Injured Zhao Xin was happily picked up by Zhu Qi. As the taxi drove away, she waved at them and called out, “Let me know right away if anything happens!”
Xiao Qitang was delighted, too. The third wheel was finally gone.
He waved back. “All right. With me and Sister Liuyue here, everything will be fine.”
Zhu Qi eyed Xiao Qitang warily. “Sis, if anything happens, I’ll report it to Brother Yunjin.”
What a complete mess.
This was the first time Xiao Qitang and Zhu Liuyue had been alone together since their breakup.
He was a little excited, but also a little nervous.
Every so often, he would turn his head for a quick glance. Whenever Zhu Liuyue noticed and looked over, Xiao Qitang would immediately face forward again.
“You’re quite different from the person I used to know,” Zhu Liuyue said.
Xiao Qitang stopped in his tracks.
He couldn’t help letting out an “Ah,” then muttered, “How was I supposed to let you get to know me when you broke up with me so quickly?”
Zhu Liuyue kept walking and glanced back at him, signaling for him to catch up.
“Actually, I only got together with you because I made a bet with my girlfriends.”
The smile vanished from Xiao Qitang’s face.
He had only taken a few steps before coming to an abrupt stop.
“A bet?”
“Mm. We bet on whether I could get you to write us a song. I was the first one to succeed.” Zhu Liuyue turned around, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. There was an almost innocent look in her eyes.
Her almond-shaped eyes flickered, and she lowered her voice a little. “...I’m sorry.”
Xiao Qitang felt as if his heart had been struck head-on.
It pounded wildly.
“You don’t have to apologize. I agreed to date you because I really did like you.”
Xiao Qitang scratched his head. After a pause, he added, “I still do.”
Sincerity was a lethal weapon.
Especially when it came from a handsome man who said such things to you without holding anything back.
Zhu Liuyue wasn’t exactly a girl who judged people by their looks, but she was still somewhat affected. After all, she had a big heart—big enough to hold a great many boys.
Honestly.
What a headache.
Did this mean she had to do another bonus question?
Zhu Liuyue looked at him with a smile.
“What about your ex-girlfriends? Did you like them too?”
Xiao Qitang gave an awkward laugh. “Do you want the truth or a lie?”
“Either is fine. Your choice.”
Xiao Qitang actually began counting on his fingers.
“My first ex-girlfriend was also my first love. Her name was Wang Guoguo, and she sat next to me in kindergarten. Back then, I thought her face was round and looked just like a red apple.”
“I loved eating apples when I was little, so I loved Wang Guoguo too.”
Zhu Liuyue was momentarily speechless.
Uh...
His first love was from kindergarten?
But Xiao Qitang continued.
“We broke up because we started elementary school. I went to school here, while Wang Guoguo went back to her hometown. After that, I never saw her again.”
Zhu Liuyue rubbed her forehead, looking incredulous.
“So that song you posted online, ‘Green Apple,’ was written for Wang Guoguo from kindergarten?”
Now that was a truly innocent kind of love.
Xiao Qitang nodded. “You think the lyrics are good too, don’t you? ‘That year, you stole half my apple. Your smile was etched in my eyes. Later, you became the apple of my youth.’”
Zhu Liuyue said, “Keep going.”
“When I was in elementary school, I met my second girlfriend, Gu Ai. She was my deskmate and always wore her hair in two high braids that swung back and forth.”
“I was always teasing her, and she would cry. Every time she finished crying, she hated me even more.”
“Later, I told her that if she became my girlfriend, I wouldn’t pull her braids anymore. She agreed.”
Zhu Liuyue looked at him as if he were an idiot.
“Am I listening to a primary-school romance story?”
“Xiao Qitang, tell it properly!”
Xiao Qitang nodded solemnly. “I am telling it properly. That song of mine, ‘Sunshine, Wind, and You,’ was written for her.”
Zhu Liuyue asked curiously, “Did you never have an adult relationship? Something a little more mature?”
Xiao Qitang took a frightened step backward.
He waved both hands rapidly. “I’m very innocent. Before marriage, you can’t just kiss and hug whenever you want, and certainly not...” His face reddened, and he stammered, “You know.”
Zhu Liuyue folded her arms and stared at him.
“What do I know?”
Xiao Qitang’s eyes darted away. “Ah, you were the second person to hold my hand.”
“Who was the first?”
At the mention of her, a trace of remembrance appeared in his eyes.
“I did like a girl once. It was when I was studying at university overseas. Her name was Natasha, and she was Russian.”
“I liked her a lot. She was lively, outgoing, and cheerful. She was always chattering away and had so much to say.”
“Our first date was by the lake on campus. I cautiously reached out my hand, and she took it first.”
Zhu Liuyue nodded silently, then asked, “And what happened? You liked her so much, so why did you two break up?”
Xiao Qitang looked utterly aggrieved.
His face twisted into an expression of extreme misery as he slowly said, “She was wonderful. So naturally, it wasn’t only me who liked her. Everyone liked her.”
Zhu Liuyue understood.
“So another man stole her away?”
Xiao Qitang shook his head in grief. “No. She was stolen away by a prettier girl.”
“She broke up with me herself. She said she was sorry because she had never realized that she wasn’t straight.”
Zhu Liuyue didn’t want to laugh.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t stop herself.
“So your song ‘Pretty Girl’ was written for her?”
Xiao Qitang shook his head, his eyes filled with utter despair. “It was written for the rival who stole her from me.”
Zhu Liuyue asked, “What happened after that?”
Xiao Qitang put on an innocent expression.
“After that, I met you. There simply wasn’t enough time for me to show you my talent and charm before you broke up with me.”
They chatted as they walked and soon reached the shoe section.
Zhu Liuyue picked out several pairs while Xiao Qitang haggled over the prices.
The two of them worked together seamlessly. They also bought socks, hats, and various daily necessities.
They didn’t bring up Xiao Qitang’s love life again.
Just before they parted, Xiao Qitang cautiously—and yet boldly—turned his head to look at her.
“Liuyue, can I hold your hand?”
Zhu Liuyue: “...”
Just listen to him.
Just listen to what he was saying.
Was that even something a normal person would say?
With great determination, Zhu Liuyue reminded him, “I have a fiancé.”
Xiao Qitang looked heartbroken.
“It’s all because I came back too late. If I’d returned a week earlier, I would have crashed your wedding. But it’s not too late now.”
“You two aren’t married yet, are you? That means I still have a chance.”
“You like it when I write songs for you, so I’ll keep writing them. I’ll fill every song on my albums with songs about you.”
That was probably a singer’s idea of romance.
Filling an entire album with songs about you.
Zhu Liuyue didn’t reply.
Xiao Qitang carefully withdrew his hand again and said in a low voice, “It’s all right. You only need to know that I still like you.”
Zhu Liuyue felt a little moved.
Then, in the very next second, he began making comparisons.
“I like you more than Wang Guoguo’s love by countless apples.”
“My love is more bitter than Gu Ai’s.”
“My love is more passionate than Natasha’s.”
The corner of Zhu Liuyue’s mouth twitched. “Xiao Qitang...”
Xiao Qitang’s eyes sparkled. “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you think I’m really talented.”
Zhu Liuyue: “No. You’re so cheesy.”
