You Like The Smart Ones? You Should Have Said So Sooner! - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: A Promise to the In Laws

Chen Miao had a look that said, I knew it.

“So, have you confessed yet?”

Song Ying felt a bad premonition. “No.”

Chen Miao let out a long sigh of relief. “Looks like it. That’s good.”

Song Ying: “……” The bad premonition intensified. He looked at Chen Miao with a slightly strange ga

.Hey,” Chen Miao noticed and blocked the other’s vision with his hand. “Don’t look at me like that. I like girls.”

Hearing this, Song Ying breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, he hadn’t thought Chen Miao had feelings for Qin Mian; the atmosphere between them clearly signaled “best bros.” But Chen Miao’s series of confusing statements had made him lose his confidence. He even wondered if it was a one-sided crush on Chen Miao’s part, hidden under a very good disguise.

Song Ying was now completely baffled, his brow furrowing slightly. “Then why did you call me out? What exactly do you want to say? We aren’t close, are we?”

Chen Miao made a face, looking at Song Ying one moment and looking down in deep thought the next—the perfect image of a philosopher trapped by a world-class problem. Finally, just as Song Ying’s patience was running out, the “Great Philosopher Chen” spoke with a look of “do or die”:

“You really like Qin Mian, don’t you?”

Song Ying didn’t treat this as redundant nonsense. He nodded seriously. “Yes. I really like Qin Mian. Very much. He’s the only one for me.”

Chen Miao didn’t find these words laughable. Instead, he grew solemn and asked earnestly, “Then why don’t you confess?”

After a pause, Song Ying lowered his eyelashes and said softly, “It’s not time yet.”

“Not time yet?”

“We’re repeating our senior year. Dating would affect him. And he hasn’t accepted me yet. It’s too early to talk about love.”

Chen Miao was slightly stunned. He hadn’t expected Song Ying to be able to point out the main issues between them so clearly. This made him feel a bit more at ease regarding Song Ying’s character.

“It’s good that you know those two points,” Chen Miao nodded, then his tone shifted. “But, I hope you can remember one more thing. If in the future—maybe one year, three years, five years, or even longer—you two are still in contact, I want to ask a favor of you.”

Chen Miao stared into Song Ying’s eyes with unexpected seriousness. “Go ahead.”

“I want to ask you to ensure that you can always, always like and love Qin Mian before you confess. If you can’t do that, I ask that you don’t confess and don’t mess with him.”

He continued: “Don’t think it’s weird for me to say this. I’m Qin Mian’s childhood friend; naturally, I can’t stand to see him sad. You might think that since Qin Mian is a guy, he shouldn’t be that fragile.” Chen Miao let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“True, Qin Mian isn’t fragile at all. He’s strong and smart. But I’m fragile, and my mom is fragile. My mom and I treat Qin Mian like family; we can’t stand anyone giving him even a little bit of hurt.”

Song Ying’s attitude was resolute: “Naturally, I won’t hurt him.”

Chen Miao laughed, his expression unreadable regarding Song Ying’s promise. He suddenly said, “You said just now that he hasn’t accepted you?”

“Right.”

“Why do you feel that way? To be honest, Qin Mian has an aloof personality. He rarely initiates friendships, let alone brings friends into his home.” Pausing, Chen Miao counted on his fingers. “You should be… the fifth person to enter Qin Mian’s house!”

This sentence genuinely stunned Song Ying. “The fifth person?”

“Uh-huh. His dad, his mom, me, and my mom. If I remember correctly, there’s no one else. Oh right, you can add Li Zhixun now. Since you arrived, his house has actually become lively.”

Chen Miao looked at the pensive Song Ying and flashed a knowing smile. “So now, do you still think he hasn’t accepted you?”

To his surprise, Song Ying still nodded.

“Oh? You still think he hasn’t accepted you?”

“Yes.” Song Ying nodded without hesitation. “I don’t know him well enough yet. His hobbies, his past—I’m not clear enough on them. I can figure out the former on my own, but as for the latter, he’s unwilling to tell me. I won’t force him. I can wait. I’ll wait for him to accept me, to tell me everything of his own accord. When that time comes, I’ll confess. Until then, I’ll just keep staying by his side.”

Chen Miao listened to this long promise and fell silent. After a moment, he suddenly burst into laughter. “You’re quite sharp. And I have to say, men’s words sure sound pretty. Only two months in, and you’re already making ‘vows of eternal love’? I’m really afraid Mianmian will hear this and accidentally say yes to you.”

As he spoke, he was amused by his own “protective in-law” tone.

Song Ying naturally caught the mockery in the other’s words, but he gave a light chuckle: “Yeah, it is a bit unbelievable. It’s only been two months.”

Only two months, and he had liked Qin Mian to the point where he was the only one. Even Song Ying found it hard to believe.

“I can’t guarantee things many years into the future. But for now, I can at least promise you that I will wait for him. I’ll wait for him to accept me. And until he does, I will only stay by his side, without crossing the line. Is that okay?”

Song Ying knew Chen Miao held significant weight in Qin Mian’s heart, so he naturally wanted the other’s approval. The teenager’s clear yet powerful words vanished into the noisy chirping of cicadas. The night cast a protective layer over everyone’s faces, allowing them to barely hide their expressions. In the quiet environment, only the cicadas screamed incessantly.

“Alright, that’s for the best.” Chen Miao’s expression was hidden, but his tone signaled a softening. “Mianmian has had enough… bitterness. I hope your companionship brings him more sweetness.”

Under the cover of darkness, Chen Miao quickly wiped the corner of his eye.

Song Ying immediately caught the key phrase. “What do you mean… ‘enough bitterness’? Was Qin Mian’s life… not good before?”

Chen Miao laughed. “With me around, life was naturally good. As for the rest, didn’t you say you could wait? Wait for him to tell you himself.”

With that, he stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and prepared to leave. He had done enough “warning,” and he was satisfied with Song Ying’s reaction. Time to go home and sleep.

“Oh, by the way, your cooking is indeed good. While I’m away, please take care of Qin Mian’s stomach. Make him eat less junk food.” After saying this, he glanced at the room with the warm yellow light and left.

Song Ying didn’t get up; he remained sitting on the edge of the flower bed. From this position, he could look up and see the light in Qin Mian’s home. Though it wasn’t very bright, it helped him drive away loneliness and cold in its own unique way. It was as warm as the light that shone that night when Qin Mian grabbed his hand and led him through the streets and alleys.

Song Ying suddenly remembered that Qin Mian had also drunk a little alcohol. Checking the time, it was already 10:30 PM. He stood up, brushed off the dust, and prepared to go upstairs to drag out a certain guy named Li.

Having listened to many of Qin Mian’s “lessons” with Li Zhixun before, Song Ying had learned quite a few teaching methods. Teaching Li Zhixun now should be more than enough.