Confession (rewritten chapter)

Lan Xiang, panting and full of sweat, arrived at the training grounds.

"...I was waiting for you." Lu Xifa curled her hair as she glanced at Lan Xiang. Her cheeks were red as the sun set behind the two mountains.

Lan Xiang gulped. 'Why... does she look cuter than usual?'

Lu Xifa wore neither her home clothes nor her uniform, both of which Lan Xiang was used to. Instead, she wore a simple white dress.

"Waiting for me? I didn't take that long to arrive." Lan Xiang responded with his usual quippy tone, as he looked at the ground, avoiding her gaze.

"...I know. You took 22 seconds after my call."

Lu Xifa's unnaturally soft voice invaded Lan Xiang's brain.

'What is this? She never speaks this way to me... The last time I heard this was when she was talking to her grandma.'

He scratched his head. "Ha, hehe, so... um, what is it? Why did you call me out here?"

"That is, you need to come closer."

Lan Xiang slowly took a step forward. He breathed carefully, regaining his composure.

In the end, he stopped about a meter away from Lu Xifa.

Their gazes met, immediately after which they looked down onto the ground.

Lu Xifa's heart started beating faster. Her face became more and more flushed as she became more aware of the situation she had gotten herself into.

'Pull yourself together, Lu Xifa! Cousin Jian has already given you permission!'

As she clenched her fist, she raised her head, meeting Lan Xiang's gaze.

One part flustered, and another confused. That was what she had gotten from looking into his eyes.

A bout of silence ensued as their gazes prolonged for a period of time. Neither of them felt awkward. Rather, it was comfortable.

Lu Xifa's face turned redder as time went on, and she was well aware. It wasn't supposed to be hot in this place, yet her face felt like it was burning.

'Ah, my face is red now, isn't it? Would he get the message?'

She bit her lip. 'He has been dense until now... Unless I say it properly, he would only think that I have a fever or something.'

This was what she deduced his thoughts were, using her years of experience reading manga.

On the other hand, Lan Xiang's heart was like an unstoppable engine.

'Yup. She's totally crushing on me. Yup, yup. Definitely, no mistaking it.'

Lan Xiang had two sets of memories, and he had never been confessed to in one of them. As such, the virgin power overcame the other set of memory's composure.

Lu Xifa gathered all of her courage, and was about to open her mouth when Lan Xiang suddenly grabbed both of her shoulders, something even he didn't plan on doing.

'Hm? Hmmm?! What is he doing?' Lu Xifa's head was going wild.

"Xifa, I..."

.....

"...And so, I rejected her. That's pretty much what happened."

Lan Xiang had finished telling the story to Xie Jian, who was lying beside him in bed.

Xie Jian widened her eyes. She thought that Lan Xiang would agree. After all, who wouldn't want to date two girls at once?!

Before she could talk, Lan Xiang opened his mouth first.

"I know what you're thinking. But... I'm not really in love with Lu Xifa."

Hearing that made Xie Jian's heart feel relieved.

In fact, she was a bit scared inside. Once Lu Xifa left the café, she was already regretting her decision to let her fiancé date her cousin.

A torrent of what-ifs circled inside her head. Now that she had heard everything from Lan Xiang himself, she felt quite relieved.

"Although, now that I know you're okay with it..."

"Don't even think about it."

"Okay..."

.....

Morning.

Ye Qingle headed out of the mansion with baggy eyes, in her uniform and all ready to go to school.

She didn't get much sleep last night. After all, in the room beside hers, she felt that an unspeakable act was happening.

As soon as she saw Lan Xiang push the door open, she punched his shoulder.

"Ah! Ouch, what was that for?" Lan Xiang rubbed his shoulder.

"Next time, don't invite me to sleep over if you're gonna do it with Jian Jian."

Lan Xiang lowered his head for a few seconds before asking Ye Qingle a question.

"Wait, how did you hear us? This house has excellent soundproofing..."

Before he could get his answer, Ye Qingle headed off with a flushed face.

"Wait, Qingle! You're, erm, not gonna take the portal with me?"

Ye Qingle froze in her footsteps before reluctantly heading back.

"Heh, that's what I thought."

"Wipe that stupid smug look off your face and open the portal already."

"Whatever you say." Lan Xiang shrugged it off.

He tore open the space in front of him.

"You go first, m'lady."

"Hmph!"

Ye Qingle was really annoyed by Lan Xiang's overly sarcastic tone and rushed through the portal.

"Jian'er, goodbye! Love you!" Lan Xiang waved towards a window.

Xie Jian, who was watching them through the window, chuckled. She sent a kiss towards him.

"Bye, Xiang."

Lan Xiang and Ye Qingle arrived in the girl's bathroom.

"What the hell! Why did you bring us here!" Ye Qingle panicked as she gradually recognized the place.

"Ah, I'm sorry! I was just used to going here!"

"Used to?!"

"You know, when Xifa takes us through her portal..."

While they were arguing, another portal opened up in front of them.

"When I do what?"

"You know, let's get out of here first..." Ye Qingle pushed the two of them out as she followed suit.

As they walked through the hallway, Lu Xifa glanced at Ye Qingle and Lan Xiang.

'They seem to be a lot closer now... and Qingle has baggy eyes? Not to mention, they both came from the same portal...'

Lu Xifa's train of thought gradually sped up before coming to an abrupt halt.

Right before they could go inside their classroom, Lu Xifa blocked both Ye Qingle and Lan Xiang's path.

"You... You scum of the earth!" Lu Xifa pointed at Lan Xiang angrily.

Lan Xiang and Ye Qingle were startled.

"Hey, hey, what's gotten into you?"