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墨書 Inktalez
There was a dimple on her left cheek.
During the school sports day, Jiang Shiyu was bumped into by a boy from another class while running, injuring his knee. After learning about it, Yun Li asked Shu Ran to deliver some medicine to him. The medicine was sent, but Shu Ran said he wouldn’t use it.
Yun Li felt a bit upset but also thought it was normal; he didn’t like others being overly attentive. Whenever girls who liked him offered him something, he would accept it without even glancing at it afterward. He never cleaned up his desk when it got cluttered; when it became too full and he had to change seats, he would leave everything behind for others to sort out—keeping what was useful and discarding what wasn’t.
Yun Li bought some spicy snacks from the convenience store, wanting to practice eating them. She devoured an entire pack, and as the spiciness hit her, her tongue went numb and tears streamed down her face. She continued to eat five more packs, and unsurprisingly, she ended up in the hospital. Deng Ting scolded her for eating so many spicy snacks for no reason. Yun Li began to regret her decision; she should have taken it slow.
After that, she started eating spicy food bit by bit, gradually increasing the heat level. At seventeen, it was still summer, and she wore her prettiest clothes as she walked down the review road. The love letter she had written remained unsent.
That winter at seventeen, there was little snow in Jiangzhou, but it rained that day, and the rain had lessened considerably by then. She stood under an umbrella waiting, having heard that he had broken up again; if she didn’t confess soon, he would accept someone else.
From a distance, he appeared, and she felt a rush of joy, but another girl appeared beside him. Confidently and boldly, she approached them. Yun Li's body stiffened instantly as she stared at the two with her beautiful almond-shaped eyes wide open.
Jiang Shiyu looked indifferent and showed no interest in what the girl was saying; Yun Li thought he had rejected her. But in the next moment, she saw Jiang Shiyu lightly nod his head, and the girl immediately beamed as she linked her arm with his.
Yun Li felt a surge of emotion and quickly turned away, her steps hurried and chaotic as she left in a rush. When the girl linked arms with him, Jiang Shiyu frowned and pulled his hand away, stepping back with a cold voice: “I forgot to tell you that I don’t like being touched by others.”
His tone was casual yet icy: “Let’s just forget it! It’s not suitable.” After saying this, he walked forward with an air of indifference while his gaze lingered on the distant figure of Yun Li. Deep inside him, a hidden memory resurfaced as he prepared to chase after her.
But she quickly boarded a bus; her face was obscured by the umbrella, and all he could see was the girl’s arm lifting the umbrella away. He stopped in his tracks as the emotions that had just flickered in his eyes vanished instantly.
How could it possibly be her? He smirked bitterly to himself.
As the bus drove away, his gaze remained fixed on it until it disappeared into the misty rain in the distance, leaving only a damp chill behind.
Since that day, Yun Li had abandoned any thoughts of confessing her feelings. She attended classes as if nothing had happened; however, her state of mind had become increasingly deep-seated.
Jiang Shiyu closed his notebook with trembling hands. Looking at the letters in the box, he opened each one to read them carefully.
"Hi, Jiang Shiyu! Let me introduce myself first. I'm Yun Li, with 'Yun' meaning cloud and 'Li' meaning inside. Don't think I'm being perfunctory; even though I feel that way too, my dad said it comes from a name in dance. So, it’s not really perfunctory. I'm great at dancing! I started learning ballet, classical dance, and folk dance when I was little, and I even learned a bit of Latin. But what I'm most interested in is Classical Dance. Do you know why?"
"Because ballet is too boring and dull! Every time my dad took me to watch the Paris Dance Drama, I would fall asleep. I like folk dance; it's fun and playful. But I still want to dance Classical Dance because I like it a bit more than folk dance."
"My wish is to get into Jing Wu and rank first in the national entrance exam. I believe I can do it, and I hope that by then, you and I will no longer be strangers."
"Oh, by the way, I'm writing this letter to confess my feelings for you. I like you and hope you can consider it carefully. I don’t want a perfunctory answer; I want you to think about it seriously. Even if you reject me, that's okay—I’m mentally prepared for that."
"Remember to think it over!"
In her letter, one could see her cute and playful side, and this letter seemed unrelated to her confession.
Jiang Shiyu couldn't help but smile as he read through it seriously.
Then he picked up the second letter.
"Hello! Jiang Shiyu! I'm Yun Li, and I'm seventeen years old, just like you!"
"I've liked you for a long time. Our first meeting was when we were thirteen at White Dove Park. You might not remember me, but I remember you. I've liked you for four years now. When we first met, I didn’t have those feelings yet; it was later on that I saw you repeatedly and got to know you better that those feelings developed."
"I guess this counts as early love, but I believe I can manage both studies and feelings. I'm waiting for your reply—make sure it's serious! Even if you reject me, that's okay because I'm excellent. Once you get to know me better, you'll come to like me. As for my interests and hobbies, I'll save those for later; it's going to be a huge surprise! Hehe—here's a hand-drawn smiley face."
Jiang Shiyu smiled as he finished reading this letter and then picked up the third one.
"You know! Jiang Shiyu, actually this isn't the first time I've written a love letter to confess my feelings for you. Let me introduce myself again: I'm Yun Li. The meaning of my name I'll tell you later to keep an air of mystery. I've liked you for a long time—way before now. I know everything about your likes and dislikes; don’t worry—I won’t disturb you. I'm just secretly in love with you. Now I want to show this hidden affection to you so that you can clearly feel my sincere feelings for you. Please don't laugh at my childish words; this is my true emotion. I don’t like being fake; similarly, I want an honest answer from you."
"It's okay if you reject me because I'll make sure you know that I'm worth liking. We can take our time getting to know each other."
After finishing the letters, Jiang Shiyu recalled the last line he had written in his notebook: "I will never like Jiang Shiyu again."
He also remembered Shu Ran's words.
That winter when she was seventeen, she prepared to confess her feelings on Fuxing Road—the road near your house—but she had already gathered her courage when she saw you with another girl. She was so sad at that moment.
That day she came to find me; I remember it was raining heavily, soaking her clothes as she cried sadly.
She said she would never like you again but still couldn't let go; her love letters went unsent, and she gave up on confessing—she just wanted to silently love you.
Seventeen years old, wintertime, raining—those words came back to Jiang Shiyu's mind.
Although it was just a fleeting glimpse of her back then, he remembered it vividly—even if his memory had faded somewhat over time.
A wave of bittersweet emotions surged within him as he suddenly found himself with answers; his heart felt too complicated for words.
He put everything down and stood up to head downstairs.
On the sofa lay Yun Li asleep, lazily sinking into the cushions with a serene expression—time seemed still in that moment.
He stepped forward slowly and gently lifted Yun Li into his arms.
The movement stirred her slightly; Yun Li opened her eyes groggily and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her forehead against him while mumbling: "What’s wrong?"
Jiang Shiyu softly kissed the top of her head and her forehead.
"Here’s your answer: I am yours for life."
Yun Li opened her eyes wide in confusion: "What?"
Jiang Shiyu lifted her chin gently so they could look into each other's eyes as he spoke: "When you came to confess your feelings for the third time at seventeen..."
"I actually saw you that day."
Yun Li trembled, her soft body suddenly becoming rigid.
"How do you know?"
Jiang Shiyu reached out to smooth her hair. "Shu Ran told me."
If it weren't for Shu Ran sharing these things with him, he probably wouldn't have seen the notebook and love letters, along with their answers.
Yun Li felt a flush of embarrassment. "That was a long time ago. I was so immature back then; I wouldn't even dare to read it again myself."
He chuckled softly. "I think it's great; I like it."
Yun Li's face heated up as she lowered her gaze. "It was so cringeworthy. I can't believe I was that self-absorbed."
Jiang Shiyu laughed a little louder, rubbing his cheek against her hair, feeling a tickle in his heart. "You're not self-absorbed. I was just a step behind; otherwise, I would have sent it out long ago."
"If I had seen you earlier, I would have rejected you," he said casually.
Yun Li looked somewhat stunned, her eyes wide. Reflecting on how she had acted out just to oppose them back then felt so childish now—so damn pretentious. If she had been more mature, perhaps her family wouldn't have suffered so much.
She pressed her lips together, recalling how Ji Xiao had acted back then. He had been somewhat clumsy in his approach, but despite his fondness for romance, he never crossed any lines or disrespected girls. "I still believe in your character," she said earnestly.
Jiang Shiyu leaned in and kissed her lips lightly, like a dragonfly skimming the water. "So does that mean you actually liked me a long time ago?" Yun Li asked hopefully, looking at him with anticipation.
Jiang Shiyu lowered his gaze, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he embraced her lazily. "Yeah, I liked you."
She was like a crescent moon in the dark and damp corners of his heart—brilliant and dazzling, yet out of reach, illuminating his path with a glimmer of light.
Yun Li closed her eyes and smiled blissfully, nuzzling against his chest. "You should hold me while I sleep."
Jiang Shiyu stood up and carried her upstairs into the room, closing the curtains as they settled in for an afternoon nap together. Their secret crush finally saw the light of day.
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