In what situation would you confess your feelings?
After Li Hua came by a second time with the hoop, and left empty-handed and wailing, Qiao Yu looked at the male lead who was still able to roll his hoop happily in the cramped space of the stand and felt an immense pressure.
This guy’s innocent and cheery smile while looking at the hoop didn’t make Qiao Yu the slightest bit happy. She had not noticed before, but now, on her guard, she saw something was off. He had never smiled so relaxedly when facing Lin Qing, his eyes never twinkled like this.
Although the hoop was indeed fun—Qiao Yu could admit that much—but for f*ck’s sake! Was that hoop more appealing to Cong Ye than Lin Qing?! That’s definitely a problem!
Reflecting on Cong Ye’s recent remarks and recalling all the odd behaviors that started from way back, Qiao Yu felt the need to inquire.
“Cong Ye.”
“Hmm? I’ll play for ten more minutes then it’ll be your turn! I promise!”
“No, I don’t want the hoop… I wanted to ask you something. How would you describe your relationship with Lin Qing now?”
“Friends.”
Cong Ye’s reply was resolute, not leaving a shred of room for ambiguity, and after a moment’s thought, he firmly added two more words.
“Just normal friends.”
…Why is there such an imbalance in the mutual affection level? One side can’t even count as close friends.
“Then let me switch to a different question… What kind of person do you like?”
Could it be an issue of not meeting the ideal type? Or is Cong Ye looking dumb but actually has an unattainable love in his heart!
“I like anyone who’s a fan of Kamen Rider.”
“That’s an answer like something a fifth-grade boy would give.”
Even comprehension poses a problem; Cong Ye’s simplicity of thought alarms Qiao Yu.
Alright, alright, if one door doesn’t open, maybe another will—she can rescue the situation indirectly by nudging Cong Ye; that should be doable.
“…When Li Hua came over to talk just now, did you feel anything stir inside?”
“Yeah, didn’t I stand up for you? I called him out for you, and you didn’t even let me finish my rant.”
He sounds quite aggrieved.
“No, didn’t you have any personal reactions?”
“Ah…”
Cong Ye paused his fiddling with the hoop, opening his mouth in thought for a moment.
“When I heard him say those two were causing trouble, I did feel something.”
“I think they’re playing with fire.”
“But seeing that you didn’t say anything, I just focused on cursing Li Hua out.”
Qiao Yu closed her eyes wearily, posing her core question.
“…What do you think my relationship is with Lin Qing?”
“Eh? You’re asking me? You’re really asking me?”
Watching Cong Ye’s face contort in bewilderment, Qiao Yu nodded in confusion, witnessing the storm of emotions on his face until it all knotted into a frown.
“Fri… friends…”
Spitting out these two words seemed to be killing him.
“Close, close friends!”
Then, seemingly dissatisfied with that, he leaned forward to add something, but Qiao Yu felt that he wasn’t telling the whole truth.
“If you’ve got any thoughts, just spit it out—”
“Ahhh, I’m done, I’m done, Qiao Yu, come and play with the hoop, it’s really fun!!”
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Qiao Yu really wished she could pry open his skull and see what kind of chaos was packed inside.
Speaking of the possibility of those two causing trouble, although Qiao Yu felt that they couldn’t stir up any mess at this time, she still felt a little uneasy. So, she took Cong Ye with her to the practice area for Lin Qing’s project.
Lin Qing and Mi Yi’s project involved everyone using a folded narrow board to collaboratively transport a tennis ball—it was a hectic practice in progress. As long as Qiao Yu saw Lin Qing was okay, she was relieved and didn’t disturb her. She stood quietly with Cong Ye in a corner, watching with great interest.
“We’re like those undercover bodyguards, huh!”
“…Can’t you aspire to be something a bit more elevated in status?”
Cong Ye, he looked content enough just being a bodyguard, Qiao Yu shook her head as she watched him scanning vigilantly for suspicious figures like in the movies. She felt her path to a peaceful ending might be a rough one with Cong Ye around.
Qiao Yu stopped paying attention to Cong Ye’s posturing and turned her gaze back to Lin Qing. Even among the crowd, Lin Qing was distinct—every arc of her hair fluttering with her movements was perfect, as if even the wind was partial to this girl.
It’s a pity she had fallen for Cong Ye—no, that shouldn’t be considered a pity, rather fate.
Qiao Yu closed her eyes, shook her head to banish her unfair judgments of Cong Ye, but when she opened them again, she was startled by Cong Ye’s head suddenly popping into her field of vision.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“Nothing… I just thought…”
Raising his hands, Cong Ye took a step back, glancing alternately at Qiao Yu and then at where Lin Qing was. After a period of contemplation, he finally opened his mouth.
“You just asked me a bunch of questions, now I have one I want to ask.”
“? You may ask.”
It was truly unusual. There was a time when Cong Ye would just ask questions without seeking permission first.
It seems he has made some progress in manners, Qiao Yu mused, her interest piqued as she nodded at him. Cong Ye rubbed his hands together and, lowering his voice, inquired.
“Qiao Yu, if you—if, I mean, if! If you had someone you liked—”
He seemed inexplicably desperate with his question, and Qiao Yu, caught off guard that it was an emotional one, blinked in mixed feelings.
“In what situation… would you confess to her?”
Qiao Yu’s heart skipped a beat.
“…What a weird question. Why would you ask that?”
“When you were bombarding me with all those questions just now, I didn’t ask you why you wanted to know! Now I’m just asking this one thing and you won’t even answer! Why the h*ll are you like this!”
Great, before she could even ask why, Cong Ye was already getting pissed.
Qiao Yu didn’t want to stir up trouble, so she pondered his question, her gaze drifting unconsciously towards the crowd not far away.
“If I had someone I liked, I would confess when—”
Her eyes lacked a focal point, aimlessly floating in the air.
“When I’m sure that the person likes me back, then I’ll confess.”
Qiao Yu spoke softly, but her words didn’t escape the attentively listening ears of Cong Ye. His surprise was evident as he stared at her with wide eyes.
“…That’s unexpected. I thought Qiao Yu was the brave type. I didn’t think you’d be so, so—”
“So cowardly?”
Qiao Yu picked up where he left off, offering a wry smile tinged with self-mockery.
“No matter what kind of person you are, everyone becomes timid, scared, and insecure.”
Her gaze returned to the girl who seemed to radiate light, her voice as soft as a murmur to herself.
“…This is what they call ‘liking’ someone.”
The day went by smoothly. Qiao Yu had been on high alert, watching from dawn till dusk, and had not seen Bear Ona or Bear Two anywhere near Lin Qing. When the joint sports meet was declared a complete success, she secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Even though she knew deep down that the chances of those two causing trouble for Lin Qing at Yao Hua were slim, she couldn’t help feeling worried after hearing about it.
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Watching as each group began cleaning up the sports field, the teachers and students of Yizhong were also tallying their numbers, preparing to head home. Lin Qing, accompanied by Mi Yi, went to return the cardboard sheets, and Qiao Yu finally felt at ease to snatch the hoop from Cong Ye’s hands, eager to seize the moment to play.
Ah, this really takes me back—such childhood games, it’s been ages since I’ve played. Yao Hua even has such neat stuff; they never take it out for us to enjoy during PE class—
“Hey, you there, student!”
She hadn’t been playing for long when she was spotted and called out by a passing PE teacher. Qiao Yu internally sighed at her rotten luck and turned around with a face full of innocence.
“Why hasn’t the hoop been returned yet? The equipment should have been packed away by now! If you’re any later, the gym will be closing. Hurry up and take it to the person in charge of your group!”
“Alright, alright…”
This really was a losing deal. Cong Ye had been playing all day without having to return the equipment, and there she was, after barely ten minutes of play, stuck with this task. Next time, she’d have to snag the equipment earlier.
Qiao Yu sighed as she rolled the hoop towards the gym—how was she supposed to know who was in charge of Li Hua and their group’s project? She might as well make the trip to the gym and shove it straight into the equipment storage room, hoping the door was still open.
Dragging her feet to the entrance of the gym, she was in luck—the door was still ajar, but the inside looked pitch-dark. Qiao Yu picked up the hoop, tiptoed over, and peeked inside. The lights in the gym were off, but there was a faint sound of voices coming from the direction of the storage room.
Ah, someone was still there, probably a teacher managing the equipment.
Qiao Yu thought to herself and proceeded to walk in. Just a few steps later, the voices that reached her ears made her stop dead in her tracks.
“Li Hua, don’t be an ingrate, alright?”
…That didn’t sound like something a teacher would say.
That rough voice seemed familiar; Qiao Yu blinked, tip-toeing silently to the storage room door, and squatted down like a large cat at a hidden spot just outside, her ears sharp, eavesdropping on the conversation within.
“You questioned us in front of so many people, that’s not giving us face. We haven’t hit you yet, that’s fair, right?”
“We don’t do that barbaric stuff. But since you’ve ‘accidentally’ come here, if someone ‘accidentally’ locks the storage room door later, that would be quite normal, wouldn’t it? Don’t worry, we’ve already told the teacher you had an emergency and went home early.”
“That’s nonsense! It was you guys who tricked me into coming here—”
“Hey, hey, keep it down! You know damn well this is all without evidence. Who’s to say you readily came trotting over here just because somebody said Lin Qing was looking for you? If you have lustful thoughts, who can you blame but yourself?”
Alright, Qiao Yu thought she pretty much understood the situation.
In summary, it was clear that the Bear Brothers really wanted to stir up trouble, and the target wasn’t her or Lin Qing, but the pushover Li Hua.
They lured Li Hua to the sports equipment storage room, planning to lock him up there overnight as revenge for his previous interference.
Gotta say, that’s a pretty dumb plan, typical of Bear One and Bear Two.
Qiao Yu silently took out her phone, made sure it was on silent, and started recording.
Her relationship with Li Hua wasn’t at the point where she’d face off directly against those two clowns. Helping by gathering some evidence was about as kind as she could be. After all, he wouldn’t be locked up for long. Once those two left, she’d simply come to unlock the door, right?
She quietly listened to the threatening banter inside that seemed like a lengthy, back-and-forth tug-of-war. She yawned stealthily, just hoping they’d hurry up and leave.
“—I’m telling you, it’s a joke. You think Lin Qing is some kind of goddess? Just ask around this school, you’ll know. She’s already sleeping with that guy called Cong Ye!”
Qiao Yu’s body tensed instantly.
“Right, right, I’ve heard that dude’s also tangled up with that Qiao Yu. Man, is his luck with the ladies deep or what.”
“Li Hua, aren’t you just green with envy? Haha.”
Ah, trash really is just trash.
Lucky you, Li Hua, running into two loudmouth pieces of trash.
Qiao Yu switched off the recording and took a deep breath. She calmly opened the chat interface and sent out two lines.
“Don’t be fooled by Lin Qing’s demure appearance, who would have thought she’s actually—”
Suddenly, unabashed footsteps sounded at the door. Bear Pme, initially smug, was suddenly dumbstruck, turning his head in a panic.
“We meet again, trash. Talking smack about others behind their backs without even closing the door on their turf, are you stupid or what?”
Qiao Yu blocked the doorway, slowly flexing her wrists and carefully removing her bracelet, tucking it into her pocket.
She coolly eyed the two flustered individuals, barely glancing over Li Hua, who stood clueless behind them, before she spoke in a stern voice.
“First off, tell me who told you to say these ** words.”
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“Secondly, I wouldn’t mind repeating myself—if you can’t speak properly, then wash out your mouth.”
She looked at the metal hoop set on her hand, which was of no use in this situation, and casually set it aside. With composure, she nodded towards the two, a slight smile on her face, indicating it was their move.
“Who’s first?”
After returning the cardboard, Lin Qing and Mi Yi headed back to the stands, noticing Cong Ye and Lu Yao engrossed in viewing photos on a camera. Yet, Qiao Yu was nowhere to be seen.
“Ah, Qiao Yu probably went to play with the iron hoops.”
Before she could ask, Cong Ye hurriedly answered. Lin Qing acknowledged with a sound, unable to suppress a laugh.
How can such a grown person still be so child-like? It’s kind of cute.
Mi Yi, looking exhausted, sat aside playing with her phone when she suddenly let out a sound.
The three of them looked her way in response, as Mi Yi’s expression turned grave and she stood up.
“…Check your phones. Something’s happened at Qiao Yu’s end.”
Lin Qing felt a chill and hurriedly took out her mobile, only to see two messages from Qiao Yu in the group chat of five.
Qiao Yu: Call a teacher to the gym’s storage.
Qiao Yu: There’s likely going to be a fight.