Chapter Fifty-Five: Confessing Through Song?

"Suddenly I thought of you; this feeling of tacit understanding is like a riddle, making me both anxious and a little angry..." Yuqing stood at the center of the private room, her body swaying gently. Her long hair, draped over her shoulders, shimmered with rainbow hues under the flashing lights, and her flawless porcelain face was tinged with a delicate blush, making her look like an angel from a fairy tale. At that moment, Xu Tong and the others were utterly captivated by Wang Yuqing's ethereal singing and graceful beauty, even Yuan Weiye, the one who had just sung "Under the Bridge at My Door," stared dazedly at the lovely girl before him.

"This Yuqing, not only is she stunning enough to topple kingdoms, but even her singing makes people jealous—she’s a little enchantress," Tan Linlin muttered half-jokingly, half-complaining.

"Can't you just not give up? I'm crossing the street—where are you? How should we continue down this road..."

"It's Like Love." Xiao Lin watched as Wang Yuqing sang, always facing his direction, her exquisite face adorned with a gentle smile, her large, lively eyes filled with unspoken words. From the first line, Xiao Lin recognized the song, originally by Elva Hsiao—a folk ballad, gentle and sentimental. Yet Wang Yuqing sang it with a delicate undertone of melancholy that moved him. Xiao Lin was puzzled: why did she choose this song? Based on her personality, he had expected her to pick a fresh, campus tune.

"Recently, you and I have the same feelings; it's something akin to love..." Wang Yuqing paused slightly as she sang this line, her eyes locking with Xiao Lin’s. He keenly caught the look—could this lyric be what Wang Yuqing wanted to say to him? The thought sprang up in Xiao Lin's mind.

Ever since Wang Yuqing transferred, Xiao Lin had been intrigued by the beautiful girl. A series of events had followed, making him feel something special for her—more than friendship, yet not as deep as his feelings for Ma Yunrou; it wasn’t quite love. Perhaps a soulmate, but something was missing. The same feelings—did Wang Yuqing feel the same? Xiao Lin felt completely at a loss.

"On the same day, discovering love drawing closer; that is love, not just maybe..."

"Hey, do you guys know what song Wang Yuqing is singing? It sounds so familiar," Kang Yan whispered, feeling she'd heard it before but unable to remember.

"Oh, come on! How can you not know this song? It's Elva Hsiao's 'It's Like Love.' The one about boys and girls, with the 'me coming over, you going across,'" Tan Linlin declared boisterously.

"Shh, keep it down, Yuqing is singing. And what do you mean by 'me coming over, you going across'?" Liu Na rolled her eyes at Tan Linlin’s explanation. "This song, sung by Elva Hsiao, was really popular. It has a beautiful sadness, perfectly capturing another kind of feeling between men and women. It genuinely reveals that ambiguous, confused state between friendship and love," Liu Na explained carefully, making Kang Yan nod in understanding, while Tan Linlin remained unconcerned—in truth, she didn’t really get it. To Tan Linlin, love was simply two people locking eyes, and everything else was just fine.

Hearing Tan Linlin's words, Xiao Lin’s mind suddenly cleared, and Liu Na's explanation beside him made everything fall into place—yes, that was exactly how he felt about Wang Yuqing.

"Don’t forget, believe in yourself, give me some response that's like love..." As Wang Yuqing sang this line, a faint blush swept across her face. "That blockhead—does he even understand why I chose this song?" she grumbled inwardly at Xiao Lin.

A response like love—when Xiao Lin heard this lyric, his bright eyes fixed intently on Wang Yuqing, trying to decipher the girl’s true intent from her face.

"We are two people, strangers yet familiar; love seems to come so cautiously. I want to ask you—do you believe in love, that this feeling is so beautiful..." Wang Yuqing’s small hand touched the red string around her neck, as if recalling something. Tan Linlin and Liu Na were still debating their views on love, while Xiao Lin continued watching Yuqing, noticing her movement. What was that hanging from her neck? Xiao Lin pondered silently.

"This world is so cold—thank you. Saying 'I love you' is something I long to hear." The song reached its end. After singing the last lyric, Wang Yuqing felt as if a weight had lifted from her heart. She remembered the moment she first met Xiao Lin in middle school—the boy who caught her eye at first glance. From then on, her heart belonged to him. The taste of secret love is agonizing: deeply caring but lacking the courage to reach out, so she watched him quietly every day, feeling inexplicable joy and sadness in turn. Now, at last, Wang Yuqing had used her song to confess feelings buried deep for years.

A sweet song, tinged with gentle sorrow, finally drew its curtain. After finishing, Wang Yuqing’s cheeks were flushed.

"Yuqing, I never expected you to sing so well," Kang Yan said, lips curling into a smile.

"The campus queen is always top-notch at everything—even singing! Yuqing, we really admire you," Xu Tong exclaimed.

"Yuqing, when are you going to hit the street with me and perform? We’d make loads of money, and then I’d be a little rich lady! Wahaha, I could buy so many snacks," Tan Linlin said, eyes sparkling as she looked at Wang Yuqing. It seemed she genuinely meant to drag Yuqing out for street performances.

"Go on, you’re the one who should be busking," Wang Yuqing retorted, ignoring her. "Who’s up next?" Yuqing asked with a smile.

"I’ll go. I want to duet ‘Because of Love’ with Kang Yan," Wang Tao stood up and said.

"Oooh, oooh, aaah, aaah," Xu Tong and Yuan Weiye howled, making a ruckus. Kang Yan wasn’t shy at all, standing up confidently. "No problem, but Wang Tao, I hope you can keep up!"

"Of course I can! I’m not Yuan Weiye. My singing’s not bad," Wang Tao replied eagerly.

"Me? What did I do?" Yuan Weiye blinked in confusion.

"Here’s an old CD..." The gentle melody began.

"Hey, Xiao Lin, how did I do just now?" Wang Yuqing sat on the sofa, her delicate brows furrowed as she asked.

"Excellent, truly. You’re almost as good as Elva Hsiao herself," Xiao Lin replied.

"Did you understand it?" Wang Yuqing suddenly asked.

"Huh? What... Yeah, I understood," Xiao Lin was caught off guard by the question, gazing at Wang Yuqing’s refined face. Unlike before, the girl didn’t look away; she stared at him with her beautiful eyes. Xiao Lin felt awkward, and after ten seconds, he cleared his throat and turned away, pretending to watch Wang Tao and Kang Yan sing.

"Hmph," Wang Yuqing snorted softly.

"Saying 'I love you' is something I long to hear." Wang Yuqing had just sung that lyric.

"If Xiao Lin were to confess to me, I’d be so happy," Yuqing murmured under the fountain.

"Xiao Lin, Xiao Lin, when did you become so hesitant, like a shy girl? She likes you—you know that. Why don’t you respond? Where did your decisiveness go?" Xiao Lin inwardly rebuked himself.