Chapter 19: Confession – Their Shadows Merged Together

No one had expected Xu Muzhou to have asthma. Even Qin Shaoqing, who usually played closely with him, was completely unaware of this. Suddenly seeing his good friend fall ill, he was stunned.

“Poor Xu classmate……”

Outside the room, the classmates who came rushing after hearing the commotion couldn’t see what was happening inside and were worried. There were both boys and girls among them, all of whom had a good impression of Xu Muzhou. After all, no one would dislike such an excellent, good-looking, and approachable boy.

“That’s right, we couldn’t tell at all when we were at school before. It must be because you guys startled him just now with all that commotion!”

Hearing this, the girls became a bit displeased, “We didn’t know either, don’t act like you guys weren’t playing along too!”

“We played but we didn’t make a fuss, it was you girls who were shameless, making people kiss others in a game!”

A girl pouted: “We didn’t ask you to kiss, you want to but can’t.”

“You!” The boy’s face turned red, glaring at her angrily and embarrassed.

“Can you not argue here? What if you disturb Xu classmate?” The monitor frowned and reminded them.

The girl who was reprimanded felt a bit unsatisfied. In their view, only Fang Chuning could manage them, who did she think she was? The girl wanted to retort, but at that moment, the room door opened.

Fang Chuning came out of the room behind a woman in a white coat and the teacher, not giving them a chance to crane their necks and peek inside. She directly closed the door, “There’s nothing wrong now, don’t crowd here, all of you go back to your rooms and sleep.”

The crowd, unable to see the patient, was a bit reluctant, but slowly dispersed and returned to their rooms. Only the monitor remained standing at the door.

Thinking she was worried, Fang Chuning consoled her: “Xu classmate is fine, he’s asleep now. Monitor, you should go rest too.”

The monitor remained silent for a while before finally squeezing out a sentence: “Doesn’t the president think she’s being too much? Knowing Xu classmate has asthma but still carelessly letting him have an attack!”

Fang Chuning: ???

Where was she careless? No, how did this sound so wrong? It sounded like she deliberately triggered his attack.

The monitor continued: “As the student council president, you should lead by example, not hang around all day with those female classmates who don’t focus on their studies.”

Well, no wonder they never saw her shadow whenever they gathered to play. In her eyes, they were just a bunch of delinquent girls, and she simply disdained to join them.

Fang Chuning brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen on her forehead and smiled. She slowly approached her two steps and asked seriously: “Monitor, do you know why you were able to become the class monitor?”

The young girl was nearly a head taller than her, with an innate aura and sense of pressure that could easily crush any hint of jealousy, making her completely sober up.

The young girl said: “It’s not because your grades are good, it’s just because I thought you could be helpful to me, that’s all.”

…

At 11 pm, unable to sleep, Fang Chuning went alone to the big rock on the hill behind the guesthouse to enjoy the night breeze.

In the darkness, the emerald forest rustled in the night wind. The moonlight was bright overhead, casting a thin layer of silvery white over the earth, revealing a faint, hazy beauty that relaxed one’s mood.

Fang Chuning took out her phone, preparing to take a selfie in the moonlight. Just as she opened the camera, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow in the lens, startling her so much that she almost dropped her phone.

“President?”

Under the moonlight, the boy was dressed lightly, his eyes fixed on her.

Fang Chuning was still recovering from the shock, “You walk so quietly, you scared me.”

Jiang Luoyu lowered his gaze, the moonlight hiding the faint blush on his face.

Fang Chuning didn’t notice, and with someone else present, she felt too embarrassed to take a selfie. “Why aren’t you sleeping at this late hour?”

Jiang Luoyu put his hands behind his back, fidgeting shyly, and stammered: “I, I couldn’t sleep, wanted to come out for some fresh air.”

Because he had been secretly watching, quietly following you here. He couldn’t bring himself to say such stalker-like words.

“Me too. Why don’t you come sit here?” Fang Chuning moved over, generously making room on the rock.

The boy seemed very happy, his smile purer than the moonlight.

Fang Chuning suddenly felt that this boy was quite cute.

They sat side by side, neither speaking at first. Though the night breeze was a bit cool, Jiang Luoyu felt so hot that he was restless. He bit his lower lip hard and turned to look at her: “Is Xu classmate… is he okay?”

“Mm, he’s fine.”

The girl leaned back slightly, supporting herself with her hands on the rock behind her, looking up at the moon in the sky. The soft silver light fell on her beautiful profile, her half-lowered eyes revealing a hint of melancholy, captivating.

Jiang Luoyu stared at her in a daze, unable to help calling out softly: “President……”

“Hm?” Fang Chuning turned her head.

Jiang Luoyu closed his eyes and leaned in, his lips gently pressing against her soft cheek.

…

In the dimly lit room, the young man slowly woke up. He stared at the ceiling for a while, then turned his head to the left. Qin Shaoqing had fallen asleep slumped over, having stayed to take care of him.

Not seeing the person he wanted to see upon waking, Xu Muzhou felt a bit disappointed. He lifted the blanket and got out of bed, checking the time: 11:05 pm.

Xu Muzhou hesitated for a moment, but still changed his clothes and left the room. Wandering aimlessly, he stopped in front of Fang Chuning’s room door, standing like a statue for about five minutes. He nervously tugged at his slightly wrinkled clothes, slowly raising his hand to knock on the door.

The one who opened the door was Gao Qiong, who was playing a game on her phone. Seeing who was at the door, she was surprised: “Vice President? What’s wrong, do you need something?”

The heart that had been lifted suddenly sank to the bottom. Xu Muzhou glanced into the room, his voice soft: “Is Fang classmate not in the room?”

“She went out, probably in the lobby downstairs. Why are you looking for her so late?”

Xu Muzhou smiled softly: “I heard from Shaoqing that when I fell ill, Fang classmate helped carry me back to the room, so I wanted to come thank her.”

“Yes, at that time no one knew what to do, thankfully she reacted quickly! But you don’t need to be in such a hurry, you can thank her tomorrow too, now you should……”

The girl’s chatter made Xu Muzhou feel annoyed, but he endured it, waiting for her to finish.

“Since Fang classmate isn’t here, I won’t disturb you then. Rest early, good night.”

Gao Qiong leaned against the doorframe, watching the young man walk away, sighing softly: “Why can’t such a good boy be mine?”

Xu Muzhou didn’t return to his room, but took the elevator down to the first floor. However, there was no sign of the girl in the lobby. His brows furrowed with a trace of gloom. At this moment, the urgent desire to see her was like a huge rock pressing on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

The young man wandered aimlessly around the lobby, then walked outside. Until he went around the guesthouse, he finally saw her.

In the moonlight, their shadows seemed to merge together. Xu Muzhou had never thought about what he would do if one day Fang Chuning didn’t belong to him. The person he had liked for so long, if she was with someone else, what would he do? He had never thought about it, because his heart had long been thrown to her, and he had always been confident that the two of them getting together was just a matter of time.

The scene before his eyes was like the sharpest blade, mercilessly carving open his heart, making him feel agonizing pain while completely waking him up.

Xu Muzhou leaned against a nearby tree, his mouth slightly open, gasping for air. He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t help staring fixedly at the two. His fair fingertips were scratched by the rough tree bark, as if self-harming, allowing tiny debris to pierce under his nails. Even the pain of ten fingers connected to the heart wasn’t enough to make him look away.

In fact, Fang Chuning, who was suddenly kissed, was also very confused. Her eyes widened, “Why did you suddenly kiss me??”

Jiang Luoyu’s eyes were watery, his face so red that even the night couldn’t hide it, “President… I, I like you……”

The confession came so unexpectedly that Fang Chuning blinked, not knowing what to do for a moment. Her eyes darted around, her fingers tapping unnaturally on the rock beneath her, “Um, Jiang classmate, we’re still young, it’s too early to date, it’s, it’s easy to affect our studies.”

The boy’s eyes were like those of a small animal, cautious, “Does the president dislike me?”

Fang Chuning scratched her face, “Well, that, probably, no, I guess not.”

Perhaps because the night was too beautiful, she felt a bit flustered.

Jiang Luoyu pressed his lips together and smiled, his eyes curving.

Xu Muzhou, watching all this from a distance, had an eerily calm expression. His cold eyes lingered on the boy’s face for two seconds before he turned and went back to the guesthouse.

The next morning, originally this spring outing had two destinations. After staying at this place for two days, they were supposed to move to an outdoor hot spring pool some distance away. But due to Xu Muzhou’s health condition, they planned to head straight back.

However, the young man said: “Let’s still go. Everyone came out to play to relax and enjoy themselves. I don’t want to spoil everyone’s fun because of me.”

The teacher was a bit hesitant: “But you……”

“It’s alright, teacher.” The young man’s sensibility was heartbreaking. “I know my own body, it’s fine, I just won’t soak in the water.”

And so, what was supposed to continue did continue. Everyone became even more considerate and friendly towards Xu Muzhou, taking his feelings into account in almost everything, especially the girls. Wherever he went, they followed, attending to his every need.

Everyone packed their luggage and prepared to board the bus. Fang Chuning, still at the back of the line, carried her flat backpack. Xu Muzhou walked to her side, his honey-colored eyes carrying a hint of pleading, “Fang classmate, can I sit with you later? I’m afraid I might scare other classmates like last time.”

Fang Chuning had no objection, “Remember to keep your medicine with you.” Last time it took a long while to find it in his bag.

The handsome young man took out a medicine bottle from his pants pocket, smiling weakly yet adorably, “I’ve got it ready this time.”

The two boarded the bus last. Fang Chuning let him sit by the window while she sat on the aisle side. She put on her headphones, preparing to sleep all the way to their destination. Just as she lowered her baseball cap, she saw a hand offering her a pudding.

“You haven’t had breakfast this morning, right? Eat something to fill your stomach, it’s easier to sleep.”

The young man’s “indiscriminate friendliness” made Fang Chuning quite happy. She immediately sat up straight and accepted the pudding, “Thank you.”

The pudding was only as big as a palm, not enough for even two bites for her. After finishing it, she adjusted her posture, ready to sleep. Just as she was starting to feel drowsy, she felt a tug on her clothes. Fang Chuning looked up with a confused expression.

A bottle of water appeared in front of her, accompanied by that soft voice that tickled her ears: “I can’t open the bottle cap, can you help me?”