Chapter 63: With Me Here, You’ll Find It Hard to Stay Single

With a loud bang, it felt as though something had exploded inside her head.

Indirect kiss.

She coughed even harder.

Bian Yang’s long fingers rested lightly on her back, gently soothing her breath, while his other hand covered his stomach as he laughed without restraint.

Tang Yu’s face was flushed crimson, and she desperately wished for some ice water; she felt unbearably hot. Her whole body was burning, her mind a muddled mess, completely incapable of coherent thought. Even her fingers, clenched tightly on her knees, felt scalding.

The sound of laughter by her ear showed no sign of abating.

She glared at him, cheeks aflame, only to meet Bian Yang’s eyes as he propped his chin on his hand, clearly enjoying himself.

Immediately, she remembered another time when he had teased her like this. That time, they'd had two identical glass cups, and though she was certain she drank from her own, Bian Yang insisted she’d taken his.

So this time, he must be up to mischief again!

Tang Yu clenched her fists, her bright, clear eyes brimming with tears from coughing, glaring at him with all the pitiful defiance she could muster.

“Bian Yang, you’re messing with me again! This time, did I drink from my own cup or not? How could you be like this?”

Bian Yang tapped the table. “Hey, Tang Little Rain, so now you’re learning to turn the tables on me? You really did drink from my cup.”

“I don’t believe you—unless you can prove it,” she said, puffing out her cheeks.

The girl was getting smarter—not only refusing to prove herself, but even learning to toss the trouble back at him.

Bian Yang pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “If you’re so convinced this cup is yours, fine, it’s yours.”

Then, he took the cup she had just drunk from and placed it before himself, his fingers tapping the side of the glass. “Then this one is mine.”

As the saying goes, the older the ginger, the spicier.

Watching Tang Yu’s conflicted expression, the curve of Bian Yang’s lips only deepened.

Tang Yu puffed up in indignation, feeling herself cornered once again. Bian Yang never played by the rules.

Well then, she wouldn’t play by the rules either. She raised her brows and said with affected nonchalance, “If you think that cup is yours, then go ahead and drink from it.”

She crossed her arms, waiting to see what he would do.

If it wasn’t his, he surely wouldn’t drink it—that would be admitting defeat!

Yet in the next moment, Bian Yang picked up the juice, sipped it slowly, and as he drank, his gaze lifted from the rim to her rosy lips.

The girl, as if her gamble had paid off, beamed with triumph. “You lost, Bian Yang! I knew I didn’t drink from the wrong cup. The one I drank was mine, and this one is yours—otherwise you wouldn’t have drunk from it. Hmph, you’re always making fun of me.”

Bian Yang set down the juice, his eyes glinting with amusement as he looked at her. “Tang Little Rain, did you ever consider that I knew full well it was your cup, and drank it anyway?”

The smile froze on Tang Yu’s face.

He said quietly, “It’s all poured from the same bottle, but why does your cup taste a little sweeter than mine?”

“What nonsense are you talking about…”

“Tang Little Rain, we’ve now had an indirect kiss twice. This time, you even invited me to.”

Tang Yu’s mind went utterly blank, unable to process a thing.

Bian Yang leaned in, admiring the flush on her cheeks. “It’s very sweet.”

He dared not imagine just how sweet it would be to taste her lips directly.

His grin was downright wicked. “But now we’re even. You coveted me once, and I coveted you once.”

With that, his slender fingers lifted his cup to clink gently against hers, producing a crisp, clear sound.

Tang Yu’s eyes flickered, doing her best to remain calm. “You must be pretending.”

Bian Yang raised an eyebrow. “Do I look like I’m pretending?”

It was precisely because he seemed so natural that she suspected he was pretending!

Tang Yu stammered, clearly out of her depth, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

“If that cup was mine, why would you drink it? Knowing it’s mine, you wouldn’t…”

“Maybe I did it on purpose.”

He smiled, his words tumbling easily from his lips, interrupting her, evidently delighted.

Tang Yu was left wide-eyed and blushing, sitting there in a daze.

He knew it was hers, yet he still drank it…

What did that mean…?

Even after leaving the restaurant, as Bian Yang walked her back to the dormitory, Tang Yu’s soul seemed to be drifting somewhere outside her body, her mind a fog.

His words kept echoing in her head:

—Did you ever consider that I knew full well it was your cup, and drank it anyway?
—You coveted me once, and I coveted you once.
—Maybe I did it on purpose.

What on earth was he getting at…?

“Hey, Tang Little Rain, this is your stop. You’re still heading that way? That’s the boys’ dorm.”

Bian Yang hooked two fingers through her collar and pulled her back.

Tang Yu finally snapped out of her daze, halting under the streetlamp and looking up at him.

The light seemed to favor him especially; he stood there, relaxed, strikingly handsome. He raised his hand and gently patted her head. “Get some rest. Best of luck on your mock exam tomorrow.”

“Oh…” she replied blankly, turning to head into the dormitory.

Bian Yang caught the strap of her bag from behind. Tang Yu turned back in confusion, and he smiled slyly. “Do you remember what I just told you? Let’s review it together.”

“Ah?” Her mind was already in shambles, unable to recall anything.

Hands in his pockets, Bian Yang lifted his chin toward her. “If Zhou Xunwen confesses to you, what will you say?”

That, she remembered—but couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Looking down, Bian Yang clicked his tongue softly. “See, your memory really is poor.”

“I remember,” she mumbled, her eyes downcast.

She was too well-mannered to say anything harsh. He didn’t press the point, just smiled and said, “As long as you remember.”

“There’s one more thing you must remember.”

He spoke.

Tang Yu hesitated. “What is it?”

Bian Yang looked at her. “Before your birthday, not just Zhou Xunwen, but no matter who confesses to you, you mustn’t accept. Understand?”

“Oh…” She assumed he was worried about her studies, so she nodded and asked, “Then after my birthday, can I?”

At those words, Bian Yang’s face darkened noticeably. He rapped her on the head with a knuckle and glared at her. “No! Even after your birthday, you can’t accept anyone’s confession. You’ve got some nerve, thinking you can have it both ways.”

“Not before my birthday, not after either?” Tang Yu grumbled, holding her head. “Am I supposed to stay single forever? Wang Qing says if you don’t date in college, it’ll be hard to find a boyfriend later…”

That made Bian Yang laugh out of sheer exasperation, his jaw clenching imperceptibly.

So in her eyes, he was just thin air!

He reached out and ruffled her hair into a mess.

“With me around, it’ll be hard for you to stay single!”

With that, he gave her a gentle push toward the dormitory.

“Go in and get some sleep. See you at the exam tomorrow.”

Tang Yu wanted to say, but… we might not even be in the same exam room.