Chapter 59: Echoes of Unspoken Feelings

By the flower bed decorated with heart-shaped candles, Liu Xin Yue clung to Lily and sobbed loudly.

A cold wind slapped against her face.

Lily kept comforting her, but thinking about that so-called big brother and the girl who confessed, who had kissed for a full five minutes, made her uneasy.

She couldn’t imagine the massive hurt Liu Xin Yue must be feeling, especially since she had stood there and watched it all.

“Xin Yue, don’t cry anymore. You have to stay strong.”

Liu Xin Yue’s tears flowed as she spoke in a choked, halting voice:

“I’ve liked that big brother for so many years. I even liked him back when we were abroad, and that’s why I followed him here to study in the country. But in the end, I lost, and I lost so badly.”

Liu Xin Yue learned her lesson and regretted looking back at her rival:

“I should have called him earlier. I knew she was making big moves lately, that she was going to confess, but I hesitated and didn’t even notice at first! Lily, you have to learn from me—never underestimate your rival!”

Lily let out a surprised “Ah,” wondering how this had turned to her.

But the next moment, she suddenly realized… lately, Heqing and Han Wenwen seemed to be up to something too.

But that couldn’t be, right?

She comforted her best friend for a long time, until that evening when Lily had a strangely similar dream.

In the dream, flower petals rained from the sky, and the setting was a beautiful park with a flower bed and heart-shaped candles, surrounded by people.

Heqing, in a white dress, stood with the handsome idiot in the middle of the heart-shaped candles.

Han Wenwen smiled nearby, cheering on her friend, while Lily stood off to the side.

Heqing held a bouquet and slowly said, “I like you! Lin Zheng Ran, will you be with me?”

Lin Zheng Ran’s eyes deepened. “Of course. Though I like the tsundere type more, since you confessed first, I’ll go with you.”

Heqing exclaimed excitedly, “Really? That’s amazing!”

Han Wenwen clapped from the side: “Congratulations, Xiao Qingqing, on your successful confession!”

The crowd cheered: “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

In the dream, Lin Zheng Ran hooked his finger under Heqing’s chin. She closed her eyes as their lips drew closer and closer.

At midnight, she jolted upright in bed, her face flushed in her pajamas as she gasped in horror, “Ah?! What kind of dream is this!”

This weird dream kept Lily awake all night.

The next morning, Lily arrived at school and, before class, glanced back at Heqing sitting quietly at her desk, massaging her fingers.

As she massaged, Heqing suddenly put a finger in her mouth while opening her textbook for the next lesson with her other hand.

Her cute face looked a bit puffy from biting her finger.

Even though she was a rival, Lily had to admit Heqing’s sweet and adorable look was undeniable.

“So cute…” But remembering last night’s dream made her uneasy: “She wouldn’t really confess, would she? If she did…”

Just then, she heard girls around her chatting: “Did you hear? There’s a new zoo opening in the city district. They say it has all sorts of rare animals. Want to check it out?”

“I heard about it too! I got a bunch of promotional flyers. I really want to go—they even have a giant python!”

“That sounds scary, but I want to see it even more! Give me one!”

In the classroom, the girls passed around a zoo flyer and chatted excitedly. Lily curiously leaned in to look.

She saw close-up pictures of tigers, lions, and peacocks on the flyer.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“A zoo? Our city has a zoo now? I’ve never been to one.” She instinctively thought of inviting Lin Zheng Ran along to shake off last night’s ridiculous dream.

Glancing at the ticket price, eighty yuan each, she figured it wasn’t too expensive since she still had some leftover New Year’s money for two tickets.

So, over the next two days, whenever Lily was alone, she practiced against the wall how to invite Lin Zheng Ran to the zoo.

Two days later, on Thursday afternoon during the second math class.

As class was winding down, the teacher sat at the front letting everyone study and discuss. Lin Zheng Ran reviewed Han Wenwen’s recent mock test, scoring in the seventies, and marked the wrong questions:

“These problems use methods I explained last time. Just sort out the approach, and they’re straightforward.”

Han Wenwen didn’t respond; instead, she lounged like a lazy fox, admiring Lin Zheng Ran’s profile.

Lin Zheng Ran glanced at her speechlessly: “Han Wenwen, are you even listening?”

Han Wenwen hummed: “I heard, but I didn’t quite get it. Could you go over it again, Lin Zheng Ran?”

She just wanted to hear his voice.

Lin Zheng Ran rolled up the paper and tapped her head. Han Wenwen playfully yelped a soft “Ouch” and pouted grievance: “Lin Zheng Ran, you’re so mean~”

“I’ve explained this three times already. Are you deaf? Try it yourself— you’ll finish in a minute.”

He put the paper on her face. As Han Wenwen started to sit up and work on it, she heard the other class dismissing.

At the back of the classroom, Lily peeked into Class 1. Han Wenwen’s fox-like eyes blinked, and she slowly sat up, smiling at Lin Zheng Ran: “Lin Zheng Ran, I’ll do this math problem during evening study. Otherwise, you won’t have time to check it.”

She guided his gaze to the back door: “Because Lily seems to have something to tell you.”

Lin Zheng Ran turned and locked eyes with Lily, who was sneaking a look. She blushed, turned away, and whistled silently, pretending to pass by while lingering at the door.

Lin Zheng Ran wondered what she wanted during break.

The teacher announced class over, and Han Wenwen stepped out first, giving Lily a meaningful smile as she pretended to whistle at the back door.

“The weather’s really nice today.”

Lily glanced at her shyly, watching as she headed to the girls’ restroom.

Lin Zheng Ran came out curiously: “Did you need something?”

Lily straightened up at his voice, hands behind her back, blurting out: “Need something? No, nothing. I was just passing by.”

Lin Zheng Ran headed to the restroom himself.

But Lily called out suddenly, her hidden hand clenched as she blushed and stammered: “Hey, big idiot… um, don’t forget to practice singing with me this Saturday. You helped Heqing last week, so it’s my turn now.”

Lin Zheng Ran nodded: “Got it. I’ll come straight to your place on Saturday.”

Lily beamed: “Great! Make sure you come. I’ll be waiting at home. There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Something?”

She replied a beat late: “Ah, you misheard. Nothing, nothing at all! I said I was just passing by.”

She bounced away happily.

Lin Zheng Ran wiped sweat from his forehead and went to the restroom. When he came out, Han Wenwen was waiting by the sink.

Han Wenwen handed him two tissues: “Wipe your hands.”