After returning to her dorm, Ye Xinran flopped onto her bed. She buried her breathtakingly beautiful face in the pillow, Cheng Hao’s words replaying nonstop in her mind.
“I never expected he saw me like this.”
“And… he even insisted nothing could stop us from being together.”
“Ugh… that silly pig is so cheesy!”
Ye Xinran blushed furiously. The redness spread from her ears down her neck, across her back, all the way to her toes. It was as if two hibiscus petals had suddenly landed on her cheeks.
“Xinran, what’s wrong?”
“We just got back and saw you rolling on your bed. Are you feeling sick?”
“Yeah, your face is burning hot. Do you have a fever?”
The three dorm sisters had returned from the cafeteria. They saw Ye Xinran—usually so poised and gentle—now blushing and rolling on her bed.
If it were anyone else, they’d assume lovesickness.
But seeing Xinran like this, all three instinctively thought she was unwell.
“I’m fine. Just… emotionally worked up.”
Spotting her roommates, Ye Xinran sat up quickly. She forced a calm expression.
“Hmm? Emotionally worked up?”
“Oh right! Xinran, didn’t you go meet that freshman?”
“I’m curious what he said to get you this excited.”
The three exchanged glances. They grinned mischievously in unison.
“What? I… I wouldn’t get worked up over him!”
Xinran’s blush deepened, spreading to her neck. She stubbornly refused to admit it.
“Come on, Xinran. After a year together, we know you.”
“Yeah! What happened? Spill it!”
“Who knew our campus queen had such a girlish side? If her admirers found out, they’d lose hope again.”
As the sisters closed in, Ye Xinran tensed up. She felt like a defendant on trial.
She knew her relationship with Cheng Hao would eventually surface.
But she didn’t want to reveal it yet. Her roommates couldn’t keep secrets.
If they blabbed to others, all her plans would be ruined.
“I… I’m not telling you!” Ye Xinran pouted haughtily. But she couldn’t help adding:
“Anyway, that freshman is mine now. Warning: no one bullies him. Got it?”
Hearing this, the sisters shared knowing smiles.
Just as they suspected—there was something going on!
Their dorm’s little fairy would soon be swept into another man’s arms.
They smiled warmly, feeling like old fathers watching their daughter marry.
Meanwhile, on the school sports field.
Cheng Hao stopped waiting. He’d just gotten a message from Ye Zihan—she wouldn’t come.
Zihan: “How long were you waiting under the sun? Gonna turn into a roasted chicken!”
Cheng Hao: “You said to meet here. I didn’t see you.”
Honestly, Cheng Hao was upset. He felt played.
He’d considered calling to confront her. But… what if something important came up?
“Hmph! Are you sure you didn’t see me?”
“Huh? Zihan, you couldn’t have… already been here?”
Cheng Hao frowned in suspicion. He racked his brain over everyone he’d seen.
No matter how hard he thought, no one matched Ye Zihan’s description.
“Duh! I stood right in front of you, you blockhead! You didn’t recognize me!”
“R-really? You were in front of me?”
Cheng Hao frowned slightly. With so many people during training, how could he see clearly?
After training, one girl had stood before him—Ye Xinran.
But… it couldn’t be her.
Ye Xinran was stunningly beautiful and always friendly.
He couldn’t connect her to the childhood Ye Zihan—the one who’d ridden his head or forced him into dresses…
“I’m mad! >_< Can’t be calmed down! Hmph! (╯^╰)╯”
“Sorry, my fault. I promise I’ll recognize you next time!”
“I’m not listening! I’m just mad!”
“What’ll make you not mad? How about… I promise you one thing.”
Cheng Hao chuckled helplessly. He hoped this would soothe his little fairy.
“That’s better. Starting today, say ‘I love you’ daily—in voice messages!”
“This… how about a different condition? Like… barking like a dog for you?”
Cheng Hao regretted promising anything.
Typing “I love you”? He could grit his teeth and do it.
But for an ultra-straight guy like him, saying it aloud felt worse than death.
Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps.
Zihan: “Oh, you’d rather bark than say you love me? Am I less than a dog?”
Cheng Hao: “N-no! I just… find it really hard.”
“Mhm, fine. I’m unreasonable, okay?”
Cheng Hao sighed helplessly.
He knew he couldn’t escape this.
He squeezed his eyes shut. He steadied his breathing, chest heaving.
After a long moment, he opened his eyes. He pressed record on his phone. He mustered all his courage:
“L-l-love… I l-love you…”
After speaking, Cheng Hao felt no relief. He wanted to kill himself.
“Aaaaaah!!!”
“This is so damn hard to say!!!”
“I’m gonna go crazy!!!”
Though Cheng Hao and Ye Zihan were extremely close—just a step from lovers—he’d never said “I love you.”
Now, he felt flooded with shame.
Meanwhile.
Ye Xinran sat alone at her bed’s foot, hugging her knees. She sulked.
“That silly pig… not romantic at all. Is saying ‘I love you’ daily so hard?”
As she finished, her phone *dinged*. She knew it was Cheng Hao. She refused to reply.
“Hmph! I, Ye Xinran, have pride!”
“I’d rather die—jump out this window—than text you today!”
One minute later…
After listening to the voice message, Ye Xinran’s flawless face burned red. Her mind went blank. She sat frozen.
It was as if hearing “I love you” had publicly deflowered her innocent ears.
“Aaaaaah!!!”
“That silly pig actually said it!!!”
“What do I do?!!!”
“I’m so embarrassed!!!”
Ye Xinran was no better off than Cheng Hao. Without the bed railing, she might have rolled off.
Cheng Hao hadn’t gotten Ye Zihan’s reply. He assumed she was still mad.
Just as he hesitated to retract the message, his phone *dinged*.
“I… I love you too.”
It was Ye Zihan’s voice message—just like his.
Both drowned in a whirlpool of embarrassment.
That less-than-two-second message? They listened to it countless times.
Unconsciously, with slight smiles on their lips, they drifted into sweet sleep.
