Chapter 38 Chapter 38: Kiss!
“Look, isn’t that Peng Jie up ahead.”
By the riverside path, a boy in a white shirt posed with one foot on a marble bench, cowboy hat in hand, striking a dramatic stance.
Passing students were drawn to him, whispering that he must be about to confess to another girl. “The Casanova of the Economics Department,” “The Piano Prince,” “Romeo of broken hearts”—such titles marked Peng Jie’s long history of romances, leaving behind a trail of casualties.
Whatever the praise or criticism, to Su Yuan it all boiled down to one word: scoundrel.
“Yehao, I have a bad feeling,” Gao Jun muttered.
“Me too. Su Yuan, maybe you should hide.”
“What’s there to fear.” Su Yuan tried to sound tough, though unease crept in.
“Look, he’s coming toward us.”
Peng Jie’s smile glowed in the sunlight, the breeze and willows adding to the scene. He stopped before Su Yuan and declared, “Su Yuan, you are the most moving person I have ever met. Please be my girlfriend.”
“See, he’s confessing.”
Though the path was not crowded, a dozen students were present. They cheered at the sight of the “Piano Prince” professing his love.
Peng Jie’s smile widened. The crowd’s support was perfect. He believed few girls could resist such romance.
Recently, Peng Jie had been troubled. The underwear theft scandal had been his friend’s foolish idea, and though Peng Jie was not directly involved, his association with that friend left him tainted.
Tonight he sought redemption through a bold public confession.
Su Yuan tightened her grip on her books and lab coat, her face pale with anger.
She was being confessed to—by a boy, in public.
Back in the dorm, Yehao and Gao Jun would surely mock her.
And she had just endured a similar scene days earlier, when Lin Jun confessed to Xiao Yiyan and she was dragged in as a shield.
“Yehao, Gao Jun, let’s go.” She walked past Peng Jie without expression.
His smile faltered. He grabbed her hand. “Su Yuan, give me a chance. I will prove my love.”
“Let go.” Her voice was low, forced from her throat.
“No.” His tone was firm.
“I am a boy.”
“I don’t know why you hide your identity, but I won’t give up.”
“Fine.” Su Yuan laughed angrily. Peng Jie thought she had agreed, but she suddenly punched his chest.
He fell back, gasps rising from the crowd.
Peng Jie gritted his teeth. Her wildness only fueled his desire to conquer. His eyes claimed her as his own.
“What do you even like about me. I can change.” Su Yuan shrank under the stares.
“I like that you don’t like me.”
“Shameless.”
“Bad men are loved by women.”
“I will never like you.”
“I can wait, even until the end of time.”
Su Yuan sighed. “Such clichés.”
She suddenly had an idea. “I already have someone I like.” She stepped back toward her friends, chose Ji Yehao, and clung to his arm.
Friends were for sharing burdens.
Ji Yehao, reliable as ever, did not flinch. He wrapped his arm around her.
“No, impossible.” Peng Jie froze, then sneered. “You think I’ll believe you found a shield. I will prove my devotion.”
Su Yuan nearly gagged. A man who toyed with girls dared to act devoted.
“Go for it, bro!”
“Break them up!”
“Burn the couple!”
“Thank you all. I will never give up.” Peng Jie basked in the cheers.
Su Yuan was exasperated. The crowd had no limits. Peng Jie even saw through her shield.
She now understood why girls used shields. Sometimes men pressed too hard.
“Peng Jie!”
She shouted, then cupped Ji Yehao’s face and pressed her lips to his cheek.
From the angle, blocked by her books, it looked like a passionate kiss.
“No way, are they real.”
“I feel guilty for cheering earlier.”
…
The farce ended. Back in the dorm, Su Yuan’s cheeks were still flushed. Though she had not truly kissed, it was enough to spark gossip. She realized her move had been rash.
She glared at Gao Jun. “I had no choice. Don’t misunderstand.”
“Yehao, don’t misunderstand either. I meant nothing.”
Ji Yehao touched his cheek and smiled. “Don’t worry. I understand.”
Relieved, Su Yuan felt grateful. Yehao was dependable.
Gao Jun laughed. “Su Yuan, you were treated like a beauty. Peng Jie wanted you. When you kissed Yehao, his face—oh, you didn’t see. It was priceless.”
“You broke his fragile heart,” Gao Jun said mockingly.
“Go to hell.” Su Yuan snapped.
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