Chapter 15: The Nervous Encounter

Even though it wasn’t time for school to let out yet, Chen Lin was already getting nervous.

In a little while, he would be meeting Shihan. She was Senior Meiyue’s younger sister, and perhaps his future sister-in-law.

For him, she might be a crucial figure in his life.

For the sake of his potential future with Senior Meiyue, he had to explain himself well, to win her understanding and ensure she didn’t think he was a bad person.

So, with a anxious heart, the moment school ended, Chen Lin immediately dashed out of the classroom and ran to the most conspicuous spot outside the school gate. He stood at attention, waiting for Shihan.

“See you tomorrow,” Jin Jie said to Chen Lin as he headed home after school.

One by one, his classmates left the campus. The area outside the gate, once crowded like a sardine can, quickly became desolate.

Even the main gate of the school was closed, leaving only the side door open.

Chen Lin had thought he wouldn’t be nervous meeting Shihan, but now he was extremely tense.

If his explanation failed, the consequences might mean his relationship, which hadn’t even started, would fizzle out.

His heart was full of contradiction. He wanted Shihan not to show up, so he could just treat it as a prank call and get off scot-free.

Yet he also wanted her to come, because he had so much to explain to her.

Twenty minutes had passed since school ended. Chen Lin stood still in the most visible spot outside the gate, not moving an inch. Shihan still hadn’t appeared. Doubts began to creep into his mind. Was he really being stood up?

Lost in his conflicted thoughts, he didn’t notice Shihan approaching from behind. She stood right behind him, gazing at him with tender eyes.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her breath was slightly rapid.

The run had tired her, but that wasn’t the main reason for her shortness of breath.

Actually, Shihan hadn’t deliberately arrived late, nor had she intended to intimidate him. She had even arrived early.

From the moment Chen Lin sprinted out of the school, she had been watching him from a distance.

Several times she wanted to step forward and talk to him, but she couldn’t muster the courage. She didn’t know how to start.

It wasn’t social anxiety. On the contrary, Shihan had taken social skills classes and could strike up conversations with strangers in a very polite way, winning their favor.

For instance, when she asked his friend Jin Jie for information, they quickly joked and laughed together.

But that was with strangers. Strangers didn’t matter, so she felt no fear.

Now, however, she was about to talk to the person she liked most. She couldn’t help but care, terribly so. This was a different situation.

How to talk to someone you like? Textbooks and books didn’t provide such annotations.

This was the first time she had encountered someone so important and special to her. She had no experience handling this and didn’t know the best approach.

Twenty minutes had passed. Afraid that Chen Lin might get tired and go home, Shihan reluctantly stepped forward to stand behind him.

But even here, she didn’t know how to start a conversation.

How could she approach him naturally and politely, leaving the best and cutest impression on him?

What should she do? Due to nervousness, her mind felt muddled, gradually going blank.

Even the words she had prepared earlier were completely forgotten.

Just as her mind went blank, Chen Lin noticed someone behind him and immediately turned around.

Seeing Chen Lin turn, Shihan was startled like a frightened bird, letting out a sharp “Eep!”

But quickly, out of habit, she crossed her arms and put on a haughty posture.

“You’re quite obedient, standing here for so long. You didn’t even ask who I was, just followed orders,” she said to Chen Lin, her tone cold as she looked at him with a hint of arrogance.

Chen Lin wasn’t angry at her cold reception. He had no reason to be.

He cleared his throat and replied as politely as he could, “I had no reason to ask, because I knew it must be you who called me out. After all, Jin Jie told me that you asked for my contact information.”

“Oh,” she responded.

Despite her cold demeanor, her heart was pounding wildly.

‘He knew it was me, so he obediently came out and waited patiently for so long. Could this be a hint that he likes me?’

Normally, people wouldn’t be so compliant, right?

At least she wouldn’t obediently agree to meet someone she didn’t like.

Suppressing her joy, Shihan wondered if her guess was true. If it was, what should she do?

If Chen Lin confessed to her later, should she play hard to get before saying yes?

Thinking that the one she liked might like her back, her cheeks flushed crimson. Her lively eyes, under long lashes, occasionally stole glances at Chen Lin, but she dared not stare for long, afraid he would notice.

“Um…”

“Excuse me…”

Just as Shihan was about to speak, Chen Lin spoke at the same time.

Unable to bear her silent sidelong glances any longer, Chen Lin decided to break the ice.

“You go first,” she said.

“No, you go first. After all, you’re the one who called me out,” he replied.

Of course, Shihan desperately wanted to ask if he liked her, but how could a girl say such things outright?

If he thought she was being presumptuous, the awkwardness would never go away.

So she chose to probe indirectly to find out his true feelings.

“Do you know why I called you out?” she asked.

She hoped he could guess her thoughts, or at least say something related to her. But his answer disappointed her greatly.

“Of course I know. You called me out because of Senior Meiyue, right?” Chen Lin answered confidently.

There was a reason for his confidence. Besides this possibility, he couldn’t think of any other.

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