I’ll Tell You

"Hey... are you feeling alright? Are you sick?"

Yang Mu was taking a leisure walk with his dog around the area when he spotted a familiar figure. He couldn't help but take notice of her shaking body that he approached her.

His soothing voice was heard by Jiang Shen, who snapped out of a trance as she gazed at him with glassy eyes.

Yang Mu felt dumbfounded when he saw her looking so vulnerable. /What had happened for her to breakdown in the middle of an empty intersection?/

A young man popped up in his mind, the signature aloof and serious face seemed to taunt him every second. His face darkened as he thought of such a person having a great deal of influence over the shaking girl.

"I'm fine," Jiang Shen hoarsely said as she sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

"Stop that," Yang Mu grasped her sweaty hands, not minding it at all. "You're going to damage your eyes."

Jiang Shen still couldn't believe she had been caught in the middle of a panic attack by Yang Mu. Of all people she had to meet, it had to be him.

Her thoughts were a mess as she took deep breathes to calm herself down. Seeing her take great lengths to hide what she was feeling, Yang Mu sat down beside her as he stroked her head comfortingly.

"There, there..."

The golden retriever by his side had sat in front of Jiang Shen, looking up with curious eyes.

After she had calmed down, Jiang Shen only then noticed how close they were. She could feel the warmth of his breathe on her ear as he gazed at her with gentle, concerned eyes.

"I'm fine now..." Jiang Shen sat straight as she looked down at the most adorable dog she had ever seen.

As if nothing had happened, her eyes sparkled as she smiled at the dog. "Is this your dog?"

Yang Mu nodded. "Yes. He's the golden retriever i've been telling you about. Xiaobao."

"What a cute name..."

Jiang Shen muttered under her breathe as she allowed the dog to familiarize itself with her scent before she freely pet it's head. The soft golden fur was like clouds that she laughed while the dog began to lick her face.

"Stop! That tickles..."

Yang Mu's mind wandered to when he had lived in Korea and his past girlfriends attitude when he introduced them to his dog. Some of them did not like his dog, while others pretended to but couldn't last at all once baobao became close to them.

He didn't mind at all that they couldn't be close with his dog, but now he wondered how good it would've been if they did.

For one, Jiang Shen looked so happy that he wouldn't have believed she had a breakdown just a minute ago.

He gazed at the them with gentle eyes. It seemed like xiaobao, who was usually not keen on meeting strangers, had taken a liking to her the moment they met.

"What were you guys doing here?" Jiang Shen asked as she squatted down on the pavement while playing with xiaobao.

Yang Mu looked up at the clouds that had already parted. The previous drab sky was like an illusion as it brightened to a clear blue.

"The weather looked nice and xiaobao had been barking at me for a walk."

"So you were forced?"

She let out a giggle as the atmosphere lightened up with her bright aura. Somehow she seemed different from usual, less tense and not at all like she had put up a wall between herself and others.

Yang Mu laughed. "I guess so."

He wanted to ask her what happened, his eyes were filled with worry and curiosity, but held it back for fear of overstepping his boundaries.

Jiang Shen caught his questioning gaze as she sighed. She needed to tell him to. She felt like she could tell him. Every ounce of her being wanted to. And seeing him so patient made her appreciation for him run deep.

"I'll tell you," she whispered softly, at a barely discernible tone, but Yang Mu still picked it up by their close proximity.

"You don't have to." Yang Mu felt that his gaze might've forced her to reveal the truth, which was what he was trying to avoid. "I'm not in any hurry to find out."

"So you do want to know?"

"I mean, yes but—"

"Then i'll tell you."

"But I don't want to—"

"Yang Mu."

Jiang Shen turned to him and cupped his cheeks with her hands. Even when her slightly callused hands touch the soft skin of his cheeks, Yang Mu could still feel the warmth of her skin against his own. His ears turned red at the sudden intimacy.

She gazed at him sternly. "You're not forcing me. I want to tell you. So I will, okay?"

Yang Mu slowly nodded, trying to calm his furiously beating heart.

"Good."

His cheeks had suddenly lost the warmth of her skin, making him crave for her touch again.

Jiang Shen turned melancholic as she quietly sat down next to him quite closely while she continued to caress the dog.

"You do know that I like Qing Yao, don't you?"

His heart ached when she mentioned another guy in front of him. He wanted her to be filled with thoughts of him and only him.

And as he realized the steadily growing possession he had for her, Yang Mu scolded himself. No girl would ever like a possessive guy.

Not to mention Jiang Shen who valued her freedom more important than anyone. He had seen it for himself whenever she gave presentations in class.

Jiang Shen didn't wait for his answer as she fiddled with her left earlobe. "I like him. And he said he likes me. But I don't believe him."

Yang Mu snapped his head up at her words. They weren't mutual? But they seemed to treat each other especially well, though? Who would ever believe their feelings weren't real? He found it hard to believe.