Moving On from the Tsundere, I Choose the Perfect Sweetheart

9:30 PM.

It was getting late. With the college entrance exams approaching, the school had gotten much stricter than before.

Boarding students who wanted to stay off-campus on weekends had to get permission from their homeroom teacher first.

Su Qinghe didn’t mind the hassle, so she chose to return to the dorms.

Besides, when she went home on weekends, she was all by herself anyway. It didn’t make a difference where she stayed.

And so.

Su Qinghe got up to say goodbye to Chen Dongmei and her husband, then left with Gu Yifan.

As for why Gu Yifan was leaving too?

Simple.

He was going to walk Su Qinghe back to school. After all, he couldn’t rest easy letting her go back alone so late at night.

Especially a girl as beautiful as Su Qinghe. That made him even more worried.

...

"Wait... wait a second."

Just as Gu Yifan pulled out his phone to call a car, Su Qinghe suddenly called out to stop him.

’Where’s my husband?’

Gu Yifan froze. The three words had popped into his head out of nowhere.

"Can we not take a car?"

Su Qinghe’s voice sounded again, soft and low.

Gu Yifan snapped out of the romantic fantasy in his head and turned to look at Su Qinghe.

Their eyes met.

Under the dim yellow streetlights, Su Qinghe’s delicate, beautiful face looked even more stunning.

Seemingly understanding the meaning in her eyes, Gu Yifan asked, "Walk back?"

"Mhm."

Su Qinghe nodded lightly.

"Alright!"

Gu Yifan didn’t hesitate. He nodded and said, "Then... shall we get going?"

With that, he led Su Qinghe onto the sidewalk.

Gu Yifan walked in front while Su Qinghe followed silently behind him. She occasionally kicked at a small pebble on the sidewalk, clearly in a very good mood.

Gu Yifan glanced back at her and said with a smile, "You seem to be in a good mood!"

"Mhm~"

Su Qinghe paused, stopping her kicking, and looked up at Gu Yifan, nodding seriously.

"I’m very happy tonight."

After a moment’s thought, her eyes narrowed into crescents as she added another sentence.

Gazing at the sweet smile on her face, Gu Yifan was momentarily mesmerized.

’This Hanhan, she’s really a little temptress!’ he thought to himself.

When Su Qinghe saw Gu Yifan suddenly staring at her without a word, she grew a little puzzled. Tilting her head, she asked, "Is... is there something on my face?"

"No!"

Gu Yifan snapped back to his senses and shook his head.

"Oh, okay~"

Su Qinghe didn’t overthink it. She just nodded lightly and didn’t press the matter.

"Hanhan."

Gu Yifan suddenly called out.

"Hm?"

Su Qinghe turned to look at him.

"You look beautiful when you smile. You should smile more often!"

Gu Yifan said with a completely serious expression.

Without waiting for Su Qinghe’s response, he turned and continued walking forward.

WHOOSH~

Su Qinghe’s face flushed slightly red. She stared blankly at Gu Yifan’s back as her heart, betraying her, began to race. THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

"Hey~"

"Hanhan, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and catch up!"

After walking a few dozen meters, Gu Yifan noticed Su Qinghe hadn’t followed and turned to shout back at her.

"Huh?"

"Coming, coming!"

Su Qinghe answered and trotted over to him.

Her cheeks were a little flushed; it was hard to tell if it was from the short run or from shyness.

"You really are a Hanhan~"

Gu Yifan reached out, pinched her slightly rosy nose, and chuckled.

Su Qinghe pouted but didn’t retort this time.

...

Around 10:30 PM.

The two of them had been walking for nearly an hour before they arrived at the gates of Mountain City First Middle School.

Since it was so late, the school gates were already closed.

After Su Qinghe showed her school ID and did some sweet-talking, the gatekeeper finally let them in.

It was a Friday, so there were no evening self-study sessions, and the entire campus was exceptionally quiet.

They strolled along the campus’s stone-paved path. Under the dim yellow streetlights, they walked slowly, neither of them suggesting they speed up.

The chirping of insects occasionally echoed from the flowerbeds on either side of the path, making the night feel especially tranquil.

"Are you tired?"

By the lotus pond not far from the girls’ dormitory, Gu Yifan suddenly turned to Su Qinghe and asked.

"N... no."

Su Qinghe shook her head lightly.

"Then... want to go sit over there for a bit?"

Gu Yifan said, pointing to the pavilion in the middle of the lotus pond.

"Okay!"

Su Qinghe nodded.

With that, the two of them headed toward the center of the pond.

A few of the lights on the walkway flanking the lotus pond had broken at some point, leaving only a lonely pair casting a faint glow.

"Ah~"

As they were walking, Su Qinghe suddenly cried out. She stumbled and lost her balance, her body falling uncontrollably toward the pond.

Gu Yifan’s heart leaped. He shot out a hand and pulled her back, their bodies pressing tightly together, barely avoiding the embarrassing scene of Su Qinghe falling into the water.

"Phew..."

Gu Yifan broke out in a cold sweat, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

The warm breath brushed against Su Qinghe’s earlobe, and her face instantly turned beet red.

The weather in Mountain City had already warmed up by April, and they were both wearing thin clothes, allowing them to feel each other’s body heat.

They were pressed so close together that Su Qinghe could smell the faint scent of laundry detergent on Gu Yifan. It wasn’t a bad smell; in fact, she found it quite pleasant.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP~

Su Qinghe’s heart couldn’t help but accelerate again. She suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe.

It wasn’t just her; Gu Yifan’s own traitorous heart was also pounding in his chest.

Feeling the soft, supple sensation against his chest, Gu Yifan’s imagination started running wild.

’Wait a second.’

’Who the heck is Imogen???’

Gu Yifan hurriedly shook his head, trying to banish those messy yet wonderful thoughts.

He helped Su Qinghe stand upright, his voice a little rushed. "Are... are you okay?"

"I’m... I’m fine."

Hearing his voice, Su Qinghe snapped back to reality. She felt something... hard...

After a moment’s thought, she understood instantly. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red. Head bowed, she didn’t dare meet Gu Yifan’s gaze as she whispered in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, "Can... can you let go of me first?"

"Oh, right~"

Gu Yifan, flustered, quickly let go.

But the moment he let go, Su Qinghe, still unsteady, lost her footing again and toppled uncontrollably toward the pond once more.

Seeing this, Gu Yifan reacted in a flash, pulling her back into his arms yet again.

"Ngh~"

Su Qinghe let out a soft grunt, her face now so red it looked like it might start bleeding.

Meanwhile, Gu Yifan had already begun to silently chant the twelve-word mantra in his mind: "Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony, Freedom, Equality, Justice, Rule of Law, Patriotism, Dedication, Integrity, Friendliness..."

He couldn’t help it!

With a beauty in his arms, who could possibly withstand this?

In a situation like this, even the great Liu Xiahui would probably get an instant boner!

...