After being attacked by the rich young ladies with hatchets, I chose to enter "sage mode".

And now, standing before this girl, with no more thoughts of running away or being perfunctory, he realized that her love was expressed so clearly, without the slightest intention of concealment.

In one's life, one will encounter many people who stir the heart, and may mistakenly believe that such a stirring of the heart is love. In reality, it is just a momentary feeling of fondness. After all, a stirring of the heart is not the answer; a settled heart is.

"Sisi, I still prefer your smile. You're like the source of joy in my world. If you don't smile, how can I be happy?"

Staring tenderly into Qing Sisi's eyes, Bai Yu really didn't hold back at all, and even said whatever came to mind, completely ignoring any calculations or considerations.

Many people don't actually know the difference between a straight man and a jerk. To put it bluntly, a jerk thinks before he speaks and chooses the best way to express himself. Over time, it becomes a subconscious habit, which is why girls like to hear well-thought-out and beautiful lies.

Straight men are different. When they have no feelings for you, they speak directly because you don't require them to think things through. Over time, this becomes a subconscious habit.

A "scumbag" will shower everyone with attention and concern, but a straight man is someone who likes someone, and he'll only shower them with attention and concern after he's fallen for them. At that point, all he says is his feelings, without any finesse, but many people don't like to hear that because straightforward love isn't romantic.

Romance lasts until death, but deep affection is worthless.

But for Bai Yu, he no longer needed those romantic promises of eternal love; all he needed was to reciprocate the deep affection that he found worthless.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and glistening tears were still welling up in them, but her smile was as sweet as eating a piece of candy in the warm spring breeze.

"Senior, if I keep smiling from now on, won't you feel happy too?"

Nodding, Bai Yu rubbed her sore eyes and replied with a smile.

"Yes, I'm happy as long as Sisi is smiling."

"Then... then senior, shall we go in quickly?"

She stretched out a small, fair hand and placed it in front of Bai Yu. Qing Sisi looked at him with a smile, her proactive manner as bold as ever.

Bai Yu raised her hand, her palms damp with a fine sheen of sweat—a mixture of nervousness, excitement, and trepidation at the prospect of holding hands once again.

Taking a deep breath, Bai Yu slowly placed her hand on Qing Sisi's palm, gently touching her soft and delicate hand. In the past, she had only felt the softness and smoothness of this girl's small hands, but this time, Bai Yu felt a sense of inner redemption.

Feeling Bai Yu's gentle and careful manner, Qing Sisi was quite surprised, but she still took his hand and said with a smile.

"Senior, are you shy? Why are you being so careful when you're holding someone's hand?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yu felt the tight grip of Qing Sisi on his hand again, and finally just smiled without saying anything.

Chapter 85: Saying "I like you" is an unconscious expression

They entered the villa area hand in hand. It was still summer vacation, and the students were on holiday, but Qing Sisi's parents were not.

As for her brother Qing Siling, this guy usually goes to hang out with Murong Chun and his friends. As for what they hang out with, no one knows. At least Bai Yu doesn't hang out with them often, so she doesn't know.

So when he returned to the villa with Qing Sisi, there was no one else there except the housekeeper.

Led by the girl, they went upstairs to her room. Although it wasn't Bai Yu's first time here, seeing the familiar room layout this time felt completely different, giving her a strange sense of warmth, like coming home.

"Senior, do you think she looks good today?"

As soon as she entered the room, Qing Sisi turned around, put her hands behind her back, took two steps back, and lightly twirled around, showing off the way her skirt fluttered.

In response to the girl's question, Bai Yu gave only two blank and straightforward words.

"nice."

There was no hesitation, no deliberate arrogance because of the girl's sexy, bouncy manner, and no concealment of emotions. Beauty is beauty, and love is love.

Often, what people need is not necessarily a wonderful thing or a generic appearance, but rather comfort that touches their soul.

Time may quietly take away youth, novelty, and the burp after drinking cola, but it will not take away an unchanging heart and unwavering love.

"Senior, do you...do you like how pretty I am?"

She blinked her captivating peach blossom eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering gently, a truly beautiful sight.

"like."

Smiling as she gazed into those eyes that dared to meet hers directly, Bai Yu noticed that Qing Sisi, this girl, would look away after a couple of seconds of bold staring.

People are naturally shy, and the eyes are the easiest place to reveal a person's shyness. Her avoidance of eye contact reflects this subconscious shyness.

"Senior, don't stare at me like that...it makes me feel embarrassed."

With her head down, Qing Sisi muttered to herself, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with Bai Yu's straightforward way of expressing herself.

This also needs to be examined because Bai Yu's attitude towards her in the past was always one of wantonness and recklessness.

Bai Yu used to lecture this girl every time she said the wrong thing, and even if she liked her, she would hide it and express it in a more subtle way.

But his current bluntness is a complete 180-degree change, and no one would get used to it in an instant.

"Sisi, I...can I take a look at the decorations in your room?"

"Yes...yes..."

Nodding, Qing Sisi didn't quite understand why Bai Yu suddenly wanted to see the decorations in her room. Hadn't she entered her room once before?

Bai Yu didn't explain to her, and after getting her consent, she went into the house and started looking around.

Reaching out from the wall, Bai Yu opened the integrated cabinet, which was filled with all sorts of Qing Sisi clothes. At a glance, Bai Yu could only describe it as dazzling, but the clothes were hung very neatly.

One item after another was turned over, and Qing Sisi stood by watching, occasionally wanting to ask Bai Yu what she was doing, but she refrained from asking.

After going through one piece of clothing after another, Bai Yu opened the closet. Inside were pairs of socks of all styles, neatly arranged, and even some air fresheners emitting a faint fragrance.

After finishing all this, Bai Yu stopped her slow flipping motions, then turned to look at Qing Sisi, whose face was flushed, and whispered something.

"Sisi, are you wondering why I went through your closet and even looked at all your clothes?"

Nodding, Qing Sisi had wanted to ask, but she held back because she saw Bai Yu carefully and slowly turning the pages.

Now that Bai Yu is willing to tell her why, she definitely wants to know.

For a vibrant young girl who has just come of age, curiosity is bound to be strong.

Seeing Qing Sisi nod, Bai Yu smiled, reached out and lifted her chin, speaking softly and gently.

"Because I want to know everything you're hiding. Clothes are just a disguise; I want to peel them back and see what's inside you."

What Bai Yu said sounded a bit inexplicable at first glance, even like she was acting crazy.

To put it bluntly, Bai Yu meant that Qing Sisi should try to let go of the unnecessary pretense in front of him and be her true self.

However, Qing Sisi's comprehension skills may not actually be as good as Bai Yu thought.

"Senior...you...you're going to take my clothes off?"

The girl murmured shyly, fidgeting with her hands as she looked down, clearly starting to have wild thoughts about strange and unusual things.

He gently tapped her head, then lowered his head and pulled her soft waist into his arms, whispering softly.

"Are you stupid? What I mean is, there are many things you haven't told me that you can tell me. There's no need to carry it all on your own. If love isn't mutual, then all the journey you've taken has been in vain, understand?"

Looking up at Bai Yu, only she knew whether Qing Sisi understood or not, but the way she pouted her little mouth to kiss him was so out of place.

However, Bai Yu did not discourage or deliberately reject the girl's attempts to get closer.

If a girl is willing to take the initiative to kiss him, and he still doesn't want to or deliberately refuses, it can only mean that he doesn't like her.

He lowered his head and kissed the girl's soft, delicate pink lips. They were small and very soft, and he could taste a faint fragrance like flower petals in his mouth.

Reluctantly releasing her teeth that were gently biting Qing Sisi's lower lip, Bai Yu's hands remained tightly embracing her.

He stared intently at the girl's flushed face, so much so that she kept looking away shyly.

Qing Sisi didn't know why Bai Yu was so caring and enthusiastic towards her after returning from her trip abroad, but one can clearly sense another person's attitude towards them.

If you feel love, then it must be love; if you don't feel love, then it definitely isn't love. There's no need to force yourself to believe your feelings are an illusion.

Bai Yu's passionate gaze and her tight embrace, refusing to let go, all expressed how much she cherished the relationship.

"Senior, I...I like you~"

Perhaps it was a moment of impulsiveness, or perhaps she wanted some relief from being stared at so intently, but Qing Sisi blurted out "I like you" to Bai Yu, a phrase she had said countless times before, because "I like you" was a word that came to her mind without her even realizing it.

Chapter 86 A Not-So-Good Plan

He bent down and picked Qing Sisi up in a princess carry, a move that startled her.

The reason Bai Yu did this was actually quite simple: it was because Qing Sisi subconsciously said that she liked him.

In his previous life, Bai Yu had heard countless expressions of affection, and the more he heard them, the more he felt that affection was so cheap, which is why he thought that Qing Sisi's expression of affection was so casual.

But now that I've regained what I once lost, the words I once loved sound so precious, words I even dream about.

"Senior~"

She instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around Bai Yu's neck, and Qing Sisi, startled, whispered a sweet and gentle "Senior."

Bai Yu remained unmoved, holding her tightly and smiling as he looked out the window, speaking each word clearly.

"Sisi, do you know that the people who accompany you in life are more important than the scenery? Because many times, the people who accompany you are the scenery themselves. I like you that much too."

Hearing Bai Yu's sincere and straightforward confession, Qing Sisi felt her heart melt, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Bai Yu.

Of course, Bai Yu had not forgotten his more important purpose in coming here besides seeing Qing Sisi again.

After all, this girl seems easy to handle now, but if she finds out about her relationship with the other four women, will she still be so calm and docile?

Although Qing Sisi isn't usually dangerous, once she has an episode, she can easily cause irreversible consequences—that's what happens when she's an aggressive yandere.

Therefore, Bai Yu couldn't be as straightforward as Lin Ying and Si Yu in revealing the truth to her. If this girl found out, who could predict whether a direct revelation would be the end of the day?

"Sisi, if one day you want to do something, I will definitely go with you to do it. But if one day you are disappointed in me or despise me and want freedom, then be careful on your journey."

One second she was making a sentimental confession, and the next second Bai Yu's style began to shift towards a faint sadness.

This change left Qing Sisi somewhat bewildered.

"Senior? She doesn't want to leave you."

Looking up at Bai Yu's gray-black eyes, I saw my own reflection in them, which also revealed a trace of sadness.

This trace of sorrow was a sorrow that Qing Sisi could not understand, because she did not understand why Bai Yu would feel sad when he looked at her, as if he had lost a lot in the past.

"No one knows what the future holds, but loving someone doesn't require much thought, and the right person shouldn't end up being missed."

Upon hearing this, Qing Sisi was confused once again. Bai Yu had just said that she was afraid of parting ways, but now she was saying that they shouldn't miss each other. Was it that they shouldn't miss each other, or that they were afraid of parting ways?

Actually, you can't blame Qing Sisi for not understanding, because Bai Yu herself sometimes doesn't understand what she wants to do.

His thinking is sometimes as calm and clear as in his previous life, and he likes to analyze behavior, but at other times it jumps around very quickly, as if he can't control himself.

To put it bluntly, he sometimes feels like a crazy, nonsensical person.

"Senior, what you said is a bit confusing to people. Is it... that you want to tell them something on your mind?"