Thank you for loving me
On the day of freshmen orientation, everyone present knew that a freshman majoring in Computer Science received special treatment. The newly appointed student union president, who was indifferent to everyone else, personally guided her through the entire process, even accompanying her all the way to the dormitory.
Unaware of becoming a hot topic of conversation, Qiao Yu and Lin Qing walked side by side on campus. Qiao Yu quietly reached out and held Lin Qing’s hand, causing her to smile and return the gesture.
“I told you to come later,” Lin Qing’s voice was gentle, trying to appear helpless but unable to hide her good mood. “I should have been working at this time.”
“I woke up early today, couldn’t sit still…” Qiao Yu looked apologetic, her tone slightly regretful. “I was looking forward to seeing what you look like when you work… what a pity.”
“Is that so? If you didn’t talk to that freshman for so long, you should have been able to see it.”
…There was clearly a hidden threat in this statement.
Even though Lin Qing’s tone was light and casual, Qiao Yu keenly sensed a hint of danger.
“No, I wasn’t chatting with her. She accidentally bumped into me and kept apologizing—”
“Maybe that was the case before, but didn’t she invite you to register together later?”
Lin Qing remained unfazed and gently shook Qiao Yu’s hand, smiling politely.
“Did I disturb you when I came out at that time?”
“…”
Qiao Yu could see through Lin Qing’s intimidating facade, realizing she was teasing her while holding back laughter. Qiao Yu raised an eyebrow nonchalantly and replied with a smile.
“No, because I actually wanted to reject her. The reason being, I was going to find my girlfriend.”
“You coming over really helped a lot. It’s not like I suddenly solved two things at once, right?”
”…”
This time, it was Lin Qing who fell into silence, glaring at Qiao Yu with some reluctance, before finally turning her head with a faint blush creeping up her ears.
“Moreover, even if I was lucky enough not to have been bumped into and walked straight to the registration place smoothly, I still wouldn’t have been able to see what you look like when you work, right?”
Qiao Yu took out her phone, tapped on the screen a few times, and innocently handed the phone to Lin Qing.
“You see, Cong Ye said you saw me when I turned the corner.” As she saw on the screen the indiscreet revelations and strong condemnation he left behind for both of them, Lin Qing couldn’t help but frown, feeling like her thoughts had been laid out on the table with no place to hide.
“…Is this guy a leaky mouth? Next time we eat together, I’ll buy him some sticky rice to make up for it.”
“Don’t do that. We should buy something delicious together to thank him properly.”
After all, it was he who took over Lin Qing’s work, allowing Qiao Yu to lure the busy student union president out.
But… how should I put it, is it fair to say that she is worthy to be the student union president? Lin Qing seems to be quite famous at school.
As they slowly walked along, they had already encountered at least three waves of people greeting Lin Qing within just about ten minutes. Lin Qing greeted them back one by one, choosing not to comment on the curious gazes directed at Qiao Yu. She intentionally or unintentionally tightened her grip on Qiao Yu’s hand.
In another sense, Lin Qing naturally drew attention. Qiao Yu could almost sense the passing strangers openly or discreetly casting their eyes on Lin Qing, making her emotions complex. She felt proud of her yet also somewhat uneasy, unconsciously beginning to glare at those who seemed to have their eyes fixed on Lin Qing.
Seeing her slightly angry and stern expression had some intimidating power, which seemed to have some effect after a few instances. Qiao Yu couldn’t help but proudly touch her nose, but when she raised her eyes, she met Lin Qing’s smiling gaze. The look contained some teasing and mockery, clearly indicating that she noticed all of Qiao Yu’s actions.
Feeling a bit embarrassed at exposing her childish side, Qiao Yu uncomfortably averted her gaze.
“I just don’t want others to see.”
But Lin Qing quickly caught up, her voice cheerful and ending with a pleasant rise.
“…It’s just that those people are staring too blatantly. And some boys are even holding hands with other girls, yet they can’t take their eyes off you. That’s just too rude.”
“Rude to whom?”
“To the girls being held hands with, you, and me.”
Qiao Yu’s straightforward response amused Lin Qing, who playfully opened her mouth to ask in feigned confusion.
“I’m the one being stared at, but why is it also rude to you?”
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Here we go again, her lover really enjoyed asking leading questions recently, seemingly never getting tired of it.
Perhaps it was because Qiao Yu was always willing to indulge her little quirks. This time was no exception, as Qiao Yu pretended to give it some thought and responded with a non sequitur.
(Non sequitur – a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement.)
“In that case, let’s have an impromptu multiple-choice question.”
“How sudden.”
“Lin Qing now wants to become what for Qiao Yu? A: Teacher, B: Senior, C: Girlfriend.”
After solemnly listing the three options, Qiao Yu, as if holding an imaginary microphone, raised her hand in front of Lin Qing’s eyes. Seeing her slightly surprised wide eyes, which quickly regained composure.
“…In terms of order, it should be the second option’s turn now, right?”
The implication was “I’ve already been a teacher, right?” Qiao Yu looked at Lin Qing’s slightly evasive eyes, unable to catch her fleeting gaze.
“Wrong, this is a multiple-choice question.”
“You…really.”
Without hesitation, Lin Qing couldn’t help but chuckle at the prompt response. While looking at Qiao Yu’s seemingly calm expression, she still detected a hint of unease in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, silently sighing in her heart.
…Although it sounded unbelievable to her when she said it herself, in the current situation where she was still feeling the clingy embrace and farewell kiss Qiao Yu gave her when they parted yesterday, she had never directly responded to Qiao Yu’s conclusion about their relationship.
Even when Qiao Yu intentionally or unintentionally called her girlfriend or used similar terms, she always avoided addressing it directly. Lin Qing herself felt that this behavior was really out of character. This kind of relationship was simply… like the indifferent relationships between adults.
But both of them were clearly invested in each other.
Perhaps it was time to let go of the insecurity about defining this bond, wasn’t it?
Lin Qing took a deep breath and slowly began, “Listen to me, Qiao Yu.”
The footsteps ceased obediently as they walked, and Qiao Yu led her to the side of the road, nodding silently.
“I’ll probably be a very troublesome partner.”
“I can be petty, clingy, insecure, and once I’ve caught you, I won’t want to let go. After that, I’ll only tighten the binds around you more and more. Perhaps one day, I might even start feeling anxious when you’re just chatting with Cong Ye.”
It was supposed to be a joke that wasn’t funny, but Lin Qing couldn’t laugh at all, her voice completely serious.
“Your ‘gentle therapy’ may indeed be effective, but this will surely be a very long, very long process.”
“During this journey, my level of trouble will surpass anything before—it’s crucial that you really take this in.”
She trembled slightly, defiantly lifting her chin.
“Because if you rashly agree, and then in the future we become a pair of resentful partners, I—”
“There won’t be that kind of future.”
The unfinished words were cut off by a tone of unwavering certainty, as Lin Qing was captured by Qiao Yu’s gentle gaze, feeling the dull thorns in her heart gradually being worn down.
“I know it may sound cliché to say this now, and I understand that talking about forever in love is something difficult for people to believe.”
“But I still have to say it now. I deeply love you, and I believe this feeling can last until the day I die.”
Even though she had heard countless times over the years her words of love whispered in her ear, Lin Qing never quite got used to it, blushing uncontrollably every time she heard them.
Now was no different. Lin Qing’s face was flushed and she found it hard to resist Qiao Yu’s overly sincere tone.
“And, don’t underestimate yourself so much.”
“If those ‘troubles’ you mentioned are only evident to me, and I don’t really consider them a bother, then your definition is probably inaccurate, right?”
“…It’s like talking philosophy or something.”
“Sorry, if I had studied liberal arts, maybe I could explain it in a more understandable way.”
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Qiao Yu awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, looking at Lin Qing with a muffled voice, wrapping both of her hands in her own.
“I just want to say… don’t think of those as your flaws, or troublesome traits.”
“They are all byproducts of love, if we have to assign blame, it should fall on me, as I should naturally bear that responsibility. Because that is love for me, and the behaviors I exhibited that led to it.”
“So you should trust me completely. And what I should say is… thank you for loving me.”
Ah.
Lin Qing closed her eyes in impatience.
She should say something like “I haven’t even said I love you yet, why are you jumping to conclusions?” to break the atmosphere that made her heart beat like a drum.
But as expected, she had no desire to do that at this moment.
No matter how much time had passed, she would always be captivated by Qiao Yu’s gentleness.
“I… I understand.”
Her voice unconsciously trembled, finally lifting her eyes to meet the gentle affection in the other person’s eyes, determined to make it even warmer.
“Since you’ve said that kind of thing, there’s no chance for regrets.”
Lin Qing gently pushed Qiao Yu’s hand away, placing her own hand on Qiao Yu’s shoulder. The overly familiar gesture caused Qiao Yu to freeze for a moment, followed by confusion and awkwardness.
“Wait, Lin Qing…”
“For that multiple-choice question, although I couldn’t be your girlfriend while being your teacher before, I can be as your senior now.”
Not wanting to hear Qiao Yu’s hesitant words, Lin Qing’s voice was light and fast, deciding to finish the sentence for her.
“If those people staring at me is indeed rude to you as well, especially when my girlfriend is right here but they haven’t noticed, it’s truly annoying, isn’t it? Irritating.”
The follow-up phrase “So, what should we do to make them notice?” was on the tip of her tongue.
Qiao Yu felt a mess of emotions inside, subconsciously scanning the surroundings, and sure enough, she saw someone glancing their way, silently regretting that she should have taken Lin Qing to a place where no one was around earlier.
At that moment, Lin Qing, with a hidden urgency in her words, suddenly stopped. She slightly parted her lips, and her eyes gradually softened, tinged with a hint of aggrieved annoyance.
“…I wore makeup today.”
“…”
Qiao Yu wanted to say that she knew, she had seen it from the very beginning. However, she couldn’t bring herself to speak amidst the stirring ripples in Lin Qing’s eyes, just staring at those eyes that seemed to be on the verge of speaking.
“I’m not… doing this for others to see.”
Her voice was very soft, seemingly having approached very close to Qiao Yu at some point. Qiao Yu felt like she was being lightly brushed by the softest feather on her heart, causing a tingling sensation.
“How do I look today? Do you not like it?”
“…It’s not like that, I really like it.”
“In that case.”
Receiving Qiao Yu’s dreamlike affirmative response, Lin Qing seemed to regain her confidence and once again lifted her slightly bewildered eyes to look at Qiao Yu.
“Don’t you want to try it?”
“I heard that lipstick is sweet.”
Is it sweet? She remembered the banquet she attended before, where she accidentally licked her lips after applying lipstick, but she couldn’t recall any taste.
Her mind was a jumble, still earnestly contemplating Lin Qing’s obvious, hastily concocted excuse, proving that Qiao Yu was unable to resist such a sincere and persistent temptation.
She no longer had the luxury to care about the gazes of those around her, her eyes uncontrollably falling onto the lips that were right in front of her.
…Indeed, they looked very sweet.
In Greek mythology, there was a female monster named Medusa, rumored to turn people into stone just by making eye contact, making her a very dangerous creature.
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However, Qiao Yu felt that she was now not much different from the characters in these stories. Lin Qing’s eyes were like the purest obsidian, at this moment veiled by a mist of desire cast by her.
In the presence of such eyes, even the most eloquent debater would be speechless, and the bravest warrior would forget how to fight.
Qiao Yu willingly succumbed, perhaps having become captivated by her from the very beginning.
They had both endured numerous trials for each other, contending with an unimaginable power that seemed to control the world. In the most difficult and perilous times, they each struggled to catch their breath, for the unspoken farewells they couldn’t utter, for the possibly non-existent reunions, for the stubborn delusion in their hearts that refused to let go, walking through a path where one wrong step could lead to irreversible consequences.
And now, everything had finally turned out as she had wished. Qiao Yu stood here in a triumphant stance, her girl waiting for her kiss.
The first time, Lin Qing took the initiative, whether in confession or in a kiss, Qiao Yu always lagged behind her.
But now she seized the initiative, marking the beginning of their confirmed second phase of their relationship. This was certainly not a moment to hesitate — the only reason worth pausing for a few seconds was the overly open setting and the unabashedly eager gazes of those around them.
Forget it. She had once sparked a war with the world, and now she didn’t care about causing a stir in just a school.
Like kissing a rose, Qiao Yu kissed Lin Qing.
As for Lin Qing, who later regained her senses and blushed with embarrassment, she hurriedly dragged Qiao Yu away from the stunned crowd and, the next day, was captured by Cong Ye listening with relish as he narrated for half an hour how famous she had become in school and how many potential enemies she had unwittingly made without stepping out of her house.
Qiao Yu remained calm — let them be, as long as they didn’t cause trouble for Lin Qing. She hoped those people would understand they never stood a chance and would adapt quickly.
Speaking of which, Lin Qing’s lipstick indeed tasted sweet.
She tried it a few more times later, of course, that was something she couldn’t tell anyone, shh.
