Mu Yuwei held her phone, staring at the chat screen, afraid she might miss a message from Bai Shinan. But this time, no reply came.
Her heart felt empty, a bit lost and lonely. She blamed herself for hesitating too long earlier—Bai Shinan was probably already asleep.
She didn’t dare send another message. She wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t want to disturb his nap, or because she was afraid to find out he simply didn’t want to reply.
Looking at their chat history, she suddenly had the urge to scroll through their past conversations. She went back a little… and realized most of the conversation was just Bai Shinan talking to himself.
[January 5]
Bai Shinan: Yuwei, the news says there’s a cold front coming tomorrow. Remember to dress warmly.
Bai Shinan: I brought you hand warmers and a scarf. Let me know if you need them.
[January 27]
Bai Shinan: Yuwei, today is Laba Festival. Want some Laba porridge?
Bai Shinan: Oh right, you should be on your period around now—avoid spicy and cold drinks, okay?
[February 16]
Bai Shinan: Yuwei, something really funny happened today. It was about Li Pengfei and…
Bai Shinan: I get it. I’ll be more careful next time and stop saying such boring stuff.
…
That small chat window was filled with the emotions of Bai Shinan’s entire teenage years, yet all he ever got in return were half-hearted replies like [Mm], [Okay], [I see], [I’m going to sleep], [I’m taking a shower].
As Mu Yuwei scrolled, her vision blurred. She could almost see a boy holding his phone, talking to himself, waiting endlessly for a message from the girl he liked. And after a long wait, all he received was a simple [Mm]. He let out a bitter smile and continued trying to tell her interesting things.
Suddenly, she understood why Bai Shinan had turned and walked away after his confession. Those ridiculous relationship demands she made were only the spark. What really made him leave without looking back was her constant indifference and neglect.
Mu Yuwei felt a chill in her chest.
What if… what if Bai Shinan had truly given up on her?
In her mind echoed the image of his cold expression and the words he said that day: “You walk your sunny path, I’ll take my narrow bridge. From now on, let’s be strangers.”
If he had really given up, then why did he secretly give her chocolate?
Why did he take her punishment for her?
Why did he sing a love song in front of everyone?
Mu Yuwei kept finding excuses for herself, trying to ease the panic inside her heart. Bai Shinan surely still liked her. He was just tired—tired of being ignored and unappreciated.
As long as she dropped her pride and wholeheartedly responded to him, he would definitely forgive her. After all—he used to like her so much.
Didn’t he?
After all that self-reassurance, the rise and fall of her breathing finally settled. The crisis, for now, had passed—but a sense of urgency crept in. She needed to do something.
…
Afternoon break ended.
Bai Shinan returned to class right on time. As he passed by Zhu Yuyou’s seat, he casually greeted her.
But Zhu Yuyou didn’t seem to want to respond. She turned her head away and pretended not to see him, her expression slightly aggrieved.
Bai Shinan had no idea what he had done to upset her, but class was about to start. He had no chance to ask and could only plan to talk to her after class.
What he didn’t expect was that Zhu Yuyou seemed to have anticipated his move. As soon as the bell rang, she darted into the girls’ restroom and didn’t return until the next class. There was no way he could chase her into there like a creep.
So, until the end of the school day, Bai Shinan never found an opportunity to speak with her.
As soon as the bell rang for dismissal, Zhu Yuyou ran off again as expected. Bai Shinan was just about to chase after her when someone grabbed his wrist from behind.
“Shinan, let’s have dinner together?” Mu Yuwei lowered her head, cheeks slightly red. It was the first time she had ever invited a boy to eat with her.
Bai Shinan glanced at the hand holding his wrist. It was a rare sight. Even later, when Mu Yuwei became his girlfriend, she rarely ever held his hand first. Honestly, it was kind of ironic. Find the original chapter at novelping(.)com.
“No. Let go. I have something to do,” Bai Shinan flicked his wrist, pulling away from her hand and immediately ran off toward the exit.
Mu Yuwei’s hand froze in mid-air. He had actually shaken her off. In her mind, Bai Shinan was supposed to playfully hesitate before agreeing—after all, it was her initiative.
“He’s so ungrateful. Does he really think singing a love song for you makes him some kind of big shot?” Liu Tiantian muttered in annoyance.
“Tiantian, don’t say that. It was my fault for being too willful before. He has every right to be mad at me.” For once, Mu Yuwei didn’t back Liu Tiantian’s words.
“Yuwei, you’re not seriously going to lower yourself to please him, are you? Don’t be silly. With your qualities, there are plenty of people who’d treat you like a treasure.”
“Besides, can you really call it ‘willful’ when a girl acts a little difficult? Most people would beg for the chance to be on the receiving end of your so-called ‘willfulness.’ Bai Shinan just doesn’t know how lucky he is.”
“Think about it. If you back down the moment he puts on a cold face, and he gets used to it, won’t he keep giving you the cold shoulder in the future?”
Liu Tiantian was so anxious she could barely speak straight. If Mu Yuwei humbled herself, how was she going to keep ordering Bai Shinan around like her personal errand boy?
She couldn’t get a boyfriend like Bai Shinan—handsome and well-behaved—but she sure enjoyed treating him like a tool. Getting him to run errands gave her a massive sense of superiority.
“Well…” Mu Yuwei hesitated. What Liu Tiantian said had been one of her own concerns. If she gave in now, then in the future, whenever they argued, Bai Shinan might just give her the cold shoulder until she was forced to give in again.
But she also couldn’t do nothing. What if she waited too long and Bai Shinan gave up on her completely? That would be far worse.
“Yuwei, I have an idea. Listen to me…” Liu Tiantian saw her hesitation and leaned in, whispering something into her ear.
“This… will it really work? What if Shinan gets mad and ignores me for real?” Mu Yuwei felt uneasy. The plan was risky—but undeniably tempting.
“Have I ever steered you wrong? Trust me. Just follow my lead and Bai Shinan will fall right in line.” Liu Tiantian swore confidently.
“Let me think about it.” A flicker of struggle passed through Mu Yuwei’s eyes.