapter 14: Youthful Confession

  Cen Yanqiu sent Bai Yaya to the downstairs of her rented house and walked back home alone. As he walked, he suddenly thought that Ji Ningning should also be walking this way, but why hadn't he seen her recently?

  He turned his head and looked at the road, where cars were coming and going. This world is always in such a hurry, no one will stop to notice anything.

  At this time, the mobile phone in his backpack suddenly rang. He slightly frowned and thought that it might be his parents urging him to go home. In fact, taking a mobile phone is really a troublesome thing. His parents asked him to take a mobile phone just to make it possible for family members to find him at any time. Classmates and friends are all together in school, and usually there aren't many friends who will call him.

  He slowly took out his phone and only then did he see the two words displayed on it: Yu Shao. He lazily pressed the answer button, "What?"

  "Ball, I've found someone for you, don't know what you think?" Yang Chengyu's lazy voice came from the other end of the phone.

  "It's all right, we're just short of people now!" Cen Yanqiu also didn't show much excitement.

  "Hmm, you guys... don't fight, okay?" One of them paused for a moment, then said this sentence.

  "What does it mean?" Cen Yanqiu suddenly felt that something was off, his eyebrows still tightly furrowed together.

  "It's nothing, anyway, with her around, everything is much easier to handle. See you this afternoon!" Yang Chengyu's tone suddenly became urgent.

  "Hey!" Xun Yanqiu's face was filled with surprise, and he was about to ask what was going on, but instead, he heard a "ding ding ding" sound. He felt that something wasn't right, Yang Chengyu usually wouldn't be so strange, why was he being so enthusiastic today, and even calling him over?

  As expected, the problem came in the afternoon. Xun Yanqiu's premonition was not wrong at all. He looked up and saw Ji Ningning standing in front of him, and suddenly he was speechless.

  "Cen Yanqiu, what's wrong? You look unhappy just by seeing me?" Ji Ningning raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a pleased expression.

  Cen Yanqiu turned his head and looked at his silent dead party with a cold expression, "What's going on?"

  Yang Chengyu suddenly sneered and slipped to Ji Ningning's side, facing Cen Yanqiu, and said with a smile: "Ball, recruiting new members for the club is a very tricky thing, I'm afraid we won't be able to recruit many people. Why don't we change our approach? Ningning has many friends, she can recruit people! So... I'll be generous and give up my deputy team leader position to her!"

  Cen Yanqiu was actually very happy, but he didn't dare to show it, for fear that Ji Ningning would see him and look down on him again with her nose in the air. He really didn't want Ji Ningning to despise him.

  Ji Ningning smiled faintly and looked at Cen Yanqiu with a complacent expression, "Cen Yanqiu, you don't have to be too moved, just help me copy ten English words every day!"

  "Not moved at all!" Xun Yanqiu said, and slowly sat back in his seat.

  Ji Ningning jumped to his desk again, with a smile on her face, "I've already communicated with several classmates, they are willing to join our animation club, this afternoon after school, we'll get together and discuss the next plan!"

  Cen Yanqiu raised his head, gazing at Ji Ningning with a hint of admiration in his eyes. Indeed, Ji Ningning was strong, always stronger than him, and did many things well, which he couldn't do.

  "Okay." Cen Yanqiu slowly opened his mouth and then ignored Ji Ningning, only to take out his textbook and prepare for the preview of the new lesson.

  Ji Ningning raised her head and looked at Yang Chengyu for a moment, the two of them exchanged a silent understanding for two seconds. She blinked her big eyes and revealed a triumphant smile.

  Every time this happens, Yang Chengyu feels especially warm. Ji Ningning's smile is beautiful, and it melts a little in front of him, making his heart move endlessly. Actually, Cen Yanqiu was wrong, Yang Chengyu didn't have a secret crush on Ji Ningning. Secretly having a crush is too childish, and it doesn't match his domineering and mature personality at all! As early as two years ago, during their second year of junior high, he had already confessed to Ji Ningning, but was rejected. Not only that, she ruthlessly rejected him without leaving any room for doubt, and from then on, she also led him onto a path of no return.

  That day, in the midst of a scorching summer, on campus, under the big trees, cicadas chirped one after another, as if celebrating the arrival of the long summer vacation. Ji Ningning stood under an old tree, wearing her school uniform, white shirt and blue skirt, with her short hair fluttering gently in the sultry heat, looking especially lovely.

  He walked up to her with an uneasy heart, but couldn't bring himself to say a word.

  "Hey, Yang Chengyu, you wanted to see me? Got something on your mind?" Ji Ningning's expression was as unpleasant as ever, her pretty face slightly raised, her bright eyes haughtily looking down.

  He was shocked and suddenly speechless, the cicadas on the tree chirping endlessly, making him even more tense.

  Seeing him speechless, Ji Ningning's eyebrows furrowed, her face filled with disdain. "You wouldn't be here to avenge your dead friend, would you? Did Yanqiu send you?"

  "No..." His face suddenly flushed, his hands waved hastily, and he didn't know where to put them. He was stared at by Ji Ningning, and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

  Ji Ningning seemed displeased, her face fell, and without saying another word, she turned to leave. She had always been like this - whenever she was unhappy, she would storm off with a flick of her sleeve.

  Seeing Ji Ningning turn around, he secretly sighed. Such a twisted personality was nothing like his own. "Ji Ningning, I like you!"

  At this time, the warm wind blew in waves, "swish swish" sounds, the rustling of leaves on the trees continued, and the cicada seemed to be conveying human emotions, also pausing its voice. The wind carried a sentence "I like you" far, far away, he even suspected that she hadn't heard it.

  Ji Ningning's body stiffened, and she didn't know how long she stood there before slowly turning her head back around. Her expression became extremely gentle, with a warm smile on her face, her eyebrows raised, and her eyes shining brightly. She hadn't spoken yet, but the two of them just stared at each other for who knows how long - or maybe it wasn't even two seconds - all he knew was that he had already become dazed, unable to remember anything clearly.

  "Is it Xun Yanqiu who let you bully me?"

  Yang Chengyu will never forget, Ji Ningning actually replied to his confession in such a way, with an expression of complete distrust, "No... He's not that bored, I'm not that bored, it's just that I like you..."

  For some reason, Ji Ningning heard this sentence and suddenly laughed, laughing sweetly, not ridiculing, but a very happy smile. "But I already have someone I like..."

  But I already have someone I like...

  Yang Chengyu always thought of Ji Ningning's words at many insignificant moments, after that, he wrote many love letters and had countless confessions, but none were to Ji Ningning, and none had such feelings.

  "Hey! Yu Shao, your saliva is dripping!"

  Cen Yanqiu's words beside him pulled him back to reality.

  Yang Chengyu only then discovered that Ji Ningning had returned to her own position, he glanced at Cen Yanqiu, reined in his emotions and said with a smile: "You don't have to thank me too much for pulling Ji Ningning into the club, you know I'm straight, no need to offer your body!"

  "Alright, alright! You can't seem to leave Ji Ningning alone!" Xun Yanqiu gave him a white eye, seemingly also delighted.

  Yang Chengyu lowered his head and suddenly didn't know what to say. Fortunately, the class bell rang at this very opportune moment.