After Transmigrating Into A Cannon Fodder Character, I Only Want To Survive - Chapter 62

Fang Bai was stunned. The content she heard was somewhat shocking, and the pain in her wrist was immediately ignored.

Looking at the person in front of her, He Ziyan’s earnest eyes and the trembling hand on her wrist both indicated that He Ziyan wasn’t joking, and it wasn’t an ordinary “I like you.”

…Why?

Why would He Ziyan like her?

He Ziyan, whose eyes were fixed on Fang Bai, clearly saw the surprise and confusion in Fang Bai’s eyes.

For Fang Bai, this confession came suddenly.

But for He Ziyan, this was a week of deep thought, her birthday gift to herself.

Especially after seeing Fang Bai’s relationship with Ji Yuning getting better and better, and the look in Ji Yuning’s eyes towards Fang Bai becoming more and more—

It wasn’t selfishness; He Ziyan just didn’t want to have regrets.

“Aunt Fang,” He Ziyan bit her lip and said again, “I like you.”

The joyful noise of the guests downstairs floated up to the second floor, the chaotic sounds pulling Fang Bai back to her senses.

Fang Bai shifted her feet, faced He Ziyan, and was silent for two seconds before finally saying softly, “Let go of me first.”

He Ziyan released her hand in response.

Looking at the wrist that had been reddened by her grip, He Ziyan’s eyelashes fluttered like a child who had done something wrong, eagerly wanting to explain herself for the first time. “I’m sorry, I…I didn’t mean to, I was just afraid you’d leave.”

“It’s okay.” Fang Bai put her hand behind her back, no longer letting He Ziyan see it.

The atmosphere fell silent again.

Fang Bai sighed silently. She was an adult; she couldn’t wait for a child to speak first, could she?

“Mmm…” Fang Bai met He Ziyan’s eyes and asked, “You said you like me?”

For some reason, facing Fang Bai’s question, the person who had just been calm suddenly became uneasy, gradually holding her breath. He Ziyan’s hand gripped her skirt, and she raised her chin to hide her awkwardness, but the blush spreading across her cheeks betrayed her thoughts.

He Ziyan didn’t realize this. She said nervously, “Mmm.”

Fang Bai said softly, “Why?”

He Ziyan was stumped.

What why? Why did she like Fang Bai?

Did liking someone need a reason? He Ziyan had never thought about this question, but now that Fang Bai asked her, He Ziyan needed to organize her thoughts on the spot.

“…”

Before the five-hundred-word essay in He Ziyan’s mind was ready, Fang Bai, seeing that He Ziyan wasn’t speaking, said softly, “Perhaps I should rephrase the question. Can you tell me, when did you start liking me?”

Fang Bai had a guess in her heart.

Whether her guess was correct or not, He Ziyan’s answer was crucial.

When? He Ziyan didn’t need to think about this. She said, “Two years ago.”

After speaking, He Ziyan blushed. “The, the first time I saw you.”

He Ziyan, whose eyes were lowered out of shyness, didn’t see the obvious softening of Fang Bai’s expression.

Just like her guess.

She had liked her for two years, so He Ziyan liked the original owner.

So the previous few doubts were explained.

Why had He Ziyan suddenly changed her persona? From someone who bullied Ji Yuning to someone who wanted to be friends with Ji Yuning?

Because the original owner disliked Ji Yuning, He Ziyan followed suit, perhaps even wanting to attract the original owner’s attention by deliberately bullying Ji Yuning. And because of Fang Bai’s arrival, the Fang Bai in He Ziyan’s eyes had changed her attitude towards Ji Yuning, so she would approach Ji Yuning to get closer to “Fang Bai.”

Fang Bai felt helpless, unsure how to respond to this affection for a moment.

He Ziyan waited for a while, but when Fang Bai didn’t speak, she quietly raised her eyes.

When she saw Fang Bai looking at her with a blank expression, the joy on He Ziyan’s face instantly vanished.

He Ziyan had thought that Fang Bai not rejecting her immediately meant there was a possibility of her accepting her, so she had been shy, happy, and flustered.

But now, Fang Bai’s expression told her that she had no chance, that everything was just her illusion.

Fang Bai slowly asked, “Have you ever considered that I might not be the person you like?”

“W-what?” He Ziyan was taken aback by Fang Bai’s words. “Why not?”

It really wasn’t, you liked the original owner, not me.

Fang Bai couldn’t say these words. She softened her voice. “We haven’t spent much time together. The few times we interacted were because of Xiao Ning and Xiao Mu, and the words we’ve exchanged can be counted on one hand. Not to mention that the person you saw when you were with me wasn’t my true self, you don’t understand me.”

Fang Bai put it delicately, “So the person you’ve fallen for might just be the me you’ve imagined in your heart.”

“No, no.” He Ziyan was flustered, shaking her head to deny Fang Bai’s long explanation. “I like you, I know it.”

He Ziyan took half a step forward. “The first time I saw you, you said something to me. I remembered you then and would think of you from time to time. I didn’t know what my feelings for you were, but the moment you leaned towards me backstage at school, I suddenly understood. All those childish things I did to hurt Ji Yuning were because—”

Because I wanted to get your attention.

He Ziyan’s raised chin lowered during these few minutes.

Fang Bai’s indifferent eyes finally narrowed. Although she hadn’t interacted much with He Ziyan, and her initial attitude towards her wasn’t warm, they had known each other for nearly a year. Fang Bai couldn’t just turn around and ignore He Ziyan.

At the age of sixteen or seventeen, if someone was hurt and not properly guided, it might become a thorn in their heart, leading them down an extreme path.

Especially someone like He Ziyan, who had become a rebellious teenager in the book for the sake of the original owner.

“Ziyan,” Fang Bai called out.

He Ziyan’s heart trembled.

She had wanted Fang Bai to call her name like this countless times, but only now did she not want it.

He Ziyan’s eyes stung from the wind. “Mmm.”

Fang Bai said softly, “Today is your seventeenth birthday. I’m very happy you’ve reached seventeen. You’ll have eighteen, nineteen… After the college entrance exams, you’ll leave Hu City to study in another city, entering a bigger environment, meeting all sorts of people. At that time, you’ll meet the person who truly resonates with your heart, and you’ll be together, you’ll live together.”

Fang Bai’s lips moved slightly. “So you have a bright future, you—”

He Ziyan interrupted Fang Bai, insisting, “I hope that person is you.”

Fang Bai’s eyelid twitched.

She knew that He Ziyan wasn’t pretending not to understand her words, but that she couldn’t be the person to save He Ziyan.

To avoid giving He Ziyan any expectations…

Fang Bai’s tone was faint, distant and unfamiliar. “I’m sorry, I don’t like kids.”

He Ziyan had thought of many reasons why Fang Bai might reject her, but this one had never crossed her mind.

All the answers she had formulated in her heart were useless at this moment.

The atmosphere between the two fell into a deathly silence.

Two breaths later, the phone Fang Bai was holding vibrated.

The slight vibration broke the silence between the two. In unison, they looked at the phone.

Fang Bai’s eyes flickered, and she held up her phone.

[Wait for me downstairs.]

It was Ji Yuning.

She had forgotten that she had come upstairs to find Ji Yuning…

Fang Bai looked up and saw He Ziyan’s gaze move away from her phone.

After a pause, Fang Bai said to He Ziyan, “I’ll go downstairs first. Do you want to come with me?”

He Ziyan shook her head. “I’ll go down in a bit.”

“Okay.” Fang Bai turned around.

Just as she was about to leave, He Ziyan called out again, “Aunt Fang.”

Fang Bai just stopped, not turning to look at He Ziyan.

He Ziyan raised her head slightly, looking at the light blue in front of her. It was indeed different from dark blue. Was she deceiving herself, still thinking she could have some connection with the other person?

“Aunt Fang, today is my birthday. Can you grant me one wish?”

Fang Bai hesitated for a moment, then turned her head slightly. “…Say it.”

“I hope that no matter what happens today, I can still call you Aunt Fang,” He Ziyan said.

One minute later.

He Ziyan stood in the empty hallway, looking down at the crowd gathered on the first floor. The light blue that had just gone downstairs also entered her sight.

The wish she had just made had been granted by the other person.

Blinking her sore eyes, He Ziyan didn’t go downstairs but instead turned and walked towards the depths of the balcony.

Standing in front of the railing, under the cheerful atmosphere of the birthday celebration in the yard, sadness filled He Ziyan’s eyes. “You were right,” she murmured.

Speaking softly to herself, as if talking to the air.

But He Ziyan’s gaze shifted from the yard to a certain spot on the balcony and continued, “She won’t like me.”

In the corner, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

Remembering what the woman had said, He Ziyan smiled self-deprecatingly and then said to Ji Yuning, who had walked up to her, “But she won’t like you either.”

Ten minutes earlier.

He Ziyan had asked Ji Yuning to come upstairs with her.

After the two arrived, He Ziyan, without any preamble, asked directly, “Do you like Aunt Fang?”

Ji Yuning glanced at He Ziyan without speaking.

For He Ziyan, the answer was no longer important. She raised her eyebrows and said, “Tonight, I’m going to confess to Aunt Fang.”

This time, Ji Yuning gave He Ziyan a response, just a faint “Mmm.”

He Ziyan frowned. “Aren’t you angry?”

Although Ji Yuning didn’t say it, she knew that Ji Yuning liked Fang Bai.

Ji Yuning said, “It’s none of my business.”

He Ziyan found Ji Yuning’s attitude strange. “What if Aunt Fang gets together with me?”

Ji Yuning glanced sideways at He Ziyan, indifferent. “She won’t like you.”

Naturally, she wouldn’t be with you.

He Ziyan’s expression froze, and she questioned, “What makes you so sure?”

Ji Yuning didn’t directly answer He Ziyan’s question. She said, “How about confessing on a different day?”

“No,” He Ziyan shook her head. “I’ve been thinking about it for a week, and today’s the day.”

Ji Yuning glanced out of the corner of her eye at the person stepping onto the second floor and said faintly, “She’s here.”

Then, He Ziyan heard Fang Bai call her name and ask Ji Yuning where she was.

He Ziyan hadn’t considered confessing to Fang Bai in front of Ji Yuning.

It was entirely out of jealousy towards Ji Yuning that she had subconsciously blurted it out.

“…”

Ji Yuning ignored He Ziyan’s words, her face devoid of any expression.

He Ziyan didn’t understand why Ji Yuning was so calm. Clearly, Fang Bai’s words had not only rejected her but also rejected Ji Yuning.

She didn’t like kids.

Both she and Ji Yuning were kids.

Staring at Ji Yuning for two seconds, He Ziyan turned her head and looked at the scattered crowd in the yard. She wondered if their smiling faces were genuine. After hearing too many flattering words, one could lose their way.

The pride in He Ziyan’s eyes faded, and she pursed her lips. “Thank you.”

Thank you for what?

Thank you, Ji Yuning, for not appearing when she impulsively confessed; thank you, Ji Yuning, for sending Fang Bai away with a message when she was rejected by Fang Bai and didn’t know how to awkwardly share a room with her; thank you, Ji Yuning… for not laughing at her.

Looking at the person whose eyes were red, Ji Yuning handed over the tissue in her hand.

After He Ziyan took it, Ji Yuning didn’t linger and turned to leave.

However, after stepping out onto the balcony and hearing the person behind her still sniffling, Ji Yuning said faintly, “Thank you.”

He Ziyan was taken aback, turning her head to look at Ji Yuning’s retreating back, not understanding what Ji Yuning was thanking her for.