Did the Tsundere Miss Get Slapped in the Face Again Today? - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: “Can I Kiss You Again?”

 

“Can you continue to like me?”

 

When Jiang Zhi asked the question, she could almost guess Lin Anran’s reply.

 

Most likely, it would be “No, I don’t like you,” or “When did I ever like you? Are you sick?”—answers along those lines.

 

In short, given Lin Anran’s personality, she would never answer the question straightforwardly. She would definitely be awkward and say the opposite of what she meant.

 

Jiang Zhi was fully prepared for her to argue, but the result was…

 

“Okay.”

 

Lin Anran’s eyes were serious, and she answered the single word with certainty and conviction.

 

Jiang Zhi froze.

 

“I said ‘Okay,’ didn’t you hear me?” Lin Anran looked displeased.

 

Jiang Zhi snapped out of her stupor, looking at her in astonishment. She hadn’t twisted her words or said the opposite; she had actually said… Okay.

 

What did “Okay” mean?

 

Her heart pounded like a drum.

 

“What about you?” Lin Anran looked into her eyes and asked, “Do you like me?”

 

Jiang Zhi looked at the person so close to her, at her nervous yet hopeful eyes, at her pink lips opening and closing as she spoke, and ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation.

 

She lowered her head and pressed a light kiss on her lips.

 

A light, fleeting touch.

 

Jiang Zhi cupped her face with both hands and sincerely said, “I like you.”

 

She liked her very much. She liked her stubbornness, her awkwardness, and her childishness.

 

She even liked her trouble-making, demanding, domineering, and unreasonable ways.

 

The good and the bad—she liked all of it.

 

If asked why she liked her, there was no profound reason. Just seeing her made her happy and feel secure.

 

Jiang Zhi had always thought that confessing their mutual liking and revealing their feelings would require a particularly formal setting, advance preparation, a long period of psychological readiness, and many, many steps.

 

But the actual moment happened so suddenly, without any warning.

 

Just a moment ago, they were still picking vegetables and cooking in the cramped kitchen, getting angry because the apron couldn’t be tied. Yet the next moment, the affection was expressed.

 

It seemed utterly unromantic.

 

But it also felt uniquely romantic.

 

Love blossomed on an ordinary day, in a fleeting moment of daily life.

 

Jiang Zhi cupped her face and saw the delight shining in Lin Anran’s eyes because she said she liked her. Her heart instantly softened completely.

 

Love surged through her, and her heartbeat never calmed down, ceaselessly thundering.

 

The previous kiss was too hasty, too brief to even feel.

 

Jiang Zhi’s gaze moved down, settling on Lin Anran’s lips…

 

She involuntarily leaned closer.

 

“Drip, drip, drip”

 

The pressure cooker emitted a beeping sound, indicating that the food inside was cooked. The aroma of the meal drifted out.

 

Jiang Zhi’s motion to lean in was interrupted.

 

She paused for a moment, released the hands cupping Lin Anran’s face, cleared her throat, and turned to check the food in the pressure cooker.

 

Her hands were busy, but her peripheral vision stole a glance at the person next to her.

 

Lin Anran was standing by, head bowed, picking through the bok choy.

 

This little one was surprisingly composed; she could continue picking vegetables.

 

But upon closer inspection…

 

All the tender leaves were thrown into the trash can, while the inedible yellow and old leaves were picked into the bowl. The edible parts were thrown away, and the inedible parts were kept. Everything was done backward.

 

Seeing the state of the picked vegetables, it was clear that her composure was faked.

 

Jiang Zhi bit her lip and chuckled softly.

 

Lin Anran turned her head to look. Ordinarily, given her personality, she would have said something like, “What are you laughing at? Stop laughing.”

 

But this time, she said nothing, quickly averting her gaze the moment their eyes met.

 

Was she shy?

 

Jiang Zhi pointed to the vegetables in the bowl: “The yellow leaves can’t be eaten.”

 

Lin Anran didn’t look at her, simply saying, “Oh.”

 

Jiang Zhi rubbed her head: “Don’t be so shy.”

 

Lin Anran: “Who’s shy? Are you sick?”

 

Jiang Zhi smiled. Good, good. She was cursing again. She was finally back to normal.

 

Although she was back to normal, the atmosphere didn’t seem to return to normal. It felt… awkward.

 

Did others feel this awkward after confessing their feelings to each other?

 

She didn’t know. She had never experienced it or seen it, so she wasn’t sure.

 

Awkwardly, they finished cooking the meal, and awkwardly, they sat facing each other to eat.

 

Lin Anran, the talkative one, wasn’t speaking much, and Jiang Zhi didn’t know what to say either.

 

The atmosphere could only be described by one word.

 

Awkward.

 

Jiang Zhi wanted to break the tension and actively looked for a topic: “How is the beer duck? I found a recipe online and followed it.”

 

She placed a piece in Lin Anran’s bowl.

 

Lin Anran ate with her head down, casually muttering, “Mhm.”

 

Jiang Zhi didn’t know what else to say for a moment, so she simply focused on eating her own food.

 

Why was it so strange? Had Lin Anran regretted it? Or had that quick kiss frightened her a bit?

 

Jiang Zhi felt increasingly anxious.

 

She ate the meal distractedly. After finishing, Lin Anran set down her utensils and ran to the living room to sit on the sofa and play with her phone.

 

This was unlike her usual behavior. Normally, she wouldn’t leave immediately after eating. She would stick around like a shadow, supposedly to help, even though she only ever made things worse.

 

Jiang Zhi looked at the person sitting on the sofa, sighed, and quietly started clearing the dishes herself.

 

While washing dishes in the kitchen, she stopped the water halfway through and abruptly dropped the chopsticks back into the sink.

 

She was so uncertain that she couldn’t even finish washing the dishes. She had to…

 

She wiped the water from her hands, picked up her phone, and opened the search bar.

 

After a confession, why did the other person talk less, and why is the atmosphere so awkward?

 

We both said we liked each other and kissed once, does that count as officially dating?

 

She searched everywhere, and the answers were varied. Some netizens even said: If you’ve both confessed and kissed, and you’re still unsure about the relationship status, then the other person is likely a heartbreaker who is just toying with you.

 

Heartbreaker? Toying?

 

Jiang Zhi looked back at the person sitting on the sofa playing with her phone. She was so engrossed in whatever was on her screen that her face was practically glued to it.

 

Lin Anran turned around, her gaze coincidentally meeting Jiang Zhi’s.

 

The moment their eyes met, she quickly looked away.

 

Lin Anran’s current state felt oddly furtive and secretive.

 

Jiang Zhi smiled. A heartbreaker? Toying? With her demeanor, “silly goose” was a much better fit.

 

Jiang Zhi shook her head, put her phone away, and continued washing the dishes.

 

Rather than searching randomly online and making wild guesses, it would be better to ask her directly after finishing the dishes.

 

Communication was more effective than any other method.

 

When Jiang Zhi finished washing the dishes and tidying the kitchen, she found that the person who had been sitting in the living room was now gone.

 

She had gone into the bathroom.

 

Jiang Zhi sat down on the sofa, waiting for her to come out.

 

Her eyes unintentionally swept over the coffee table, where Lin Anran’s phone lay.

 

The phone wasn’t locked, and it was paused on a search page.

 

Jiang Zhi’s gaze narrowed slightly. After a moment of hesitation, she picked up the phone.

 

[We both said we liked each other and kissed once, does that count as officially dating?]

 

Jiang Zhi was stunned.

 

She almost thought it was her own phone, as she had just searched for the exact same question, down to the punctuation marks.

 

In addition to that search term, she could also see the automatically generated search history below the search box.

 

Does saying ‘I like you’ mean we’re officially dating?

 

How do you date?

 

What does it mean to be suddenly kissed?

 

Will they suddenly stop liking me after saying they like me?

 

Jiang Zhi looked at the search history and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

 

So that’s what she was focusing on while holding her phone so intently?

 

She worried that Jiang Zhi would stop liking her immediately after saying she liked her.

 

“Click”

 

The bathroom door opened, and Lin Anran walked out.

 

She immediately saw Jiang Zhi sitting on the sofa, laughing while holding a phone. Upon closer inspection, that phone was…

 

“You… why are you peeking at my phone?!” Lin Anran was astonished.

 

Jiang Zhi rubbed her nose: “I wasn’t peeking. I just accidentally saw it…”

 

Before she could finish, Lin Anran cut her off: “Accidentally seeing it is still peeking!”

 

Jiang Zhi stopped explaining and simply leaned into the accusation: “Yes, I looked. What about it?”

 

Lin Anran: “You’re actually being so self-righteous.”

 

Jiang Zhi: “Why can’t I be self-righteous? Can’t I look at my girlfriend’s phone?”

 

Lin Anran opened her mouth to curse, but after realizing what was said, she blinked rapidly. The curse was halted.

 

Girlfriend? She’s my girlfriend… Lin Anran’s lips unconsciously curled into a smile.

 

Jiang Zhi walked over and handed the phone back to her: “Isn’t that right, my girlfriend?”

 

Lin Anran was speechless for a while, finally pretending to be indifferent, muttering, “Oh.”

 

Jiang Zhi: “Why just ‘Oh’? You didn’t have this attitude when you were searching on your phone.”

 

Lin Anran snatched the phone back: “Shut up!”

 

Jiang Zhi decided to take the win and made a zipping motion over her mouth.

 

The atmosphere once again became strange. Neither of them spoke. Jiang Zhi sat on the left side of the sofa, and Lin Anran sat on the right.

 

This couldn’t go on forever. Jiang Zhi took the initiative to ease the tension: “How about we watch some TV together?”

 

If the sound of the TV was on, the awkwardness might subside.

 

“Watch what TV? You’re not trying to watch one of those kissing horror movies again, are you?” Lin Anran pouted: “I don’t like watching those things. All that kissing is disgusting.”

 

As the words left her mouth, Lin Anran realized her mistake and immediately added: “I mean, them kissing is disgusting.”

 

A moment later, feeling her clarification was insufficient, she supplemented again: “I didn’t think it was disgusting when you kissed me.”

 

Jiang Zhi lowered her head, pressing her lips together to stifle a laugh. Her shoulders slightly trembled from holding back.

 

Lin Anran’s face flushed. Seeing her laugh, she became embarrassed and angry, glaring furiously at her.

 

Jiang Zhi composed herself: “Got it. You don’t like watching other people kiss, but you like… kissing me.”

 

Lin Anran’s ears were pink, and she mumbled: “Who likes kissing you? I just said it wasn’t disgusting.”

 

Jiang Zhi pretended not to hear her, moved her body, and slowly sat next to Lin Anran, their shoulders touching.

 

“Why are you sitting so close? Move over. It’s crowded,” Lin Anran urged her away.

 

“I just want to sit next to you.” Jiang Zhi had no intention of leaving.

 

Silence fell again. This had happened several times today—they would suddenly stop talking, locking into a stalemate.

 

Until Jiang Zhi suddenly turned, facing her.

 

Lin Anran tensed: “What is it?”

 

Jiang Zhi: “I want to ask you what you’re thinking right now.”

 

“I’m not thinking anything.”

 

“But I am thinking.”

 

Lin Anran looked at her.

 

Jiang Zhi took a deep breath and confessed: “You don’t know how to date, and I guess I don’t either. But I’m thinking about that kiss just now. Did you like it? Did you find it repulsive? Do you want to kiss again?”

 

The fleeting kiss was over before they could even feel it.

 

Jiang Zhi leaned in closer, close enough to feel each other’s breath: “Can I kiss you again?”

 

Lin Anran didn’t answer, but her hand, hanging by her side, nervously gripped the sofa.