He confessed.
This was the first time in his life he had ever confessed his feelings.
And the object of his confession was none other than the most exceptional girl in the world.
What’s more, there was a reward waiting for him after the confession.
The moment the system’s notification chime rang in his ears, his thoughts began to drift, his mind fixated on one thing alone—
The reward.
Like a magic lamp that grants three wishes with a single touch.
But why three wishes?
Because, up until now, he had realized he owed Gu Ruoxue far too much.
He wanted to make it up to her.
…………………………
Western Restaurant
Private Room
The two sat in silence.
Gu Ruoxue’s delicate hand was tightly clasped within Su Cheng’s larger one, the heat and strength of his grip unmistakable.
She watched as Su Cheng, standing right in front of her, seemed lost in his own thoughts.
At that moment,
for some reason, she too was gripped by nervousness and unease.
After all, this was all just her own speculation.
What if the reward wasn’t what she hoped for?
What would she do then?
And if the item Su Cheng desired wasn’t what she expected, how should she react?
The first scenario could be chalked up to her own misjudgment.
But the latter…
These tangled emotions left Gu Ruoxue flustered, leaving her no choice but to stare blankly at Su Cheng and place her hopes in him.
She prayed he would give her an answer in the next moment.
Then, suddenly,
Su Cheng’s grip on her hand loosened.
Gu Ruoxue looked at him with slightly puzzled eyes.
A second later, Su Cheng’s voice broke the silence: "Same as last time, the item doesn’t come with a detailed description. But I think I’m right about this one."
With that, he flashed her a bright smile.
Their hands remained intertwined, his larger one still enveloping hers. Gu Ruoxue nodded. "I see… I understand."
"Shall we eat first?"
Reluctantly, Su Cheng withdrew his hand and pulled out a chair, inviting Gu Ruoxue to sit.
Watching his actions, she pressed her lips together briefly before taking her seat.
The meal that followed passed in an oddly subdued atmosphere. Neither spoke, yet it felt as though both were silently preparing for something.
Gu Ruoxue dabbed her lips with a napkin, and Su Cheng followed suit.
"Finished?"
"Mhm."
Gu Ruoxue gathered the panda and cat figurines from the table into her bag, and the two left the restaurant in silence.
As they walked, Su Cheng hesitated for a moment before turning to the ethereally beautiful Gu Ruoxue beside him. "So… what does this make us now?"
The question caught her off guard.
She lowered her head, staring at her toes, and after a brief pause, gave a small nod. "Well, at least for today… yes."
Su Cheng’s tense nerves instantly relaxed at her answer. Grinning, he asked, "Can we hold hands, then?"
Gu Ruoxue lifted her gaze to meet his dark, earnest eyes and, in the end, nodded again.
So Su Cheng took her soft, pale hand in his.
The sensation was unexpectedly pleasant—soft and slightly yielding, like a sponge. He couldn’t resist giving it a few gentle squeezes.
Gu Ruoxue stiffened slightly and shot him a reproachful look, but she didn’t pull away.
Realizing his blunder, Su Cheng quickly apologized, "Sorry, I got too excited and carried away."
Hearing his awkward yet sincere words, she sighed softly and shook her head.
Hand in hand, fingers interlaced, they strolled through the town like any ordinary couple. Every passerby they encountered made Su Cheng puff out his chest with pride, as if declaring: Mine! Isn’t she gorgeous?
Envious and resentful glances followed them.
Su Cheng reveled in every one of them.
Soon, they reached the park. It was winter, and the late hour meant few visitors—only scattered individuals taking evening walks.
Still holding hands, they made their way to the most secluded pavilion and sat down on a bench there.
Once seated, they were so close that Su Cheng’s every breath was filled with her scent—sweet, fragrant, intoxicating.
Their bodies pressed together, warmth seeping through their clothes, and for Su Cheng, who had never been in a relationship before, the urge to pull her into his arms was overwhelming.
But despite the restless longing in his chest, he restrained himself.
Being able to hold her hand was already more than enough. Pushing his luck and risking her displeasure would be a classic case of overreaching.
Breaking the silence, Su Cheng suddenly said, "The reward is a musical instrument. The next stage is an engagement, with a one-month timeframe."
In one sentence, he told her everything she wanted to know.
"A musical instrument?"
"Right."
Su Cheng glanced around, confirming they were alone, then released Gu Ruoxue’s hand and conjured the so-called instrument from his system space.
A 1.6-meter-long rectangular rosewood guzheng suddenly appeared out of thin air and lay horizontally across the knees of the two. It was a twenty-one-stringed instrument, with an exquisitely delicate and magnificent design.
Gu Ruoxue stretched out her right hand and touched the body of the guzheng.
The icy touch spread to her fingertips, making her shiver all over.
She murmured to herself, "A guzheng..."
Then, she looked at Su Cheng and asked, "What's its name?"
Su Cheng looked a bit embarrassed. He coughed twice and explained, "It's called the Magical Qin."
"Quite a perfunctory name," Gu Ruoxue muttered.
Feeling even more embarrassed, Su Cheng simply kept silent.
Gu Ruoxue didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she rested her hand under her chin, assuming a thoughtful pose as she stared at the guzheng, looking as if she were seriously pondering the prop's effects and usage methods.
"Can you play this thing?" Su Cheng asked curiously when Gu Ruoxue didn't respond for a long time.
"I've had some basic training, but I'm not good at it," Gu Ruoxue replied slowly, shaking her head. Then she turned to look at Su Cheng and unexpectedly noticed a mark of "3" at the connection between the panel and the tail of the guzheng on Su Cheng's knee. Especially under the light, it glowed with a faint green light.
She frowned and reminded him, "Ordinary guzheng doesn't have this mark."
Hearing this, Su Cheng's face suddenly became solemn. He also lowered his head to look at the yue mountain on his knee, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"Do you think it means it can be used three times?" Su Cheng guessed.
"Yeah," Gu Ruoxue nodded. "It's possible. But how do we use this guzheng?"
Her question reminded Su Cheng. He thought for a moment and then said, "Is it that playing the guzheng can fulfill your wishes? Or is it an amnesia guzheng? Playing it once can make you lose your memory?"
As he said this, Su Cheng couldn't resist the urge to try. He directly used his fingers to quickly pluck the strings.
"Zheng~"
Along with a rapid and melodious tune, Gu Ruoxue was startled and quickly slapped away Su Cheng's fidgety hand. "Don't just try it randomly."
However, to Gu Ruoxue's surprise, Su Cheng's reaction made her widen her eyes in disbelief.
Su Cheng reverted to the look he had a few seconds ago, the one full of eagerness to give it a try.
He said, "Is it that playing the guzheng can fulfill your wishes? Or is it an amnesia guzheng? Playing it once can make you lose your memory?"
He repeated the exact same words without a single mistake. Then Su Cheng started to fidget with his fingers again.
"Stop!"
Gu Ruoxue quickly tried to stop Su Cheng, but he still managed to touch the strings.
"Zheng~"
A clear and pleasant sound echoed through the night sky.
"Is it that playing the guzheng can fulfill your wishes? Or is it an amnesia guzheng? Playing it once can make you lose your memory?"
Su Cheng still said the same thing and then intended to reach out to play the guzheng again.
Gu Ruoxue covered her forehead, looking as if she had a splitting headache. She sighed helplessly and said, "Classmate Su Cheng, please stop playing around, okay?"
She could tell that Su Cheng was pretending to be stupid and acting as if he lost his memory of the previous second after playing the guzheng once.
"Hehe, you've seen through me," Su Cheng laughed twice, retracted his fingers, sat upright, and said, "However, doesn't 'Classmate Su Cheng' sound a bit distant?"
Gu Ruoxue pursed her lips and remained silent.
Seeing her cold expression, Su Cheng sighed softly. He leaned against the wall weakly and said, "Actually, I think the way to use this prop is to play a complete piece of music. While playing, you should have a specific thing you want to achieve in mind, for example..."
At this point, he sat up straight again, stared at Gu Ruoxue seriously and solemnly, and said, "Let me lose my memory."
Although it was just his speculation, his intuition told him that what he had just said must be accurate.
Hearing this, Gu Ruoxue's pupils shrank slightly. She took a few deep breaths to suppress her inner surprise and said, "I understand. Since this is a prop distributed according to your wishes, your speculation is most likely correct."
What surprised her was not the effect of the prop, but that Su Cheng had directly revealed the way to use the prop.
He didn't hesitate at all, didn't show any reluctance, and didn't waste each other's time.
This also proved that Su Cheng was already ready to lose his memory at any time, which was why he was so straightforward.
Sure enough—
"I want to choose the nearby river as the location," Su Cheng stared at Gu Ruoxue intently and said seriously, "The purpose is to create the illusion that I lost my memory after jumping into the river."
"Are you that afraid of backing out?"
Gu Ruoxue lowered her head to look at the guzheng on her knee. After hesitating and sighing softly, she murmured in a low voice.
Since she had her head down, Su Cheng couldn't see her expression clearly, and her voice was also very soft. But even so, this barely audible voice carried a hint of sadness.
Su Cheng didn't know how to respond.
They had already become a couple, but she still called him "classmate." So he understood that perhaps she was just doing it to let him get the reward and fulfill the promise.
Becoming a couple was just a last - ditch compromise.
After figuring this out, Su Cheng suddenly felt a wave of frustration. The excitement and anticipation that had filled him earlier diminished significantly in an instant. His originally excited mood became heavy and even a bit painful.
This was his first love.
It turned out that she just wanted to help him, and that was all.
He had allowed himself to have expectations for her on his own initiative.
And now, he was allowing himself to be disappointed on his own initiative.
The current situation was entirely his own fault.
So, after understanding this, all that was left for him were bitterness and regret.
This regret was mixed with a faint sense of loss, but more of it was a blessing. After all, it was good this way.
At least she didn't like him.
And she wouldn't be sad because of his amnesia.
After all, someone as perfect and outstanding as her.
They were simply not from the same world.
Silence fell in the pavilion. Both of them hung their heads, each lost in their own thoughts.
Su Cheng made up his mind.
After a long time, he opened his mouth and was about to speak: "Um..."
Gu Ruoxue raised her eyes and quietly stared at Su Cheng, waiting for him to speak.
When she saw Su Cheng's expression, she could sense his emotions. It was a contradictory mixture of determination, firmness, and sadness, as if he had too many words to say but didn't know where to start.
"Up to now, I really want to thank you very much," Su Cheng finally spoke. His voice was very soft, filled with gratitude and a bit of a tremor. "I'll return this to you. I don't need it anymore."
He stretched out his hand, and there was clearly a clamshell phone in it.
The streetlights in the park emitted a dim yellow glow, stretching Su Cheng's shadow very long and highlighting the outline of his profile, making him look extremely lonely.
Gu Ruoxue stared blankly at the phone in his palm. Under the yellow light, she gently bit her lip. Something seemed to be blocking her chest, making it a bit hard for her to breathe.
She slowly reached out her hand, took the phone from his hand, and then held it tightly in her palm. Then, with a look of remorse, she averted her gaze, looked at the guzheng, and bit her lip, remaining silent.
Su Cheng knew she would react like this. After all, she had a special ability comparable to mind - reading. She must have understood what he meant by his actions and words just now.
However, even so.
He had made up his mind.
Since he knew the truth, there was no longer any reason.
So, he wouldn't deceive himself anymore.
Su Cheng took a deep breath and continued to say to Gu Ruoxue, "Anyway, thank you for helping me for so long. Now we can set off."
As his voice fell, Gu Ruoxue's shoulders trembled slightly.
Seeing that she didn't seem to have the intention of putting the guzheng into the ring, he didn't hesitate and directly put it into his system space. Then, like cutting off the past, he stood up from the chair.
But what he never expected was that at that very moment, Gu Ruoxue actually reached out and grabbed the cuff of his sleeve.
"Huh?"
Su Cheng turned around in confusion, looked at the slender arm holding his clothes, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Gu Ruoxue sat there a bit uneasily, with her head down and eyes lowered. "Don't you want to go back to the orphanage and have a look? As far as I know, there are people you care about there, right?"
"This..." Su Cheng was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Gu Ruoxue to suddenly say such a thing.
After hesitating for a while, he shook his head and said, "No. If I go to visit them so late, it will only make them feel strange."
Gu Ruoxue still stubbornly said, "But..."
She had another reason.
Although this reason was enough to make Su Cheng stop.
But...
Su Cheng noticed her hesitant look and couldn't help asking, "But what? What's wrong?"
Gu Ruoxue clenched her other hand into a fist, let out a long breath, and tried hard to adjust her emotions to keep herself in a normal state. Then she said, "Would you mind staying with me a little longer?"
Even though she forced herself to stay calm, when these words blurted out, her pretty face still uncontrollably flushed.
Stay a little longer?
After hearing this, Su Cheng was shocked all over. He was a bit incredulous, and also a bit flustered and at a loss. He didn't know how to answer.
But he still said something mean and retaliatory: "Aren't I just your classmate Su Cheng now?"
As soon as he said this, Gu Ruoxue seemed angry and ashamed. She suddenly grabbed his sleeve and pulled it down. Su Cheng was caught off guard. After staggering two steps, he was directly pulled back to his original seat.
After sitting down, he found that Gu Ruoxue was staring at him with angry and stern eyes.
Facing this hostile look, Su Cheng was very nervous. He subconsciously swallowed his saliva, but still retorted a bit defiantly, "Then tell me, what should you call me?"
Gu Ruoxue stared at him blankly for a second, then snorted, let go of his collar, turned around with her back to him, and didn't intend to talk to him.
"Since that's the case, then I'll call you Xiaoxue," Su Cheng said tentatively, a bit scared, afraid of annoying her.
Gu Ruoxue didn't say a word, but still turned her head to look at him. Seeing Su Cheng's scared and nervous look, after a while, she hesitated a bit and then spoke, "...Xiao...Xiaocheng?"
The next second, she noticed that Su Cheng seemed to be in a daze as if he had received an endearing nickname. So, she simply closed her eyes, not wanting to see his awkward expression like a novice.
Such a cute reaction was simply a foul!
Su Cheng's eyes lit up. The impulse and desire that had disappeared in his heart were instantly rekindled.
This time, he took immediate action.
He shifted his buttocks, moved closer to Gu Ruoxue, and then slowly leaned towards her. He propped one hand on the chair back and carefully tried to put the other hand around her shoulder.
As the distance gradually shortened, Su Cheng's breathing became heavier and heavier. So he simply held his breath.
However, Gu Ruoxue keenly noticed it.
But she pretended not to know and still maintained her previous posture, not moving at all.
Soon, his hand touched her shoulder. Su Cheng's heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, he mustered up his courage and tried to pull her into his arms all at once.
However, at the critical moment, Gu Ruoxue struggled free, suddenly sat up, and then stood up.
The "little snow" (a pet name for Gu Ruoxue) that was within his reach flew away.
This made Su Cheng's hand hanging in mid - air look a bit awkward. He forced a smile, and his embarrassed face turned red, but mostly out of embarrassment.
"It... it's me who overstepped the mark."
He withdrew his hand and stood up, looking a bit flustered.
To his surprise, Gu Ruoxue didn't scold him. Instead, she slowly approached him and stopped in front of him.
"Um... I just wanted to hug you just now."
Su Cheng looked up at Gu Ruoxue's extremely beautiful face. Unwillingly, he said, "Isn't it quite normal?"
Gu Ruoxue's eyelashes fluttered slightly. She pursed her thin lips, was silent for a long time, and then slowly said, "It's okay. I'm willing to give it a try."
Hearing this, Su Cheng was so overjoyed that he almost cried. He was so excited that he couldn't even speak clearly: "Is... is it okay?"
Looking at his silly look of being so excited that he lost his senses, Gu Ruoxue just nodded and said, "Yes."
So, after getting permission, Su Cheng no longer hesitated. He actively embraced Gu Ruoxue in his arms, putting one hand on the back of her head and tightly holding her shoulder with the other.
The moment Gu Ruoxue was embraced by him, her body went stiff.
The feeling of having a beautiful woman in his arms made Su Cheng feel like he was in a dream. He greedily sniffed the faint fragrance lingering around his nose and then hugged her even tighter.
Gu Ruoxue gently rested her forehead on Su Cheng's shoulder. She coughed lightly and tried to say in a calm tone, "It seems that you're very happy now."
"Um... yes, yes."
Su Cheng nodded vigorously with excitement. Looking down at Gu Ruoxue's long, black and beautiful hair, he then said, "Even if you asked me to die right now, I'd agree without hesitation."
Hearing this, Gu Ruoxue's cheeks instantly flushed. Her hands that were originally hanging in the air quietly wrapped around his waist.
The two hugged each other like a passionate couple, enjoying the wonderful and warm moment of being together.
After a long time, he calmed down from his excitement.
Su Cheng looked down at Gu Ruoxue and found that she was resting on his shoulder, with her pink cheeks exuding an alluring charm.
"That's enough," he suggested.
"Okay," Gu Ruoxue nodded slightly.
The two let go of each other.
Gu Ruoxue very unnaturally began to tidy up the loose hairs around her ears, also trying to hide the flutter in her heart.
After a long time, she pretended to be calm and said, "The password is my birthday."
She took out a card from the ring and handed it to him, explaining, "Although we agreed before that we'd donate to the welfare home only when we couldn't solve the problem. But at least now we're in a relationship. Your business is our common business. You can give this money to someone you trust."
Su Cheng was stunned. But just as he was about to speak, she interrupted him: "If you decline, I'll get angry."
Seeing her determined look, Su Cheng felt a bit embarrassed and whispered, "Um... when is your birthday?"
Gu Ruoxue was stunned for a moment, then hung her head with a bit of embarrassment on her face. She found that her thinking and judgment had been seriously affected, and she was actually starting to act stupid.
Was this what was called being "love - struck" on the Internet?
"Then I'll go to the welfare home myself when I'm free," she said.
After saying that, she also felt a bit embarrassed. She took back her bank card and then changed the topic: "You go back and rest first. We'll discuss it at school tomorrow."
However, to her surprise...
"No need. I'm afraid the longer I stay, the more reluctant I'll be to leave," Su Cheng said.
As he spoke, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Gu Ruoxue's hand. Looking at her sincerely, he said, "I'm very honored to have met you. Thank you for giving me a chance."
Gu Ruoxue's heart skipped a beat. She felt an indescribable feeling.
She didn't say a word, just silently lowered her head, and no one knew what she was thinking.
"Here, this is for you," Su Cheng took out the guzheng and said seriously, "Can you play a piece for me today?"
Hearing this, Gu Ruoxue gently bit her lips and finally nodded.
……………………
After more than ten minutes
Two people came to a small bridge.
On the other side of the bridge.
An ancient zither was placed under a Chinese parasol tree.
Gu Ruoxue was sitting there, tuning and adjusting the zither. Her slender fingers gently stroked the strings of the zither, and she herself was immersed in a peculiar atmosphere, as if she had merged into this space.
Su Cheng stood on the bridge, staring blankly at the scene in front of him. However, there was a look of regret in his eyes. His eyes were deep and far - reaching, and he himself didn't know what he was thinking.
He looked at Gu Ruoxue sitting alone under the tree and began to look forward to the beautiful music. But somehow, looking at Gu Ruoxue, he suddenly felt a bit dazed.
Just then -
Suddenly, the sound of the zither rang out, clear, sweet, gentle and lingering.
He woke up instantly!
Their eyes met.
This momentary telepathic look.
They both understood what the other wanted to say.
And at this moment, Gu Ruoxue completely cast aside her shyness and reserve, showing an unprecedentedly gentle smile, and conveyed her feelings to Su Cheng along with the sound of the zither.
Su Cheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled slightly, lifted his lips, and took big steps towards the river and plunged in.
The water splashed, and ripples spread across the surface.
Gu Ruoxue withdrew her gaze, frowned and focused on the zither with her head down, and played faster and faster. Her fingers were like a needle threading through cloth, flying and wandering on the zither. The sound of the zither became even louder, as if it had a kind of magic that shocked all the surrounding substances.
Gradually, the piece came to an end.
There was no more movement on the water surface.
She looked at the 'Three' at the end of the zither, which had turned into 'Two'.
"You still owe me a story. If it's not exciting enough, I won't let you off."