Chapter Ninety-Seven: If I Lied to You, Then I Would Not Like You Anymore

How did you get here?” Luo Yixia asked, startled.

“Something came up with Song Zeming, so he asked me to pick you two up,” Song Chengyi replied lightly.

“You drove here?” Luo Yixia asked.

“Was there another way?” Song Chengyi countered, turning toward the door.

The two of them followed behind him.

Luo Yixia and Gan Yanyan sat in the back seat.

Song Chengyi drove.

The car started without a hitch.

Gan Yanyan teased, “Senior Song, can you really drive? Why am I a little scared?”

“No one’s going to die,” Luo Yixia blurted out.

Gan Yanyan blinked at her. “How do you know no one’s going to die?”

“I...” Luo Yixia was at a loss for words.

As expected, the more she said, the more wrong it was. Better not to speak at all.

“I’ve been driving for several years,” Song Chengyi said at the right moment, smoothly rescuing her.

“Tsk, tsk,” Gan Yanyan said with an expression that was hard to read.

It made Luo Yixia feel even more guilty.

When they reached the city center, Song Chengyi pulled over.

“Have you eaten? If we go back now, the cafeteria will already be closed,” he said through the rearview mirror.

“We haven’t. Is Senior Song taking us to eat?” Gan Yanyan said at once, smiling.

“I haven’t eaten either,” Song Chengyi nodded. “Where do you want to go?”

“Xiaxia, where do you want to eat?” Gan Yanyan asked the girl beside her.

“I’m fine with anything,” Luo Yixia really was not picky.

“There’s a snack street nearby. How about we eat there?” Gan Yanyan suggested.

“Well... I don’t feel very well, and that kind of food isn’t healthy. Let’s go to a restaurant,” Luo Yixia quickly cut in.

“You just said you weren’t picky,” Gan Yanyan said, a little disappointed.

Luo Yixia only smiled. Song Chengyi was very particular; if they went to the snack street, he probably would not be able to eat much of anything.

Better to go to a restaurant.

Song Chengyi chose a place with a good atmosphere. The three of them got out of the car.

After entering the restaurant and finding a table, they had barely sat down before the waiter came over.

“What would you like to eat?” Song Chengyi handed the menu to the two of them.

Gan Yanyan did not stand on ceremony and ordered three dishes.

Then Luo Yixia shook her head and passed it to Song Chengyi, who was sitting opposite her.

Seeing that she had not ordered anything, Song Chengyi picked a pork rib soup, then braised fish, and another vegetable dish.

“Isn’t that a little much?” Luo Yixia asked.

“There are three of us. Just six dishes,” Gan Yanyan said with a smile.

“Oh.” Luo Yixia said nothing else.

When the dishes were gradually brought out, Song Chengyi first served Luo Yixia a bowl of soup. “Drink more. It will help you recover.”

Luo Yixia panicked a little. There was someone else there, and Gan Yanyan was still sitting beside her. Did he have to make it so obvious?

Yet Gan Yanyan seemed not to notice, keeping her head down as she ate.

Song Chengyi even placed several pieces of vegetables onto Luo Yixia’s plate.

Gan Yanyan still acted as if she saw nothing.

Luo Yixia grew a little flustered, wondering why it felt as though they were deliberately pretending not to see.

Could it be that they had already noticed something?

The meal was very quiet.

When they finished, Song Chengyi went to pay.

Luo Yixia followed him.

Gan Yanyan only smiled. She had eaten enough of their affection to last a lifetime, and a meal was the least they could do.

“I’ll pay,” Luo Yixia said, taking out her phone to scan the code.

“Do you have money?” Song Chengyi suddenly smiled.

“I do. How much?” Luo Yixia asked the waiter.

“Six hundred ninety-eight yuan,” the waiter said with a polite smile.

Luo Yixia froze. Six hundred ninety-eight—for only six dishes. That was enough for her to live on for more than a week.

Her monthly allowance was only a little over two thousand.

While Luo Yixia was still stunned, Song Chengyi had already scanned the code first.

“Don’t— I have money. I’ll transfer it to you,” Luo Yixia said immediately, opening his WeChat.

“Do you still need to be so careful with me?” Song Chengyi looked at her all at once.

In that instant, Luo Yixia’s heart was beating wildly.

Oh heavens...

This felt like falling in love.

She watched Song Chengyi’s back as they walked out of the restaurant.

Gan Yanyan was already waiting by the car.

“Who paid in the end?” Gan Yanyan asked with a smile.

Luo Yixia pointed at Song Chengyi with her little finger.

“That’s more like it,” Gan Yanyan said shamelessly, grinning.

“Do you know how expensive it was? Six hundred ninety-eight. We only ordered six dishes, and that black-hearted restaurant was so expensive,” Luo Yixia said indignantly.

And heartbroken over the money.

The two of them sat in the back seat again.

“It wasn’t your money, so why are you heartbroken?” Gan Yanyan teased her.

“It may not have been mine... but it was still money... and it was Senior Song’s,” Luo Yixia said. She still was not quite used to calling Song Chengyi “Senior Song.”

“Xiaxia, do you like Song Chengyi?” Gan Yanyan asked in a low voice, smiling all the while.

Her smile made Luo Yixia feel a little creeped out.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” she snapped at once.

“I feel like you really like Song Chengyi.”

“How could that be? Yanyan, why are you becoming just as gossip-loving as everyone else?”

“I’ve always been gossip-loving.”

“Nothing like that happened... absolutely nothing...” Luo Yixia was so anxious she nearly stammered.

This was too hard.

“Why are you so nervous? I was just joking...” Gan Yanyan laughed.

“Oh, I see.” Luo Yixia’s mouth twitched.

That was really too much. She had actually been teased like that.

“Xiaxia, what kind of girl do you think Song Chengyi likes?” Gan Yanyan steered the topic back to him.

“How would I know...” Luo Yixia bit her lower lip. She had always wanted to know what kind of girl Song Chengyi liked.

“I think he seems to like you—”

Luo Yixia instinctively leaned back, her reaction intense. “Stop making things up again.”

“I haven’t finished yet. I mean he likes girls like you.”

Luo Yixia finally relaxed a little, but still asked, “Girls like me?”

“The kind who are pretty, have a good personality, and are so cute.” Gan Yanyan reached out to pinch her cheek.

Luo Yixia dodged away, not letting her touch her.

Later, Luo Yixia kept thinking about it.

So... Song Chengyi really would like someone like her?

But why, after liking him for so long, did he still not like her?

Lately, it even felt as though his attitude toward her had changed.

Song Chengyi drove steadily, and before long they arrived at the base.

Tonight, because they needed to pack, there was no training.

But even from outside, the whole base sounded noisy and chaotic.

Most of the instructors had gone off to make preparations, and with no one supervising, the place was in complete disorder.

Song Chengyi parked the car.

After getting out, he said to the two of them, “Tomorrow we’ll be going on a long-distance march. I heard it’s more than sixty kilometers. Pack your things. Leave behind anything ornamental but useless. As for bathing, forget about it; we’ll be camping outside.”

“Are you going to torment us again?” Gan Yanyan sighed.

“Does your forehead still hurt?” Song Chengyi stepped closer and reached out to touch Luo Yixia’s injury.

It had already gone down a lot.

Luo Yixia took a step back. “I’m fine. It’s much better; it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

After speaking, she grabbed Gan Yanyan and ran toward the dormitory.

“Goodbye, Senior Song. Thank you for treating us tonight,” Gan Yanyan called back, still being dragged along as she ran.

They ran all the way to the girls’ dormitory.

Panting, Gan Yanyan asked, “Why were you in such a hurry?”

“Nothing,” Luo Yixia said uneasily.

“Xiaxia, your face is red...” Gan Yanyan looked at that little face and could not help laughing.

“No it isn’t... I just ran too fast,” Luo Yixia said, pressing the back of her hand to her cheek. It really was hot.

“Oh.” Gan Yanyan still nodded with deep meaning, a smile lingering at the corners of her mouth.

“What are you smiling at? So weird...” Luo Yixia threw out that one line, then quickly ran back to the dorm.

This time, hardly anyone noticed them entering.

Everyone was busy packing their own things.

When the two of them reached their beds, someone nearby asked, “Back from the hospital?”

“Mm,” Luo Yixia nodded.

After that, everyone chatted among themselves, and Luo Yixia only kept her head down in silence.

Unknowingly, she always felt as though she were being isolated.

And the way others looked at her seemed strange too.

Luo Yixia lay on her bed; the dormitory lights had already been turned off.

Each bed had a lit phone.

Luo Yixia unlocked hers and scrolled through it.

She replied to messages from home, but they did not seem to know she had been injured this time. Otherwise, who knew how they would have fussed over her? They might have immediately come to take her back.

Probably Brother Zeming hadn’t said anything. Thankfully, he hadn’t.

Then she opened Song Chengyi’s WeChat and thought of what he had said: “Do you still need to be so careful with me?”

Did he mean that she and he were already inseparable?

Luo Yixia buried her face in the blanket and laughed quietly.

Just then, her phone chimed. Perfect timing—Song Chengyi had sent a message.

[Asleep yet? Have you packed everything?]

Luo Yixia stared at the phone with wide eyes and replied carefully, [I’ve packed everything. I’m already lying in bed.]

[What did you pack?]

Luo Yixia thought carefully about the things she had brought and sent the list to him.

[Not bad. You brought enough.]

Seeing the message Song Chengyi sent back, Luo Yixia could not help letting the corners of her mouth lift.

Was he praising her?

After chatting with Song Chengyi for a while on two random topics, he urged her to sleep.

Without even thinking, Luo Yixia agreed at once.

But this time Song Chengyi had become wary too: [If you lie to me again, then don’t talk to me again in the future.]

Luo Yixia pressed her lips together. So he was still bothered by the last time, when she had tricked him into sleeping.

Petty man.

Though that was what she thought, she still replied, [If I lie to you again this time, then I won’t like you anymore.]

When Song Chengyi saw that line, he fell silent for a moment. No one knew what he was thinking.

[No need. Go to sleep whenever you want.]

Huh? What did that mean?

Luo Yixia stared at his reply, a little dazed.

He had been so strict before—why suddenly not anymore?

It was truly impossible to make sense of him.

[I’m turning off my phone now and going to sleep. Good night.]

Luo Yixia still intended to be good and obedient. At the end, she even sent Song Chengyi a kissing emoji.

After looking at it and feeling satisfied, she switched off her phone and closed her eyes.