Chapter 36 Part 1: A Deliberate Misunderstanding

Song Jin had slept well all night. She opened her drowsy eyes to find that Duan Yan was already gone.

Her heart felt slightly empty. Her fingers gently slid over the indentation on the adjacent pillow, as if she could still feel Duan Yan’s warmth and faint fragrance on the delicate fabric.

The air was filled with Duan Yan’s scent, and an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and attachment welled up in Song Jin’s heart.

Being able to sleep nestled in Duan Yan’s arms was truly blissful.

However, this happiness was tinged with a small regret—she could only curl up in Duan Yan’s arms as a little cat, not as a person.

‘Sigh, how wonderful it would be if I could turn into a person and hold Duan Yan while we sleep.’

‘Unfortunately, Duan Yan still hasn’t confessed to me. Why is that, I wonder?’

‘Is my affection not obvious enough?’

Song Jin frowned slightly, picked up her omnipotent phone, and began searching online for strategies on how to cleverly guide someone to confess.

On Weibo, the topic of how to induce a confession was being discussed heatedly, with all sorts of suggestions popping up one after another.

[“You can be a bit more direct. Post something vague on your Moments with some suggestive content, and make it visible only to them. If they have feelings for you, they should confess.”]

Song Jin shook her head. This method wouldn’t work for her. Duan Yan rarely even looked at her phone, let alone paid attention to her Moments.

Song Jin silently grumbled in her heart and continued browsing other suggestions.

[“I know this one! Give them a bracelet. The one I gave my partner was a custom 925 silver one, engraved with the first letters of both our names. The day after she received it, she came to me with a bouquet of my favorite roses and confessed. Three years have passed, and we’re now married. [Image]”]

A bracelet?

An idea sparked in Song Jin’s mind. Perhaps this was a method worth trying.

She happened to have a pair of necklaces; she could give one to Duan Yan.

But when should she give it to her?

Song Jin was in a bit of a dilemma. Giving it to her now lacked any sort of atmosphere and wouldn’t have the desired effect. She decided it was better to wait until they were in Country F.

Song Jin got up, preparing to go back to her own room to change. Before she could even leave the room, she heard Duan Yan and Auntie Lian talking at the door.

“Let me go in and tidy up your room for you. Why won’t you let me in?”

It seemed Duan Yan was blocking Auntie Lian.

“It’s fine, my room doesn’t need tidying. Don’t worry about it, Auntie Lian.”

“It’s no trouble, I’ll just help you clean up a bit.”

‘Right, I almost forgot about this.’

‘Coming out of Duan Yan’s room every morning… if I don’t tell the truth, it’s going to look suspicious no matter how you spin it.’

‘Yesterday, I could use changing clothes as an excuse, but I probably can’t get away with that today.’

‘A misunderstanding? Let it be a misunderstanding. I couldn’t ask for more.’

She tugged at her originally neat clothes, lightly pinched a few faint red marks onto her neck, and bit her lip to make it redder, as if she had just been kissed.

If there was going to be a misunderstanding, why not make it more thorough?

Song Jin looked at the amorous marks on her body, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

“Good morning, Auntie Lian.”

Song Jin revealed a smile and greeted Auntie Lian, then turned to Duan Yan and said, “Sorry, I woke up a little late. I’ll be quick.”

Song Jin’s appearance broke the stalemate between Auntie Lian and Duan Yan.

Duan Yan cleared her throat. “It’s fine, go ahead and get ready.”

Auntie Lian’s gaze, however, lingered on Song Jin before landing on Duan Yan with an expression of utter disappointment.

Song Jin knew her goal had been achieved. She didn’t dwell on it and went straight to get ready.

After breakfast, Song Jin and Duan Yan prepared to head to the T-stage for today’s training.

In the car, the morning light from outside the window fell on Duan Yan’s face, hazy and beautiful.

Duan Yan began hesitantly, “I’m sorry, Auntie Lian might have misunderstood our relationship.”

Song Jin nearly shrieked with joy. ‘A wonderful misunderstanding!’

But her face still wore an understanding and considerate smile.

“It’s fine. After all, coming out of Sister Duan’s room every morning is indeed very misleading.”

“Don’t take it to heart. Once your body returns to normal, I’ll explain it to her. Don’t worry, Auntie Lian won’t gossip about it outside.”

Hearing Song Jin’s considerate words, the apology on Duan Yan’s face deepened.

‘Explain what! We’re about to be a couple!!!’

Song Jin still had a smile on her face. “It’s alright, this matter is indeed a bit difficult to explain. It’s understandable.”

Duan Yan felt very guilty and suggested taking Song Jin out to have fun next time.

Considering they might be caught by paparazzi in their home country, where even the smallest thing could be twisted into a grand conspiracy, Duan Yan decided on Country F as the location.

“Okay!”

Although Song Jin wasn’t very interested in going out, she was very interested in going out with Duan Yan.

Memories and time that would belong only to the two of them.

Today was the last day of training.

In the days that followed, life seemed to be confined to a fixed trajectory: home, the T-stage, and back home again. This straight line between three points constituted the entirety of their lives.

Fare’s training was rigorous and monotonous. Every movement, every step, was required to be precise to the extreme.

However, in this environment, Song Jin and Duan Yan displayed astonishing endurance and talent.

Even Fare, who was known for her strictness, rarely… praised, “Very good. After these few days of intensive training, although you haven’t reached the level of top models, you’ve already improved significantly. I hope you can…”

“Thank you.”

Song Jin and Duan Yan responded in unison to this demanding instructor.

Duan Yan and Song Jin’s plane tickets were booked for the next morning, which meant they had a full day of free time before arriving in Country F.

That night, Song Jin carefully packed her necessary items, placing a small object in her bag, planning to… at the right moment.

Just then, the notification sound from her phone broke the silence of the room. It was a message from her sister.

[Sister: (link)]

Song Jin clicked the link and saw that it was an introduction to an amusement park. She couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“?”

[Sister: Don’t you like her? It’s been so long with no progress. Take advantage of your trip to France and take her out to have some fun.]

Reading this, Song Jin instantly understood her sister’s intention, and a warm feeling spread through her heart.

“Thank you, sister!”

[Sister: The view from the top of the Ferris wheel is especially good. You need to seize the opportunity yourself.]

It seemed her sister had a romantic confession experience there. Song Jin couldn’t help but sigh with admiration.

However, she didn’t want to confess to Duan Yan first. After all, Duan Yan had liked her first. To see things through from beginning to end, it should be Duan Yan who confesses to her.

Song Jin was just a little bit prideful.