8
“Sorry, time’s up. From this moment on, Trình Ngôn’s time belongs to me.”
I looked up and saw Cố Hoài’s jaw set tight. His face was as cold as ever—but I knew he was furious.
The air around us seemed to freeze. His gaze swept over me, jealousy and anger threatening to spill out.
Before I could take in everyone’s expressions or hear Vu Phi try to stop me, Cố Hoài coldly grabbed my hand and pulled me away.
I gave my tightly gripped wrist a little tug and groaned:
“You’re hurting me. Let go.”
Cố Hoài said nothing, but his grip on my wrist softened considerably.
I sneaked a glance at his face, silently trying to talk myself up. Cố Hoài’s temper had been getting shorter lately—and I hadn’t even agreed to date him yet. Wasn’t he being a little too controlling?
But one look at his expressionless face still made me a little afraid. I was lost in thought when he suddenly stopped.
I couldn’t stop in time and nearly crashed into Cố Hoài’s back.
“Trình Ngôn, explain.”
Cố Hoài turned around. His face was still cold, but a storm of anger churned in those usually calm eyes.
Not wanting to make things more complicated, I decided to come clean:
“Vu Phi was being forced to go on a blind date. I was just filling in for him—and I wasn’t doing it for free. He promised to pay me. And you just ruined everything!”
I felt a little sorry for him. This time, Vu Phi probably wouldn’t escape a thorough beating.
Cố Hoài stepped closer, frowning at me:
“Oh? So it’s my fault? Are you disappointed you didn’t get to kiss him?”
His “death glare” pinned me in place. I felt like I’d be done for if I so much as nodded. I hurriedly shook my head:
“No! I’m not! Don’t make things up! I was going to dodge him anyway!”
Cố Hoài’s expression softened a little, but he still glanced at me and said coolly:
“If I hadn’t gotten there in time, you two would’ve kissed, wouldn’t you?”
I immediately raised a hand to defend myself:
“No way! Even if you hadn’t come, I never would’ve let Vu Phi kiss me! What’s fun about two guys kissing? Just thinking about his huge face makes me want to throw up!”
As I spoke, I patted my chest and shook my head, trying to banish that horrifying image from my mind.
Suddenly, Cố Hoài stopped short, hurt plain in his eyes:
“What about me? Do I disgust you too?”
The hand holding mine suddenly tightened its grip.
Cố Hoài lowered his head, his expression unreadable.
Looking at him, shrouded in coldness and gloom, I felt conflicted and didn’t know how to answer.
When Cố Hoài saw that I was silent, he gave a bitter smile:
“Never mind. I can wait. No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait until you can accept me.”
Seeing him bow his head so dejectedly made me feel awful, too.
I didn’t hate gay people, but when it was my own life, I didn’t know how to face it. There were still plenty of people in this society who looked down on them, and I was scared, too—scared that if I turned Cố Hoài down, I might lose our friendship as well.
We walked home in silence.
Cố Hoài acted as usual and asked:
“Come over to my place. My mom’s home, and she said you have to come for dinner.”
Cố Hoài’s mom was very fond of me. When we were kids, I used to go over there and mooch meals.
“Ngôn Ngôn, there’s a fresh cake in the fridge. Cố Hoài, get Ngôn Ngôn a piece—and grab a Sprite, too.”
“Ah! My favorite, matcha! Auntie, I love you so much!”
I was so excited I rubbed my hands together like a fly as Cố Hoài set the cake on the coffee table.
This bakery was incredibly popular and made only twenty cakes a day. If you didn’t get in line early, you couldn’t buy one.
Aunt Cố held a spatula as she stirred the food, smiling knowingly:
“I didn’t buy that cake. Cố Hoài got up early to wait in line for it—two whole hours. You should appreciate him.”
I stared at Cố Hoài. He bought it?
But hadn’t he gone with me to visit Grandma this morning? Then he must’ve gotten up really early to make it in time…
“What time did you go?”
Cố Hoài’s expression didn’t change:
“Three. I get up to run anyway, so it was on the way. Haven’t you been talking about this cake all the time?”
Aunt Cố looked surprised:
“Running at three in the morning? Kids really do have energy!”
Cố Hoài turned to look at his mom:
“Mom, that dish is burning.”
“Oh no, my pot!”
She hurried into the kitchen.
I looked at Cố Hoài’s red ears and uneasy expression, and my heart fluttered. It was pounding wildly.
I knew that whenever Cố Hoài knew what I liked, he remembered it all.
After dinner, Aunt Cố firmly refused to let me go home:
“Ngôn Ngôn, there are no adults at your house, and the forecast says there’ll be a thunderstorm tonight. I really don’t feel comfortable letting you go. What if the thunder and lightning knock out the power? Stay here tonight and share a room with Cố Hoài.”
The moment I heard “thunderstorm,” I swallowed my refusal:
“Okay… Sorry to impose.”
My parents weren’t home, and there was thunder and lightning… What a disaster.
Cố Hoài’s room.
I didn’t stand on ceremony and took over his computer, playing games to my heart’s content. Because of the college entrance exams, Cố Hoài had once teamed up with my parents to ban me from gaming for an entire year.
I lost six games in a row, and finally got it out of my system—but then I got reported and kicked out of the game.
“Satisfied?”
Cố Hoài looked at the screen showing I’d been kicked from the server. He said nothing, just set a glass of milk on the desk a little too forcefully.
I set down the mouse, picked up the milk, took a sip, and clicked my tongue:
“Losing six games in a row is heartbreaking!”
That’s right, I did it on purpose—to get back at Cố Hoài for teaming up with my parents last year to make me quit gaming.
“Trình Ngôn, you really are hopeless.”
Cố Hoài chuckled and ruffled my hair.
“Cố Hoài, a classmate is downstairs asking for you.”
Aunt Cố opened the door and called in.
Cố Hoài and I glanced at each other, then both looked at the clock. It was already nine at night. Who would show up at this hour?
9
It was the prettiest girl in class.
From a distance, I couldn’t see clearly. I only caught bits of what she said:
“Cố Hoài, could you reconsider? Could you give me a chance to pursue you? I really like you…”
The class beauty looked up at Cố Hoài, her eyes full of shyness and hurt, as delicate as a white lotus swaying in the wind.
Cố Hoài said nothing, only stood there, coolly watching the girl in front of him.
I watched the two of them—handsome man and beautiful woman—and for some reason, a sour feeling rose in my chest.
“There’s someone I like.”
Cố Hoài lowered his head and replied calmly.
Hearing that, the class beauty’s face immediately flushed red, her voice full of excitement:
“You’re lying! Even if you don’t like me, don’t make up an excuse like that! I’ve always had my eye on you, and there aren’t any other girls around you!”
“Then… what about guys?”
I stepped between them, meeting their stunned gazes without so much as blinking.
“What?! You and Cố Hoài… have that kind of relationship?!”
She stepped back, staring at Cố Hoài and me in horror.
“That’s right. I’m the one Cố Hoài likes. I like him, too. Sorry, but he’s taken.”
After blurting it all out, I didn’t dare look at either of their faces. I only glanced quickly at the class beauty’s eyes… Wait, why did they show delight, excitement, surprise, and exhilaration?!
Before I could make sense of that look, a low, restrained voice sounded from behind me:
“Trình Ngôn, what do you mean… Are you serious?”
I saw the corners of Cố Hoài’s eyes turn slightly red. For the first time, his deep gaze held an emotion—fear.
What was there to be afraid of? This time, I wasn’t turning him down.
“I said I like you, too.”
Crack!
Cố Hoài, the class beauty, and I all turned around at once.
My parents and Cố Hoài’s parents were standing there, staring at us, every one of them beaming as if they’d just won the lottery.
I was done for. I’d only meant to help Cố Hoài get out of a tight spot, with a little selfish motive of my own… but I wasn’t ready to come out to our parents! Oh my God, just kill me!
Cố Hoài, on the other hand, didn’t look surprised at all. He squeezed my hand tightly:
“Trình Ngôn, you just said yes to me. You can’t take it back.”
I looked at Cố Hoài, then caught the class beauty avoiding my gaze, and suddenly realized:
“You did that on purpose?!”
Cố Hoài scratched his nose, grinned mischievously, and winked at me:
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is—you’ve got a wife now.”
I looked at that annoyingly handsome face and wanted to punch him… But fine, a wife’s a wife… It wasn’t so bad, was it?
He was my ‘wife’ because he loved me—I wasn’t so uptight that I couldn’t accept that.
Afterward, Cố Hoài told me the whole story.
It turned out that right after the class beauty confessed to him, he’d told her outright that he liked me. To his surprise, she wasn’t sad at all—instead, she was thrilled to help him come up with this plan.
And that was how today’s little scene came about. Who knew I’d actually jump right into the trap myself?
I glared at him sulkily:
“What if I hadn’t stepped in? How were you going to handle things?”
Cố Hoài wasn’t flustered at all. He’d already won me over, and our parents were right there, so he immediately swore:
“Of course I would’ve turned her down. I don’t need anyone but you.”
The class beauty hurried to chime in, waving her hands excitedly:
“Trình Ngôn, seeing you two in love makes me happier than being in a relationship myself! Why would I break up my own ship? No way! Please, just get married already!”
“Oh my God! You two finally got together! I’m so happy I could cry!”
I spun around in shock—I’d forgotten my mom was still there! I hurriedly pulled my hand away from Cố Hoài:
“Mom?! Weren’t you at the hospital?”
My mom smiled from ear to ear:
“Grandma wanted to come home. She said she couldn’t sleep at the hospital. Your eldest uncle took her home, and I’ll go back tomorrow. Who knew we’d get such a ‘surprise’ tonight?”
“Exactly! Who’d have thought our family would get such a sweet little son-in-law?”
That was Cố Hoài’s mother speaking.
I stared at my mom in disbelief. She didn’t look angry at all?
I tugged at Cố Hoài’s sleeve and whispered:
“Don’t parents usually oppose same-sex relationships? And we’re both only children…”
Cố Hoài glanced at me and raised an eyebrow:
“You don’t know what our moms are into? That group of 188-centimeter heartthrobs?”
It suddenly clicked.
My mom and Cố Hoài’s mom were sitting there glued to their phones, looking thrilled, just like fans eagerly following the latest gossip.
I smacked my forehead. Oh my God, I’d forgotten—my mom and his mom were veteran fujoshi.
I glanced at the class beauty again. Uh… the accomplice who’d helped set this up was now enthusiastically tapping away at her phone, grinning to herself as if she’d hit the jackpot.
Against all expectations, everything went so smoothly it was almost strange.
Cố Hoài gently rubbed my wrist. I looked at him, then bashfully lowered my eyes and let out a silly little laugh.
The two most handsome guys at Đồng Nhân were officially a couple!
That night, the school forum exploded.
No need to ask who leaked the news—it was the class beauty. She’d also written that forum post under the username “Blessed Girl Cạn Cạn.”
Now she’s our fan club president, and whenever anyone badmouths us, she jumps in and fights back with all ten fingers.
After getting together with Cố Hoài, my life… honestly wasn’t much different from before—it was even better.
Once we started college, our parents considered us adults. Our families talked it over and bought a whole apartment for Cố Hoài and me to share.
We were stuck together all day, living a ‘young grass wrapped around a little wolf’ kind of life.
I became a bona fide ‘pretty girl who’s terrible at school,’ while Cố Hoài took care of every chore, from washing dishes to doing laundry. All I had to do was ask.
Youth is the brightest time of life. We were lucky to have understanding families—so what were we waiting for? We might as well love with all our hearts.
— THE END —