7

Although the boss doesn't have wrinkles on his brain, I certainly do on mine. So, naturally, some things end up being for me to think about.

This guy is going to confess!

Confess... confess...

What a headache. Didn't he just get shot down by Lan Ruo? At a time like this, if he were a normal person, he'd probably just walk away quietly and shed silent tears in a dark corner. But of course, Yu Wenye is an alien, so instead of backing off, his response is to boldly confess—to Lan Ruo, who has clearly shown her dislike for him. I really don't understand what's going on in his head.

Besides, I've never had any experience with confessions. Not only have I never confessed to anyone, but I've also never been confessed to. Now, he's asking me to help him confess. What on earth am I supposed to do?

What do you even need for a confession? Do I have to search online again?

I sat on the couch in the living room, grabbing my hair and trying to think hard.

Forget it, I shouldn't trust that vague stuff on the internet. The last time I trusted some seemingly helpful and reasonable advice online, it ended up making things worse for Yu Wenye. In the end, nothing worked out. So this time, I should talk to someone reliable about it!

But who would be a reliable person to consult?

The only person who came to mind was Gongben Han.

He's probably the only person who can give me any advice at the moment. But this is about Yu Wenye and Lan Ruo. How am I supposed to bring it up with him?

Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I just need to call Gongben Han now!

I grabbed the phone on the edge of the couch and dialed the number.

As the dial tone echoed through the receiver, I suddenly heard music coming from behind me, from the back of the couch...

*"The distance between us is changing..."*

Although I don't believe in ghosts or anything like that, being alone in a dark living room in the middle of the night—especially with the lights off—it was downright terrifying.

"An An," suddenly, I felt a warmth on my shoulder, as if something had attached itself to me.

This voice was unmistakably familiar. I suddenly turned around... "Ah..."

Anyone would scream if a face this close suddenly appeared in front of them in the middle of the night, right?

Just as I screamed, the lights in the living room suddenly turned on.

In an instant, the bright light made me, who had just gotten used to the darkness, feel uncomfortable. I covered my eyes with my hand, and only when I slowly adapted to the brightness did I slowly lower my hand.

"Are you okay?" As I lowered my hand, the first thing I saw was Gongben Han's concerned face.

Seeing the furrowed brows on his face, I suddenly felt a bit shy. I felt really foolish for acting that way just now! The person who had appeared in front of me earlier must have been Gongben Han. Growing up together, I still didn't recognize him right away and screamed like that. Ugh, my image—totally ruined!

"Why are you here? It's so late," I quickly changed the subject because of my embarrassing reaction.

"Oh, that's because a friend told me they saw him in the dessert shop and it seemed like something had happened, so I came over to check if anything was wrong," Gongben Han explained.

The dessert shop... that's a painful memory, one I really didn't want to think about.

"By the way, you called me earlier. Was there something you needed?" While I was thinking about whether to explain the incident at the dessert shop to Gongben Han, he shook his phone at me.

"Yeah, there's something," I replied.

I had originally thought that Gongben Han would take a bit longer to get here, giving me enough time to figure out how to explain the situation to him. But I didn't expect him to show up so quickly. With such little time, I honestly didn't know how to organize my words. What should I do now?

"What is it?" Gongben Han asked as he sat down next to me.

"Well..." I involuntarily stammered, unsure of where to start.

Should I begin with how I lied to Yu Wenye that I was dating Gongben Han? That might not need an explanation, right? After all, when Yu Wenye called us boyfriend and girlfriend, Gongben Han didn't deny it.

Or should I start with how I promised to help Yu Wenye pursue Lan Ruo? To be honest, I know that Lan Ruo actually likes Gongben Han, but I still promised to help Yu Wenye pursue her. Although I feel like Gongben Han isn't interested in Lan Ruo—at least, from the way he acted when we had dinner together, I got that impression. However, I can't rule out the possibility that my judgment is off, or that Gongben Han acted coldly toward Lan Ruo because he knows Yu Wenye likes her. After all, one should never flirt with a friend's girlfriend!

So, should I ask Gongben Han about his feelings for that girl named Lan Ruo?

"Is it a difficult question to ask?" Gongben Han asked with a smile.

The warm smile on Gongben Han's face seemed to be able to tolerate everything. Maybe it was because of this that the hesitation I had originally felt instantly disappeared. I took a deep breath.

"What do you really feel about Lan Ruo?" Although my hesitation had vanished, I was still nervous. I clenched my fists, waiting for his answer. Actually, I didn't even understand why I was so nervous. Maybe it was because this issue was related to my 300,000 yuan?

When he heard my question, Gongben Han froze for a moment. From the way he looked, it was obvious that my question caught him off guard.

Could it be that they actually have some kind of relationship? Does he really have special feelings for Lan Ruo? I stared at him anxiously, both looking forward to and fearing his answer. My heart was conflicted.

"Why suddenly ask about this?" His face broke into a smile again. However, this time, his smile seemed even brighter than before.

"Well, it's just because... I just want to make sure about something..." I stammered, unsure how to explain the situation to Gongben Han.

Even though I looked silly stammering like that, his smile seemed to become even more radiant.

"What exactly is it?" I could hear the faint amusement in his voice.

Why is Gongben Han so happy? I stared at his mouth, which kept curling upwards, and felt like the world was just too complicated. Forget it, since I have to tell him everything, I might as well say it all at once. It's such a waste of breath to keep stuttering like this.

"Ah! Actually, I'm helping Yu Wen Ye chase Lan Ruo. If you like Lan Ruo, then I'll reconsider helping him." What I really meant was, if you like Lan Ruo, I'll stop discussing the idea of helping Yu Wen Ye pursue her.

"That's it?" The moment he heard my words, I almost felt like the warm atmosphere around Gongben Han instantly vanished. The bright smile on his face froze, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." Seeing how his expression changed in that split second, I suddenly felt a bit scared to speak. Did I say something wrong? Why did his expression shift so dramatically? Could it be that he really has feelings for this girl, Lan Ruo? That's why he reacted like that. Or maybe, he likes her, but he's afraid I'll tell Yu Wen Ye, so he's purposely not admitting it?

"Is that all?" His voice was lower, and his head slowly bowed, making it nearly impossible to see his expression. However, I could clearly sense the loneliness in his tone.

"I..." Because of the tone in his voice, which carried an indescribable sense of loneliness, for a moment, I truly didn't know what to say.

"Go ahead! What do you want me to do?" Just as I was about to lose my composure, Gongben Han suddenly lifted his head, his face returning to its usual soft expression. His expression made me momentarily think that the loneliness I had sensed earlier was just my imagination. It seemed as if that feeling of desolation had never appeared on his face at all.

"Heh heh! So, no one knows me better than you, Gongben Han!" I said with a smile.

Since he pretended nothing had happened earlier, I should pretend I didn't see that look on his face, right?

"Always with the witty remarks!" He lightly patted my head, his face wearing a faint smile, pure and untainted by anything else.

I smiled back at him, responding both to him and his answer.

"Actually, it's just that Yu Wen Ye wants to confess to Lan Ruo! I promised to help him, but you know I'm totally inexperienced in this area! Would you lend me a hand?" I tugged at Gongben Han's sleeve, looking at him pitifully.

"Confess, huh?" He stroked his chin, seeming to think about something.

This guy probably wouldn't tell me that he doesn't know what to do either, right? Looking at Gongben Han, he's definitely a handsome guy. Even if he's never confessed before, he must have been confessed to at least once, right?

"Come on, help me out!" I said in an unbearably annoying tone, while squirming my body.

I must look pretty pathetic right now, right? But for the sake of my dream, I'll act this way if I have to!

"I..." He hesitated a little, seeming to be unsure.

"Gongben big brother, Gongben big brother, kind-hearted Gongben big brother, please help me out..." I shook him.

"Alright!" Just when I was shaking him so much he looked like he was about to fall apart, he finally spoke up.

I got the answer I wanted, and a smug smile instantly appeared on my face.

"Well then, what do we do?" I looked at Gongben Han, whose smile seemed to be growing wider.

"Candlelight dinner!" Gongben Han said softly.

What?! I thought it was going to be some brilliant plan, but it's just dinner?

"That young lady is on a diet recently. I think dinner might not be the best idea," I said, feeling frustrated.

"She's trying to lose weight? How do you know that?" He seemed to sense my frustration and immediately asked.

Uh, I think I said something wrong. I was planning to just ignore these two depressing days, but now it seems like I need to come clean. Under Gongben's sharp gaze, I helplessly told him everything about the situation.

"So, that's what happened! Now what should I do? I feel like asking her out is a real headache!" Seeing Gongben's brows furrow slightly after hearing my words, I got a little anxious, but still pushed myself to continue.

"Ask her out... Maybe I can..." After listening to me, he hesitated, then began speaking.

Ask her out... Gongben... Suddenly, I think I understand what Gongben is trying to say.

"Really?" I said, surprised.

If Gongben goes to ask Lan Ruo out, it should be pretty easy, right? After all, it seems like Lan Ruo has some feelings for him. For someone you like, even with a bad temper like Lan Ruo, it seems like there's no reason to refuse.

I'm not sure if it's because of the surprised look on my face, but the hesitation on Gongben's face seemed to disappear, replaced by a lot more certainty.

"As long as it's your request, when have I ever said no?" He kept his warm smile, but for a brief moment, I felt like there was something else behind that smile—something that made me dizzy, even if it was only for a second.

"Thank you! I knew you were the best to me!" I said excitedly.

"As long as you're happy," he said, reaching out and gently ruffling my hair.

Although I always knew that Gongben treated me really well, this kind of unconditional help still made me momentarily lost in thought.

"But... a simple candlelit dinner and a confession are still different, right?" I asked, feeling a bit down.

Even though with Gongben's help, it might be easier to get Lan Ruo, that difficult girl, to come out, what comes next? It's not like just having dinner together automatically makes us a couple or means we're getting married.

"Under the right atmosphere, a confession should be a natural thing, don't you think?" Gongben's smile didn't change, but his voice seemed even softer than before.

"I see... So a confession is really that simple?" I rested my chin on my hand, pretending to think.

"A confession? It's just about expressing your feelings to the other person. A confession is just a process, the real important thing is the feeling you have hidden inside before you express it," Gongben said softly, gazing blankly ahead.

"Is that so? Then you..." Looking at Gongben's expression, I couldn't help but wonder if this guy has someone he likes? Why does his face soften like that when he talks about confession? Maybe, deep inside his heart, he has those kinds of feelings too. Watching him, I suddenly became curious about the person he cares about. I wonder what kind of girl could make someone as gentle as Gongben hide such feelings in his heart. I thought, that girl must be really lucky.

"It's getting late, you should go rest! I'll take care of their situation," he said, strangely avoiding eye contact. It seemed like he noticed my curiosity and deliberately changed the topic.

Although I could tell he was trying to steer the conversation away, I didn't ask any more questions. Since he made it clear that he didn't want to talk about it, asking further wouldn't get me anywhere, so it's probably better to leave it at that.

"Then I'm going to bed!" I said, standing up and heading back to my room.

Tomorrow, Lan Ruo and Yuwen Ye are going on their date—candlelight dinner and a confession. After that, maybe my part-time job will finally come to an end? The life I've always dreamed of at the French Le Cordon Bleu pastry school!