Fine, I Love You

I had been secretly in love with Connor, the top student in our class, for years. But he just announced he was in a relationship. At a party, his girlfriend deliberately asked me, “What’s your ideal type?” Looking at Connor’s face, I described someone completely opposite to him. Unexpectedly, the next day, his best friend approached me with a video from the party. Seeing my confused expression, he calmly said something that shocked me for the entire day. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you have a crush on me?” 1 After hearing Zack’s words, I choked on my bubble tea for a full minute. He sat across from me, knowingly holding his phone in front of my eyes. “Why so shy? Isn’t this the ideal type you described? It matches me perfectly.” In the video, I was staring at Connor’s face, speaking clearly word by word. “My ideal type is an outgoing, confident, and humorous guy.” He slowly lowered his phone, revealing a smug smile. “Although I have many admirers, I’ll reluctantly let you cut in line.” “Just pursue me for a month, and I’ll consider accepting you. But…” Looking at the chattering person in front of me, I expressionlessly closed the door. Zack’s sports car was eye-catching. Me riding my bicycle alongside his car was even more eye-catching. From the lowered car window, Zack’s mouth never stopped moving. “A month is a bit long, but you need patience when pursuing someone, right?” “I’m a young eligible bachelor, I can’t just say yes because you asked.” Annoyed by the noise, I stopped and gave him two middle fingers. Just as I was about to turn and pedal hard, I heard the voice I least wanted to hear. “Ava? Why are you cycling to school today?” Connor came up from behind, hugging his books. Seeing Zack’s sports car, his expression became a bit unnatural. “Hey, buddy, why aren’t you in the classroom yet?” Connor was the top student, always the first to arrive for 8 am classes. Everyone called him the scholarship maniac. “Something came up.” I used to wait for him at the cafeteria entrance every day to go to class together. He was never late in the morning. Today he probably had breakfast with Sophia. Thinking about this, I uncomfortably started pedaling my bicycle slowly. Connor walked beside me, frequently turning his head to look at me. “Ava, why are you coming with Zack?” Although he asked very quietly, Zack still heard it. “She wants to pursue me, so I’m teaching her how to win my heart.” From the corner of my eye, I saw Connor’s hand crumple a corner of his book. Under his inquiring gaze, I glanced at Zack without saying anything. Seeing that I didn’t refute, Zack spoke more enthusiastically. He leaned almost half his body out of the car. “She even insisted on buying me rings to wear on both my middle fingers just now.” “I don’t think it’s necessary though, don’t you agree, buddy?” “Rings are something that…” BANG– A huge crash mixed with Connor’s startled cry rang in my ears. The moment the telephone pole tilted, I really wanted to close my eyes and pretend I couldn’t hear anything. 2 After paying the bill at the reception desk and coming back, Zack was hugging his leg and complaining to the doctor. “Aren’t you embarrassed enough already?” Hearing my voice, he suddenly turned around, pointed at his leg, and looked at me with silent tears. Just before the tears reached the corners of his mouth, I rushed over and wrapped his head with my jacket. “Doctor, quickly!” After a round of wailing, I sat on the examination bed with a cold face, waiting for the doctor to disinfect the bite mark on my arm. “Zack, why didn’t that telephone pole kill you?” He touched the cast on his leg and wiped away his tears. “Don’t say such things. I promise to be with you, okay?” So I brought up the ring-buying thing again. By the time everything was over, it was already afternoon. Watching him flying around my house like a swallow, I couldn’t help but frown. “When are you going to leave?” He opened a bag of rice crackers and stuffed them into his mouth, shaking his head. “If you’re not leaving, then pay up. Towing fee, medical fee, transportation fee. SnapChat or PayPal?” “I’ll pay in kind.” He opened a carton of milk for himself and covered his face coyly. It was enough to make anyone angry for no reason. I immediately took out my phone to dial 91

Only then did he hurriedly hop over with his cast, looking at me pitifully, “Is a bank transfer okay?” After tearfully transferring a four-digit sum, he was finally allowed to stay as a guest. After all, with a wrecked sports car and a broken leg, going home would be life-threatening. But I didn’t know my kindness would cause me so much trouble. It wasn’t until I finished showering at night and was about to sleep that I truly realized. “Zack, open the door right now!” I knocked until my palm was numb before he finally spoke. “No way, I’m a pure and innocent boy. How could I sleep with you?” I could hear the suppressed laughter in his intermittent voice. I kicked the door once, then reluctantly compromised and walked towards the sofa in the living room. The cheap sofa I bought was narrow and hard. I didn’t fall asleep until late at night. Zack floated out like a ghost and stood in front of the sofa. It gave me a big scare. “What are you doing?” “Your room is too hot. My allergies are acting up. I can’t sleep.” His voice sounded stuffy. “Then what should we do? Do you want me to go out and buy medicine for you now?” “I want to sleep here.” Inexplicably, the sofa became a hot commodity again. I bundled up the blanket around me and went into the room. Instead of heading straight for the pillow, I first glanced at the notebook on the desk. In the moonlight, I felt something was off about it. But it was still in its original place. After struggling for a while, I finally locked it in the drawer before going to sleep with peace of mind. 3 Without his sports car, Zack had to ride on my bicycle to school every day. “Why don’t you take a cab?” “I gave all my money to you. How can I afford a cab?” He sat on my rear seat, carrying my backpack and using an egg to soothe his eyes, his mouth full of complaints. I could only channel my speechlessness into pedaling fiercely. As soon as we entered the classroom, I felt Connor’s scrutinizing gaze. I originally wanted to ignore him and sit at the back, but Zack pulled me to sit in the front row. “My leg hurts. I can’t jump that far.” He sat between Connor and me, constantly yawning. I wasn’t doing much better, feeling extremely sleepy. I had only fallen asleep in the early hours, and at 6 am, he was standing by my bed with puffy eyes. Complaining that the wind chimes in the living room kept ringing, keeping him awake. Unable to bear his constant nagging, I had to get up and throw the wind chimes in the trash. Those wind chimes were a gift from Connor. There was no need to keep them anymore anyway. I mocked myself inwardly. It was just something Sophia had discarded. Why was I still treasuring it like some precious item? As if sensing something, Connor suddenly turned back to look at me. He was about to pass something over across Zack. Before I could see clearly, my shoulder suddenly felt heavy. Zack had steadily fallen asleep on my shoulder. I immediately turned my head straight, narrowly avoiding kissing his forehead. If I woke him up, who knows how he would disgust me. Shouting things like secret crush and paying in kind, then rushing over. Who could stand that? On the podium, the teacher’s gaze, as if tangible, made me feel like I was sitting on pins and needles. Taking advantage of her turning around to write on the board, I pushed Zack’s head. Unexpectedly, not only did I not push him away, he even nuzzled his head on my shoulder. Damn, I wonder if his red hair will stain my clothes. It must stain, otherwise why would my face be so red? “Admit it, Ava. You’re fascinated by me too, right?” Zack once again held up his phone with a smug expression. A photo of me on the campus social media page, red-faced, supporting Zack’s head while taking notes, had gone viral. The photo was taken very cleverly, not even showing a corner of Connor’s clothes next to us. I stared at it for a few seconds without responding to his words. But he suddenly put down his phone and twisted himself into a pretzel. “But you’re being too obvious. Now the whole school knows you like me.” “You’re making it impossible for me to reject you. You’re so bad.” Watching him bury his face in his palms, I silently snatched the sausage from his bowl. 4 Actually, everyone knew I liked Connor. Because no matter what activity it was, as long as I was told Connor would be there, I would participate. The words at that party were indeed just my childish retaliation. So I don’t quite understand why Zack is so certain that I have a secret crush on him. But undeniably, Zack did distract my attention. He accompanies me to class, follows me when I study, and waits for me when I work part-time. When I’m with him, I rarely think about Connor. “Ava, do you think I’d look better with golden hair?” “Mm-hmm.” Busy with my part-time job, I responded habitually. “You’re so perfunctory. I’m such a handsome guy, and you don’t appreciate me at all.” Zack is very good-looking, golden hair should suit him well. He complained verbally, but the next day his hair color had indeed changed. After getting my paycheck, I took him to the orphanage. This was what I had promised him before. He always ate the snacks I stored at home. I told him those were bought for the children at the orphanage. As soon as he heard that, he insisted on coming along and even filled up a lot of toys himself. With free labor and toys for the kids to play with, I had no reason to refuse. But when we got to the entrance, he hesitated, holding two big bags of snacks and toys. “Ava, should I have dyed my hair black instead?” Looking at his golden hair shimmering under the sun, I nodded. Because the kids here love new and interesting things. Once we go in, I’m afraid his head of golden hair will be in trouble. The director was very happy to see me return. She pulled me aside, saying I had gotten thinner again, telling me to eat more, not to take studying too seriously, and that health is the most important. I agreed to everything and also told her not to work too hard. She looked at Zack distributing snacks to the children and whispered in my ear. “Girl, this boy seems quite nice, but why did he dye his hair yellow?” The director pushed up her glasses, showing deep confusion. In the warm autumn sun, Zack held a child in each arm while trying to read a storybook. I stood beside the director, watching him from afar through the window. A warm feeling inexplicably arose in my heart. During dinner, Zack sat next to the director, looking very respectful. Although everything seemed harmonious, I felt something was off. I couldn’t help but ask if he was feeling unwell somewhere. He straightened his back, “No, it’s great here, very comfortable.” “Then why are you acting so strange?” He glanced at the director and secretly asked me, “How am I strange?” “Usually when eating, you practically hug the rice cooker, but today you’re only eating one bowl.” The director heard this and smiled, immediately sending a child to help him get more rice. He buried his face in the bowl and squeezed out a sentence through his teeth. “Ava, don’t I need to save face?” 5 Starting from the day we returned from the orphanage, The notebook in the bedroom drawer began to thin day by day. The weather was also getting colder. I wanted that failed secret crush to leave me like falling leaves. But things didn’t go as I wished. Someone posted photos of Zack and me entering and leaving the hospital together on the campus social media page. There was also a related post. The title was enough to match the big “Breaking” label in the bottom right corner. “The Dirty Secrets of a Poor Scholar and a Rich Kid” It was full of photos of Zack and me appearing together. The text was full of speculation about our relationship. The conclusion was that I was pregnant with Zack’s child, and he accompanied me to the hospital for an abortion. Although many people in the comments didn’t believe it, saying that everyone knew I liked Connor. “The only difference before and after going to the hospital is that the cast on Zack’s leg is gone. Are you saying that cast was their child?” “And anyone with eyes knows that Ava has always liked Connor, right?” But people’s enthusiasm for gossip was no joke. “What’s the use of liking someone if Connor doesn’t like her back?” “Yeah, Connor and Sophia are such a loving couple, why would he want Ava?” “I’m not surprised by this at all. You should see the way Zack looks at Ava…” “I just didn’t expect Ava to be this kind of person. She always acted so high and mighty before.” I was immediately called in for a talk with the counselor and received an afternoon of education in the office. When I came out, I ran into Connor standing at the door. “Ava, are you okay?” I didn’t respond, just stepped aside to let him pass. “I believe you’re not that kind of person.” When I opened the door at night, Zack was no longer there. I woodenly went back to the bedroom and took out the notebook, about to tear out a page as usual. But looking at the words blurred by water stains, I found it strange. Flipping through, every page had them. But I had never spilled water on it. I dug out yesterday’s torn page from the trash can, and sure enough, the writing was also blurred by water marks. When Zack was here before, I always tore pages in the dark at night, so I never noticed. This notebook contained my record of secretly loving Connor since high school. From the first time I realized I liked Connor, to Connor announcing his relationship. Every word was related to Connor. My mind was in chaos as I searched for memories about the notebook. I suddenly remembered the first night Zack came to my house. His intermittent speech, coming out in the middle of the night with a stuffy voice, and his swollen eyelids the next day. Complaining about the wind chimes Connor gave me in the early morning. These moments flashed before my eyes one by one. I touched those round water stains, and a guess formed in my heart. 6 The post was deleted, but I hadn’t seen Zack for a week. After that campus post came out, I never saw him again. He didn’t reply to my messages either. Instead, my contact with Connor passively increased. For some reason, I kept running into Connor everywhere. In class, he no longer sat in the front row or came first. Instead, he waited for me downstairs, followed me to school, and sat with me at the back of the classroom. “Connor, you already have a girlfriend. Please have some self-awareness.” “Ava, it’s not what you think between Sophia and me. I have my reasons.” But I had no time to listen to his reasons. “Don’t you want to know why someone like Zack would be friends with me?” We sat on a bench in front of the artificial lake on campus. I was indeed curious why Zack would be friends with Connor. Because I had known Connor since high school and had a crush on him. Zack, I only met after starting university. Suddenly one day he appeared by Connor’s side, calling him his good buddy. At that time, I thought male friendships just formed that quickly. But now it seems that Connor and Zack are completely opposite personality types. Moreover, Zack’s family background is different from ours. I’m an orphan, and Connor lives with his grandmother. Except for our grades, we’re at the bottom of the social ladder at school. But Connor is a bit better off than me. He’s nice to everyone, and with his handsome face, quite a few people like him. As for me, I’m busy with part-time jobs every day and indifferent to everyone. Even though I look decent, people just say I’m putting on airs. But I don’t care what others think. Because I know others can’t help me live my life. But Zack, I don’t know why he’s different from others. From the beginning, he’s been very enthusiastic towards me. Even when I ignored him, he would still come to talk to me. Before this incident, I hadn’t even looked at his face carefully. “I’m not close to him at all.” “He just came up to me on his own. You know, he’s different from us. People are more willing to believe them.” Seeing that I wasn’t looking at him, he continued. “I became his good friend in a daze, and watched him approach you in a daze.” “Now I finally understand, he was trying to get close to you from the very beginning.” “Actually, I’ve wanted to say this for a long time. Zack is not a good person. Don’t be fooled by him.” 7 I became the protagonist of the campus social media page again. This time it was with Connor. In the photo, we were sitting on a bench with our heads lowered. The title read: “Shocking! Poor Girl Dumped, Turns to Someone Else’s Boyfriend” After being invisible for twenty years, I never thought I’d become a campus celebrity overnight.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295734”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn