Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

He Xinglan was staying at a hotel. She had originally planned to stay with her grandparents, but the elderly couple worried she wouldn’t be comfortable and insisted on sending her off to a hotel. The address He Xinglan gave Yin Qiuman was where she was currently staying.

He Xinglan was actually quite surprised to receive a call from Yin Qiuman after leaving. Yin Qiuman rarely took the initiative. Even that frantic, brief romance in high school was initiated by He Xinglan.

Yin Qiuman arrived quickly, faster than He Xinglan had anticipated.

The moment she opened the door and saw Yin Qiuman, a playful, slightly mischievous smile curled on He Xinglan’s lips.

“The academic champion is here to see…” Before she could finish the word “me,” her lips were sealed.

He Xinglan was forcefully pushed inside the room by Yin Qiuman. The door was shut, and she was pinned against the wall, forced to accept a sudden kiss.

The person kissing her wasn’t very skilled; she only pressed their lips together but hesitated to go any further.

He Xinglan laughed, her gaze falling on the person whose eyes were tightly shut, lashes fluttering nervously. She then took the initiative, turning the passive moment active and deepening the kiss.

The soft lips were like marshmallows, sweet on the tongue, and sweetening the heart, making one uncontrollably crave more, just a little bit more.

It wasn’t until Yin Qiuman let out a soft groan, her breathing ragged, as if she might pass out, that He Xinglan finally let go of the passion that had been delivered right to her door.

“The academic champion’s learning ability isn’t quite up to par,” He Xinglan teased lightly, her voice husky. It was due to the kissing, or perhaps the stirring of desire, but in Yin Qiuman’s ears, it was like a feather, gently disturbing the calm surface of a lake.

However, that calm lake surface had ceased to be calm the moment she saw He Xinglan.

Yin Qiuman understood what He Xinglan meant. He Xinglan had taught her how to kiss during their high school romance, but after all these years, she still hadn’t mastered it. She was usually quick to grasp concepts in her studies, yet in this matter, she was as dense as a wooden block.

Yin Qiuman pursed her lips and remained silent, her ears and cheeks flushed crimson.

He Xinglan didn’t expect Yin Qiuman to answer her question. She walked over to the armchair in the room and sat down, then looked at the woman who was still standing rigidly by the door, instinctively teasing:

“You didn’t come all this way just to ask me how to kiss, did you?”

Yin Qiuman shook her head, then nodded.

Now it was He Xinglan’s turn to be confused. She raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when Yin Qiuman nervously shuffled forward to stand in front of her, looking tense yet determined.

“Are you… single?”

“???”

“What? Are you trying to set me up with someone?” He Xinglan asked with a chuckle. After all, she had experienced a lot of matchmaking attempts since her 23rd birthday. Then, she suddenly seemed to realize something: “You wouldn’t be trying to introduce yourself, would you?”

He Xinglan was genuinely surprised this time.

Yin Qiuman, the good student, the academic champion, the darling daughter in the eyes of parents. The most rebellious thing she had ever done was probably being coaxed by He Xinglan into a relationship—a puppy love.

And now this?

Well, it felt like she and Yin Qiuman had switched roles.

Yin Qiuman didn’t rush to answer, but stubbornly asked again, “Do you have a girlfriend right now?”

“Or a boyfriend.”

Yin Qiuman knew He Xinglan liked girls, but after so many years, she wasn’t sure if He Xinglan’s preferences had changed. If they had… Yin Qiuman’s face instantly went pale. She seemed to have overlooked this critical question.

He Xinglan took in the change in Yin Qiuman’s expression, feeling helpless but also nostalgic. Overthinking was a trait He Xinglan discovered when they were deskmates. Who would have thought that the esteemed academic champion would be prone to imagining scenarios?! Her thoughts would spiral too quickly, leading her to scare herself.

“It seems like my kiss just now didn’t make an impression.”

“No, it’s not.” He Xinglan’s single sentence pulled Yin Qiuman, who was deep in her own head, back to reality. She quickly retorted. Only after speaking did she realize her answer also implied that the kiss was… blush. Yin Qiuman’s face, which had just cooled down, instantly flushed red again.

She felt a bit annoyed. He Xinglan was always like this.

Yet, it was precisely because such an unconventional person appeared in her life, leaving a vivid mark, that Yin Qiuman had cherished the thought of her for so many years. She just never had the courage to try and win her back.

Knowing she couldn’t let He Xinglan lead her on any longer, Yin Qiuman spoke clearly this time, without hesitation: “He Xinglan, do the words you said seven years ago still count?”

“Seven years ago?” He Xinglan raised an eyebrow, then smiled. “I said a lot of things seven years ago. Which one are you talking about?”

There were memorable things she had said, but He Xinglan didn’t think Yin Qiuman was referring to that specific thing. Besides, could the words spoken by a teenager be taken seriously? Could Yin Qiuman really take them seriously?

Yet, Yin Qiuman had taken them seriously.

Yin Qiuman looked earnestly at He Xinglan, her expression as solemn as if she were giving a work report to an executive. “You said I could come find you if I wanted to be in a relationship.”

He Xinglan: “???”

So, she wants to be in a relationship now? He Xinglan chuckled, thinking of Yin Qiuman’s spontaneous kiss just now, and a mischievous idea came to her.

“Do the words of a teenager really count?”

Yin Qiuman immediately grew anxious, her eyes fixed on He Xinglan, always quick to grasp the main point.

“Are you trying to back out?”

He Xinglan: “…”

In the seven years since she and Yin Qiuman broke up, He Xinglan had dated quite a bit, especially right after the breakup, almost changing partners weekly, as if seeking revenge. But once that phase passed, everything became dull. Having a relationship was fine, not having one was fine; nothing seemed all that important, like someone who had seen the world. Navigating the field of flowers without getting a single petal stuck is an accurate description of the current He Xinglan.

Just when she thought her heart would never be stirred again, Yin Qiuman’s phone call came in. It was like dropping a huge stone into a deep, quiet valley.

He Xinglan called back.

And then invited her out.

He Xinglan didn’t know what her original intention was when she asked Yin Qiuman out. Maybe she wanted to see if her former “white moonlight” was still the same as before, or maybe she wanted to completely extinguish the last bit of lingering hope in her heart. But the result felt like performing CPR on her heart.

However, the current He Xinglan no longer had the impulsiveness of her youth. Yet, she hadn’t expected…

He Xinglan felt happy, all because of Yin Qiuman.

But agreeing so easily felt unsatisfying, so He Xinglan said, “Does the academic champion still remember how I pursued you back then?”

Relentless persistence—a woman of virtue fears a persistent suitor. Yin Qiuman recalled the scene of high school He Xinglan asking her to be her girlfriend.

Yin Qiuman nodded hesitantly, unsure what He Xinglan meant by saying this.

“Then I’ll ask the academic champion to put in the hard work and let me taste the bitterness of being pursued.”