Chapter 55: A Confession in Blue

Pfft, cough, cough, cough!

Hua Mu’ai nearly choked on her cake, her face flushing crimson as she stood up.

“I refuse! Why should *I* have to accompany you alone? If we’re going, we’re all going together!”

Gu Qianqian and Lin Xiaolu, however, immediately began to egg them on.

“Oh, Captain, this is Xingyan’s first wish!”

“Exactly, exactly! Senior, just agree to it.”

Qin Lan, who enjoyed watching the drama unfold, drifted over and leisurely added, “Hua Mu’ai, as captain, fulfilling the reasonable wishes of your squad members is part of your duty.”

“You…!”

Isolated and helpless, Hua Mu’ai found herself cornered by the combined pressure of the three women, ultimately agreeing through gritted teeth.

‘Fine, I’ll go! But I’d like to see what tricks she’s planning to pull!’

****

Her thoughts snapped back to the present.

Despite her reluctance, Hua Mu’ai had ultimately followed along.

Inside the aquarium, a colossal tank served as a barrier, silencing the clamor of the outside world.

Azure light and shadow danced, casting a dreamlike glow upon their faces.

As diverse schools of vibrant fish swam past, Hua Mu’ai’s lingering displeasure gradually gave way to a sense of wonder.

The silence had become almost unnerving.

Hua Mu’ai suddenly spoke, shattering the quiet.

“Hey, speaking of which, what exactly happened with you running away from your wedding that day?”

Xia Xingyan’s gaze shifted from the swimming fish, and she began to recount her story with a serene calm.

“To avoid being tracked by my father’s people, I didn’t bring my phone. I only had some cash on me.”

“During the day, I’d stay at the city library or a park, and at night, I’d sleep in the top-floor stairwells of nearby residential buildings.”

Hua Mu’ai’s heart clenched.

“You idiot!”

She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Why didn’t you just come straight to me? You knew the address of my apartment, didn’t you?”

Xia Xingyan paused, then gently shook her head.

“At that time, I didn’t want to trouble the captain. I simply wanted to prove, at least once, that I could rely on my own strength to resist fiercely for something I cared about.”

“You…” Hua Mu’ai clenched her fists, wanting to scold her for being foolish, for trying to be strong, but the words caught in her throat, and not a single one escaped.

Xia Xingyan continued her story.

“I had planned to stay hidden until the day of the welcoming ceremony, then secretly go to the Aegis Tower to find you all.”

“But as soon as I got near the tower, I was discovered by the bodyguards my father had arranged.”

“They forcibly took me back to the engagement banquet, locking me in a lounge. At that moment, I truly believed I would never escape again…”

She paused, then turned her head to look at Hua Mu’ai.

“Until you kicked open that door.”

“Only in that moment did I truly believe that there could really be someone who would defy the entire world for my sake.”

Hua Mu’ai fell silent.

She lowered her gaze to the schools of fish gently gliding within the tank, her voice muffled.

“Don’t ever do that again.”

“If something happens, come straight to me. Understand?”

Xia Xingyan gazed at Hua Mu’ai’s pouting profile, a wave of warmth washing over her heart.

“Mm, I’ll remember.”

As they continued walking, the atmosphere shifted, becoming subtly nuanced. The awkwardness gradually dissipated, giving way to a warm, tender ambiance that filled the air.

Soon, they arrived at the dolphin show area.

Accompanied by cheerful music, several dolphins leaped from the water, tracing elegant arcs through the air.

“Wow! They jumped so high!”

Hua Mu’ai’s eyes sparkled, and she bounced with childlike glee.

She waved her small fists, cheering along with the surrounding audience.

Xia Xingyan sat beside her, not watching the performance, but simply observing Hua Mu’ai in quiet contemplation.

Then, she subtly pulled out her phone, aiming it at the small, sparkling figure amidst the crowd.

“Click.”

The shutter sound was faint, yet Hua Mu’ai still caught it.

She spun around abruptly. “Hey, why are you secretly taking pictures of me?”

Xia Xingyan calmly put away her phone, her face still devoid of expression.

“Because Captain looks very cute like this, and I want to keep it as a memento.”

Hua Mu’ai’s cheeks, visibly and rapidly, flushed crimson all the way to her earlobes.

She opened her mouth, intending to retort, to regain some composure.

“I… I…”

Yet, after much effort, not a single word emerged.

Observing her adorable, flustered appearance, a mix of indignation and helplessness, Xia Xingyan unknowingly let a natural smile grace her lips.

But Hua Mu’ai had her back turned, and thus, did not see it.

At that moment, Xia Xingyan stepped closer, leaning in to whisper a question into Hua Mu’ai’s ear, her voice barely audible to anyone but them.

“Captain, would you consider this our first date?”

Xia Xingyan’s warm breath brushed against her ear, sending a tingling sensation like an electric current coursing through Hua Mu’ai’s entire body.

Hua Mu’ai abruptly recoiled, a blush spreading like wildfire from her earlobes down to her neck.

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Hua Mu’ai’s voice trembled. “Who—who’s on a date with you? I’m merely fulfilling my duties as captain!”

In a hidden corner, the smile on Xia Xingyan’s lips deepened further.

They didn’t pursue the topic further, rising to continue their walk and soon arriving at an even more enchanting area.

This was the aquarium’s most renowned underwater tunnel.

A colossal, curved transparent glass enclosure arched overhead, as if the entire deep sea had been brought directly before their eyes.

Thousands of fish gracefully glided above, while vibrant corals swayed gently at their feet.

The conversations of other visitors seemed to be muted, distanced and unreal by the profound blue expanse, as if utterly cut off.

It felt like a secluded, blue dreamscape.

Hua Mu’ai’s mood unconsciously eased. The lingering embarrassment and irritation from being teased seemed to drift away with the swimming fish.

Just then, Xia Xingyan, who had been walking ahead, abruptly halted. She turned around, standing silently in the interplay of light and shadow, not uttering a single word.

Hua Mu’ai felt a prickle of unease under her gaze, instinctively coming to a stop.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you now? Why are you staring at me like that?”

Xia Xingyan’s face remained impassive, yet a fervent emotion surged within her eyes.

Tourists bustled past, and the light and shadow danced between the two of them.

In that moment, the atmosphere abruptly transformed.

“Captain,” Xia Xingyan finally spoke, “there’s something I want to tell you.”

Hua Mu’ai’s heart skipped a beat.

For some reason, a sudden ominous premonition seized her.

Xia Xingyan took a deep breath and declared, “I like you, Captain.”

Hua Mu’ai froze.

She blinked, wondering if she had misheard.

“What did you say? It’s too noisy here; I didn’t catch that.”

Xia Xingyan, completely unfazed by the interruption, repeated herself, her tone even more resolute than before.

“I said, I like you.”

She took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

“Not the admiration a fan holds for an idol, but the kind of liking that makes me want to be with you forever, to be your lover.”

The sounds of the entire world vanished, the joyous chatter of the surrounding tourists utterly unheard.

Hua Mu’ai could only hear her own heart, pounding wildly within her chest.

‘She likes me, and the kind that wants to be lovers?’

‘Is Xia Xingyan confessing her feelings to me?!’