Chapter 92: Like

“Third Bro, slow down a bit.”

Zhu Niao had just stepped down the wooden stairs and now walked onto the soft sand, staggering slightly as she hurried toward the direction where Ye Qingchang was leaving.

As she walked, she muttered, “Having Second Bro drunk and passed out is already a headache, and now you’re starting to act drunk too?”

Gou Yu followed behind, holding a skewer of fried rice cakes and nibbling on them.

He was just tagging along with Zhu Niao to check what was going on with her dorm mate. Xu Nian and Yang Shuli were left behind at the table continuing to eat barbecue, keeping an eye on Liu Xie, who was half dead, face-down on the table.

After all, spitting out a curse and running off like that was worrying.

If Zhu Niao hadn’t seen Ye Qingchang heading toward the shore, she’d have been ready to jump into the water to rescue her.

Who knew what she was thinking.

Walking at the front, Zhu Niao finally caught sight of Ye Qingchang’s figure ahead. She seemed to have stopped in front of someone.

Oh no, it looked like Third Bro’s electronic pet.

Unlike this pair of electronic owner and pet, Zhu Niao’s eyesight was good enough to see clearly even from afar.

So why was Xiao Yi’an here? Did Third Bro call him over?

She stopped a few steps away, hiding in the shadows to watch secretly.

The two seemed to be exchanging something, though no one else could tell what.

Though Gou Yu didn’t understand what was happening, he still followed Zhu Niao into the shadows.

“What’s going on?”

“Shh!” Zhu Niao was immediately cut off by a sharp little voice, and a hand covered her mouth.

Those wide, glaring eyes seemed to threaten his life—or maybe even his mother’s.

Zhu Niao fixed her gaze on Ye Qingchang and Xiao Yi’an standing face to face.

She didn’t know what Ye Qingchang was trying to do. Usually, they trusted what Third Bro did, but now Zhu Niao wasn’t sure if Ye Qingchang was even fully sober.

After all, she’d looked pretty tipsy when leaving the barbecue place earlier.

“What exactly is she trying to do?” Zhu Niao muttered, narrowing her eyes.

Gou Yu stared plaintively at Zhu Niao’s back, watching her make binocular shapes with her hands as she looked at Ye Qingchang and Xiao Yi’an in the distance.

Then Zhu Niao saw Ye Qingchang reach out to grab Xiao Yi’an’s collar, the distance between them suddenly much closer.

By Zhu Niao’s understanding, face-to-face like that meant either a kiss was coming or a fight was about to start.

It looked like her good dorm mate, drunk, was about to beat up his electronic pet to vent her frustration.

“This is bad, get ready to break it up.” Zhu Niao turned and patted Gou Yu’s arm, signaling him to prepare.

Then she blinked, stunned, as she saw her good dorm mate lean in and kiss Xiao Yi’an.

No.

No no no no no!

“What the hell!” Zhu Niao blurted out in shock.

Gou Yu had just stood up and rolled up his sleeves but froze in place at the sight.

He looked down at Zhu Niao. “Is it even necessary to separate them now?”

Zhu Niao shot him a glare. “Are you stupid? Now’s not the time to kill the mood. What we should do now is retreat immediately and not disturb their time together.”

So the two of them sneaked back to the barbecue place like thieves.

Ye Qingchang naturally didn’t notice this, or rather, because there was someone in front of her and things on her mind, plus the alcohol making her half zoned out, she didn’t realize.

She didn’t even know when she let go of Xiao Yi’an, whose mind was blank, allowing him to break free from her grip.

Maybe it was the cool sea breeze that scattered her drunkenness, maybe her tiptoed stance had grown tired, or maybe it was the look in the young man’s eyes slowly regaining clarity telling her it was enough.

Neither spoke; they just tried to steady their breathing.

Only then did Ye Qingchang realize that in her drunken state, she hadn’t quite kissed properly.

She had only landed her lips on the edge of Xiao Yi’an’s.

Close enough—it counted as a first kiss, more or less.

The sea was a wonderful thing. No matter what topic arose by the shore, if you wished, you could always turn your gaze to the ocean and escape everything, leaving it all behind.

That was exactly what Xiao Yi’an was doing now.

He didn’t even dare to look at Ye Qingchang’s expression.

He listened to the waves crashing against the rocks and the beach, to the faint sound of her breathing.

The girl kept her head lowered, gasping slightly.

That moment of holding her breath was probably still a bit much for her, or perhaps it was simply because it was her first kiss, wrapped in nerves she hadn’t expected.

After a moment, Ye Qingchang, having calmed down, lifted her head from the corner of Xiao Yi’an’s vision and stared straight at him.

A tremendous pressure descended on Xiao Yi’an, who was watching the sea.

He dared even less to meet Ye Qingchang’s gaze.

He took a deep breath and, with the confusion he’d had since she appeared, finally asked, “President, what exactly are you doing?”

“I’m confessing. Can’t you tell?” Ye Qingchang’s eyes held a hazy determination.

There was the blur of drunkenness, but also an unshakable certainty about what she was doing.

Xiao Yi’an obviously understood she was confessing but didn’t get it. “Why confess to me? Is this some kind of Truth or Dare game?”

Noticing the scent of alcohol on Ye Qingchang, he began to suspect something.

He hadn’t expected that meeting Ye Qingchang here by coincidence would only make him part of a game.

“You won’t be an object of any games with me. That would be disrespectful to you.” Ye Qingchang stepped closer, folding her arms to block off all escape routes, then pressed her still-burning cheek into his chest.

In contrast, she was calm—calmer than ever before in some ways.

Only her actions were unusually impulsive.

She wanted to replace the earlier approach with something more forceful.

Because she just realized that during the previous approach, Xiao Yi’an might have been hurting.

If he had to gradually accept the moonlight in his heart drifting away, then it was better for the Literature Club president to directly claim the space the moonlight held in Xiao Yi’an’s heart.

She couldn’t wait for Xiao Yi’an to slowly fall in love with the Literature Club president. He didn’t know how painful that would be.

She wanted to forcefully squeeze into Xiao Yi’an’s life and fill the empty container of the boy’s heart with passionate love.

Just like that kiss earlier, Xiao Yi’an would forever remember his first kiss as accompanied by the salty sea breeze and the bitter taste of 8-degree beer.

Normally, Xiao Yi’an would never believe her confession this time, but with that kiss, it was different.

It was like a winning chip—using the first kiss to firmly secure her place.

She only wanted Xiao Yi’an to believe that this confession was genuine.

And then continue the deception.

She would claim more and more “firsts” in Xiao Yi’an’s life, completely occupying him.

Then replace the old version of herself—the online self.

Finally, she would find a way to leave, letting this troublesome matter fade away completely.

Perhaps she was a little impulsive, but she couldn’t stand seeing Xiao Yi’an like this—especially knowing that it was because of her.

If she caused Xiao Yi’an pain, then she would bring him happiness—even if that happiness was false, even if it was only temporary.

“No, how could it be…” Xiao Yi’an turned his head to look at Ye Qingchang’s serious face, “President, how could you like me?”

At this point, he had no choice but to believe it.

His Literature Club president really seemed to have fallen for him.

“Liking someone doesn’t need a reason, does it?” Ye Qingchang tilted her head.

No reason needed, just like when she saved Xiao Yi’an—no reason at all.

Then Xiao Yi’an gradually became addicted to her, again with no reason.

Now, she was filling that gap herself, loving Xiao Yi’an without any reason.

Even if this love was fake, meant to divert Xiao Yi’an’s attention from her online persona, to let this manipulator off the hook.