Chapter 26: A Summer Confession and a Hidden Truth

The incessant chirping of cicadas drifted from the French sycamores outside the window, as some insects sought refuge in the shade, unable to bear the scorching heat. Under the relentless bake of the summer sun, pedestrians on the street were few and far between.

Finally, Lin Duo’s lips trembled slightly. “Well, Wang Linshu… I need two more days to think about it.”

Lin Duo already knew her answer, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud in front of so many people.

At that moment, the class monitor stood up to smooth things over. “Haha, everyone’s here for a group dinner today. Confessions can certainly wait for a private moment. Come on, come on, everyone, sit down! There’s still so much food.”

After the meal, the boys split the bill among themselves, and Lin Duo essentially got a free lunch. However, she wasn’t happy, and after the gathering, she tried to find an opportunity to slip away home.

Unfortunately, Wang Linshu’s eyes were sharp, and he quickly caught up to her from behind. “Lin Duo, wait for me! Well, will you really consider my confession seriously?”

Lin Duo dared not meet his gaze. She lowered her eyelids and nodded slightly.

Wang Linshu seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Phew, I finally said what I’ve kept hidden in my heart for so long today. I feel so much lighter.”

Lin Duo still couldn’t look at him. She softly said, “Well, I need to go home now. It’s getting late, and my parents might worry.”

“Then I’ll walk you! The exams are over anyway, so I have nothing to do!”

Lin Duo couldn’t find a reason to refuse at the moment, so she simply nodded slightly.

On the way, Wang Linshu shared a recent discovery. “Remember Yu Yang? His mom is our chemistry teacher. Yesterday, he secretly told me that He Anyi was the one who carved on your desk last semester. They found her on the surveillance footage. And that person apparently even secretly reported us to the homeroom teacher, claiming we were dating too early.”

He Anyi was an ordinary-looking but tall girl. Lin Duo usually had no interaction with her, only occasionally exchanging greetings when they met. Moreover, at the recent dinner, He Anyi had been sitting to Lin Duo’s right, and the two had even chatted amiably about school anecdotes, wishing each other success in getting into their ideal high schools.

“It was her… I never offended her, so why would she do that?” Lin Duo was utterly confused, struggling to understand why so many people acted one way to your face and another behind your back.

Wang Linshu shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure about that. But I heard Fang Yuwen from Class 3 confessed to you, right? He’s actually quite popular with girls, so maybe He Anyi is one of his fangirls.”

The dinner location was quite close to the fruit store, merely a five-minute walk. Upon reaching the fruit store’s entrance, Wang Linshu showed no signs of leaving. “Well, I actually wanted to buy a watermelon, since it’s so hot. Could you help me pick one?”

By now, Lin Duo had understood all the details of the situation. She sighed softly. “You, your home isn’t close by, yet you always come here to buy fruit just to see me.”

Wang Linshu scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “Hehehe, just to see you more often! Honestly, whenever I’m idle, your face and smile float into my mind. I can only try to forget by desperately doing homework.”

“Pfft, you make it sound like I’m dead, talking about my ‘voice and smile still lingering,'” Lin Duo couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly. “But tell me honestly, what is it about me that you actually like?”

“Everything! At first, it was your looks, then your personality. Quiet, low-key, but with depth. I can feel that you hide many things in your heart.” Wang Linshu’s smile faded, his gaze exceptionally serious. “I also know you’re a bit resistant to boys, not very willing to talk to them. Perhaps it’s because boys used to play pranks on you a lot when you were little? But you should know, boys usually only prank a girl when they really care about her. I used to do that when I was a kid too.”

It was Lin Duo’s first time hearing such a heartfelt confession. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she whispered, “I’m not that good…”

“No, in my heart, you are that good!” Wang Linshu had shed all his pressure, pouring out all the emotions he had suppressed for the past year. “Duoduo, do you know, your profile when you’re focused on studying is incredibly beautiful, like a painting. I wish I could just stare at you like that for my entire life.”

Although Lin Duo didn’t feel the same way about Wang Linshu, his sweet words made her little heart pound relentlessly. Her ten slender, scallion-like fingers nervously intertwined, unsure of what to say.

Just then, her adoptive mother, Wu Bijuan, emerged from the shop. “Hey, why are you two standing outside? Why don’t you come in?”

Lin Duo quickly scurried to Wu Bijuan’s side. “Well, Mom, Wang Linshu wants to buy a watermelon.”

“Then just pick one out for him!”

Lin Duo obediently walked over to the watermelon stall and carefully chose one. With an adult nearby, Wang Linshu found it difficult to continue his chatter and could only wait patiently.

Before long, Lin Duo weighed a large watermelon, put it in a bag, and handed it to Wang Linshu. “This one should be very sweet. That’ll be nine yuan sixty.”

Wu Bijuan, who was at the cash register, heard the commotion and quickly called out, “Never mind, don’t charge him.”

Wang Linshu took the watermelon but didn’t leave. Instead, he stared directly at Lin Duo. “Well, do you still remember what I said at the dinner?”

“Can I think about it a bit longer?” Lin Duo had always been soft-hearted toward acquaintances, unable to bring herself to tell him her true feelings.

Wang Linshu looked a little disappointed, but he forced a smile. “Alright. Oh, by the way, this is a rare free holiday. If you have time, we could hang out!”

Lin Duo hesitated for a moment, then nodded softly.

After Wang Linshu left, Lin Duo naturally returned inside the shop to continue helping. June and July were the busy season for the fruit store, with many customers. Although her adoptive parents felt Lin Duo should rest for a while after her major exams, Lin Duo insisted on helping, and they no longer forced the issue.

A week later, the exam results were released and could be checked online. Accompanied by her adoptive parents, Lin Duo nervously opened the relevant page on her phone and saw her total score for the middle school entrance exam: 580 points. Although last year’s admission cutoff for Nanyi Affiliated High School was 577 points, the cutoff score fluctuated each year due to varying exam difficulties, so Lin Duo couldn’t be certain she had passed the line. She would have to wait until the city-wide high school admission cutoffs were announced the following week.

However, even if Lin Duo’s score wasn’t enough for Nanyi Affiliated High School, her second choice, the district key high school, was definitely secured. Her adoptive parents were greatly relieved, especially Yue Renhui, who rarely touched alcohol but drank quite a bit of beer during dinner that evening, repeatedly praising Lin Duo for her excellent performance.

Wang Linshu scored 575 points, ranking 32nd in his grade, which was considered an excellent performance. Yet, he was still a little dejected, as it was just slightly below last year’s Nanyi Affiliated High School admission cutoff. Gu Xuexuan’s score wasn’t as good as theirs, at 563 points. A city key high school was unlikely, but a district key high school should be quite stable, and she herself was actually quite satisfied with this result.

Five days later, the admission cutoffs for the city’s key high schools were announced first. Nanyi Affiliated High School’s cutoff was 575 points. Not only had Lin Duo passed, but Wang Linshu had also just made the cut. The Yue couple were naturally overjoyed, and that evening, they specifically took Lin Duo to a more upscale restaurant for a celebratory feast. Lin Duo herself felt a huge weight lift from her heart, because Nanyi Affiliated High School was relatively close to the fruit store, a mere 25-minute bus ride. This meant she could continue to commute without needing to board.

Though Lin Duo appeared outwardly as a beautiful young woman, boarding would inevitably involve public showers and similar situations. Furthermore, the girls in the same dormitory would undoubtedly engage in physical comparisons or investigations. If her ‘little stick’ were to be seen then, it would be a huge problem. Lin Duo was acutely aware that her current happy daily life was entirely built upon a lie about her gender. If this lie were exposed, all the beauty of her life would likely vanish in an instant.