Chapter 37: Not a Third Party, Just Like You

8:00 PM, Shen Qingyue’s home.

The moonlight outside the window was faint.

After taking a shower, Shen Qingyue changed into her light blue coral fleece pajamas. Her hair was still wet, casually wrapped in a towel, as she sat cross-legged on the sofa.

Qiuqiu lay on her lap, its chubby body curled into a ball, the tip of its tail twitching occasionally.

She kept her head down, staring at her phone.

The screen was open to her chat history with Lin Mo.

The last message had been from that afternoon — he said, “Be careful on the road,” and she replied, “Mm, you too.”

And that was it.

She stared at it for a long time.

Then, she placed the phone face down on the sofa.

“Qiuqiu.”

The cat flicked its ears but didn’t open its eyes.

“Tell me…” she whispered, “was he acting strange today?”

Qiuqiu ignored her.

Shen Qingyue lowered her head, her finger gently scratching its chin.

The cat began to purr.

She started to recall every detail of the day.

He was one hour late.

He said there was a traffic jam.

She had waited from 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM, standing under that tree at the entrance of Happy Valley, watching the crowds pass by.

She hadn’t rushed him.

She just waited.

When he arrived, she didn’t ask anything. She only said, “I just got here a little while ago, too.”

In truth, she had been there for a long time. Her feet were sore from standing.

But it was fine as long as he came.

Then they went inside to play.

The Carousel, the Coffee Shop, the Ice Cream Shop, the Ferris Wheel.

It seemed like a very ordinary day.

But he was constantly looking at his phone.

He looked at it while waiting in line, while walking, and even while drinking coffee.

Every time the phone vibrated, his expression would shift slightly.

It was a very subtle change, but she noticed.

She cared about him.

Because of that, she saw every tiny change in his expression.

He seemed to be in a rush.

It was as if he were constantly racing against time.

It was as if… he were hiding from something.

“Qiuqiu.”

“Does he have something else going on?”

The cat finally opened its eyes, gave her a lazy glance, and then closed them again.

Shen Qingyue smiled and continued to scratch its chin.

There was one more thing.

That scent.

Lin Mo smelled like perfume.

He didn’t usually have a habit of wearing perfume. Throughout their three years of high school, she had never smelled any fragrance on him.

But today, he had it.

It was a very sweet, slightly milky feminine perfume.

She didn’t know what brand it was.

But she felt… it was a bit familiar.

Like she had smelled it somewhere before.

Where was it?

She tried hard to remember.

In the Classroom? In the hallway? Or…

The Student Union Office.

That day, before she fainted, President Su had been standing in front of her.

They were very close.

That perfume scent…

Shen Qingyue’s fingers paused.

(｡•́︿•̀｡)…

She remembered many things from that day.

She remembered President Su’s smiling face, those words that sounded gentle but carried thorns, and that phrase at the dinner table about “knowing each other since we were kids.”

It was said so naturally, as if it were a matter of course.

And then there was, “My mom made soup.”

It was like a declaration of ownership.

Shen Qingyue was no fool.

She understood the meaning behind those words.

President Su liked Lin Mo.

Furthermore, she felt she had the right to like him.

Her words that day clearly implied she already viewed Lin Mo as her boyfriend.

But Shen Qingyue also knew one thing for certain.

Lin Mo was single.

He and Su Qing had not confirmed any kind of relationship.

They were just childhood friends who grew up together, just neighbors.

That was all.

During that last dinner, Su Qing had given her many hints. She understood all the underlying meanings.

But understanding didn’t mean she would back down.

She hadn’t done anything wrong.

She just liked someone.

Since she didn’t know when,

Maybe it started when he secretly placed cold medicine on her desk during a lunch break,

Maybe it was when she discovered that he always frowned while looking at physics problems but never gave up,

Maybe it was from the way he would occasionally look at her in the hallway and then quickly look away…

She had liked him for a long time.

Three years of high school had passed.

She had never said it.

She just silently recorded the types of problems he got wrong in the back of her Notebook, explained a bit more whenever he asked a question, and prepared the knowledge points that might be asked ahead of time for every group study session.

She thought that was enough.

But now…

She didn’t want it to be like this anymore.

“Qiuqiu,” she said softly, “I want to ask him out.”

The cat opened its eyes and looked at her.

Shen Qingyue’s tone became increasingly firm.

“Not under the guise of group study.”

“Just… coming out alone.”

Qiuqiu let out a yawn.

“I know you don’t understand,” Shen Qingyue laughed, “but I have to say it out loud, or else I’ll feel suffocated.”

She picked up Qiuqiu and shifted her posture.

“Last time I lent him those Physics Notes, I tucked that poem inside.”

“The line ‘May Your Pen Bloom Flowers’ was written on the title page, so he should be able to see it. And then the poem below it…”

She paused, her face turning a bit red.

“My Heart Pleases You.”

She had written it as an Acrostic Poem.

That poem.

She didn’t know if he understood the meaning she wanted to express.

She didn’t dare to ask.

But she wanted to know.

She picked up her phone and opened the chat with Lin Mo.

The chat history still showed their conversation from the afternoon.

She typed a line:

‘Lin Mo, regarding those Physics Notes… did you read them?’

She thought about it and deleted it.

She typed again:

‘Are you free this weekend? I’d like to buy you a drink.’

She thought about it and deleted that, too.

(>﹏<) No, that’s too direct.

She took a deep breath and retyped:

‘When is it convenient for you to return those Physics Notes? There are… some things inside I’d like to ask your opinion on.’

Sent.

After sending it, she placed the phone face down on the sofa, her heart racing.

Because she was holding him too tightly, Qiuqiu let out a dissatisfied “meow.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Shen Qingyue quickly loosened her grip and gently stroked its head. “I’m just too nervous.”

The phone vibrated.

She picked it up to look.

Lin Mo: [Sure. This weekend? I’ll come find you.]

Shen Qingyue stared at those words, her heart skipping a beat.

Then she typed:

Shen Qingyue: [Mm. This weekend.]

Shen Qingyue: [The School Library this weekend. Be there or be square.]

Sent.

She pressed the phone against her chest and closed her eyes.

Qiuqiu yawned beside her and curled back into a ball.

Outside the window, the moonlight was faint.

Shen Qingyue sat on the sofa holding the cat, a very faint smile curving her lips.

She didn’t know what would happen this weekend.

But she knew she didn’t want to wait anymore.

Three years.

That was enough.

***

Lin Mo’s Home.

Lin Mo had just laid down on his bed when his screen lit up. He picked it up to check.

When he saw the message from Shen Qingyue, his heart tightened. ‘Did she notice something this afternoon?’

Shen Qingyue: [When is it convenient for you to return those Physics Notes? There are… some things inside I’d like to ask your opinion on.]

‘Thank goodness.’

She wasn’t asking about the things he was worried about; she just wanted her notes back.

Lin Mo let out a long breath.

(￣▽￣*) ‘That scared me to death.’

He typed:

Lin Mo: [Sure. This weekend? I’ll come find you.]

Sent.

The reply came back quickly.

He really had a guilty conscience.

She just wanted her notes back, and he had been scared out of his wits.

“It really was an ‘ordinary’ day,” he muttered to himself.

Then he closed his eyes.

He was tired.

Truly tired.

He would deal with it tomorrow.

What he didn’t know was that at this very moment, Su Qing was standing on her balcony.

On her phone screen were the photos she had taken today.

The Ferris Wheel, the Ice Cream Shop, the Carousel.

And the view of Lin Mo and Shen Qingyue’s backs as they stepped into the Ferris Wheel cabin together.

She flipped through them one by one.

[‘Are you not going to tell him?’] the Little Demon asked.

“Tell him what?”

[‘Tell him you saw everything.’]

Su Qing said nothing.