Li Yu was not a young man like Fang Tian who had no idea how to hide what he was thinking. Although she had just overheard something astonishing, she barely reacted, almost as though she had known all along. Fang Tian, on the other hand, remained nervous after they went upstairs, stealing glances at Li Yu from time to time like a thief with a guilty conscience.
In truth, how could all those seasoned veterans at the company have failed to notice anything about Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng’s relationship? Perhaps some genuinely had not, but those who knew were nothing like Fang Tian, who wore every thought on his face. They were only subordinates. Whoever their boss chose to be with was none of their business to question. At most, they would be surprised.
When Chu Yifeng learned that Wang Cheng was downstairs, he wanted to go down, but Wang Cheng stopped him. He told Chu Yifeng that he had an appointment with someone and would go to the apartment after it was over.
“Who are you meeting?”
“A classmate.” Wang Cheng had no idea what was going through Chu Yifeng’s mind and did not mention Wei Dandan by name, but Chu Yifeng guessed anyway.
“That female classmate named Wei Dandan?”
“How did you know?” Wang Cheng asked in surprise. As far as he remembered, Chu Yifeng had never had any contact with Wei Dandan, and Wang Cheng had barely mentioned her to him. Naturally, he did not know that Chu Yifeng had once happened to see him meeting Wei Dandan.
“Just a guess.”
Wang Cheng did not believe him, but he admitted it freely anyway. “It’s her. We agreed to meet at four thirty. It’s not far from here. I’ll try to get back to the apartment before six.”
Chu Yifeng did not stop him. He understood Wang Cheng fairly well. Even if Wei Dandan confessed to him, there was no chance Wang Cheng would accept her.
After putting away his phone, Wang Cheng headed to the meeting place. Wei Dandan had chosen the same café where they had met before, even the same table. She had arrived earlier than him and was wearing the same white dress as that day. Wang Ziyu owned a white dress too, so Wang Cheng remembered it particularly clearly.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Wang Cheng said as he sat down.
“It’s fine. I only got here a little while ago too. Would you like a cup of coffee?” Wei Dandan glanced at him and pulled her lips into a smile, though it looked slightly stiff. Wang Cheng did not notice.
Wang Cheng shook his head. “No, thanks. There’s only a little over an hour until six, and I’m not that interested in coffee anyway. By the way, what did you want to tell me?”
At his last question, Wei Dandan suddenly had no idea what to do with her hands or feet. She had already planned to ask Wang Cheng out at the last class reunion, but a man had suddenly interrupted them and cost her the opportunity. It had taken her a long time to gather her courage again. This was, after all, the first love she had carried for nearly ten years. She had been unable to say it back then, and now, despite there being no obstacle in her way, facing the person she liked still made her lips feel glued shut. She tried several times and could not get the words out, rubbing her palms together until they grew damp with sweat.
“What’s wrong?” Wang Cheng noticed that something seemed off.
Wei Dandan shook her head and pressed a hand over her heart, trying to calm herself. “Well… I asked you here because there’s something I want to tell you. I’ve wanted to say it for a very long time, but some things happened back then, so I kept putting it off until now.”
Wang Cheng thought of how Song Yuanyuan had ostracized him in high school. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
“Wang Cheng.” Wei Dandan suddenly called his name. When he looked at her, she lowered her head. “Maybe you never noticed, but back in high school, there was a girl who was always quietly watching you. She was your classmate, but she never dared talk to you. It wasn’t because of what happened with Song Yuanyuan. It was because she liked you. She kept those feelings hidden and never told anyone. Later, she always regretted it. When she met you again, she thought Heaven was giving her a chance to make up for that old regret, so this time she decided to gather her courage and confess to you. And that person… was me. I like you, Wang Cheng.”
Now that she had finally said it, Wei Dandan felt as though a heavy stone had been lifted from her heart. Her whole body relaxed.
Before coming, Wang Cheng had never imagined that Wei Dandan was going to confess to him. When she first began talking, he had sensed that something was odd and assumed she meant another girl, only to discover she was talking about herself. Wei Dandan liked him? In his memory, she was a quiet and gentle girl, but beyond that he had never thought of her in any other way. And this girl had apparently liked him for almost ten years?
Ten years was not a short time, and Wang Cheng understood that very well. He admired Wei Dandan’s persistence in holding on to a feeling for so long, but there was no way he could accept her. Chu Yifeng was one reason, and Wang Cheng himself was another. He had always regarded Wei Dandan as a friend and had never considered developing a romantic relationship with her.
“Sir, it would be such a pity to reject such a pretty girl.” A male waiter happened to be clearing the neighboring table and had overheard Wei Dandan’s confession, so he could not resist putting in a word for her. It truly did take courage for a girl to confess, especially when she was quite attractive too.
Wang Cheng glanced at him. His fingers idly traced the rim of the coffee cup, but for a long moment he said nothing.
His silence made Wei Dandan’s face turn pale. She did not need an answer to guess what he was thinking. She had never held much hope in the first place, yet she had still been unable to stop herself from clinging to a tiny bit of it. Reality had now crushed even that.
“I’m sorry. I already have someone I like.” Wang Cheng did not want to give her false hope. Feelings like this had to be cut off cleanly when they needed to be, or the only person who would suffer was the one who had invested genuine emotion. Wang Cheng had never dated before, but he had seen plenty of men and women struggling through matters of the heart.
Wei Dandan’s straight back seemed to wilt. He already had someone he liked? Before confessing, she had never even considered that possibility. She had never heard Wang Cheng mention having a girlfriend, so she had assumed he was single. How naïve. Wang Cheng was so outstanding. What had made her think he would not have a girlfriend?
“Are you all right?” Wang Cheng asked with a frown.
Wei Dandan shook her head and forced a smile. “I’m fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had a girlfriend. Just pretend you never heard anything I said today. These were only my one-sided feelings. They have nothing to do with you.”
Wang Cheng said, “Wei Dandan, you’re a very good girl. We just aren’t meant for each other. There are plenty of men in this world better than me. The person meant for you might already be waiting somewhere. Believe in yourself. You’ll definitely find someone who truly loves you.”
“Thank you, Wang Cheng. You’re a good person.” Wei Dandan was not going to hate him simply because he did not return her feelings. Love involved two people, after all.
After rejecting her, Wang Cheng had even been handed the classic “good person” card. He was not good at comforting girls, so he had more or less exhausted his repertoire. He checked the time. It was already five thirty.
Wei Dandan noticed the movement. “If you still have something to do, go ahead. I want to be alone for a while.”
Her thoughtfulness made Wang Cheng sigh, but he would not change his answer simply because she was considerate. He was fairly firm once he made up his mind. Wei Dandan could only be said to have fallen for the wrong person.
“All right. I’ll go first, then.”
Through the window, Wei Dandan watched him get into the car, and then watched the car disappear from sight. She stared blankly for a long time. Only when the waiter came over and handed her a tissue did she realize that at some point her eyes had filled with tears. How could a secret love of almost ten years be put down simply because she wanted to? Yet putting it down was the only path left to her.
Wang Cheng returned to Ningjing Residential Complex with a small weight sitting heavily on his mood because of Wei Dandan’s words. He really was not suited to dating women. His old decision had not been wrong. He had never imagined back then that he would end up dating a man either, but thinking about it now, men tended to be more straightforward, and because they understood each other better, there seemed to be less friction than when dealing with women.
“How did it go?” Chu Yifeng was sitting in the living room and turned when he heard him come in. It was five minutes to six. Wang Cheng had been fairly punctual.
Wang Cheng sighed. “I really am irresistible.”
If Chu Yifeng had been drinking water, he might have sprayed it everywhere. Self-absorption on this level was practically one of a kind. Other than the man in front of him, there was probably no second specimen in existence. Even with no context, however, he could roughly guess what had happened. “She confessed to you?”
Wang Cheng nodded without the slightest embarrassment. “Persistent girl. Said she’d liked me for almost ten years.”
“What did you say?” Chu Yifeng already knew the answer.
“What else could I say? Of course I rejected her. To make sure she gave up, I told her I already had someone I liked. And it’s true anyway. Don’t be fooled by how handsome I am. I’m very loyal when it comes to relationships.”
Chu Yifeng folded his arms and looked at him. “In that case, when are you planning to publicly announce our relationship?”
Wang Cheng immediately fell silent. This was the question he least wanted to face, because no matter how he thought about it, the answer remained the same. If it were something people could casually announce at any time, there would not be so many gay men forced to date in secret. A romantic relationship involved two people, but once family became involved, it became a matter between two entire families.