I don’t like you now, and I won’t… (1)

tl: you guys don’t know how excited I was after seeing the chapter’s title… I was like: finally! lol

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Before Lin Xun said the word “confess,” Yue Qianling had almost never thought about it.

All of her subconscious actions involved stealing glances at him, and if she was more proactive, she would just initiate to talk to him and create opportunities to be around him.

As for confessing, it was never part of her action plan.

The reason was simple: she was a coward.

A confession during the ambiguous stage was the natural action.

But for her, confession was a gamble.

If you win the bet, you will both get back home. If you lose, you’ll just have to wash and go to bed early.

So, as soon as Lin Xun said “go confess,” Yue Qianling’s subconscious reaction was to refuse.

But once that unfamiliar thought entered her mind, it was like a seed falling into the ground, quietly taking root and sprouting. Unknowingly, it had already silently climbed onto every nerve ending of her.

At certain moments—perhaps during a meal or while walking—that thought would suddenly emerge.

Then it would quickly be pushed away by her cowardly nature.

During the night, when it was quiet, these thoughts would grow wild.

Several times when Yue Qianling was sleeping, the small theater in her brain had already simulated thousands of scenes and lines of confession when she was asleep, making her want to take action when she woke up the next morning.

But recently, she had no chance to see Gu Xun.

Because she needed to finalize her thesis and prepare for her defense, Yue Qianling, who was elected as an outstanding graduate of the College of Fine Arts, had to collaborate with other students to create a large-scale print as a graduation keepsake.

So after the company’s team-building, she submitted a request to the company to end her internship and return to school to prepare for graduation.

On the other hand, the College of Computer Science was more lenient, so Gu Xun still went to work at HC Interactive every day, and he hadn’t returned to the university at night recently.

According to the information that Yin Xue had inquired from Jiang Junnan, it seemed like he had already moved out of the dormitory in advance.

As a result, Yue Qianling even cowardly rejoiced— not seeing him might be for the best, as it was a way to suppress her impulse.

So during this period, Yue Qianling was able to prepare for graduation with peace of mind.

The most important thing was to find a new place to live.

The school stipulated that within a week after the graduation ceremony, all graduates must leave the campus.

Initially, Yue Qianling wanted to rent a place together with Yin Xue, but the two of them looked through all the neighborhood and loft apartments within a compromise distance from the company, and they failed to find a suitable one.

As the weather got hotter and hotter and the days left were numbered, they ultimately gave up on the idea of sharing a rental and started searching for places close to the company individually.

In this way, the range of options was much larger.

Yue Qianling couldn’t find a suitable roommate in a short period of time, so she rented a one-bedroom apartment in a complex two stops away from HC Interactive.

Other than the landlord being a bit troublesome, everything else went relatively smoothly. After two days of on-site inspection and signing the contract, everything was finally settled.

When she finally had some free time, she looked up and saw that the locust trees along the campus’ green avenue were already in full bloom.

Clusters of white flowers weighed down the branches, and the tender green leaves became embellishments, making the sturdy old tree branches show a hint of softness on this day of farewell.

The graduation ceremony was scheduled for early June, but the closer it got to that day, the more Yue Qianling found it difficult to sleep.

It was all because the sense of ceremony at the school was heavy. The graduation wall had already been set up, banners were hung on the streetlights, and students posted on Weibo every day to commemorate their last few days as students, and the campus broadcast would occasionally play a few rounds of “Farewell.”

These overwhelming atmospheres always reminded her that she should do something significant, creating an illusion that everything was already in place.

For a while, she would just envision scenes when she was trying to sleep, but now, during her idle time, her brain would uncontrollably echo Lin Xun’s words.

It felt as if missing this opportunity would mean never finding a more suitable opportunity.

The night before the graduation ceremony, Yue Qianling tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Seeing Yin Xue and Fang Qingqing also engrossed in their phones, a sudden impulse struck her.

“Qingqing, Yin Xue, I want to ask you something.”

In the dark room, Yin Xue and Fang Qingqing replied simultaneously, “Go ahead.”

But even though the words were at the tip of her tongue, Yue Qianling couldn’t bring herself to say it.

After waiting for a long time, Yin Xue clicked her tongue and said, “Just spit it out.”

“Never mind.” Yue Qianling turned to face the wall. “I just wanted to call you guys.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with you…”

Yin Xue grumbled, “Friendship is the last glimmer of light in your life, do you know that?”

Yue Qianling stared at the wall for a long time, unsure why she felt so nervous.

This unresolved state of mind swelled in her chest like boiling water, and her heart rate also became irregular.

Obviously, she hadn’t done anything yet, but it felt like going through a war without gunfire.

At that moment, her phone suddenly rang a few times.

【Luo Tuo】: Brothers, it’s time for action!

【Xiao Mai】: Come on! Special Forces!

Seeing only Xiao Mai responding, Luo Tuo mentioned the other two people.

【Luo Tuo】: @SchoolGrass @GlutinousRiceTwist how about you? Do I need to invite you?

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: Not coming, I’m going to bed.

【Luo Tuo】: Going to bed at eleven? When did your schedule become so elderly?

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: I have the graduation ceremony tomorrow morning!

【Luo Tuo】: ?

【Xiao Mai】: ?

【School Grass】: ?

【School Grass】: You haven’t graduated yet?

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: Yeah, I’m a fresh graduate.

【Luo Tuo】: WTF, you kept talking about work, and I thought you already graduated!

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: …No, I just started my internship early.

【Luo Tuo】: Speechless.

He turned to send a private message to Gu Xun.

【Luo Tuo】: I always thought she was older than you, turns out you’re in the same year.

【Luo Tuo】: I even said that you’re making progress, getting into a May-December romance.

The other party only replied with a smile.

【Luo Tuo】: Sigh, what are you waiting for? You’re in the same city, you’re in the same year, how suitable! Go for it!

【Luo Tuo】: Snatch her!!

【Is it illegal to be bad at something, sir】: Did you steal sister-in-law’s romance novels again?

【Luo Tuo】: …Can’t you appreciate good intentions?

Luo Tuo turned back to the group chat.

【Luo Tuo】: @GlutinousRiceTwist didn’t you say you’re going to confess last time. Have you taken action?

Yue Qianling had calmed down a bit but became uneasy again upon seeing Luo Tuo’s message.

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: Rolling on the ground.gif

【Luo Tuo】: So, did you confess or not?

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: No…

【Luo Tuo】: Why haven’t you gone yet?

Yue Qianling’s heart rate became erratic again. Before she could type a response, another message popped up in the group.

【Luo Tuo】: Hahaha, what are you afraid of?

【School Grass】: Of course, she’s afraid of being rejected.

Yue Qianling: “……”

Damn you, can’t you speak properly?

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: Shut up!

【School Grass】: What’s the matter, you angry?

People were often prone to make impulsive decisions late at night.

Yue Qianling almost trembled as she typed with her fingertips.

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: Shut up! I’ll go tomorrow!

Because of this impulsive decision, Yue Qianling felt a lot more relaxed.

However, she still couldn’t sleep that night.

It wasn’t until dawn that she fell asleep in a daze, and she even dreamed that she went to confess to Gu Xun, and then he said, “Actually, I’ve been paying attention to you for a long time.”

Yue Qianling was so shocked that she couldn’t speak, and then the alarm clock rang.

Being pulled back to reality, she stared at the ceiling, her mind still reminiscing the dream she had just had.

Yin Xue and Fang Qingqing got out of bed yawning, and when they saw that Yue Qianling wasn’t moving, they raised their hands and slapped her on the shoulder.

“Wake up, it’s 6:30, we have to gather at the gymnasium at 7:30.”

After all, it was an important turning point in life, so everyone wanted to dress up beautifully.

When Yue Qianling thought about what she had to do today, so she suddenly woke up and hurriedly got out of bed.

Unfortunately, the state of her sleep was directly reflected in her complexion. Looking in the mirror, she looked a bit haggard.

Yue Qianling put on makeup while constantly asking Yin Xue and Fang Qingqing how she looked.

“Very good.”

Fang Qingqing, who had already changed into her graduation gown, said with a smile, “You look like a fairy descending to the mortal world.”

The rainbow fart was blown too mindlessly, yet Yue Qianling was still not at ease.

“Do I look haggard?”

“Sis, you’re going to attend your graduation ceremony!” Yin Xue looked at her speechlessly and said, word by word, “Not going to your wedding!”

Yue Qianling: “Oh…”

After putting on the black graduation gown, the three of them went to the gymnasium together.

All the graduates of the school gathered there, and the Academic College got the most marginal seats.

The weather wasn’t great today, and along the way, the mosquitoes were flying low, and the roadside was crawling with ants.

The sky was overcast, with thick clouds pressing down on the horizon, and there was not a hint of wind in the air.

The outdoor gymnasium had no air conditioning, making everyone feel like they were in a big steamer. Wearing the airtight graduation gown made it even more stifling, making it difficult for people to breathe.

Fortunately, Yin Xue brought a small fan and kept blowing it towards her forehead.

“When will the principal going to finish his speech? Isn’t he hot?”

Fang Qingqing, who was next to her, was about to collapse from the heat. She weakly said, “Hurry up, my face is getting oily. Oh, Qianling, did you bring a powder?”

After waiting for a few seconds and not getting a response, Fang Qingqing turned her head and saw Yue Qianling stretching her neck to look at the seats across.

“What are you looking at?”

“Ah… nothing.”

Although she said so, Yue Qianling still carefully scanned the seats, and casually took out the powder from her bag and handed it to Fang Qingqing.

Unfortunately, there were too many people in the gymnasium, and they were all wearing the same graduation gown. Yue Qianling couldn’t find Gu Xun with just her eyes.

After more than an hour, it was finally time for the tassel ceremony.

With so many people taking turns on stage, Yue Qianling didn’t know when it would be Gu Xun’s turn. She became more and more anxious as she waited.

At that moment, her phone suddenly rang.