Chapter 57: A Confession in Red Roses

It was 7 PM.

The Italian restaurant was not crowded, yet its atmosphere exuded elegance. The polished floors gleamed, reflecting the soft ambient light, and each table was adorned with a tasteful vase. Reproductions of world-renowned paintings hung evenly spaced on the walls, while the patrons spoke in hushed tones, a stark contrast to the usual din of other eateries.

Lin Duo and Cai Jingyao entered the restaurant, one after the other. A waiter guided them to a window-side table, where they settled into their seats. They each ordered a steak-centric meal, then drifted into casual conversation about school trivialities.

Cai Jingyao had already showered and changed into a slightly formal long-sleeved shirt paired with jeans. With his sharply defined features, he exuded the aura of a young entrepreneur.

Lin Duo, too, had shed her school uniform. She wore a somewhat formal long-sleeved blue dress, its hem adorned with butterfly patterns that seemed to flutter with her every step.

“You just ran such a long distance this afternoon, yet you’ve recovered so quickly. Your physical fitness is truly impressive!” Lin Duo remarked, her words unhindered by the mouthful of vegetable salad she was chewing.

“Still, you have a long jump event tomorrow. Will you be alright?”

“Of course, I’ll be fine! No matter how tired I am on the first day, a good night’s sleep always recharges me completely,” Cai Jingyao replied, mimicking her by taking a bite of his own salad.

“By the way, how did you feel about your midterm exams? Do you remember that particular math problem…?”

As classmates, and with Cai Jingyao being particularly adept at reading people, their conversation flowed effortlessly. There was never an awkward silence between them.

When they had nearly finished their meal, Lin Duo summoned a waiter to settle the bill, tipping the usual amount. However, after the transaction was complete, Cai Jingyao made no move to stand.

“Lin Duo, just a moment. I can’t possibly let a girl treat me for free, can I?”

“But we already agreed, didn’t we? Is there a problem?” Lin Duo asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Cai Jingyao didn’t answer. Instead, he snapped his fingers.

A waiter, seemingly prepared, approached Lin Duo with a large bouquet. “Miss, these are the red roses this gentleman pre-ordered for you. Their language is ‘love’s yearning,’” the waiter announced.

Lin Duo didn’t take the flowers. Instead, her mouth parted in a gasp of surprise. “Cai Jingyao, is this… a confession?”

“Precisely!” Cai Jingyao’s gaze was intensely serious, as if flames flickered within his eyes. “You’ve known for a while that I like you, haven’t you? Today, I want to finally tear down that veil and confess my feelings to you.”

Faced with Cai Jingyao’s fervent gaze, surrounded by music and flowers, Lin Duo felt a flush creep up her neck. Crucially, other patrons in the dining hall had been drawn to the scene, and some even began to chant, “Say yes! Say yes!”

Lin Duo had never before experienced such an elaborately orchestrated confession, and she was utterly taken aback. Cai Jingyao was indeed exceptional in every regard: handsome, academically brilliant, a basketball star, and emotionally intelligent. An ordinary girl might have already been swept off her feet.

But Lin Duo was different. Her unique life experiences, marked by years of being mocked and bullied by boys in her class—called ‘shemale,’ ‘sissy,’ and ‘fake girl’—had instilled in her a deep-seated rejection and distrust of her male peers.

While Lin Duo had changed considerably and could now befriend them, the idea of a romantic relationship remained absolutely unacceptable.

After the incident at Wang Linshu’s birthday party, Lin Duo had suddenly realized the immense allure her current feminine physique held for many boys. Any relationship would undoubtedly transcend platonic, spiritual love, and her ‘special constitution’ could certainly not withstand the trials of a physical romance. This realization only strengthened her resolve to maintain distance from male peers.

In short, Lin Duo gathered her thoughts once more, intending to refuse him. Yet, meeting Cai Jingyao’s fervent gaze and recalling the elaborate arrangements he had made for her, Lin Duo felt a surge of emotion. She couldn’t bring herself to utter words that would wound him too deeply.

Ultimately, she opted for a delaying tactic. “Well, thank you for your confession. But I’m still young, and I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I want to be extremely careful about my first love. Please allow me some time to think it over!”

This reply was clearly not what Cai Jingyao had hoped to hear. He fell silent for a moment, then gestured for the waiter to retreat with the flowers before speaking, a touch of sadness in his voice.

“Lin Duo, I can sense that you’ve always had an aversion towards boys. And I understand why: you believe they only care about your looks, only want to sleep with you, right? But I want to tell you, not all men in this world are like that. I, for instance.”

“Really?” Lin Duo countered, showing no mercy.

Cai Jingyao could only offer a wry smile. “If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do. But as they say, ‘time reveals a person’s heart.’ One day, you’ll understand my true feelings.”

On the way back to school, Cai Jingyao remained somewhat dejected, their parting undeniably an unhappy one. Watching his receding figure, Lin Duo was suddenly struck by a faint pang of regret.

‘What if this handsome young man truly was different from other boys? Perhaps he was the type who could embrace a metaphysical form of love, where the spiritual outweighed the physical.’ ‘Had her rejection been too hasty?’

Yet, words once spoken could not be unsaid. With a troubled expression, Lin Duo returned to her dormitory.

Shen Jing’an, a branded face mask plastered to her face, lay on her bed playing on her laptop. Without lifting her head, she casually asked, “How was the date? Why didn’t you go to a hotel?”

“Go play your game, you brat.” Lin Duo had no desire to engage with her. She retreated to the washroom early, completing her routine of washing, skincare, showering, and changing into pajamas before returning to the dorm to review her previous class notes.

When lights out came, Shen Jing’an quickly drifted off to sleep. Lin Duo, however, tossed and turned, her mind preoccupied with her thoughts.

What maiden doesn’t dream of spring? Though Lin Duo was, at best, half a maiden, she too yearned for a romance straight out of a novel.

Yet Lin Duo was acutely aware of her own unique circumstances. Should she ever date a man who couldn’t comprehend her secret, and that secret were exposed, the consequences would be catastrophic, utterly unbearable.

Thus, Lin Duo’s ideal Prince Charming would be something like this: not necessarily overly handsome, but gentle, exceptionally kind, and caring towards her. Crucially, he would need to accept a platonic, spiritual love first, where even holding hands was the ultimate boundary, with no further steps taken.

Lin Duo began to compare each of her criteria against Cai Jingyao, and to her surprise, most of them aligned. For instance, many boys in her class would seize any opportunity to sneak glances at Lin Duo’s beautiful legs beneath her short skirt, while some ‘special enthusiasts’ even enjoyed staring at her ‘chopping board-flat’ chest. Lin Duo was well aware of these gazes, but chose not to acknowledge them.

Cai Jingyao, however, was different. He invariably looked only at Lin Duo’s face, never averting his gaze from hers. Such an open and honest demeanor truly set him apart from the other lecherous boys…