Chapter 42: I Said, I Like You”

“Do you… like me?”

Those words hit Su Jiang’s ears like a thunderclap, startling him.

His pupils constricted suddenly as he sat across from An Rou, feeling his heart pounding heavily.

He never expected An Rou to gather the courage to ask him this question.

Su Jiang knew that An Rou must have mustered a great deal of courage, planning this moment for a long time.

“W-What’s wrong?” An Rou widened her eyes, then quickly lowered her head, her cheeks instantly flushed with a blush, too shy to meet Su Jiang’s gaze.

“Don’t misunderstand, I’m just asking if you like me. I didn’t say I like you. Don’t get ahead of yourself…”

“I like you!”

“Huh?”

An Rou thought she misheard, and as she raised her head slightly, she felt herself being gently embraced in a warm hug.

The glow of the setting sun bathed them, the Ferris wheel turning slowly as if time itself had slowed down.

At that moment, they were at the very top of the amusement park, with both of them too preoccupied to notice the view outside.

Su Jiang stepped forward, gently embracing An Rou, his arms encircling her slender waist, inhaling the faint citrus scent emanating from her hair, a pleasant orange fragrance.

“Meow~~”

Fugui let out a contented meow, cleverly jumping out of An Rou’s arms, allowing their embrace to be closer. It laid on one side, covering its eyes with its small paws but leaving a gap to peek.

An Rou’s head rested on Su Jiang’s shoulder, still in a daze. She hadn’t fully processed it, or perhaps she thought she misheard and wanted to confirm.

“W-What did you just say?”

Her voice quivered slightly, tinged with anticipation.

“I said, I like you.”

Su Jiang held An Rou’s hand tighter, without hesitation, “I really like you.”

Upon hearing these words, An Rou’s emotional defenses finally broke down. She couldn’t contain her emotions any longer and hugged Su Jiang tightly, as if wanting to completely melt into his embrace.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, tears streaming down quietly, but her face beamed with a happy smile.

“You’re not lying to me, right?”

“No, I’m not. If I lie to you, I’ll never eat coriander again in my life.”

“But you don’t even eat coriander…”

“I eat it occasionally.”

An Rou chuckled, lightly hitting Su Jiang and whispered, “If you dare to lie to me, you’re in big trouble.”

“Okay.”

Su Jiang’s face was nestled against An Rou’s hair, responding with tenderness, although his inner thoughts were complex.

Originally, he had planned to express his feelings to An Rou after completing the special mission issued by the system, as he knew there was a risk of being erased by the system.

Now, he was struggling to contain his growing emotions for An Rou.

Since that was the case, why restrain himself?

In this world, with all kinds of people, regardless of the reason, Su Jiang and An Rou just happened to fall in love with each other.

It wasn’t fate; they simply should like each other.

As the Ferris wheel slowly descended, the two of them remained locked in each other’s embrace, savoring the feeling, unwilling to part.

Su Jiang gently caressed An Rou’s head and whispered, “An Rou, can you wait for me for a week?”

“Let me be the one to confess our feelings.”

“One week later, I will definitely tell you how much I like you.”

Upon hearing this, An Rou felt a wave of sweetness, leaning on Su Jiang’s shoulder. Her face blushed as she murmured, “Actually, I could feel it even if you didn’t say it.”

Su Jiang chuckled lightly and teasingly said, “Do you want me to tell others in the future that you were the one chasing me?”

“W-What do you mean chasing you?”

An Rou quickly lifted her head, gently pushing Su Jiang back, not using much force, but they still remained close.

“I haven’t agreed to be with you yet!”

Pouting, An Rou continued, “And whether I’ll agree after a week is still uncertain. It depends on how you behave!”

“Meow!” Exactly!

Fugui’s meow drew their attention, reminding them that they weren’t alone in the Ferris wheel cabin – there was also a little white cat.

Gently lifting Fugui, An Rou awkwardly held the cat, realizing the Ferris wheel had just landed and the door was opening.

As they stepped off the Ferris wheel, An Rou raised her hand to fan her face, her cheeks still flushed. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t know how to face Su Jiang at that moment.

Su Jiang watched An Rou’s figure with a smile in his eyes, then a determined look crossed his face.

“One week’s time…” Su Jiang whispered to himself, making a decision.

He decided that within the week, he would complete the special mission, helping the An family defeat the Feng family.

Only by eliminating the risk of being erased by the system could he be with An Rou without any worries.

Originally, he had no intention of getting involved in this conflict, but the circumstances had changed.

An Mingjie’s actions were too slow. According to his plan, it would take at least half a month to defeat the Feng family.

Su Jiang couldn’t wait that long now. He had promised An Rou one week, so it would be one week.

However, he needed to discuss with An Mingjie to figure out the specifics. He didn’t want to ruin any of An Mingjie’s plans.

It was already late, and for the students’ safety, the school wouldn’t let them play until late at night. The bus that brought them to the amusement park was waiting at the entrance.

After nearly a day of fun, they were quite tired and had enjoyed all the activities, feeling satisfied.

Su Jiang and An Rou walked out of the amusement park, with Su Jiang carefully observing the staff at the entrance and noticing that Li Cai was nowhere to be seen.

“He must be attending to official business,” Su Jiang thought, wondering what An Mingjie had sent Li Cai to do.

Meanwhile, a few kilometers away from the amusement park, in a suburban area.

Li Cai lay hidden in a dense thicket of grass, concealing his presence.

Not far ahead of him, there was a large factory in operation, with the sound of machinery constantly emanating from it, indicating that something was being produced.

As his phone vibrated, Li Cai’s eyes remained fixed on the factory as he slowly reached into his pocket to answer the call.

“How’s the situation?” An Mingjie’s voice came from the other end of the phone.

“It’s just as the information indicated. There is indeed a factory here. I can confirm that it belongs to the Feng family.”

“Can you get in?”

“I can’t get in, there are guards outside. However, it seems like this is indeed the Feng family’s place for manufacturing firearms and ammunition.”

“Alright, come back. I’ll figure out how to dismantle this factory later.”

With that, An Mingjie hung up the phone, and Li Cai took a few photos from a distance of the factory, then checked the time and left quietly.

Some time later, Su Jiang sat on the bus leaving the amusement park and coincidentally saw Li Cai rushing back in work attire.

Watching Li Cai hurrying back, Su Jiang pondered thoughtfully.