She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Secret — You Don’t Have to Hide Anymore. I Found…

Lu Shuyu had always felt that her ten-year-older self was quite brave. But as it turned out, only a little—not too much.

“Then punish me.”

Xia Leshuang’s breath tangled with hers. The soft touch was inches away; that feeling of almost-touching-but-not brought a strange, electric numbness.

Her physical reaction was faster than her brain. She pulled away as if she’d been shocked and quickly fled back to her room. Before closing the door, she poked her head out again, her gaze colliding once more with the person on the sofa.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Leshuang laughed. “Still want to punish me?” She even spread her arms wide, as if signifying she was at Shuyu’s mercy.

Lu Shuyu shrank back, only her eyes showing as she glared back with a mix of shame and fake anger. “Can you be serious for a second!”

This time, she didn’t give Xia Leshuang a chance to speak. “Tomorrow… should we go back to City S?”

Xia Leshuang froze. She stood up immediately, her earlier boldness and seduction vanishing instantly, replaced by a nervous, expectant blush. Those black-and-white eyes sparkled. “Okay.”

Lu Shuyu suppressed a smile, thinking to herself: She really changes her face faster than flipping a page in a book.

But it was incredibly cute. Whether bold or shy, she loved every version of Xia Leshuang.

…

The next day, before dawn, they entered a breakfast shop just as it opened. The owner was a middle-aged woman with a friendly face and an outgoing, cheerful personality who knew many regulars.

“The Princess finally came to the shop to eat?”

Xia Leshuang was stunned. Lu Shuyu couldn’t stop laughing. “Yes, the Princess finally has some free time today~”

Once they sat down, Shuyu explained, “I brought food back for you so many times without you ever being seen that the auntie joked I was raising a princess.”

“…” Xia Leshuang chuckled. “I guess that works.”

Eating at the shop was indeed different. Accompanied by the morning bustle and a steaming bowl of fresh wontons, both the taste and the atmosphere were deeply satisfying. After breakfast, they went home to wash up, change, and prepare to head out.

Lu Shuyu planned to stay one night and return the next day, so she didn’t bring luggage. However, Xia Leshuang—

“Teacher Xia, what’s with the box?”

Xia Leshuang was holding a locked wooden box. Shuyu vaguely remembered it; she had accidentally seen it once while looking for pillowcases. Back then, she thought it was Xia Leshuang’s secret and had scurried away, pretending nothing happened. Seeing it again now, she finally sensed something was up.

Xia Leshuang arched an eyebrow. “A secret.”

If she was bringing it all the way back to City S, what kind of secret could it be? Recalling the “I’m not telling you” response to why she liked her, Lu Shuyu had an idea. But she still couldn’t help leaning in to lightly touch the lock. Xia Leshuang didn’t stop her. “Four-digit code.”

Guessing a password is a delicate thing. If you guess right on the first try, it’s exciting, but the sense of ritual would be shattered before they even got to City S. But if she couldn’t guess it, it would eat at her for the whole trip.

“Forget it,” Lu Shuyu let go. “I don’t actually want to know that much.”

Xia Leshuang smiled. “Okay.” “But,” Shuyu asked, “can you take that on a plane?” Xia Leshuang nodded. “Yeah. I brought it with me when I moved here years ago.”

Lu Shuyu paused while changing her shoes. She looked up, imagining a poor little girl from ten years ago clutching this box. She couldn’t help but stand up and hug her. “Big sister gives you a hug.”

…The person in her arms stayed silent for a moment before seriously refuting: “Technically, by age, I am the big sister.”

The heartwarming atmosphere vanished instantly.

Lu Shuyu let go. “Was I saying that to you? I was saying it to the little Xia Leshuang from ten years ago!” She turned back to finish changing her shoes.

Xia Leshuang sighed long and loud, sounding pitiful and sarcastic. “Oh, I see. I guess the current, grown-up Xia Leshuang isn’t worthy then…”

Lu Shuyu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She finished with her shoes, stood up, cupped that dramatic face, and pulled her in for a kiss.

Mwah.

It was a loud one. Both of them burst into laughter, their smiles reaching their eyes.

“The Xia Leshuang from ten years ago gets a hug,” Lu Shuyu said. “The current Xia Leshuang gets a kiss. Satisfied, Teacher Xia?”

“Satisfied,” Xia Leshuang nodded. “Super satisfied.”

They stopped playing around and headed to the airport. After the plane took off, Lu Shuyu thought about their itinerary. “Teacher Lu will definitely be at the school. Should we go there first?” She glanced at the box. “Or go to my house first to drop that off?”

Surprisingly, Xia Leshuang shook her head and patted the box. “Let’s go to the school.”

It seemed the contents of the box were meant to be seen at the school. Lu Shuyu grew even more curious. Had something happened back then that she didn’t know about? She fell into a reverie, searching for significant moments while guessing the four-digit code. By the time the plane landed, she had several options in mind.

“I’ll crack your code in a second!” she said confidently. Xia Leshuang laughed. “It’s very simple. Don’t overthink it.”

…

Half an hour later, they arrived at City S No.1 High School. The security guard wasn’t the same one from their student days, but he was somewhat familiar with Lu Shuyu. “Oh, you’re Teacher Lu’s daughter, right?”

Lu Shuyu smiled as she registered their names. “Yes, we’re back for a visit.”

The school had been renovated the year they entered, so returning now, it looked almost exactly as it did ten years ago. Before Shuyu could even ask where they were going, Xia Leshuang was already walking ahead with the box. “Let’s go.”

Since it was Saturday, the tenth-graders had no classes. They stopped in front of the bulletin board, seeing several “Outstanding Entrance Exams” on display.

“They don’t show rankings anymore,” Xia Leshuang noted. Lu Shuyu nodded. “They just don’t show them here. Students and parents still know exactly where they stand.” She looked at a full-score essay and sighed. “This handwriting is a bit better than mine. But back when our papers were posted here, I hated it. It felt like displaying your bedroom to the public—a total public execution. So later on, my essays became more standardized; I didn’t dare put my heart into them.”

“Later on?” Xia Leshuang asked. “When was that?” Lu Shuyu answered directly, “Right after the entrance placement tests. Speaking of which,” she remembered a small detail, “I never found out where my test paper blew off to.”

Shortly after the placement tests were posted, City S had a massive storm. The glass on the bulletin board shattered, and the papers inside either disappeared or were destroyed. Lu Shuyu’s paper had vanished without a trace. “At the time, I thought the heavens had heard my prayers and helped me out!” She laughed brightly, her amber eyes shimmering in the sunlight.

Xia Leshuang dazed for a moment, appearing speechless. “What are you thinking about?” Lu Shuyu leaned in. “Shuyu.” Xia Leshuang raised her hand and handed over the wooden box. “Unlock it.”

“So sudden?” Lu Shuyu chuckled, but she took it without hesitation, having been curious for ages. She turned the dial to 0909. Just as she went to open it, the box pulled back. She paused, realizing it was an incorrect password.

“I thought you said it was simple and not complicated?” she grumbled. She had thought of many dates, but since it was “simple,” she had dismissed them. Aside from birthdays, she couldn’t think of anything else.

Xia Leshuang handed the box back, explaining gently, “It’s slightly more complicated than that. Just a little.”

How much was “a little”? Lu Shuyu was stumped. She started spinning the dials randomly, but Xia Leshuang didn’t take it back; instead, she waited expectantly.

“Who would set all the numbers to the same thing…” Shuyu laughed as she tried 9999. Her birth year and date.

“Because,” Xia Leshuang said, “I was hiding inside those nines.”

Click.

The lock opened. Lu Shuyu smiled, pulled the lock from the hasp, and tucked it into her bag. “Now I’ve opened it, and I’ve accepted it. You don’t have to hide anymore. I found you.”

Xia Leshuang nodded with a smile. “Okay, I won’t hide.” She lifted the lid.

The secrets of all these years finally found their owner. A diary, love letters, and that weathered test paper.

Lu Shuyu was shocked and confused. “You…” She found it so hard to believe that she made a wild guess. “This paper… it blew all the way to your house?”

The sentimental atmosphere shattered instantly. Xia Leshuang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “No. I went and picked it up that day.”

Actually, every time she walked past that board, Xia Leshuang had fantasized about how to steal that paper without leaving a trace. But stealing felt wrong. As a good citizen raised by her grandmother, she stayed in the realm of fantasy—until that sudden storm provided a god-sent opportunity. She braved the wind and rain to rescue the paper and hid it away, telling no one.

Lu Shuyu was silent for a long time. Eventually, worry and fear surfaced. She ran out in a storm just for my test paper? “Don’t ever do that again,” she said sternly. “It was too dangerous.”

Xia Leshuang nodded obediently. “Okay, I promise.”

Just then, the school bell rang. It was lunchtime. The sound of students’ footsteps and chatter approached; this was the road to the cafeteria. Lu Shuyu grabbed Xia Leshuang and ran into the teaching building, afraid students would recognize the star.

They ran all the way to the third floor. They crouched behind a hallway wall until the students had mostly dispersed. When they finally stood up, Lu Shuyu froze.

“Ah,” Xia Leshuang pointed to the end of the hall. “Class 10-2. Our classroom.”

Yes, their old classroom. But Lu Shuyu’s gaze landed elsewhere—on the restroom where she thought she had seen Xia Leshuang and Bian Xingyao kissing.

Noticing her gaze, Xia Leshuang realized instantly. “Is it here?” “Huh?” Lu Shuyu snapped back to reality. “You said you saw me and Bian Xingyao kis—” “Don’t say it,” Lu Shuyu manually covered Leshuang’s mouth. “That misunderstanding really wasn’t my intention…”

Amusement filled Xia Leshuang’s eyes. Her breath felt warm against Shuyu’s palm. Shuyu retracted her hand as if burned and looked around nervously, whispering, “We’re in school, watch yourself!”

“Oh…” Xia Leshuang looked around too, then leaned in and whispered in her ear: “But I’m very curious… exactly what position made you misunderstand?”

The hot breath tickled Shuyu’s ear. She shrank her neck and took a half-step back. “What position? It was that position…”

Xia Leshuang leaned in again, her face perfectly serious. “I can’t imagine it. Requesting a demonstration.”

A demonstration?!