Chapter 23
The tip of Ye Yixi’s tongue felt hot.
Only after saying it did she realize that the sentence sounded somewhat ambiguous. Her palm was warm and slightly sweaty, and the rings she held had also become damp with moisture.
Shen Qingran, standing opposite her, did not respond for a long time. Ye Yixi became a little dazed and withdrew her outstretched hand.
“I’m willing. Of course I’m willing.”
Shen Qingran held Ye Yixi’s fist and unfolded her fingers, revealing the two rings.
“Why wouldn’t I wear a prize we won ourselves?”
Shen Qingran’s gaze shimmered like rippling water, her eyes like amber filled with a pool of light. As she leaned closer, her smile was faint, and her tone was soft and delicate, slowly advancing step by step as if releasing a feather-light fishing hook.
“Then… how about you put it on for me?”
Ye Yixi’s breath hitched.
The situation had changed too quickly, and her emotions rose and fell along with it. From the disappointment just now, they turned into panic, yet she could not stop the joy from spreading.
She could only nod.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally picked up the ring inlaid with the cat design and shook it in front of Shen Qingran.
The person opposite her had already stretched out her hand, waiting for Ye Yixi’s next move.
Ye Yixi looked at Shen Qingran’s fair, slender fingers. Her gaze drifted, and she somewhat nervously held Shen Qingran’s hand.
Although this was not the first time the two of them had held hands, this time felt different.
Ye Yixi felt as if she had been struck by a tiny electric current. It was not the sharp sensation of being hit right on the top of the head, but something numb and tingling, slowly flowing through her limbs and bones, stirring a faint ripple beneath her calm blood.
She hesitated for a while.
In the end, she tried to put the ring on Shen Qingran’s index finger. But the ring was too small. It got stuck halfway and would not move. Helpless, Ye Yixi could only change to another finger.
Everyone knew what it meant to wear a ring on the ring finger.
Shen Qingran stared at Ye Yixi’s faintly flushed cheeks and unexpectedly felt that she looked very innocent. If this had been a few months ago, Shen Qingran definitely would not have expected that one day she would use this word to describe Ye Yixi.
The background was grand and brilliant fireworks, laughing tourists, and cheerful music.
Putting a ring on Shen Qingran in a place like this made it hard for Ye Yixi not to think of a wedding scene, as if she were exchanging wedding rings with her bride.
This ring fit perfectly on the ring finger.
Shen Qingran rubbed it a few times, and a feeling she had never experienced before appeared in her heart. With a smile in her eyes, she looked at Ye Yixi.
“Aren’t you going to wear yours?”
“Oh, oh… I’ll wear it right away!”
Ye Yixi had been staring at her all this time, her eyes practically hanging on Shen Qingran’s face. Her movements as she put on the ring were quite flustered. Then she revealed a standard eight-tooth smile and waved her hand to show Shen Qingran.
Shen Qingran glanced at it lightly.
Mm. She had put it on her index finger.
Shen Qingran did not say much. Instead, she took out her phone and motioned for Ye Yixi to stretch her hand forward like she did.
“Let’s take a photo together. How about it?”
It felt as if Shen Qingran had been leading the entire time. Ye Yixi’s mind was currently a mess, like a lump of dough. Whatever the other person said, she only knew how to nod.
The two hands were placed side by side and raised in midair. The two rings shone brightly, as if they had merged with the stars.
Under the witness of the sky full of stars, they took their first photo together.
“I’ll send it to you later.”
Shen Qingran smiled very sweetly, staring at the photo as she enlarged and shrank it. In the camera, Ye Yixi looked dazed, like a foolish young man, but Shen Qingran was very satisfied.
“What are you two doing? We want to take photos too!”
Coincidentally, Gu An and Zhen Xiaobai rushed over at this moment.
Just now, they had been buying all kinds of snacks from a row of stalls nearby. Gu An kept spending money just to satisfy Zhen Xiaobai’s cravings. Seeing this person eat happily also gave her a great sense of satisfaction.
“We’re taking photos. Why don’t the four of us take one together too? Since it’s rare for us to come here, let’s commemorate it together!”
“Mm-hmm! That’s a great idea!”
Zhen Xiaobai nodded wildly in agreement. She immediately put the several bags of snacks she was carrying into her backpack.
Sharp-eyed Gu An had long since noticed the couple rings on Ye Yixi and Shen Qingran’s hands, but she did not point it out. She merely lowered her mask slightly and quietly leaned her head over.
Ye Yixi and Gu An, the two taller ones, stood at the back. Zhen Xiaobai squeezed in beside them, making a cute pouty expression. Finally, Shen Qingran held up her phone and took the photo from a low angle, revealing a smile.
With a click, the beautiful moment of the four of them was frozen in a small photo.
Before everyone could properly admire the photo, several fangirl screams suddenly came from the side. They covered their mouths, their fingers trembling as they excitedly pointed at Gu An.
“Oh my god, am I seeing this right?? Is that Gu An!!!”
Gu An, who had not had time to put her mask back on, felt somewhat helpless.
Today, she had been fully armed. Basically, she had not taken off her sunglasses and mask at all. It was only because the sky had grown darker that she had relaxed a little, but she had not expected to still be recognized.
The tired look in her eyes only lasted for a moment. Then Gu An immediately switched into her business smile.
Her messy black hair fell over her forehead. Although her brows and eyes were elegant and carried a natural coldness, they could not withstand the enthusiasm of her fans. Before long, she was drowned by the crowd. More and more people came over for photos and autographs. It almost turned into Gu An’s personal signing event.
Seeing so many people, Zhen Xiaobai began to grow anxious. She was very afraid that Gu An would encounter danger, so she acted as a security guard.
Her small figure darted into the crowd, waving her arms to disperse the people around them. She even shouted loudly, “Everyone, don’t crowd! Pay attention to safety! Spread out a little!!!”
But relying on her strength alone was simply not enough to maintain order. Several red marks were even squeezed onto her arms.
In the end, Ye Yixi and Shen Qingran saw that the situation was not right and called the amusement park’s security guards over. Only then was the commotion stopped.
The four of them no longer dared to stay.
In any case, they had already played nearly all the attractions they wanted. In the end, everyone happily parted ways and drove back separately. Only Zhen Xiaobai was escorted back to the hotel by Gu An.
In the car, Zhen Xiaobai, who was sitting in the passenger seat, pointed at the red marks on her arm and acted spoiled, her face full of grievance.
“It hurts so much…”
At this moment, they happened to be stopped at a red light.
Gu An held up her arm and placed it near her mouth, then gently blew on the marks. Like coaxing a child, she tapped the tip of Zhen Xiaobai’s nose and said dotingly, “You… Later, I’ll go to a nearby clinic and buy some external medicine for you.”
…
After a whole day of playing, Ye Yixi was currently leaning in the bathtub, soaking in hot water.
There were also many flower petals in the bathtub. Fragrance surrounded her, and much of her fatigue faded away.
The ring was still firmly worn on Ye Yixi’s hand. After being soaked in water, its shine became even more obvious. She carefully looked it over again and again, truly treasuring it beyond belief.
The more she recalled what had happened today, the more satisfied she felt. The smile on her face could not be stopped at all.
It was hard to believe that she had actually worn couple rings with Shen Qingran.
The things that had happened recently were becoming more and more dreamlike, like a beautiful dream that could be pierced at any moment.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong…
Ye Yixi was still immersed in joy when her phone suddenly rang with several messages.
She wiped the foam from her hands with a tissue, then slowly picked up the phone beside her.
When she opened it, it turned out that Shen Qingran had sent over all the group photos they had taken at the amusement park today. There were photos of the four of them, and of course, also photos of just the two of them.
Ye Yixi went straight to the point, opened the original image of the two-person photo, and saved it. Then she kept zooming in and looking at it in her album.
In the photo, the two of them displayed the rings completely. Although her own expression looked a little stiff, Ye Yixi was still extremely satisfied. Her smug expression was completely revealed at this moment.
“Beginning calculation of today’s main mission points for the host.”
The system’s voice suddenly appeared.
Ye Yixi, who had still been happily admiring the photo, was startled by it. Her sitting posture slid straight downward, and accidentally, the bathtub water covered her ears.
“Why do you always appear and disappear like a ghost?” Ye Yixi could not help complaining.
But 007 ignored her and simply calculated on its own. Its mechanical voice kept muttering.
“Zhen Xiaobai’s scream value… Host’s scream value does not count… Host’s OOC score deduction offset… Final points obtained from this main mission—2.5 points.”
“…”
This score was truly even lower than what she had expected.
Ye Yixi felt somewhat speechless. After tiring herself out for an entire day, she had only saved up this little bit of points? The main missions were really becoming harder and harder to do.
“So how many points does it take to unlock the system mall?”
“When the point value is reached, it will automatically unlock. Host, there is no need to be anxious.”
007 was the same as always. In any case, it refused to tell Ye Yixi an exact number.
Ye Yixi did not want to continue wasting words with it.
When her gaze drifted back to the ring again, a thought sprouted in her mind. It was also an idea she had already had before.
“007, let me ask you. If… I use another method to change the ending, would that work?”
“Host, the plot of this story gives you a large degree of freedom. On the basis of completing the main missions, you are completely free to act as you wish. In other words, no matter what method you use, as long as you can change your character’s ending, it will count as a perfect clear. I do not have much control over other matters.”
At this point, 007 paused slightly, then reminded her, “It is just that your current character setting still has OOC restrictions. You need to make proper use of them.”
007’s tone was rigid and formal, but Ye Yixi listened until her heart blossomed with joy.
Her mind was full of that sentence: free to act as you wish.
If that was the case, then she could completely give up the path of pursuing the female lead…
A new train of thought had already appeared in her mind. Ye Yixi could hardly suppress the small thoughts in her heart.
She was so happy that she started playing with the water in the bathtub, letting the foamy splashes fall onto her face.
The mist in the bathroom grew heavier and heavier, but in her mind, the three words Shen Qingran became increasingly clear.
After being happy for a while, Ye Yixi calmed herself down. Then she sat blankly in the bathtub.
She felt that she still could not be this rash. She needed to wait a little longer.
Once she was completely certain of her own feelings, she would definitely make a decision without hesitation.
…
Since the seed had already sprouted in her heart, Ye Yixi immediately wanted to take action.
So the next day, she sent Shen Qingran another invitation. Although she received the reply, “I have something to do today. Let’s arrange it next time,” she was not discouraged at all.
As long as she could create more time to spend with Shen Qingran, what was the harm in waiting a little? Ye Yixi still had that bit of patience.
But on the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day… even by the seventh day, Shen Qingran still gave the same reply.
Ye Yixi could no longer sit still.
She could not understand what this meant. Being rejected repeatedly had already made Ye Yixi develop the illusion that the other party was deliberately avoiding her.
They had clearly had so much fun going out together before. Why had it become so difficult to make plans these past few days?
Originally, she still wanted to be a little reserved, but Ye Yixi really could not hold back and asked a few more questions on WeChat, wanting to make things clearer.
After anxiously waiting for half an hour, she finally received Shen Qingran’s reply.
[Sorry, Miss Ye~ Recently, my childhood friend came back from abroad, and I’ve been keeping her company, so I really haven’t had any time. Don’t worry. Once I’m free, I’ll definitely make it up to you properly!]
Childhood friend?
Ye Yixi raised her brows and studied this message for a bit.
An indescribable feeling rose in her heart.
But there really was nothing wrong with it. What was wrong with someone accompanying a good friend they had not seen in a long time?
Yet faint unease rose in her heart.
That restless sixth sense kept telling her that this so-called childhood friend was definitely not that simple.
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