Until everything was explained, Wen Tingxue couldn't read any surprise on his face.
It was as if... he had already known?
Before she could ask, Yu Wenli said, "When you were asleep.
"Tong Jiayi told me everything in detail."
Wen Tingxue: "..."
"Then why are you asking!" the girl complained.
Yu Wenli let out a cold laugh, his gaze suddenly dropping, terrifyingly deep.
"If I don't ask, will you tell me?"
"..."
"Wen Tingxue, are you planning to escape, or escape, or escape?"
"..."
"Just because of a few words from others, you're going to give up on me, right?"
"..."
Realizing he was truly angry, the girl shrunk her shoulders timidly, wishing she could bury her head in her chest.
She didn't have that thought, but she had considered a future separation...
Without any answer, her expression had already betrayed her thoughts.
Yu Wenli's anger flared, and he closed his eyes, "Are you that lacking in confidence in me?"
"No."
She finally spoke, but didn't look up, her head drooping aggrievedly.
As if someone had bullied her, the words that came out could choke a person.
"It's my lack of confidence in myself..."
"Then it's still a lack of confidence in me," Yu Wenli hit the nail on the head.
Wen Tingxue pursed her lips, silent.
How could she have confidence?
There were so many girls around him, all more outstanding than her.
And this was just in Jiangcheng.
In high school.
Once they entered university, stepped into the capital, the dazzling world would blind them...
Her chin was roughly grasped, forcing her eyes open.
The moment their eyes met, Wen Tingxue instinctively flinched.
She was sure she had never seen Yu Wenli so angry.
It was as if he wanted to devour her, his eyes even tinged with red at the corners.
His usual cool detachment was long gone, replaced only by suppressed rage.
And a domineering force churning in his eyes.
"Yi Yi."
After a long silence, he spoke.
Beneath his calm tone lay the danger of an approaching storm.
"Brother guarantees you, this heart..."
He grabbed her hand and placed it over his heart.
His not-so-steady heartbeat transmitted through her skin and veins into her palm.
"Will only hold you, now and in the future."
Wen Tingxue felt as if she had been scalded and instinctively tried to withdraw her hand, but he held it tightly.
The next moment, his hot breath fell on her ear, "Likewise, Yi Yi's heart can only have brother, otherwise..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the subsequent chuckle was filled with danger.
Wen Tingxue suddenly remembered an evening long ago, after he had repeatedly confirmed her feelings, he had said—
"Brother doesn't have any regret medicine for you here."
So, from that moment on, he had never intended to let her go.
His anger today was because of her lack of trust, and the possibility that she might fall for someone else.
...
The rain intensified, and Yu Wenli, fearing she would catch a chill again, personally carried her inside.
After watching her finish her fever-reducing medicine, he prepared to go to evening study.
"Brother Yu..."
The moment he turned, the girl suddenly called out to him softly and timidly.
"Hmm?" Yu Wenli turned back, his eyes gentle.
"Thank you."
Thank you for not disliking my timidity.
Thank you for always being by my side.
Thank you for giving me the courage to change.
Thank you for teaching me so much.
Thank you for showing me a better world.
Thank you even more for giving me so much trust...
There were too many things to be grateful for, and in the end, it could only be summed up in the simplest words—Thank you.
The girl's cheeks flushed as she huddled in the quilt, her dark, moist eyes blinking, incredibly adorable.
Yu Wenli lowered his gaze and smiled, not a wide smile.
But it was the most beautiful smile Wen Tingxue had ever seen.
"If you really want to thank me, then fly for me.
"Brother doesn't mind if you fly slowly, as long as you are willing to fly forward, brother will always wait for you.
"Waiting for you to soar in the nine heavens, and rise up."
He always believed that the best companionship was knowing your shortcomings and flaws.
But being willing to accept them and sincerely accompanying you to make changes.
You haven't seen the world, it's okay, I'll slowly take you to see it.
It's okay if you're not brave enough, I'll grow wings with you and take you to fly.
If two people want to walk together for a long time, they will inevitably have to put in a lot of effort.
The most important of which is mutual progress.
Otherwise, even if you don't want to leave the other person behind, your values and experiences will eventually become obstacles and difficulties between you.
Those things will be like needles in shoes, pricking you until you bleed, and in the end, you'll have to give up.
So, it's okay if you walk slowly, as long as you walk, I'll wait.
...
The race that Chi Zeri casually mentioned turned out to be the most authoritative racing competition in Jiangcheng.
It was historic and tickets were hard to come by.
And it happened to be scheduled for the summer vacation, which meant... scalpers would make a fortune.
However, Chi Zeri was the little king of cars in Jiangcheng and a participant, so—
The thirteen people who played Werewolf again gathered.
Han Yan raised an eyebrow, "This is not easy."
He was referring to Qiao Xixi, who hadn't appeared in a long time.
When they first met, Qiao Xixi was a social butterfly, usually spending her time out playing.
And she always played in groups, with a constant stream of men and women around her.
Now...
Just because Mu Chen said 'he doesn't like those who are bad at studying'.
Qiao Xixi, who hated studying the most, plunged headfirst into a sea of problems.
And she was determined to get into Class A.
Therefore, no one could call her out recently.
Qiao Xixi rolled her eyes at him, "You talk too much."
After speaking, she looked pleadingly at Mu Chen, "Do you know what I scored on my final exam?"
Mu Chen, having not been pestered by her for a while, had a much better attitude.
"Top ten in the grade?" he said, his tongue still sharp.
The girl drooped her eyes, defeated, "Not that high..."
Her dejected appearance, lacking her usual liveliness and boldness, looked quite disheartening.
Mu Chen unconsciously softened his tone, "Then what was it?"
"Four hundred and ninety-nine!"
The girl immediately tilted her head up, her entire being screaming—Praise me!
Mu Chen: "..."
"It must be pretty bad for you, right?"
Not receiving his praise, the girl listlessly lowered her head.
Like a frost-battered eggplant.
Mu Chen coughed awkwardly, "Actually, it's great."
"Really?!" Qiao Xixi instantly came alive, her eyes shining as she stared at him.
After the college entrance examination, Wen Tingxue and Yu Wenli were both busy.
The task of tutoring her fell to Xu Keyao.
Xu Keyao was hard on herself and even harder on her.
She basically grabbed her for tutoring whenever she had time, not even letting up during dinner, having food delivered directly.
However, the results were indeed good.
On the practice papers Yu Wenli made, she could score up to eighty percent.
She swore that in her life, she had never worked so hard for her studies.
This was the first time.
"Mhm."
Mu Chen nodded.
Qiao Xixi suddenly felt that all the effort of the past few days was incredibly worth it.
Han Yan watched their interaction coldly, the jealousy in his eyes accumulating.
He couldn't hold back any longer and finally spoke.
"The race hasn't started yet, why don't we play something first?"
He stared at Mu Chen, a smile of determination on his lips.
"The rules in Jiangcheng are that whoever wins gets to take the girl away."
He pointed at the bewildered Qiao Xixi, but his words were directed at Mu Chen.
"The racetrack is next door, do you dare to play?"