Chapter 195 - 193: You’re a Good Person

Chapter 195: Chapter 193: You’re a Good Person

With so many people watching, Lin Yanwan was ultimately too embarrassed to say yes.

After all, something as important as marriage couldn’t be settled just because of his sweet-talking. He’d have to go through the wringer for her first.

But seeing her look of bashful coyness, everyone knew this goddess’s heart had long since been stolen by the equally handsome boy beside her.

"That’s wonderful. I wish you two the best. When you get married, I’ll definitely be there, and you can count on a gift from me."

Ding Hui smiled, raised her glass, and clinked it against Jiang Xia’s. The boy certainly had a way with words, but he was also very sincere. His ability to get into Tsinghua from an average standing in just three short months, all for love, spoke volumes about his character.

"Alright, you all have fun now. Enjoy today. For many people and many things, this is it. Once you part ways today, you might never get another chance. So everyone, try to leave with no regrets," Ding Hui said, looking out at all of them.

Jiang Xia felt there was a hidden meaning in her words. ’Is she encouraging her students to confess their feelings?’

Sure enough, several people, after a long hesitation, finally mustered the courage to confess their feelings to the girls they liked. Whether it worked out or not didn’t matter. As Teacher Ding had said, if you don’t say some things now, you might never get another chance.

’Might as well give it a shot. What if it works out?’

Just as the two of them were whispering to each other, a decent-looking boy with a tense expression suddenly walked over. At first, Jiang Xia thought the guy was planning to confess to Lin Yanwan, but to his surprise, he stopped in front of Shen Ying.

Jiang Xia could see the boy’s nervousness at a glance. His forehead was glistening with sweat, and his hands were clenched tightly. Even standing before the girl he liked, he didn’t dare hold her gaze.

"Who’s he?" Jiang Xia whispered to Lin Yanwan.

Lin Yanwan thought for a moment. "Yingying’s former deskmate."

"Oh."

It dawned on Jiang Xia. The people you were most likely to develop a crush on were, without a doubt, the ones sitting right around you—in front, behind, or to the side. And being deskmates was a notorious hotspot for catching feelings.

"So, you never developed a crush on *your* old deskmate?" Lin Yanwan asked with a small smile, her tone laced with meaning.

"Nope, absolutely not!" Jiang Xia said, shaking his head emphatically.

"I’m not talking about now, I’m talking about back then. We didn’t even meet until college. You and Chen Yao were deskmates for three years. You’re telling me you didn’t have the slightest feeling for her?"

This was why she had always felt an inexplicable animosity toward Chen Yao. They had been deskmates for three whole years, and now that Jiang Xia had been reborn, she was afraid he would act like the protagonist in some web novel and try to resolve all his past "what-ifs."

To put it bluntly: he’d go and gather up every girl he’d ever had a crush on.

Generally speaking, everyone, regardless of gender, has an idealized first love from their youth—the one they can never forget.

And Chen Yao was just as outstanding as her, making her the perfect candidate for that first love, even if it was just a hazy, indistinct crush.

"No, baby, I can tell you with absolute certainty that I never truly understood romantic feelings until I met you in college," Jiang Xia said earnestly.

Chen Yao was very pretty, petite, with the look of a "legal loli." If she ever decided to wear a schoolgirl uniform, a sailor outfit, or Lolita-style clothes, she could definitely make a whole legion of guys swoon. But he truly never felt anything more for her. He was perfectly happy just being friends.

Or maybe it was because Chen Yao was always so serious, with nothing but her studies on her mind. In his past life, Jiang Xia had always found her rather dull.

Hearing this, Lin Yanwan’s heart gave a little leap of joy. She could finally, truly relax.

And so, the two turned their full attention to the boy who had come over to confess, wondering if Shen Ying would turn him down.

"Shen Ying, I..."

The boy’s lips formed a tight line, and he swallowed nervously. The words he had rehearsed in his head countless times suddenly vanished, and he didn’t know what to say.

"Zhou Tao, did you need something?" Shen Ying asked, glancing at him with a perfectly calm expression.

The moment she said that, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but shoot the boy a pitying look. ’It’s a classic case of unrequited love,’ he thought. ’This confession is doomed.’

"Y-Yeah, I do..."

Zhou Tao took a deep breath, trying to relax his tense body. He then said to Shen Ying, "We were deskmates for a year, and there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for over a year now."

Shen Ying nodded, her expression unchanged. It seemed she already knew what Zhou Tao was about to say; after all, girls tend to be much more perceptive than boys about these things.

’That’s how it always goes in the romance novels,’ she thought. ’When a guy starts being nice to you for no reason, it means he’s trying to pursue you.’

She subconsciously glanced over at Wang Ming, her eyes meeting his. Flustered, Wang Ming quickly lowered his head.

Shen Ying’s breath hitched. ’Looks like my rejection that day really hurt him.’

Chen Yao glanced curiously at the person beside her and chuckled. "Hey, Wang Ming, you’ve got a crush on Lin Yanwan’s best friend, don’t you? That guy over there looks like he’s about to confess. Aren’t you going to watch? Or hey, why don’t you go give it a shot, too? What if she says yes?"

The corner of Wang Ming’s eye twitched. Without a word, he silently opened a beer and poured it for himself.

’If confessing actually did any good,’ he thought, ’I would have won her over long ago.’

’Maybe confessing does work... just not for me.’

He tilted his head back and downed the beer in one go, his gaze secretly stealing toward Shen Ying’s direction, a faint flicker of hope in his heart.

"Ever since we switched seats, I’ve really missed the days when we were deskmates. I love seeing you smile, and I love hearing you talk. I even love it when you sigh in frustration."

Zhou Tao said, his expression utterly sincere. He felt a current shoot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. The only thing keeping him from collapsing right there was pure willpower.

"You once told me I was a cheerful person, and I was happy about that for days. I don’t know if you like me or not, but I know that if I don’t get this off my chest today, I might never have another chance."

The numb feeling in his body intensified. Zhou Tao gasped for air, his voice trembling.

"Yingying... please forgive me for being so bold as to call you that... but I really, really like you! Can you please give me a chance? Let me be your boyfriend!"

The crowd fell silent. All eyes turned to Shen Ying, waiting to see how she would answer. Would she accept, or would she refuse?

Wang Ming took another drink, a bitter look on his face. Compared to this, he felt like an even bigger clown. After all, he hadn’t even managed to get his confession out that night before Shen Ying had shut him down.

Zhou Tao stared nervously at the girl he loved, his eyes filled with desperate hope.

"Zhou Tao, thank you. You’re a great guy, but I’m not looking to be in a relationship right now. I’m sorry."

Shen Ying said softly.

In that instant, Jiang Xia could have sworn he heard the sound of a boy’s heart shattering.