You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

Su Qinghe had guessed that Jiang Che would tell her about this, but she never expected him to ask so bluntly.

She could feel Jiang Che's breathing very close to her. She had prepared a whole host of excuses and cover-ups, and they were already on the tip of her tongue, but when it came to actually saying them, she hesitated.

To be honest, she didn't want to hide anything from Jiang Che or tell him any lies.

But if I admit it directly, will Jiang Che reject me outright?

Even if she doesn't admit it, just based on her actions these past two days, anyone who isn't an idiot can see it, right?

At this moment, two conflicting voices were raging within Su Qinghe's heart.

A sly person advised her not to act impulsively and that it would be better to hide her feelings, at least that way she could stay by Jiang Che's side a little longer.

The other villain encouraged her to be bolder, saying that if she didn't break through this barrier, Jiang Che would eventually belong to another woman. Su Qinghe, are you really willing to accept that?

Jiang Che had been observing the girl's reaction the whole time. He could clearly see her earlobes slowly turning pink, which meant she was obviously shy.

Although he already had the answer in his heart, he just wanted to hear her say it herself.

Jiang Che was very patient. When Su Qinghe didn't answer, he just waited for her, giving her plenty of time to muster up her courage.

After a moment, Su Qinghe took a deep breath, buried her face shyly in the pillow, and said in a muffled but unusually firm voice.

"Hmm... I like it."

Even knowing she was not good enough for him, even knowing it might be a hopeless unrequited love, she still wanted him to know.

There's nothing shameful about liking someone.

"Okay, that's good enough."

Confirming that Su Qinghe liked him was only the first step; Jiang Che's tone then became slightly more serious.

"Since you like me, I have to tell you the truth."

"I can't agree to be your boyfriend right now."

Su Qinghe seemed completely unsurprised by the result.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes empty and lifeless, a forced smile tugging at the corners of her pale lips.

Was I rejected as expected?

That's true... She was never good enough for him. Perhaps the concern he showed her was just out of friendship.

She was just being delusional.

As she thought about it, tears welled up in Su Qinghe's eyes and fell onto her arm, wetting it.

"Don't rush to cry, let me finish what I have to say."

Jiang Che felt a headache coming on as soon as he saw her crying, so he quickly reached out and touched her head to comfort her.

"I'm not agreeing, not because you're bad. On the contrary, you're so good that I feel like I'd be a complete bastard if I agreed now."

He sighed and sat back down in his chair. "You know, I just broke things off with Lin Wanwan."

"Although I've never been in a relationship with her and I don't like her anymore, the effort I've put in over the past two years wasn't in vain, and everyone around me knows about it."

"So, if I choose to be with you right now, what do you think of the people around you?"

"If I were to be with you right now, it would be irresponsible of me to treat you like a tool for healing. I, Jiang Che, may not be some saint, but I would never do such a despicable thing."

Su Qinghe blinked, a little confused. Did he mean he hadn't rejected her?

"So, Su Qinghe."

Jiang Che breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that her tears had finally stopped, and his tone softened a little. "Give me some time, okay? I can't make any promises to you right now, nor can I immediately switch roles and start liking you. That would be disrespectful and unfair to you."

Su Qinghe bit her lower lip, feeling both disappointed and touched.

He was disappointed that she didn't accept him immediately, but touched that he treated her as an equal and respectful person, instead of casually toying with her.

"actually……"

Su Qinghe sniffed and said somewhat awkwardly, "Actually, I could leave on my own. I didn't want to put you in a difficult position..."

"Now, if I ask you to take back this feeling, can you do it?" Jiang Che asked with a smile.

Su Qinghe was stunned for a moment, then shook her head frantically, and tears streamed down her face again.

It can't be taken back.

From the moment he carried her out of that dark alley, his heart no longer belonged to her.

"That settles it."

Jiang Che shrugged. "Since I can't take it back, I have no right to force you to dislike me. But I really can't respond to you right now, so we need to find a compromise."

Su Qinghe didn't speak, her hands were clasped together, as if she was making a very difficult decision.

After several seconds, she suddenly straightened her back, faced Jiang Che, and looked serious.

"Jiang Che, you can refuse me, or you can make me wait."

"but--"

She paused, a stubborn glint in her delicate, lovely face. "You can't take away my right to like you! I want to be good to you, I want to cling to you, that's my business."

"So I've decided that even if you think I'm a burden, even if you really don't like me, I'm going to stick with you for the rest of my life."

Jiang Che was slightly taken aback. Seeing that she was pretending to be fierce even though she clearly didn't have much confidence, he was immediately amused by her.

Sure enough, a little rabbit will bite when cornered.

Jiang Che looked at the girl in front of him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Was this still the same timid Su Qinghe who dared not speak loudly?

It seems that Bai Yuning not only taught her how to act coquettishly, but also instilled a lot of "fallacies and heresies" in her.

However, it seems to be quite useful, so Bai Yuning has done something worthwhile.

Jiang Che stood up, took two steps to the bedside, and reached out to give her fluffy head another good rub.

"Well, Su Qinghe, you've grown some guts, huh? Daring to talk back to me now?"

Su Qinghe shrank back slightly, but didn't dodge. Instead, she rubbed her face against his palm. "I didn't talk back..."

"That's why I don't want to leave you~ I really like you, Jiang Che, I like you so much..."

Jiang Che got hooked on patting her head, but the girl in his arms was still acting coquettishly, which made his heart melt even more.

"I know you like me, I'm just saying we both need to give each other some time."

"Give me time to clear my mind, and I'll give you time to recover your health. Also, think carefully about whether your feelings for me are love or simply gratitude. You need to figure that out."

"During this time, I will not reject your kindness, I will be kind to you, and I will try to like you."

"After all, if I really miss out on a girl as silly and obedient as you, I'll probably regret it to death later."

Su Qinghe suddenly tilted her head back, and a glimmer of light instantly lit up her empty eyes.

"Really...really?"

"Do you think I'll get candy if I lie to you?"

Jiang Che flicked her forehead in annoyance, "How should I put it... is our current situation... the ambiguous stage?"

"If one day I feel I'm ready, or you feel I'm not worth your waiting, then we'll talk things out. How about it, are you willing to take the gamble?"

Without a second's hesitation, Su Qinghe replied, "I dare!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she sprang up from the bed like a cannonball and instinctively plunged into Jiang Che's arms.

"Hmm!"

Jiang Che groaned as she bumped into him, taking two steps back before he could barely regain his balance.