I turned around and met Xu Yang’s dark eyes. Those eyes, usually filled with stars and oceans, were now only reflecting me.

I tightly gripped his hand.

I thought, even if our relationship wasn’t allowed, I would still stand by his side without hesitation.

I think he would, too.

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13

During the New Year holiday, I brought Xu Yang home with me.

After we arrived, I confessed everything to my parents.

I had expected them to be shocked or even opposed, but to my surprise, my parents were unexpectedly open-minded. They warmly held Xu Yang’s hand and sat him down on the sofa, calling him “little Yang” affectionately.

Feeling a little jealous, I squeezed in and asked my mom who her real son was.

I thought she’d say it was me, but to my surprise, she was totally won over by Xu Yang’s stunning looks and replied, “It used to be you, but now it’s Xu Yang.”

Me: “???“

This is ridiculous!

Unhappy, I went to ask my dad, only for him to pat my shoulder approvingly and say, “Well done, son. You brought home an exceptional addition to the family.”

Me: “…”

Having parents who are this shallow about appearances—I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse.

But for now, it seems like a blessing.

That evening, after dinner, my parents were considerate enough to arrange a room for Xu Yang and me.

We lay side by side on the bed. Suddenly, I remembered something and turned over, looking at him in the moonlight. “Xu Yang, did you know it was me from the beginning? Did you like me from the start?”

I didn’t understand this; in my memory, I didn’t know someone as exceptional as Xu Yang.

Seeing my confusion, he pulled me into his arms and explained.

“We went to the same middle school, and we even sat next to each other.”

Me: “???”

Noticing my lack of recognition, Xu Yang patiently elaborated, “Back then, you were the only one who was willing to hang out with me and help me study. Remember?”

I pursed my lips, vaguely recalling something like that.

I remembered my desk mate in middle school was named Xu Yang, but he was a chubby kid—completely unlike the Xu Yang of today.

But I never judged people by their looks; even if others looked down on him, he was still just a classmate to me. So, I didn’t treat him any differently.

He was struggling with his studies, so I helped him as much as I could without expecting anything else.

Thinking back to that, I looked at Xu Yang in surprise. “Could it be that you liked me even back then?”

It sounded absurd.

I thought Xu Yang would deny it a little, but instead, he admitted it right away.

“Yes, back then, I was already thinking that I needed to improve myself, so I could openly pursue you one day.”

I said, “Weren’t you afraid that I might like girls?”

“I was, but isn’t everything worth a shot? And it turns out, I succeeded. You’re lying right next to me, aren’t you?”

I responded playfully, “Fine, I’ll give you credit.”

I turned away, pretending to ignore him.

But then, he got up and pulled the curtains shut. Sensing trouble, I tried to escape, but he pinned me down. The next second, I heard his voice right beside my ear, “Now, let’s do something fun.”

(The End)

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Extras

1

The New Year holiday was long, and Xu Yang took me to a movie theater.

He sneakily chose a horror movie.

I glanced at the ticket, raised my eyebrows, but didn’t expose his little plan.

After all, we’ll see who gets scared.

As the movie started, it quickly set a spooky tone, and the whole theater was silent.

I leisurely ate popcorn and glanced at Xu Yang, who, despite his previous confidence, was now tightly gripping my hand, his face tense.

I smirked and leaned in close to him.

“Boo!”

Sure enough, Xu Yang jumped, startled.

“You scared me!”

He playfully punched my shoulder.

I acted cold and moved a little away, then pulled out my phone and messaged him.

[Xu Yang, given your scaredy-cat behavior, I’m officially revoking your boyfriend status.]

Xu Yang glanced at me, surprised, and quickly replied.

X: [???]

Me: [So, now I’m your boyfriend.]

[Call me ‘husband.’]

X: […husband]

I laughed triumphantly, glancing at Xu Yang’s red ears, feeling delighted.

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2

Three months into dating Xu Yang, I noticed he was becoming increasingly clingy.

For instance, I washed my face, and when I got back to my phone, it was flooded with messages from him.

X: [How long has it been? Are you tired of me now?]

X: [Whatever.]

X: [You don’t need to reply.]

X: [I’m doing fine.]

X: [Go on, I’m not that important anyway.]

X: [I’ll just sit here, waiting for you to text back.]

X: [I’ve gotten used to the loneliness of waiting. For you, I’m willing to endure it.]

Me: […]

Me: [I was just washing my face!!!]

Is this guy for real?!

…And so, this story may end here, but our journey together is just beginning.

-The End-

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This story is written By: Little Orange

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Lhaozi’s Note: I hope you are reading this in Shanghai Fantasy website. Thankyou for reading!