The threads of events suddenly dawned on Wu Yaoyao, and her temper flared up. Overcome with emotion, she stood up abruptly and argued, "Why did you let him off the hook so easily? Such a detestable person should have received more punches. No, ten times more." She pretended to mimic my previous actions.

"Do you think I'm superhuman?" I said in exasperation. I pulled Wu Yaoyao back to the bench and reapplied the cold bottle of mineral water to her face. "There were four of them. How was I supposed to fight them off? They didn't retaliate because they felt guilty. But if I had truly angered them, and if it had come to the point of total estrangement, we wouldn't even have a chance to escape."

What I said was the truth. From downtown to Fisherman's Park, I had run a long distance to find Wu Yaoyao. I was utterly exhausted at this point; I doubt I could take on these girls if they wanted to pick a fight.

Talking to Wu Yaoyao with my back to the girls was a trick to comfort her and to catch my breath.

"You were scary back then, BaiQiao. I was terrified." Wu Yaoyao moved her toes a little, looking down at them.

"It's all an act."

If I had not overpowered them with my words, they would have noticed my fatigue. Then I would be sitting here with Wu Yaoyao, applying ice to my face too.

"Even if it was an act, you were impressive," Wu Yaoyao looked at me and chuckled.

I tidied up Wu Yaoyao's ponytail to prevent it from interfering with my work and continued, "I didn’t call out LinGu to give him an opportunity to step down. We wouldn't have to cut all ties with this, and he could slowly sort out the mess with those three girls. We would have fewer issues to deal with in the future. Regardless, that punch turned his face into a mess."

Wu Yaoyao responded, nodding her head though I was unsure whether she understood me fully. Her face, which bore signs of the previous slap, was noticeably better now. Her fair and pretty face looked as adorable as usual. The gentle breeze made her ponytail sway softly.

It was getting late, and we had to get home.

Looking at the sunset in the distance, I stood up and handed the bottle of mineral water to Wu Yaoyao, "We should head home now. Your mother must be worried."

"Wait, wait!" Wu Yaoyao quickly stood up, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat. Her face reddened, probably from the setting sun.

"What is it?"

I was confused, wondering if she needed me to escort her home. I was damn sure those bullies wouldn't come after her again.

"I…I…” Wu Yaoyao seemed to be gathering her thoughts. Her face blushed even more, and her voice grew softer.

"I, I, I really like you. I mean it…. Will you date me, BaiQiao?"

After confessing, Wu Yaoyao instantly turned her blushing face away, nervously wringing her clothes, she stood less than half a step away, waiting for my response.

Her confession caught me off guard.

What's not good about Wu Yaoyao? She is lovely, sweet, adorable, she has a good personality. The sight of her innocence with her ponytails is reminiscent of the girl on the subway, so memorable and impactful.

Yet the better she is, the more scared I am.

What does it feel like to be in love?

Forget it, BaiQiao. This kind of feeling, you alone experiencing it is enough.

"I'm sorry, I've told you before," I looked away, staring at the palm trees sway in the sea wind, licking my slightly dry lips, and repeated my cover story, "I have feelings for Ning Yi".

The tight grip she held on her clothes loosened, the blush on her face faded away gradually, but she kept her head down without uttering a word.

There was a distance of half a meter between us, the sea wind acting as the barrier.

"I have made up my mind," Wu Yaoyao lifted her head slightly, looked up at me from her angle, the corners of her mouth raised to a beautiful curvature, "I will pursue you."

……..

“BaiLu, I’m not going to school tomorrow.”

In the crowded supermarket nearby our house, I was pushing a shopping cart alongside my younger sister, my brows knitted, telling her the odd sentence.My sister was looking at the shrimps lying in the ice, her fair hand touching her chin, probably pondering how much to buy for the two of us. Hearing my words, she just nodded, "Hmm, big brother, what do you think of braised shrimps?"

Oh, my sister, at this critical juncture of life and death, can we not discuss such worthless, low-class arthropods like shrimps?!

"Sure, it's been a while since we had—no, wait, BaiLu, did you hear what I just said?!"

This damned arthropod almost tripped me up. I looked at BaiLu in surprise. I announced that I won't attend class tomorrow, and she was so calm! Usually, she would display concern, questioning me. Who is this girl, as lovely as my sister, really?

Oh…I get it. She must have been possessed by Wu Yaoyao! Wu Yaoyao confessed her feelings for me just now, and I ran away on the spot. She must have discreetly followed me, impersonated BaiLu in front of the theatre, waited for me to pick her up, and then proposed to go grocery shopping as a plot to win me over!

Who would have expected, Wu Yaoyao, to achieve me, you'd stoop to any means, despicable and shameless.

“Big brother, it's noisy,” BaiLu continued picking the shrimp, her black hair swaying slightly, not looking back, “Tomorrow is Saturday, do you still have class?”

Oh, right. Tomorrow's Saturday.

Remembering this, my mood lifted somewhat. At least I would get to live for another two days. If Wu Yaoyao said she would pursue me, I would probably be bothered to death by her and her fans at school!

“Did you forget that tomorrow is Saturday, big brother?”

BaiLu turned around, holding a shrimp in her hand. Her soft gaze fell on me.

“Ah…” I scratched my head, feeling a little embarrassed. I, a student, had forgotten what day it is tomorrow, how shameful.

“Which means…..big brother, did you forget about my performance tomorrow?" BaiLu's voice was still gentle, but her eyes began to stare blankly.

It was so scary, my sister was so scary!

“How could I possibly forget about my sister's performance tomorrow? The shrimp! You're going to squash the shrimp!", I denied while quickly reminding my sister. The shrimp in her hand was about to be squashed by her.

"Eh eh eh!"

Poor Mr. Shrimp.