And she realized something with certainty, Bo Yan’s affections were for her, not for her predecessor.
Her long eyelashes fluttered, "Then, can you wait for me for a bit, is that okay?"
Bo Yan was already prepared for Yuran to say nothing at all and didn’t mind; his expected daily routine was simply to see her, tease her, and reinforce his presence in her life.
Relationships need to be cultivated, there was no rush, he had time.
Unexpectedly, after driving for a while, the girl beside him turned to look at him intently, speaking each word earnestly—perhaps due to nervousness, her eyelashes trembled fiercely.
The hand gripping the steering wheel tightened, feeling as if countless fireworks exploded in his head.
His heartbeat accelerated a bit, and he asked uncertainly.
"What did you just say?"
He cajoled her, his voice deep and soft, "Good girl, say it again, hmm?"
Yuran fixed her gaze on his serious profile, seemingly having not heard clearly. So, she slowly pinched her fingers and her voice stabilized quite a bit, "I said, Brother Qi, can you wait for me for a bit, is that okay?"
She had made up her mind that if Bo Yan said he didn’t hear clearly again, she would just drop it, as if she had never spoken.
But he had heard everything clearly; he was just there, waiting for her to repeat herself so he could seriously reciprocate.
Yuran was somewhat stunned and then smiled unintentionally.
Bo Yan also let out a deep laugh, filled with a faint delight. Given how well he knew his girl, he always assumed it would take three to five years to lure her into his nest.
He hadn’t expected his girl to catch on so quickly, and his pleasure was immense.
Seeing his good mood the entire way, Yuran wondered if she’d done something that wasn’t in her own best interest.
Or, had she personally delivered herself onto the chopping block? Was she the fish on the chopping board?
With that thought, she shuddered slightly and didn’t continue the line of thought.
After returning home and washing up, Yuran was about to enter her room when Bo Yan called out to her, "Ranran..."
Yuran paused while pushing the door open, turned her head in confusion, and responded with a hum, asking, "What’s wrong?"
Bo Yan, dressed in lounge clothes, tall and straight, walked toward her with a mischievously smiling lips that made his face appear extremely three-dimensional and refined. He stood before her, towering above, looking down at her.
"Although it’s a bit soon, I still want to ask, how long do I, Brother Qi, have to wait? One year? Three years? Ten years?"
The more he spoke, the lower he dipped his head, almost at her lips, his face almost pressing against Yuran’s, and his lips nearly grazing hers.
Yuran turned her face away unnaturally, extending her hand to slightly push him away, unaccustomed to such intimacy before anything was agreed upon, "Well... it won’t take that long."
"Hmm?" To his surprise, Bo Yan quieted like a hunter, his eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze on his prey, awaiting her to continue.
As Yuran saw that he made no further moves, she took a deep breath of relief, thought for a moment, and looked up into his eyes, "I think I... like you..."
Bo Yan’s pupils suddenly contracted.
Deep-seated emotions that were hidden nearly burst forth but were forcefully suppressed. His slender finger slid down, caressing Yuran’s chin.
Yuran felt a tickle, moved her head slightly, but couldn’t evade his touch as Bo Yan’s thumb rubbed repeatedly on her lower lip, "You like me, but don’t want to be with me?"
Yuran shook her head, "No, that’s not it. I want to like you a little longer, for you to like me a bit more, to be together in a way that we won’t break up, and to give you time to rethink."