If there were ever a most heartless person in the world, it might well be Baili Weisheng—always able to plunge someone into an icy pit of despair with a single sentence, with no way back out.
She’d assumed Meng Duo’er would grow flustered and angrily storm off. But to her surprise, Meng Duo’er spoke with full confidence, declaring loudly, “It does concern me!”
Baili Weisheng froze, utterly astonished. Was this really the same Meng Duo’er who used to cry so easily?
Yet even more baffling to him was—how did his affairs concern her at all? Could she even offer a coherent reason?
He didn’t bother arguing with her further, simply waving a hand as if to leave.
“Stop right there. Tonight, I’m going to make myself clear!” Meng Duo’er said loudly, her figure darting in front of Baili Weisheng, blocking his path.
Baili Weisheng immediately took a step back, startled—he was fairly sure he didn’t owe this woman anything.
But quickly, a thought crossed his mind, and he understood. Without waiting for Meng Duo’er to speak, he casually made up an excuse. “I’m not leaving, I just couldn’t sleep and wanted to walk around. Go on back, go on back!”
Yet Meng Duo’er chased right after him again, tilting her head up to look at him, her expression dead serious.
Before Baili Weisheng could even react to dodge, Meng Duo’er spoke earnestly, word by word, “Annoying scholar, I like you!”
Baili Weisheng had actually already guessed as much, but hearing Meng Duo’er’s confession spoken aloud, right there in front of him, his heart still skipped a massive beat!
Annoying scholar, I like you.
In truth, it was just that one sentence—hidden away for ten years, endured for ten years.
Ten years later, and it was still that difficult to say. It was just one sentence, wasn’t it? Just seven words?
Of course, once that first sentence was out, the words that followed seemed to come easier.
Baili Weisheng stood frozen. In his whole life, there was nothing he hadn’t seen, nothing he hadn’t experienced.
Yet this was the first time he’d ever gone through anything quite like this.
He looked at Meng Duo’er, and this man who was capable of anything found himself genuinely at a loss, his mind going completely blank.
Having gotten that first sentence out, Meng Duo’er seemed to feel much lighter, growing bolder. She tilted her head back further, gazing at him earnestly, nearly rising up onto her toes to get a better look at him.
“Annoying scholar, I’ve liked you for a long time. I don’t even know when it started, but I’m certain of it now—I like you.”
Word by word, she spoke so earnestly, so sincerely. Her face had already flushed a deep red, her hands trembling—but her heart was filled with joy, and firm resolve.
For a woman, the most beautiful moment of her life is often the moment she confesses her feelings to the person she loves.
This moment, surely, was the fastest her heart had ever beaten in her entire life.
Meng Duo’er wished with all her heart that this moment could last forever.
She didn’t even care about Baili Weisheng’s reaction—she simply wanted this moment to go on and on. She looked at him, at his flustered, oddly adorable expression, so completely unlike his usual carefree, careless self.
They say even the oldest of men has a boyish side hidden within him. Today, Meng Duo’er believed it.
She’d never confessed her feelings to anyone before, didn’t know what else to say—she’d simply told him what was in her heart, and now, though she wanted to say more, the words wouldn’t come.
Deep down, it was just those two sentences.
She looked at him, he looked at her, and the two of them fell into silence.
It’s said that when a man and a woman lock eyes, if the man likes the woman, he’ll find himself leaning in for a kiss without realizing it; if the woman likes the man, she’ll find herself smiling foolishly, unable to help it.
As Meng Duo’er looked at him, she forgot her shyness, forgot her nervousness, and unconsciously, helplessly, broke into a foolish smile.
And Baili Weisheng?
After a long, long moment, to her utter surprise, Baili Weisheng started smiling foolishly too. “Heh… heh…”
Seeing him smile, Meng Duo’er’s heart swelled with joy, the anxious knot in her chest finally loosening. She thought, if he was smiling, and smiling so foolishly at that, surely he didn’t dislike her, didn’t dislike her confession!
Not disliking it—could that be the same as not rejecting it? And not rejecting it—did that mean acceptance?
Countless different words spun rapidly through Meng Duo’er’s mind, but very quickly, one sentence from Baili Weisheng brought it all to an abrupt halt.
He said, “Hey, that joke wasn’t funny at all.”
With that, he immediately dropped the smile, shot her a sidelong glance, and turned to leave. Meng Duo’er stood stunned, not even noticing the flicker of helplessness in Baili Weisheng’s eyes as he turned.
In an instant, the once-joyful world around her fell utterly silent. Meng Duo’er stood frozen, her foolish smile still stiff on her face. She didn’t know how long passed before she snapped back to her senses and spun around sharply.
But by then, Baili Weisheng had already vanished.
For a woman, what is the greatest act of courage?
Meng Duo’er didn’t know. She admitted she was a woman who cried easily, but she refused to admit she wasn’t brave!
Meng Duo’er, be brave.
She told herself this, and followed the direction he’d gone, striding forward. Fortunately, she soon spotted Baili Weisheng’s figure again.
He stood by the riverbank, seeming lost in thought, and only when he heard movement behind him did he turn to leave.
“Barrier!”
As Meng Duo’er chased after him, she raised her hand and trapped Baili Weisheng within a barrier!
Baili Weisheng’s brow furrowed, a flash of irritation in his eyes. This woman had actually trapped him—what did she think she was doing?
As Meng Duo’er approached, he turned to look at her sharply, his eyes filled with severity, even his voice turning harsh. “Annoying girl, I don’t have time to play games with you!”
In a moment like this, this sudden change in his attitude—how much could that hurt?
But this time, Meng Duo’er was truly brave, truly resolute.
She walked up to him, separated only by the invisible barrier, and looked at him with the same earnest gaze as before. She didn’t even notice her own voice trembling, but she remained earnest. “But I’m not playing games with you. I’m serious. Baili Weisheng, Meng Duo’er has liked you for ten years.”
“And then?” Baili Weisheng’s eyes carried a note of contempt. Meng Duo’er couldn’t tell if it was deliberate or if he genuinely felt that way deep down. Seeing his scrutinizing gaze, her heart nearly shattered, but she remained brave to the very end, answering loudly, “And then… let’s be together!”
“Heh!” Baili Weisheng laughed. “Let me go, I don’t have time for this nonsense!”
“Give me an answer, or I won’t let go!” Meng Duo’er remained stubborn.
She’d assumed that since Baili Weisheng hadn’t outright denied it, hadn’t directly said no, there might still be hope. But to her shock, at her words, Baili Weisheng answered without a moment’s hesitation, “I don’t like you. There’s no way I could ever be with you. Please retract your barrier, and while you’re at it, retract your feelings too.”
She’d been earnest, but he was even more so, his gaze coldly, indifferently assessing her.
Did he have any idea that every single word he’d just spoken was a blade, plunging straight into her heart?