It Seems Like My Senior Seems to Like Me - Chapter 46

The two of them arrived at the cinema half an hour early. During the twenty minutes before the screening, they went to a milk tea shop on the first floor and queued for two fruit teas.

Ye Wanjia, usually frugal, seldom drank milk tea—maybe once a month at most. But ever since being with Pei Suye, her consumption had grown exponentially, making her already love-soaked heart feel even sweeter.

“Hold it with that hand,” Pei Suye said, opening the cup and indicating that she should use her left hand.

Ye Wanjia looked puzzled. “Why?”

Though confused, she obediently switched the cup to her left hand.

Immediately, Pei Suye took her right hand in his, soft and tingling, making her feel as if the lightest feathers of a swan were brushing across her palm. Near her ear, a low voice murmured:

“I want to hold your hand.”

So, their fingers intertwined. Even sitting quietly in the lobby, waiting for the movie to start, they felt a simple, uncontainable joy.

The movie, Camellia Blossoms, mainly tells the story of a Chinese woman named Camellia in the early twentieth century. Due to the vicissitudes of fate, she ended up on the streets of Japan, where she was rescued by the owner of a geisha house and began learning to become a geisha.

She was toyed with by fate and deceived by love.

At eighteen, she fell in love with a noble client, who promised to buy her freedom. But later, Camellia discovered he had a family, so she refused him.

At twenty, she gave herself to a man she had only met once, experiencing love’s physical beauty for the first time. Yet that man was merely a traveling businessman in Japan, and he never appeared again.

By twenty-five, through exquisite dance skills, she became the top geisha in the house, known as Hua Jie, admired by men who could only earn a fleeting smile from her on stage.

At twenty-seven, her contract expired, and a gentle, humble man wished to marry her. Camellia scrutinized him from head to toe, then smiled—but still refused.

On the day she redeemed her freedom, she personally removed the wooden sign “Camellia” at the geisha house entrance, performing one last dance for the guests. She then left the geisha house, removed all her makeup, took off her splendid kimono, and used her savings to buy a camellia garden, choosing to live the rest of her life alone.

The film carried a rather tragic tone. The script’s pacing was delicate, emphasizing the tension between women and extravagant love in a bygone era. Through Camellia’s story, it highlighted the struggles of women in that time.

While watching, Ye Wanjia remained exceptionally quiet, her eyes fixed on the screen, completely forgetting that she had planned to secretly hold Pei Suye’s hand before the movie.

At the film’s climax, the silver-haired Camellia gazed over the blooming camellia hills and remarked:

“Love is luxurious and poisonous. This world is filthy and chaotic, yet it becomes clear the moment a woman realizes that love is death.”

Hearing this line, Ye Wanjia finally could not hold back and quietly sobbed into her hand.

Pei Suye’s eyes also reddened. Seeing her beside him—his classmate, Bunny Judy—so moved, he took out a tissue from his handbag, unfolded a small piece, and carefully wiped her tears in the dim movie light.

The movie ended. The melancholy ending song amplified the lingering emotions, leaving a hollow emptiness in their chests, as if they had watched a skyful of fireworks and returned to endless solitude.

Ye Wanjia turned and hugged Pei Suye’s neck, burying her face in his shoulder as she sobbed. Only after the post-credits scene did she pull back, curling into her seat, trying to calm herself.

“So… so embarrassing,” she murmured, still sniffling in Pei Suye’s arms.

Pei Suye chuckled lowly, almost like reciting poetry: “Why embarrassed? Being moved by a movie is perfectly normal.”

“Really?”

“Really. And it shows you empathize deeply. You have a kind and good heart.”

Ye Wanjia dabbed her eyes and lifted her head. “You only know how to say sweet things to make me happy.”

Her beautiful eyes glistened with tears, but she had forgotten her makeup. When she wiped her eyes, her eyeliner and eyeshadow smudged, blurring like ink.

“Heh…” Pei Suye couldn’t help but laugh, showing his bright white teeth in a radiant smile.

Ye Wanjia, embarrassed, accused, “You’re laughing at me! You only say lies!”

“No, I’m not lying,” Pei Suye explained.

“Then why are you laughing?”

He took out his powder compact from his handbag, opened the mirror, and leaned slightly toward her, his voice low:

“Little flower cat.”

“Aiya!”

Startled, Ye Wanjia leaned closer and saw that the eyeliner she had spent ten minutes applying had smeared around her eyes, forming a black ring.

“Ha… how funny,” she laughed, “What should I do now?”

Pei Suye didn’t continue teasing. Instead, he tenderly took a sample of eye and lip makeup remover from his bag, applied some to a tissue, and carefully cleaned the smudges.

“Luckily, when we went shopping last time, I got a sample as a gift.”

After cleaning, he took out a cushion compact and gently covered the area, then used his eyeshadow and eyeliner to touch up her makeup with the precision of a master restoring an ancient painting.

A cleaning lady came in, holding a trash can in one hand and tongs in the other: “Little beauty, we need to clear the area now!”

Pei Suye applied a final layer of powder on Ye Wanjia’s face. “All done. We’re ready to go.”

Their first date included watching Camellia Blossoms, then having Japanese food at Millennium, and afterward strolling through the adjacent snack street until late.

Every detail of that long yet fulfilling day was etched in Ye Wanjia’s memory. Even many years later, she could recall every action.

Yet the most vivid memory was still crying and smearing her makeup in the cinema, while Pei Suye carefully helped her fix it. Every movement was gentle, with no hint of impatience.

Once the initial awkwardness passed, holding hands became natural. Sometimes, when Ye Wanjia felt shy, she would nuzzle against Pei Suye’s neck, and he would tease her just enough to make her even more bashful.

For two student council members, free time was rare.

Sometimes, when Pei Suye had college activities, Ye Wanjia would sign up for related activities, either as a volunteer or spectator, just to be with him. When her literary club held meetings, Pei Suye would wait for her at the office and walk back to the dorm together.

Every Thursday evening, Ye Wanjia had etiquette training. She couldn’t attend with him, but Pei Suye would wait downstairs on time.

Usually, Ye Wanjia would come bouncing and hug him. But that day, she moved much more slowly.

“What’s wrong with your foot?”

Pei Suye moved closer to help her.

Ye Wanjia held his arm. “It’s fine, just a small scrape.”

“Let me see.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Ye Wanjia led him aside, away from the crowd streaming out of the building. “There are so many people. It’ll heal in a couple of days.”

Seeing her limp slightly, Pei Suye realized it wasn’t minor. “Then go to the campus clinic.”

“No need, it’s not that serious, and they only handle emergencies at night.”

“Then let’s go to the pharmacy at the east gate and get some medicine.”

“No, really, it’s just a small scrape. It’ll heal soon anyway.”

Pei Suye said nothing, his breathing deepening. His gaze lingered on Ye Wanjia, who seemed unconcerned about her body. Perhaps growing up in a modest household, she rarely took care of herself—sick or injured, she’d rely on her natural resilience.

It was as if her body held no value and could be risked freely.

Lowering his voice, Pei Suye said slowly: “Little Ye, if the wound isn’t treated, it could get infected.”

“It’s fine… it’s not serious.”

“I want to see it.”

“But… there are so many people!”

Ye Wanjia nervously glanced at the crowd. Pei Suye was the campus celebrity of the Veterinary College. What did it matter if he checked her foot here?

Yet, he didn’t care. Titles, status, or reputation didn’t matter—he simply wanted to tend to his girlfriend like any ordinary person.

He helped Ye Wanjia sit on a flowerbed edge, lifted his skirt to squat, tucking his long hair to the right. He gently held her ankle and loosened her shoe laces.

At that moment, moonlight poured down, pure and clear, bathing Pei Suye in silver. He looked like a statue of a Greek goddess, exuding a solemn, sacred aura.

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