Chapter 13 The Candle Confession
After the escape room, I said my head hurt and found an excuse to go back to the dorm.
I had promised Shen Xiuming, so I had to keep my word.
The moment I reached the dorm, his call came through.
Me: [Did you put a tracker on me? How did you know I just got back?]
A low, magnetic chuckle came from the other end.
[From the escape room to the dorm, plus bus time and your walking speed—it should be about now. I even gave you an extra ten minutes.]
Me: [Ten minutes?]
Shen Xiuming: [In case some little greedy cat stopped at a street stall.]
I looked at the half-eaten fruit pancake on my desk and giggled.
Me: [Professor Shen, you really are prophetic.]
Shen Xiuming: [Do you think my control is too much?]
Me: [If it ever feels uncomfortable, I'll tell you. And if you're unhappy, you have to tell me too.]
Since our feelings were mutual, I wanted a relationship where we actually talked.
Shen Xiuming: [Seeing you with him today really made me unhappy.]
Me: [I know. Tao Zi doesn't know about us yet. She was trying to help me get a boyfriend. I'll explain to her later.]
Shen Xiuming suddenly sounded nervous. [You're going to introduce me to your friend? What should I prepare—]
I cut him off. [Professor Shen, why do you sound like a kid who's never dated... Wait. You haven't...]
Shen Xiuming cleared his throat lightly. [I was too busy abroad. Even busier after coming back. No time, that's all.]
I found it hard to believe someone like Shen Xiuming had never been chased. No wonder Professor Chen always complained about his high standards.
I suddenly felt lucky we met online first and then in person. Otherwise we would have just been two parallel lines.
After coaxing Shen Xiuming, my mood soared. I took a beautiful afternoon nap.
Later someone shook me awake.
My roommates crowded around my bed, talking over each other.
"Cen Cen! Get up! Someone wants to confess to you!"
What confession?!
I jolted awake and rubbed my eyes. "Who?"
"A dark-skinned hot guy! From another school! Downstairs!"
"Hurry! Change clothes!"
Huh? Dark skin? Another school?
I snapped fully awake.
No way.
I threw on a random jacket, didn't even fix my bedhead, and ran downstairs.
The sun was setting. Twilight covered everything.
Zhou Wang had set up a huge heart-shaped candle array on the open space below the girls' dorm. He stood beside it holding a bouquet made of teddy bears, looking nervous and stiff as he watched me come down.
I turned to go back up, but my roommates dragged me forward.
When Zhou Wang saw me, his eyes lit up. He ran over and tried to hand me the teddy bear flowers.
"Cen Cen, I like you. Can you give me a chance?"
Before I could answer, everyone started chanting.
"Be together! Be together! Be together!"
I opened my mouth to refuse when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man and a woman walking this way.
Shen Xiuming and Qiao Zhi.
Qiao Zhi was looking up at him, smiling as she spoke.
Shen Xiuming's expression stayed indifferent, as if he wasn't listening to Qiao Zhi at all. His icy gaze locked onto me from across the distance.
My heart lurched.
"Zhou Wang, thank you. But I have a boyfriend. I'm sorry."
I bowed to him in apology, then turned and walked back toward the dorm.
While walking, I messaged Shen Xiuming: [I didn't know this was going to happen. You can't blame me for this.]
Shen Xiuming didn't reply.
The more I thought about it, the more anxious I got. Then I remembered he had also been walking around campus with Qiao Zhi. A wave of grievance and bitterness crashed over me.
[If you ignore me, then I'll ignore you too!]
My phone vibrated. Shen Xiuming's voice call.
"Hello." I sniffled.
"Who dares ignore you." His helpless laugh came through.
"Whoever doesn't answer, that's who."
"Cen Cen, turn around."
The voice from the phone overlapped with the real one.
I whipped around—
Shen Xiuming stood right behind me, looking at me helplessly.
I rushed over and threw myself into his arms.
He quickly opened his arms to catch me. "Not afraid people will see?"
I buried my face in his shoulder. "If they see, just say Professor Shen kidnapped me."
A muffled laugh vibrated through his solid chest.
"Fine. Then I better make the crime real. Otherwise it's not fair." He opened his coat and wrapped me inside, covering me completely.
With one hand supporting my hips, he picked up my fluffy slippers and walked toward the parking lot.
"Where are we going?"
"Home. I'm cooking."