Chapter 346 - 343: Ying, I Like You

Chapter 346: Chapter 343: Ying, I Like You

In a corner by the plaza’s flowerbeds, Shen Ying lit a Fairy Wand. She held it in one hand, waving it up and down like a Magic Wand and drawing fleeting trails of light in the night.

The subtle glow of the sparks wasn’t dazzling, but it was enough to cast a warm light on her lovely cheeks.

Wang Ming chuckled and took out his phone, secretly snapping a picture. The photo wasn’t very clear, but you could still make out her pure, smiling profile.

"You’re taking my picture." Noticing the fleeting flash, Shen Ying tilted her head to look at him, a smile on her face.

Wang Ming looked flustered and awkward. He pulled his phone back and instinctively denied it. "N-No... I wasn’t."

"Oh, really? Let me see your phone, then," Shen Ying said with a smile, holding out her hand.

"That’s... not necessary, right? I was just taking a picture... of the fireworks," he stammered.

"I’m gonna count to three!"

Wang Ming’s breath hitched.

"One... two..."

Very reluctantly, he took out his phone and handed it over. ’Is she going to hate me for this?’ he wondered.

"You’re a terrible liar. Let me see if you made me look good."

Shen Ying gave a small laugh. She woke the screen, opened the photo album, and found the picture from just a moment ago.

In the photo, she stood against the night, holding a sparkling Fairy Wand that illuminated her lovely face. She was gazing at the burning wand, her eyes curved into beautiful crescents. A few strands of her hair, almost invisible against the darkness, were blown against her lips by the evening breeze. The image was serene and beautiful.

"Your photography skills aren’t half bad. Since you didn’t make me look ugly, I guess I won’t delete it."

She glanced at the embarrassed Wang Ming, but instead of returning his phone, she prepared to scroll through his older photos.

"Hey! You can’t look at those! Don’t look!"

Wang Ming frantically tried to snatch the phone back, but she easily dodged him with a light twirl.

"Stay right there. Don’t move," Shen Ying said, smiling as she dangled the phone. "You’re so tense. Is there something on here I’m not supposed to see? Now I’m even more curious."

Wang Ming’s face fell, his expression ashen. The thought of Shen Ying discovering the sheer number of candid photos he’d taken of her made him want to crawl into a hole and die.

’I had such a perfect opportunity tonight, and I completely blew it.’

Curiously, she scrolled through the phone. She was shocked to find that the vast majority of the photos were candid shots of her, taken from all sorts of angles. Many were from the past few days, from when they had been hanging out together since coming home. Scrolling back further, she even found several he had secretly taken when they were still in high school.

’And I had no idea.’

"Wow, so you took all these," she said, feigning anger, "and you still claim you weren’t taking my picture?"

With the evidence laid bare, Wang Ming was speechless and utterly defenseless. His ears burned with shame, and he wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

"So, tell me," she asked lightly. "Why were you taking secret pictures of me?"

"..."

Wang Ming hung his head in guilt, pressing his lips together in silence. After a long hesitation, he finally stammered, "B-Because... I think you’re beautiful."

Shen Ying was secretly delighted but kept up her pretense of being angry. "There are plenty of beautiful girls out there. Yanwan is prettier than I am. Why aren’t you taking pictures of them?"

"I... I..." he mumbled under his breath, "I think you’re the most beautiful."

Shen Ying froze for a second, then turned her head away as a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

’This dummy.’

"Hmph. Since you’re being so honest, I guess I’ll give you your phone back." She huffed, her face flushed, and handed the phone to him without daring to meet his eyes.

Wang Ming swallowed hard. "You... you’re not going to delete them?"

"You took way too many. I can’t be bothered to delete them," she said, giving him a look and huffing softly.

Wang Ming’s expression was incredibly awkward.

"I... I won’t take secret pictures anymore."

"Hmph. If you want to take a picture, you can just ask me. It’s not like I’d say no."

Wang Ming’s eyes widened as he stared at her in disbelief.

Shen Ying walked over to him, standing very close. She took his phone and pointed the rear camera at herself.

She smiled, about to press the shutter button, but when she glanced back, she saw Wang Ming staring dazedly at her.

"Why are you looking at me? Look at the camera!" she muttered. "You dummy."

"Oh, oh..."

Wang Ming’s face flushed. He held his breath and turned to look at the phone, catching the faint scent of her shampoo. His heart pounded in his chest. This was the first time he’d ever stood so close to Shen Ying; he could see her long eyelashes from the corner of his eye.

’She’s not mad?!’

’She’s actually not mad?’

’And she’s taking a picture with me!’

Wang Ming’s mind began to race, wondering if he should pull out the rose and confess to her on the spot. But just then, he heard the camera’s shutter click.

Shen Ying took the phone back and glanced at the photo. She noticed Wang Ming’s odd expression in it. ’Was he looking at me?’

"See? You were looking at me again! Can you please take this seriously?" Shen Ying said in exasperation as she deleted the photo.

His little secret exposed, Wang Ming couldn’t help but cover his face. "I’m sorry."

"Come on, can you do this or not?"

"I can!" Wang Ming snapped to attention.

"That’s more like it."

Shen Ying picked up the phone again. She took one or two test shots to get the angle right, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Dummy, aren’t you happy to be on a date with me? Smile!"

’She just said... date?!’

Wang Ming blinked, and his gaze quickly softened. At the exact moment the picture was taken, fireworks bloomed in the sky behind them.

The moment was captured perfectly.

Shen Ying glanced at the photo. Against the backdrop of blooming fireworks, they both had natural smiles. Her head was tilted slightly, leaning toward him. The picture was absolutely beautiful.

"Here. Satisfied now?" she said, handing him the phone. Wang Ming was overwhelmed with surprise and delight.

’After all, it was their first photo together, and so intimate!’

Suddenly, a series of WHOOSHES came from the center of the plaza. A second or two later, the rockets that had shot high into the air all burst at once. With a volley of CRACKLES and POPS, they blossomed brilliantly, like meteors streaking across the night sky.

Shen Ying looked up at the countless fireworks blooming in the sky. Their momentary splendor illuminated most of the night sky.

She murmured, "So beautiful."

Wang Ming watched her, the light of the fireworks illuminating her captivating face. "Truly beautiful," he said.

He clenched his fists. After a moment’s hesitation, he took a deep breath, suddenly found his courage, and pulled out the rose he had hidden behind his back. He called out to her.

"Ying..."

Shen Ying instinctively turned around, only to see Wang Ming kneeling on one knee, holding up a rose so vibrant it was almost dazzling.

"I like you."

"Ever since I met you, I’ve always, always liked you."

"Even though you’ve rejected me before, and I thought that once we went to college, my feelings would just fade away... but..."

"I can’t forget you."

"Just chatting with you can make me happy all night long."

"I often see your beautiful face in my dreams."

"In the middle of class, I’ll suddenly think of your name, and I can’t help but smile."

"These past few days with you, back home, have been the happiest days of my life."

"I’m truly sorry for taking your picture without asking, but I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to capture those beautiful moments."

"I know our colleges are on opposite ends of the country, and we might not see each other more than a few times a year. I missed my chance on the Ferris wheel, and I don’t want to waste this precious opportunity to tell you how I feel."

"So..."

"Ying... will you be my girlfriend?"

With every word of his confession coming straight from the heart, Wang Ming looked up at Shen Ying, his face full of anticipation. His hands tightened unconsciously.

Shen Ying’s cheeks flushed red. She took the rose from his hand, noticing that all its thorns had been removed, and said softly, "You dummy..."

...

(Phew, I spent all day polishing this Chapter. It was so hard. I hope all my dear readers are satisfied!)