After Flirting with the Wrong Stand-in, I Overturned (GL) - Chapter 31

Lin Shuyan spoke in a small, desperate voice.

Unrealistic thoughts still lingered in her mind—perhaps Ren Xuan hadn’t heard the part about “the Ren family” that Song Tang had mentioned.

Even though she knew, deep down, the probability of that was practically zero.

“Is that the important part?” Ren Xuan chuckled. Her voice sounded ticklish in Shuyan’s ear, causing her attention to drift for a split second.

“Marrying into a wealthy family?” Ren Xuan laughed softly and let out a sigh. “What ambition!”

Lin Shuyan stood frozen in embarrassment, caught in indecision, not knowing for certain how much Ren Xuan had truly heard. “We were joking,” she said, her face flushed crimson, as she suddenly thought of a good way to cover her tracks.

“Just a joke?”

“Mhm.” Lin Shuyan nodded.

“I actually think Teacher Song Tang’s suggestion was quite good,” Ren Xuan said playfully.

“Huh?”

“Lin Shuyan,” Ren Xuan had stepped in front of her at some point. She lightly tapped the table with a curled finger. This time, she spoke very plainly and seriously: “I heard everything.”

Heard… heard ‘Ren’? Shuyan’s worry suddenly outweighed her shyness. Now that Miss Ren had heard it clearly, how would she view her? What if she thought Shuyan was a vain person, someone who wanted to get something for nothing and use her to climb the social ladder?

“I…” Lin Shuyan was frantic. She opened her mouth to speak but didn’t know where to start. “I’m not…”

“You were joking, I know.” Ren Xuan nodded slightly. What Song Tang said was, of course, mostly a joke, but that joke had exposed one thing: Lin Shuyan wasn’t entirely indifferent to her.

“I’m very happy,” Ren Xuan added.

“Happy?” Lin Shuyan whispered the word, not quite understanding what there was to be happy about.

“Of course I am,” Ren Xuan smiled. She lifted her hand from the table and moved it quietly toward Shuyan’s, until their hands brushed against each other.

“Do you hate this?”

Lin Shuyan felt pinned to the spot. Her pupils dilated. Looking down, she could see their hands touching. She opened her mouth. “I…”

Lin Shuyan shook her head.

“Then… do you like it?”

Lin Shuyan raised her beautiful, clear eyes and stared blankly at the woman before her. Ren Xuan’s voice was low, yet it sounded incredibly solemn and restrained.

“I,” Lin Shuyan looked directly into Ren Xuan’s eyes, seeing her own reflection in them. She followed the command of her heart, nodded, and said, “…I like it.”

Lin Shuyan’s heart was racing.

She truly liked it.

“Does… does Miss Ren like it?” Lin Shuyan asked shyly, waiting quietly for the answer.

“Are you talking about the person, or…” This time, Ren Xuan straightened her hand and pressed her palm against Shuyan’s. She lowered her head, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Or do you mean…”

Lin Shuyan’s mind went blank for a moment. She had never been in love. Aside from seeing it on TV, she had never witnessed it in real life. Shuyan knew she was slow when it came to emotions, but even she understood a few things by now.

Ren Xuan was asking her proactively—what did that imply?

“Miss Ren,” Lin Shuyan looked down and stammered, “Miss Ren, which one… do you want?”

“Both are fine.”

“I,” Shuyan’s breathing grew shallow, her heart restless. She raised her eyes and met Ren Xuan’s gaze.

The woman looked at her calmly, as if those words hadn’t just come out of her own mouth. Yet those eyes, as deep as the sea, never stopped watching her for a single second.

“Does Miss Ren… like me?” Lin Shuyan clenched her small fists, asking for the answer with trepidation.

“What do you think?” Ren Xuan asked back.

“I,” Shuyan didn’t dare say it. She was afraid she was being vain, afraid it was one-sided, and even more afraid that the result wouldn’t be what she hoped for.

“Lin Shuyan,” knowing that Shuyan gathering the courage to ask this much was already her limit, a faint smile flickered in Ren Xuan’s eyes. The corners of her lips curled up, and her voice was gentle, laced with a touch of helplessness. “Am I such a failure that you don’t even dare to ask me for a certain answer?”

Ren Xuan had been wondering.

How could she let Lin Shuyan feel her intentions through “moistening things silently”? If it were anyone else, Ren Xuan felt they would have realized her intent long ago.

But she was dealing with Lin Shuyan. She couldn’t be hurried; she had to have enough patience. As it turned out, things were going better than she had imagined.

“Lin Shuyan,” Ren Xuan stared at her for a long while, then gently brushed against Shuyan’s palm.

It felt tingly, like a faint electric current passing through her. Shuyan wanted to pull her hand back.

But Ren Xuan wouldn’t let her retreat.

Their hands locked together tightly. Lin Shuyan heard Ren Xuan ask, “Lin Shuyan, would you consider being my girlfriend?”

Lin Shuyan heard the words, but her brain was lagging. It took several seconds for the meaning of the full sentence to register. A surge of immense joy welled up in her heart, pulling at her features until her eyes curved upward.

“You can take your time to consider it.” Ren Xuan reached out and very, very gently touched Shuyan’s hair.

Ren Xuan thought she shouldn’t push her too hard all at once; to harvest this much today was already a great blessing. Lin Shuyan loved to hide; whether it was the tentative probing in the bathroom or the question she had just been forced to ask, neither fit Shuyan’s usual reserved style.

She had said she had enough patience.

So, Ren Xuan could wait. She could even wait until this production was over, giving Lin Shuyan time to think it through seriously before making a decision.

Ren Xuan moved to withdraw their joined hands.

Just as she moved a few centimeters away, Lin Shuyan turned her hand over and gripped Ren Xuan back. Ren Xuan looked down.

It was Lin Shuyan holding onto her.

“I’ve finished considering.” Lin Shuyan held onto Ren Xuan tightly, not letting go.

“You don’t need more time to think?” Ren Xuan fell silent for a moment. The girl’s gaze was burning, but Ren Xuan’s heart felt a sharp, tiny pang of pain.

“I don’t need it,” Lin Shuyan shook her head firmly. “I’ve made up my mind.”

“You won’t regret it?” Although Ren Xuan was the one who proposed it, she suddenly felt an urge to retreat—perhaps because of the girl’s steady, clear eyes, or her shy yet forceful grasp, or perhaps something else entirely.