I'm into This

"What's so embarrassing about confessing?"

Though Jiang Liu kept pressing, he was already eighty percent convinced.

If it wasn't her girlfriend, she wouldn’t casually bring up a confession, right?

"If you don’t believe me, then see for yourself."

Li Shenyu simply handed her phone to Jiang Liu, unlocked it in front of him, and scrolled to the day of the confession.

September 9th.

Jiang Liu: Got time? Let’s talk outside.

Li Shenyu: Please, Jiang Liu, no.

Jiang Liu: I’m outside your dorm.

Li Shenyu: Jiang Liu, I’m scared! Let’s calm down first before deciding, please!

Jiang Liu: I’m perfectly calm.

What followed were several WeChat calls from Li Shenyu.

But Jiang Liu didn’t answer any of them.

The chat log ended abruptly there.

Jiang Liu was baffled.

This didn’t look like a confession—more like a breakup!

Who are you trying to fool?

"Did a bug crawl into your brain? If you’re outside my dorm, of course you’re asking me to come down for a face-to-face confession!"

Li Shenyu said this with the coyness of a lovestruck girl.

According to Li Shenyu, Jiang Liu wanted to confess to her, hence the invitation to talk in person.

But Li Shenyu was just a little shy.

The logic was a bit too forced.

Jiang Liu naturally didn’t buy it.

Only an idiot would.

But no rush—he’d keep watching.

Jiang Liu returned the phone to her, took a deep breath, and grabbed Li Shenyu’s hand.

Seeing his expression, Li Shenyu’s eyes practically sparkled with delight.

"You believe me now, right? Let’s go get the kids' meal! I also want to watch a movie and ride the coin-operated rocking horse today..."

"We’ll eat something nice today, but the other stuff will have to wait till tomorrow, okay?" Jiang Liu’s tone remained steady.

"What could be more important than spending time with me?"

"Something serious. I owe someone something from when I was hospitalized. Promised to return it."

"Fine then."

In the end, they didn’t eat anything fancy.

Li Shenyu had the appetite of a bird, so they just wandered around the night market.

She bought a bunch of snacks—takoyaki, wontons—but it only added up to a hundred yuan.

Most of it ended up in Jiang Liu’s stomach.

"No wasting! Eat it all!" Li Shenyu commanded like a tiny taskmaster.

"You’re only eating this much?" Jiang Liu mumbled through a mouthful of sauce, already stuffed.

"Jiang Liu, you dummy! I only eat kids' portions!"

During this time, Jiang Liu kept studying his girlfriend, noticing she was smiling nonstop.

Her eyes, her lips—her whole being radiated joy.

She laughed, so he laughed too.

She didn’t know why she was laughing, and he had even less of a clue.

The takoyaki vendor, seeing the grinning girl, couldn’t help but tease:

"Miss, you look like you found money on the street."

"Boss, what’s even happier than finding money is finding the exact money you lost!"

"Hah! Here’s an extra ball for free. Just don’t go dropping your cash everywhere next time."

"Thanks, boss! You’re the best!"

Li Shenyu had this magic—when you were with her, the outside world and its troubles just faded away.

Like you were in your own little bubble.

The night market near the university was alive with aromas and energetic students.

Compared to his time in the hospital, tonight was pure happiness.

So Jiang Liu wanted to know what had happened in the past—how he and this girl had met, grown close, and ended up side by side.

"Li Shenyu, did something bad happen between us before? Is that why you don’t want to talk about it?"

"What nonsense! Beg me, and I’ll tell you."

"Not begging."

"Then don’t blame me if I skip the juicy parts!"

Wiping tomato sauce from her lips, Li Shenyu began her tale.

Jiang Liu listened while munching, his head tilted. Her story was full of quirky charm.

She said they met at an internet café—her first all-nighter there. She’d tried every game, exhausted but determined to keep playing.

Under her strict upbringing, this one night of freedom was hard-won.

But she was too scared to sleep in a strange place, so she approached Jiang Liu, the café attendant.

She offered him 500 yuan to find her a safe spot to nap nearby.

Safe and close.

Jiang Liu said 50 would do, then took her to the police station next door.

He said, "It’s close. Wake up and you can go back to gaming. Plus, what’s safer than a police station?"

That night, Li Shenyu thought it was the most thrilling thing ever—sleeping in a police station!

Jiang Liu told the officers she was a girl with little money who just needed a safe place to rest for the night.

They agreed.

Not that Jiang Liu was lying—Li Shenyu really did come off that way.

From then on, Li Shenyu kept "hiring" Jiang Liu to hang out, though he always made her pay.

But she had no money! Every time, she haggled fiercely, from 50 down to 20.

And with those few bills, Jiang Liu showed her how to have fun.

Using group coupons for 9.9 yuan foot massages, biking to the suburbs to catch crayfish in ditches...

Then, the day before the accident, Jiang Liu suddenly wanted to confess.

She was too shy to go downstairs at first, but eventually, she did—and said yes.

Li Shenyu’s storytelling was animated, bursting into giggles at the happy parts.

Jiang Liu found himself smiling too. The story was delightful, and Li Shenyu’s demeanor made it clear it was true.

But not the whole truth.

"You always said you were from a poor family?"

"Obviously! My family’s broke! If I were rich, would I even haggle? I’d just wave my hand and—"

"Ever tried group-ordering meals?"

"Huh? What restaurant is that? You never took me!"

Jiang Liu didn’t explain further.

No ordinary family raised a girl this bold and carefree.

And since when did "poor people" haggle just to pay someone to entertain them?

This was just Li Shenyu playing out her fantasy of being a "broke girl."

Fake poor person: "A 9.9 yuan foot massage is so exciting! I’m such a thrifty queen!"

Real poor person: "Will the masseuse look down on me for using a 9.9 yuan coupon?"

As for what really happened the day of the confession, Jiang Liu had doubts.

It didn’t seem like something he’d do.

"If nothing bad happened, why did you only visit me after I was discharged?"

When he asked this, Jiang Liu watched Li Shenyu’s face closely.

He didn’t blame anyone for not visiting.

He just wanted the truth—no dodging this one.

"I was scared."

"Tell me the truth."

"I was scared you wouldn’t want to see me." Li Shenyu blinked, eyes glistening like she might cry any second.

"Because something happened that day, didn’t it?"

"My family doesn’t really support me dating, but I’ll convince them!"

"Is it dating they don’t support, or dating me?"

Jiang Liu wasn’t surprised by this answer. Having entered society early, he understood the concept of "matching social status" all too well.

He just hadn’t expected such a cliché scenario to play out in his own life.

"Jiang Liu, believe me."

Hearing his words, Li Shenyu stiffened, instinctively grabbing his hand.

Jiang Liu didn’t say anything more. Instead, he patted her head gently.

"It’s fine, don’t stress. I’ll still hang out with you," he said before pulling his hand away.

Li Shenyu noticed the gesture. She wanted to say something, but in the end, couldn’t bring herself to speak.

"Between us..."

"We’ve always been good friends, right?"

Game over. Out of bounds.

Jiang Liu skewered a takoyaki ball and popped it into her mouth, treating her like a child.

...

Watching Li Shenyu’s skipping figure disappear into the apartment hallway, Jiang Liu wore a faint smile.

Being with her was fun.

But what had happened before?

Had her mother really slapped five million in front of him, yelling at him to stay away from her daughter?

Honestly, Jiang Liu thought that wouldn’t be so bad.

Sneaking around with her daughter behind her back while pocketing five million sounded pretty sweet.

Right now, Jiang Liu had already conjured up an image of Li Shenyu’s family in his mind—

Stereotypical middle-aged tycoon and high-society matriarch, scrutinizing potential sons-in-law like it was a competition.

Glancing at the time, Jiang Liu mulled over the situation.

Whatever. No big deal.

He’d figure it out as he went.

...

Standing at the gates of Nanjiang University, Jiang Liu gazed into the distance. Students still streamed in and out.

Other people’s love lives were about passion and drama.

His love life was like a game of Werewolf.

And he had to painstakingly hunt down the wolf.

At least the situation was clear now—all he had to do was confront the wolf head-on.

Then "eliminate" her, and the game would be over.

It was Friday, so hailing a cab near campus was nearly impossible. Nightclub-goers, party crowds, and couples all loitered by the school gates, waiting.

But Jiang Liu wasn’t even thinking about a taxi—because he spotted a familiar face.

...

"College girls are the best. Look at those legs."

"Could you focus on the actual target?!"

"I’m Liu Chenglong, a hot-blooded guy in my twenties! Why would I stare at you instead of college girls?!"

"You drive a Ferrari—you really think you’d lack attention from college girls?"

"What I want is love, you idiot!"

Liu Chenglong, his head shaved bald, roared at the person in the passenger seat—or maybe at the whole world.

Was there anyone out there who understood us pure love warriors?

Me! Liu Chenglong! A pure love warrior!

"Chenglong, college girls really know how to dress—JK skirts with white thigh-highs..."

"Where?!"

"But she seems to have a boyfriend. No chance for you."

"What kind of logic is that? That’s exactly my type!"

Liu Chenglong craned his neck out the window, scanning for the JK-and-thigh-highs combo.

Instead, he saw a familiar man walking toward the car.

"Jiang Liu, blocking my view again!"

"Did he spot us? I told you not to drive such a flashy car!"

"No way! This is hiding in plain sight. What college kid would suspect someone tailing them in a Ferrari?"

"Chenglong, if he finds out, we’re screwed!"

"Use your brain! We’ll just act like rich playboys here to pick up girls!"

Liu Chenglong’s eyes darted across the scene, still searching for that elusive JK-and-thigh-highs girl.

Finally, he locked onto her.

With a smirk, he flung the car door open—only to come face-to-face with Jiang Liu, who had just reached the vehicle.

Pretending not to recognize him, Liu Chenglong charged toward the girl.

But a hand shot out, stopping him in his tracks.