Chapter 35: Confession

At the Qin family's building, Li Dong met the long-missed Qin Yuhan.

After more than a month apart, Qin Yuhan had tanned quite a bit. Her sun-kissed skin gave her a wilder beauty.

Li Dong's lips curled into a slight smile. He hadn't felt much during the busy period, but now that he had some free time, he missed his little girlfriend more than ever.

Despite his joy, he teased her without mercy: "I almost didn't recognize you at first glance. Did you go to Africa this past month?"

"You're the one who went to Africa!" Qin Yuhan retorted with a mock frown. She knew that Li Dong would always tease her.

Having known Li Dong for six years, Qin Yuhan had long seen through him—he had a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

However, the fact that she had tanned was real. Qin Yuhan sighed a bit, saying, "I didn't notice it while I was in the countryside, but now that I'm back, I see how tanned I've become. I'm embarrassed to meet people now."

Li Dong pinched her cheek, grinning as he said, "What's there to worry about? Your face is still so soft; you could squeeze out water from it."

Qin Yuhan nuzzled his hand like a kitten, then shook it off with a slight shake of her head. Though she was relieved, she didn't care much about others' opinions as long as her parents and Li Dong didn't mind.

Seeing Li Dong's smile, Qin Yuhan put aside her tanning-related complaints and began sharing her experiences from her time back home.

Like a tireless little bird, Qin Yuhan chattered on about her joys and happiness over the past month.

Li Dong listened attentively, showing no sign of boredom.

After more than half an hour, Qin Yuhan suddenly blushed and asked, "Li Dong, did you miss me during all these days I was gone?"

"I missed you so much that the flowers have wilted. Look at me, I might have lost some weight from missing you," Li Dong replied, grinning broadly. He was pleasantly surprised that Qin Yuhan was also speaking romantically.

Qin Yuhan examined Li Dong seriously and said with a touch of tenderness, "You do seem to have lost weight. You're already grown up but still can't take care of yourself."

Li Dong was caught off guard by Qin Yuhan's seriousness and awkwardly chuckled, unsure of what to say.

He had been busy with the supermarket opening and eating less due to the heat, so losing weight was normal.

As for missing Qin Yuhan, Li Dong couldn't admit that he had almost forgotten about her during the busy first month.

He changed the subject, his tone a bit resentful, "You're quite heartless, disappearing for more than a month. Why did you come back only now?"

"I wanted to come back sooner, but with Grandpa and Grandma being so old, I couldn't bear to leave them. With university starting soon, I'll have less time to visit…" Qin Yuhan said, trailing off with a hint of sadness.

Indeed, university was just around the corner.

She and Li Dong would soon be separated, thousands of miles apart. Could their relationship withstand the distance?

Qin Yuhan was troubled. This was her first love; she could persevere, but could Li Dong?

She didn't distrust Li Dong, but the reality was that countless upperclassmen had shown her that long-distance relationships during university were often doomed.

She used to believe she and Li Dong wouldn't be one of those cases. She had confidence in herself.

But now she was uncertain. Why did Li Dong choose to stay in Jingbei, where there were so many good schools, opportunities, and a bright future…?

More importantly, she was in Beijing. Why did Li Dong choose to stay?

Was it simply because Pingchuan was closer to home, or did Li Dong's feelings for her not run as deep as she thought?

Qin Yuhan felt an emptiness inside and suddenly felt like crying.

Seeing Qin Yuhan's eyes turn red, Li Dong felt a pang in his heart and quickly tried to comfort her, "You were fine just a moment ago. What's wrong now?"

Qin Yuhan, on the verge of tears, said, "Li Dong, do you like me?"

"Yes, I do!" Li Dong replied without hesitation, stating his feelings firmly.

Connecting Qin Yuhan's previous remarks, he began to understand the reason for her distress.

Li Dong held her hand and said seriously, "Don't overthink it! There's a reason I'm staying in Pingchuan. It's not because I don't like you."

"What reason?" Qin Yuhan asked, pouting and rubbing her red eyes.

She needed a clear answer; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to shake off this discomfort.

In fact, since the first day of the supermarket's profitability, Li Dong had been planning to come clean.

He had kept it a secret before because the supermarket was still new, and with millions in bank loans, he didn't want his parents and girlfriend to worry.

Now that the supermarket was getting on track and the week's profits were nearing a million, Li Dong wanted to find an opportunity to tell everyone.

Seeing Qin Yuhan's question, Li Dong decided to take her outside, believing that seeing things for herself would be more convincing than words.

Qin Yuhan didn't ask what Li Dong was planning to do and silently followed him forward.

After walking for about ten minutes, Li Dong stopped at the entrance of Yuanfang Supermarket and turned to Qin Yuhan, saying, "Look, this is the supermarket, the first one in Dongping!"

Qin Yuhan looked slightly confused and nodded. Although she had just returned to Dongping, she was aware of Yuanfang Supermarket.

But why had Li Dong brought her here?

Realizing something, Qin Yuhan's face suddenly flushed. Was Li Dong about to…

Li Dong, not noticing her reaction, continued, "It's still just a sapling now. I want to stay in Jingbei to nurture and protect it, to help it grow into a towering tree!"

"A brief separation means nothing. Life is long, and what I want is to grow old together."

"Love that makes you happy with just a drink of water is just a fairy tale. I want to give the person I love the happiest and most fulfilling life, so she doesn't have to worry about money!"

"Li Dong!" Qin Yuhan weakly interrupted, slightly embarrassed, "You're being too profound. Can you be more straightforward?"

"Cough, cough…"

Now it was Li Dong's turn to feel awkward. He had tried to be poetic, but it hadn't worked out. He felt Qin Yuhan was deliberately teasing him.

Li Dong had overestimated his poetic skills, so he decided to be straightforward: "I'm saying that Yuanfang Supermarket is mine! I want to stay in Jingbei to run the supermarket and make a lot of money. I want to support you so that you never have to worry about money!"

"Got it?"

Qin Yuhan's mind went blank for a moment, then she mechanically nodded and muttered, "I thought you were coming to see my mom."

"Your mom!" Li Dong said, sounding a bit like he was cursing. He cleared his throat and said, "Why would I be looking for my future mother-in-law? It wouldn't be appropriate for me to visit now. Isn't it a bit too early?"

Qin Yuhan had started to come to her senses. Hearing Li Dong's words, she gave him a look and said, "Who told you to go visit her? Let's go back now."

Li Dong was stunned. What kind of reaction was this?

He had expected Qin Yuhan to have some reaction—maybe happiness, surprise, or admiration…

But he didn't expect this calm, indifferent response. It felt all wrong!

Qin Yuhan had already turned to leave. Seeing Li Dong still standing there, she said in frustration, "Why are you still standing there? You need a better excuse. Do you think it's fun to lie to me?"

Li Dong was at a loss. It seemed Qin Yuhan didn't believe him at all.

He hadn't considered that this was the normal reaction.

A high school student standing in front of a big supermarket, dramatically claiming it was his and that he planned to turn it into a chain to support his girlfriend—any sane person would doubt that.

…..

After more than ten minutes of back and forth, Li Dong could barely convince Qin Yuhan, who remained skeptical.

It wasn't that Li Dong hadn't explained clearly, but the world had changed so rapidly that Qin Yuhan had trouble accepting it.

The bad boy who used to block her in the alleyways had become a big boss!

That wasn't the point. In a girl's pure world, money wasn't the main concern.

The real shock was that her mom—Yang Yun—was now a subordinate to her boyfriend!

It turned out that the capable young boss her mom talked about was actually her boyfriend!

Qin Yuhan felt the world was too chaotic and just wanted some peace and quiet.

…..

Li Dong also wanted to find a quiet place. He was even more confused than Qin Yuhan.

When Qin Yuhan mentioned "Yang Yun is my mom," Li Dong was stunned.

His future mother-in-law was working for him, which felt very awkward!

He even wondered if his future mother-in-law knew about his identity. Otherwise, why would she be managing his finances? That was a crucial part of a man's life.

"Do you want to go in and take a look?"

As soon as Li Dong said this, he wanted to slap himself. Why look inside? 

Originally, he wanted to show off his status as President Li in front of Qin Yuhan, but knowing that Yang Yun was his future mother-in-law made him lose that desire. He was too scared to be beaten up.

Qin Yuhan had no interest in visiting either. The thought of her mom knowing about her relationship made her shiver with fear.

Both were now completely lost in their thoughts and needed to return to process what had happened.

After exchanging a few words neither of them really understood, Li Dong and Qin Yuhan parted ways. He needed to think about how to handle the situation.

Should he find an excuse to fire Yang Yun?

It might be satisfying for now, but what about later? Offending his future mother-in-law could be disastrous.

Should he pretend not to know Yang Yun's identity and try to please her more?

Ignoring the thoughts of others in the supermarket, Yang Yun herself would likely be uncomfortable. How many bosses constantly tried to please their employees?

"This is so frustrating!" Li Dong complained.

In the end, he decided to just ignore the issue. Qin Yuhan probably wouldn't tell anyone anyway.