My online dating circle has millions of followers, why would she put a collar on me?

Xia Anmian didn't ask any further questions and let him pull her forward.

But her gaze lingered for a moment on his trouser pocket.

The park is small, but very quiet.

A few streetlights shone on both sides of the walkway, casting a dim yellow glow. Occasionally, one or two people walking their dogs would pass by, the bells on their leashes ringing crisply.

The two people sat down on a bench.

The evening breeze was a bit chilly, and Xia Anmian shrank her neck. Jiang Yi naturally took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

"Aren't you cold?" Xia Anmian asked.

"It's not cold, I have thick skin."

Xia Anmian smiled, leaned on his shoulder, and sat quietly.

Jiang Yi looked up at the sky.

A few stars have already lit up Kyoto, not many, scattered across the deep blue sky like shards of diamonds accidentally sprinkled there.

His phone vibrated again in his pocket.

Not just once, but several times in a row.

He could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket, one after another, as if it were something urgent.

But he couldn't take it out.

Xia Anmian was right next to him, leaning on his shoulder, so close.

He takes it out to reply to the message; she'll definitely see it.

What will he say when she asks, "Who is it?"

He said he was having an online romance with a girl he had never met. The girl called him "husband," sent him emoticons, and said "I miss you" dozens of times a day.

He can't.

So he put his hands in his pockets, pressed his thumb against the back of the phone, and used that pressure to tell it: Stop vibrating, we'll talk later.

But the phone seemed to be working against him, vibrating every now and then, not frequently, but continuously.

Jiang Yi's temples began to throb.

His mind raced, trying to figure out an excuse to take out his phone and glance at it.

Going to the toilet?

No, Xia Anmian is right next to him. He can't just say "I'm going to the bathroom" and then go to the bathroom to reply to messages, can he? That would be too deliberate.

Should I make a phone call?

There is no reason for it.

He was struggling with his decision when Xia Anmian suddenly spoke up.

"Jiang Yi."

"Hmm?" He turned his head and found that Xia Anmian had lifted her head off his shoulder at some point and was looking at him.

Those eyes were so bright under the streetlights that he could see his own reflection in her pupils.

Are you waiting for news from someone?

Jiang Yi's heart skipped a beat.

"No, no."

"You've been looking at your phone the whole day." Xia Anmian's tone was calm, so calm that it didn't sound like an interrogation, but more like a statement of fact.

"You looked at it twice while eating, three times while walking, and just now while sitting on the chair, you touched your pocket several times."

Jiang Yi opened his mouth, wanting to say "no," but swallowed the words back.

Because what Xia Anmian said was true.

He was indeed looking at his phone the whole time.

To be precise, it was his phone that kept vibrating. He kept trying to hold it in, but eventually he couldn't take it anymore and would subconsciously touch his pocket to check if it was still vibrating.

He himself didn't even notice these little actions.

But Xia Anmian noticed it.

"Mianmian, I..."

"I'm not angry," Xia Anmian interrupted him, her voice still very soft. "I just want to ask, is there something you haven't told me?"

Jiang Yi looked into her eyes. There was no questioning, no blame in those eyes, only a kind of... cautious worry, afraid of hearing the answer.

His heart felt like it had been clenched tightly by something.

He wanted to tell her.

I really want to.

I want to tell you everything that has happened these past few days.

He wanted to tell her.

But his mouth opened and then closed again.

Because he couldn't bring himself to say it.

It's not that I'm afraid, it's that I don't know where to begin.

This matter is too big, too outrageous, so outrageous that he feels the moment he says it, it will become true.

As long as they don't say anything, there's still room for maneuver.

As long as we don't say anything, things haven't reached the worst point yet.

"Mianmian." His voice was a little hoarse. "I lied to you. Actually, my sister cheated someone out of 13 yuan. I didn't want to make this a big deal about our relationship."

Xia Anmian stared at him for a long time.

Jiang Yi thought she was about to get angry, turn around and leave, and say the words he had heard in his dream.

But she didn't.

"Jiang Yi, what kind of person do you take me for?"

Xia Anmian stood up and threw Jiang Yi's clothes at him.

"What, you think I'd break up with you over this 130,000?"

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"We're a couple, we're going to get married and be together for life, how can you not trust me?"

Jiang Yi felt his eyes stinging.

He pulled his hand out of his pocket, put his arm around Xia Anmian's shoulder, and pulled her closer to him.

"Mianmian."

"Um?"

"Thank you."

Xia Anmian didn't say anything more, but buried her face in his shoulder and rubbed against him.

She was somewhat angry, but she also knew the immense pressure the big boy holding her was under.

That's 13!

For a young person in their early twenties without family support, this is a huge sum of money.

But what angered her most was that Jiang Yi didn't tell her the truth and didn't trust her.

However, when I think about how I also have to hide my background, and how we are all adults, it seems normal to have our own secrets.

As long as your heart belongs to you, that's enough.

No?

The two of them sat there quietly, neither of them saying a word.

The light from the streetlights cast long, overlapping shadows of the people, making them appear as one.

After an unknown amount of time, Xia Anmian lifted her head from his shoulder and yawned.

"What time is it?"

Jiang Yi took out his phone and glanced at it.

11:40.

The dormitory was obviously already closed.

"Let's go, it's too late, we can't get back. Let's find a place to stay."

Xia Anmian got up from Jiang Yi and rubbed his face.

"Don't just stand there, let's go! It's freezing outside!"

The two left the park and found a budget hotel nearby.

The receptionist was a young woman. When she saw the two people checking into a room late at night, her expression remained unchanged, and she skillfully completed the check-in procedures.

"A double room costs 380 yuan, with a deposit of 200 yuan."