Chapter 32 : She likes me, you’re just the backup option (2/2)

He wandered for a long time, aimlessly and without any rationality, until his phone rang again.

It was Jiang Nanshu calling.

On the phone, she said pitifully, “Song Ye, sing a song for me, I’m so nervous.”

Song Ye remained silent.

Jiang Nanshu continued, “Why aren’t you saying anything?

If you don’t speak, I’ll get even more nervous.

I’m afraid I won’t do well in the exam…”

“Where are you?” Song Ye’s voice was hoarse.

“Are you sick?” Jiang Nanshu asked, concerned.

“No.”

“I’m at home…”

Song Ye remained silent for a moment, then said, “I’ll be downstairs at your place in twenty minutes.”

He wanted to know what Jiang Nanshu would say next.

He took a deep breath and turned back.

By the time he arrived, Jiang Nanshu was already waiting at the entrance of the alley.

She had changed into a new outfit, wearing a white dress, looking fresh and cute as she stood under the streetlight, glancing around.

When she saw him, she immediately ran over.

They stood face to face, and Song Ye’s expression was slightly stiff.

Despite all his effort to control himself, at eighteen, there were still cracks in his facade.

But Jiang Nanshu was too focused on her nerves about the exam to notice anything unusual.

She kept talking.

Amid her chatter, Song Ye slowly regained his composure and realized she was truly nervous.

After a long silence, he raised his hand and gently ruffled her hair.

“Don’t be nervous.”

Jiang Nanshu tilted her head up.

Her face was clean and beautiful, with a faint dark circle under her eyes, a trace left from staying up late studying.

She looked at him and, with a slightly flushed face, pouted and said, “Song Ye, the genius, the top student… would you give me a hug? Let me get some of your good luck.”

Song Ye froze completely, looking down at her.

After a while, he took a step forward and pulled her into his arms.

“Good luck on the exam.”

“Mm-hmm.”

The girl was very satisfied and snuggled closer to him in his arms.

—

The hug lasted for a long time.

Jiang Nanshu was so embarrassed that her face turned red from being held by him.

She was afraid someone might see them, so she pushed him away.

Later, she would learn that the hug was Song Ye’s goodbye to her.

If it had only been a goodbye like that, perhaps Jiang Nanshu wouldn’t have felt so much pain for all these years.

On the night after the college entrance exam, Jiang Nanshu hadn’t done well in math and went to find Song Ye for comfort.

On her way, she received a call from Chen Qingyue, who asked, “How did you do?”

Jiang Nanshu’s voice was low and downcast: “I didn’t do well in math.”

Hearing the bus announcement in the background, Chen Qingyue paused: “Are you out?” He was almost at her neighborhood.

Jiang Nanshu, distracted, responded: “I’m going to see a classmate.”

Chen Qingyue was silent for a few seconds before saying: “Okay.”

That evening, before Jiang Nanshu called, Song Ye received an email.

At that time, Lin Yao was at his house, and after dinner, he came to hang out in his room, lying on the bed playing a video game.

The email included a video and a message that seemed twisted, dark, and filled with anger: “I told you to stay away from her. Don’t make things too ugly. Do you understand what ‘first come, first served’ means? You’re an intruder, or to put it bluntly, a third party. Do you have any shame at all? Without you, she and I would have been fine.”

The video’s quality was poor, likely taken with a phone.

Jiang Nanshu was lying somewhere, asleep on a table.

A slender hand gently caressed her cheek, and a strange boy’s voice whispered, “Nanshu, wake up.”

She frowned in her sleep, mumbling, “It’s itchy…”

Jiang Nanshu sat at the flower bed outside Song Ye’s neighborhood, hugging her knees and waiting for him for a long time.

She had thought Song Ye would bring her a gift when he came to meet her, but instead, she received his cold and resolute rejection.

“Don’t contact me anymore.

It’s best if we don’t meet again.”

When Song Ye returned home, he saw Lin Yao sitting in front of his computer, staring blankly at the email. Hearing the sound of the door closing, Lin Yao turned around and looked at him, unsure of how to comfort him or what to say, so he asked, “Where did you just go?”

“To the entrance,” Song Ye sat down on the bed, slightly hunched, his gaze fixed on his phone screen.

“Who was looking for you?” Lin Yao asked.

Song Ye seemed not to hear him, sitting still.

“Jiang Nanshu?”

Lin Yao seemed to have guessed right and immediately became irritated.

“Does she still have the face to look for you?

She and that guy are just a pair of dogs…”

“Shut up,” Song Ye looked up at him.

Lin Yao stared at Song Ye’s reddened eyes, suddenly stunned.

Song Ye looked at him and said, “I won’t be in contact with her again.

Don’t mention this again.”

Lin Yao thought Song Ye didn’t want him to bring up the matter, nor let him curse Jiang Nanshu, probably because she was the first girl Song Ye had ever liked.

What was wrong with Jiang Nanshu?

Was she keeping Song Ye as a backup, treating him like the third wheel while still holding on to her first love?

On the day the college entrance exam results came out, Lin Yao received a call from his cousin, telling him that the cat had been taken by his cousin.

Lin Yao called Song Ye: “The cat’s been taken by my cousin.

I’m sure you don’t want to keep it.”

Song Ye was silent for a few seconds, then said, “I’ll go get it tomorrow.”

This was the first time Jiang Nanshu seriously watched a movie with Song Ye.

After they walked out of the cinema, she wanted to discuss the plot with him, but after talking for a bit, she realized he seemed like he hadn’t really watched it.

When they reached the car, she couldn’t help but ask, “What were you thinking about in the theater just now?

You weren’t thinking about work plans, were you?”

Song Ye had his hands in his pockets, his expression emotionless.

He lowered his gaze and smiled, “I was thinking about how, with everything coming up, I should figure out how to pursue you, so you can give me a definite answer sooner.”

“…”

Jiang Nanshu was caught off guard, her heart skipped a beat, and she stared at him in a daze.

How did things change so quickly? He never used to be this direct…

“You… what’s the rush?”

She quickly regained her composure, raising an eyebrow at him.

“It’s been how long, and you don’t want to chase me anymore?

I chased you for almost two years before.”

Song Ye stared at her for a while, then curled the corner of his mouth in a self-deprecating smile. “Jiang Nanshu, did you really ever chase me seriously?”

Jiang Nanshu had to admit that her methods back then weren’t very sophisticated.

But wasn’t it because she was young?

She was always thinking about getting into the same university as him. Her brainpower wasn’t enough for both.

She refused to accept this: “Why wasn’t I serious?”

Song Ye’s tone was calm. “I really don’t think you liked me that much back then.”

After saying that, he opened the car door for her.

Jiang Nanshu hesitated, looking up at him. She wanted to say something, but then she realized there was no way to respond.

She couldn’t very well say, “I liked you so much back then!”

In the end, she took a deep breath and got into the passenger seat.

On the way back, she opened the surveillance camera to check on Xiao Bei, finding it already asleep.

She exited the app and played a game for a while.

Song Ye casually glanced at her and noticed she was playing an otome game again.

In the parking garage, after Song Ye parked the car, Jiang Nanshu put away her phone, yawned sleepily, and with hazy eyes, opened the car door to get out.

It was already past midnight.

Song Ye noticed that, just moments ago, she had been excitedly playing a game, but as soon as she got out of the car, she seemed drained and barely able to stand.

“Go home and sleep,” he said. Jiang Nanshu was really tired.

She turned to look at him and slowly walked toward the elevator.

Song Ye had his hands in his pockets, following behind her.

As they entered the elevator, Jiang Nanshu’s phone suddenly chimed, its sound echoing in the quiet, narrow elevator.

It was a text message.

She thought it was just a spam message, but when she picked up her phone and looked at it, she froze completely.

[“Nanshu, can we meet sometime?”]

Ding—

The elevator doors opened.

Song Ye saw she hadn’t moved, so he glanced down and saw a familiar number, then read the message.

All these years, Chen Qingyue hadn’t changed her number.

In an instant, the unbearable text messages flashed through Song Ye’s mind.

All the suppressed, gloomy, and unresigned feelings from the past surged like a tidal wave, drowning his rationality.

Jiang Nanshu snapped out of it, put down his phone, and absentmindedly lowered his head as he walked out.

A few steps to the door, he thought about turning back to say goodnight to Song Ye, but before he could speak, his wrist suddenly tightened, and he was pulled by the man, turning him around.

Bang—

A sound.

Jiang Nanshu was pressed against the door, unable to react in time as Song Ye grabbed the back of his head and kissed him forcefully.

His kiss was domineering, rough, and urgent, completely different from his usual cold and restrained demeanor.

It seemed like he wanted to release all his years of suppressed frustration in this kiss.

Jiang Nanshu’s lips and tongue tingled as Song Ye aggressively stirred and devoured him.

He could barely stand, but if it weren’t for being pressed against the door, he would have already gone weak.

Jiang Nanshu was struggling to catch his breath, letting out a muffled whimper as he tried to push him away.

Song Ye kissed him mercilessly, not stopping until he felt Jiang Nanshu was nearly suffocating.

Their breaths tangled together.

He lowered his hoarse voice and said, “Jiang Nanshu.”

“Hmm?”

Jiang Nanshu looked up at him in a daze, his mind foggy as he asked,

“You’re in such a hurry… just for this?”

In such a hurry for a label, just for a kiss?

Would he go further?

Was Song Ye this eager… because of desire?

Song Ye froze for a moment, his composure partially returning from Jiang Nanshu’s words.

He straightened up, his dark, deep eyes staring at Jiang Nanshu, his voice still hoarse.

“What if I do?”

Jiang Nanshu clung tightly to his last line of defense, blinking at him for a long time.

With a touch of arrogance, he replied, “Actually, it’s fine. You know what… it’s called ‘friends with benefits’… moving from being a fling to something more serious?”

“……”

The hallway lights suddenly dimmed.

The whole hallway was dark, and Jiang Nanshu heard the man let out a very light laugh, like it came from his nose, or perhaps a laugh born of extreme anger.

Then, his neck went cold.

The collar of his sweater was pulled open.

Jiang Nanshu immediately tensed up, feeling the man’s warm breath close to him, buried in the crook of his neck.

His breath caught in his throat, and all his senses were heightened in the darkness.

He trembled slightly, gripping his shirt tightly, nervously closing his eyes.

“Wait… wait a minute!

Give me a moment!

This place is not right…

outside the door…”

The next second, he felt a sharp pain on his neck.

“Ugh!” His tears almost fell.

Song Ye buried his head in the crook of Jiang Nanshu’s neck, his voice hoarse, as if giving up resistance. He let out a low sigh.

“Jiang Nanshu, just kill me.”