Chapter 103: Waiting for You
But he did not dare defy Xie Xu.
He frowned and thought about it for a long time, yet could not come up with any solution. As a result, he slept poorly that night, lying in bed and tossing and turning over the matter.
Early the next morning, He Shi rose as always and waited for Chen Ziyi at the door.
He Shi had never dreamed that one day he would become a man who, though once able to sleep as long as possible and rise only at the last minute, would for the sake of a woman get up early every day just to accompany her to school.
When Chen Ziyi opened the door, she heard He Shi greet her: “Hi.”
Since learning that He Shi had become her neighbor, Chen Ziyi found him far more agreeable. And after seeing him every day when she went out, she could not help growing suspicious.
Once or twice could be dismissed as coincidence, but to run into him every day upon leaving home was absolutely not an accident.
There was only one explanation: He Shi was waiting for her on purpose every day.
Chen Ziyi was not the sort to beat around the bush, so she asked directly, “Are you waiting for me?”
He Shi blinked and froze. His mouth opened slightly. “Ah...”
“I mean, every day when I open the door, you’re standing out here. Are you waiting for me?”
He Shi, whose little scheme had been exposed: “...”
His throat moved involuntarily, and his hands clenched into fists. After a slight nod, he admitted, “Mm, I am waiting for you...”
Since he had confessed so directly, Chen Ziyi was instead at a loss for words.
“What are you waiting for me for?”
He Shi was nervous as he said, “I... I want...”
“Want what?”
He scratched his head and, without even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “I want to ask you for a favor!”
“Pfft.” Surprised by the unexpected answer, Chen Ziyi asked curiously, “What favor?”
Since he had lied, he had no choice but to see it through.
He Shi hemmed and hawed before saying, “Um, I was wondering if you could... have lunch with me at noon?”
Chen Ziyi, somewhat bewildered by his question, let out a small, confused “ah.”
What kind of favor was that?
Fearing she might misunderstand, He Shi hurriedly explained, “No, no, it’s not what you’re thinking!”
“What I’m thinking?”
Chen Ziyi looked at him, still puzzled.
He Shi said, “Can we talk while we walk? Otherwise we’ll be late...”
That made Chen Ziyi choke a little. “All right.”
On the way, seeing that He Shi still had not spoken, Chen Ziyi grew anxious. “What were you trying to say just now?”
“I...” He Shi frowned and thought for a moment, and in the end silently apologized to Xie Xu in his heart.
Brother Xu, I’m sorry! I can only betray you... Otherwise neither of us will be able to get out of this.
“I just wanted to say it’s about Brother Xu...”
“Hm? What about Xie Xu?”
“My Brother Xu likes your little Yiqi, you know that, right?”
Chen Ziyi blinked, then finally answered with a quiet “mm.”
He Shi was stunned. “How do you know that?”
Chen Ziyi muttered softly, “I guessed it. But I thought I was probably right. Now that you’ve said it, I’m completely sure.”
“Then then then, Lu Yiqi doesn’t know, does she?”
When Lu Yiqi was mentioned, Chen Ziyi had something to say but did not dare say it, so she could only answer quietly, “She probably... doesn’t know...”
“That’s good.” He Shi breathed a sigh of relief. “The reason I wanted to ask you to have lunch with me at noon is that my Brother Xu, you know, wants to spend more one-on-one time with Lu Yiqi!”