Chapter 63: A Christmas Eve Confession

Although it was Saturday afternoon, Shen Jing’an chose not to go home as usual, needing to focus on her studies. Yet, annoyances still found her. Her beautiful roommate, Lin Duo, for instance, kept holding up various outfits, constantly asking for her opinion.

“How about this one? Is the color too dark? What do you think of this? Is it a bit too conservative… and this, and this…”

“Beautiful… so beautiful… perfect…” Shen Jing’an responded weakly, her voice devoid of energy.

Caught up in her own excitement, Lin Duo didn’t even notice Shen Jing’an’s perfunctory replies. She finally settled on a pink wool knit sweater paired with a woolen mini-skirt. Naturally, warm tights were essential, along with a pair of sweet, rabbit-ear-shaped ankle boots.

After dressing, Lin Duo admired herself in the mirror, still not quite satisfied. She fussed with her hair once more, then donned a cute, pointed knit cap. Only then did she excitedly grab her bag and head out the door.

Cai Jingyao was already waiting at the school gate. As he watched the charming girl approach, looking like a spring goddess amidst the rustling autumn wind, his eyes lit up.

“You look truly beautiful!”

Lin Duo lowered her head shyly, her slender fingers, delicate as spring onions, interlacing.

“Oh, not at all!”

“Right, the taxi has arrived. It’s waiting at the street corner. Shall we go now?”

“Mhm!”

Approximately fifteen minutes later, the taxi pulled up to Wanda Plaza. Since it was Christmas Eve, the plaza buzzed with an extraordinary liveliness, a veritable river of people flowing through it.

However, Cai Jingyao had already meticulously planned their outing. The two headed straight to the cinema, exchanged their tickets, and made their way into the screening room.

With ten minutes remaining until the movie began, the lights in the hall remained on, and various trailers played across the screen. Lin Duo glanced around curiously, a sudden sense of familiarity washing over her.

‘Isn’t this the place where I watched ‘Love in the Deep Sea’ with Wang Linshu after the high school entrance exam?’ she thought. Even their seats were in roughly the same spot as that day.

The thought of Wang Linshu brought a pang of sadness. She didn’t dislike the slightly chubby boy; it was simply that her feelings for him were nowhere near that of a lover.

Moreover, his attempt to forcibly kiss her in the private room that day had utterly crossed Lin Duo’s psychological boundary. Coupled with his rough grip on her wrist the following day, it left Lin Duo unable to let go of her resentment even now.

Cai Jingyao keenly sensed the girl’s low spirits beside him. He tried to lighten the mood with a new topic.

“Did you know, I’m actually a robot?”

“Huh?” Lin Duo lifted her head, surprised.

“Look, look!” Cai Jingyao began mimicking a robot’s stiff movements with his arms, even imitating its speech with convincing accuracy. “Greetings, Master. I am a handsome-model robot manufactured by Prada Inter Industries, serial number L76ND. I am at my mistress’s service.”

“Pfft, you’re such a narcissist!” Lin Duo laughed joyfully, successfully banishing Wang Linshu’s image from her mind.

The movie was a sci-fi blockbuster, and its exquisite special effects, despite costing only one yuan, thoroughly entertained Lin Duo. Afterward, they shared dinner at a fast-food restaurant before heading back to school.

With plenty of homework awaiting them, it was best not to stay out too late.

It was just past eight when they returned to campus, but darkness had already fallen. It was the winter solstice season, after all, when days were short and nights long.

With an unspoken understanding, they didn’t part ways to their respective dorms. Instead, they strolled leisurely through the quiet campus, eventually finding themselves in the familiar small grove of trees.

“We’ve walked quite a bit, haven’t we? Shall we sit down at the pavilion for a while?” Cai Jingyao suggested gently.

Perhaps due to the cold weather and the fact it was Saturday night, few people were out on campus. A profound silence enveloped the pavilion, broken only by the mournful whistle of the wind threading through the tree branches.

The two sat side-by-side on the long bench inside the pavilion, neither speaking for a time.

Having forgotten her gloves, Lin Duo’s small hands were quite cold. She tried warming them by cupping them to her mouth and breathing out warm air.

“Are you cold?” Cai Jingyao’s voice drifted to her as if from a great distance.

Lin Duo nodded ever so slightly.

The next moment, a strong, long arm wrapped around her slender shoulders. The familiar voice whispered in her ear.

“This way, you won’t be cold anymore.”

Lin Duo struggled faintly, a mere symbolic gesture, before settling still.

After a moment, Cai Jingyao proposed a new idea. “My legs are a bit sore from sitting for so long. How about we stand up for a bit?”

As they rose, Cai Jingyao did not release the arm he had around Lin Duo. Once both were standing, he exerted a slight pressure, and Lin Duo, completely unprepared, tumbled into his embrace.

Having exercised since childhood, Cai Jingyao possessed distinct muscle definition. Even through her autumn clothes, Lin Duo could feel the solid, rock-like firmness of his chest beneath.

Lin Duo rested her small head against him quietly, a wave of inexplicable sweetness and security washing over her heart. Unconsciously, her delicate right index finger began tracing soft circles on his chest.

They remained in that embrace for an indeterminate amount of time, until the wind outside the pavilion grew stronger, and a subtle chill touched their hands. Only then did they reluctantly separate.

At that moment, Lin Duo shyly lowered her head, her voice a whisper, barely audible like a mosquito’s hum.

“Does this mean we’re… officially together now?”

“What do you think? But today’s a holiday, and I have a gift for you.”

As expected, the thoughtful Cai Jingyao had prepared something. He retrieved a delicate small box from his pocket. Opening it, Lin Duo saw a beautiful bracelet adorned with various colorful gemstones.

He gently took one of Lin Duo’s fair, tender hands and carefully clasped the bracelet onto her wrist. He beamed a brilliant smile. “I’ve always thought your hands were beautiful; this bracelet suits them perfectly.”

Lin Duo curiously shook her wrist, watching as the gemstones refracted a dazzling array of colors, brilliant and vibrant, depending on the angle of the light.

When she looked up again, her gaze met Cai Jingyao’s focused stare. This time, he didn’t speak. Instead, he leaned down slightly, slowly bringing his handsome face closer to hers.

‘Thump-thump, thump-thump…’ Lin Duo felt her little heart threatening to leap from her chest. ‘Leaving my first kiss here, on this beautiful Christmas Eve, wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Especially with such a handsome boy.’

Yet, ultimately, her rationality triumphed over emotion. She extended a small hand, making a ‘stop’ gesture. “Cai Jingyao, I can agree to be with you, but I have two conditions.”

“I’d agree to a hundred conditions!” Cai Jingyao declared, gazing adoringly at the delicate girl before him.

Lin Duo tried to calm her racing heart. She had been formulating these two conditions for a long time. “First, we are still young, so we absolutely must not engage in overly intimate behavior! Second, final exams are coming up very soon. You know my grades aren’t the best, and I need to focus entirely on studying. So, for this period, let’s not disturb each other and keep our relationship private until after the exams. Can you agree to that?”

“Of course, no problem!” Cai Jingyao agreed without a moment’s hesitation, his face radiating deep affection. “Lin Duo, I want to tell you the same thing I always have: I like you for who you are, not just for your beauty. As long as you don’t agree, I will never make any inappropriate moves.”

“Then… then I’ll trust you!” Lin Duo lowered her eyes shyly, her heart filled with sweetness and trust.

“It’s so cold, though! As a couple, a hug for warmth isn’t too much, is it?”

“You win…”

This time, Lin Duo willingly leaned into Cai Jingyao’s embrace, her small hands gently clasping his firm shoulders. She closed her eyes, a faint smile gracing her lips.