Chapter 94: An Unexpected Confession

As summer vacation drew to a close, Lin Duo’s life remained a monotonous cycle between home and cram school, devoid of any novelty. However, one particular matter had begun to subtly trouble Lin Duo: during classes, Gu Xuexuan, who sat beside her, frequently cast furtive glances her way.

Initially, Lin Duo suspected she might have something on her face, or perhaps her foundation hadn’t been blended properly. Yet, after checking a mirror during a break, she found nothing amiss, leaving her slightly perplexed. Furthermore, Gu Xuexuan occasionally drifted off into inexplicable daydreams, often requiring several calls before she would finally respond.

Finally, one day on their way home from school, Lin Duo could no longer hold back her concern. “Xuanxuan,” she inquired, “you’ve been acting a little strange lately. Is something going on at home?”

Gu Xuexuan, however, offered no reply, her gaze unfocused as she stared at the ground.

Lin Duo had to repeat her question before Gu Xuexuan finally registered it. She managed a strained smile. “Is that so? You’re overthinking things!”

Instinctively, Lin Duo sensed her friend was hiding something, and it filled her with anxiety. Gu Xuexuan was her first peer friend after arriving in Nanan City, and Lin Duo’s own transformation in personality owed much to her outgoing and considerate companion. Seeing her friend so distracted and out of sorts day after day, Lin Duo felt a deep worry in her heart. She gritted her teeth, grasping Gu Xuexuan’s shoulders, and looked directly into her eyes. “Xuanxuan, is there really nothing we can’t tell each other? Don’t you consider me a friend anymore?”

“No, no! I… I truly have nothing going on…” Gu Xuexuan’s demeanor became flustered, and she guiltily avoided Lin Duo’s gaze.

“Xuanxuan! You have to tell me today! You weren’t like this before!”

Gu Xuexuan hesitated for a moment, then slowly lifted her head, looking at Lin Duo with a complex expression as she bit her lip. “Do you really want to know? Alright then, follow me.”

****

Not far from the bus stop stood an abandoned factory. The area behind the factory was remarkably quiet, shielded by a massive warehouse in front and a tall isolation barrier behind. It was a secluded spot, rarely frequented by anyone.

Lin Duo understood Gu Xuexuan’s intention and, after confirming they were truly alone, offered a gentle smile. “Alright, you can tell me now, can’t you?”

“Can… can you close your eyes first?” Gu Xuexuan seemed a little nervous.

Though the request was somewhat odd, Lin Duo complied without much suspicion. After all, they had been close friends for years; there was nothing to worry about.

Before long, Lin Duo felt something soft and warm gently touch her lips in the darkness. She instinctively realized what was happening and quickly opened her eyes, retreating several steps. Covering her mouth, she stared in alarm. “You… why did you kiss me?”

Gu Xuexuan lowered her head, her expression crestfallen, her voice barely a whisper. “Now you understand, don’t you?”

“You’re a lesbian?” Lin Duo felt her worldview shatter. “So, when you first approached me and befriended me, it was all with an ulterior motive!”

“That’s not it at all!” Gu Xuexuan retorted, her voice rising with agitation. “At first, I genuinely just wanted to be friends with you because you were so shy and clumsy back then, like a little animal, incredibly cute. For the entire third year of junior high after that, I didn’t feel anything more than friendship for you. But then, on the day after the high school entrance exam—”

Gu Xuexuan paused briefly before continuing. “That time, I was visiting my cousin’s house. My cousin went out, and I was bored in his bedroom, so I casually looked through his computer. That’s when I found… well… *those* kinds of videos. At first, I was just curious and watched a few, but then I felt that the acts between men and women were truly disgusting. I barely ate dinner that day; just thinking about the scenes in the videos made me feel nauseous…”

Even after more than a year, the memory still brought an undisguised look of revulsion to Gu Xuexuan’s face. She composed herself before continuing. “A few days later, the exam results were released, and I came to your house to play. That’s when I suddenly realized just how beautiful and adorable you truly are… I had thought that before, but it was always from a friend’s perspective. At that moment, however, I was evaluating you more from a boy’s point of view…”

Lin Duo tried to suppress the alarm rising within her. “But after that meeting, we only saw each other twice in an entire year. Logically, any such feelings should have faded by now!”

“I thought so too. And at the time, I wasn’t entirely sure about my feelings, thinking they would naturally disappear once we were apart… But I was wrong… After starting high school, I met many new friends, but the person I thought about most was you. Especially whenever you mentioned your new friends on the phone, I felt such a sharp pain in my heart. I wished you only ever had me as a friend… I know that’s selfish, and very wrong, but… but…”

As she spoke, Gu Xuexuan could no longer hold back her emotions, standing rooted to the spot and beginning to sob. Lin Duo stood opposite her, utterly at a loss, and could only pull a tissue from her bag to offer. Unexpectedly, upon receiving the tissue from Lin Duo, Gu Xuexuan cried even harder, her once adorable face now streaked with tears like a little calico cat. It took a long time for her to compose herself, and she continued, her voice fragmented. “Especially with this cram school, I get to spend every day with you again, but my infatuation with you has only grown stronger… Every class, I can’t help but steal glances at your profile, and the faint scent of you. I can’t concentrate at all. And every time we hold hands, I know you just see it as a friendly gesture, but I get so nervous and happy… I know it’s wrong, girls shouldn’t like girls this way, but…”

Lin Duo, being rather sentimental herself, found her own eyes unexpectedly welling up. “Xuanxuan, no wonder you’ve been so strange lately. So you’ve been harboring such a huge secret. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“Now that I’ve said it, what’s your answer?” Gu Xuexuan raised her tear-stained face, looking at Lin Duo with intense earnestness.

“I… I… I don’t know…” This time, it was Lin Duo who guiltily averted her gaze. Although she was physiologically still a boy, psychologically she had long been no different from a girl, and naturally, she couldn’t accept a lesbian or yuri relationship.

The unspoken ‘I don’t know’ was, in fact, the answer. The light in Gu Xuexuan’s eyes quickly dimmed, like a candle burning out, and her voice became even softer. “It’s alright, it’s all my fault. There shouldn’t be such feelings between girls, and I know you like boys… But, little Duoduo, can you grant me one small request?”

Seeing her dear friend so distraught, Lin Duo felt a pang in her heart, forcing back her own tears. “Yes! Tell me!”

“Tomorrow is a holiday. I want to go on a date with you, as a couple!”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Night of Arcbalis

BLContract RelationshipDark Fantasy

Read Now →
Not interested