Song Qinian looked up and saw Shen Chi'an's slightly somber handsome face. She smiled faintly at him and gestured, "Do you want to sit for a while?"
As soon as she finished gesturing, she realized that Shen Chi'an had germophobia and definitely wouldn't sit on the steps. Just as she was about to get up, Shen Chi'an suddenly sat down beside her.
Song Qinian was stunned for a moment, then watched as Shen Chi'an seemed to recall past events and slowly said, "You might not know this, but when I used to play basketball, I often saw you walking past the basketball court. I kept staring at you, but you never even looked at me once."
Song Qinian's heart pounded violently. She had never told anyone that she often passed by the basketball court. If Shen Chi'an hadn't been paying attention to her, he wouldn't have noticed.
Shen Chi'an chuckled self-deprecatingly, "If I had known so many things would happen later, I should have confessed to you when we were at school, let you know I love you, and gotten together sooner."
Song Qinian did not respond, her gaze fixed on the large, sturdy center on the court.
Shen Chi'an felt a pang of jealousy, his tone tinged with sourness, "Qiqi, is that number 7 really that good-looking? You've been staring at him for a long time."
Song Qinian hadn't paid attention to what the boy in the number 7 jersey looked like. Upon hearing Shen Chi'an's words, she specifically looked at the boy and then realized Shen Chi'an was jealous.
She took a deep breath and decided to have an open and honest conversation with Shen Chi'an.
She looked at Shen Chi'an and slowly gestured with her slender, beautiful fingers, "I wasn't looking at him. I just saw his jersey and it reminded me of something from the past."
"What?"
"What was your jersey number? Which court did you often like to play on?"
Seeing the meaning of Song Qinian's gestures, Shen Chi'an's heart began to pound wildly.
Yes, his old jersey number was seven, and this court was his exclusive court.
Of course, it wasn't that he monopolized the court. It was just that after he played there twice, everyone else would give him the court whenever they saw him arrive.
Over time, this became Shen Chi'an's exclusive court.
After Shen Chi'an graduated, the school designated this basketball court as the exclusive competition venue. Whenever the school held a major competition, it would be held on this court.
Shen Chi'an's heart suddenly felt a surge of excitement. It turned out she wasn't looking at the center, but thinking of him.
No, didn't they have no interaction in college? How could she know his jersey number was seven?
Could it be that she had already paid attention to him, and even liked him, at that time?
At this thought, Shen Chi'an became so agitated that he couldn't remain calm. He suddenly grabbed Song Qinian's hand, his dark eyes filled with deep affection, "Qiqi, I… you…"
Despite having a belly full of questions and things to say, Shen Wu Ye, who was usually eloquent, suddenly didn't know what to say.
Seeing the nervous and expectant expression on his face, Shen Chi'an slowly gestured, "Shen Chi'an, you said you love me, you said you would only love me for the rest of your life. Can I believe your words?"
"Of course!"
Shen Chi'an looked at Song Qinian with a serious expression and said sincerely, "Qiqi, I know my credibility with you is not high, but please believe me this once. I will only love Song Qinian in this life. If I break today's promise in the future, may lightning strike me dead and may I suffer a terrible end."
Song Qinian had seen everything Shen Chi'an had done recently. For such an arrogant person to make such a vow, she decided to believe him once.
"Okay, I believe you. I'm willing to give you and myself a chance."
Seeing Song Qinian's meaning clearly expressed, the anxiety that had weighed on Song Qinian's chest for days finally subsided. He was excited, thrilled, and even felt a prickle of emotion.
He wanted to pull Song Qinian into a tight embrace, but as soon as he moved, Song Qinian gently pushed him away. "Since I've decided to be with you, there are some things I want to tell you."
Shen Chi'an immediately nodded, "Okay, you gesture, I'll watch."
Song Qinian took a deep breath. "First, actually, compared to the Western food at Michelin-starred restaurants or other high-end restaurants, I prefer to go to snack streets or eat Chinese food."
On every date before, Shen Chi'an would take Song Qinian to romantic Western restaurants. Song Qinian hadn't mentioned her lack of interest in Western food because she thought it wasn't necessary. At the time, she thought that as long as she didn't respond, Shen Chi'an would eventually give up on her.
But things were different now. She wanted Shen Chi'an to know her.
Shen Chi'an had zero dating experience. He saw everyone else going to Western restaurants for dates and thought Song Qinian would be happy. He never expected that all his efforts were just self-感动 (self-感动 means moving oneself, often implying wasted effort or a one-sided emotional investment).
In fact, ultimately, it was his lack of understanding of Qiqi that caused this.
"Qiqi, I'm sorry, I..."
Before Shen Chi'an could finish speaking, Song Qinian's fingers gently pressed against his lips, and then she slowly gestured, "I don't blame you at all. I just want you to know my preferences. Of course, I know what you like too."
Shen Chi'an felt both self-reproach and sadness.
"Second, I don't want our relationship to be tainted by anyone. Regarding Lin Qiutong and my father, you can continue to believe that Lin Qiutong is innocent, but I will maintain my own perspective. I will continue to investigate what happened back then."
Song Qinian knew that if Lin Qiutong's matter wasn't clarified, there would always be distrust and suspicion between her and Shen Chi'an. Since they had decided to be together, she didn't want Lin Qiutong to become an obstacle between them.
Shen Chi'an had always refused to believe that Lin Qiutong would frame Song Guanliang. However, Song Qinian's attitude was too resolute. Thinking of something, he suddenly grabbed Song Qinian's shoulders, "Qiqi, have you found something?"
Song Qinian lowered her eyes slightly. She suspected that Lin Qiutong and Shen Qiwen had colluded to frame her father. However, it was only her suspicion and Song Guanliang's one-sided account. Even if she told Shen Chi'an, he might not believe her.
As for the matter of Lin Qiutong and Yu Xin's parentage, Zhou Luote had not yet sent her a message, and the results were not out. What if she was overthinking it?
Thinking of this, Song Qinian shook her head, then gestured again, "I just don't believe my father would kidnap Lin Qiutong."
Shen Chi'an narrowed his eyes and did not press further.
"And the last point: for two people to be together, the most important thing is mutual trust. If this cannot be achieved, then there's no point in us being together."
Song Qinian had been hurt by Shen Chi'an's lack of trust time and time again. If possible, she hoped Shen Chi'an would unconditionally stand by her side, rather than doubt her because of anything or anyone.
Moreover, distrust was a major taboo in a relationship. If she and Shen Chi'an wanted to continue, they had to resolve this issue.